FINDING HIS NICHE Pawn shop owner strives to set business apart. A-3
A&E: Silver Spring resident directs Arena Stage sendup of famed Russian author. B-4
The Gazette
SILVER SPRING | TAKOMA PARK | WHEATON | BURTONSVILLE
SPORTS: Sisters play a leading role on the Blair High softball team. B-1
DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
25 cents
Takoma Park works to save pool Piratz Tavern
is scuttled by negative waves
Proposed 2016 county budget cuts maintenance funds for facility n
BY
KEVIN JAMES SHAY STAFF WRITER
A campaign to save the public swimming pool at Piney Branch Elementary School from the county budget ax — a seemingly annual rite of spring in recent years — is in full swing. County Executive Isiah Leggett’s proposed 2016 budget recommends cutting maintenance operations funds for the pool. Officials are not recommending that the pool be permanently closed, but re-evaluated with a long-term strategy that considers needed capital improvements, said Judy Stiles, a recreation department spokeswoman. This will be the fourth consecutive year that maintenance costs of the pool will exceed the budget allocation, she said. Having the pool in a school limits public access and hours, and the pool is in need of “substantial repair,” Stiles said. It also does not comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. “At this time, it is important to take time to evaluate and develop a long-term strategy for the pool to avoid the continuance of operations at a substantial deficit and to move forward with a well-developed plan,” Stiles said. Parents of students at the Takoma Park school, users from swim clubs, Takoma Park City Council members and others are lobbying county officials to keep the pool open while it is being studied. “We seem to go through this almost every year,” said Wendy Kent, a Takoma Park resident whose daughter attends Piney Branch and regularly swims there. “It would be such a big loss if it closed. A lot of students
See POOL, Page A-10
Owner says business was target of vandalism, fake online reviews n
BY
ANDREW SCHOTZ STAFF WRITER
Piratz Tavern in Silver Spring will shut down Saturday — three years after a contentious reality-show appearance that has plagued the business ever since. Tavern owner Tracy Rebelo said Thursday that she has timed the closing to be the day before her establishment shows up in a second episode of “Bar
Proposal would divide $20 million grant among qualifying school systems n
BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Aquatic Stars swim instructor Tony Vladimirov works with Willa Murrow, 5, of Takoma, Washington, D.C., during her swim lesson at the Piney Branch pool on Thursday.
Supporters hope action will bring ‘quality development’ to large vacant building
n
KEVIN JAMES SHAY STAFF WRITER
In what supporters hope will result in “quality development” for a large building that has been vacant for five years, the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday approved a minor amendment to the Aspen Hill master plan by a 7-2 vote. A 265,000-square-foot building on Connecticut Avenue near Aspen Hill Road has been vacant since 2010, when defense and aerospace contractor BAE Systems moved out. The amendment changes the zoning on the property from office to commercial
residential town, which allows a mixture of uses, including retail. Developer Bruce H. Lee said he has tried for several years to find suitable office tenants for that site without success. He said Tuesday he was “very happy” with the council’s decision. “The ability to move forward with retail was key, since that is where the market is,” Lee said. Council President George L. Leventhal (D-At Large) of Takoma Park and Marc Elrich (D-At Large) of Takoma Park cast the dissenting votes. Leventhal said he was concerned about “smart growth” in the area and objected to the “manner in which this issue was brought up.” Moreover, the county is “near saturation” for retail in many areas, with new developments such as Crown in Gaithersburg
INDEX A&E Automotive Business Calendar Classified Opinion Sports
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attracting shoppers who ordinarily spend money at nearby older centers, he said. “There is only so much appetite ... to spend and shop,” Leventhal said. Elrich said officials should look at a more comprehensive approach with all of the shopping centers in the Aspen Hill area, not focus on one development. In a 5-4 vote two years ago, the council limited the review to mostly the former BAE site, rejecting a council committee’s recommendation to include other Aspen Hill commercial and retail areas. The Planning Board recommended rezoning the property to neighborhood retail. Many residents preferred commercial residential neighborhood, which they said would not allow such big retailers.
See REZONING, Page A-10
NEWS B-4 B-11 A-11 A-2 B-8 A-12 B-1
See TAVERN, Page A-10
Construction bill would give $6M more to schools If Maryland establishes a $20 million school construction grant fund for growing school systems, Montgomery County could get about $6 million of the pie. Maryland’s House Appro-
Council approves Aspen Hill rezoning BY
Rescue” on the cable channel Spike TV. She said that until Thursday — when she announced her plans through a Facebook post — she hadn’t shared publicly that Piratz Tavern was scheduled to be on the show again. The second time turned sour, too, she said, and she’s had enough of the show being a constant presence in her business. “It’s been a huge negative thing,” she said. In Rebelo’s post on Thursday on a Facebook page for fans
Volume 28, No. 9, Two sections, 28 Pages Copyright © 2015 The Gazette Please
RECYCLE
DIFFERENT ANGLES Child care bills head down separate paths.
A-6
priations Committee on Friday passed legislation to establish a $20 million capital grant fund for school systems with high enrollment growth or portable classrooms. The Senate’s Budget and Taxation Committee gave the bill a favorable report with amendments on Friday. Both the House and the Senate still need to consider the bill, but legislative leaders are back-
See SCHOOLS, Page A-10
‘Pain’ art causing distress n
Exhibitors moved to shield children from drawings
BY CINDI HRON
County officials said some of the images in the “Cindi Hron: Back Pain” exhibit at Montgomery College “might not be appropriate for children” attending Saturday’s GreenFest in Silver Spring.
KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER
Questions about the appropriateness of an art exhibit at Montgomery College’s art center in Silver Spring led to a venue
See PAIN, Page A-10