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The Gazette SILVER SPRING | TAKOMA PARK | BURTONSVILLE
DAILY UPDATES ONLINE www.gazette.net
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
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Noise concerns, realignment request among Purple Line study comments Deadline to comment on environmental impact study was Monday n
BY AGNES BLUM STAFF WRITER
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Lily Durkee (right), 17, will be able to vote in the upcoming Takoma Park city election. She and her friend Emily Guthrie, 16, of Silver Spring are excited about the city’s focus on young voters. Both are students at Montgomery Blair High School.
excited to vote Takoma teens
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Outreach, however, seems to have missed many potential new voters BY
SARAH SCULLY STAFF WRITER
For the first time, 16-year-olds will be able to vote on Nov. 5 in Takoma Park city elections. The idea behind the change, which passed in May as an amendment to the City Charter, is that involving teenagers in
voting early on will encourage voting and political participation as they get older. Many people vote for the first time when they are away at college, in a new place where they are likely unaware of local issues. But if teens first vote in the community they grew up in, they’ll have a better understanding of local issues, the argument goes, and some studies show that the earlier a person votes the more likely they are to establish a lifelong habit of voting. As of Monday, 90 16- and 17-year-olds had registered to vote with the city. Based on 2010 census data, Councilman Tim Male estimated that there are about 350
16- and 17-year-olds living Takoma Park. Some, like Fred Schultz, the sole council member to oppose the amendment, call the effort nominal, saying that simply lowering the voting age is not the best way to increase political participation. It broadens the pool of voters, but won’t necessarily draw them to the polls or make anyone more aware of community issues — that takes outreach. Sara Shonkwiler, 17, of Takoma Park, said she received a Takoma Park registration form in the mail after registering to
See VOTE, Page A-13
Middle schoolers to be measured by MAP System using test until academic targets developed n
BY
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
Middle school students’ performance will be tracked by the Measures of Academic Progress test as the county’s schools await data from new state assessments. Kimberly Statham — deputy superintendent of teaching, learning and programs for the school system — said in a presentation to the school board Monday that the school system eventually will de-
velop academic targets based on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness of College and Careers. PARCC will be fully implemented in the school system next school year. “In the meantime, however, we need a high-quality instrument to assess the health of the school system,” she said. “We believe that that instrument is MAP.” The computer-based progress test that assesses math and reading performance already is in use in the school system. This year, however, will mark the first time the test is used to assess student progress systemwide, Statham said. Superintendent Joshua P. Starr said
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TALENT RUNS IN THE FAMILY Good Counsel lineman earns invite to national bowl; appears destined for the NFL.
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these measures are not the same as the “milestone” targets described in the strategic planning framework he announced in June. Starr said that Monday evening’s conversation marked the first of four the school board will have regarding the school system’s milestones. According to the strategic plan, students will be tracked through five milestones at grades three, five, eight and nine and graduation. Thedatafromtheprogresstest,Starrsaid, will rather serve as a placeholder of sorts.
See MAP, Page A-13
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RECYCLE
The deadline to comment on the Purple Line’s environmental impact study was Monday, and opponents of the $2.2 billion light-rail project have come out swinging. The Town of Chevy Chase has called for not just a new environmental impact study, but a completely new design. The Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail submitted a 23-page document detailing the flaws of the study and also proposing alternative routes. It also amassed more than 5,500 signatures on a petition to save the Georgetown Branch section of the trail. And in Silver Spring, residents of Park Hills and Seven Oaks Evanswood filed a joint response, detailing concerns about noise, the impact of runoff on Sligo Creek, pedestrian and traffic safety and the loss of
DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
Ajay Bhat on the Capital Crescent Trail, just east of Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase.
trees. They asked the Maryland Transit Administration to “do more to significantly reduce impacts on residents.” The Maryland Transit Administration and the Federal Transit Administration have not yet counted up the num-
See PURPLE, Page A-12
Theater consortium bids to be new manager of black box theater Two Silver Spring community organizations support plan n
BY
ALINE BARROS STAFF WRITER
Montgomery County expects to have new management in place for its black box theater by June and a consortium of four theater companies is positioning itself to be the agency in charge. Members of the Black Box Silver Spring Consortium went to the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board and the Urban District Advisory committee public meetings on Oct. 14 and Oct. 17 to share their operational plans, ask for members’ support, and answer questions about their proposal for the black box theater, located near the AFI Silver Theatre on Colesville Road. Since Round House Theatre announced on June 27 its decision to no longer manage the theater, the consortium, which
includes four local theater companies— Lumina Studio Theatre, ArtStream, Live Garra Theater and Forum Theater — has asked for community support to talk about the venue’s future. “Our goal is to make a very lively and interactive space,” said David Minton, executive director of Lumina Studio Theater. During the meetings, Minton explained that rental and utility costs would be taken care of by the county and the consortium proposes to pay for insurance, telephone, and Internet expenses. He also added that if the consortium is awarded the contract, the group will name a board of directors and hire a facility manager. Montgomery County owns the space, which has been managed by Round House since entering into a 10-year agreement with the county in 2004. The theater is a 50 feet by 60 feet venue for an audience of 130 people. County Executive Isiah
See THEATER, Page A-11
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