Wayne Avenue residents want underground Purple Line

By Jennifer Deseo | May 23, 2007

As plans for the Purple Line chug along, some residents along the proposed Wayne Avenue route want the light-rail line at least six feet under.

“Do Wayne Avenue, but do it underground,” Susan Andrea, an area resident, said at last week’s citizens advisory board meeting.

Proposed alignments drafted by the state transit administration roll a Purple Line route down Wayne Avenue at street level . However, members of the Seven Oaks-Evanswood Civic Association worry about how reserved Purple Line lanes would affect auto traffic.

“Unlike Metro, it [the Purple Line] will be above ground, and that’s unusual to have it going down the middle of the street,” Wayne Avenue resident Jonathan Jay told the board. “It’ll cause a lot of traffic.”

Dedicated Purple Line lanes also could knock out on-street parking along Wayne Avenue, reps for the state transit administration have said. It’s a concern for members of Silver Spring’s citizens advisory board and urban district committee, because some homes on Wayne Avenue do not have driveways or other off-street options.

“Let’s take care of the residents,” Jay implored. “If we’re going to build a Purple Line, let’s do it right.”

Silver Spring’s transportation committee will continue to discuss the matter, advisory board chairperson Debbie Spielberg said.

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Seven arrested after downtown fights

By Jennifer Deseo | May 22, 2007

Seven people were arrested Friday night after several fights broke out on Ellsworth Drive, MoCo police reported.

The fights may have been triggered by a single incident as movie goers filed out of the Majestic Theatre on Ellsworth and Fenton Street.

“Somebody bumped into somebody,” third district Lt Stephen Auger told Silver Spring’s neighborhoods committee Monday night. The initial offense then cascaded into several fights.

Police officers arrested seven people on the scene for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. It was unclear whether the assailants had any gang affiliations, Auger said.

Friday’s main event was a symptom of understaffing and underfunding at the third district, Auger told the committee. “We just don’t have the bodies or the overtime,” he said.

Currently, two officers work overtime along Ellsworth Drive on Friday evenings. One officer from the graveyard shift covers the beat overnight. However, Auger admits that it’s not enough.

“We’re stretched pretty thin down there,” he said.

The PD’s third district covers eastern Montgomery County, from dense urban areas along the District line, to suburban and rural tracts along the Howard County line. Fifty cops patrol the entire district.

Last week, the county council allocated enough money in the new budget to hire 30 patrol officers countywide. It’s unclear how many of those cops will be assigned to the third district.

 
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The Watercooler

By Jennifer Deseo | May 21, 2007

For sale

Typewriter Nordik torture devices Spring chickens Penguins

It was barely 11:00 a.m. on Saturday when the news broke: The fried bologna and peanut butter pizzas were sold out.

“My husband says that every year,” said one food vendor at St. Luke’s annual yard sale on Colesville Road. “Last year, he told everyone that the peanut butter and prune pizzas were out.”

At least there were other cool things to score. The blogger Sligo describes his acquisitions on Silver Spring, Singular. Meanwhile, Penguin photographer Ron Pace (right thumbnail) hit the motherlode.

Tree-planting ceremony

Block party Kiddie activities Rock and roll! Police tank

Overheard at Sunday’s South Silver Spring block party:

“Silver Spring is just so big, unincorporated. If you’re driving around and don’t know where you are, you’re in Silver Spring.”

Glean from that what you will.

Fred Lowenbach and Councilmember Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5)

Ravi D’Souza, Muriel Hairston-Cooper, Mel Tull and David Fogel Robert Jepson and Gary Stith Bob Middleton, Stanley Botts and Art Freeman State del. Heather Mizeur and Kathy Stevens

Finally, a jem from Thursday’s Spirit of Silver Spring awards, thrown by the civic association Impact Silver Spring.

Councilmember Valerie Ervin (D-District 5) had flattering words for award recipient and day-care operator Richard Crump — at the expense of her 20-year-old son.

Addressing an audience of over 200 people, Ervin recalled how Crump enrolled her son, then two years old, into his day-care program despite the child’s inability to use the toilet.

“I thank you, Mr. Crump, for many reasons,” Ervin said.

No word on how grateful Ervin’s son may be.

Photography by Jennifer Deseo and Ronald Pace for The Silver Spring Penguin.

 
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County budget covers books, Birchmere

By Jennifer Deseo | May 21, 2007

ROCKVILLE – Education, the arts and economic development in Silver Spring each score a slice of the county’s $4.1 billion operating budget in the coming fiscal year, the county council announced Thursday.

Two elementary schools in the Downcounty Consortium split nearly $28 million for more classrooms. East Silver Spring Elementary School gets an eight-room addition, while Takoma Park Elementary gets 16 extra rooms.

The Silver Spring International Middle School transfers four classrooms to the adjacent Sligo Creek Elementary School. Despite the additional rooms, Sligo Creek remains above capacity, council staff admits.

Further up the educational food chain, Montgomery College scores $1.5 million for the new Cafritz Foundation Art Center. The South Silver Spring building will house the college’s school of art and design.

Off campus, the American Film Institute gets a cool half-million bucks to cover the tab for operating shortfalls. 

Almost $2 million goes toward bringing the Birchmere nightclub to the old JC Penney site in downtown Silver Spring. The state has already tossed in a matching $2 million to cover construction costs of the concert hall.

The county also throws $700,000 at Washington Adventist Hospital, which will spend it on a 52,000 square-foot medical office on Flower Avenue in Long Branch. The $700,000 is the first installment of a three-year, $2.1 million subsidy to the hospital.

For $400,000, Metro riders get to walk through the south entrance of the Silver Spring Metro station. The entrance, adjacent to offices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is currently blocked by a gate and concrete curb.

Oh yeah, and there are no new taxes.

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The Early Bird

By Jennifer Deseo | May 21, 2007

As with any work week before a national holiday, it’s gonna hurt like hell. Here’s what to expect:

Monday. Silver Spring’s neighborhoods committee talks about, well, the neighborhood. The gab goes down at 7:00 p.m. at the Silver Spring Regional Center (8435 Georgia Ave).

Wednesday. The pedestrian safety committee gets the dish on councilmember Nancy Floreen’s proposed road code, which could create narrower roads and street corners. The meeting hits the Silver Spring Regional Center (8435 Georgia Ave) at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday. The planning board chews the fat on Silver Place, a mixed-use project adjacent to Fairview Road Park. The discussion begins at 1:00 p.m. at planning-board headquarters (8787 Georgia Ave).

Thursday. The AFI Silver Theatre (8633 Colesville Rd) rolls the best of this year’s 48-Hour Film Project, in which artists write, film and wrap a flick in — you guessed it — 48 hours. Screenings start at 7:30 and 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $9.25 ($7.50 for seniors, students and AFI members).

Thursday. Two experts on DC’s urban sprawl compare Montgomery, Loudon and Fairfax counties’ growth-management strategies. The details drop on planning board headquarters (8787 Georgia Ave) at 7:00 p.m.

Friday. The African Cultural Alliance holds an open call for models and other talent to work the third annual African Ball. Auditions run from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Gwendolyn Coffield Community Center (2450 Lyttonsville Rd).

Sashay, chante!

 
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Civic leaders honored at ceremony

By Jennifer Deseo | May 18, 2007

Honoree Richard Crump

A schoolmaster, a PTA mom, a pair of artists and two coffee-brewing sisters received kudos from the community at Thursday night’s Impact Awards ceremony.

More than 200 people streamed through a crowded NOAA exhibit hall on East-West Highway to recognize the civic contributions of Richard Crump (above), Emie Mercier Cadet, artists Tom Block and Amy Kincaid, and sisters Lene and Abeba Tsegaye. Each received an award from Impact Silver Spring, a civic organization.

“We’re proud of this community. We’re proud of what it’s accomplished,” said Murray Horwitz, director of the American Film Institute and the evening’s master of ceremonies.

Award winner Richard Crump, president of Quality Time Early Learning Center, was recognized for his commitment to area children. Crump opened his early-learning center for preschoolers in 1988, when Silver Spring was in dire socioeconomic straits.

Since then, Crump has offered English-language classes for adults, health and dental screenings for kids, and support for youth recreation and education programs.

“This is something God called me to do. The thing is, when God calls you to do something, you know it won’t be easy,” Crump told the audience.

“But you also know it’ll all work out,” he added.

Honoree Emie Mercier CadetNorthwest Park resident Emie Mercier Cadet (right) was recognized for revitalizing the PTA at Broad Acres Elementary School, and for her work with the county’s Weed and Seed crime-prevention program. The soft-spoken Haitian immigrant’s next goal is to form a tenants’ association at Northwest Park.

Honorees Lene and Abeba TsegayeProps went to sisters Lene and Abeba Tsegaye (right), owners of Kefa Cafe, and their collaborators, artists Tom Block and Amy Kincaid. The four worked to develop Space 7:10, a gallery space inside Kefa Cafe’s dining room.

Impact Silver Spring also recognized new graduates of its community-empowerment program. That program trains residents in outreach, networking and organizational skills used in community activism.

Photos by Jennifer Deseo for The Silver Spring Penguin.

 
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