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Aspen Hill,  Bell Pre, Brookeville, Glenmont, Kemp Mill, 
Kensington,  Olney,  Sandy Spring,  Upper Rock Creek, Wheaton
                                                         April 24th, 2015

Award-Winning Artist Matthew Mazzotta to Mount

'Outdoor Living Room' in Wheaton, Maryland
 
Matthew Mazzotta, a nationally recognized public artist, will bring his "Outdoor Living Room" project (pictured), to Wheaton, Maryland.  Mazzotta won an Americans for the Arts Public Art award for his community arts project, "Open House" completed in 2013 in York, Alabama.  Credit Matthew Mazzotta
 
Montgomery County's third and youngest Arts and Entertainment District will be temporarily transformed when nationally recognized public artist Matthew Mazzotta brings his "outdoor living room" project to downtown Wheaton.  Commissioned by the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County and the Montgomery County Public Art Trust, MIT- trained artist Matthew Mazzotta will mount an outdoor living room in downtown Wheaton to facilitate a community conversation about Wheaton, what Wheaton means to its residents, and how the arts and humanities can reflect and uplift the community. The public is invited to explore the outdoor living room, which will be installed in Wheaton Veterans Urban Park on May 6, 2015 between 5pm and 7pm.

The May 6 project is the second phase of a larger public art and creative placemaking initiative planned for the Wheaton Arts & Entertainment District that aims to activate public and private sites with public art and temporary visual and performing arts activities.  AHCMC launched the first phase of the project with the announcement of the Wheaton Cultural Grants in October 2014.  This new competitive grant category will provide grants of up to $10,000 to support artists, scholars, and cultural nonprofits with proposals for creative and cultural projects for Wheaton.  AHCMC plans to announce the first recipients of these Montgomery County funded grants in June, 2015.  For more information on this project, visit  website.
COUNTY NEWS
 

Electric Vehicle Charging Station Coming to Public Garages - County Executive Ike Leggett unveiled three new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations with the capacity to charge six vehicles. Garage 31 in Bethesda is the first to be completed in the Montgomery County Department of Transportation's (MCDOT) program to install additional EV stations, capable of charging 26 vehicles, in 11 County parking garages and lots over the next few months. MCDOT will monitor usage and may then expand the EV program to a total of 24 facilities with the capacity to charge more than 50 vehicles. EV charging stations operate like gas pumps. Drivers pay $0.13 per kilowatt hour to charge their vehicles, in addition to paying the same parking fee as other vehicles in the garage.

 

Lose some Watts at home with WattWatchers game!    WattWatchers of Maryland offers a fun way to find energy savings  around the home, and include the whole family! Play WattWatchers and discover free and creative ways to save energy and make conserving energy a fun and rewarding family. Enjoy interactive, games and the possibility to randomly win a prize!  Meet Sam and the rest of his crew, and start making those savings happen! 
Provided by Fuel Fund of Maryland - an independent nonprofit offers Watt Watchers as part of its mission. The course is entirely free and you keep all the savings you earn from conserving energy. 

FOR just a few more days, local farmers are accepting share-holders into their Community Supported Agriculture businesses, or CSAs. If you want to support small businesses - and you like fresh food - it's not too late to sign up to participate in a local CSA. More info HERE.
UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS 
 

17th Annual Paws in the Park Dog Walk and Festival - This event

supports the Montgomery County Humane Society's work to rescue, care for and adopt homeless animals that it pulls from overcrowded public shelters.   This event will take place on April 26th 12:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Register before April 1 and be entered to win a dog-themed gift basket from Wagging Tails Thrifts & Gifts.  Please register now by clicking here.


Recipients of 2015 Montgomery Serves Awards Presented at April 27 Ceremony -  Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett announced the recipients of the 2015 Montgomery Serves Awards, the Neal Potter Path of Achievement Awards and the Roscoe R. Nix Distinguished Community Leadership Awards.  The Annual Montgomery Serves Awards event to be held Monday, April 27 at 6:30 p.m. at Imagination Stage in Bethesda.  The ceremony and reception are free and open to the public.  For more information or to register for the event ,  go to website .  Questions may be sent via  email .

Ride On Teen Video Contest!   Ride on is looking for middle and high school students to help spread the word about Ride On's FREE and discounted kids programs by producing a fun and educational video about the Youth Cruiser SmarTrip Card, the Monthly Pass, and the Summer Pass. Winners could win FREE bus passes for an entire year, Ride On gear, and the opportunity to have video featured on the county's website, Montgomery County Cable Television and Ride On's YouTube channel! Entries should be sent to this email or uploaded to Dropbox by May 1, 2015. For more information, including the contest flyer, rules, and entry form, go to the Ride On Kids Ride Free webpage HERE.


 Tai Chi Demonstration and Workshop Presented by Tai Chi Master Chung-jen Chang

Free Event for Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Saturday, May 2, 2015, from 2pm to 3pm - Aspen Hill Library 4407 Aspen Hill Road Rockville, MD 20853                                  

 

Montgomery College - Celebrating 11th anniversary Arab American Heritage Month! With outstanding month-long Arab American Heritage Month program of events (more than 25 events), which have served to provide our students, faculty and staff and community members with dynamic opportunities to learn about Arab-American and Arab focused topics. The celebration theme for this year is: "Moving Forward through Knowledge: Embracing our Ethical Principles." The celebration is designed to encourage discussion and learning and highlight the diverse cultural traditions of the world's 23 Arab countries.  Click here for more information.

 

ANNOUNCING A JAM-PACKED DIGITAL MEDIA SUMMER CAMP LINE UP - 

Montgomery County Media has summer camps for  Teens or Tweens including   Digital Media Creators PSA Edition registration information HERE; Summer Backpack Journalism Academy registration information HERE; and Digital Media Creators Green Screen Edition registration information HERE.


2nd Annual MoCo's Got Talent hosted by The Youth Development Team of Montgomery County Recreation - If you have any youth that are talented performers and or visual artist, this is the event for them. Auditions take place in Wheaton on May 1st at the Mid County Regional Center from 5:00pm - 9:00pm.  To audition, simply click HERE, and type in the course code of the location you would like to audition (Course Code: 414019). There should be prompts informing you of your next steps.  If you have any questions or encounter any problems, contact Jose Segura by email and he will be more than happy to assist you.  

 

Strawberry Festival - A community tradition returns on Saturday, June 6. For more than 30 years, the first Saturday in June means Strawberry Festival! Now part of the community's history, it attracts thousands that come to enjoy the small-town atmosphere, live music, fresh strawberries, handmade crafts, children's games, and more! New this year: Karaoke and Beer Garden! Click here for more information on selling crafts or other handmade items at the festival. Interested in sponsoring the 2015 Strawberry Festival? Contact Joshua Ford, at 301-774-0022, or by email.


Olney Days:  Preparations for the May 16-17, 2015 Olney Days has begun, and your help and support are needed. Last year, over 10,000 residents of Olney and surrounding areas enjoyed rides, contests, music, fireworks, and the Olney Days Parade.  For more information, click HERE. 
INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS

DOT/Division of Transportation Engineering upcoming Public Workshop

Grosvenor/Strathmore Bicycle and Pedestrian Priority Area (BiPPA)

Monday, April 27, 2015 from 7pm to 9pm at Garrett Park Elementary School Cafeteria

4810 Oxford Street, Kensington, MD

 

Montgomery County Law Enforcement Agencies Conduct Drug Take-Back Day - Saturday, May 2nd between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., there will be nine drop-off locations throughout Montgomery County. These locations will accept prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications only. Liquids, illicit drugs, needles, sharps and syringes cannot be accepted as part of the take-back program. Officers will staff collection boxes in the parking lots of the following facilities or in their lobbies: Wheaton: MCP 4th District Station - 2300 Randolph Rd., Wheaton


  Wheaton Logo The  Wheaton Urban District Advisory Committee's next meeting is on Tuesday, May 5th at 6:30 p.m. at the Mid-County Regional Center located at 2424 Reedie Drive, 1st floor conference room.  The date has been changed due to guest speaker and artist Matthew Mazzotta coming to the committee to talk about his work and possibilities of art in Wheaton.  

 

Montgomery Parks invites the public to participate in a community meeting to present the design, phasing and schedule for the renovation of Wheaton-Claridge Local Park on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at 7 pm.  For additional information about the project, or to review a summary of comments and presentation materials, please visit www.parkprojects.org.

 

The Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board's  next meeting will take place on  May 19th  Regional Center Logo
will be at 7:00 p.m. at the Mid-County Regional Center located at 2424 Reedie Drive, 1st floor conference room.  Click  here to learn more about MCCAB.

GETTING INVOLVED

 

County Executive Isiah Leggett is committed to representation on all of the County's boards, committees, and commissions that is reflective of, and responsive to, our County's residents. Public participation contributes to the work of County government and provides an important service to the community when a variety of issues, concerns, and viewpoints are presented. There is a valuable opportunity to serve on the following:

  • Charter Review Commission: Deadline is April 29th 
  • Board of Registration for Building Contractors: Deadline is April 29th 

Please share this notice with anyone who may be interested. Please Note the New BCC Online Application Process.  You may access vacancy announcements for boards, committees, and commissions through the following link.  

 

Council Seeks Applicants for Planning Board -  The Montgomery County Council is seeking applicants to fill two vacancies on the Montgomery County Planning Board. The first terms of Norman Dreyfuss (Republican) and Casey Anderson (Democrat) expire on June 14. Both Mr. Dreyfuss and Mr. Anderson have indicated their intent to apply for reappointment to a second term. Mr. Anderson currently serves as Planning Board chair. Deadline for applications Is April 29th  at 5:00 PM.   For more information click here .
COMMUNITY GRANTS
 
Teammates in Hunger Relief -  Grants are available for increasing the capacity and infrastructure of the food recovery system locally in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, this year there are new opportunities to receive grants for bold, inventive and collaborative approaches to improving food recovery work!  The grants are from $500 to $10,000 details are  HERE.

JOBS

 

RIDE ON is HIRING -  The Department of Transportation is seeking Full Time and Substitute Bus Operators who enjoy working with people, have a good driving record, and are interested in working for one of the largest suburban transit systems in the country. Minimum Qualifications must be over 21 years old, possess a valid driver's license, have 3 years driving experience, and no more than 1 point on driving record. Experience driving a transit bus is a plus. If you require assistance in the application process, please bring an electronic version of your resume to the Bus Operator Assistance Fair Saturday, April 25, 2015 - 9 AM - 4 PM Montgomery County Executive Office Building Auditorium - Lobby Level 101 Monroe Street, Rockville, MD.  To view the entire job announcement and apply online,  CLICK HERE. Resumes must be submitted online by APRIL 30, 2015.

 

The Collaboration Council is currently hiring a Prevention Coordinator for the Many Voices for Smart Choices/Maryland Strategic Prevention Framework Initiative.   This is a regular, full-time employee position. Click here for a complete job description.  Please share this announcement with your contacts and/or, if you know of someone who would be a good fit for this position, please feel free to pass this information along.  Applicants should submit a letter of interest including salary requirements with their resume by May 1, 2015, 5:00 p.m.  Information can be submitted electronically at info@collaborationcouncil.org.   

 

The Maryland Commission for Women is hiring an Assistant/Program Specialist in the office located at 51 Monroe Street in Rockville, MD.  Please click HERE to view the job announcement. Deadline is May 5th, 2015.