Public meeting scheduled for update on Montgomery College Takoma Park construction

Montgomery College has scheduled a virtual public meeting regarding construction progress at the Takoma Park Campus for Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 6:00 PM. You can RSVP online now for the Zoom meeting. The meeting will provide the public with a progress report on the construction of the Catherine and Isiah Leggett Math and Science Building, and on the renovation of the Library. 

The project team reports that scaffolding is being attached the building to assist in installation of the brick facade. Workers are continuing to backfill utility piping on the Fenton Street side of the building. Installation of security fencing around the Library is scheduled to have been completed by this morning. Interior demolition at the Library will begin as soon as Montgomery County issues the requested permit.

Do you have questions about these two projects, or impacts of the work on the surrounding neighborhood? You can email them now to community@montgomerycollege.edu, and they will be answered during the March 7 virtual meeting.

Rendering courtesy SmithGroup

Pepco makes donation to Montgomery College

Pepco has made a donation to Montgomery College, as part of a $650,000 package of donations to local community colleges and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The money will go to workforce development in the energy field, teacher training and scholarships, the Exelon-owned utility announced in a press release. Montgomery College has campuses in Rockville, Germantown and Takoma Park.

“We hope this funding helps open the door to educational opportunities that all too often are just a dream for many young people within our communities,” Rodney Oddoye, Senior Vice-President of Governmental, External and Regulatory Affairs for Pepco Holdings, said in a statement. “Through our partnerships with local community colleges, HBCUs, and workforce development programs like the DC Infrastructure Academy, we are not only expanding the possibilities for our youth, we are building the talent pool for the future energy workforce.”

Montgomery College selects design firm for new Takoma Park Math-Science building

Public process to

begin in spring

Takoma Park residents living near the Montgomery College Takoma Park campus should get ready to weigh in on the design of a new Math-Science building. Montgomery College has announced it has chosen a firm to design it. The new combined-use building will be located at the corner of Fenton Street/Albany Avenue and Takoma Avenue.

SmithGroupJJR previously designed the Cultural Arts Center on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, and the Holy Cross Germantown Hospital located on the College’s Germantown Campus. They also have experience with projects that are adjacent to residential neighborhoods. That was a key factor in their selection, Montgomery College VP of Facilities and Public Safety Marvin Mills said.

Nearby residents have bristled at some of the college's past construction plans. A public charrette process led by DC-based LINK Strategic Partners this spring will give residents a chance to comment or suggest changes. The designs show here are preliminary massing renderings from the campus master plan.

Once a final design is chosen, Mills said, the college anticipates construction to start in December 2019. The building would then be expected to open for classes in the fall semester of 2022. Hopefully they can come up with a design that fits with the fantastic architecture of the 1960s-1970s-era buildings on the campus. Like the City of Takoma Park itself, it is a beautiful campus, and those designs were so very appropriate for the suburban residential environment it is located in.

ROBBERY AT HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL, ASSAULT AT FENTON 7-11 + MORE - SILVER SPRING/WHEATON CRIME UPDATE

Here's a roundup of crimes reported across eastern Montgomery County on May 4, according to crime data:

Assault. 9500 block Georgia Avenue (Montgomery Hills).

Assault. 1200 block East-West Highway (downtown Silver Spring).

Theft. Macy's at Wheaton Plaza.

Theft. JC Penney at Wheaton Plaza.

Robbery. Holy Cross Hospital.

Theft. City Place Mall (downtown Silver Spring).

Vehicle burglary. 1000 block Spring Street (downtown Silver Spring).

Liquor arrest. Rodman's, 4301 Randolph Road.

Assault. 7-Eleven, 8101 Fenton Street (downtown Silver Spring).

Liquor arrest. Fern Street at University Boulevard (Wheaton).

Drug arrest. Amherst Avenue at University Boulevard (Wheaton).

Assault/"other sexual offense." Montgomery College Student Services Center, 7625 Fenton Street (Takoma Park).

Liquor arrest. Southbound Georgia Avenue near Parker Avenue (Arcola area of Wheaton).

Weapons arrest. Wayne Avenue at Mansfield Road (Sligo area of Silver Spring).

PURPLE LINE NOW! HOSTING GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE FORUM AT MC TAKOMA PARK CAMPUS

Purple Line Now!, an organization advocating for construction of the Purple Line light rail from Bethesda to New Carrollton, will host a candidate forum to discuss transportation issues on Tuesday, February 18, at 7:00 PM, at the Takoma Park campus of Montgomery College.

The event will be held in the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center, located at 7995 Georgia Avenue. Candidates who have confirmed their participation so far are Doug Gansler, Heather Mizeur, Ron George, and Charles Lollar.

It's free to attend, and open to the public, but you must RSVP for the limited seats available at the event website.

Should you be unable to attend, the forum will be taped for future broadcast on Montgomery College TV (Comcast Channel 10).