Advisory board revolts against Leggett on Blair Ewing bus depot study

The Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board, which acts as the middleman between residents of Wheaton, Glenmont, Aspen Hill and Olney and Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, has sent a letter to Leggett strongly denouncing his consideration of the Blair G. Ewing Center as a school bus depot site.

"We strongly urge that the Blair G. Ewing Center (on Avery Road) be immediately removed from any consideration," board Chair Gregory Intoccia wrote to Leggett. "This location is wholly unsuited for hundreds of buses."

The board cited environmental damage to Rock Creek and its watershed, loss of a forest conservation easement, traffic impacts on Norbeck Road, reduced traffic safety on Avery Road, the loss of Mark Twain Athletic Park on the Ewing site, and demolition of a functional school building when overcrowded schools are the norm in Montgomery County as its key objections to an Avery Road depot.

The latter loss would require existing programs at Ewing to be moved elsewhere, potentially to the vacant English Manor in Aspen Hill.

What makes the letter remarkable is not just the board going to bat for the community, but that the board members are appointed by Leggett himself. It's another sign of just how politically-toxic the bus depot issue is. There is literally no support for closing the existing depot outside of Leggett, certain County Council members, and the developer who is eager to get started redeveloping the current depot on Crabbs Branch Way in Shady Grove. Yet this thing keeps moving forward, attempting to find a political weak spot on the map.

The letter suggests that, once again, Aspen Hill will not be that weak spot. How much longer does the County risk pushing this scheme, with term limits looming on the November ballot?

Leggett rules out Carver, Westmore bus depot sites - but not Blair Ewing or 6001 Olney-Laytonsville Road

Residents in Lincoln Park and around the Carver Educational Services Center in Rockville are celebrating the success of their efforts to stop Montgomery County from relocating the Shady Grove school bus depot to their neighborhoods. County Executive Ike Leggett sent a memo to County Council President Nancy Floreen yesterday announcing he is withdrawing the current Declaration of No Further Need for the existing depot on Crabbs Branch Way, and is removing Carver and 1000 Westmore Avenue from the list of potential depot sites.

While neighbors of 1000 Westmore won't likely complain, the County did end up blowing $12,000,000 on its purchase of the Westmore site in what it claimed was a budget time so tight that taxes were raised to the highest level in County history last month.

The Crabbs Branch depot was to be vacated in 2017, and sold to a developer who would build townhomes and apartments on the site near Shady Grove Metro station.

But the letter makes clear that this so-called "Smart Growth Initiative" is not over. Leggett states that he is having his staff find more suitable locations than Carver or Westmore.

The problem, of course, is that every potential depot site also has residents nearby.

You'll notice that, despite fierce community opposition, Leggett pointedly did not remove the Blair Ewing Center from the potential depot sites in his memo.

And another bad choice, the Oaks Landfill at 6001 Olney-Laytonsville Road, is one councilmembers like Hans Riemer explicitly stated they want to have a public discussion about. There are several residential subdvisions right around the site, and homes directly across the road from it. 410 buses would honk their horns and test their backup beepers each morning at 6:00 AM.

The only other site given serious public consideration last year was a property near the intersection of Woodfield Road and Snouffer School Road, also near homes.

Houses directly across
from 6001 Olney Laytonsville Road

Much of Rockville is now off the hook in this crazy, developer-fueled crusade - but the battle is just starting at these, and potentially other, poor choices for the depot site around the County. Residents near those locations are waking up to find the MoCo political cartel is headed their way.

Leggett's Cuba trip costs questioned

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett's trip to Cuba is raising some questions about the amount taxpayers are picking up the tab for. The Montgomery County Young Republicans say the estimated $8700 being spent for Leggett and an assistant on the visit sounds too high for a country with cheap lodging accomodations. Even luxury hotel rooms there can be had for around $250 per night, they said in a press release.

Councilmember Nancy Navarro is paying her own way on the trip.

The MCYRs also question just how much business the "business" trip can generate. Even major corporations are having difficulty accessing the Cuban market, even after President Obama opened the possibility of such economic activity.

Noting the County is currently facing a $200,000,000+ budget shortfall, the YRs suggested elected officials should be sacrificing at this time. "Instead, several have decided to partake in a luxury, 5-day trip to Club Havana!" their statement said.

The organization is asking for an itemized accounting of all the expenses generated by the Cuban getaway. "Taxpayers have a right and desire to know how public funds are being spent," they said.

Aspen Hill residents sought for MIdcounty Citizens Advisory Board

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett is seeking new candidates for the Midcounty Citizens Advisory Board, which meets monthly in Wheaton. Residents and business representatives identify community concerns for Leggett and work to address solutions. Leggett is particularly interested in having representatives of the Aspen Hill area on the Board.

You can apply online. Members serve 3 years without compensation.

SILVER SPRING/WHEATON 2014 MONTGOMERY COUNTY ELECTION RESULTS - DISTRICT 3, 4, 5 COUNTY COUNCIL RACES

Early election returns show County Executive Ike Leggett and all Montgomery County Council incumbents prevailed in Tuesday's election. In the open seat races, things weren't quite so predictable.

Delegate Tom Hucker appears to be pulling off an upset in the District 5 race, after media coverage and a burst of developer donations suggested Evan Glass had the most momentum. Should Hucker's lead hold, his union support, roots in the progressive activist community, and a last minute message from current councilmember Marc Elrich will be among the factors that may have given him the edge.

District 4 Councilmember Nancy Navarro was unopposed in the Democratic primary. She will face Republican John O'Malley in November.

In District 3, unseemly ageism attacks on Gaithersburg Mayor Sid Katz by the Washington Post, and other allies of his primary opponents, appear to have backfired - big time. Katz is squarely in the lead for Phil Andrews' old council seat, and the few voters who turned out Tuesday clearly voted for name recognition, and steady, experienced leadership over youthful exuberance.

Katz and the winner of the District 5 race will be unopposed in the November election, meaning they will be de facto incoming councilmembers-elect once voting results are final.