Rockville’s Year 2010 in Review
Usually this type of post goes up on January 1, but I always prefer a bit of distance to identify the biggest stories of past year. Although this is admittedly from my limited personal perspective and is bound to generate controversy (but hey, that’s what these lists are supposed to do), here’s my list for Rockville in 2010:
1. Red Gate Golf Course. This is continued to be a thorny issue and made have seen its thorniest moment when the City Council used $2.4 million in “surplus” money to pay off past debt and the anticipated shortfalls for 2011, and also (once again) punted the decision to another time. Despite countless meetings and studies, for years the Council has been astonishingly agonized about making a decision on whether to commit to an annual subsidy, integrate it into the recreation program, levy a tax to support it, or to close it down. Meanwhile, the golf course continues to bleed money and participation rates continue to slide. Perhaps we need to start over: if we were offered 130 acres today (Red Gate is the second largest park in Rockville), what would most benefit the community? I don’t think most people would say golf course.
Welcome to (snowy) Twinbrook
2. Snowpocalypse. Who can forget this snowstorm? There was so much snow it closed the federal government for a week. The adventurous walked and explored the city in a new quiet way and neighbors found a new reason to talk and help each other. There was a lot of frustration with snow clearing and the City wasn’t prepared, but remember, the city worked around the clock and conscripted employees into snowshoveling duties to deal with this record snowfall. We also improved our abilities to monitor and respond to these situations so when this happens again (and it may not be for another fifty years), we’re prepared. And someone at the City gets two stars for Continue reading →
New Blog for Rockville: Patch
Rockville Patch
In addition to Rockville Central and Rockville Living, Rockville Patch provides another online source of news and information about our fair city. Patch is based in New York City and operates throughout the country, working in communities of 15-100K population that are “underserved by media and would benefit by having access to local news and information about government, schools and business”. Each “Patch” is run by professional editors, writers, photographers, and videographers who live in or near the communities they serve and for the Rockville version includes nearly two dozen editors and contributors, including Sean Sedam, Lauren Sausser, Jillian Badanes, and Nathan Carrick (in case you run into them at an event). They’ve been operating in Rockville since October 2010 and recent posts include a review of Zio’s Restaurant, a video on the Comptroller’s visit to Best Buy to promote Maryland’s tax-free weekend, and images from around town. It seems to have already attracted the attention of the usual online community activists, including Temperance Blalock, Theresa Defino, and Joe Jordan (on Red Gate Golf Course, no surprise), so you’ll see some familiar faces.
Historic Preservation in Rockville: Myths and Misconceptions
"Is Your Home Historic?", TCA Newsletter, June 2010.
In yesterday’s mail I received the Twinbrook Citizens Association newsletter and noted that President Christina Ginsberg devoted a portion to historic preservation in Rockville in her article, “Is Your Home ‘Historic’?” As a member of the Historic District Commission (HDC) living in Twinbrook, I appreciate the attention to this long-standing effort in the City of Rockville, but I also want to correct some factual errors and misunderstandings, particularly because they can result in unnecessary conflicts and spread misinformation. Here are the common myths regarding preservation in Rockville:
1. If my house is designated, it’ll prevent improvements. False. In Rockville, owners of historic properties can complete routine repairs and maintenance without review or approval, as long as they replace in kind. So fix your roof with the same material, it’s okay. Change from asphalt to slate, it’ll need to be approved by the HDC. Paint colors are never subject to approval, so if you like yellow and purple stripes, go ahead. Work on the inside of your house isn’t reviewed by the HDC, so remodel your kitchen and bathroom. It’s permanent changes to the outside of your house that matter, and even then, if they are thoughtfully designed Continue reading →
A Great Day at the Homes and Hospitality Tour
Sunny Sunday a great day for pix
Welcome to (snowy) Twinbrook
It was a beautiful sunny day on Sunday so I climbed over the wall of snow surrounding my house and walked out along Meadow Hall Road from Twinbrook Parkway to Viers Mill Road to snap some photos to remember the “snowmaggedon.” I love taking panoramas so I’ve included several that are composed of up to a dozen individual photos, so they’re very wide. These are taken using the “panorama” feature on my Canon S5 and then stitched together in MGI Photovista but I’ve done no other editing, hence the ragged edge on the top and bottom which reveals the original images. You may need to click twice to get to the largest image (first click on the thumbnail to open a size that fits on screen, then second click on that image to open a 1600 pixel wide image). At least I think that’s how it works. You’re welcome to download and share with friends and family. If you want an original image (just warning you, they can be as wide as 6000 pixels), send me an email at max.vanbalgooy@gmail.com. Enjoy!
-
- Viers Mill Road looking north at Meadow Hall Road in Rockville (February 7, 2010)
-
- Twinbrook Shopping Center (February 7, 2010)
-
- Tomatillo Mexican Grill (February 7, 2010)
-
- Meadow Hall Road (February 7, 2010)
-
- Carl Sandburg School in Rockville (February 7, 2010)
-
- Welcome to [snowy] Twinbrook
Mayor and Council meets in Twinbrook
For the first time in a very long time (John Tyner can perhaps assign a precise date), the Mayor and Council held one of their regular meetings at the Twinbrook Recreation Center since, as Mayor Marcuccio stated, “you can’t come to see us, so we’re coming to see you.” It was a regular meeting, so no agenda items were Twinbrook-focused, but half of the people who spoke at Citizen’s Forum were from Twinbrook and raised the following concerns: Continue reading →
Twinbrook House Brightened with Mosaic Tile Walkway
 |
| 1708 Farragut, Twinbrook |
Walking is often the best way to explore a neighborhood–zooming by in a car just doesn’t give you enough time to look (and you should be watching the road, not the houses). A couple months ago while I was walking precincts for my council campaign, I discovered a house at 1708 Farragut that first drew me back because it bordered on another example of “McMansionism” in a Twinbrook neighborhood (it even had the symptomatic Palladian window!). On closer inspection it turned out to be much nicer, especially because it had a fabulous mosaic tile walkway. I’m not talking about the typical 1 x 1″ squares or hexes of colored tile–that’s definitely ho hum. But this is a walkway decorated with all sorts of durable materials, including polished stones, glass pebbles, copper pipe, opalescent glass, marble, and glass bottles, arranged in a charming and beautiful manner. It really is fantastic and worth a look if you’re into architectural crafts or tile. I don’t know the artist, but it is signed “Jane 09” in one spot (can someone help identify?). In the meantime, click on the picture or the caption, and you’ll see a photoalbum of a dozen images.
Max for Rockville 