Just Crazy About My New Concrete Walkway
I may sound crazy, but I’m sooooooo happy about my new concrete walkway at my house. For years we’ve been dragging our trashcans from the back door to the curb over an increasingly worn gravel walkway, which became a struggle in rain and snow with the new big city trashcans. It took several years for me to decide what I wanted because of existing fences and trees as well as other more pressing projects around the house, but now that it’s done, it’s a beauty. The slideshow includes lots of shots before, during, and after so you can see the work in progress as well as the quality of the work. Look at those control joints! They’re clean, neat, and straight from end to end, especially where they meet another joint (for comparison, look at the ones in a typical sidewalk and you’ll see right away how much more masterful these are).
From excavation to forming to finishing to clean up (yes, clean up!), the work was entirely performed by Jose Guzman of Strictly Concrete who is right in my neighborhood of Twinbrook. The business end of things was handled professionally as well, with a clearly written contract in advance, payment receipts, and maintenance and care instructions. I’m so happy to give work to someone in my town, but when it’s such outstanding quality, it’s a home run.
Truck crashes into bridge at Rockville Metro
A freight truck hit the underside of the pedestrian bridge that connects Rockville Metro station with downtown. Bridge currently closed and police and fire are on the scene. Injuries unknown.
Max van Balgooy joins Rockville Living
Rockville Living, the online magazine that celebrates the good life in Rockville, has asked me to join them as an editor. I happily agreed because it’s a great team with a worthy mission. You’ll find me regularly posting stories about things to see and do, and of course I love food, so dining as well. I won’t be talking about style and fashion, technology, fitness and health, or house and garden–those will be covered by other editors, some of whom you may recognize.
My first story comes out this month and features St. Michel Bakery, an authentic French bakery hidden in the fringes of Rockville. I’ll show you where it is and explain why the quality is so high.
Don’t worry, you’ll still find my personal perspective and examinations of other issues surrounding Rockville here in this blog.
History of Rockville Traces 150 Years
Tonight the City of Rockville continued its celebration of its 150th anniversary with an illustrated lecture by Eileen McGuckian at the Fitzgerald Theater. Following an introduction by Mayor Marcuccio, Eileen took the one hundred people in attendance not only back to the 1860, but nearly a century earlier to trace the remarkable history of Rockville through historic photos, maps, and documents. Today there are more than 60,000 residents in Rockville; in 1860, less than 600. What was even more amazing is that nearly a dozen people in the audience lived in Rockville when it celebrated its centennial in 1960. Her talked was followed by a dozen questions from the audience ranging from the Civil War to Congressional Airport to the location of the drive-in movie theater. Afterwards a reception in the foyer included a book signing of Eileen’s latest history, an exhibit of historic artifacts and documents, and refreshments (but no cake!). Her lecture will be broadcast on Rockville’s Channel 11 but in the meantime, here are some pix in case you didn’t make it:
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- Eileen McGuckian’s presentation on the history of Rockville.
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- Book signing in foyer.
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- Eileen McGuckian signing books in the lobby.
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- The line for the booksigning stretched long.
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- Enjoying the historical exhibit.
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- Enjoying refreshments (hooray, no cake!)
There’s no business like snow business
Twinbrook and Meadow Hall roads covered in snow.
It looks like this weekend’s snowfalls sets a record with about 24″ falling in Rockville. Wonderfully quiet today but that’s because most people could only step a few feet outside before encountering snow up to their knees. I cut a path to the street so I could check out the neighborhood, but boy, am I sore. In the evening, some local guys offered to shovel my driveway and sidewalk, which I gladly accepted (for a fee, naturally). It was actually nice to encounter people who found an opportunity to earn some extra cash–true entrepreneurs.
I am still surprised, however, how many people park their cars on Twinbrook Parkway even though its clearly marked as a snow emergency route. They can easily park their cars around the corner on a side street to allow the plows to fully clear the main streets so they’re safe for everyone–neighbors, police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks. I really wish the city would issue citations, even warnings, to remind people. I did spot one house who very thoughtfully cleared a space around the fire hydrant so it could be easily spotted in case of fire. Two gold stars for you!
When the sky cleared briefly as the sun was setting, I did get out to take panaromic photos of Twinbrook Parkway and Viers Mill Road. You won’t see it look like this for a long time!
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- Panorama of Viers Mill Road, looking north.
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- Panorama of Viers Mill Road, looking south.
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- Panorama of the intersection of Twinbrook Parkway and Meadow Hall Road.
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- Twinbrook and Meadow Hall roads covered in snow.
Gazette interview ranges wide
The Gazette, the weekly local newspaper for Rockville (and other communities in Maryland), interviewed me this morning in order to determine who they would endorse for the upcoming Mayor and Council election. I met with two editors (no reporters) in a conference room at the Gazette’s offices off Shady Grove Road for over an hour. Like good journalists, they knew the issues, asked good questions, and listened. Our conversation covered a wide range of topics, including Red Gate golf course, Town Center parking, the Rockville Pike, the development of the Shady Grove area, service on Metro, relationship between Council and city staff, Beall’s Grant II, the city budget, Victory Housing, community engagement, Town Square II, cultural diversity, affordable housing, and the relationship between the city and state and county governments. To help voters decide, they’ll be assembling a special section on their Web site that will include candidate profiles, related news stories, video statements, and more. The Gazette will announce their endorsements in late October, just before the election. Stay tuned!
MaxForRockville a Fast Growing Blog in WP
Wow! WordPress has listed this blog as one of the fastest growing blogs for June 9, 2009 (that’s a result of the interest in the Chestnut Lodge Fire) out of the more than 2 million blogs that they host.
If you’re not familiar with WordPress, it’s a free (yes, free) blogging/Web site service. It’s easy to use and it’s free (did I mention it was free?), so there’s no excuse why an organization or person can’t have an attractive and informative presence on the Internet.
Preparing for Hometown Holidays
I’ll be filling a booth at Hometown Holidays on Memorial Day weekend so I can meet people and gather signatures for my petition to get on the ballot as a candidate for Rockville City Council. By itself, that can be a pretty boring activity for a booth, so I’m bringing a couple “talk-back” boards (a pre-blog/Facebook technique used in museums to encourage interaction with an exhibit) to allow people to share ideas and concerns about Rockville. Plus, I’ll bring my postcards of Rockville, which I’ll be giving away (but encouraging a donation to Peerless Rockville). Hope to see you then!
Gazette announces initial candidates
Today, the Gazette provided the first public report of my run for office in a news feature announcing the availability of campaign packets and noting the first three candidates to pick up packets:
Historic District Commission chairman Max van Balgooy, East Rockville resident Craig Trapper Martin and West End resident Frank Anastasi retrieved the packets since Friday, Deputy City Clerk Brenda Bean said. Van Balgooy said he is “seriously exploring” a run for a council seat. “I’m talking with lots of leaders in the community and people that I meet, as well as gathering signatures for the petition to get on the ballot,” van Balgooy said Tuesday, adding that he still needs to review the election materials. “It’s a big decision and it’s a lot of work.”
If you’ve never run for office before, getting elected is as hard as being elected. I don’t want to divulge my campaign strategy here, but I’ll be working on the campaign nearly every evening and weekend from now until Election Day. If you’d like to help, especially in the fall as the campaigning becomes more intense, send me an email at max.vanbalgooy@gmail.com.
Campaign papers pulled
On Friday, May 1, I arrived at Rockville when it opened and was the first person to pull their papers for candidacy for council for the City of Rockville. Candidates receive a 3″ notebook with extensive information on the rules and regulations for campaigning in the city, along with a book of official receipts for donations and a Rockville pencil! Now on to master the rules and obtain one hundred signatures from registered voters for my petition to be placed on the ballot.
Today I established this Web site and blog to introduce the community to me and keep them informed about the campaign (plus I’ll include my opinions from time to time–and welcome yours as well).
Max for Rockville 