| Attend or watch the Montgomery County Planning Board Thursday, September 14, 2017. View the full agenda for that meeting here. |
Planning Department and Board Announce Calendar of September 2017 Events
The Montgomery County Planning Department is pleased to announce its September 2017 calendar of events. These events offer opportunities for the Planning Department staff to discuss policies and engage with the public.
View the full list here.
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Planning Department Will Hold Community Meetings About Updates to Master Plan of Highways and Transitways Starting on September 11
The Montgomery County Planning Department is holding five public meetings in September and October to solicit feedback from the public on proposed changes to the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways (MPOHT).
All meetings will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. RSVPs are encouraged but not required.September 11: Montgomery Planning Department (M-NCPPC) auditorium, 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring. RSVPSeptember 13: Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, Room West A, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda. RSVPSeptember 18: Rockville Memorial Library, 1st floor, 21 Maryland Avenue, RSVPSeptember 20: Upcounty Regional Services Center, Room D, 12900 Middlebrook Road, Germantown. RSVPOctober 10: Marilyn J. Praisner Library, Small Room, 14910 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville. RSVPLearn more here.
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Bike Share in Montgomery Parks
Montgomery Parks has teamed up with Zagster, Inc. to bring a bike share program to the Parks. The program has launched in Black Hill Regional Park and Wheaton Regional Park. To participate in the Montgomery Parks bike share program, each rider must download the Zagster app and enroll for free. Riders without a smart phone can text SMS to (202) 999-3924 to learn how to ride by text message. In Montgomery Parks, Zagster bike share rides under two hours are free. After two hours, riders will pay $3 per hour to continue using the bikes. Click here for more information.
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Burtonsville Day
The 27th Annual Burtonsville Day Celebration will be on Saturday, September 16, 2017. Join Montgomery Parks Pop Up Parks Program for a day of fun. The parade will kick off the celebration at 10am. Bring a lawn chair and a blanket to Columbia Local Park and join us as we celebrate Burtonsville.
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Friendship Picnic
Join Montgomery Parks on Sunday, September 17, 2017 at Wheaton Regional Park for the 5th Annual Montgomery County Friendship Picnic. Come and celebrate our communities of diverse cultures and faiths, for a day in the park. Join us from 1 pm - 5 pm for a FREE Fun-Filled Afternoon. Click here for more information. |
Montgomery County Planning Department and Potomac Valley AIA Will Hold Design Excellence Award Program on October 19
The Montgomery County Planning Department is inviting everyone with an interest in excellent architecture, landscape architecture and urban design to attend Celebrate Design on Thursday, October 19, 2017 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Silver Spring Civic Building (1 Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring, MD). Tickets are $35 each and can be purchased online.
The winners of the Planning Department's third annual Design Excellence Award competition will be announced during the celebration, which will also include the annual awards ceremony of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Potomac Valley Chapter. This year, there will be two top Design Excellence Awards - one for urban design, buildings and sites, and another for landscapes and open space.
Learn more here.
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Planning Department Co-Sponsors Bus Tour of Mid-20th-Century Modern Buildings in Montgomery County Designed by Cohen, Haft & Associates
The Montgomery County Planning Department is co-sponsoring a bus tour of mid-century modern houses and buildings in the county on Sunday, October 8 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, August 30. Learn more here. The event is being organized with Docomomo-DC, the Potomac Valley chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the Bender JCC of Greater Washington as part of Docomomo-US National Tour Day.
The bus tour will be led by architectural historian Clare Lise Kelly, author of the Planning Department's award-winning book, Montgomery Modern: Modern Architecture in Montgomery County, Maryland, 1930-1979.
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Updated M-NCPPC Parks Rules & Regulations Are In Effect
Updates to the M-NCPPC Rules & Regulations will improve access to parks and amenities and provide greater flexibility in the rules. Learn more here.
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Upper Paint Branch Limited Area Trail Plan
Montgomery Parks Staff is starting a new Natural Surface Trail Plan in the Upper Paint Branch area. Your input will help us make this the best plan possible for the Paint Branch area. Click here for more information.
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Get Up-to-Date Athletic Field Information Use our convenient Rainout Line system to find out if a Montgomery Parks or MCPS athletic field is open, closed or experiencing inclement weather delays.
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| Festivals and Events Looking for a different type of fun for the entire family? Maybe, a new experience in your backyard? Montgomery Parks has all the excitement just around the corner. Check out our Festivals and Events Page for all the happenings. Don't miss a chance to see what Montgomery Parks has for you! Experience farm life from the 1850s to the present at the 25th Annual Harvest Festival, Saturday, October 7th, from 11a-4p at Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood, MD. Folks of all ages will enjoy hands-on activities, games and farming demonstrations. Enjoy some down-home fun on the farm with old-time crafts, activities, music, and food. Activities will include hayrides, corn maze, animal demonstrations, archaeology dig, and garden tours! $15 per vehicle (cash only)Underground Railroad Experience Trail Guided Hikes - Every Saturday, talented "conductors" lead groups on a simulated Underground Railroad experience. The experience covers 2.0 miles from Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park along a wooded, natural surface trail to the historic Sandy Spring, then back to experience the new Woodlawn Museum and Visitor Center. Registration and a fee is required. Wings of Fancy - Surround yourself with hundreds of brilliant live butterflies from North America, Costa Rica, Africa and Asia soaring among colorful flowers. Learn about the butterflies' amazing metamorphosis, the important role they play a healthy ecosystem. Wings of Fancy runs daily from 10am-4pm. Visit Brookside Gardens for additional opportunities to explore the beautiful butterflies through birthday parties, photography and art classes, school groups visits, and after-hours fun. Pop Up in Montgomery Parks- Montgomery Parks is aiming to attract more people to our parks - particularly our urban parks in the densely populated parts of Montgomery County. So, we are bringing fun and free "Pop Up" programming to select parks all winter, including Movie Night, Cozy Community Day, Rock Wall and our new Pump Track! Check out our upcoming programs taking place this fall. |
Community Meetings and News
Make plans to attend upcoming community meetings. Park Staff will be presenting plans for upcoming project renovations and scheduled improvements to the parks. The community is encouraged to attend these meetings and provide input on the upcoming projects: The Planning Board recently held a work session on the Energized Public Spaces Functional Master Plan. Staff gave updates to the recommended revisions of the plan that looks to identify areas where parks are needed most in mixed use and higher density residential areas of the county. For more information. Parks staff presented the final Recommended Concept Plan for Long Branch-Wayne Local Park to the Planning Board. Visit the Long Branch-Wayne Local Park Renovation Project page for more information. The final Recommended Concept Plan for the Dewey Local Park Renovation Project was presented to the Planning Board. Click here for more to review the project plan and timeline. A public meeting to present updates on the North Branch Hiker-Biker Trail Project will be held Wednesday, September 13, 2017 at the Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center in Rockville. Parks staff will present the project history, overall trail alignment, connectivity to adjacent trails and overall project schedule and phasing, in addition to the two parking lot alternatives. The community is encouraged to attend. |
| Accessibility Improvements Continue Accessibility Improvement work is scheduled to begin at Stratton Local Park, Cabin John Local Park, Forest Glen Neighborhood and Takoma Piney Branch Local Park. For more information on these and other accessibility projects, please visit: Accessibility Information for Montgomery Parks web page. |
| Park Projects Forest Glen Neighborhood Park repair work has begun to improve the current park features. This work includes installation of a new water fountain, better access to parking and storm water management upgrades. Work will continue through the summer with minimal interruptions expected to park users The Layhill Phoenix, a sculpture of a wooden totem pole located in Wheaton Regional Park, will be removed for restoration and preservation. The totem pole will be removed in the Spring of 2017. A new location in the park to re-install the sculpture is under study along with other park improvement projects. Stratton Local Park is closed. The one-year project will improve overall access to park and parking lot enhancements. A pedestrian walkway from Democracy Boulevard and a sidewalk entering the park from Harrogate Road is planned. The ball field, shelter, and courts will be closed and inaccessible to the public. Good Hope Local Park is closed as part of the Department of Recreation's Good Hope Recreation Center construction project. Ball fields, tennis courts and other park areas will be inaccessible to the public. Work is scheduled to be completed by Spring 2018. Wheaton-Claridge Local Park is closed as the entire park undergoes renovations. The Park Activity Building will also get a makeover to improve access. The project is scheduled to be complete by Spring 2018. Park users are encouraged to visit other parks in the area as park amenities will not be accessible to the public. Click here for more information on the project. Western Grove Urban Park is closed for renovations. Formerly the Chevy Chase Open Space Urban Park, the 1.9 acre project, in partnership with the Chevy Chase Village, will enhance park amenities including improved accessible walkways, lighting, a paved seating area, natural play area, green space, fencing, and a water feature when completed. Click herefor additional information on the project. Playgrounds at John Haines Neighborhood Park and Wheaton-Claridge Local Park are closed as part of the Playground Renovation Program. Work is scheduled is to be complete by Spring 2017. |
| Emerald Ash Borer in Montgomery Parks A non-native invasive beetle in Montgomery County is wreaking havoc on ash trees, many which are in stream valleys on parkland. Learn more on how the department's is addressing the issue here. |
Trail Work in Parks
Bikers and Runners should use caution around work areas as improvements are taking place on several trails in Montgomery Parks: The Parks Half Marathon will be on Sunday, September 10, 2017. All trail users should be alert during the run as it takes place on the Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail from Rockville to North Bethesda. A section of the Sligo Creek Trail has slid into the creek resulting in an emergency trail closure. The section impacted is in the Sligo Creek Stream Valley Unit #1 area. Look for signs and closure at the New Hampshire Avenue and Sligo Creek Parkway intersection. Trail users should use caution and seek alternate routes in this area. Vehicular traffic should stay alert, and share the road with cyclists as work continues over the next several weeks.Trail improvements on the Rock Creek Hiker-Biker Trail near Parklawn Local Park continue. The project includes a new connector to the trail, bridge installation, stream sediment control and storm water management when complete. For more information on Montgomery Parks Trails, please visit www.MontgomeryTrails.org. |
The 2017 Fall Program GUIDE! Montgomery Parks' is offering our amazing programs, classes and events great for families, adults, or children, throughout the fall. Browse the eGuide from your computer or cell and register via ActiveMontgomery.
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| Montgomery Parks Volunteer Opportunities Weed Warrior Workdays, many parks in MoCo - Click Here!Nature Center Opportunities, including upcoming Special Events - Click Here!Nature Ambassadors (for Teens) - Click Here!Park Cleanups - Click Here!Harvest Festival - Click Here! |
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