NEXT MEETING
The RCHCA Spring Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12,
2004 at Grace Episcopal Day School, 9411 Connecticut Ave. The meeting will run
from 7:30 – 9:00 pm. Babysitting will be
provided.
We welcome volunteers to help in planning, set-up, and clean
up of the event. Please contact Joe
Rosenberg (301-495-9821; jrosenberg@comcast.net) if you are interested in
helping.
Message from Association Officers
President David Hall, Vice President Joe Rosenberg,
Treasurer Deanna Marcum, Secretary Mike Baker, Past President Marty Durbin
The association sits well financially with over $23,000 in
the treasury. The association sits not
so well if you take a look at the number of vacant committee chair positions. Three important committees lack leadership:
The B&C chair is the most important. This is a high-visibility position that
requires someone who is energetic, personable and dedicated to the well-being
of Rock Creek Hills.
The SE chair handles meetings and events. This, too, is a high-visibility
position. Our meetings and events are
necessary to promote bonds between residents.
The LP&Z chair keeps tabs on what’s going on with
government entities such as the Town of Kensington, the Montgomery County
Council and the Montgomery County Department of Park and Planning. This position acts as a conduit of
information and ensures that RCH issues are kept before elected officials.
Please volunteer to chair a committee.
TREASURER’S REPORT
Rock Creek
Hills Citizens’ Association
Financial
Report
April 1,
2004
Balance, January 31, 2004 $14,066.40
Dues collected 10,895.00
Total
Income $24,961.40
Expenses:
WSSC 22.00
Newsletter copying charges 662.49
Labels for newsletter 73.71
Dues solicitation letter,
copying and mailing 753.51
January potluck 126.66
Prizes for holiday
decorations 100.00
Bank fees 96.25
Account
Balance, April 1, 2004 23,126.78
Respectfully submitted,
Deanna Marcum, Treasurer
Building & Covenants Matters
Bonnie Bird has stepped-down as Building and Covenants Chair
after more than two years on the job.
Members of the Association’s executive committee are grateful to her for
the superb manner in which she discharged her duties. David Hall, Association president, will handle Building and
Covenants matters until June 30th, 2004, when a new committee chair
must be approved by the Association membership.
Pending Requests:
None
Approved Requests:
·
January 22nd, 2004 … D’Agostino Family, 9815
Haverhill Drive, New roof.
·
April 4th, 2004 … Hill and Judy Carter, 9806
Kensington Parkway, Installation of two small backyard fence sections.
DIRECTORY UPDATES
As you may be aware, an updated RCHCA Community Directory
was published in March 2003 and each household should have received a
copy. Please be sure you make note of
any corrections, additions or changes and send them in writing to Sam Hoxie (9711
E. Bexhill Drive), or by email to samhoxie@comcast.net. If you did not receive your copy, please
contact David Hall, or just plan on coming to the next meeting where copies
will be available. Here are some recent
corrections.
PLEASE
SEE PRINTED COPY FOR DIRECTORY UDPATES
Future Newsletters via rchcanet?
It has been proposed that future newsletters be delivered
electronically using the rchcanet instead of sending out
paper copies. Among the many advantages
of delivering the newsletters electronically are reduced demands upon those
volunteering to work on the newsletter, and reduced costs for printing and
postage. Please come to the next RCHCA
meeting, May 12th at 7:30 to discuss this important topic.
The Rock Creek Hills Citizens’ Association e-mail network, rchcanet,
is for families of Rock Creek Hills. Founded in March 2000, rchcanet has
about 90 members. We urge everyone with email access to sign up for this,
as it will allow information about the neighborhood, planned events, etc. to be
easily disseminated to everyone in a timely manner.
To join rchcanet or to ask a question about
it, contact Sam Hoxie via email at samhoxie@comcast.net.
Be sure to include your name and address if you would like to join so that we
may verify your connection to the neighborhood. Thanks!
Call for Transportation/Traffic Liaison Committee Members
The RCHCA Transportation Committee is in the process of
re-organizing. If you are concerned about traffic, noise, safety, public
transportation and other related issues and would like to work with us on
these, please contact Alexa Freeman, Chair of the
Transportation Committee. The best way to reach me is by email:
Alexa.Freeman@mindspring.com or at my home number: 301-962-4960.
Community Improvement Committee
At the January meeting of RCHCA, and pursuant to an RCHCA
vote, which set aside $10,000 of treasury funds for “rainy day” emergencies, a
suggestion was made that some funds be spent on community improvements. A review of funds available by the Board
indicated there potentially would be several thousand dollars available for use
on those improvements and asked for volunteers to look into possible projects
to beautify and enhance the neighborhood.
Several projects were discussed and examined. They included erecting RCH signs at several
“entrances” to the community, enhancing Rock Creek Hills Park, and landscaping
the traffic triangles scattered in the neighborhood.
Due to jurisdictional considerations and extensive
regulations regarding signage and the Park, the Committee focused on
landscaping and planting plans for the four traffic triangles at Haverhill and
Littledale, Haverhill and Saul, Elrod and Hawick, and Elrod and Old Spring.
Committee members have researched county regulations,
identified funding assistance from Keep Montgomery County Beautiful as well as
individuals, and obtained input on the extent and potential expenses of such a
project with hardscape, landscape, and maintenance professionals. The Board authorized the expenditure of $150
for professional services in conjunction with plan development. The Committee foresees these elements
involved:
·
Hiring a contractor to hardscape the triangles, removing
grass, buried construction debris, and tilling the ground to the depth for
planting.
·
Choices of trees, shrubs and perennials would be resistant
to drought, deer, rabbits, and road salt.
·
Selection of shrubs and plants would meet the sun / shade
conditions of the different sites.
·
Structural elements, like walkways and boulder or bench
seating would be used at the triangles, making sure to comply with County
regulations, concerns about pedestrian and child safety.
·
Planting a redbud – Kensington’s designated tree -- in each
triangle as a common element among all the triangles.
·
Suggestions for planting varieties would be sought from
neighbors for “their” triangles.
·
Contributions of funds and/or plants would be sought from
RCHCA members to reduce the cost to the Association. Two families have already offered to underwrite the cost of
landscaping one triangle; and gardeners replacing or thinning their home beds
might donate excess plants.
·
Water lines would not be laid. Necessary watering would be done via drip irrigation, from a
neighboring house, that household to be reimbursed by the Association.
·
A professional crew would be used to do major spring
maintenance, such as transporting and laying down mulch in the triangles.
·
RCHCA volunteers would be organized seasonally to take care
of minor maintenance, and / or neighborhood students enlisted to fulfill their
school community service requirements or work toward scout proficiency
badges.
At newsletter press time, not all cost estimates had been
received and processed.
A more extensive report and proposal will be available for review
and membership vote at the RCHCA Meeting on May 12th.
Trash Cans in Rock Creek Hills Park
On March 30th the County Council approved a
resolution restoring trashcans to selected parks. Rock Creek Hills Park is not included in the list of parks that
will have their trashcans restored.
Residents concerned about the trash cans in Rock Creek Hills
park are encouraged to write to the County Council members and/or Mr. Derick
Berlage of the Montgomery County Planning Board.
The County Council members may be reached at:
Montgomery County Council
Stella B. Werner Council Office Building
100 Maryland Avenue
Rockville, MD 20850
county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/csltmpl.asp?url=/content/council/councilm.asp
Mr. Berlage may be reached at:
Mr. Derick Berlage
MNCPPC
Montgomery County Planning Board
8787 Georgia Ave
Silver Spring, MD
20910
The April 7th Montgomery Gazette article
regarding the County Council resolution may be read at:
http://www.gazette.net/200415/silverspring/news/210509-1.html
Beltway Noise
At the January meeting, RCHCA voted to write a letter to the
Maryland State Highway Administration requesting a re-evaluation of the
appropriateness of a sound barrier on the north side of the beltway between
Linden Lane and Connecticut Avenue. In
addition to the State Highway Administration, copies of the letter were sent to
our State elected officials.
Mr. Adams, SHA Director Office of Environmental Design,
responded in part “… we must respectfully decline your request for a new noise
barrier study for the Rock Creek Hills community.”
RCHCA’s letter and
the SHA’s response may be viewed at http://www.rchca.org/correspondence.htm.
Residents that are not satisfied with the SHA response to
our request are encouraged to write to our elected officials (Governor Robert
L. Ehrlich, Jr.; Senator Sharon M. Grosfeld; Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez;
Delegate John A. Hurson; and Delegate Richard S. Madaleno
Jr.).
The Governor’s contact information is available at: http://www.gov.state.md.us/contact.html
Maryland senators contact information is available at: http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/mdmanual/05sen/html/senal.html
Maryland delegates contact information is available at: http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/hseal.html
Train Noise Update
On March 16, 2004, Montgomery County Councilmember and
President Steve Silverman wrote a letter to the County Director of Public Works
and Transportation (DPWT) following the December 2003 issuance of the Federal
Railroad Administration (FRA) "Interim Final Train Horn Rule". In
this letter, he cited long time interest in this issue expressed by both RCHCA
and Capitol View Park Citizens’ Association. Councilmember Silverman requested
that DPWT work with FRA to determine which supplemental safety measures might
be implemented, and at what cost, in order to create a Quiet Zone at Forest
Glen railroad crossing, consistent with the FRA rules that permit such measures
only if they fully compensate for the absence of audible warning via
horns. He specifically requested a
response from the Director of DPWT by the end of June 2004.
A copy of this letter is available at the RCHCA website
under “correspondence”
The full 135 page FRA rule document has a great deal of
useful information. For interested parties, the link below provides access to
the full rule document.
http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/safety/train_horn_rule/trainhorn_part1.pdf
Intersection of Haverhill Drive and Littledale Road
At the January meeting, RCHCA voted to write a letter to the
County regarding the lack of traffic control signs at the intersection of
Haverhill Drive and Littledale Road. A
copy of RCHCA’s letter may be viewed at http://www.rchca.org/correspondence/TrafficSign_040212.pdf.
NEW TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD?
Please be sure to contact our welcoming
committee chairperson, Shannon Hamm (301-933-5264 or
shannonhamm@comcast.net) so that she
may provide you with information about the neighborh,ood, a community directory, a dues form and more.
Upcoming Events
Wednesday,
May 12, 2004, RCHCA Meeting, 7:30 p.m.
September
2004, Concert in the Park, (date tbd)
Wednesday,
Oct. 13, 2004, RCHCA Meeting, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday,
Oct. 31, 2004, Annual Halloween Parade & Potluck