Rock Creek Hills Citizens

President	Marty Durbin	301-933-0522
Vice-President	Joe Rosenberg	301-495-9821
Treasurer	Deanna Marcum	301-933-9503
Secretary	Mike Baker	301-589-1348
Past President	Shannon Hamm	301-933-5264

Notice of Next Meeting

Please plan to attend the next RCHCA meeting Wednesday, Ma y8 from 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Day School (9411 Connecticut Avenue). State Senator Chris VanHollen will join us as a guest speaker. In addition to serving as our representative in the Maryland Senate, Senator VanHollen is seeking the Democratic nomination to be our representative in Congress. Come here what happened in the 2002 Maryland legislative session, and take an opportunity to meet the candidate. The agenda for the evening will also include:

· A vote in relation to RCHCA’s position on train noise and a possible “quiet zone;”

· A discussion of Rock Creek Hills traffic triangles and possible landscaping proposals;

Message from the Board

With the advent of spring, the RCHCA Board would welcomes everyone outdoors again! While it was actually a fairly mild winter, it’s always great to see so many people out walking the streets and enjoying the parks in our beautiful neighborhood. It provides a wonderful opportunity to connect with one another and renew the strong sense of community we enjoy in Rock Creek Hills.

The last year saw some of our most successful events yet – the annual “Concert in the Park” (Sept) has become a “don’t miss” event, and the Halloween Parade and Picnic continues to grow in popularity. Betsey Greaney deserves special thanks for serving as chair of the RCHCA Special Events Committee – our own “cruise director.” January’s Pot Luck Dinner and Annual Meeting was well attended, fun for everyone, and we were very pleased with the level of discussion and participation at the meeting.

With the continued influx of new neighbors and their families, we’re looking forward to another great year in 2002, and even greater participation. But we need your help. The success of our events depends on volunteers, so we welcome and encourage your participation in planning, setting up, and helping run any one of our events. Whether it’s putting up notices, taking a turn at the grill, or helping with set-up or take-down, it provides a meaningful way to get to know your neighbors and make new friends.

While we’re on the subject of volunteers, we are still looking for neighbors to serve as chair of our Transportation Committee and the Legislative, Planning & Zoning Committee. It wouldn’t take a great time commitment, but would provide a valuable service to the neighborhood for someone to monitor relevant issues on our behalf.

Dues Reminder: Annual dues for membership in Rock Creek Hills Citizen’s Association is $35 per family. If a family feels that they can’t afford thirty‑five dollars, the dues are what you can afford. Please send dues – checks made payable to “RCHCA” – to Deanna Marcum, 3315 Wake Drive.

Planning to Improve Your Home?

With the arrival of spring, many of us are considering and/or beginning home improvements – additions, modifications, new and replacement fences, sheds, etc. In addition to meeting all relevant county zoning and permitting requirements, properties in Rock Creeks Hills are required to submit plans to the RCHCA Board for approval. The purpose is to maintain and enforce “covenants” that apply to our properties – covenants are a system of establishing conditions on the use of property to maintain the beautiful character of the development. The RCHCA approval process is NOT intended to delay, prolong, or make more difficult what can already be a challenging endeavor, but in the long run will help to protect the value of all our homes

If you are going to make any changes to your home or property, please submit plans for review (which must include the plat showing existing and new construction) to Bonnie Bird, chair of the Covenants Committee (9809 E. Bexhill, 301-946-4966), as well as to your neighbors. Communication with your neighbors is a critical piece of the process. Not only does it foster dialogue and demonstrate respect for your neighbors, but it may also help identify issues, concerns, or problems that you hadn’t anticipated. We follow the county’s model of receiving input from your neighbors prior to Rock Creek Hills Covenants Inc. approval.

In an effort to better inform residents about our covenants, and to make the approval process as quick and painless as possible, following are some key Do’s and Don’ts:

1. Know your covenants. If you need a copy of the covenants that apply to your specific property, call Bonnie Bird or Marty Durbin (301-933-0522). Look in your Rock Creek Hills Directory for the principal provisions;

2. Before you plan any outside construction projects, contact your neighbors to discuss (generally next door, across the street, and those in “line of sight”). This includes fences;

3. All fences must have permits and have approval by the Rock Creek Hills Executive Board;

5. Be courteous to your neighbors when speaking to them and when construction noise may be of concern. Talk with your neighbors during construction to see if there are concerns.

1. Don’t wait until the last minute to talk with your neighbor about a major construction project;

2. Chain link fences are prohibited. Wrought iron fences have only been approved with shrub coverage;

4. Don’t wait until the last minute to present your plans to the Rock Creek Hills Executive Board. While every effort will be made to be timely, we are volunteers and cannot guarantee “overnight” approvals. Please assume a two-week turnaround.

www.rchca.org and rchcanet

Rock Creek Hills has a website (www.rchca.org) and an email group (rchcanet@yahoogroups.com) for residents only. Please visit the web site to get up to date information about our neighborhood and obtain more information on the email group. The rchcanet email group is used to distribute messages about crimes from Montgomery County Police Department, as well as provide a network for neighbors to post informative messages.

FOR YOUR 2002 CALENDAR!

Train Noise Update

For over one year, members of RCHCA, along with Capitol View Park Citizens’ Association and other interested parties have pursued an effort to address the continuous sounding of train horns at Forest Glen Crossing. A petition was signed by 390 residents requesting establishment of a “quiet zone” at that location, and delivered to various public officials. Under 1994 legislation, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) was charged with promulgating rules that describe “supplemental safety measures” at rail-grade crossings that fully compensate for audible train horns/whistles as a means for communities to create a quiet zone.

Councilmember Derick Berlage assisted by sending our petition to the FRA with a letter in May 2001, requesting guidance on how to proceed in this matter. After getting no reply for 3 months, Senator Barbara Mikulski’s office followed up with a letter to the FRA on our behalf. Finally, Administrator Ritter of the FRA responded in October, saying that we were one of many communities throughout the US interested in eliminating the sounding of train horns at such crossings. He said that his agency was “more than willing to work with the community… to determine the feasibility of a quiet zone”. However, until the proposed rules become final, there is no opportunity to implement quiet zones.

No official timetable has been given for finalizing these rules. FRA Public Affairs says that these rules are “nearing completion”. Once rules are final, we will initiate the quiet zone designation process in consultation with local, state and Federal officials. Interested parties are encouraged to call Joe Rosenberg, 301-495-9821 for more information on status and how one can get involved.

Coalition of Kensington Communities

The Coalition of Kensington Communities (CKC) is a unified body of area civic associations and townships founded to enhance the quality of life in our community. Towards this end, the group will work with local government to address issues of urban design, recreation, transportation, pedestrian accessibility and economic growth affecting greater Kensington.

Membership is open to any civic group in the area that shares our commitment to improving the welfare of the community. Current membership includes Rock Creek Hills Civic Association, Kensington Estates Civic Association, KenGar Civic Association, Parkwood Residents Association and the Town of Kensington.

The CKC’s immediate goals are to work toward the creation of a recreation center and to monitor and participate in the implementation of the Master Plan that affects the Connecticut Avenue corridor. CKC was not successful in its bid for county funds to reopen the gym at the old Kensington Elementary School. There was no support by any of our local politicians and support from the Town of Kensington (TOK) came late and with a lot of qualifications as to what would suspend TOK support. These requirements added costs to the project at a time when cost considerations in the budget were already tight. There is interest to send in a reconciliation proposal with all likelihood that successful funding will come in the future. But for now and likely in the next year, the Housing Opportunity Commission (HOC) will continue to use a gym for file storage.

The CKC has formally met twice, once in January and then on March 26^th. The next meeting of the CKC will be held on Thursday, May 30^th from 6:45 to 8:45 at the American Speech Hearing Association on Rockville Pike/Strathmore. This meeting will be chaired by the Garrett Park Estates – White Flint Park Civic Association.

The Coalition Contact from Rock Creek Hills Citizens’ Association is Shannon Hamm, 301-933-5264 or shannonhamm@erols.com

RCHCA Meeting	Wed., May 8, 7:30 p.m.
Concert in the Park	TBD, September
RCHCA Meeting	Wed., October 9, 7:30 p.m.
Halloween Parade & Potluck Dinner	Sun., October 27

Rock Creek Hills Citizens’ Association

2002 RCHCA Executive Board