Northwood News ♦ February 2004

President’s Message

By Charles G. Pritchard

This is my first message to you since I assumed office as president following the resignation of our elected president, Vince Jankoski, whose family is moving out of the area.  During his period in office, Vince performed with great diligence and responsibility.  He was a valued member of our Association and took great interest in solving its problems and promoting its well-being.

Based on the current by-laws, I found it expedient to appoint Jim Zepp (a past president) as vice president and Michele Frome as recording secretary in place of Mike Diegel, who is currently president of the Allied Civic Group, a very important and prestigious umbrella group of associations.  This is a time-consuming and highly responsible position.  Mike has agreed to remain in an advisory and consultant capacity for the Association.  Michele has a long history of activism in our neighborhood and knows many of our past problems.  No other personnel changes have been made.  I am blessed to have a group of fellow directors who have experience in management and a true dedication to this neighborhood.  We now have 1,485 households.

I hope to do as well as my predecessors in this position, particularly, Vince, Ken Hawkins, Mike Diegel, Jim Zepp, Gerry Lane, Dave Povtak, and others.

In the 47 years of my residence in Silver Spring, I have always been interested in local issues, especially those that affect our Northwood neighborhood.  There have been many changes in Silver Spring and problems continue to arise requiring citizen action.  We hope to remain alert to impending changes and carefully consider them and their ramifications.  An alert citizenry still retains some political clout in the arena of local politics.  Some immediate issues would appear to be:

1. The Future of North Four Corners Park.  This small but highly attractive park has become the object for future development by two county agencies operating independently and in competition with each other, namely, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission on the one hand and the County Recreation Department on the other.  Without any prior coordination, both agencies have drawn up plans for significant changes in the park.  The Recreation Department wants to build a combined community/senior citizens’ center on the park property and designate it as the Kemp Mill Center.  Our community has asked that its participation in the decision of either plan be considered.  Frankly, we question the need for a community center, given the existence of such a center on Forest Glen Road scarcely one mile away.  Our committee on North Four Corners Park is headed by Carole Ann Barth and Jim Zepp.  We have our own concepts for the use of the park.  Carol will report on this issue at the upcoming meeting [see article].

2. Tree Inspection and Removal.  Due to the disastrous wind and rain storms in August and September 2003 (Hurricane Isabel), our neighborhood suffered from an unprecedented number of tree falls, many of which knocked out powerlines and household electrical supply as well as inflicting property damage.  Personal observation of the tree inspection and removal programs by local residents indicated lapses on the part of Pepco and the County Department of Public Works and Transportation (DWPT) and a lack of coordination between the two agencies in effecting prompt and effect relief from fallen trees.  At the last general membership meeting, a Association member questioned the frequency of tree inspection by Pepco and called for a letter to the responsible parties.
   There have been recent articles in the local newspapers on a “independent commission” analysis of the performance of Pepco.  Jim Zepp and I attended a recent public meeting sponsored by the Civic Federation of Montgomery County where Pepco reported its views on the storm crises.  Jim and I will report on this new input at our February meeting.

3. Trash Removal.  Due to the current budgetary shortfalls, the county DWPT has eliminated trash pickups from barrels in our county parks.  This change in policy has been applied to our neighborhood streetscaping facility (minipark with a bench and trash barrel at Sutherland and Timberwood).  When county pick-ups were curtailed, volunteers took over emptying of the barrel.  This volunteer collection has collapsed.  Noncollection of trash will probably create public health problems.  Members of our board of directors discovered that trash pickups are still being made at several sites in the Long Branch and Damascus districts.  This action has raised questions as to the legitimacy and equity of such a program.  We will continue to negotiate to see if our one site can continue to be serviced.

4. “Green Construction” and Reopening of Northwood High School.  When the county school board succeeded in funding the construction of the new Blair High School, our association lobbied Ms. Praisner, our representative in District 4, to prevent the razing of the Northwood building.  For a lengthy period, it served as a “holding school” for the teachers and student bodies of other high schools undergoing renovation.  An increase in student population during a period of economic depression has led to a county decision to reopen Northwood as part of a Down County Consortium, with specialized curricula that both local and other students can elect to take.  Since students from our own community will undoubtedly attend classes in Northwood, it is incumbent on us to insist on upgrading of the physical plant inasmuch as the original decision to close Northwood was based in part on the reported deterioration of this plant.
   The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission has seized the LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) principles and sent a far-reaching recommendation to the County Council to implement it.  The current policy on the Northwood reopening is to use LEED to secure the comfort and health of the school staff, teachers, and students.  We need to monitor this upgrading for the sake of the health and learning environment of the facility.

5. Public Safety and Homeland Security.  Although crime is, thankfully, relatively low in our neighborhood, we are close to two so-called “Hot Spots,” namely White Oak to the northeast and Long Branch/Flower Avenue west of us.  The latter area even has a “Weed and Seed Program,” which provides federal money to fund both active police measures and youth recreation and counseling programs to reduce crime.  We have also seen a bank robbery in our local Woodmoor shopping center and the attempted kidnapping of a high school girl on Sutherland Avenue.  South Four Corners has had a series of car thefts.  Crime on nearby Lockwood Avenue is rampant.  The September 11 [2001]terrorist aerial attack on the Pentagon, the following anthrax crisis, and, above all, the “sniper crisis” have indicated an increased need for public safety.
   Our civic association is on record as supporting an additional Montgomery County Police substation and the establishment of a public safety helicopter unit, the need for which was particularly demonstrated in the sniper crisis.  While the County is in sore financial straits at present and probably would consider establishment of the unit, there is a distinct possibility that federal money could be obtained because of the value of the unit under the Homeland Security program.  I will report on this issue at the February meeting.

6. Association By-Laws.  As indicated at the last membership meeting, our by-laws are somewhat skimpy on succession of the presidential function, which is one of the reasons that a major project in the coming months will be to revise the NFCCA by-laws to include changes in geographic boundaries, which now subsume the Forest Knolls subdivision.  Our basic civic association by-laws need to be revised based on the changes in association boundaries, which have been extended; stipulations on the succession of officers within a given term of office; and expansion of the board of directors to provide for participation of new members from the revised boundary areas.

7. A new environmental group known as “Neighbors of Northwest Branch” has been formed under the sponsorship of the Council of Governments in D.C. and encouragement of many other environmental groups.  There is considerable state and federal interest in the “beautification” and elimination of pollution in the Anacostia River, of which the Northwest Branch is a tributary.  The group is dedicated to monitoring and improvement of water and air quality in this stream valley park and support of its recreational resources (hiking, fishing, nature observation and studies, etc.).  We have traditionally kept a careful watch on our section of the Northwest Branch between Colesville and Randolph Roads with a view toward keeping this portion of the park as “natural” as possible.  I will report on this issue at the upcoming meeting.

8. Fred & Harry’s restaurant and bar has been purchased by the owners of another restaurant and bar in Takoma Park.  There is hearsay evidence that this latter restaurant has had license problems.  We will also report on this.

9. The Civic Federation of Montgomery County has recommended to the County Council that legislation be considered for the elimination of “parabolic speed bumps” in favor of a “flat top” design, which would permit speeds of up to 25 mph.  The parabolic type is the one that our county Department of Public Works and Transportation (DWPT) installed in its wisdom in our neighborhood.  This type of speed bump has been banned in Prince George’s and Ann Arundel Counties and condemned by drivers of emergency service vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks.  Do we wish to obtain more information on this and will DPWT replace the present speed bumps if the legislation is approved?

As you can see, we have a number of challenging tasks in the coming months.  I sincerely hope that the board of directors can count on your support in carrying them out.  This is a fine neighborhood.  Silver Spring itself has undergone remarkable changes, most of which have improved its quality of life and economic viability.  Additional improvements, however, may be required.  A useful motto for continued positive growth is keep Silver Spring “Clean and Safe.”   ■