MAKING NEWS

Montgomery Named Among 2013 Best Intergenerational Communities

Intergenerational Communities are places that folks of all ages proudly call home, because they recognize the benefits of intergenerational programs, practices, policies and services. And, Montgomery County has been selected as one of the 2013 MetLife Foundation/Generations United Best Intergenerational Communities Award recipients, according to a report in the February 6 Generations This Week.

Other communities receiving the 2013 award were: Dunedin, FL, Itta Bena, MS and Westchester County, NY. More details about each award-winning community and the award presentations are forthcoming from Generations United.

The organization�s website says Generations United is �the national membership organization focused solely on improving the lives of children, youth, and older people through intergenerational strategies, programs, and public policies.�

Read more about intergenerational communities and previous winners.

Consumer Protection Director Discusses Credit Score Errors on Fox 5 News 

Errors in credit scores have been making the news lately and Fox 5 News interviewed Office of Consumer Protection Director Eric Friedman about how to check your score, what kind of errors to look for and the role of credit bureaus.

 Watch the five-minute interview.

County Executive Staffer Profiled in Bethesda Magazine

Lily Qi, Special Projects manager for County Executive Ike Leggett, and her husband, Phil Peng, are featured in the January/February issue of Bethesda Magazine as members of the �sacrifice generation.� 
According to author Steve Roberts, those are people �who leave home and settle in a new land�.� However, he adds that they �will never feel fully part of their adopted country. Only their children will.�

The article details the circumstances under which Qi and her husband left China and the struggles they overcame to forge a life for themselves and their children in the United States.

Read �Meet the Sacrifice Generation.�

MAKING NEWS

Eleven Businesses in County Make Inc.�s Top 500 List

The Department of Economic Development has announced that  Montgomery County has 11 local companies on the 2012 Inc.500 list, designating them as some of the fastest-growing private companies in America.

Of the 11, two are part of the County's Business Innovation Network -- E-SAC in the Rockville Innovation Center is #241 and Special Operations Solutions in the Silver Spring Innovation Center was rated #269.

See more about all the Montgomery County businesses that made the Inc.500 list this year.

Executive Receives Humane Society Award 

Photo caption: Presenting the award to Leggett at the 14th annual Love Ball were Joanne Hoffman, chair of the MCHS board of directors (left) and Cris Bombaugh, president and CEO of MCHS.

County Executive Ike Leggett has received the 2012 Humane Award from the Montgomery County Humane Society (MCHS) in recognition of his efforts to make construction of a new animal shelter a reality.

Groundbreaking for a new Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center at the intersection of Muncaster Mill and Airpark roads in Derwood, took place in January.  Expected to open in late summer 2013, the new facility will replace the current shelter built in 1975.

The new complex will expand the County�s ability to care for animals safely and hygienically, as well as serve as a public adoption center and community education resource for animal advocacy and care issues.

Leggett is a two-time winner of the award from MCHS, the first received in 1993. 

Learn more about the Montgomery County Humane Society.

Office of Human Resources Receives Honors from Local Government Personnel Association

The Office of Human Resources (OHR) was recently recognized by the Local Government Personnel Association (LGPA) of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area for its public service and delivery of quality services.  The awards were presented at the Professional Development Conference and Awards Luncheon at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments in Washington, D.C.

The County�s Rewarding Excellence/Gainsharing Program received the LGPA�s �Best and Brightest� personnel award.  The bonus incentive program, launched in January 2010, is designed to encourage and promote new, innovative ideas, concepts and strategies for the cost-effective delivery of County services and products.  Employees are rewarded for implemented recommendations that improve efficiency, increase productivity, reduce costs, streamline operations and enhance customer satisfaction.

The LGPA Board of Directors also announced that Kaye Beckley, manager, Business Operations & Performance Management in OHR, has been appointed as the incoming LGPA president.

A certificate of appreciation was presented to Human Resource Specialist Laetitia Gnago for spearheading the completion of the LGPA annual Benchmark Salary and Comprehensive Benefits Survey.

For more information about the award, or about the Gainsharing Program, contact Melissa Boone-Miller at 240-777-5016.

MAKING NEWS

Six Local Business Leaders are First Inductees into Montgomery County Business Hall of Fame

Six Montgomery County business leaders, past and present, were recently honored as the first inductees into the Montgomery County Business Hall of Fame.

The 2012 honorees are: Norm Augustine, formerly of Lockheed Martin; Cliff Kendall, formerly of Computer Data Systems, Inc.; Sid Kramer of Kramer Enterprises; Aris Mardirossian of Technology Patents LLC; J. Willard Marriott Jr. of Marriott International;  and Carol Trawick of the Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation.
Maryland Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett and William E. �Brit� Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland, were among the 300 in attendance at the event held in mid-October at the Universities of Maryland Shady Grove.

The net proceeds for the first year exceeded $250,000 and will benefit the scholarship programs at The Universities at Shady Grove, one of the regional educational centers of the University System of Maryland.

County Named a Citizen Engaged Community 

Montgomery County has been designated as a 2012-2014 Citizen Engaged Community (CEC) by Public Technology Institute (PTI) for its MC311 online and phone information system.

The annual designation program recognizes excellence in multi-channel contact centers and best practices for the use of Citizen Relationship/Records Management (CRM) systems, 311 services, web portal technology, telephone systems and mobile communications infrastructure.

Montgomery County was one of nine jurisdictions with populations of more than 300,000 to be selected for this distinction.
Read more.

We Like Bikes:  Bethesda, Rockville Honored for Being Bicycle Friendly

Bethesda and Rockville have been named bicycle-friendly communities by the League of American Bicyclists for their commitment to biking as an alternate form of transportation, particularly for commuters. In the Bicycle Friendly Community Program, each was named a bronze-level award winner, the highest award given to any communities in Maryland.

According to the League�s website, �The Bicycle Friendly Community Program (BFC) provides incentives, hands-on assistance, and award recognition for communities that actively support bicycling. A Bicycle Friendly Community welcomes cyclists by providing safe accommodation for cycling and encouraging people to bike for transportation and recreation.�

�World of Montgomery� Festival Brought Worlds of People Together

Against the backdrop of a perfect fall day, several thousand people took advantage of the weather to taste their way around the globe in downtown Wheaton at the 2012 "World of Montgomery Festival."

If you didn�t get there this year, check out the link below and see what you missed. Read The Post article.

MAKING NEWS

Sheriff�s Office "Choose Respect" Montgomery Program Earns Award

The �Choose Respect� Program that helps teenagers avoid abusive dating relationships, and is overseen by the Sheriff�s Office, has been selected to receive an award from the Maryland Community Crime Prevention Institute for its proactive measures. The three-year-old program has been strongly supported by the County�s Domestic Violence Coordinating Council.

"Choose Respect" targets County middle and high school students but aims to involve parents, as well. A curriculum has been developed for the program, and when a school requests to participate, instructors from the program are sent to the school to discuss scenarios of dating. The curriculum is designed to help young people avoid situations that could lead to abusive relationships.

�All too often we see the devastating effect of relationship violence on families and communities,� said Montgomery County Sheriff Darren Popkin. � 'Choose Respect' Montgomery gives law enforcement a new tool to be involved in a preventative approach targeted at our most valuable resource -- our youth. I am very proud of the leadership Montgomery County has taken to help them make the best choices.�

Informing the Sheriff�s Office that its program has been selected to receive the award, Charles Rapp, executive director of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, wrote to Sheriff Popkin, �I join the Maryland Community Crime Prevention Institute in extending sincere congratulations to you for your outstanding efforts in the area of crime prevention.�

MAKING NEWS

"Rewarding Excellence" Program Featured in Governing Magazine

Montgomery County�s gainsharing program, "Rewarding Excellence", was featured in the August issue of Governing magazine.  Begun in 2009, "Rewarding Excellence" has so far resulted in five successful proposals from front-line employees that are expected to save the County approximately $850,000 annually.  Other projects are in various stages of approval.

Gainsharing program ideas are generated by teams of eight to 12 people, plus one or two facilitators, who receive special training. The teams then meet regularly to brainstorm new, money-saving ideas, develop detailed proposals, then present them to senior management and union representatives for approval.  Team members are rewarded for successful programs with one-time bonuses of up to $5,000, depending on the amount of money the program saves.

View Governing magazine�s article.  Also see more information about the gainsharing program.

Gazette interview with County Latina cable producer and businesswoman

In an interview with The Gazette�s Clyde Ford, Cuban-born Lorna Virgil, a County Cable producer, radio host and media liaison, talks about how a change of pace and direction in her life has enabled her to  �carve out her own niche� in a County and state with an ever-increasing Hispanic population.

Lorna co-hosts �County Report This Week� on County Cable Montgomery and is the host of �Montgomery Al D�a� which is broadcast live each Tuesday at 2 p.m. on Radio America 1540 AM. The show also airs on County Cable Montgomery. Visit montgomerycountymd.gov/ccm and click the �Montgomery Al D�a� icon. For a listing of viewing times on County Cable Montgomery, go to the schedule on the right side of the website.

Read the article.

MAKING NEWS

Word Gets Around: Housing Counselor Interview Cited in Congressional Record and State Housing Blog

The good word about the work of Carmen Castro-Conroy, a senior counselor with the Housing Initiative Partnership in the County, is spreading.

It started with the Washington Post Magazine�s �First Person Sungular� column about the dedication she brings to her job.  Then came an insertion, by Eighth District Congressman Chris Van Hollen, of the article into the Congressional Record. That was followed by a reference to both previous pieces in �Community Review,� the official blog of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

In the column, Carmen said, �Losing a home is devastating; just thinking about losing a home is very stressful. It�s my responsibility to encourage them [clients] and to lift them up. I tell them, �This is a house; you�re bigger than this, and you�re going to come out of this stronger.��        

Simply put, �I love what I do.�

County Honored as Leader in Application of Web and Social Media Tools

Montgomery County has been recognized by the Public Technology Institute (PTI) as a leader in the innovative application of Web 2.0 technologies and civic/social media tools. Montgomery County was one of only 10 jurisdictions and one of two County governments in the U.S. to be honored.

More and more, Web 2.0 technologies and social media tools for government affect how public institutions function and deliver services. They encourage cross-agency information sharing for improved communications and service delivery, engaging the public in government decision-making and empowering staff through data access and streamlined processes.

Read more about the recognition.

Montgomery Named High-Ranking Digital County�Again

Montgomery County has been named the sixth ranked digital government in the United States by The Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties (NACo). Montgomery County was honored in the category for jurisdictions with populations of 500,000 or greater. This marks the 10th year in a row that Montgomery County has placed in the top 10 in this highly competitive ranking.

The Digital Counties Survey recognizes leading examples of counties using information and communications technology and evaluates entrants on their ability to demonstrate successful outcomes through the strategic use of technology.

 Read more.

Making News

On the Way to London: Olympic Dive Team Makes a Splash in County

US Olympians execute a dive during a training session for the media at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver Aquatic Center in North Bethesda.

Local media and residents had a couple of unique opportunities to see the U.S. Olympic Team�Diving during the four days of training sessions held in the County before the team departed for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Montgomery County Recreation hosted a media-only training session for the team on July 14 at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver Aquatic Center in North Bethesda. Members of the media filmed and interviewed team members during the session.

The following day, the Olympians participated in a special exhibition at the Germantown Indoor Swim Center. In addition to elected officials and residents, the full-house audience included Olympic Champion diver Greg Louganis, who is serving as a mentor to the US team.

Inside word has it that the team was very happy with the facilities here in Montgomery County and that they were accessible and friendly to both Recreation staff, other swimmers and the public, in general, signing autographs and talking with young people.

See the team in Montgomery County on YouTube.

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Gazette Editorial Commends County�s �Latest Milestone� in Recycling

In the past 60 days, the County has taken two more giant steps to enhance its reputation as a local leader in recycling efforts.

The first step came in May when County Executive Ike Leggett announced establishment of a new, higher recycling goal -- 70 percent of the waste stream being recycled by the end of 2020. The new goal would be one of the highest among jurisdictions in the metropolitan region, as well as other counties across the United States.

The second step came at the end of June when the Executive announced that residents of single-family homes receiving County recycling pick ups can now add PET thermoform plastics to their recycling bins. [See photo.]

PET plastic is used to make items such as cups and rigid packaging. It is a transparent, lightweight, strong, safe, shatterproof and recyclable packaging material commonly used to package fresh fruits and vegetables, bakery items, prepared foods and salads, and deli items.

Both announcements were lauded by The Gazette in a July 11 editorial entitled �Recycling strides.� Adding clamshell containers, the editorial stated, �is the latest milestone in the county�s recycling program which is getting even more ambitious after the county executive raised the goal on how much of the county�s trash�should be recycled by 2020.�

Read the full editorial.

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Correction and Rehabilitation Program Featured on Channel 7

Turning lives around is more than a phrase at the County�s Correctional Facility in Clarksburg.

It�s a fact, thanks to a comprehensive work program that teaches life skills to inmates learning how to make new starts for themselves.

ABC 7 News (WJLA) recently detailed the program, a dedicated career coach and the positive impact both are having on inmates.

Watch and/or read the story.