County to Honor World War II Veterans; Looking to Contact More Vets

Seventy years ago, World War II changed the history of the world.

On September 19, County Executive Ike Leggett, Council President Roger Berliner and the County Council will honor the men and women who served their nation in that war at a special �Montgomery Honors WW II Vets�ceremony to be held at the Silver Spring Civic Building located at One Veterans Plaza.

 The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m.  Speakers will include WW II veterans � now referred to as part of �America�s Greatest Generation.�

The event will be simulcast live on many of the County�s public cable television channels that compose the PEG (Public, Education, Government) Network. In addition, the PEG Network will record the stories of many of the veterans for a documentary that will debut on Veterans Day.

Event organizers are working to contact more of the veterans who will be honored on September 19. The veterans -- or family and friends of the veterans -- seeking more information or wishing to RSVP -- should call 240-777-7929.

Download the event flyer. (pdf)

Resident Strikes Gold in London

County Executive Ike Leggett spoke for all County residents when he extended public appreciation to Bethesda�s Katie Ledecky for her gold medal swim at the London 2012 Olympics:

"As the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic Team, Katie Ledecky�s extraordinary performance in the 800-meter freestyle swimming event not only won her a much deserved Olympic gold medal but has inspired an entire nation of young athletes who will work even harder to reach their own goals of excellence.

"On behalf of Montgomery County, I congratulate Katie on her gold medal win and want her to know how proud we are that she and her family call our community home."

New Dryland Facility Used by US Olympic Dive Team

US Dive Team member and Olympic medalist Nick McCrory (left) used
the new Wall Park facility during the team�s training sessions
in Montgomery County just prior to leaving for London.

Thanks to a new public-private partnership between M-NCPPC Montgomery Parks and the Montgomery Dive Club, the County will have its first dedicated dryland diving training facility.

The partnership has enabled the conversion of a 1,600 square-foot facility from underutilized, standalone handball courts into a multi-purpose acrobatics and gymnastic site for dryland diving training. It will also be used for new community programs and classes for people of all ages. All costs will be covered by the Montgomery Dive Club.

The project was approved in late June 2012 by the Montgomery County Planning Board. The partner immediately moved mobile equipment into the facility so the USA Olympic Diving Team could train there during the week leading up to their departure for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Montgomery Dive Club members will now train at the new Wall Park dryland facility, as well as the Eunice Kennedy and Sargent Shriver Aquatic Center operated by the County Recreation Department.

Stronger Regulations Implemented to Protect Construction Workers On County Projects

Montgomery County has released new requirements which strengthen protections for construction workers.
The contract requirements, issued by the Department of General Services, resulted from the work of the Worker Safety & Health Commission, established by County Executive Ike Leggett in 2009. The commission, made up of individuals who live and work in Montgomery County with interest and expertise in safety issues, is charged with assisting Maryland Occupational Safety and Health in protecting worker health and safety.

�Every job in our community ought to be a safe job,� said Leggett. �Despite our budget challenges, there are ways we can use existing resources to help reduce workplace injuries and illnesses in the County. And, we can start with the buildings we build. The first major project these stronger regulations would apply to is the new Silver Spring Library, where, right now, we are in the process of choosing a building contractor.�

See the full text of the new requirements.

The Face of Future Public Safety Facilities Takes Shape

Within just the past few weeks, ground has been broken for three new public safety facilities to be located in various parts of the County.

Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad

The Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad is relocating from its existing structure on Grandview Ave. to a new two-story 29,000 gross-square foot facility to be located at the corner of Georgia and Arcola avenues. A number of elected officials and members of the Fire and Rescue community were on hand to break ground for the new Class 1 Rescue Station with 7,400 square feet of community room and kitchen on the upper floor. The County is contributing approximately 50% of the total cost of the project scheduled for completion late summer 2013.

Police Department�s new 3rd District

Ground was broken recently for the Police Department�s new 3rd District station that will be located at 1002 Milestone Dr. in Silver Spring near the center of the district in White Oak.

The new facility will replace the current 3rd District station at 801 Sligo Ave. in the far south end of the District. That station, built in 1962, does not provide adequate work space, lacks essential security features and is not equipped to accommodate future technology. It has no public meeting space and requires replacement of major building infrastructure components.

The 3rd District covers the entire Route 29 corridor from downtown Silver Spring to Burtonsville.

Travilah Fire Station #32

The first step toward creation of the new Travilah Fire Station #32 occurred with the groundbreaking on August 2. The new state-of-the-art, one-story, 26,550 square-foot fire/rescue station will be located at the intersection of Darnestown and Shady Grove roads. It will serve about 40,000 people within a 13 square-mile area that includes Traville, Fallsgrove, western Rockville, Travilah and North Potomac. The area�s population is expected to increase significantly with the planned development of  The Johns Hopkins University Belward Campus, Life Sciences Center expansion, Crown Village community, Bright View Assisted Living Facility and mixed-use development on the Public Safety Training Academy property.

The station will have four, 20- by 80-foot drive-through apparatus bays; living areas, including dormitory and bunk rooms, kitchen, dining, lounge and exercise rooms; a training room; administrative, battalion and storage spaces; a law enforcement office; and a lobby area.