Indian Spring

Green Paint & Stencil Brigade

It was only a matter of time before members of local Girl Scout troop #4274 marched down our street with green paint and stencils in hand.  We saw them today as we were heading for an outing on the final day of Thanksgiving weekend. They are on a mission to stencil "Chesapeake Bay Drainage" onto the sewers of the Indian Spring neighborhood, as part of the ongoing environmental awareness campaign to save the Bay. The girls who led this project are Meredith Metcalf and Madeleine Varmer, both from Blair.  They painted over 40 storm drains in the last 2 weekends. Those indelible green messages will likely stay put for several years, long after these Girl Scouts have passed into adulthood.  Thanks to them and their troop leaders for doing this.       

Crime Spree

I'm wondering whether people feel that the recent break-ins and attempted break-ins that have been reported on the listserv this week and earlier this fall and summer represent a new level of burglary/crime in Indian Spring or whether this is not really new either in the nature of the crimes or the level of activity? We've lived here 8 years and I don't remember there being quite this many incidents (I know there was a spate of burglaries 3 years ago).  I talked to the community outreach officer at the Silver Spring police district today, and she said that break-ins are common during the lead-up to the holidays, and that residents should take the normal precautions (some crimefighting tips are available at www.iscaonline.com).  I also asked her if the patrols in our neighborhood could be stepped up, because I rarely see police cruisers driving around here with the exception of the officers who live in the neighborhood.  Is there anything else we feel should/could be done?

Live Nation Letter from Leggett's Office

ISCA Board Member Tony Hausner has been in touch with Ike Leggett's office about the Live Nation deal and just received a letter from Leggett spokesman Patrick Lacefield, which I attach here.  The headline is that the County Executive's Office feels that it would be unfair and unreasonable to enter into a negotiation with another party (9:30 Club Owner Seth Hurwitz) once a deal has already been established with a previous party (in this case, Live Nation), though this is similar to what happened when everyone thought there was a deal with the Birchmere, and Live Nation stepped in, isn't it?  Anyway, it's interesting reading, and I suggest checking it out.  Download Livenation.doc

Live Nation Controversy Redux

Thanks for the cogent comments in response to my posting of November 11th regarding the Live Nation/Birchmere controversy, or should I say, the Live Nation/Birchmere/9:30 Club Controversy?  Rather than dying down, passions are running higher than ever.  The Silver Spring Penguin has published a poll where 57% of the respondents believe the County should "open competitive bidding to other venue operators, instead of sticking with the nonbinding agreement it has with Live Nation."  This means, basically, 9:30 Club owner Seth Hurwitz, who has approached the County with his own proposal for turning the former J.C. Penney building into a music venue.   Meanwhile, the "Silver Springer" blogs in the Silver Spring Scene that the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board has amended their letter to the County, now requesting that County Executive Ike Leggett open the negotiations to other potential occupants of the J.C. Penney space, and calling for "transparency" in the process, which is ISCA's position, as well (the transparency part, anyway).  If anything, the passionate feelings on all sides of this issue prove that Silver Spring residents care deeply about the character and quality of life in their community, and are willing to make their voices heard when they think the County has gotten off track.

Mulholland Drive in Indian Spring?

Several streets in our neighborhood have streetlights that are blinking eerily on and off - or flickering down to a low-level of luminance, making me feel like I'm in a David Lynch movie when I take a walk at night.  I'm not sure whether the onus is on the County to inspect these lights from time to time to know when they're fizzling, or whether the onus is on us to report them.  But report them we shall.  ISCA Board member Tony Hausner provided this link to the Department of Public Works and Transportation http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/trstmpl.asp?url=/content/dpwt/operations/traffic/Streetlights.asp
which includes some hi-tech options (e.g., a Geographic Information Systems map where you can zoom in to the streetlight in question) for reporting malfunctioning streetlights that actually look a lot more fun than the old way... of picking up the phone and enduring a painful voice mail loop or waiting on hold for a live human being.  I'm going to give it a try and report the Lynch-like streetlamps on Brewster and Saginaw and see how fast they get fixed.

Overhead Power Lines: This is the 21st Century?

I had forgotten how your perspective changes when you walk instead of driving.  You notice things you sometimes don't while encased in an automobile.  I walked to Woodmoor Shopping Center a few days ago.  Pausing at Four Corners, I was struck by how frail our power lines appear.  The utility poles are warped and bent, like stooped elderly men.  I thought about how we lose electrical power when the wind blows over 10 mph these days, and how lucky we are that this hurricane season has been relatively mild.  I understood how one minor storm can wreak havoc on the electrical grid, and marveled that in the 21st century our infrastructure is so outmoded.  On the other hand, I know that underground utility lines are expensive and disruptive.  But the old system has to give at some point.  We want to do an ISCA event next Spring about green technologies and energy efficiency for our homes; it might also be a good time to discuss bringing our electrical infrastructure into this century.

Live Nation Controversy Continues

On a recent trip down Colesville Road, I saw the signage on the windows of the old J.C. Penney building:  LIVE NATION! FILLMORE! For all the talk of the ink not yet being dry on the deal, the building itself is screaming that the Live Nation deal is, indeed, done, even if the process isn't completely finished and the contracts yet unsigned.  Now a new wrinkle:  local business owner Seth Hurwitz (owner of the 9:30 club) would like to put in a bid, as well.  (For more details, see the Silver Spring Penguin article www.silverspringpenguin.com) His appeal seems to be resonating with some residents who, still sore that the Birchmere deal fell through, like the idea of the County subsidizing a local business better than a large corporate entity.  ISCA has taken a position that, whatever happens from this point onward, the County should handle this issue with maximum transparency - something that we feel did not occur during the Birchmere negotiations.  The citizens rightly feel removed from the decision-making process and would at least like clear and accurate information, and to know that the County is listening to their concerns.

MD 4th District Congressional Debate

Just wanted to report that tonight's debate among the MD 4th District Congressional Candidates at Blair High School, co-sponored by ISCA, was a lively, informative, and sometimes entertaining event.  Candidates including Rep. Al Wynn, Donna Edwards, George McDermott, and George Mitchell argued about the Iraq War, Health Care, Immigration Reform, Campaign Finance, and other issues.  The debate was gamely moderated by Bruce DePuyt of NewsChannel 8. The exchanges were often heated, especially when Ms. Edwards attacked Rep. Wynn's voting record in Congress and he rebutted. There was a decent crowd, too, a couple hundred people by my estimate.  I'm proud that ISCA co-sponsored this event.  Thanks to board member Tony Hausner for facilitating and to ISCA member Ole Varmer for providing and operating the sound equipment.