This Week in Potomac

Mandatory Water Restrictions

Could Last a Week

When a 54-inch water main in Chevy Chase at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and Chevy Chase Lake Drive ruptured Monday evening, March 18, the result was a geyser shooting approximately 30 feet high and the immediate loss of 60 million gallons of water.

To ensure continued water supply for all WSSC customers and for fire protection and hospital/medical uses, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) General Manager Jerry N. Johnson Tuesday morning called for mandatory water restrictions for all WSSC customers. The restrictions, designed to reduce use of water by at least 10 percent, take effect immediately and could last up to a week. WSSC has been working with fire departments to make sure there is adequate fire protection.

Until repairs are complete, all business and residential customers must use water only as necessary — i.e., shorter showers and turn off faucets after washing hands and while brushing teeth; limit flushing toilets (do not flush after every use); put off washing clothes if possible; limit the use of dishwashers and wash only full loads.

For more, visit www.wsscwater.com or call the WSSC at 301-206-4002.

Breaking Ground for New

Scotland Community Center

Montgomery County Recreation was scheduled to break ground Wednesday, March 27, 11 a.m. on the new Scotland Neighborhood Recreation Center.

County Executive Isiah Leggett will participate in the ceremony at 7700 Scotland Drive in Potomac.

The Recreation Department and General Services are “working hard to build a first-rate facility that will provide the community with quality recreation programming,” said Recreation Department Director Gabriel Albornoz.

The existing community center will be completely removed and the new neighborhood center, scheduled to open in the fall of 2014, will feature a new two-level structure that features a new gymnasium, two multi-purpose activity rooms, game room, weight and exercise room, spacious social hall and more, according county documents.

Give Pedestrians a Brake;

Safety Initiative Reduces Fatalities

Montgomery County averages about 400 pedestrian collisions a year.

“We need everyone to be engaged to make sure that crossing the street is not a death defying act,” said Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett.

“We need drivers to obey the law, yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, slow down, pay attention and look out for pedestrians. We need drivers to eliminate distractions, put down their electronic devices and drive less aggressively. We need pedestrians to be vigilant, on guard and undistracted. They should use crosswalks, cross only with walk signals and never assume that drivers see them,” Leggett said.

Leggett introduced an aggressive pedestrian safety initiative in 2007.

Over the last five years, pedestrian fatalities have gone from a high of 19 in 2008 to six in 2012; collisions in targeted locations have been reduced by 45 percent; the number of collisions resulting in severe injuries has been reduced; and collisions within a quarter-mile of schools under the “Safe Routes to Schools” program have been cut.

See www.montgomerycountymd.gov/walk.

County Named Outstanding

Place To Live for All Ages

Montgomery County is scheduled to be honored Thursday, March 21 in the U.S. Cannon House Office Building, for being an “outstanding place to live for people of all ages.”

Montgomery County; Dunedin, Fla.; Itta Bena, Miss., and Westchester County, N.Y., will be honored as the four 2013 MetLife Foundation/Generations United America’s Best Intergenerational Communities Awards.

Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen and Montgomery Councilmember Hans Reimer will attend the ceremony.

Register Now for

Senior Spelling Bee

Montgomery County residents 55 years of age or older are encouraged to participate in a Senior Spelling Bee on Saturday, April 27 at 10 a.m. at the Chevy Chase Library located at 8005 Connecticut Ave.

The cost to enter is a $25 non-refundable fee which can be paid for by the individual or a sponsor, such as a local business or book club, that will be recognized in promotional materials.

Call 240-777-0020 or downloading a registration form at http://www.folmc.org/senior-spelling-bee/or visiting a local library branch to pick up a form, or email staff@folmc.org. Registration ends on April 6.

County Health Services Seeks

Long Term Care Ombudsmen

Montgomery County’s Long Term Care Ombudsman Program seeks individuals to enhance the quality of life for nursing home residents as long-term care advocates with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.

Volunteers will be assigned to make regular visits to residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the county. Training and on-going technical assistance are provided by experienced professionals. Orientation will be held during the week of Monday, April 22 through Friday, April 26 at Holiday Park Senior Center in Wheaton from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Contact Eileen Bennett at 240-777-1067 or by e-mail at eileen.bennett@Montgomerycountymd.gov.

Help Oversee Rustic Roads

There is one vacancy on the Rustic Roads Advisory Committee for an individual who represents a civic association located in the agricultural reserve. There are several rustic roads in Potomac.

The Rustic Roads Advisory Committee promotes public awareness of the Rustic Roads Program, reviews and comments on the classification of rustic roads, development proposals that affect rustic roads and executive regulations and policies that may affect the program.

An application, consisting of a brief cover letter and resume, should be sent by mail to County Executive Isiah Leggett, 101 Monroe Street, 2nd Floor, Rockville, MD 20850, or by email to countyexecutive.boards@montgomerycountymd.gov by March 29.

Leggett also seeks applicants to fill two vacancies on the Commission on Landlord-Tenant Affairs, one for a landlord representative and one for a tenant representative.

Visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/exec/vacancies.

— Compiled by Ken Moore