Trachtenberg Office Attends Western Montgomery Citizens Advisory Board Meeting

Naomi Bloch represented the Trachtenberg office at last night’s meeting of the Western Montgomery Citizens’ Advisory Board meeting which took place at the Rockville Library located at 21 Maryland Avenue in Rockville.

There was a very full agenda that included presentations from several different speakers including:

Chief Treschuk of the Rockville Police Department; Acting Commander John Hack, Montgomery County Police – 1st District Station who updated everyone on some of the most concerning trends in the county. Two issue areas of particular concern: the rise in the theft of GPS units from cars and the ongoing problem of daytime residential robberies in Potomac.

Mr. Hamid Omidvar from the Department of General Services updating us on the plans for the Circuit Court Annex as well as a general overview of the Government Core Facilities Master Plan Study.

Mr. Fred Lees, from the Department of Transportation, talked about the recently completed Rockville Pike Pedestrian Safety Audit. The primary area of focus for the audit was from Bou Road down to Randolph Road. This was because this is where the highest numbers of pedestrian accidents have been occurring. No final decisions have been made as to the extent of the final changes but Mr. Lees did say that better lighting and signage would certainly be one area that will be upgraded.

Ms. Jenny Kimball, Assistant City Manager told us about the Rockville Neighborhood Resources (RNR) Program which exists to better connect the communities and the Rockville City government. For more information about this program: http://www.rockvillemd.gov/

Finally we heard from Mr. Philip Mclaughlin from Ride On with his update about the recent concerns about eliminating bus routes. He told us that for the time being, service cuts have been averted for the FY10 budget but that it remains to be seen what future cuts there may be when the FY11 budget comes over from the County Executive on March 15th. He also talked about the challenges from the recent snow storms.

Next meeting of the Western Montgomery Citizens’ Advisory Committee (WMCAB) is March 15th and will take place at the Glen Echo Town Hall, 6106 Harvard Avenue; Glen Echo, MD 20812. For more information: www.Bethesda.citizen@montgomerycountymd.gov