Trachtenberg Office Attends Montgomery County Agricultural Fair

Representatives from the Office of Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg attended the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair this week. The fair, which was started in 1945, is the largest of its kind in the state of Maryland. The objective of the fair is to exhibit livestock and local produce, promote agriculture through education of the community regarding agricultural issues and providing a meeting place for those interested in agriculture to secure growth in future generations. The organizers of the fair are also committed to educating members of urban communities, helping them to acquire an appreciation and understanding of agriculture.

The fair is located at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg (16 Chestnut Street) and will be open to the public until Saturday, August 21 from 10 a.m. to 12 midnight. For directions, click here. General admission price is $10 per person and children under 11 enter free! For tickets, click here.

Emily Hoopes from the Trachtenberg office poses at the Personal Ponies booth. Personal Ponies is dedicated to the belief that the life of a child with disabilities can be immeasurably enriched by having a tiny pony to love and care for. The interaction and bonding that occurs between a tiny pony and a child with disabilities is nothing less than magic. Creating magic in children’s lives is Personal Ponies only mission. Personal Ponies is part of the Chasin Dreams Farm located in the heart of the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve and serve children that are differently able throughout Montgomery County. For more information, click here.

Heritage Days Celebrations, Part 2: Sugarloaf Mountain Winery Farmers Market

Emily Hoopes and Wil Gutierrez represented Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg at the Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard (SMV) Farmers Market as part of Heritage Montgomery’s Heritage Days Celebrations.

Each year, on the last weekend of June, Heritage Montgomery hosts its signature event – the annual Heritage Days Celebration. This two-day, free-of-charge, county-wide event festival offers visitors an opportunity to sample over 40 sites representing the history, culture, and natural beauty of Montgomery County.

Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard is Montgomery County’s only vineyard/winery. The 85-acre farm includes a restored red barn, silo and windmill and abuts the scenic Sugarloaf Mountain - a Registered National Landmark.Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard was conceived with awareness of the unique character of the property, the quality of the soil, and with familial commitment. The double-bank red barn – built in the early 1900s – the silo and windmill are all signature landmarks of the farm. Purchased by Dan and Polly O'Donoghue in 1962, the 92-acre “Windmill Farm” has been a working farm and family retreat ever since. Owned and operated by the four children – the McGarry, McKenna and two O’Donoghue families – the transformation from a traditional farm to a vineyard broke ground in 2002. A wine making team was formed, and soon vines were planted and being nurtured. By 2005, the winery was complete and we were making our first vintages. The award-winning results are worth a taste!

To complement the winery, SMV has expanded it's commitment with its weekly Farmers Market on Saturdays,10AM-2PM . Vendor products include: Goat Cheese, local seasonal all natural produce, local grass-fed antibiotic and hormone free beef, eggs, cow cheese, alpaca products, local honey edibles and body care products, artisan handmade jewelry, baked good, and gourmet pastries. The Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard Farm Market was founded in 2010.

Trachtenberg Office Meets with Heritage Montgomery Tourism Alliance

Yesterday morning Naomi Bloch and Emily Hoopes from the Trachtenberg office met with Peggy Erickson, Executive Director for Heritage Montgomery Tourism Alliance to talk about many of the exciting events being planned for this summer's Heritage Tour.  They also discussed the role Montgomery County played in the Civil War and the Underground Railroad, both of which are being celebrated in several ways in the months ahead. For more information about all the interesting events being planned to showcase the history of Montgomery County check out the Heritage Montgomery website: http://www.heritagemontgomery.org/.

Trachtenberg Office Salutes Earth Day and 30th Anniversary of Agricultural Reserve

Representatives of the Trachtenberg Office joined Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and Montgomery County Council President Nancy Floreen to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day and the 30th Anniversary of the Agricultural Reserve. The event was held at the County’s Agricultural History Farm Park, located at 18400 Muncaster Road, Derwood in the County’s 93,000 acre Agricultural Reserve. The Reserve is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and has been recognized as the country’s most successful farmland and open space preservation program, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council and the American Farmland Trust. Also in attendance were Dr. Royce Hanson, chairman of the Montgomery County Planning Board, who is considered the architect of the Agricultural Reserve; DEP Director Robert Hoyt; Barbara Ashe, executive vice president of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce; and representatives from certified green businesses.

County Executive Leggett announced that eight new businesses were certified under the County’s Green Business Certification Program in response to a challenge to become a ‘green’ business by Earth Day. The newly certified companies joined 11 others already certified as green by demonstrating their commitment to environmental stewardship, conservation of energy and water, carbon footprint reduction, and waste reduction and recycling. The Green Business Program was launched in December by DEP, in partnership with the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and Montgomery College to recognize voluntary efforts to protect, preserve and improve the environment. The newly certified businesses are: All Eco Center, Wheaton; Greenavise, Silver Spring; Innovative Business Interiors, Inc., Silver Spring; The Maven Group, Bethesda; The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, Rockville; Radius Technology Group, Inc., Silver Spring; Reznick Group, Bethesda; and Solid Waste Association of North America, Silver Spring.

The 11 businesses previously certified are: Bethesda Green, Bethesda; Building Maintenance Systems, Inc., Rockville; Calvert Group, Ltd., Bethesda; The Center for a New American Dream, Takoma Park; Clean Currents, LLC, Rockville; Hallman Orthodontics, Chevy Chase; Honest Tea, Bethesda; Marriott International, Inc., Bethesda; Pepco Customer Service Center, Rockville; Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, P.A., Potomac; and Social and Scientific Systems, Inc., Silver Spring.

A description of what the certified green businesses have done to earn their certification is available on the County’s website at http://mcgreenbiz.org/directory.

Naomi Bloch and Emily Hoopes represented Councilmember Trachtenberg at the event.

Councilmember Trachtenberg Attends Town Hall Meeting on Gaithersburg West Master Plan

Councilmember Trachtenberg attended last night’s Town Hall Meeting on the Gaithersburg West Master Plan held at the Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The meeting was organized by the North Potomac Citizens Association. Councilmember Trachtenberg was joined by her colleagues, Council President Nancy Floreen, and Councilmembers Marc Elrich and George Leventhal. Before remarks by the Councilmembers, there were presentations by Dan Drazan, President, North Potomac Citizens Association; Donna Baron, Gaithersburg-North Potomac Rockville Coalition; Bragi Valgeirsson, North Potomac; Tim Newell, a representative of the Banks Family; and Pamela Lindstrom, Montgomery County Chapter of the Sierra Club/Residents for Reasonable Development. Councilmember Trachtenberg was accompanied by staffers Alan Bowser, Naomi Bloch and Emily Hoopes.

In her remarks to the Town Hall meeting, Councilmember Trachtenberg outlined her review objectives for master plans proposed by the County’s Planning Board. She spoke of the need to balance the growth the County needs with the quality of life that resident’s want, and the importance of respecting established neighborhoods. She acknowledged the many questions and concerns that had been raised with regard to the Planning Board’s proposal, especially those related to transportation infrastructure, the economic projections, the housing-jobs balance, and the environmental and health impact of new development in the Plan area. She also noted that there were significant differences between the plans proposed for Gaithersburg West and the White Flint Area, notably the differences in the existing transit infrastructure and the nature of the community dialogue process.

Councilmember Trachtenberg emphasized that the County Council was not near a final decision on the Gaithersburg West Plan, and that the PHED Committee was only in the very early stages of reviewing the proposal presented by the Planning Board. She encouraged community members to continue contacting her office with their questions, issues, and concerns about the process. Interested individuals can contact the Trachtenberg Office at councilmember.trachtenberg@montgomerycountymd.gov; the telephone number is 24-777-7964.

For more information on the North Potomac Citizens Association, please visit http://www.northpotomacnews.org/.

Emily Hoopes, Saschane Stephenson Join Trachtenberg Staff

We are pleased to welcome Emily Hoopes and Saschane Stephenson to the Trachtenberg Office.

Emily Hoopes, a resident of Washington Grove, previously served as Executive Director of the Montgomery Countryside Alliance and as Advocate & Campaign Director for Environment Colorado/Colorado Public Interest Research Group. A graduate of Northern Arizona University, she also served as a legislative assistant to former Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Dacek. She will serve as our Legislative Aide for Planning, Housing and Economic Development and Director of Correspondence.

Saschane Stephenson, a resident of Silver Spring, is President of LINK Communications Group, LLC, and former Director, Communications and Marketing for Washington Adventist University (formerly Columbia Union College) in Takoma Park, Maryland. She is a graduate of City University of New York and Andrews University in Michigan. She will serve as our Legislative Aide for Health and Human Services and Director of Communications.