ThayerAvenue.com

You may recall back in the spring of 2008, we had a guest post from our resident Census Geek about demographics on Thayer Avenue and the surrounding area. Very interesting information, and considering all the changes that have taken place in the ‘hood since the last head count, I’m already looking forward to the information garnered from 2010.

Here’s the thing: You have to fill out the form and send it in. I know it takes a few minutes. I know you’re busy. Consider this a public service announcement. Filling out the form and sending it in has a direct impact on your local, state, and national representation, money allocated to your area, and services provided. There is NO downside. You will not get slapped by the IRS. You will not get deported. You will not have the U.S. Marshalls show up at your door (unless you’ve done something else to deserve any of that).

Also, there will be people from the Census Bureau canvassing the neighborhood over the next few months. Please treat them with respect. We’re lucky that the census comes at a time when people need jobs, and this is putting a small dent in a big crash, putting food on lots of tables for people who would experience otherwise. If a census taker tries to test you, I recommend you *not* cut out his or her liver and eat it with some fava beans and a nice Chianti. It would be bad form. And it’s been done before.

About that Letter…
A lot of other people have gotten that anti-big-box-store-Germantown-Citizens-for-Smart-Growth letter I highlighted this past weekend. It even reared its ugly head at this week’s ESSCA meeting. The origin is still a mystery, but I heard an interesting theory. Just imagine that one of the most revered grocery stores in the Northeastern United States (and in Northern Virginia and NOT Montgomery County) was to get all the necessary approvals to break ground on a flagship grocery store. And let’s just say the grocery store happened to be, oh, I don’t know Wegmans.

Now… say you’re a big grocery store chain like Giant or Safeway who is about to get trounced by the great and powerful Wegmans in your market. What do you do? I think maybe you send out letters addressed to “[Insert Name] or Current Resident” – just like you do with the grocery store flyers. Make sense? Giant or Safeway? Want to come forward and claim responsibility for a bogus, failed campaign against Wegmans? It was already too late for that anyway, which makes me wonder if that theory is true. The store will be built, from what I understand, regardless. We’ll see what comes of it.

About the ESSCA Meeting
Better than anticipated. Though when Bob Colvin started talking about gangs in the area, he reminded me of former Senator Ted Sevens (R-AK) talking about the internet. Lots of talk about the Days Inn and Travelodge on Georgia Avenue and the attempt to subdue crime there, but it was rudely interrupted by some bonehead talking about sentencing disparities (valid) and pharmaceutical commercials (not valid and unrelated) and the Juarez Drug Cartel (idiotic and unrelated) and drug commercial disclaimers (a waste of *everyone’s* time and unrelated). I’m reminded of last month’s meeting where someone said, “Hearing you speak for the sake of talking is wasting my time.” Amen. Just a couple of meetings left until elections…

D’OH! A deer!
Beautiful day at Sligo Creek Golf Course yesterday. A big family of deer was foraging on the left side of #9. Your Silver Spring Photo of the Day:

Looks like my publicizing of ESSCA quitting PREZCO caused a lot of questions to be asked (and not answered) on the listserv. After quoting this post, they asked why the action actually took place. After this non-answer…

The ESSCA Board did withdraw from Prezco.  The Board decided that it was not advantageous for ESSCA to remain a member.  We continue to cooperate and work with our neighboring civics and the Civic Federation.

…we got this:

[P]lease remember we have an open listserv that includes many people who are not in this community, as well as politicians and press.  There is no big drama, but it is important and not unusual for ESSCA and all the Civics that we work with to be discreet when discussing issues in such a public forum. We will discuss this in person, but don’t think the listserv is an appropriate forum for this discussion.  This was not an impulsive decision and does not lend itself to sound bites or one line answers.

Fortunately we have community blogs in which we can banter these things about. Perhaps they felt like PREZCO was not properly representing its members. Funny – I sometimes feel the same way about ESSCA.

And don’t forget the first ESSCA meeting of the season is on September 21 at 7:30 at the Sligo Recreation Center.

In other news…

More Chances to Save Sligo Creek
The Keep Sligo Open Charity Golf Event will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, September 9 with a shotgun start at 4:00pm. There is also a golf event the following day preceded by a joint press conference with Sligo Creek Golf Association, the Salute Military Golf Association and County Councilmember Valerie Ervin (District 5). The press conference will be followed by the “opening tee-off of the Sligo Creek Golf Association’s inaugural charity golf-outing fundraiser, featuring a foursome comprised of wounded heroes of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan who also happen to be frequent users of Sligo Creek Golf Course.”

I managed to get out and play Hampshire Greens this weekend for the first time – another MoCo course – and was quickly reminded of how easy the Sligo Creek course is. Yeesh.

Dog Days of Summer
Living Ruff and Downtown Silver Spring will be putting on the 2nd Annual Dog Days of Downtown Silver Spring, a “Fun Family & Pet Event.” Featured guests include NBC4′s Wendy Rieger and Mary Alice Yeskey from Food Network’s Ace of Cakes. Put those together, and we can hope for news footage of everyone (me included) eating fancy free cake.

A great man (okay – he was half human) once said, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.” With apologies to Admiral James T. Kirk, this has again proven more than true in two recent instances.

Thank you, Councilmember Ervin
I think we really have Valerie Ervin to thank for helping to save Sligo Creek Golf Course. That, and the overwhelming outcry of the community. The only way SCGC was to be saved was for the County Council to renegotiate the contract with the Revenue Authority. Oh – and fix one minor detail: money.

The Washington Post reported that Ike Leggett proposed a plan that would keep the course open for another twelve months, even though my “buddy” Keith Miller at the Revenue Authority thinks “the long-term prospects at the other public courses, all with 18 holes and more challenging, are brighter than at Sligo.” Really? Measured how? By paying your salary? I’m gonna guess that not paying six figures a year to the Revenue Authority will help Sligo Creek’s financial prospects, and with this near-death scare, the people involved will find a way to make it work. And I’ll pony up some money in the form of increased green fees and a contribution to an endowment to help keep it up and running. Just tell me where and when.

And Speaking of Money…
That seems to be the one thing standing in the way of building light rail on the Purple Line, according to a news conference from Governor O’Malley. This endorsement comes much to the chagrin of our wealthy neighbors to the west. Chevy Chase Mayor Kathy Strom, along with 10 others, wrote a letter to the Federal Transit Administration in protest, saying, “It is shortsighted and irresponsible to destroy this irreplaceable greenspace which is both a local and regional treasure.” Not sure if they were talking about the Capital Crescent Trail or their beloved Chevy Chase Country Club.

Can’t wait to espouse the merits of a light rail purple line at September’s ESSCA meeting.

Purple line image courtesy of Wikipedia

The Gazette has some good coverage of the Sligo Creek reuse shin dig with the Planning Board last week, calling it a “raucous, contentious hearing.” Gotta love that. And they’re right. I will reserve comments concerning what I *really* think about Keith Miller, the Executive Director of the Montgomery County Revenue Authority, and simply say he is shortsighted, at best.

According to the Gazette:

Miller said nine of the 27 holes at Northwest Golf Course on Layhill Road are geared toward less serious golfers. And First Tee of Montgomery County, a division of a nationwide program that brings golf to youth and underserved populations, is available at Sligo Creek, Laytonsville and Needwood golf courses.

Miller said First Tee will be initiated at Northwest this fall, in absence of the Sligo Creek program.

Really? That’s the best you can do? Make people drive at least 30 minutes to get what they currently have in their backyard?

I liked what I heard from Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-District 5), when she said there is still “room to negotiate,” but as of press time, there was still no contact on the matter between the Council and the boneheads at the Revenue Authority. Cross your fingers.

Another, less-publicized highlight of the evening: Classy t-shirts like the one on the right. Oh – and the fact that an armed member of the Park Police force took away the 6-iron I brought to the meeting. Perhaps anticipating the rowdy nature of the meeting.

In Silver Spring Historical News…
Jerry McCoy, head of our venerable Silver Spring Historical Society, is looking for the remnants of the orchard that use to reside in our very neighborhood. If anyone on Thayer, Easley or Silver Spring Avenue has old apple trees still standing on their property, please contact Jerry at sshistory@yahoo.com.