by David Humpton, EVP

Central Park at the former Montgomery Village Golf Course site – As part of an MOU with Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF), Monument Realty will build a central park for MVF at the intersection of Montgomery Village Avenue and the future extension of Stewartown Road, which will cross over to Watkins Mill Road. The central park will include a dog park (area for small and large dogs), a fenced community garden with 20 elevated garden plots and two playground areas for children. These items are all included in the MVF Long Range Facility Plan.

MVF staff has been working with Monument on all aspects of the site plan, and the park concept plan has been shown in earlier plans. Monument submitted a site plan to the Planning Department which includes Central Park; 400-plus new homes; plans for the county’s park area, which includes many new trees, pathway connections and storm water management enhancements; new roadways; and more. The Central Park plan will be shared with the Recreation Committee at an upcoming meeting. Per the MOU with MVF, the park has to be open with occupancy of the 150th home on the property. The Planning Board will take the site plan up on an agenda later in the fall.

Next Director of Recreation and Parks – After an extensive search, Duncan Mullis, former MVF Recreation staffer and current Village resident, was selected as MVF’s next Director of Recreation and Parks. Duncan comes to the position with extensive recreation program management experience and a real passion for parks and the natural environmental. He is coming to MVF after a successful stint with the City of Rockville Department of Recreation and Parks. He will begin his new position in mid-August. Please welcome Duncan to his new job.

Watkins Mill Interchange Groundbreaking – On July 11, Governor Hogan joined with county and state officials to officially break ground on the Watkins Mill Interchange, which was one of MVF’s transportation priorities. Senator Nancy King and Delegates Barkley, Reznik and Robinson worked tirelessly to get this project back on track after the Governor delayed the project for design and funding issues.

The new interchange will help reduce congestion on Montgomery Village Avenue and other area roadways, and will bring improved access for residents to the MARC train station on Metropolitan Grove Road and the future Corridor City Transitway, which is still in the planning process. According to the Governor, the new interchange will be developed in coordination with the large I-270 improvements. If all goes well, the interchange will open in 2020.

by Mike Conroy

After 37 years of creating history in Montgomery Village; educating residents about and enforcing architectural criteria; attending committee and board meetings; and contributing to building a harmonious look in the community, Director of Architectural Standards Diane Stasiewicz will say farewell to the workplace she has called her second home. Stasiewicz is set to retire at the end of the year.

With a cheerful smile, Diane recalls the day she first came to the MVF Office in search of a job in 1980. She says she was wearing an outfit just as cheerfully fitting—a white skirt with a yellow sweater—and answered an ad for a job as a maintenance receptionist.

As a single mother, she was looking for nothing more than a job close to home, working with good people. Diane admits that she had no idea what the Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF) was or what they did, but she was committed to supporting her family.

After sitting down with then Executive Vice President (EVP) Bette Weseman, she was hired on-the-spot for a different position in the MVF Financial Department, where she was introduced to MVF’s first computerized data system. And with that, Diane began her deep education in all things Montgomery Village.

After about 7 months, she was approached to replace Pat Huson as the Architectural Control Specialist, covering both architectural and covenant inspections. In 1984, when architectural control and covenant enforcement were split, Diane was tapped again to change positions, this time, taking the reins and building an entire department focused on Architectural Standards in Montgomery Village. Since then, she has cultivated the department, hired and trained staff and taken on working with residents to keep an aesthetic standard in the community, all the while learning and applying that knowledge to the job. Diane says, “I felt honored to take on that task; that they trusted me to do a good job. MVF has always been like a second home for me, and I felt compelled to repay that feeling of trust with my best and hardest work.”

Having built the department from the ground up, Diane has hired, trained and worked closely with many staff members, but has not taken for granted those from whom she learned along the way. Bill Hurley, also known as “Mr. Montgomery Village,” introduced Diane to the commercial aspects of the Village, and made connections with the Kettler Brothers and their employees. Former EVP Pat Huson mentored Diane, reminding her often that despite the need to want to help everyone, she should not take the frustrations directed at her in a personal way. Diane credits current EVP Dave Humpton with helping her adapt to changing times and technology.

But of those she has worked with in almost four decades at MVF, Diane has been most influenced by Design Consultant George Smith, whom she met early on, when he was employed by Kettler Brothers. Stasiewicz and Smith have made a great team, working together to update materials, colors and designs available to homeowners, all the while maintaining the original design intent and integrity of Village neighborhoods. Diane says she has learned the most from Smith, who taught her to respect how all the design elements in a community work together, much like all the colors in an artist’s palette work to create a great work of art.

Along those lines, Diane says that her proudest accomplishment during her unplanned tenure at MVF has been being a part of creating the Village. As someone with an artistic flair, she has enjoyed working with materials and colors to help create the unique way the different communities come together to form Montgomery Village. And reaching back to her days as a teacher before MVF, she enjoys working with residents and homeowners to help them understand why some things are the way they are, hearing new perspectives that lead to changes and creating a harmonious look that benefits the entire Village.

And as a 40-year resident of Montgomery Village, Diane has embraced not just her job, but all aspects of the community. She fondly recalls watching the July 4th fireworks over Lake Whetstone, taking her children to the pools and other amenities, walking the paths and taking in the natural environment and visiting all the shops the original Village Mall had to offer. She says although the Village has evolved over the years, to her it’s still “the town you love to live in.”

In thinking about MVF, Diane’s fondest memories lie with those she has worked with. She describes their kindness and camaraderie as a second family—and not just with her, but with other staff, as well as truly caring about the community and working in the best interests of all residents. Diane is most proud that she took the risk to apply for a job with the result of being part of building something special in her community.

While Diane says she will miss the people she’s worked with, she will certainly not miss the buzzing of her alarm, signaling another day she has to get up for work. Instead, she will gladly trade that noise for the joyful noise of her grandchildren waking her up; she plans to spend time here and abroad visiting and watching them grow up. After 37 years of managing and troubleshooting resident concerns and home modifications, Diane is opting for a less stressful and more family-oriented retirement.

Diane says, “The Village has always been my home. From the first time I drove into the community, I fell in love with the greenery and the natural aspects. I wanted to be a part of this great community.” About her time spent doing just that, she notes, “I would have liked to do more for the community, but I did the best I could ever do.”

Thank you, Diane, for 37 years of your best work on behalf of the community. Congratulations on your retirement and your impact on Montgomery Village. Your dedication to maintaining the design standards of community has benefitted all Village residents and will be missed.

by Mike Conroy
At the Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF) Board of Directors annual retreat in June, the Board discussed ways to meet its strategic goals, including continued partnership with Village schools. Part of that discussion involved the creation of a non-voting Student Representative position on the MVF Board of Directors. At the July 27 MVF Board meeting, the Board approved a proposal from two of its members to begin this process.

The Student Representative will serve a 9-month term on the Board, from the March Annual Meeting through December. In the summer months—June through August—the student will also participate in day-to-day operations as an intern in the MVF Office. The aim of this program is to provide an opportunity for young Village citizens to understand how MVF works, not just at the Board level, but how the organization works for the betterment of the community; gain valuable volunteer and leadership experience; and become personally invested in their community.

Full criteria and application deadlines for the position will be announced later this year online and in the Village News.

Other Agenda Items
The Board approved architectural criteria revisions for Maryland Place and Stedwick Clusters I, II and III. The Maryland Place changes included the addition of elevated deck steps, a decision supported by the Maryland Place Homes Corporation. In Stedwick, an additional metal deck railing option was added. This change was considered based on homeowner inquiry and support from the Stedwick Homes Corporation.

A list of MVF Transportation Priorities, which is based on the Transportation Policy and involvement in the MV Master Plan process, was approved. The Board directed Executive Vice President (EVP) Dave Humpton to transmit the priority list to county and state elected officials for consideration in the county’s upcoming CIP and state projects.

The Board approved the Communications Committee recommendation for a new resident-focused branding campaign, which will use digital content and short video interviews to showcase Village residents.

In working toward another strategic goal of making MVF a “green” operation, the Board approved a proposal from Brigade Holdings, Inc. for light replacement at Stedwick Community Center. The proposal includes retrofitting interior and exterior lights in the community center, bath house, parking lot and pool deck with LED lights, similar to work that was previously done at the MVF Office and Lake Marion Community Center by another vendor.

President’s Remarks
Board President Pete Young thanked Peggy Mark for her 41 years of service to MVF. He noted that the hard work of the Recreation staff, both full time and seasonal, is noticed by members of the community, and he attributed their professional training to Peggy’s leadership over the years. Young also thanked those involved in planning Peggy’s retirement event, noting it was a fun evening to celebrate Peggy’s time with MVF.

EVP Report
EVP Humpton updated the Board on legislation regarding the state and county Roadway Reimbursement programs. He said that in recent years, Village homes corporations have received decreasing amounts of money from this program, mainly due to lowered county funds. Montgomery County is considering repealing the law, which would leave a large burden on HOAs to cover the costs of maintaining public-private streets.

Humpton also said he recently attended a county planning meeting for the former golf course property development. At the meeting, the Planning Department told property owner Monument Realty that due to recent engineering findings, they could not support parts of the concept plan that they had previously indicated they were in favor of. This signals some plan changes that need to happen in a very short time-frame to keep the project on track. Humpton urged the Board to continue to support the project, noting that the “Central Park is an amenity we don’t want to lose—the plans are beautiful!”

Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Bob Carey reported that MVF remains in a strong financial position, and gave figures for both the month of June and the year-to-date (YTD). Carey noted that at the end of June, MVF had $7.4 million in Cash and Investments.

Revenue was reported as $752,705 for the month, and $4.4 million YTD which is favorable to the budget. Revenue from investments and pool memberships are doing well, and are offset by assessments, advertising and camps and classes.

Carey said Expenses for June were $890,000 and $3.6 million YTD, which is favorable to the budget. Operating costs were also favorable for both the month and YTD, mainly due to reduced office expenses.

Net Income was $784,000 YTD, which is favorable to the budget by 50%. Delinquencies are holding steady at 7%; Carey reported that Delinquencies have remained below 8% for the last five financial quarters.

The Investment Committee recently met and noted the Return on Investments is still favorable. They also discussed the potential to slightly increase the percentages for investments in certain categories, as some are at their current limits.

Next Meeting
The MVF Board of Directors and Audit Committee are scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 24 at Stedwick Community Center, 10401 Stedwick Road, to discuss the 2018 MVF Draft Budget. The regular MVF Board meeting is scheduled immediately following. Residents are invited and encouraged to attend either meeting. The meeting agenda and information packet will be available online at www.montgomeryvillage.com the week of the meeting.