by Mike Conroy
Summers at South Valley Park is back, with an awesome lineup of musical acts and family activities throughout the summer, sponsored by Asbury Methodist Village!

Help kick off the 2018 season with the east coast’s original 80’s tribute band, The Reagan Years on Sunday, June 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. Bring your family, friends and neighbors, along with your lawn chairs, blankets and snacks, to enjoy the best tunes from the 80s for free! This family-friendly show will be sure to get you singing and dancing to some classic songs.

The rest of the Summers at South Valley Park lineup includes some regular favorites as well as some new acts to the music pavilion stage. Spend your Sunday evenings with the sounds of Diamond Alley, the Montgomery Village Community Band, the U.S. Navy Band Commodores, The Muddy Crows, 19th Street Band, Leify Green and Southern Charm.

But Summers at South Valley Park is more than just Sunday evening concerts! Check out Art in the Park on Sunday, June 24 from 3 to 7:30 p.m. Come for art demonstrations, music, beverage tastings and all things in the arts! Catch Bach to Rock youth bands, the Montgomery Village Blue Notes and the Billy Coulter Band on stage throughout the day.

Enjoy a movie under the stars with the family on Friday, Aug. 3. Bring your blanket or chairs and watch Disney Pixar’s new animated film “CoCo” on the big screen. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the movie starts at dusk.

And continuing the program from previous years, the Wednesday morning Kidjam events are set for three weeks in July. The free kids programs begin at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 11 and include favorites like Spitz-O-Matic, Pirate Magic and Squeals on Wheels Petting Zoo.

For the full schedule, including dates and times, visit www.montgomeryvillage.com. On the “Summers at South Valley Park” page, you can check out samples of the bands’ music in short video clips, as well as go to their full websites for more information on each one.

For all events at the Gordon W. Bowie Music Pavilion, parking is available behind Watkins Mill Elementary School, 19003 Watkins Mill Road. Handicap accessible parking is available by calling 301-948-0110 in advance of the performances. Guests are invited to bring lawn chairs, blankets, picnics/food and beverages for an evening out at the outdoor amphitheater.

The temperatures have been all over the place lately—some hot 90 degree days and some cool weeks in the 60s. Even with the fluctuation, it’s that time of year again—pool season is upon us! And what better way to beat cooler air temperatures than getting a swim in a heated pool? Stedwick Pool, 10401 Stedwick Road, will open on Saturday, May 19, before the other Village pools open. Stedwick will be open weekdays from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. (closed Thursday) and on the weekend from 2 to 7:30 p.m.

On Saturday, May 26 at noon, one of the most anticipated events in Montgomery Village all year takes place—the opening of MVF-owned pools and what many see as the beginning of summer in the Village.

Lake Marion, North Creek, Peggy Mark, Stedwick and Whetstone pools will be open Memorial Day weekend. Peggy Mark Pool will be open only on weekends until Saturday, June 16. Watkins Mill and Hurley Park pools will also open for the season on Saturday, June 16. Beginning on Saturday, June 16, each of the seven Montgomery Village Foundation pools will be open six days a week and closed one day, on a rotating basis, for maintenance. Each has weekend and weekday hours; the 2018 Pool Schedule is available online at www.montgomeryvillage.com, and is posted at each of the pools.

Lake Marion, Stedwick and Peggy Mark pools will remain open through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 3; the other four pools will close earlier in August—check your pool schedule for details. Stedwick Pool will remain open through Sunday, Sept. 30—the advantage of the heated pool is opening earlier and staying open later each season. 

Residents are reminded to get their activity cards early in order to enjoy the pools. The MVF Office, 10120 Apple Ridge Road, is open until 7 p.m. on Thursday evenings and from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays through July 7. Get your cards or updated stickers and enjoy the pools this season!

Goshen Road Project
This long funded county project became a political football this year as the county council looked for additional funding for schools and other projects. It is clear that the project scale will be adjusted when further planning is commenced, possibly in 2020.

The county has already spent over $10 million to design the project over the last four years. The project will remain in the CIP, but no additional funding is expected before 2019 except for $300,000 in FY20 to evaluate possible alternatives to the current project scope. 

It is my expectation that they will significantly downscale the project, but include some straightening of the road, intersection improvements and some sidewalk/bike path additions.

Homeowners Association Road Maintenance Reimbursement
Earlier this year, the county council tried to repeal county law that would reimburse HOAs for private road maintenance, but this failed. However, the county council continued not to fund this obligation, arguing a stressed budget and other priorities. 

The county will meet its obligation of passing through state funds to assist with road maintenance for HOAs. The "state" program reimburses HOAs for roads eligible to be counted for State Highway User Revenue; the funds associated with these roads are sent to the county and then passed through to the HOAs. Most of the 50-odd miles of eligible roads under this program are in Montgomery Village, but there are a few miles in Olney and Germantown as well. 

The "county" program is supposed to reimburse HOAs for eligible roads at roughly the cost that the county spends to maintain its own roads, subject to the availability of appropriations. However, for two decades the county council has limited the reimbursement to around $1,000 per eligible mile, a fraction of the cost of maintaining a county road. 

For the FY2010 budget, the county council reduced the appropriation to only about $250 per eligible mile, and for FY2011 through FY2018, they suspended funding for this program altogether. This would be the ninth year with no funding for the "county" program. The good news is that the state continues to meet its obligation. However, if in future years, the county does repeal its reimbursement program, it is likely that the state would follow suit.

 Small Cell Tower Legislation
On May 3, the county council’s Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee recommended approval of ZTA 18-02 with a few amendments. ZTA 18-02, Telecommunications Towers – Limited Use as introduced would have changed zoning regulations related to the placement of telecommunications antennas in non-residential zones and the provision for antennas on existing structures in all zones. But at the conclusion of the two-plus-hour hearing, the committee recommended no changes in the residential zones. This retains the current setback and building height standards for antennas on existing facilities in residential zones, and adds provisions that will require compatible antenna enclosures where antennas are allowed. The ZTA would allow more permissive standards for antennas where they are currently allowed as a limited in commercial/residential, industrial and employment zones. 

A majority of the committee also recommended lowering the maximum allowable tower heights for new towers that require conditional use approval. The committee recommended approval of ZTA 18-02 with the amendments it suggested. County staff prepared the amendments, which were adopted by the county council on May 15.