artificial turf fields

June 17, 2010


The Honorable Isiah Leggett
Montgomery County Executive
101 Monroe Street
Rockville, Maryland 20850

Ms. Mary Bradford, Director
Montgomery County Department of Parks
9500 Brunett Avenue
Silver Spring, Maryland 20901

Dear Mr. Leggett and Ms. Bradford:

I am writing on behalf of the Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board (MCCAB) to express our concerns about the proposed use of artificial turf fields by Montgomery County Public Schools and the Montgomery County Department of Parks. At its April 20, 2010 meeting, we heard from members of the community about their concerns about the proposed installation of artificial turf football fields at Wheaton High School, other public schools, and parks. Among the concerns expressed were negative impacts on the environment, student health, and County finances.

I asked the MCCAB’s Quality of Life Committee to examine these issues. Based on these deliberations, and a final discussion at our June 15th meeting, the MCCAB recommends the following actions be taken:

The Montgomery County Government (MCG) should place a moratorium on further construction of artificial turf fields in parks, schools and recreational areas until the environmental, health and financial impacts of these fields are better understood.

Although research on the environmental impacts of artificial turf fields is limited, there appears to be reason for concern. Artificial turf fields being installed in Montgomery County include the use of old tires. A single field installation includes the depositing of 120 tons of pulverized automobile tires and hundreds of tons of rock on County land. As a result phthalates and other harmful materials may be contaminating the ground and water. Additional concerns have been raised in the sports medicine community with high air temperatures on artificial turf fields. Again, research appears to be inconclusive, but the lack of conclusive research bolsters the need for caution before exposing young athletes and others to potential risk.

As you are well aware the County is facing unprecedented fiscal challenges. Although apparent savings on field maintenance may make artificial turf fields an attractive option, we urge the County to exercise caution. A review of literature indicates that the environmental and public health impacts of artificial turf fields are poorly understood, with many questions left unanswered. With such questions unanswered, it would seem difficult to determine exactly what future financial commitments the County is making with further artificial turf field construction.


A moratorium on construction would allow the County more time to deliberate and allow time for the science to "catch up". Therefore the MCCAB urges a moratorium on further artificial turf field construction on all MCG owned properties.

As always, thank you for your consideration and continued leadership.


Sincerely,

Sheldon Fishman
Chair




cc: Montgomery County Council

Gabriel Albornoz, Department of Recreation

Private Institutional Facility Development (PIF) located at 3110 Emory Church Road, Olney

December 10, 2009


Dr. Royce Hanson, Chair
Montgomery County Planning Board
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

RE: Proposed Private Institutional Facility Development (PIF) located at 3110 Emory Church Road, Olney, Maryland. (AKA the Doherty Property)

Dear Dr. Hanson:

We have received tremendous response from the affected neighborhood in regard to the above proposed PIF development as well as the Olney community. We would also like to voice our opposition based on the following criteria:

• This proposed development is not in keeping with the Olney Master Plan, approved and adopted April 2005, which states that this property cannot be served by public sewer through gravity. The plan further recommends that this property is not recommended to be in the public sewer service envelope. Recommendation to approve a water and sewer category change has been approved and we understand is currently being contested.

• Emory Church Road is a narrow dead end secondary residential street (1 and ½ lanes wide at best) that serves approximately 32 homes in the southeast corner of Olney. This proposed 46,500 square structure with parking for approximately 220 vehicles will virtually destroy the peace and tranquility of this rural neighborhood road. Furthermore, this development would necessitate the widening of this road to accommodate increased vehicular traffic and cause the removal of many mature trees.

• We share the community concern that the amount of impervious surface required for this project will certainly add to the degradation of the already stressed Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River beginning at the headwaters known as Batchellor’s Run. This stream has been determined by the Army Corps of Engineers to be in a protected status.

In keeping with the spirit of the community the MCCAB feels a project of this size should not be built on this site. Thank you for your consideration of our concerns.

Sincerely,


Sheldon Fishman
Chair

cc: County Executive
County Council

Power Outages during Snow Storms

February 23, 2010
The Honorable Isiah Leggett
Montgomery County Executive
101 Monroe Street
Rockville, Maryland 20850
Dear Mr. Leggett:
The Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board (MCCAB) would like to express our
deep concern regarding the overwhelming number of power outages experienced in
Montgomery County during the recent back to back snow storms and the threat to public
safety that this loss created. We were alarmed to learn that on February 6th PEPCO
reported 88,000 customers without power. The breakdown included 78,000 in
Montgomery County; 7,700 in Prince George’s; and 2,200 in the District of Columbia.
While we realize the historical significance of these snowstorms, we remain puzzled as to
why the volume of outages was so lopsided with Montgomery County experiencing
88 percent of the reported outages.
The MCCAB believes there must be an underlying cause for the discrepancy.
This situation must be studied and remedied as soon as possible. Specifically, we would
like to know the causes of the severity of the outages.
We urge you to initiate a comprehensive review of the outage situation within the
next 60 days to determine what is necessary to prevent another such occurrence. This
may include proper and better regulation of PEPCO, adjustment of County policies which
may impede line maintenance, and/or adjustment of any related County budget items for
additional tree maintenance and trimming.
On behalf of the residents of the Mid-County regional area we thank you for your
consideration of our concerns.
Sincerely,
Sheldon Fishman
Chair
cc: County Councilmembers

Smart Growth and CR Zoning Text Amendment

April 9, 2010


The Honorable Isiah Leggett
Montgomery County Executive
Executive Office Building
101 Monroe Street
Rockville, Maryland 20850

Dear Mr. Leggett:

The Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board (MCCAB) reviewed and discussed ZTA 09-08, Commercial-Residential (CR) Zones – Establishment which was developed in conjunction with the draft White Flint Sector Plan. We are aware the Council approved this ZTA on March 2nd, however, at our March 16th meeting, the MCCAB voted to oppose the CR zone and the related revisions to the County's zoning ordinance.

While we applaud the idea that planners want to encourage residents to be less dependent on automobiles, we do not feel that adequate public transportation exists to implement this idea. We are also opposed to the use of this new zone until “Smart Growth” has been properly defined. With respect to the proposed changes to the zoning ordinance, we feel this revision lacks a strategic vision, particularly in the absence of a formal definition of “Smart Growth”. Additionally, there are no recommendations on how to implement the proposed changes to the Zoning Ordinance.

Therefore, the MCCAB wishes to go on record in opposition of the recently enacted Commercial-Residential Zone in conjunction with the White Flint Sector Plan.

Sincerely,



Sheldon Fishman
Chair




cc: Montgomery County Council

code enforcement reforms

December 22, 2009


The Honorable Nancy Floreen
President, Montgomery County Council
100 Maryland Avenue
Rockville, Maryland 20850

Dear President Floreen and Councilmembers:

On behalf of the Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board I am writing to urge the County Council to support the County Executive’s package of “Quality of Life” code enforcement reforms now before the Council. The County Executive’s package of reforms resulted from recommendations of his Code Enforcement Working Group, which worked closely with residents and organizations in the Mid-County area to identify problems and solutions.

As you are aware, progress has stalled on Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 09-03, which is designed to further restrict the encroachment and expansion of home occupations into residential neighborhoods, as well as limiting the paving of front yards and prohibiting the parking of heavy commercial vehicles in residential zones. We support ZTA 09-03 as submitted to the Council by the County Executive.

Still pending before the Council committee is Bill 24-09 to limit permits on unfinished residential construction to 18 months (currently there is no deadline). We support this bill. We also support adoption of Bill 22-09 to speed up the process for resolving code violations.

We urge you to work to bring ZTA 09-03, Bill 24-09, and Bill 22-09 to the full Council for action as soon as possible.

Sincerely,



Sheldon Fishman
Chair



cc: Isiah Leggett, County Executive

pedestrian safety

December 22, 2009



The Honorable Isiah Leggett
County Executive
101 Monroe Street
Rockville, Maryland 20850

Dear Mr. Leggett:

The Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board (MCCAB) endorses the County’s efforts to increase awareness of pedestrian safety through its “Pedestrian Safety Program” and its participation with the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board’s “Street Smart 2009 Campaign.” The MCCAB believes that an effective, proactive awareness campaign can help to reduce what should be avoidable accidents and possible injuries and minimize the resources necessary to engage in enforcement activities and the related costs of enforced compliance.

The MCCAB believes that the major participants targeted by these campaigns -- pedestrians, drivers and bikers -- should all be aware, alert, respectful and accountable. As Montgomery County residents, we literally need to look out for each other. And while most of us are safe (on the roads, on sidewalks, bike paths and in parking lots) and are quite capable of looking out for ourselves, we need to recognize that there are some residents who are at a higher risk for pedestrian collision. This includes young children, seniors, those in various age groups who may have special needs and those from other countries who are unfamiliar with our traffic patterns - they need us to be on the lookout for them.

We look forward to monitoring these two very important campaigns and are hopeful to see successful results on an on-going basis.

Sincerely,



Sheldon Fishman
Chair

2009-2011 Growth Policy

December 22, 2009


The Honorable Nancy Floreen
President, Montgomery County Council
100 Maryland Avenue
Rockville, Maryland 20850

Dear President Floreen and Councilmembers:

The Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board has reviewed the proposed 2009-2011 Growth Policy and would like to share our concerns with you.

Due to the long and very fluid nature of the planning process, we support the Growth Policy amendment in Bill 38-09 proposing the adoption of a four year review cycle for the growth policy rather than the current two year process. We believe this would enable the County to address planning issues in a more deliberate manner. Many key issues we face regarding development, schools, zoning changes and reclassifications have become so cumbersome that in many instances more time is needed. Furthermore, builders with approved plans are finding the “rules of the game” being changed in the middle of their approved projects. We would not want to send the wrong message of being anti-development and anti-builder. We are also very concerned about the potential for overcrowding in many of our schools and strongly believe that a four-year review could be more comprehensive and beneficial in the school planning process. We also believe that the proposed plan is based on many assumptions which could significantly impact the quality of life in our County and again feel more time is needed to study issues such as increasing density near Metro stations.

In addition, we very strongly believe that the Policy Area Mobility Review (PAMR) process is quite difficult to understand and has done a poor job of helping to manage and mitigate the effects of our heavy traffic. We are concerned that instead of a possible solution to gridlock, PAMR has the exact opposite effect. We, therefore, support the Council’s recommendation to request the Montgomery County Department of Transportation carefully study this issue and propose a more common sense and easy to understand policy for analyzing traffic patterns throughout the County. The members of the Mid-County Citizens Advisory Board are willing and available to assist in the process of developing the new transportation test to be used in the Growth Policy

Overall, we are pleased that so many issues pertinent to the quality of life in Montgomery County have been studied in your plan and we believe that our Mid-County region as well as the entire County could benefit from our suggested changes.

Sincerely,



Sheldon Fishman
Chair

cc: Isiah Leggett, County Executive
Royce Hanson, M-NCPPC Planning Board