Your vote matters. We want the election process to go as
smoothly as possible amidst this pandemic. The more people who vote by
mail, the shorter the wait times at early voting and election day
voting sites. Soon all registered voters will be receiving an
application to request a mail-in (this used to be called an “absentee”)
ballot.
I cannot say this enough – please vote by mail – and
please do not request (unless you have to) the internet/email link,
which has to be hand copied and requires two people per ballot to
ensure the integrity of the ballot.
You can also request a mail-in ballot now by texting
the letters VBM to 77788 or by visiting the Board of Elections website
at 777vote.org. The deadline to request a
vote by mail ballot is Oct. 20.
Mail-in ballots will begin arriving as early as the end of
September, and there will be about 40 drop boxes available around the
County to drop your ballot off if you would prefer that over the
U.S. mail. In September, we will list the locations of the boxes.
And despite wrong comments from some at the national
level, the drop boxes are safe – they will be secured to protect your
ballot from fraud, and they are not a concern as a transmitter of
COVID19.
If you are not registered to vote, it is not too late. The
deadline for voter registration is Oct. 13.
As I wrote last week, our County-sponsored testing is back
up and running. Click here
for more information. We will continue to offer testing for people
without symptoms, based on the advice of public health
experts.
This week, I updated my executive order regarding
reopening guidelines from the COVID-19 health crisis. Museums, art
galleries and bowling alleys can now all open – with restrictions.
Soccer games and scrimmages can also resume. However, the maximum
number of people –including players, coaches and parents – remains at
50 per field.
The guidelines still keep our focus on keeping our
residents safe. That is why the executive order also modifies the
definition of a face covering to include covering the chin - as well as the
mouth and nose. Our science, data and experts tell us this can make a
significant different in stopping the spread of COVID-19.
I know that some are unhappy with the continuing
restrictions on alcohol sales at restaurants after 10 p.m. We have
found that later in the night, drinking increases and adherence to the
necessary rules declines. We cannot risk an increase in spread. But we
are continuing to review the restrictions and see what might be
possible going forward.
Others are unhappy with the ban on live music
performances. This is actually a State order and I have been in touch
with the Governor to find out if modifications might be possible that
would allow certain types of music performances with
restrictions.
We are also getting closer to the opening of schools. I
want to wish all our Montgomery County Public Schools students a good
first semester, which will be all virtual. As a former elementary
school teacher in a high poverty school, I understand the importance of
connections between staff and students, but I also know that MCPS is
doing what we all believe is necessary to keep our community
safe.
And finally, I want to let you know that we are beginning
a “Reimagining Public Safety” effort with community members More
information is available here.
The public is invited to watch.
County Now
Permits Additional Businesses to Reopen as Part of Updated Phase 2
Guidelines
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, after
consultation with County Health Officer Travis Gayles and based on data
from contact tracing, has issued an updated executive order that now
allows certain additional openings related to the COVID-19 health
crisis. Amended Executive
Order 098-20 updating Phase 2 guidelines was unanimously
approved on Aug. 24 by the County Council and went into effect that
day.
The amended executive order includes additional measures
to protect the public from the spread of the virus. One measure
modifies the definition of face coverings as fully covering a person’s
nose, mouth and chin and is secured to the person’s head.
The amended order recategorizes soccer from a high- to
medium-risk sport, which means scrimmages and games will now be
permitted. The amended order also permits museums, art galleries and
bowling alleys to open with restrictions.
The updated executive order:
Permits museums and art
galleries to open with restrictions.
Permits bowling alleys
to open with restrictions.
Clarifies a requirement
for food service facilities to post signs advising customers about
face covering and social distancing restrictions.
Recategorizes soccer as
a medium-risk sport, which permits scrimmages and games to take
place.
Modifies the definition
of face covering to include covering the chin, as well as the
mouth and nose.
Continues to prohibit
sports tournaments unless the County issues a letter of approval.
Sets a 50-person limit
for all sporting events that includes coaches, participants and
spectators.
Prohibits sporting
events with teams from outside the District of Columbia, Maryland
or Virginia.
Officials will continue to review these designations and
may alter recommendations for sports if they are deemed to be a safer
category.
COVID-19 Testing
Now Available at 46 Sites in County, 11 Free County-Operated Sites on
Upcoming Schedule
Montgomery County residents can now find 46 sites around
the County where they can get tested for COVID-19. Most are operated by
private entities, but the upcoming schedule for County-operated testing
has 11 opportunities where residents can get free tests without
doctor’s orders required.
Privately operated test sites may have fees. Residents
should check before going to those sites.
The County test sites are now operating on a walk-up basis
only. The schedule for the upcoming County-operated test sites:
Friday, Aug. 28. 9 a.m.
- 1 p.m. Wheaton Library and Community Recreation Center, 11701
Georgia Ave., Wheaton.
Monday, Aug. 31. 9 a.m.
- 1 p.m. PlumGar Community Recreation Center, 19561 Scenery Dr.,
Germantown.
Monday, Aug. 31. 9 a.m.
- 1 p.m. Wheaton Library and Community Recreation Center, 11701
Georgia Ave., Wheaton.
Monday, Aug. 31. 1-7
p.m. Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veterans Plaza, Silver
Spring.
Tuesday, Sept. 1. 9
a.m. - 1 p.m. White Oak Community Recreation Center, 1700 April
Lane, Silver Spring.
Wednesday, Sept. 2. 9
a.m. - 1 p.m. Wheaton Library and Community Recreation Center,
11701 Georgia Ave., Wheaton.
Wednesday, Sept. 2. 9
a.m. - 1 p.m. CDC Mobile Trailer, Lakeforest Mall, 701 Russell
Ave., Gaithersburg (parking lot near food court entrance, directly
in front of Ride On transfer station).
Thursday, Sept. 3. 9
a.m. - 1 p.m. White Oak Community Recreation Center, 1700 April
Lane, Silver Spring.
Thursday, Sept. 3. 1-7
p.m. Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veterans Plaza, Silver
Spring.
Friday, Sept. 4. 9 a.m.
- 1 p.m. PlumGar Community Recreation Center, 19561 Scenery Dr.,
Germantown.
Residents
Encouraged to Vote by Mail for November Election
Election Day is Nov. 3 and the COVID-19 health crisis has
changed the election process in Maryland, including a change from
traditional local voting precincts to a system where there will be
centralized voting centers on Election Day. Now is the time to develop
a voting plan for the upcoming election.
For anyone who is not registered, the deadline for voter registration is Oct. 13. The
Montgomery County Board of Elections encourages voters to start a
"Vote Plan" for the upcoming election.
Due to COVID-19, the Board recommends voting by mail. A
mail-in ballot can be requested by texting the letters VBM to 77788 or
by visiting the Board of Elections website at 777vote.org.
A ballot will not be mailed to voters like was done during
for the 2020 primary. An application to request a vote by mail ballot
(formerly called absentee ballots) will be mailed to voters next week.
A mail-in ballot can be requested now by going to the County’s website.
Voters are strongly encouraged to select the ballot
delivery method “In the mail” when they receive a ballot application.
The paper ballot received will be the actual ballot that will go
through the vote counting scanner.
The application also will have an “internet/email” option.
It is intended for people for whom the mail is not a good option. A
ballot printed from the internet must be copied onto a scanable ballot
by a bipartisan canvass team, which is difficult with COVID-19. The
deadline to request a vote by mail ballot is Oct. 20. Registered voters
also can request a mail-in ballot online by visiting the Board of Elections website.
Election workers are needed to assist voters on Election
Day. Election workers (or election judges) must be registered Maryland
voters. Workers can earn up to $310 and Montgomery County students can
earn up to 25 Student Service Learning (SSL) hours per day in lieu of a
stipend.
To inquire about becoming an election worker, text SERVE
to 77788. Information also is available at https://t.co/EonP2W4kDx and the
elections website.
County Offers
Immunizations for Children Returning to School; Immunization
Requirements Remain in Effect
Montgomery County health officials are offering free
immunizations to eligible school-aged children so that
immunization requirements are met before the beginning of the upcoming
2020-21 school year. Children returning to virtual school on
Monday, Aug. 31, are required to have immunizations up to date, and
parents must submit documentation by the first day of attendance. If
students are not in compliance with immunization requirements, they can
be excluded from school beginning Sept. 20.
Free immunizations for students new to Montgomery County
Public Schools and children in kindergarten through 12th grade are
available Monday through Friday, by appointment, at locations in Silver
Spring and in Germantown.
Appointments are available at:
Dennis Avenue Health
Center. 2000 Dennis Ave., Silver Spring. Phone: 240-777-1050.
Germantown Health
Center. 12900 Middlebrook Rd., Germantown. Phone: 240-777-3380.
There will be additional clinics offered on Saturday,
Sept. 12, and Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Dennis Avenue Health Center.
Parents can access their child’s vaccination record online
at no cost at the Maryland Department of Health’s web portal. Users can view and print
official copies of vaccination records without a request to their
health care provider.
Four More
‘Shared Streets’ Temporary Neighborhood Greenways Aim to Make Local
Roads More Friendly for Pedestrians and Bicyclists
Four local streets in Montgomery County will be
transformed into more friendly roadways for pedestrians, bicyclists and
other non-vehicular users starting on Friday, Aug. 28, as the
Department of Transportation (MCDOT) unveils the newest “Shared
Streets” in a program that encourages roads to be shared by vehicles
and other users.
Shared Streets “Temporary Neighborhood Greenways” limit
vehicular traffic to local traffic only, providing access to residents,
service providers and deliveries. The concept restricts other traffic
to support shared outdoor uses in response to the COVID-19 health
crisis.
The streets to be unveiled on Friday are:
Greenwood Ave. in Long
Branch. Length of 0.5 miles between Kennebec Avenue and just south
of Piney Branch Road.
Kennebec Avenue in
Silver Spring, Length of 0.4 miles between Sligo Creek Parkway and
Long Branch Trail.
Sudbury Road in Silver
Spring. Length of 0.7 miles between Plymouth Street and the
northern terminus just south of Franklin Avenue.
Windham Lane in
Wheaton. Length of 0.9 miles between Amherst Avenue and Sligo
Creek Trail.
Previously established Shared Street pilot programs that
continue to be available are on Grove
Street in Silver Spring and Holdridge
Road in Glenmont Hills.
Future Shared Street programs are planned for Silver
Spring’s Woodland Drive South (from Spring Street to Flora Lane) and
Woodland Drive North (from Forest Glen Road to Amherst Avenue at
Windham Lane).
Shared Streets programs have also included the partial
closing of streets so local restaurants could expand their outdoor
seating during the health crisis while maintaining ADA-compliant
pedestrian access along sidewalks. MCDOT’s efforts have supported the
programs of Downtown
Bethesda’s “Streetery”, Silver
Spring’s “Streetdine” and Wheaton’s
"Streetery".
The Shared Streets concept supports the County’s
Vision Zero initiative to eliminate severe injuries and
fatalities from traffic-related incidents by 2030.
Montgomery Parks
to Continue ‘Open Parkways’ Program on Weekend
Montgomery
Parks, which is part of the Maryland-National Capital Park
and Planning Commission, is extending its “Open Parkways” initiative
to allow pedestrians and bicyclists to use parkways on weekends until
further notice. On Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-8, the parkways will be
open for recreation and exercise from 9 a.m. on Friday through 7 a.m.
on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
After Labor Day weekend, Little Falls Parkway will be
open to pedestrians and cyclists only on weekends starting at 7 a.m.
on Saturdays through 6 p.m. on Sunday. Sligo Creek Parkway and Beach
Drive will be open to pedestrians and bicyclists from 9 a.m. on
Fridays through 6 p.m. on Sundays.
“People are really taking advantage of the open parkways
as a great way to exercise and enjoy nature while still being able to
stay safe during the COVID-19 crisis,” said Mike Riley, director of
Montgomery Parks. “The recent decision by Montgomery County Public
Schools to hold school virtually for the first semester reminds us
that we are still very much in the midst of the pandemic and need
these outdoor opportunities. In response, we plan to continue this
initiative until further notice.”
The program includes the following parkway
portions:
Sligo Creek Parkway:
Old Carroll Avenue
to Piney Branch Road (1.1 miles)
Forest Glen Road to
University Boulevard West (1.5 miles)
Little Falls Parkway
from Massachusetts Ave. to Arlington Rd. (1.3 miles)
Beach Drive from
Connecticut Avenue to Knowles Avenue (2.7 miles)
Early Care and
Education Initiative’s Child Care Recovery Grant Program Awards $10
Million to 467 Providers
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has announced that
467 child care centers and home-based child care sites received a total
of $10 million in awards through the County’s Child Care Recovery
Program.
The grants are critical to the County’s recovery so that
family members can go back to work and ensure that their children are
in safe and caring environments. The funds support the reopening
expenses and compensates providers for financial losses caused by
COVID-19.
“Providing safe child care, which is essential for so many
of our residents—especially during this pandemic—is challenging and
costly,” said County Executive Elrich. “I am pleased we are able to
provide some relief for this vital requirement during these difficult
times.”
In March 2019, the County Executive and County Council
unveiled the Early Care and Education Initiative (ECEI), a four-year
action plan to expand child care options for infants, toddlers and
preschoolers; provide greater access to more families; and support
school and community providers. The effort is led by the County
Executive, County Council, the County’s Department of Health and Human
Services, Montgomery County Public Schools and Montgomery
College. The ECEI Steering Committee serves as the lead in
COVID-19 recovery issues for early care and education, including
oversight of the Child Care Recovery Program.
"Child care providers are an essential part of
Montgomery County's economic engine and recovery efforts," said
Council President Sidney Katz. "We thank them for their ongoing
commitment to our children and their parents during this challenging
time. The fact is that our community members cannot return to their
jobs if they are unable to find safe and affordable child care options,
and both of these things have been jeopardized by COVID-19. While we
continue to advocate for additional state and federal funding, this $10
million investment has been of great assistance to some of the child
care providers in our community."
There are more than 1,300 licensed child care programs,
including centers and home-based programs, in Montgomery County.
Approximately 660 child care providers applied for these funds. A full
list of those receiving grants can be found on the COVID-19 website.
‘Picnic in the
Park’ Program Now Available in Nine County Parks
Montgomery Parks, Visit Montgomery and the MoCo Eats
program have teamed up to create a new Picnic
in the Park program that is now in place in nine
County parks. The program will enable park visitors to order food
from participating restaurants and have it delivered to designated
spots in the respective park.
Park visitors can use the program by finding designated
signs in Picnic in the Park locations. By taking a cell phone photo
of the QR code on the sign, they will then be shown all of the
available restaurants that will deliver food to that park. Each park
has a designated delivery zone, along with multiple picnic circles
that are physically distanced to allow meals to be enjoyed safely.
City of
Gaithersburg Adopts County’s Limits on Pesticide Uses
The City of Gaithersburg has adopted Montgomery County’s
law that limits the use of pesticides. The County law, which until
now did not apply to businesses and residents in the municipality of
Gaithersburg, will take effect in the city on Dec. 1, 2020.
The County’s pesticide law, which was approved by the
County Council in 2015 and upheld by a ruling of the Maryland Court
of Special Appeals in May 2019, restricts the use of certain
pesticides and herbicides on private lawns, playgrounds, mulched
recreation areas and private childcare facilities.
While the law does not ban the sale of any pesticides,
it does regulate what can be applied. For more information about the
pesticide law and how to maintain an organic lawn, visit the Montgomery County website or email
the County’s Department of Environmental Protection at AskDEP@montgomerycountymd.gov.
For more information about pesticide initiatives in Gaithersburg,
visit the City of Gaithersburg website.
