Hi neighbors,

In response to a number of recent crime events in the neighborhood, the HTCA invites you to a community safety meeting on March 11th at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the multi-purpose room at Bradley Hills Elementary School.

In Huntington Terrace and surrounding neighborhoods incidents of car breakins and theft have escalated recently. The HTCA reached out to the Montgomery County Police Department and invited a representative to our community meeting to help address our concerns.

Community safety is a top priority for the HTCA and we hope all can attend.

Please contact boardhtca@gmail.com if you have any questions.

We hope to see you March 11th,

HTCA Board of Directors

**Please see the attached flyer for full details. As everyone in Huntington Terrace is not on this platform please spread the word to neighbors and feel free to print out the flyer and distribute**

Community Safety Tour

You are cordially invited to a community tour of the Old Georgetown Road corridor near Beech Avenue with representatives of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) State Highway Administration (SHA). Potential safety improvements to the corridor will be discussed.

An internal review and evaluation of engineering enhancements is underway. Before making final recommendations for physical changes to the roadway, MDOT SHA would like to receive input from elected officials, community representatives and members of the public.

Participants are asked to meet at the YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase Parking Lot at 9 a.m. In the interest of safety, three groups of no more than 20 people each will tour the route. Groups will be formed on a first-come, first-served, basis.

 

What: Community Tour

When: Friday, December 13, 2019 at 9 a.m.

Where: YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase Parking Lot

9401 Old Georgetown Road

Bethesda, MD 20814

Come one, come all to the Fall Triangle Garden Community Clean Up!

On Saturday, October 19^th from 9:30am to 12:30pm, we invite you to participate in the annual Fall Triangle Garden clean up. You don’t need a green thumb to help, anyone and everyone are invited. Bring your gardening gloves, rakes and tools, or come as you are!

We are thrilled to announce that Bradley Hills Village has joined forces with the HTCA in a collaboration to help maintain and continue to beautify the Triangle Garden. A huge thank you to Bradley Hills Village for helping us organize and plan this Fall clean up event!

Hope to see you all in a few weeks!

John and Maggie Bree

P.S. There will definitely be donuts and coffee…

Dear Huntington Terrace Neighbors,

In recent years, many of us have noticed the increase of rainwater runoff on our roads and sidewalks. Recent construction at Suburban Hospital (SH) has exacerbated the problem. With construction drawing to a close we will need to observe whether the water management systems mandated by the county and implemented by the hospital adequately deal with runoff from the hospital property. We would need clear evidence and careful analysis of problems in order to approach the county with requests for remedies to be considered.

At this time, however, we do want to approach the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to make a case that there are measures the county can take to ameliorate our runoff problems.

During the storm on May 23, I drove around the neighborhood to assess where the most severe problems are occurring. Roosevelt Street between Grant and Jefferson appears to be the worst. Water from SH, McKinley, and Grant run into and then down Roosevelt to storm drains at Jefferson. The water in the street was well over my ankles as I walked to the car. A storm drain on Roosevelt at the bottom of Grant would help reduce the amount of water further down the street.

Another problem area is the intersection of Grant and Southwick where waters flowing north on Grant and west on Southwick (some from SH) meet. A storm drain at this intersection, perhaps at the southeast corner, would reduce the ponding of water and the flow continuing west on Southwick.

Some of you may be aware of other runoff problems that were not apparent to me during my brief drive through the neighborhood. To assist our ability to present a comprehensive picture to DEP, please inform us of issues that affect you and might be addressed by work on roads, sidewalks and drains. Also, please let the board know whether you would be willing to make a statement or sign a petition in support of our case that action needs to be taken.

Thank you,

Alex Jamison

HTCA Board Member

This spring, the MDDOT restarted and expanded a previously proposed program to build new sidewalks along McKinley Street, Bradmoor and several other streets in the BNA neighborhood.  Construction of these new sidewalks will result in the loss of over 40 trees and other landscaping program wide, including four large trees in a single block of McKinley Street.  The trees to be cut down by MDDOT within the HTCA segment of the program include a 150’ Spruce and a valuable rare Japanese Maple as well as two very large River Birches.  These trees are along McKinley Street side of 8510 Garfield Street.  Loss of these trees will negatively impact the character of our neighborhood, cause unnecessary damage to the environment, both air and water, and could negatively impact property values.

The prior program was reviewed by the HTCA membership in a routine meeting last fall and it was determined that because there are existing safe paved routes through and around the neighborhood already in existence, there was no need for this new segment of sidewalk. It was further determined that the negative environmental impact from the loss of these trees was highly undesirable in inconsistent with HTCA’s desire to have a quiet, wooded neighborhood, protect the environment and endeavor to protect and improve property values.   Following a discussion of the various pros and cons of the proposed program the attendees voted unanimously to oppose the segment of the proposed project within the HTCA boundary, based on lack of need and associated negative environmental impact.

In addition, separately over 23 HTCA neighbors signed a petition to oppose the program.  However, when MDDOT restarted the program under a new project number this spring, all comments and input submitted in response to the prior project were discarded by MDDOT.  HTCA did resubmit its formal opposition to the new program.  However, likely many residents have not been aware of the need to resubmit comments and DOT has advised the volume of comments on the new program are substantially fewer than before.

Although the formal due date for written comments has passed, MDDOT will still accept written input and anyone who has not submitted comments regarding the new program are strongly encouraged to do so.  In addition, a public hearing will be held sometime in October and all residents and interested parties are welcome and encouraged to attend and submit their comments.  The date and location of this hearing will be circulated as soon as it is known.  All interested HTCA residents are encouraged to attend and make their desires and opinions known regarding this program this will materially change the character of our neighborhood.

MDDOT can be reached at:

lori.main@montgomerycountymd.gov

frank.kingsley@montgomerycountymd.gov

Any questions or comments may also be submitted to:

David Shiff

8510 Garfield street

703/627-5400

drshiff@verizon.net