Dislike Congestion? Speak Your Mind
Hearing Set on Transportation Plan

Anyone who would like to see fewer cars on the roads might be interested in speaking at a public hearing scheduled before the Mayor and Council in December.

A hearing on a Transportation Demand Management Plan is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 13, at City Hall. At its simplest, Transportation Demand Management is a term used to describe the goal of trying to reduce traffic congestion, or at least the number of single-occupancy cars on the road.

The City is proposing a Transportation Demand Management plan and is seeking comment from people who drive, walk, bike or use mass transit. As part of a presentation earlier this fall, staff also asked the Mayor and Council for their approval to move forward with looking into soliciting for advertising on bus shelters, of which the City currently owns and maintains 70.

Currently, the City has $1.8 million in Transportation Demand Management funds that it has collected from developers. The proposed plan outlines the fees for developers of new projects that would require them to pay a one-time cost of 10 cents per square foot for commercial properties and $60 per unit for 10 years for residential properties.

Based on the number of approved projects in the City, staff expects to collect an  additional $204,000 in annual revenue for Transportation Demand Management. The plan outlines goals and priorities for spending the money, which include funding multi-modal improvement projects such as sidewalk installations, pedestrian safety enhancements and employer trip reduction incentives as priorities.

For the past several years, the City has been working to implement programs, such as participating in Bike to Work Day, establishing a commuter challenge to promote the use of mass transit and installing additional bus shelters.

In addition to the new plan, the City would also need to revise its Comprehensive Transportation Review, which guides the City on the traffic impact of proposed new development.
 

Senior Center Expansion to Begin
A long-awaited expansion to the Rockville Senior Center is set to begin this month, following a unanimous vote to award a $1.9 million construction contract to a Rockville company. More than half of the cost is funded through federal, state and local grants.

Work at the center will include a 6,000-square-foot addition and a 4,000-square-foot renovation that will be completed next fall. The center will be open during construction.

CFI Construction Corp. will expand the existing fitness center to include a separate entrance lobby, an exercise room with attached storage, a fitness area with storage, a locker room and changing area, and renovation of the administrative offices.

"It's been a long time coming," said Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio. "This was an effort to make [the fitness] room more comfortable and less prone to accidents. Some that have been a little hesitant about using that equipment will be better able to."

Center users will find that the administrative offices, fitness room, dance and aerobics room and ceramics classroom will be relocated to other areas of the building.

The City first acquired the building, which once served as a Montgomery County Public Schools elementary, in the early 1980s. The Rockville Senior Center opened in 1982. Since then, there have been three renovations at the building, including converting it to a senior center, enclosing an open-air courtyard into the current lounge area and adding a sunroom.
 
The additional space at the center will allow staff to open exercise classes to more people, make room for more state-of-the-art fitness equipment and provide more opportunities for larger and varied events because the classroom will be converted to a large multi-purpose room.

The Senior Center provides support services to anyone age 60 and older and to their families who may need assistance. To learn more about the renovation or the center, call Terri Hilton at 240-314-8802 or e-mail thilton@rockvillemd.gov.

Stay Warm and Safe This Winter
Nothing takes the chill out of a winter night like a roaring fire in the fireplace, and with winter nearing, you might be considering lighting the first fire of the year.

Before you do, the City of Rockville Fire Marshal wants to remind you to take some simple steps to keep your woodburning fireplace working properly and your family and home safe.

"The majority of home fires are preventable," said Matthew Shanks, fire marshal. "With annual maintenance residents can greatly reduce their risk of fire."

If you have a woodburning fireplace:

• Have the chimney inspected each year by a professional chimney sweep.
• Install a cap at the top of the chimney to prevent debris from falling in.
• Clear the area around the fireplace.
• Clear the ashes from the bottom of the fireplace.
• Check the damper to make sure it is open before starting a fire.
• Use a fireplace screen and close it when using the fireplace.
• Never leave a fire unattended.
• Test smoke alarms to ensure they are working.

PAFR Gives Glimpse into City Finances
The Mayor and Council are scheduled to receive Rockville's Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) Monday, Dec. 13.

The PAFR (pronounced paff-er) is a document aimed at helping the public more easily review the City government's financial operations. It provides summary information of the City's financial statements.

"This is something that's really meant to be accessible by the citizens," said Councilmember Mark Pierzchala. "It explains succinctly how the money is being spent."

While the budget book is a planning document that outlines the City revenue and expenditures, the PAFR explains what happened for a given fiscal year.

On Dec. 13, the Mayor and Council will also receive the City's audited financial report, which is referred to as the City's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). The City's Finance Department prepares the CAFR in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and a firm of certified public accountants audits it. Because it can be a difficult document for nonfinanciers to understand, the City created the PAFR several years ago.

The PAFR is a user-friendly summary of the City's audited financial report. It reports on financial matters as presented in the audited CAFR in a more readable and easy-to-understand format that eliminates the technical jargon required in the CAFR.

"It really is a great attempt… to make the City's finances accessible to the general public," Pierzchala said. "I think you can get a good understating of [the document] in 10 or 15 minutes.

The PAFR, CAFR and the City's adopted budget are available at www.rockvillemd.gov/government/finance.htm.