The McKenney Hills-Carroll Knolls (MH-CK) community elected a new slate of officers at the Civic Association (CA) meeting on Jan. 26 to lead the group’s events and activities in 2012.

The officers for the 2012 CA are:• Vincent Bradley, President• Mike Livermore, Vice President• Susan Heavey, Secretary• Andrea Gehman, Treasurer

[To learn more about the officers, please turn to page 4.]

To round out the Executive Board, the following people will lead CA committees:• Zoning Chair: Brian Bhandari• Neighborhood Watch Chair: Ben Gielow• Communications Chair: Ewy Mathé• Social Events Chair: Vacant

2012 will be an exciting year for the MH-CK community. A new elementary school will open in August, bisecting neighborhood families between the existing Oakland Terrace Elementary School and the new school. The sale of land on Georgia Avenue owned by the former Maryland College of Art & Design offers the community an opportunity to weigh in on the best use of the space. Combined with continuing discussions about traffic flow, preserving the neighborhood’s green canopy, and caring for the natural resources in our community, the CA leadership will be busy talking with neighbors, hosting meetings, and finding ways for members of the community to get acquainted and get engaged.

Second-term president Vincent Bradley is well aware of the challenges that the large and diverse MH-CK neigh-borhood faces. He hopes that more block parties and re-viving the Welcome Committee will help improve social connections, and he expects the Neighborhood Watch program to finally take off this year. He is pleased to contribute to the neighborhood’s environmental efforts as a county-certified Weed Warrior, and hopes that groups focusing on music, children’s games, and sports like Sepak Takraw (come to a CA meeting to find out about this game!) will help neighbors foster vibrant interest groups within the larger neighborhood.

CIVIC ASSOCIATION NEWS

Volume 5, Issue 1 Spring 2012

www.mhckcivic.org

New and Returning CA Officers Look to Boost Community

CA newcomer Mike Livermore takes a broad view for his goals as Vice President. According to Mike, increased community involvement is essential to developing a stronger MH-CK CA; his own commitment to volunteering at the local level reinforces this belief. He also sees a role for the CA in county affairs to “steer the county as a whole in a direction that would benefit not only our community but also county residences in a long term, sustainable manner.”

Susan Heavey, a longtime participant in CA activities, understands that the nuts and bolts of keeping the community informed is key to engaging neighborhood participation. Her focus this year as secretary will be to continue to build and improve email communications and the newsletter. She will also work on improve signage for the community.

Andrea Gehman enjoys having an active CA, and she wants to see it thrive in new ways. Her goals for this year are to solidify the association’s status as a nonprofit with the IRS (allowing the association to maximize contributions) and to work with the Board in establishing a easy and efficient method for tracking membership and paying dues.

The CA Executive Board welcomes volunteers for its numerous activities throughout the year. To volunteer or to make a suggestion, please contact them at board@mhckcivic.org, or post a letter to the membership address: PO Box 2102, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2102 ◊

Christine Rovner

McKenney Hills Park Clean-UpSaturday, April 21

10am-1pmMEET AT PARK PICNIC TABLES

Major cleaning of neighborhood green space

Neighbors of all ages welcomeHelp pick up trash

Cut threatening vines/invasive plantsSchool-age children receive community service hours

Trash bags and gloves providedPlease bring your own handsaws and clippers if possible

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President’s Corner Back in the Corner for 2012

Hey again, fellow McKenney Hills-Carroll Knolls neighbors!

When I last wrote at the end of 2011, I felt I could do more for the community by taking on a role other than Civic Association (CA) president. I indicated that the primary goal of any leader of the CA must be to motivate greater participation by the community. The community would benefit from having many people willing and able to take on the role of president; hopefully more people will realize and value this role in 2012. It’s a great role; you meet a lot of neighbors, and all are interesting people who are great to work with as neighbors. I feel it’s a failure of my performance as CA President in 2011 that I could not find more people willing to take on this role. That sense of failure is part of what discouraged me from accepting nominations for the 2012 President position.

However, when Vice President Mike Livermore and Treasurer Andrea Gehman stepped up for their offices, I realized I can guarantee to do a better job in 2012 if I can get enough volunteers for all the Board positions in advance of the election. With Susan Heavey accepting the position of Secretary for the CA, and great volunteers stepping up for the standing committee chairs, I realized I was ready for 2012. Having a great team that’s ready and eager to take on challenges makes a big difference.

And so here I am in the corner, again. I am not eligi-ble for re-election in 2013, so the MH-CK community should start looking for a new president now!

This issue of the newsletter is dense, so I’m going to keep this relatively short. My agenda for the upcoming year is more block parties, more membership, a work-ing Neighborhood Watch, and more volunteers. (And I also plan to form the first Civic Association Reggae Band with Vice President Mike Livermore.) Please write to the Board at board@mhckcivic.org, or to the P.O. Box on the membership form, with your ideas about how to make 2012 an enjoyable and memorable year for you and your neighbors. ◊

Vincent BradleyMH-CK Civic Association President

To volunteer or for more information, please contact Vin-cent Bradley via email: president@mhckcivic.org.

MCAD Property Sale Pending

The Montgomery College Foundation has listed the MCAD property at 10500 Georgia Avenue (at Evans Drive) for sale, and is aggressively seeking buyers for the land. Real estate listings by Scheer Partners describe the property as nine lots for single family homes with the possibility of reusing the MCAD building as a school or a daycare center. The due date for all bids is March 15, 2012. Additionally, friends of the community have informed me that the county parks department is actively trying to acquire the property to make it a neighborhood park through the Legacy Open Space program.

The property is subject to a restrictive covenant for Carroll Knolls properties which limits buildings to single family dwellings. Consequently, a school or daycare center would not be permitted without the agreement of the Carroll Knolls community to alter its covenant as a result of prior legal history, and the covenants explicitly state that they are valid so long as any member of the community wishes them to remain enforced.

I was contacted by a third party real estate agent and was asked if the Carroll Knolls community would be interested in altering its covenant to allow for a daycare facility. I expressed that, without a more recently completed poll, the polls taken prior to the 2009 rulings that upheld the covenants restrictions on land use would remain an accurate assessment of the com-munity’s current desires for the property, and that those polls indicated a preference for a park. I also indicated that I would advise the community against changing the covenants because, once revised, the community’s power to influence the development of property in Carroll Knolls could be lost completely.

If you would like to express your concerns or inquire further about any of these matters, please contact the Civic Association Board by sending email to board@mhckcivic.org, or a letter to the P.O. Box address on the membership dues form. ◊

Vincent BradleyMH-CK Civic Association President

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Vincent BradleyPresident

Vincent grew up in Silver Spring, and has lived in the city for 29 of his 39 years. He moved into the McKenney Hills-Carroll Knolls neighbor-hood in August 2008, and found out about the neighborhood’s organized community in 2010

Officer Biographies

from a sign that had fallen onto the sidewalk advertising the Winter Blues Festival. He thought, “Can a neighbor-hood get any cooler than this?” Following up on that appropriately, his first “official act” as President of the CA was to welcome everyone to the 2011 Winter Blues Festival. Vincent’s various interests include playing and performing music, juggling, tai-qi, gi-gong, yoga, puzzle and strategy games, and internet technologies. ◊

Mike LivermoreVice President

Mike moved to the Washington area a number of years ago with a couple of passions: music, in which he was an active drum-mer appearing on various CDs and touring in Europe and the West Coast; and global sustainability, which led him

to volunteer work with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Sierra Club, Trash Force, Nature Conservancy, and National Park Service. He believes that effecting real change in society as a whole starts at the neighborhood level. Mike hopes to serve the Civic Association well in supporting development of the McKenney Hills-Carroll Knolls community. Professionally, Mike works as a developer/software programmer. ◊

Susan HeaveySecretary

It was the plywood signs an-nouncing the annual Block Party that sold Susan and her husband on the McKenney Hills-Carroll Knolls neighborhood in 2003. They loved the idea of an active community without the hassles

of a homeowner’s association. A long-active member of the civic association, Susan is taking on the Secretary role after chairing the Park Committee and its annual clean up for a number of years and creating the neighborhood’s Winter Blues Festival, now going on its fifth year. She works in Washington as a journalist, writer and editor and also teaches as an adjunct at American University. ◊

Andrea GehmanTreasurer

Andrea Gehman and her husband moved to the neighborhood in 2005, a few weeks before the birth of their first child. They now have two children and have gotten to know many great people in the community. Over the last couple

of years, Andrea has gotten more involved in the community, primarily through drafting the new bylaws of the Civic Association and regularly volunteering at Oakland Terrace. Professionally, Andrea is an ERISA attorney for Paul Hastings, LLP, and regularly advises her nonprofit clients on matters regarding obtaining and preserving their tax exempt status. ◊

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JOIN THE MH-CK CIVIC ASSOCIATIONPaying dues allows you to become a member of the Civic Association. All residents of the community (both owners and renters) are eligible for

membership. These dues go towards fun, year-round neighborhood events and activities and the quarterly newsletter. Thank you for your continued support!

Please detach this portion of the form and return it along with a check for $12.Please make checks payable to McKenney Hills-Carroll Knolls Civic Association.

McKenney Hills-Carroll Knolls Civic Association

P.O. Box 2102, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2102

Name: _____________________________________ Address: ____________________________________ Phone: _____________________________________

Email:______________________________________

Check for e-delivery of newsletter.

Sidewalk and road improvements suggested in the Traffic Calming and Sidewalk Proposal submitted by the Civic Association (CA) to Montgomery County in Jan. 2011 continue to proceed through the county’s assessment process. Ten sidewalks listed in the proposal are receiving special attention by the county as the priority sidewalks for con-struction in the MH-CK community. The current sidewalk priority list is as follows:

1. The west side of Gardiner Ave. from Dennis Ave. to Churchill Rd.2. The south side of Hildarose Drive from Gardiner Ave. to McKenney Ave.3. The west side of Gardiner Ave. from Dennis Ave. to Evans Dr.4. The north side of Evans Dr. from Haywood Dr. to Douglas Ave.5. The east side of Douglas Ave. from Evans Dr. to Dexter Ave.6. The east side of Greeley Ave. from Hildarose Dr. to Arthur Ave.7. The south side of Darrow St. from Gardiner Ave. to McKenney Ave.8. The west side of McKenney Ave. from Darrow St. to Eccleston St.9. The south side of Churchill Rd. from Gardiner Ave. to Kohler Rd.10. The south side of Clark Pl. from Gardiner Ave. to Darcy Forest Dr.

In mid-February, the county sent all property owners adjacent to the proposed sidewalks a survey form to provide their feedback about the planned walkways. The county expects to submit the sidewalks for approval at a public hearing in May. If approved, the county will construct the sidewalks as the budget permits, and a few likely will be built as early as this summer. The CA Traffic Committee will continue to prioritize sidewalks annually until the county satisfies all of the requests in our proposal.

Roadways are also being evaluated by the county. Stop sign and crosswalk requests, including Hayden Ave. at the intersection with Gardiner Ave. will be evaluated as part of the Safe Routes to School Study. Additionally, the inter-section of Plyers Mill Rd. and Brunswick Ave. will be studied for a potential 4-way stop, traffic light or other traffic calming measure. ◊

Brian Bhandari

To volunteer or for more information about the Traffic Commmitee, please contact mhcktrafficcommmitee@yahoo.com

County Moving Ahead with Proposed Sidewalks, Road Changes

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Winter Blues Festival

About 75 neighbors attended the 2012 MHCK Civic Association’s Winter Blues Festival on Sunday, Jan. 29. The event, now in its fourth year, attracted neighbors of all ages and featured blues music fronted by CA Presi-dent Vincent Bradley and a children’s guitar perfor-mance led by resident John Becker. New this year was face painting, which was a big hit with children of all ages. The event is sponsored by the Civic Association and led by the Events Committee. Interested in joining to help plan other fun events? Contact board@mhckcivic.org. ◊

Susan HeaveyMH-CK Civic Association Secretary

Community Focus on Parks and Plants Comes Up GreenThe MH-CK Parks & Plants Committee is continuing efforts to care for the green space in the neighborhood. Two events are planned for this spring:

• County official Brett Linkletter will speak at the Mar. 27 Civic Association meeting on the topic, Street Trees: Maintenance, Removal and Planting of Trees in the Right of Way. (The right of way is strip of land in front of every yard that is adjacent to the street and owned by the county.) The meeting will be held at 8 p.m. in the Capitol View-Homewood Park Building.

• The McKenney Hills Park Clean Up will take place on Saturday, April 21 (the day before Earth Day) from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Residents of all ages are welcome, and students may earn community service hours for their efforts. Bags and gloves will be provided, but neigh-bors are asked to bring handsaws and clippers, if pos-sible. Join your neighbors to help improve our park! In addition, our initiative to plant 100 trees in the MH-CK neighborhood continues. We are working with the county to have trees planted in McKenney Hills Park and in the right of way, and we encourage resi-dents to plant trees in their yards. Since we started the initiative last spring, 37 trees have been planted! Most recently, the county planted 15 trees near McKenney Hills playground (10 London Planetrees, three Prince-ton American Elms and two Redbuds). If you plant a tree in your yard, please let us know so we can count it toward our goal!

If you would like the county to plant a tree, free of charge, in the right of way in front of your yard, please contact the committee at parks_and_plants@mhck-civic.org. We will submit your request to the county and follow up as needed. Please note that the county requires certain distances between other trees, signs and light poles, so we will help determine if your yard has sufficient space before submitting a request. ◊

Lisa Blumenthal and Julie Ryan-Silva

To volunteer or for more information about the Parks and Plants Committee, please contact parks_and_plants@mhckcivic.org.

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Treasurer’s ReportCA Begins New Year with Solid Finances, Membership

As the new treasurer for the Civic Association (CA), I am excited about the upcoming year. The neighborhood is filled with active individuals who contribute to make McKenney Hills-Carroll Knolls a great place to live.

As of February 7, 2012, the CA has $3,368.31 in the bank. As Treasurer, two of the goals for this year involve making it easier for households to pay dues. Continuing the work started by the prior Treasurer, I want to set up a Paypal account for this year to enable residents to pay CA dues online. For now, please pay your annual $12 dues in person at the monthly CA meeting, or include them with the membership form on page 3 of this news-letter. In addition, I plan to solidify the Association’s designation as a nonprofit with the IRS in order for us to ensure that every dollar contributed can be put back into the community. This includes obtaining a fee waiver from Paypal as a bona fide civic association.

There are currently 115 active, dues paying households in the area. We thank you for joining or renewing this year. Remember, your annual dues and donations allow us to plan events—such as the Winter Blues Festival, annual park cleanups, and the Halloween Parade—and represent your interests. We hope to see more involve-ment the upcoming year not only though paying dues, but getting involved in one of the many CA activities.

Many things are happening in the neighborhood: a new school, MCAD development, crime prevention, park preservation, etc. We know you have great ideas and the Board wants to hear them. We welcome you to contact the entire Board at board@mhckcivic.org, or you can contact me directly at treasurer@mhckcivic.org. I look forward to working with all of you in 2012. ◊ Andrea GehmanMH-CK Civic Association Treasurer

For more information, please contact treasurer@mhckcivic.org.

MH-CK Community Seeks Volunteer ‘Watchers’

As neighbors who care about our community, our safety, and the value of our property, we can all work together to protect ourselves from crime. The fastest way we can create an immediate impact is through res-urrecting the original MH-CK Civic Association (CA) Neighborhood Watch.

What is Neighborhood Watch?Neighborhood Watch is a crime prevention program that stresses education and common sense. Neighbors learn how to help themselves by identifying and reporting suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. In addition, it provides citizens with the opportunity to make their neighborhoods safer and improve the quality of life. Watch groups typically focus on observation and aware-ness as a means of preventing crime, and employ strate-gies that range from simply promoting social interaction and “watching out for each other” to active patrols by groups of citizens.

Does Neighborhood Watch Work?Most neighborhood crime prevention groups are organ-ized around a block or a neighborhood and are started with assistance from the local police. The Watch re-quires dedicated volunteers as well as assistance from an active and supportive community. It relies on a “sense of neighborhood.” Studies on effective Neigh-borhood Watches have shown that collective action by residents is one of the most effective strategies in reduc-ing crime. The reason is simple: Involving community members in watch programs decreases opportunities for criminals to commit crime rather than attempting to change their behavior or motivation.

Creating truly effective Neighborhood Watch programs takes patience, planning, and enthusiasm. Since stud-ies show that once a Neighborhood Watch program deteriorates, criminals notice and quickly resume illegal activities, there is certainly motivation to strive towards success.

I hope to be part of a robust neighborhood watch pro-gram, and hope that you will all join me in making our community safer. Please come out to our next com-munity meeting on March 27 and learn what you can do help stop crime. ◊

Eric O’NeillMember, Neighborhood Watch Committee

To volunteer or for more information about Neighborhood Watch, please contact neighborhoodwatch@mhcivic.org.

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Date EventTuesday, March 27, 2012 - 8:00pm Community MeetingSaturday, April 21, 2012 - 10:00am-1:00pm McKenney Hills Park Clean-upTuesday, April 24, 2012 - 8:00pm Community MeetingTuesday, May 22, 2012 - 8:00pm Community MeetingTuesday, June 26, 2012 - 8:00pm Community Meeting

Events Calendar

All dates are tentative; please check the website for up-to-date information. The community events calendar is updated online at: http://www.mhckcivic.org.

All community meetings are held at the Capitol View Homewood Parks and Recreation Center behind Oakland Terrace Elementary School. Lower parking lot is located off of Leslie Street.

Each edition of the MH-CK quarterly newsletter is available electronically! Residents may sign up to

receive e-delivery of future issues to help save a few trees and trim publishing costs.

To receive e-delivery only, please send the following information to communications@mhckcivic.org:

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