September 21, 2018 A Biweekly Newspaper September 21, 2018 • Volume XIV, Number 14 Poolesville Day Breakfast for County and State Leaders Promotes Multi-Use Facility By Link Hoewing The committee that has been At least flooding at White’s Ferry promoting the construction of a new didn’t make the record books. See high school as part of a multi-use more in Family Album on page 2. building combining needed Upcounty facilities such as a clinic, senior center, and police substation sponsored a breakfast on Poolesville Day for candi- dates and officers in the county and state to promote the idea. More than twenty officials and candidates attend- ed. They breakfasted on food prepared by the local Watershed Café and heard remarks by Poolesville Commission President Jim Brown explaining the concept of co-locating a high school with other facilities. They also saw a five-minute video featuring interviews with local leaders, views of the high Commissioners Brown and Klobukowski with District 3 school, and some of the services that candidate for the MCPS Board of Education, Lynn Amano, Doug Tressler, our community’s are needed in the Upcounty, plus admired a rendering of a possible new school for Poolesville. Outreach Officer, has announced entreaties by local children about the his retirement. Read about him in need for a new school. such a facility. He acknowledged that academically-performing schools in Tidbits on page 7. Brown pointed to Montgomery that the county has supported the high the state and nation, but he said that County’s reputation for fairness and school by creating several magnet pro- the success was “despite the facilities” innovation in supporting the idea of grams that have made it one of the best Continued on page 23. HGBA Celebrates Twenty Years The Hope Garden Ballet Academy (HGBA), located in the center of Poolesville, will celebrate twenty years with a gala event on October 6 at the Aix la Chapelle Farm. This ticket- From this vantage point, Poolesville only, black-tie event at the dairy-barn- Day was an amazing view. See more turned-ballroom in Poolesville will pictures of the big day on page 8. also help launch the new Hope Garden Foundation to support aspiring dancers: Giving Dancers a Leg Up. Billed as an Evening of Elegance, the anniversary event will commemorate twenty years of HGBA and ten years of the Hope Garden Children’s Ballet Theatre (HGCBT). The event will begin with a welcome reception as the sun sets over the estate at Aix la Hope Garden Ballet’s renowned professional productions are a Chapelle and will continue with a hallmark of its twenty years of performances. Dancer Christina Zhang formal seated dinner, an auction, in HGCBT’s spring production of Pocahontas. performances, music, and dancing. The Guv and Abe became best buddies Founder and Artistic Director Fran ballet school. "Poolesville has been an with just three students twenty years on Poolesville Day. See more pictures Ichijo sees the event as a fitting way to ideal place to have my ballet school, ago," Ichijo said. "Directing HGBA has of his historic visit on page 19. celebrate twenty years of running a which I did not realize when I started Continued on page 18. Page 2 The Monocacy Monocle September 21, 2018 Family Album PACC 5K co-chair Kathy Mihm watched as the 2018 runners began their grueling 3.25-mile run. After area scouts policed Whalen Commons in their annual post-Poolesville Day cleanup assignment, little Noah Every year, concerned citizens come together to Biggs was supervised by dad Mark. spruce up the streets of Poolesville just prior to the big Little Mr. Biggs likes toys from annual event. Kudos to these dedicated volunteers. Photo by Terri Pitts Photo by Terri Better to park a boat in the Dollar General, so Dad makes sure White's Ferry parking lot. he does some work to earn them. With a burst of energy, the tension gave way to the runners’ adrenaline spike as the racers took off. The tension began to build just before the Poolesville Day 5K race started. Photo by Terri Pitts Photo by Terri Coming in at 17:07, Anthony Meza and Sam Bodmer became Florence left her calling card in the area prior to heading further north. the first-ever tying contestants in the PACC 5K. September 21, 2018 The Monocacy Monocle Page 3 Town Government Commissioners Approve Historic Plan To Upgrade and Improve Fisher Avenue 22611 Old Hundred Rd, Barnesville, MD By Link Hoewing In a unanimous vote (Commissioner Valaree Dickerson was absent), the Town of Poolesville commissioners approved a concept plan to remake the town’s main street, also known as Fisher Avenue, at their September 10 regular meeting. The plan, known as the Streetscape, was first conceptualized in the late 1990s as part of the master planning process. The town is required by state law to adopt a new master plan every six years, and many of the concepts in the just- approved Streetscape plan grew out of early ideas that were a part of the master planning process. In the mid-2000s, the Planning Commission put more “meat on the bones” of the Streetscape plan that was then released for public comment. In that plan were concepts that are in the proposal the commission has approved, including a roundabout, bump outs to slow traffic, and enhanced pedestrian crosswalks and sidewalks. Over the years since then, those ideas helped drive improvements in Fisher Avenue, including better pedestrian access. The Streetscape plan is built Wooded 35 +/- acs—Spectacular Farmhouse/Colonial around key concepts, including improving pedestrian access and safety, slowing and improving traffic flow, and beautifying Fisher Avenue. in Barnesville. 4 BR, 2.5 bath with spacious family The commissioners were quick to point out that the plan they adopted is not a room, owners' suite, sep office w/outside entrance, detailed engineering proposal but rather a concept plan, a guide improve and deck, barn, authentic cabin & stream on property enhance Fisher Avenue. It will take years for many of the plan’s concepts to become reality and, even then, it is likely that some details in the plan will Frank Jamison 240-388-0719 change, but the overall concepts are likely to remain in place and will serve as a 19939 Fisher Avenue guide for future town actions. One citizen’s comments at the town meeting suggested that the plan was Poolesville, MD 20837 aimed in part at “helping businesses” and said that this is not what the main Broker/Office-301-428-8200 objective should be for the town. In response, Town Commission President Jim Brown pointed out that safety in particular was a main concern and asked, “Is anyone here tonight satisfied with the crosswalks, for example, at McDonald’s?” No one raised his or her hands, and Brown said that he did not expect that anyone would. He reinforced the point that safety, increasing the attractiveness of the town’s main thoroughfare, and improved-but-slowed traffic flow were key goals of the plan. The cost of the plan was also raised by a citizen. Commissioner Jerry Klobukowski answered that the town has been very successful in attracting grants for its projects, and he did not expect that the full costs of the improve- ments would be borne by local taxpayers. He also reminded that the town has long saved for projects over a period of years and accumulated funds over time necessary for improvements and maintenance. He expected that would be the case with the Streetscape plan. Another criticism raised about the plan was the alleged lack of adequate notice to the public. Town Manager Wade Yost replied that the plan was first developed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Many of the concepts in the current plan were included in those early plans, and Planning Commissions over the years have had numerous hearings and public sessions concerning the Streetscape vision; furthermore, several articles about the plan have been published in the Monocle in recent months. Before considering and approving the Streetscape plan, the commissioners heard from a candidate, Amie Hoeber, who is running for the District Six seat in Congress; Poolesville is in District Six. Mrs. Hoeber remarked that the district is very diverse, running from Deep Creek all the way to Potomac. She touted her long career as a defense official in government and as a security expert. She said she was committed to a campaign focused on the issues and civility in debating the issues. She pointed to the fact that she has already issued white papers or taken positions on issues she feels are important to District Six, including the opioid crisis, attracting small business investment, safety and security in schools, and transportation improvements. She specifically said she opposes a bridge across the Potomac in the Ag Reserve and did not expect that such a bridge would ever be approved in her lifetime. Visit the Monocle online at www.monocacymonocle.com Page 4 The Monocacy Monocle September 21, 2018 win now. Unlike many issues that Rande(m) have been faced by Poolesvillians, Local News Thoughts often dividing us with competing visions of the future of the town, this Light the Torches, We one has no room for division, no room 2018 PACC 5K Ends Are Ready for Battle for pitting one group against another. In First-Time Tie We had better understand that passion By Rande Davis alone will leave us emptyhanded. By Rande Davis I remember as a kid watching Passion, with or without torches and Congratulations to the Poolesville the 1931 black-and-white movie pitchforks, just won’t be enough.