Calling all high school music performers! The City of Gaithersburg is searching for talented high school music groups to perform in the City’s High School Talent Showcase on Saturday, October 16, 2010 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the City Hall Concert Pavilion located at 31 S. Summit Avenue. Lyrics must be clean and all styles and genres are welcome.

If you are interested in performing, please send a CD or internet link with your music sample by 5 p.m.on Friday, October 1, 2010. Samples can be sent to mdinwiddie@gaithersburgmd.gov or mailed to the attention of Maura Dinwiddie at 506 S. Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877.

The performers selected for the Talent Showcase will be announced by Monday, October 4, 2010. For additional information please contact Maura Dinwiddie, with the Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture at 301-258-6350.

Popularity: 27% [?]

Last night the Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council announced the appointment of seven commissioners and two alternates to serve on the Historic District Commission (HDC). The members will serve staggered three year terms.

The appointment of the commissioners ends a lengthy process to revise the City’s historic preservation ordinance. On September 7, 2010, the Mayor and Council approved Text Amendment T-399, amending Chapter 24, Article XII entitled “Preservation of Historic Resources.” The revisions change the historic preservation review by eliminating the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee (HPAC) and forming a new Historic District Committee. Under the new HDC, the review process will be simpler for applicants, historic area work permits will be issued by the HDC, and historic designation, enacted by the Mayor and City Council, will be subject to review by the HDC and the Planning Commission for recommendation to the City Council.

The revised Text Amendment also revised who serves as the HDC, changing it from the Mayor and City Council to a separate entity appointed by the Mayor and City Council. Nine applicants were interviewed by the Mayor and City Council in open sessions on August 30 and 31, 2010. The following were selected to serve:

Mary Jo La France, Marc Feinstein, Joseph Coratola, Richard Arkin, John Roddy, Chris Kirtz, and Clark Day. Dean Ventola and Ruthzaly Welch were appointed as alternates.

The HDC is charged with safeguarding the heritage of the City by preserving sites, structures or districts which reflect elements of cultural, social, economic, political, archaeological, or architectural history. The Commission is also charged with strengthening the local economy and promoting the preservation and appreciation of these sites, structures and districts for the education and welfare of Gaithersburg residents.

Popularity: 34% [?]

The City of Gaithersburg has been awarded the prestigious Award for Excellence in Claims Handling and Reporting by the Local Government Insurance Trust (LGIT). The award, which recognizes exemplary efforts and effective claims processing, will be presented at the LGIT Annual Meeting in Annapolis on October 7, 2010.

“It is rewarding that our diligence and our commitment to excellence is being recognized in this way,” said Margaret Daily, Gaithersburg’s Director of Human Resources. “Our dedicated team strives to submit claims accurately and efficiently, saving both time and money in the process. We appreciate LGIT recognizing our efforts with this wonderful award.”

The Local Government Insurance Trust is a member-owned organization that provides risk management and insurance to 174 of Maryland’s local governments. It was founded in 1987 by 22 charter members under the guidance of the Maryland Municipal League and the Maryland Association of Counties. The Trust is governed by a 13-member board made up of elected and appointed local government officials. Gaithersburg City Manager Angel Jones was recently appointed to the board. For more information please visit www.lgit.org.

Popularity: 35% [?]

The city of Gaithersburg is being thanked for their solidarity and generosity.

On August 12, a vicious thunderstorm blew through Gaitherburg and uprooted a tree which crashed through the stairwell of Flowers Apartments, condemning them immediately. The residents were holed up in a hotel with the city footing the bill, seeking help from the public to avoid using taxpayer money.

In all, 41 donations adding up to $8,130 were collected, enough to pay the $8,099 hotel bill. Residents and organizations also donated clothes, furniture, services and other items to make the situation as comfortable as possible for those affected.

The mayor had this to say:

“I am very pleased to announce that thanks to many generous individuals, businesses and organizations, we have met our goal of covering the hotel expenses related to housing the 39 residents who were displaced from the Flowers Apartments following the devastating thunderstorm on August 12.”

City Manager Angel Jones added:

“We are happy that we were able to mobilize quickly, and count on the support of so many to help in a time of such desperate need. Working as a team, our City staff, property managers, nonprofit organizations and concerned citizens were able to address this crisis not only efficiently but compassionately.”

Read the full story here: The City of Gaithersburg

Popularity: 3% [?]

Gaithersburg company, Sodexo, fights waste

Expanding a commitment to build a better tomorrow for our planet, Sodexo launched the “Stop Wasting Food” campaign with one simple goal, to win the support of students, for cutting food waste to curb climate change.

Sodexo says Americans trash 25 percent of all the food they prepare each year, leading to 31 million tons of wasted food piling up in landfills annually. Food waste in landfills produces methane gas, which is at least 21 times more potent than carbon. Methane breaks down the ozone layer and leads to climate change.

“We are so careful to source and serve food for our customers in a sustainable way but if locally-sourced food ends up in a landfill then we’re simply creating another environmental problem.

The good news is that by simply thinking before we eat, we can trash our wasteful habits and dramatically reduce food waste today.”

- Tom Post, Sodexo’s president of campus services.

Sodexo is asking students to take two simple steps. The first is to only take what they plan to eat in all-you-care-to-eat dining halls. The second is to come back for more if they are still hungry.

To learn more, visit www.stopwastingfood.org.

Sodexo initiated a pilot program this fall at eight college campuses across the country to analyze and measure kitchen waste in an effort to better manage it. Colleges participating in the waste-reduction pilot program include Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; California State University of Monterey Bay in Seaside, Calif.; Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa.; Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore.; Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; Pomona College in Claremont, Calif.; University of California at Davis, Calif.; and University of Wisconsin in River Falls, Wis.

By reducing food waste, Sodexo can save fossil fuels that transport the waste. On Earth Day 2008, Sodexo called on all its college operations to give up trays, a move that reduced waste by 30 percent on average. 340 campuses have stopped using trays permanently.

Popularity: 29% [?]

Four Burglaries Reported in Past Week

Friday, September 03, 2010

Burglary

On 09/03/2010 sometime between 3:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., unknown suspects burglarized the Atlantic Edge Dive Center located at 502 North Frederick Avenue. The suspects entered the business through the unlocked basement door and removed money.

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Burglary
On 09/02/2010, at approximately 11:40 a.m., police responded to the 500 block of Rock Lodge Road for the report of a burglary. The rear sliding glass door had been broken out. Property was taken.

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Burglary

Sometime between 10:45 p.m. on 08/31/2010 and 09:30 a.m. on 09/01/2010, the Beer and Wine Store located at 836 Muddy Branch Road was burglarized. The front glass door was broken and property was taken.

Sometime between 10:45 p.m. on 08/31/2010 and 09:30 a.m. on 09/01/2010, Lovely Nails located at 838 Muddy Branch Road was burglarized. The front glass door was broken and property was taken.

Sometime between 1:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. on 09/01/2010, a residence in the unit block of Orchard Drive was burglarized. The resident believes entry was made through a door that was left unlocked. Property was take.

Robbery

On 09/01/2010, at approximately 3:00 p.m., the victim was walking through Kelley Park when he was approached by the suspects. One of the suspects demanded his money. The victim gave the suspect his money and they all walked away.

Suspects #1- #5 – Black males, 15-18 yrs old

Popularity: 27% [?]