News Archive
June 2005 - February 2006
Summary of February 21, 2006 Meeting
A summary of the February 21, 2006 meeting is now online. Minutes from the January meeting are available as well.
February 21 Agenda
The agenda for the February 21 meeting has been posted. The meeting is at 7:45 pm in the Community Room of the Buffington RE/MAX Building, 3300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road.
February Meeting Rescheduled to 2/21
The monthly GOCA meeting scheduled for Feb. 14 has been cancelled and rescheduled as follows:
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 21
Time: 7:45 p.m. (no change)
Place: Olney Community Room, Buffington Bldg. (no change)
We hope this change does not cause undue inconvenience, and we look forward to seeing everyone on the 21st.
GOCA Testimony to County Council
GOCA President John Lyons' testimony to the County Council regarding Private Institutional Facilities in the Ag Reserve from January 19, 2006 has been posted.
GOCA Testimony to Planning Board
GOCA Executive Vice President Art Brodsky testified before the Planning Board on January 19, 2006 regarding the Board's Public Hearing Process.
Olney Town Center Advisory Committee
Councilmembers Praisner and Knapp recently sent a letter to Planning Board Chairman Derick Berlage regarding the Olney Town Center Advisory Committee.
Summary of January 10, 2006 Meeting
A summary of the January 10, 2006 meeting is now online.
Skateboard Park Meeting
The next Olney Skateboard Park Design Meeting will be on Thursday, February 2nd at 7:30pm in the multi-purpose room of the Olney Indoor Swim Center, Olney Manor Park at Georgia Avenue and Emory Lane (same location as last time).
The design proposals will be available at that meeting and will be be posted on Site Design's website after January 20th at www.sitedesigngroup.com.
Please plan to attend to help ensure the park meets our skater's needs.
For additional information, contact Ellen Masciocchi, Project Manager by e-mail at ellen.masciocchi@mncppc-mc.org or by phone at 301-650-2867.
Agenda for January 10 Meeting
The GOCA meeting on January 10 will feature a presentation on Reforms in the Planning Process by Park & Planning chairman by Derick Berlage. The meeting is at 7:45 pm in the Community Room of the Buffington RE/MAX Building, 3300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road.
An Unusual Case of Vandalism
A few days before Christmas a resident of Manor Oaks walked out of her house in the morning to discover that her front yard had been filled with a variety of beautiful outdoor Christmas decorations that did not belong to her family, but appeared to have been taken from other people's yards - probably by teenage vandals. They included several lighted wooden reindeer with their electrical cords cut, wreaths, signs, Santa flags, and more. Rather than just throwing them away, she is trying to locate people who may have had their decorations stolen probably during the evenings of Wednesday Dec 22nd and Thursday, Dec 23rd.
If you had outdoor Christmas decorations taken from your yard or are aware of neighbors who have had decorations stolen, call Denise Harris at 301 570-3410. She will hold onto all the items for a while to give people a chance to call her to arrange to come to see if any of the items left in her yard belong to them. She felt that the items are all too nice to just throw them away without making some effort to try to return them to the people they belong to.
Summary of December 13 Meeting
A summary of the December 13, 2005 meeting is now online.
RFP for 32-acre Site on Bowie Mill Road
The county has published its RFP for the 32-acre site on Bowie Mill Road:
Dear Interested Party:
The Request for Proposal (RFP), Mixed Income Housing Development on Government-Owned Site (Bowie Mill Road) Issued by Montgomery County Government on December 9, 2005 can be accessed by clicking on the link below. Response to this RFP must be received by Montgomery County no later than January 27, 2006 – Close of Business.
Thank You.
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/dhca/bowiemill_rfp_list.htm
Agenda for December 13, 2005
The agenda for the December 13 meeting has been posted. The meeting is at 7:45 pm in the Community Room of the Buffington RE/MAX Building, 3300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road.
Nominations for 2005 GOCA Awards
The character of a community is a reflection of the people that live and work there. Olney is such a special place because it is filled with so many people who care about Olney and are willing to "get involved" and give something back to the community, each in their own way.
The Greater Olney Civic Association (GOCA) wants recognize the individuals, businesses, and organizations the community has identified as having made a notable contribution to the greater Olney community during 2005. Those recognized make contributions through working with youngsters, assisting senior citizens, performing voluntary civic work, improving our schools and educational facilities, making resources available for community endeavors, etc. GOCA looks for nominees who have made a noteworthy effort as a volunteer(s) or who have gone beyond the requirements of their jobs to enhance the quality of life in our community.
Further details about the awards are on the GOCA Awards page.
If you know of an individual or organization deserving recognition, give the community an opportunity to express our appreciation by filling out a nomination form. Completed forms should be mailed to Ron Berger, dropped off at the Olney Library, given to any GOCA officer or brought to a GOCA meeting (2nd Tuesday of each month at Buffington RE/MAX Office Building, 7:45 pm). Deadline for submission: January 10, 2006
Summary of November 8 Meeting
A summary of the November 8, 2005 meeting is now online.
GOCA Testimony on PIF Policies
GOCA vice-president Susan Petrocci's testimony to the County Council regarding PIF (Private Institutional Facilities) policies is now online.
Agenda for November, 2005
The agenda for the November 8 meeting is now online. The meeting will feature a presentation on Consumer Fraud and Scams, including the County Executive's recent initiative on home improvement frauds. The presenter is John Lewis, Investigator, Montgomery County Division of Consumer Affairs.
The meeting is at 7:45 pm in the Community Room of the Buffington RE/MAX Building, 3300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road.
Minutes Now Available
Minutes for the June, July and September meetings are now available on the 2005 Meetings page.
Objections to Proposed Town Center Advisory Committee
GOCA recently sent a letter to Khalid Afzal at the Planning Board outlining our objections to the proposed Town Center Advisory Committee.
Summary of October 11 Meeting
A summary of the October 11, 2005 meeting is now online
From Montgomery General Hospital
Caribou Coffee would like to say "Thanks a Latte!" to each person that participates in the blood drive at Montgomery General Hospital on October 27th from 11:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. Each person who donates will receive a coupon for a a buy one get one free beverage of their choice as well as treats and coffee at the event.
But wait*there's more! Inova Blood Donor Services also wants to say thank you and will have T-shirts for each person who donates that day. The Bloodmobile will be located near the main entrance of the hospital. So, Roll up those sleeves and help us to keep the blood supply plentiful
Please call Kim Damion in Community Outreach to schedule your live saving appointment today 301-774-8969.
Summary of September 13 Meeting
A summary of the September 13 meeting is now online.
Agenda for September 13, 2005
The agenda for the September 13 meeting is now online. Peter Monge, president of Montgomery General Hospital, will make a presentation on their current and future plans.
The meeting is at 7:45 pm in the Community Room of the Buffington RE/MAX Building, 3300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road.
Hurricane Relief Effort in Olney
Delegate Herman Taylor is asking for the following to be donated for the Hurricane Relief effort:
- Plastic bottled water
- non-perishable food items
- blankets and sheets
- diapers
- canned baby formula
- baby wipes
- baby food boxed or in jars
- and toiletries.
The Drop-Off Point for the donations:
- The Olney Theatre Center
2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road
Olney, MD 20832 - 10 am - 6 pm Friday 9/9/05
- 10 am - Noon Saturday 9/10/05
The supplies will be delivered to the following locations:
- St. James Baptist Church
949 East Monticello Street
Brookhaven, MS 39601
(601) 835-5000 - Hurricane Katrina Relief
Fields Firm (Senator Cleo Fields)
2147 Government Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
Partners in the Effort:
- Olney Theatre Center
- Allstate Professional Movers, Inc,
- Secure Care Services
For further information, please contact Delegate Herman Taylor 301-924-4085 or Jaya Prasad 301-924-4485, ext 106.
Blake High School Hosts Concert for Katrina Relief
On behalf of the entire James Hubert Blake High School community of students, faculty, and families, we would like to show our support for the volunteers and organizations who are tirelessly trying to assist those affected by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast Region.
Our very own Roaring Bengals Marching Band and the Eubie Blake Jazz Ensemble had the honor of performing in the streets of New Orleans last January, and specifically at the Nokia Sugar Bowl at the New Orleans Superdome. These 160 students left Louisiana with fond memories of a vital, exciting city; gorgeous architecture; and fantastic food. The band, along with all the student organizations at Blake, now sees pictures of devastation and destruction along the coastal areas.
The entire student body has come together with a way to help provide needed funds for the victims of this tragedy. The Eubie Blake Jazz Ensemble and the Blake Dixieland Band will be hosting:
A Sunset Jazz Concert
to Benefit the Victims of Hurricane Katrina
Sunday, the 11th of September
beginning at 5:00PM
Outside, on the Track Field of Blake High School
(rain location: Blake Auditorium)
300 Norwood Road, Silver Spring, MD
The Blake community is asking everyone to join us on the fields behind the school with their blankets, picnic baskets, and cash or check donations for the American Red Cross. We are hoping leaders in the community and businesses will join us for this monetary drive to help the countless innocent victims of this horrific disaster. We hope to see you on September 11th.
For more information, please call (301)879-1300.
Proposal for a Town Center Advisory Committee
We have a draft proposal from the Park and Planning staff for an advisory committee on the development of the town center. It will be discussed at the September 13 GOCA meeting.
GOCA President John Lyons featured in Post Article
GOCA President John Lyons was recently featured in a Washington Post article about development in Montgomery County, Rural Life vs. the Road.
GOCA VP Writes to Gazette re: Clarksburg Planning Fiasco
Posted by Brenda Egeland, 7/21/2005
GOCA executive vice president Art Brodsky recently wrote a letter to the editor of the Gazette regarding the planning fiasco in Clarksburg:
It's a little late in the game for the County Council to start worrying about the credibility of the planning process. While I have sympathy for the people in Clarksburg, we in Olney learned long ago that there are no controls on the process at any level.
Perhaps it's a matter of degree. In Clarksburg, we had the problems caused by an over-worked planning staff member working on a community of 5,500. In the Olney area, which is fast approaching 40,000 population, we had the council potentially inserting another thousand or so people into the Town Center through additions to the master plan.
Council members who worry about safeguarding the credibility of the planning process should instead be worrying about re-establishing the credibility of the council.
Summary of July 12 Meeting
A summary of the July 12 meeting is now online.
Agenda for July 12, 2005
The agenda for the July 12 meeting is now online. There will be a special presentation on Olney area policing issues. Old business includes an update on private institutional facilities in the agricultural reserve and ICC issues.
The meeting is at 7:45 pm in the Community Room of the Buffington RE/MAX Building, 3300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road.
Summary of June 14 Meeting
A summary of the June 14 meeting, as well as the minutes of the May 10 meeting, are now online.
Agenda for June 14, 2005
The agenda for upcoming meeting on June 14 is now online. There will be special presentations on
- Private Institutional Facilities in the Agricultural Reserve
- State Legislative Wrap-Up by Representatives of State Districts
14, Part II
Presenters: Senator Rona Kramer, Delegate Anne Kaiser
The meeting is at 7:45 pm in the Community Room of the Buffington RE/MAX Building, 3300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road.
Olney Days 2005 -- Relive it Online!
Posted by Brenda Egeland, 5/28/2005
Thanks everyone that turned out to participate and support the different events, all our sponsors, and especially all of our volunteers. Together we created a spectacular Olney Days weekend, with a little help from the weather, which was beautiful all of the times it needed to be!
We have pictures, contest results, and a link to the article in the Olney Gazette on our Olney Days page.
Next GOCA Meeting
Posted by Brenda Egeland, 5/28/2005
Our next regular GOCA meeting is on June 14 at 7:45pm in the Community Room of the Buffington RE/MAX Building at 3300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road in Olney, MD. The agenda will be posted here when it becomes available.