Press Releases

Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee and Transportation and Environment Committee hold virtual meetings on Dec. 7

For Immediate Release: Friday, December 4, 2020

The Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee and the Transportation and Culture Committee will meet virtually on Monday, Dec. 7. Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council and committee review can be viewed at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.
The committee meeting schedules may change from time to time. The current agendas can be viewed at:
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.

On the guidance of Health Officer and Chief of Public Health Services Dr. Travis Gayles, there is currently no public access to the Council Office Building. The virtual committee meeting will be streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube (MoCoCouncilMD) and on Facebook Live (MontgomeryCountyMdCouncil) and can be watched on County Cable Montgomery on channels 30 (Fios), 1056 (RCN) and 996 (Xfinity).

Meeting: Planning, Housing and Economic Development (PHED) Committee
Time: 10 a.m.
PHED Committee: Councilmembers Hans Riemer (Chair), Andrew Friedson (Lead for Parks) and Will Jawando
Topic:

County Street and Park Facilities Renaming Project
The PHED Committee will receive a briefing from staff from the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission on their efforts to address the Council’s June 15 request to comprehensively review all County owned and maintained street names and public facilities to determine all those named for Confederate soldiers or those who otherwise do not reflect Montgomery County’s values. In addition to a project update, this briefing provides an opportunity for Councilmembers to weigh in on future research phases and coordination with other agencies. Park and Planning staff have organized the briefing to cover background information on the project, provide a summary of the County’s existing street naming processes, explain research completed to date with initial findings and provide thoughts on future research phases. The following individuals are expected to participate in the meeting: Casey Anderson, chair, Montgomery County Planning Board; Gwen Wright, director, Planning Department; Mike Riley, director, Parks Department; Tanya Stern deputy director, Planning Department; Miti Figueredo, deputy director, Parks Department; Jason Sartori, chief, Countywide Planning and Policy; Rebeccah Ballo, supervisor, Historic Preservation; Jai Cole, chief, park Planning and Stewardship Division; and Joey Lampl, supervisor, Cultural Resources Stewardship.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Meeting: Transportation and Environment (T&E) Committee
Time: 2:30 p.m.
T&E Committee: Council President Tom Hucker (Chair) and Councilmembers Evan Glass and Hans Riemer
Topics:

Aiming for Zero Waste Task Force Recommendations
The T&E Committee will receive a briefing from Chaz Miller, chairman of the Aiming for Zero Waste Task Force, on the group’s recommendations transmitted to the County Executive and the Council earlier this year. The committee also will receive an update from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on several solid waste-related initiatives as well as the status of the County’s Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan update.

The task force, with staff support provided by DEP, met regularly from June 2018 to May 2020 to discuss major solid waste management issues and to review and comment on draft reports prepared by consultants on various tasks identified in the contract. The tasks included: a current state assessment, benchmarking and best practices, a stakeholder, resident and expert engagement plan, a review of potential improvements to the current diversion/recycling system, a review of existing facilities and options for the collection and disposal of remaining trash.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Recycling and Resource Management Update
The T&E Committee will receive an update from DEP on some initiatives already in place or under development for implementation including: the expansion of the County’s organics commercial and residential food waste diversion initiatives; DEP’s “Recycle Right” contamination reduction program (for which the Council approved additional funding in the FY21 budget); and the current evaluation underway regarding potential upgrades to the Materials Recovery Facility.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Ten Year Solid Waste Management Plan Status Update
The T&E Committee will close out its meeting with a briefing on the Ten-Year Solid Waste Management Plan. State law requires the governing body of each County to adopt and submit to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) a ten-year plan dealing with solid waste disposal systems, solid waste acceptance facilities and the systematic collection and disposal of solid waste.

In 2018, DEP notified MDE that its latest review of the plan was being deferred pending the development of recommendations stemming from the Solid Waste master planning effort and the Aiming for Zero Waste Task Force. DEP forwarded a draft plan to MDE for an initial review which was completed earlier this year. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a delay in DEP’s completion of a final draft plan for Council review and MDE approval. DEP now expects the Executive’s recommended plan update to come to the Council within the next month.

Those expected to provide information at the briefings include: Adam Ortiz, director, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP); Patty Bubar, deputy director, DEP; Willie Wainer, chief, Division of Recycling and Resource Management, DEP and Chaz Miller, chairman, Aiming for Zero Waste Task Force.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

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Release ID: 20-479
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Juan Jovel 240-777-7931