Skip to main content

Live Discussion with County Executive Marc Elrich

Virtual Town Hall Meeting from Thursday, January 9, 2020


Marc Elrich Thank you for joining me today. I would like to thank the men and women of our public safety departments who forfeit time with families and friends to protect our homes, neighborhoods and streets. Montgomery County is fortunate to have such an outstanding team of law enforcement professionals who deserve recognition for the numerous acts of heroism you perform each and every day. So on behalf of the people of Montgomery County, I commend you for your unwavering dedication and commitment to our communities. Your valor and concern for the people you protect has helped to make this County a great place to live, work, play and visit. Thank you for your service and happy National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day!

Santiago from Up County
What are your plans to improve business climate in the county? We are no longer considered as a business destination in the area. Lack of near by international airport, high taxes, crippling infrastructure and no vision politics is seen as major hurdles. How would you tackle to improve for better jobs and tax base for the county

Marc Elrich A Growing Economy is a major priority for my administration. I’ve been gathering input from the business community on what we can do to improve the business climate. Many actions have already been taken (procurement, permitting, 311). Our next step is to review the results of the benchmarking study and develop work plans to address areas where we are imposing an undue burden on businesses I’ll be creating a business advisory council to monitor progress and continue to suggest improvements The role of the government is to create the infrastructure, particularly in transportation. I had made proposals while on the Council to build a Bus Rapid Transit network in the County - something that has been cited as a critical need by business leaders, and we are finally in the process of implementing it. We're working with our partners in education to make sure that our education system is producing  graduates with the skills that are needed by employers  seeking to come to the region. We're focused on PreK education because we know that if we can bring students into the school system ready to learn, research shows that they maintain those skill sets throughout the educational process. In addition, our workforce development provider is undergoing leadership changes with an increasing focus on up-skilling our workforce. 

Ben Wu, former deputy secretary of the Maryland Department of Commerce, is now leading the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation and his experience and past accomplishments will lead to future success. 

Sandy from Silver Spring
Can something be done about the amount of litter in downtown Silver Spring? It's everywhere! Between that, the homeless vagrants, and young men roaming the streets at all hours the quality of life downtown is poor. Also scary. I met a new resident of one of the just opened hi - rises who said she had to switch apartments due to the noisy nightclubs on Georgia Ave. Can't we get beat cops on foot patrol down here, as a deterrent to crime and disorderly conduct? It's the only thing that will make people feel safe here. And please end the "feeding programs" that result in dirty and disheveled people all over the place all day long. Really a mess!

Marc Elrich

Litter collection in downtown Silver Spring is done by the Silver Spring Urban District. I will relay your observation to them to see how this vital service can be improved. Most recently the Downtown Silver Spring Rotary Club adopted Fenton Street where they are doing additional clean up every other month. We are working with the community, including the local businesses to address the perceived increase in homelessness in Silver Spring. We will be locating a staff at the Silver Spring Fire Station to help us better respond to situations requiring immediate attention. Having said that, homelessness is not a crime. And our public spaces are welcoming of all, regardless of social status or age. We are continuing to work on improving our programs and strengthening partnerships with nonprofits that provide service to the homeless. 

The issue of noise from open air roof tops and patios playing music is something we are looking at. While we welcome night time activities, we also want to respect the expectation of residents to be able to sleep at night. We are confident we will find a middle ground that will reflect a consensus community value. We have recently increased police presence in downtown Silver Spring. Shepherd's Table "feeding program" is a highly successful meal program for the homeless and food-insecure residents. It is accompanied with the provision of social services. Many in the community, including nearby residents and local businesses, volunteer regularly to help make this a model facility. It may be that rather than ending this program we could potentially open similar programs throughout the County, which may lower the number of folks coming to Silver Spring for food and services.

Annie from Silver Spring
We know that the first and last mile are the biggest obstacle when people choose whether or not to use public transit. We also know that climate change requires us to get more cars off the road. In the upcoming budget, will you commit to allocating specific funds to install/update sidewalks 1 mile out from every Purple Line stop?

Marc Elrich
My proposed FY21-26 CIP budget includes significant increases to the Purple Line Bicycle and Pedestrian Priority Area CIP project which will address these concerns. However, it has not been made public yet.

I will be announcing my proposed FY21-26 budget next week, and it will address this issue in more detail.  However, I can share with you some of the steps we have already taken to support access to the Purple Line for people who are within walking and biking distance of the stations.  The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) has been working with the University of Maryland to analyze sidewalk and bicycle infrastructure within ½-mile of the new Purple Line stations.  MCDOT completed a survey of existing conditions and has identified gaps in the pedestrian and bicycle network. 

The good news is that a lot of sidewalks already exist in these areas, and we have recently completed major bicycle improvements.

Projects recently completed, underway or planned include:
  • Construction now underway by Purple Line contractors includes a $62 million investment from the County to construct the Capital Crescent Trail and the Silver Spring Green Trail in conjunction with the Purple Line. These facilities will provide high-quality bicycle and pedestrian facilities and link communities to eight of the ten Purple Line stations located in the County. 
  • The recently completed Wayne Avenue Cycle Track improves bicycle access to the station at the Silver Spring Transit Center. 
  • Construction of Phase I of the Woodmont Cycle track will begin soon to provide improved bicycle access to the Bethesda station.
  • MCDOT is designing solutions to address critical gaps, such as installing sidewalks along 16th Street from Lyttonsville Road to Woodside Station.
  • MCDOT is working closely with communities like Lyttonsville to install sidewalks that provide connectivity to the Purple Line, schools, and places of worship while addressing community concerns for trees and other impacts associated with new sidewalks.
More will be included in the CIP that I will be announcing next week.

Tyler from Rockville
What is your opinion on the current proposal for expansion of the I270 lanes? I saw mention of a potential monorail system between Shady Grove and Frederick along 270 in recent weeks... was that a pie-in-the-sky idea or a real possibility?

Marc Elrich

I am generally encouraged by the changes in the State’s proposal to provide managed lanes on the American Legion Bridge and I-270.  The County will play a more substantial role in the shaping of this project. I share concerns that the project needs to stay within the walls of I-270 and not have impacts on the surrounding communities, and we will be asking that the state continue its evaluation of the use of reversible lanes. I also believe that using the state to fund the construction would result in a lower cost project and benefits to commuters who would use the additional lanes. 

I am very happy that the State is committed to funding transit as part of this project.  It is essential that we have a balanced and equitable set of improvements that emerge.  In terms of monorail, I know the State is advancing a feasibility study, and this type of solution, among other possibilities like commuter bus and MARC improvements, might be able to meet some of the longer-distance travel needs on the I-270 corridor.

Brenda Freeman from Silver Spring
County Executive Ehrlich: What is Montgomery County doing to replant/replace the many trees in Silver Spring that are being lost to the Purple Line and other construction in the DTSS area?

Marc Elrich
Certified arborists on staff at the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) have and continue to collaborate with the State and Purple Line contractors. Our arborists are working to ensure that every effort is made to minimize the amount of right-of-way and limit disturbance resulting from the construction of the Purple Line. While our arborists are available for consultation and advice and review on project plans when possible, our control over the final plantings is limited because this is a state project, and many of the areas of disturbance in Silver Spring are along state roads (i.e. Wayne Avenue).

As a part of the Purple Line project, all loss of tree canopy is being mitigated by the State in accordance with the Maryland Conservation Act, most of which will include offsite reforestation in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. MCDOT is making the best efforts to hold the State to its commitments on replacement landscaping where it has committed to doing so.  

The State has made it clear that no landscaping plantings associated with the project are permitted to take place outside of the project’s limit of disturbance. As such, we are working to support and provide information on tree planting programs that support rebuilding the urban canopy outside of the project limits. MCDOT has been working closely with community associations along the Purple Line route to identify planting opportunities within the right-of-way in those neighborhoods.

For residents in Silver Spring who are interested in supporting the development of our urban tree canopy and own private property that is a potential location for tree planting, we encourage you to take advantage of free and reduced cost tree programs available through Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and Montgomery Planning:

Lynette Matheon-Graham from Silver Spring
I understand that there are lots of jobs in the County, where are they? My daughter has been looking for a job, and has not been successful, in finding one in her field. I work for the County, and I love it.

Marc Elrich Thank you for your question. I'm sorry to read about your daughter's employment struggles; but without knowing her background, it's difficult to offer much help. That said, jobs within the County Government are posted routinely. You can find them by going to this site (https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/HR/Recruitment/MCGCareers.html) and clicking "Search for Jobs at MCG."  

Debbie from Bethesda-Chevy Chase
On behalf of the Middle Eastern American Advisory Group, another member and I have been connected with Adam Ortiz at the Department of Environmental Protection. We want to advance an idea for reducing greenhouse gas emissions with an underground trash initiative. Mr. Ortiz responded with a suggestion and a comment, and I responded with interest in following up. He didn't respond and I have left voicemail and sent follow up emails, to no avail. Please, it is very important to our community to be involved in the overall reduction effort. Let us know whom to contact. Thank you!

Marc Elrich Thank you, Debbie. I will follow up with Adam on this issue. 

Todd from Up County
I'm picking up the scent of marijuana with increasing frequency on RideOn and even saw one man appearing to smoke a "joint." Besides being illegal, this is a fire hazard. Is the county going to take any steps to discourage this conduct?

Marc Elrich Thank you for your question. Smoking of any substance on a Ride On bus is not permitted. If you see someone smoking on board the bus, please inform the bus operator. 

Sahar Fahmy from Up County
What is the future of the entrepreneurs in Montgomery County and how do we encourage entrepreneurs to stay in Maryland?

Marc Elrich

I'm glad you asked that question. One of the things that has not been captured in traditional presentations of economic data within Montgomery County is that the County has the highest amount of single-employee entrepreneur businesses in the region. Almost 25 percent of income by residents in the County is earned by these entrepreneurs. So many people within the County do find the County a good place to start and maintain these businesses. 

We have started, through our 4Business initiative, three small business assistance centers, and we're opening a fourth soon. This is a big part of our effort to support growth of small businesses in the County. You can learn more about it here = https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/dps/business/4Business.html

Tino Fragale from Silver Spring
Are there/has there been door-to-door efforts to inform residents about forums, county decisions, or services that could be useful or important? Thank you for your service, Tino

Marc Elrich

Thank you your question. While we don't have the resources (funding, staff) to go door-to-door, we do employ various resources to make our opportunities known. Here are just a few:

Website:

montgomerycountymd.gov

County Calendar:

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcg/calendar.html

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/montgomerycountyinfo

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/MontgomeryCoMD

Newsletter: 

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcg/esubscribe.html

Will from Mid County
What is being done to expedite the Crabbs Branch bus depot relocation? The facility is preventing the creation of new housing, business, and park space approved in the 2006 Shady Grove sector plan.

Marc Elrich We continue to look for alternative sites, and we are talking with potential property owners; but as you know, we can't simply move this from one neighborhood to another. Empty space of the right size and in the right location is a rare commodity in the County. I know this needs to be addressed. I have been working on this since the day I started; and I will continue to do so. 


Marc Elrich Thank you for joining me. See you next time!