ROCKVILLE, Md., May 4, 2023—The featured guests on this week’s En Sintonía con el Concejo del Condado de Montgomery (In Tune with the Montgomery County Council) will include Bernard Marra, inspector at the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services (DPS); Ingrid Lizama, community engagement specialist with the Montgomery County Health and Human Services’ Latino Health Initiative; Amanda Torres, communication specialist at WorkSource Montgomery; and Luis Estrada, urban designer and planning coordinator at the Montgomery County Planning Department. The show will air tomorrow, May 5 at 2 p.m. on Radio America (WILC 900AM) and is streamed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. 

DPS is providing free residential deck maintenance inspections during the month of May as part of its annual Building Safety Month campaign. The program, which is limited to 300 appointments, is designed to raise awareness about building safety and the importance of adopting modern and regularly updated building codes to ensure safe and sustainable structures where people live, work, play and learn. To request a deck maintenance inspection by telephone, homeowners should contact the County’s central call system at MC311 or 240-777-0311. These requests cannot be anonymous and must be requested by the homeowner. 

As Montgomery County transitions to the post COVID-19 era, residents are urged to use County resources, such as free vaccination clinics and rapid testing, to reinforce their protection against the virus. As a result of the expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency, these resources will transition to a smaller-scale operation. For more information, click here.  

The third segment of the show will focus on WorkSource Montgomery’s mission which focuses on linking local and regional economic development and workforce efforts in Montgomery County. The goal of WorkSource Montgomery is to develop career pathways that lead to sustainable development and help those in search of job opportunities.  

The Montgomery County Planning Department is inviting the community to attend a series of workshops for the University Boulevard Corridor Plan (UBC Plan). The meetings will be held in a workshop format and will feature staff presentations on existing conditions, followed by facilitated discussions on topics such as housing, land use, transportation, parks and open spaces, and neighborhood aspirations for the plan area.  

The Council and Radio America have entered a partnership that provides the Latino community with key information on issues and programs. The partnership also provides a forum for residents to express their views and ask questions. The partnership includes the weekly one-hour show each Friday on the Washington metropolitan area’s most popular Spanish language station.     

Each week, the show features host Marcela Rodriguez, Council program manager and public information officer, and guests talking about important issues before the Council and provides information about programs offered by the County to help residents.