A four-part series exploring the life and career of Silver Spring folk artist Lisa Null.
Meet the candidates and learn about the County Council special election in these exclusive, one-on-one interviews.
Outside the Newport School in Calverton, where rising rents may force them to close up shop for good.Seriously?
Seriously. As I always say, "Spare the blog, spoil the commenter," or something like that. Gotta lay down the law.
For questions, see "the anonymous have to come out now," August 9, 2006.
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The reconstruction of the Silver Spring Metro may not get as much funding as it needs according to a new proposal from County Executive Ike Leggett.
Two years have passed since the fateful flood that gave rise to Just Up The Pike, and I'm proud that I've been able to keep it up, unlike so many of my other grand projects that flame out shortly after getting started. The past two years have been a wild ride, meeting people, traveling the county, making friends and losing a few as well. Here's to another year of writing about the place that I love most - and, to kick it off, here's a look at what's happening around East County:
- It's become clear this week: so shall Ike Leggett giveth, so shall he taketh away. Right after throwing more money at the promoters who'll run the Fillmore music hall in Downtown Silver Spring, County Executive Leggett proposes cutting funds from the Paul Sarbanes Transit Center, a $50 million reconstruction of the existing Silver Spring Metro station. The transit center would expand the capacity of what is currently the state's second-largest transportation hub, bringing local and regional bus service together along with the Purple Line.
Like the Fillmore, the Sarbanes Transit Center is the centerpiece of a large mixed-use development with offices, hotels and possibly residential units. Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson says the cost-cutting threatens "important design elements" of the project, including the location of a police station and transit store.
- As one East County private school embarks on an ambitious expansion, another struggles to pay its monthly rent. The Chelsea School, a facility for learning-disabled students just outside of Downtown, just embarked on a fundraising campaign to build a Daniel Libeskind-designed addition to their campus. Meanwhile, the Newport School, currently located on Tech Road in Calverton, can't even keep their doors open for next year if their landlord doesn't cut rents.
Both schools have a long history in the area, and in recent years, both have also had to change locations frequently. The Newport School lost three-fourths of their enrollment when they moved to their current space in an office park, administrators said, crippling their ability to raise funds.
Dear reader: thanks for reading! We hope you'll keep coming back again and again. You are why Just Up The Pike has kept going strong.
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Continuing with this week's theme of "How Could You Possibly Consider This To Be East County," I appeared on Rockville Central Radio, an online talk show hosted by Brad Rourke and Cindy CG of Rockville Central, the premier Rockville blog and a resource I encourage you to check out.
MTA's proposed transit center at University and New Hampshire in Takoma Park would collect several local bus routes and the Purple Line into one consolidated facility.
- Voters in the 4th Congressional District, which includes a healthy chunk of East County, get a head start on November with a special election next Tuesday to replace Congressman Al Wynn (at left), who resigned after losing the Democratic primary to Donna Edwards in February. Edwards will be running against Republican Peter James of Germantown, who's profiled in the Post today.
- Speaking of people I'd like to talk to: Just Up The Pike is developing a little planner-crush on Rollin Stanley (pictured at right in 2004), the recently-appointed Planning Director for Montgomery County. An Ontario native, he cut his teeth revitalizing Toronto and St. Louis before Montgomery County tapped him to come down here. Earlier this week, he told the Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce this week that big houses will be "the next slums" and that future development will have to be smaller, and I'll bet everyone in that room had to pick their jaws off the ground.Forty years ago, Don and Marilyn Praisner moved to a newly developed subdivision on the furthest edges of Silver Spring called Calverton. While the community they settled in has changed dramatically since then, they remained as stewards and leaders. Many newer residents such as myself, whose family moved here in 1999, cannot fully appreciate former Councilmember Marilyn Praisner's impact on our community as we were not here to witness much of her work.
While Marilyn and I did not agree on a lot of issues, I recognize that a piece I wrote last month, entitled "is marilyn praisner the new ronald reagan?", was insensitive. In it, I suggest that County Executive Ike Leggett's attempts to commemorate her life and career were excessive. However, I appreciate what she has done, and I want to see her legacy carried on in some form.
We all mourn the passing of Marilyn, though none of us can comprehend the loss her widower carries in his heart. Tomorrow morning - just in time for the special election - the "District 4 Head-to-Head Tour" draws to a close as we interview County Council candidate Don Praisner.
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WHAT'S UP THE PIKE: Students fear Takoma Park college moving away from liberal arts; Downcounty residents less angry over higher cost of parking; Blake High's yearly Jazz Swing Night (so good!) happens tonight.
County Executive Ike Leggett explores the economic and social consequences of turtle-stacking while reading Yertle the Turtle to second-graders at Fairland Elementary. (Photo from the MoCo website.)
While most college kids are heading south next week, I'll be heading up north to Montreal for some good ol' fashioned Spring Break debauchery, Canada-style. Back in high school, I dreamed about studying architecture at McGill University in Montreal because of their awesome affordable housing program - only to discover that not only was it only for grad students, but I'd probably have to learn some French before going up there. Parlez-vous Français? Non.
While I'm soaking up the heavy snowfall and sub-freezing temperatures, Just Up The Pike will run a series about the development of shopping malls, with a focus on the D.C. area. But if you need some blog action - other than reading my fellow Silver Spring bloggers, of course - you'll definitely want to check out these events coming up next week:
On Tuesday, discuss the future of Wheaton at a redevelopment forum hosted by Park and Planning and featuring a panel of "urban planning experts" and County officials eager to play a part in the revitalization of the business district, which was shaken up last month by the tragic destruction of local institution El Pollo Rico.
Then, on Thursday, County Executive Ike Leggett comes home to Burtonsville for his first Town Hall Meeting in the area. Come speak your piece before our native son at Briggs Chaney Middle School, which is actually located in Cloverly.
And, the rest of the time, you'll want to keep by your computer for the latest updates from Councilwoman Nancy Floreen's new blog, which came on line earlier this month. Floreen, who talked to us here last spring, will be joining such local luminaries as Council President Mike Knapp and former County Exec candidate Chuck Floyd.
Have a stellar break! We'll see you in two weeks.
Read more!WHAT'S UP THE PIKE: Crossing Georgia finds that the Forest Glen-Georgia intersection is even more dangerous than we thought; Comedy show The Awesome Room returns to McGinty's this Thursday [from the Scene]; ICC opponents still refuse to give up the fight.
Okay, so this is not breaking news and, rather, a very cheap attempt to win your support. Nonetheless: become a fan of Just Up The Pike on Facebook, where we have a brand-new page! We've got a discussion board and a feed to all of our posts, so if you're already on Facebook, you can hit up JUTP without having to do all sorts of unnecessary clicking and typing.
Have a good weekend! They're calling for some nasty snow and sleet tomorrow, so . . . don't leave the house.
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A long-overdue list of questions and invitations to the bar I've received since beginning this blog two years ago. Feel free to submit more if you have any.
LIQUIDATED! International Furniture Liquidators has been given the boot from "Wheaton Mall", or so says this sign in the median of Veirs Mill Road.
- Just Up The Pike has a guest post on The Abundant Artist, written by Portland-based actor and blogger Cory, about the Death Star and gentrification in Silver Spring. Cory, who writes extensively on artist housing throughout the country, invited me to write a piece after reading last month's brief series on Arts District Hyattsville.
- After three years of selling cheap, strange, or cheap and strange furniture in the former Hecht's at Wheaton Plaza, IFL may be leaving the mall in favor of . . . something else. I saw this sign on Veirs Mill Road while going to work in Rockville last weekend. Any store with the word "liquidation" in its name likes to use the "store closing" angle to drag in customers who'd otherwise assume they had a lifetime of bargain-basement furniture ahead of them. (This is not unlike the tactic used by the rug store at Colesville and Fenton - currently American Apparel - whose windows proclaimed "STORE CLOSING" for several years before they actually did.)
I'd be very excited if this were not a hoax but, in fact, a sign (ha! ha!) of better things for Wheaton (Plaza, or Westfield Wheaton if you insist, but please don't call it "Wheaton Mall," because it just makes you look like you're not from around here.) That entire end of the mall has been dying since Hecht's was snapped up by Macy's in 2005, right after Macy's opened their new store in Wheaton Plaza. On the other hand, they might pull a Fair Oaks and just open another Macy's in the space. Very unimaginative.
- Rethink College Park is abuzz with news that the University of Maryland's gotten the MTA to draw a new Purple Line route away from Campus Drive, the school's main drag, with the Post taking note of it as well. The new, southerly alignment cuts across the center of campus and right behind my apartment building. Wow! The Purple Line could be in my backyard! (Never mind, of course, that I'll long have graduated by then.) If I decide to take this opportunity to become a real, honest-to-goodness NIMBY, all I can say is: Move over, Pam Browning!
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Blogs about blogs seem like a silly idea. But the Silver Spring Blogging Collective (as I like to call it) has been buzzing over the past couple of weeks. What's happening Up The . . . Blogiverse? Let's find out:
- Four Corners resident and parent Jessica has started aparentinsilverspring, an endeavor she hopes will "provide a fun, free and accessible resource for parents of little kids in Silver Spring, Maryland." Whether or not you have kids, you'll want to check out the giant "Activities" calendar at the top of her homepage. Follow it and your kids will have a full schedule until they turn 18.
- Adam Pagnucco, who's been writing guest blogs for JUTP since we were born, has landed a full-bloggership at Maryland Politics Watch. Highlights of Adam's brief tenure at MPW include "The Baroness of Montgomery," a satire of District 18 shenanigans, and a four-part series on Wheaton co-written with his wife Holly Olson, who sat on the Wheaton Redevelopment Advisory Committee.
- S. and Sparow of Down By The River, the only other blog hailing from Up The Pike, have moved to Rockville. I don't know how I missed their goodbye post two months ago in which S. says "the eastern most part of MoCo is so utterly fucked that we can't take it anymore."
While I don't think this area is as bad as they make it out to be - after all, I grew up here - the fact is that many people do leave East County searching for better schools, safer streets, etc. Many of my high school friends' families have already moved away. The east side has to become competitive with Rockville and the rest of Montgomery County, and it's as much a battle of test scores and crime rates as it is one of perception. People have to believe East County is a good place to live. And even if S. and Sparow decided not to say here, I think leaving only drives home their point that we have a long way to go.
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Governor Martin O'Malley, a little tuckered-out from supporting Hillary in New Hampshire, makes an appearance at Delegate Hucker's fundraiser at McGinty's on Sunday.
It's Winter Break, and I've been out pounding the pavement in East County and collecting stories. Here's a look at what you can expect to see in the coming days and weeks at Just Up The Pike:
HITTING THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, SORT OF: Over the weekend, State Del. Tom Hucker (D-Dist. 20) had a fundraiser to kick off his re-election campaign . . . for 2010. Two years may be a while away, but you'll be pleasantly surprised by who showed up (for up to $1,000 a head!) to support the freshman legislator.
THE NEXT BIG THING?: Last night, local residents got a first look at Washington Adventist Hospital's potential new home in Calverton. Why does hospital President Jere Stocks think this project will change the face of East County? You'll definitely want to find out.
CALLING OFF RIDE-ON CUTS: Ike Leggett's proposed reductions in Ride-On service have the Action Committee for Transit on high alert. How do they plan to respond? We'll be checking out their monthly meeting tonight.
Come back soon! Just Up The Pike is back and ready to go.
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Residents carried signs and marched down Ellsworth on the 4th of July in protest of the Peterson Companies' limiting the right to free speech in their Downtown Silver Spring complex.
The Silver Spring Blogging Collective, as we are sometimes called, has accomplished a lot this year. Here's just a sample of what we've done this year:
- In May, the Gateway Heliport Gallery hosted a Blogger Summit with a panel of speakers including myself, Henry from the Silver Spring Scene and Eric from Thayer Avenue and moderated by local activist Richard Jaeggi of Silver Spring Town Center.
- Later that month, South Silver Spring held its first Block Party, heavily publicized on the Silver Spring Scene and a blog created by the South Silver Spring Neighborhood Association.
- In June, Just Up The Pike was featured in a Washington Post story about local bloggers.
so much more AFTER THE JUMP . . .
County Executive Ike Leggett at a press conference announcing plans to open a Fillmore music hall in the former J.C. Penney Building on Colesville Road.
- The following week, Congressman Al Wynn (D-Dist. 4) invited myself and Jen from the Penguin to his re-election campaign kickoff, consisting of a Metrorail-and-bus ride across Montgomery County to show his support of public transit.
- In July, a group of local bloggers and photographers started the Free Our Streets blog to protest the Peterson Companies' limits on free speech on Ellsworth Drive, which it had leased from the County. Their efforts culminated in a march through Downtown Silver Spring held on the 4th of July which led to the County's affirmation of First Amendment rights in public spaces.
- In September, County Executive Ike Leggett held a blogger briefing discussing the selection of a new host for the proposed music hall in the former J.C. Penney building. Two days later, the County announced that it had signed a letter of intent with international promoter Live Nation to run the venue.
- In November, the Post's Marc Fisher named Karl of Silver Spring, Singular "Blogger of the Month," citing his blog's "entertaining and informative look into life" in Silver Spring.
I'm completely blown away by how the Silver Spring blogosphere has exploded over the past year - and that wouldn't have been possible without the people who read Silver Spring blogs, write comments, and send tips. Together, we've become one of the D.C. region's "bloggiest" neighborhoods, so to say, and I'm looking forward to another year of laughs and love on the blog.
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WHAT'S UP THE PIKE? U-Md. president wants Purple Line through oldest part of campus; Goats running amok in B'ville industrial park; Historic designation endorsed for Falkland Chase apartments, saving it . . . for now.
Over Thanksgiving break, Just Up The Pike took a trip down Route 1 to Hyattsville, a small Prince George's town on the cusp of a revival comparable to Silver Spring's. Coincidentally, the Silver Spring Scene's recent "Sister To The East" series examined the University Town Center development adjacent to Prince George's Plaza.
And next week, JUTP will head over to Arts District Hyattsville, a new community which gives new meaning to the word "artist housing." Are you thinking former warehouses with paint-splattered concrete floors? Try roof decks, granite countertops - and a few thoughtfully-placed guitars for "cred."
Sure, anyone can build a town from scratch. But can you build a artist/hipster colony from the ground up? We're about to find out.
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Barring some kind of Big News or just a thing I'd like to talk about, I'm taking a break for the next couple of days to get ready for final exams. Look out for more Model House Reviews and all sorts of stuff when JUTP returns later this week.
Mind the store for me,
Dan
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No one should be surprised that Marc Fisher's "Blogger of the Month" award goes to Silver Spring, Singular, one of the founders of the Silver Spring blogosphere. I haven't always agreed with Sligo - or Karl, as we have discovered his true identity to be - but I know I wouldn't be writing today if it wasn't for him and the Silver Spring Scene, which began around the same time nearly two years ago.
Congratulations, Sligo! I hope that the Singular will live on to see the blogging community it's created flourish just as our downtown has.
UPDATE: Our sources tell us the Scene started two months before the Singular did, meaning that the title of "great-grandaddy" may be contested . . .
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Just Up The Pike introduces a new feature: East County Eating, a series of restaurant reviews. You might have three McDonald's, two Wendy's and a Popeyes within five minutes of your house (I know I do), but there's a lot more to local dining then you may have expected.
Come back and check it out!
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This sort-of spooky old farmhouse on Georgia Avenue will soon be incorporated into a new townhouse development.
Dan Silverman of Prince of Petworth, one of my favorite D.C. blogs, shows how community-based blogs are supposed to be done. (It's no surprise that the Post's Marc Fisher nominated him Blogger of the Month. Next month, Fisher picks a MoCo blog . . . we've [I've] got our fingers crossed over here at Just Up The Pike. Anyway. (I digress.) Here's a look at what's going on in East County this week:
PEDESTRIAN PERILS: Georgia Avenue makes no friends of pedestrians. A new video of the dangerous Georgia Avenue/Forest Glen Road intersection has been posted on Crossing Georgia's website. The Forest Glen-based advocacy group is lobbying for safety improvements to make walking a little easier one stoplight north of the State's busiest intersection, Georgia Avenue and the Beltway.
B'VILLE BURGEONS: The Amish Market may be on its way out, but bigger things may be in store for Burtonsville Town Center. Montgomery County unveils its Burtonsville economic study to East County residents and businesses 7pm Wednesday at the East County Regional Services Center, 3300 Briggs Chaney Road.
INTERCOUNTY COMMUNIQUE: As InterCounty Connector construction begins in Gaithersburg, residents on the eastern end of the controversial highway will get their first glimpse of what life with the ICC will be like. The State Highway Administration's hosting a ICC Outreach Meeting 7pm Thursday at Paint Branch High School.
DIVERSE AND ENDANGERED: The 700 block of Bonifant Street might be the most eclectic in Downtown Silver Spring - but it may not be long for this Earth if the Purple Line rolls through. Seven Oaks resident Elisabeth Higgins-Null writes this guest post on the "micro-neighborhood" of Bonifant Street later this week.
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