T H E G AZ ET T E
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AROUND THE COUNTY County still hopes to raze building for Purple Line n
Staffers recognize difficulty in meeting the state’s end-of-the-year deadline BY AGNES BLUM STAFF WRITER
The back and forth over razing the Apex building in downtown Bethesda to make way for a Purple Line terminus station continues with a report issued by the Montgomery County Planning Department to be discussed at planning board meeting on Thursday. In the report, staffers address
concerns from the owner of the Apex building, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, as well as local residents. At a previous planning board meeting on Nov. 7, David Witmer, the senior vice president and CEO of the company that owns the building at 7272 Wisconsin Ave., said the county had given his company neither enough time to do a proper analysis, nor enough incentives to make it worthwhile. County planners have recommended “significant additional density on the Apex building site” to motivate the owners, according to the report, but Witmer said that
would not be enough to compensate for having to relocate. Planners want to tear down the Apex building, which also houses the Bethesda Regal 10 movie theater, to build the “optimal” Bethesda station. Doing so would allow access to both the Purple Line and Metro’s Red Line, according to county documents. The Purple Line is a planned 16-mile $2.2 billion light rail that will link Bethesda and New Carrollton. Without tearing down the Apex building, the station’s platform would have to fit into the existing tunnel, planners have said, and there would be no room for the
Capital Crescent Trail. If the tunnel is rebuilt, it can be widened to make it safer and more accommodating for passengers and the trail. “With no room in the existing tunnel for the [trail], cyclists will be forced to use a surface route along busy Bethesda Avenue and across the heavily trafficked Wisconsin Avenue,” the report stated. The county has less than two months to convince the owners to move out and raze the Apex building — the Maryland Transit Administration has said it wants an answer on the issue by the end of the year. ablum@gazette.net
Girls gotta run
Wednesday, November 20, 2013 b
InBrief Imagination Stage celebration is Saturday Carol Trawick will unveil a sign Saturday naming the Bethesda arts center that owes its existence in no small part to her and her husband’s philanthropy. In 2010, Imagination Stage received its most significant gift in its history — $2.5 million from Jim and Carol Trawick — to retire the outstanding debt on the construction of the theater arts and education center. Imagination Stage staff, students and supporters, including Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) and his wife, Catherine Leggett, will be on hand for the unveiling ceremony from 6 to 6:30 p.m. at the center at 4908 Auburn Ave. The program will include comments by Jane Fairweather, president of the Imagination Stage board, and a song by Imagination Stage student performers. Those interested in attending should RSVP to Rachel Garmon at 301-280-1626 or rgarmon@ imaginationstage.org.
Kidney foundation honors Bethesda physician The National Kidney Foundation has honored Griffin P. Rodgers, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, for his commitment to bettering the lives of patients and raising awareness of chronic kidney disease. The Outstanding Achievement Award was presented Saturday to Rodgers, of Bethesda, at the 33rd annual National Kidney Foundation Kidney Ball at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. As institute director, Rodgers provides scientific leadership and manages a staff of more than 600 and a budget of $2 billion. He oversees the National Kidney Disease Education Program, which better informs patients, caretakers and professionals on the early detection and management of kidney disease and he has reached out to those most at risk with his “Healthy Moments” broadcast commentaries on Radio One that have focused on kidney disease and its associated risk factors.
Shop for the holidays at Glen Echo show
RAPHAEL TALISMAN/FOR THE GAZETTE
Runners warm up with some dancing before the Girls on the Run 5K at Montgomery mall in Bethesda on Sunday morning. Thousands of girls and their friends and parents took part in the fun run.
Survey shows homeless face major medical challenges 369 individuals throughout the county interviewed in program n
BY JENN DAVIS STAFF WRITER
Poor health conditions and repeat emergency room visits are plaguing the homeless population throughout Montgomery County, according to results from the county’s 100,000 Homes Campaign survey. As part of its participation in the national campaign, the county just completed Registry Week, with volunteers surveying 369 homeless people living in places such as parking garages, outdoor stairwells, wooded encampments and shelters. The three-day count took place each day from 4 to 7 a.m. Nov. 4 through 6. The purpose of the count is to identify the most medically vulnerable homeless people and move them into permanent housing with supportive services. “Now we have a prioritized list of people according to their vulnerability,” said Susanne SinclairSmith, executive director of the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless. “We can use that priority list to place people into permanent housing.”
Findings revealed that 40 percent of people surveyed reported they had at least one serious health condition, such as kidney disease, asthma or diabetes, and 74 percent of that group were medically vulnerable, meaning that they have a higher likelihood of dying in a state of homelessness because of their health issues. The results also showed that the 369 individuals reported a total of 677 in-patient hospitalizations in the past year. Twenty-two percent of respondents said they received in-patient emergency room treatment at least three times last year. By moving these people into permanent housing with services such as case management and nurse care, high costs to the health system and the county can be reduced, and homeless individuals can increase their quality of health, according to Sinclair-Smith. “We will have those immediate health care services to help them with the medical conditions they have,” she said. “Case managers will continue to work with them in permanent housing and connect them with a primary doctor.” Montgomery County Councilman George Leventhal (D-At large), who serves on the executive committee of the Montgomery County 100,000 Homes campaign, said the
results show that the county needs to prioritize housing placement for the most vulnerable homeless people. Along with Council Vice President Craig Rice (D-Dist. 2), Leventhal said he will introduce a supplemental appropriation Tuesday for just under $700,000 to place 15 homeless individuals in housing by February 2014. The money would provide for housing with supportive services for a year and a half. While the county government is heavily involved with this issue, religious and philanthropic support is still needed, according to Leventhal. “We’re going to do a lot, but the county has to work with private, nonprofit and religious partners to solve the problem,” he said. County volunteers encountered 62 homeless individuals who declined to participate in the survey, but according to Sinclair-Smith, their lack of response still made an important statement about the homeless situation in the county. From her experiences talking with homeless people in Silver Spring during the count, she said, many of those who chose not to participate were so mentally ill, specifically dealing with paranoia, that they were unable to be engaged to complete the survey. “I feel very responsible toward
that number because I think it represents the most vulnerable people living outside,” she said. This is the first time the county has conducted a homeless count on its own. At the beginning of each year, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments counts homeless individuals and households in and around Washington in its Point-In-Time homeless count. In January, the council reported 1,004 homeless people, including families, living in Montgomery County. The county’s own threeday count included only individuals, as homeless families typically have more access to county government services. Sinclair-Smith said the county’s count and survey were more thorough than the council’s because the volunteers reached the most vulnerable people during a three-day stint, as opposed to just one day. “This is the first step of the campaign,” Sinclair-Smith said. “I think the county government, nonprofits and members of the community have really rolled up their sleeves and worked together in an incredibly effective way. Going forward, we are really going to be able to work together to identify where gaps are and how to fill them.” jedavis@gazette.net
Visitors can browse and buy artwork at the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture’s annual Holiday Art Show and Sale from Nov. 29 through Jan. 5 in the Popcorn Gallery and the Stone Tower Gallery. The show features the park’s resident artists and instructors, plus invited artists, with works in glass, ceramics, photography, painting, jewelry, holiday ornaments and more. The Popcorn Gallery will be open extended hours throughout the holiday season, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 20. The gallery also will be open until 10 p.m. Dec. 15 for the partnership’s annual Winter’s Eve event. The gallery will be closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. More information is at www.glenechopark. org.
POLICE BLOTTER
Complete report at www.gazette.net The following is a summary of incidents in the Bethesda area to which Montgomery County police responded recently. The words “arrested” and “charged” do not imply guilt. This information was provided by the county.
Commercial burglary • Between Nov. 2 and Nov. 3, Brookville Pharmacy, 7025 Brookville Road, Chevy Chase. Forced entry; property taken. • Nov. 1 at about 8:40 a.m., National Institutes of Health, 6011 Executive Blvd., North Bethesda. Forced entry; nothing taken. • Oct. 28 at 11:45 p.m., Knowles Apothecary, 10400 Conn., Kensington. Forced entry; property taken. • Between Nov. 3 and Nov. 4, First Clinic, 9800 Falls Road, Potomac. Forced entry; property taken. Commercial robbery • Nov. 2 at 5:45 a.m., CVS, 6917 Arlington Road, Bethesda. Subject threatened victim with a weapon and fled. Aggravated assault • Nov. 1 at about 12:15 a.m., 7600 block of Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda. Subjects assaulted victim after a dispute and fled. Vehicle break-ins • Nov. 3 and Nov. 4., Nothing taken from two unlocked vehicles on Sleaford Road and Chestnut Street in Bethesda.