T H E G AZ ET T E
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LOCAL A new chapter in Gaithersburg
County executive urges caution on budget n
As plan takes shape, Leggett says county can’t return to ‘spending as usual’ BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Gaithersburg’s Kenya (left), 8, and Rakai Wilson, 6, read Saturday in the children’s collections area of Gaithersburg’s newly renovated library branch. After waiting more than three years, the community came together Saturday to celebrate the reopening of the newly renovated and expanded Gaithersburg library. The grand reopening event, at 18330 Montgomery Village Ave., began with opening remarks from library manager Kay Bowman and County Executive Isiah Leggett. Face painting, storytelling and musical performances also helped to
usher in a new era for the library. The celebration marked the end of a $25.6 million major renovation project. The 33,700-square-foot structure was expanded by adding 22,200 square feet on the main level and 7,900 square feet on a partial second floor. The library had been closed since May 2010. Construction began in December 2011. — JENN DAVIS
Montgomery County needs to be cautious in its fiscal 2015 operating budget despite its improved financial state, County Executive Isiah Leggett told residents at a forum Monday night in Germantown. The meeting at Germantown’s BlackRock Center for the Arts drew about 30 residents. It was the first of five that Leggett plans to hold around the county in January to get feedback on the budget before he submits it to the County Council on March 17. The council must pass a budget by the end of May. The next fiscal year starts July 1. The county’s revenue projections are up and its fiscal situation is “far better off than we’ve been in a very long time,” Leggett said. But as the county emerges from the recession, it must be careful to not return to “spending as usual,” creating unsustainable budgets in coming years if the economy suffers another downturn, he said. During the height of the recession, Montgomery furloughed employees and eliminated about 10 percent of its workforce, Leggett said. It also eliminated cost-of-living adjustments and merit pay increases for other workers for several years, he said. “No one did as much, and no one did as long, as we did,” Leggett said.
He said he doesn’t expect the county to add back the nearly 10 percent of jobs that were cut, but the county would likely make “strategic” replacements, including police, fire and rescue personnel and library and transit positions. Leggett told the residents they won’t see huge increases in the county budget because he doesn’t want to move too fast in adding back costs that were cut during the recession. He said he aims to keep the county’s fiscal position sustainable, and avoid any “wild gyrations” that would result in cuts in future years. Gaithersburg resident Bruce Goldensen asked if there was any way for the county to refinance payment on its debt service, which took up about $309 million of the county’s fiscal 2014 budget of $4.8 billion, and reduce the yearly amount it must pay. The county occasionally refinances, Leggett said, but it can be “a very difficult proposition.” He said he believes the county’s AAA bond rating allows it to borrow at the best possible rates, but the county’s Finance Department will continue to make sure that happens. Mike Griffin of Germantown asked Leggett about his vision for how the county will continue to care for senior citizens and others who rely on county services. Leggett said he’d like to at least maintain the level of funding in the existing budget or possibly start restoring services to the Department of Health and Human Services and other areas that have had major reductions in recent years. Health and Human Services re-
BUDGET FORUMS Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) will hold four more public forums for residents to provide input into priorities for the county’s fiscal 2015 operating budget. The forums are scheduled as follows:
n Monday at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda. n Jan. 16 at the Eastern Montgomery Regional Services Center, 3300 Briggs Chaney Road, Silver Spring. n Jan. 27 at the Mid-County Community Recreation Center, 2004 Queensguard Road, Silver Spring. n Jan. 29 at the Silver Spring Civic Building, 1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring. All four events are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
ceived $193 million in the fiscal 2014 budget, according to a presentation by county staff Monday night. But Leggett said increases depend on revenues increasing, so he won’t rush to restore services. Nearly half of the county’s budget goes to funding Montgomery County Public Schools, with more than $2 billion allocated in fiscal 2014. The next highest areas of spending were public safety, debt service, general government and other functions, and Montgomery College, with a combined allocation of about $1.4 billion. rmarshall@gazette.net
Sandy Spring Museum hires folklorist to embark on regional field study BY
TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER
The Sandy Spring Museum has hired folklorist Emily Hilliard to conduct a field survey of the Sandy Spring area to document local folk traditions. The project is supported in part by a grant from Maryland Traditions, a program of the Maryland State Arts Council. Hilliard said she previously worked with Maryland Traditions and was excited when she saw the job posting for Sandy Spring, as field studies are the “bread and butter” of folklorists. In addition to the $5,000 grant from the arts council, the remainder of funding for the six-month project came from a $2,500 grant from the Maryland Hu-
manities Council. “Folk life traditions are creative expressions embedded in a community,” said Hilliard, who has a master’s degree in folklore from the University of North Carolina. “They can include foodways, storytelling, faith-based expression, clothing — any existing or emerging traditions that are shared by a group of people.” Allison Weiss, the museum’s executive director, said the study is a part of the museum’s strategic plan created last year. Its purpose is to better document the history and living traditions of Sandy Spring. “The museum’s membership doesn’t reflect the community as a whole,” she said. “There are 140,000 people living around here, and 50 percent of those are non-Hispanic white. Our membership is skewed, since it is predominantly Caucasians over age 65.
“Other than Quakers and AfricanAmericans, we don’t really have relationships built with other groups of people, such as Indian and Muslim,” she said. “We want to try, through this folk life study, to reach out to different groups.” Weiss said the community has changed greatly since the museum was established in 1980. “We want to make sure that the museum collects everyone’s history — people with deep roots in Sandy Spring and people who moved here more recently,” she said. Weiss said the information gathered would also help the museum determine programming. “We don’t want to create programming and hope that people show up; we want groups to create their own programming,” she said. The survey will include all ar-
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Obituary
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Hugh Montgomery Rabbitt, passed away on December 22, 2013. A memorial service will be held on January 18, 2014, 11am at the Rockville Christian Church, 301 Adclare Road, Rockville, Maryland.
James William Hale, 90, of Germantown, MD, passed away on Dec. 29, 2013. He was the husband of the late Florence Kasaba Hale, father of Cynthia Hale, Patricia Hale-Segura (Mike), James Hale Jr. and Gloria Hale (Robert), brother of Clarence Hale (Renie) and Mary Hale Pope, 4 grandchildren, Jon Elkaim (Erin), Jill Elkaim, Andie Segura and Tristan Hale, one great grandchild Ethan Elkaim. Proceeded in death by a daughter Olivia Elkaim(David), two sisters Garnette Kiebler (Kelvin) and Maxine Edwards. James was a member of the Iron Workers Union, Local #5, Washington DC. The family received friends on Thursday, Jan. 2, from 6-8 pm at Hilton Funeral Home, 22111 Beallsville Rd., Barnesville, MD (hiltonfh.com). A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Friday Jan. 3 at St. Frances Cabrini Church, 585 Mt. Olivet Rd, Carverton, PA. Interment followed in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Carverton, PA.
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You were tragically taken from us one year ago. We can’t forget your smile, your beautiful blue eyes and your love of life. We love you and miss you. You live on forever in our hearts.
mation, but we also want to document what Sandy Spring looks like now.” Once the interviews are completed, Hilliard will compile a report to share with the museum and the state. Eventually, some of the materials may become part of a museum exhibit. Hilliard said the process has started slowly. She has already made connections with people in the Sharp Street United Methodist Church choir and Rabbi Ari Sunshine from B’nai Shalom of Olney has put her in touch with an artist who has created mosaics and other artwork at the synagogue. She hopes these connections will lead to others. Those who would like to be interviewed for this project or have questions about what qualifies as “folk life” may contact Hilliard at emilyhilliard@ gmail.com. For more information on the museum, go to www.sandyspringmuseum.org.
Obituary
Obituary
In Loving Memory of Daniel Alain “Dan” Vail March 2, 1993 – January 10, 2013
eas considered part of historic Sandy Spring, which encompasses a 7-mile radius stemming from the Friends Meeting House. During the next five months, Hilliard will identify and conduct oral histories with 20 to 25 traditional artists, such as quilters, musicians and artists, and tradition bearers — those who use and pass down the traditions — among local Quaker, black and new immigrant communities. She will take notes, record their interviews, and take photos and videos as part of the process. “We have a lot of contact information on the Quaker and AfricanAmerican communities, but we are particularly interested in some of the new communities where we haven’t established contacts,” she said. “That will give us a better sense of the community, and a better representation of Sandy Spring. There is a lot of historical infor-
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Museum seeks to connect with changing demographics
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