THE GAZETTE
Wednesday, January 22, 2014 p
WSSC asking for 6 percent increase in water, sewer rates Higher charge in budget proposal would take effect July 1 n
BY MARGIE HYSLOP SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE
Water and sewer rates in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties would increase by 6 percent under a budget proposal issued last week by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. If approved, the rate hike would add about $4.47 per month, or $13.41 per quarter, to what the utility would charge a typical customer, beginning July 1, based on household usage of about 210 gallons of water daily. The rate hike follows a 7.25 percent increase last year, preceded by rate increases ranging from 9 percent to 7.5 percent between 2012 and 2008 and from 6.5 percent to 2.5 percent between 2007 and 2004. Before that, WSSC rates did not increase for six years, following a belt-tightening at the public utility after lawmakers pushed for moving more of the utility’s work to the private sector in the mid-1990s. The $1.33 billion budget plan presented to the WSSC commissioners last week is 7.5 percent lower than the $1.44 billion approved for this budget year, which ends June 30. The proposal for the budget that begins July 1 includes more than $625 million in capital spending and more than $707 million in operating costs. Most of the overall 15.7 percent decrease in the capital budget would come from the completion of major improvements in sewage treatment technologies. That includes enhanced nutrient removal at WSSC plants. It also includes,
at the regional Blue Plains facility in Washington, D.C., anaerobic digestion processes that reduce sewage solids and generate electricity. A 1.2 percent increase in the operating budget would come from a more than $3 million increase in salaries and wages, a nearly $2 million increase in the utility’s share for the cost of operating Blue Plains and a $14.86 million increase in costs for “other” expenses. That would be offset by an almost $10.5 million decrease in debt service — loan repayment — costs and a projected more than $1 million decrease in costs for heat, light and power. “My question is: Is the increase enough to prevent major water pipes from exploding and enough to prevent sewers from backing up into people’s homes and pouring into streams?” said Larry Silverman, a lawyer and environmental advocate. “My concern is: Is the County Council is going to try to cut that budget?” Silverman said. The proposed 6 percent combined increase in water and sewer rates is at the limit that Montgomery and Prince George’s counties agreed on in setting spending affordability guidelines late last year. Three commissioners from each of the two counties make up the utility’s governing board. They will review, and can change, their staff’s budget proposal before they vote on it and send it to the two counties’ executives, which they are required to do by March 1. “There’s a good chance it [the rate increase] will come in at 6 percent,” said WSSC Chairman Gene Counihan of Montgomery County on Jan. 15. Cutbacks and no rate increases for several years have
led to “a lot of maintenance issues to be addressed [and] we have a bigger system to maintain,” Counihan said. After a spate of sub-zero temperatures in the first week of January, the utility has suffered 394 water main and pipe leaks and breaks so far this year. As of Jan. 21, five of those ruptures still needed to be repaired, WSSC spokesman Jerry Irvine wrote in an email. The rehabilitation of 60 miles of water mains, house connections, meters and vaults is included in the budget, according to WSSC documents, as well as increased funding for reconstruction and monitoring. Counihan said the commissioners are concerned about the ability of low-income customers to pay the higher rates. That concern has led the utility to ask the legislature to allow it to create a program to provide cost relief to low-income customers, he said. A work group examining the utility’s rate structure is expected to issue findings and recommendations in late April or May. The report might generate a lot of community discussion, Counihan said. The WSSC will hold a public hearing on the budget proposal at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 5 at the County Council building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. The utility also will hold a public hearing on the budget Feb. 6 at 1400 McCormick Drive in Largo. By March 15, the budget proposal goes to the county councils. The Montgomery and Prince George’s county councils must come to an agreement and approve a budget for the WSSC by June 1 or the budget approved by the WSSC commissioners is adopted.
Woman to serve 18 months for her role in hitman case n
Called plot’s ‘mastermind’ BY ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH STAFF WRITER
A Montgomery Village woman was ordered last week to spend 18 months in jail after she was acquitted of trying to hire a hitman to kill her son’s father, but convicted of a lesser charge. Luisa Paiz, 34, of Wedge Way, was initially charged with attempted first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit murder and assault. Prosecutors alleged that Paiz, who was in the Army, tried to hire a fellow soldier with whom she served in Afghanistan to kill Santiago Perez. “You have paid mightily,” Montgomery County Circuit Judge Cheryl A. McCally said as she imposed sentence: six years with all but 18 months suspended, plus three years probation. During a trial, prosecutors said Paiz paid a fellow serviceman to travel to Gaithersburg to kill the father of her child. In October, a jury acquitted her of the murder charges, instead convicting her of conspiracy to commit assault and assault. Assistant State’s Attorney Mark Anderson said Paiz paid Khiry Blue, her co-defendant, $5,000 to travel to Maryland while on leave and attack Perez. Blue, 22, pleaded guilty in August to attempted first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree assault and conspiracy to commit assault. He was sentenced in November to 10 years in prison, along with three years of probation. During Paiz’s trial, prosecutors painted a portrait of a woman who was deeply angry at Perez under the pressures of being deployed in Afghanistan and dealing with a nasty dispute with Perez over their teenage son as motives for her actions. “She truly was the mastermind of this crime and she deserves to be punished,” he said. Anderson said Blue traveled from Texas, waited for Perez outside his Gaithersburg home and
forced him into a wooded area behind his house, where he tried to choke him to death in 2012. Paiz’s lawyers disputed that she actually wanted Perez dead. “We never believed there was evidence to support that charge,” said Tom Degonia, one of her lawyers. In court, Paiz apologized for what she did, which she said cost her a great career and kept her away from her two children.
Obituary Marie B. Dinsmore (Age 82) Died peacefully in her sleep on January 16, 2014 in Bethesda, MD. Loving mother to Edwin W. Dinsmore of Rockville, MD and Martin B. Dinsmore and his wife Lisa, of Damascus, MD. Devoted grandmother to Megan, Brady, Connor and Brinkley Dinsmore. Preceded in death by her dear husband, Edwin A. Dinsmore and devoted companion, Raymond Vorndran. A memorial mass will be celebrated at 11:00 am on Friday, January 24, 2014 at St Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic Church, 9525 Old Georgetown Rd. Bethesda, MD with a Remembrance Luncheon to follow at Maplewood Park Place. In lieu of flowers, the family request that donations be made to The American Diabetes Association or The American Heart Association in her name. 1906356
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Residents oppose plans for development In Lakelands, homeowners worry about traffic, location near highway entrance n
BY JENN DAVIS STAFF WRITER
Gaithersburg resident Robin Tolin purchased her home in the Lakelands neighborhood because of its proximity to the lake, but she’s worried her backyard view will include more than just picturesque scenery. The Lakelands Homeowners Association held a community meeting Jan. 15 to discuss the fate of a 3-acre parcel at the intersection of Great Seneca Highway and Lakelands Drive. Classic Community Corp. owns the land. The development firm’s co-owner, Steve Eckert, told residents that preliminary plans are underway to construct a Patient First medical center and a mixed-use professional building to be operated by Johns Hopkins on the site. Patient First centers offer primary care and urgent care services on a walk-in basis from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Hopkins hopes to provide specialized care, such as orthopedics and radiology, in the office building.
The proposed facility includes two one-story buildings and a parking lot, with an entrance off Lakelands Drive. “I thought it was an intriguing concept,” said Eckert, one of the developers of Lakelands. When development of the community began in 1998, the land was zoned for commercial use as a restaurant, according to Eckert. A new location of Clyde’s was supposed to be built there, but the company chose a different location in Rockville after deciding the Lakelands parcel was not large enough. Another challenge of the project, according to Eckert, is taking into account the future path of the Corridor Cities Transitway that will run on Great Seneca Highway beside the new facilities. Development plans have to include a 50-foot right-of-way for the rapid bus transit line. Increased traffic flow at the intersection of Great Seneca Highway and Lakelands Drive was one of the most prominent concerns. Bill Joyce of Joyce Engineering Corp. in Beltsville said Patient First believes its new facility will add eight to 10 vehicles per hour to traffic patterns. Residents said the intersection is already difficult to cross and congested at peak times. “The worst thing is the traf-
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fic,” Tolin said. “It’s dangerous. It’s going to be so dangerous.” “It’s going to be hard to get in and out the neighborhood,” resident Lisa Schrier said. Schrier also said she does not think the community needs an urgent care facility since several are nearby. “I have no problem finding a doctor when my kids are sick at night,” she said. “I just don’t see the need for it.” Lakelands resident Bernadette DeFontes-Curry said she’s concerned the development will detract from the bucolic vibe of the community. “I like the feeling, the openness when I drive in,” she said. “It’s called the Lakelands for a reason.” Marcie Benjamin said she opposes development on that parcel, but she would rather see a PatientFirstofficeinsteadofother options, such as a restaurant. “I’m not a proponent of destroying our green space,” she said. “But if we have to have development, I want high-salaried jobs coming in here. I don’t want a bunch of minimumwage jobs coming in.” Eckert said those working on the project have informally met with the city of Gaithersburg, and hope to formally submit plans soon. If the project is approved, construction is expected to last about seven months.
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