The Silver Spring Urban District Advisory Committee, which is made up of eleven members representing businesses small and large, developers and local community members, held their first meeting of 2011 Thursday evening in the Ellsworth Room at the Silver Spring Civic Building. The committee’s two-hour long agenda focused on Department of General Services projects, Discovery Communication’s proposed security updates to their public spaces, an update on how the Civic Building has fared in its seven month existence and general Silver Spring business updates.

Department of General Services Project Updates

Donald Scheuerman, Chief, Project Management Section, Montgomery County, Department of General Services, Division of Building Design and Construction updated the committee on three key Silver Spring projects:

• Plans to move the 3^rd District Police Station to the intersection of Colesville Road and New Hampshire Avenue are progressing. Scheuerman is hopeful that the project will be completed on or about January 1, 2013.

• The Paul S. Sarbanes Silver Spring Transit Center will feature three levels – the top will features taxis and a “Kiss and Ride,” while the other two are devoted to busses.

• The relocation of utilities around the Silver Spring Library continues, with workers specifically trying to alleviate noise impact through things like negating the need for the OSHA-required vehicle back-up beeping noise by using flagmen. Construction of the actual building is scheduled for Spring 2012.

Some committee members raised concerns that the “final” renderings of the building’s exterior were not debated enough in public.

Discovery Communications’ Public Spaces

Mark Parsons of Discovery’s Facilities group gave a brief presentation on the company’s plans to improve the security of the outdoor and first-floor public spaces, plus the publicly visible child care facility in the wake of the September 2010 hostage situation. Plans include higher fences, increased lobby security following in the footsteps of the Silver Spring Advisory Board, the Urban District Advisory Committee voted unanimously to craft a letter to the Montgomery County Planning Board supporting the proposed changes.

Silver Spring Civic Center and General Downtown Silver Spring Business

Civic Center manager Gwen Haney reported that while the building is being used and booking fees are generating decent income ($85,000) since the building opened in July, many residents are asking “what’s in the building for us?” Haney referred to a flyer which is readily available the front desk that lists a litany of activities each month, including language classes, movies and drama classes for kids. She also was pleased to announce that the Center would shortly host its first Bar Mitzvah and wedding receptions.

Lt. Robert Carter fielded a number of questions regarding 2010 crime statistics for Silver Spring (the 2010 statistics are not yet available) but he reported that the entire National Capital region is experiencing a rise in residential burglaries.

Jennifer Nettles reported on the growth of the FreshFarm Market on Ellsworth, which now features 22 vendors. She also stated that Ellsworth Street is one of the few areas experiencing double-digit retail growth.

The Silver Spring Urban District Advisory Committee meets the third Thursday of each month at the Civic Building, One Veterans Place, and the meeting is open to the public. You can contact the Silver Spring Regional Center Office for further information (301)565-7300.