Silver Spring Advisory Board Welcomes David Dise to November Meeting

Members of the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board convened in the on Monday, Nov. 15 to discuss a number of community-related issues, including the reuse of the Silver Spring Library and 3rd District Police facilities, proposed curfew legislation and the concerns of attending local residents.

Silver Spring Library and 3rd Police District: Montgomery County Department of General Services Director David Dise attended the meeting to explain how the future use of the soon-to-be-vacated Silver Spring Library and 3rd District Police facilities is determined. Dise explained that many groups (including his own) have expressed interest in the library location, but has heard little to no discussion about the police station.

Both locations will undergo “disposition,” a four-stage process where Dise and his office will:

1. Look at the existing master plan for the area to see what the designated use/intention of the property is;
2. Determine if there are county-wide public uses (county departments that need temporary facilities, or municipal public uses such as a park, bus depot or school)
3. Potentially offer the space for “quasi-public” use by a group like the YMCA that does a lot for the public with private funding, or
4. Initiate a Request for Proposal (RFP) from private companies.

Board members, community residents and Dise discussed the pros and cons of repurposing one of the spaces as a youth center and that the police office could house county Health and Human Services employees displaced by construction at 8818 Georgia Avenue, which ultimately may be more suitable for a youth center due to its proximity to existing recreational facilities at Woodside Park.

Additionally, Dise was asked about the RFP for the usage of Veterans Plaza () as well as the expected opening date of the Paul Sarbanes Transit Center. Dise believes that the RFP for the Plaza will be out next week, with a decision as early as January and looks for the Transit Center’s ribbon cutting ceremony to occur in March.

Curfew Legislation: The board briefly discussed its letter to County Executive Isiah Leggett regarding the proposed curfew, and Leggett’s email response. The October 15 letter neither supports nor rejects the idea of a curfew; rather it requests that Leggett and the county council broaden the scope of their discussion to include other youth-related issues. Leggett’s October 24 electronic reply acknowledged the board’s position and offered thanks for their input.

Community Comments: Bob Colvin, president of the East Silver Spring Citizen’s Association raised concerns about numerous local trees being lost to invasive plants, and informed the board of the association’s desire to amend the special exception granted to United Therapeutics to allow for pedestrian access to the adjacent Woodside neighborhood.

The next Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for December 12 at the Silver Spring Civic Building located at One Veterans Place. All meetings are open to the public.