Montgomery Parks To Eliminate Dog Park Permit Fee

County dogs will soon be able to frolic for free at the department's five public dog parks.

County dog owners have one more gift coming their way this holiday season, courtesy the Montgomery County Department of Parks – the annual $40 dog park permit fee is no more. The fee, which was instituted in July 2010, may have been keeping some dog owners away from the department’s five dog parks, said parks spokeswoman Melissa Chotiner. While parks officials don’t have numbers indicating use of the parks has declined, “anecdotally, we were hearing from park managers saying they were noticing the use has gone down since the permit fee was started,” Chotiner said. The fee will be eliminated effective in January, and the department will look into ways to make up the lost revenue, according to a parks statement. The fee was unpopular among …

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Carroll Knolls Park Coming to Georgia Avenue

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission acquired the land that was formerly home to the Maryland College of Art and Design.

A new park is coming to the stretch of Georgia Avenue between Wheaton and Forest Glen. The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission announced Thursday that it had acquired a 2.47 acre plot of land on the west side of Georgia Avenue to create the new Carroll Knolls Local Park. The site was previously owned by the Montgomery College Foundation, Inc., and formerly home to the Maryland College of Art and Design (MCAD). The land was acquired through the department’s Legacy Open Space Program for $1,140,000. An additional 1.2 acres will be incorporated into the park with the anticipated donation of an adjacent lot and the incorporation of several undeveloped road rights-of-way, resulting in a new local park almost four acres in …

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Pocket Parks Don’t Work in Downtown Silver Spring

Wasted space in our downtown needs to be a thing of the past.

  One of the top requests of Silver Spring residents is green, public space. The controversy over the loss of the artificial turf where the Silver Spring Civic Building now resides was one symptom of a greater need that is not being met. At first glance, downtown Silver Spring seems to have plenty of public gathering space. Virtually every block has some kind of sitting area and a tree or two on it. Every new development that is added to our downtown area must include a public amenity and often that is a small “pocket park” on a corner with seating and usually some type of art element such as a tall sculpture. They are empty at most times of day aside from being used as cut-through paths for pedestrians and dog walkers. Clearly, they are …

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White Knuckle Parenting: Wheaton Regional Playground—Terrific or Terrifying?

My family finally got a chance to check out Wheaton Regional's renovated playground. My kids had a blast. I had a panic attack.

  Let's talk about Wheaton Regional Park, shall we? Now, I know that the renovated playground over there opened at the end of September, but I didn't get a chance to visit with my kids until a couple of weeks ago.  The first thing I want to say is that my kids had a blast. There are giant slides, a climbing mound, swings, a climbing web, plentiful sand, and more than enough playground equipment to keep my three children happy for hours.  I, on the other hand, nearly had a panic attack. The playground seemed intentionally designed to help kids escape from their parents. For instance, there is a giant, fenced, raised boardwalk bisecting the playground. Its sole purpose seems to be to obstruct parents' view of their kids and to provide child-…

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Parking Space Became Park-land in Downtown Silver Spring

A “complete street” provides safe areas for cyclists and pedestrians.

If you were in downtown Silver Spring around lunchtime last Friday, Sept. 16, and were desperately searching for a parking space on the street, you may have noticed there were fewer spots open on Ellsworth Drive between Fenton and Cedar streets. These spots were taken over by the Montgomery County Planning Department to present a “Complete Streets” concept as part of International Parking Day. Park(ing) Day is a movement that is six years old and is an event held in over 180 cities and 30 countries around the world. It temporarily transforms metered parking spaces in urban centers into public parks and other social spaces to engage, educate, or entertain the community. The point is to show alternatives to cars and asphalt for public street…

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Pamela Silver Spring

2:37 pm on Saturday, September 24, 2011

The site of this event was immediately adjacent to a large and user-friendly parking garage which is almost never full above the 4th floor. Temporarily closing off a dozen or so street parking spots in this area shouldn't inconvenience anyone.   more ›

No Training Wheels Required

It's Too Hot To Play Outside

One mother's goal of more outside play this summer isn't fairing well.

Before school let out, I had a lofty goal: visit a new-to-us park each week. I have failed miserably. I thought by giving myself that goal we would enjoy more outdoor play. As an apartment dweller, I don’t have the luxury of a backyard. I can’t just open the back door and let the kids run through sprinklers, dig in the dirt and chase each other through the grass. It takes a little more effort. I pack snacks, cold water and sunblock. Then I chase Lil J around with clean clothes until I can capture him and dress him. After prodding Little Miss S for 10 minutes to brush her teeth, I find that she still isn’t dressed. Next is the trick of getting myself dressed before the kids tackle me onto the bed. All this has to happen at least an hour …

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Thien-Kim Lam

11:04 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Thanks for the reassurance. I do feel guilty for keeping them inside so much!   more ›

Viewfinder: Parks and Recreation

East County has a lot of great parks and places to enjoy some get some exercise.

Viewfinder is a weekly photo gallery of East County. Submit your pics, too!

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