Gaithersburg’s Hometown Newspaper | Serving Kentlands...

For One Local Family, Proximity is the Best Gift of All

By Brooke Thaler

Some families have to go to great lengths to spend the holi-days together, but for Sally and Tom Marchessault, being with their grandchildren on Christmas is as easy as getting a phone call and putting on their coats.

“We literally call them and say, ‘Zack’s up,’ and in the five min-utes that it takes them to walk over, they can be downstairs

when we get downstairs,” said Corrie Jackson, the Marchessault’s daughter-in-law.

The Marchessaults live on Inspiration Lane, just one block from the Jackson’s house on Lynette Street. Present opening is followed by breakfast cooked by their son, Sean, and later dinner at the Jackson house. Sally and Tom host Christmas Eve dinner, which is held early so that Corrie and Sean can get 4-year-old Zack and 15-month-old Maddie to bed

Crowd Packs CCT Hearing By Krista Brick

A hearing in Gaithersburg on the proposed Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT)

drew a crowd of more than 200 but raised few new issues about the plan.

“We were all surprised by the number of people here, but we ful-ly expected these same issues that are being discussed,” said Rick Kiegel, project manager for the CCT.

The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is tak-ing comment on the plan until Feb. 1, when a preferred mode and alignment will be selected. The

CCT has long been on the books as a way to provide Montgomery County with a mass transit option. The CCT is proposed to run about 16 miles between the Shady Grove Metro station and the COMSAT building in Clarksburg.

Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz testified in support of the CCT, reminding officials that land use approvals have been influenced by the transit project.

“Economic development in the northern portion of the county is largely dependent upon the con-struction of the CCT. The city’s current adopted Transportation

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Gaithersburg’s Hometown Newspaper | Serving Kentlands, Lakelands, Quince Orchard Park and More

Vol. 7, No. 21 www.towncourier.com • Week 3 December 24, 2010

CourierTheToWN

n marchessaults Continued on page 12

n cct hearINGContinued on page 11

High School HoopsSee page 15

City Selling Million Dollar Parcel for $10By Sonya Burke

I n an attempt to spur devel-opment in Olde Towne, the city’s elected leaders have

approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to sell a 1.2-acre site of city-owned property locat-ed at 315 East Diamond Avenue to Olde Towne Development Partners, LLC for $10.

“We need to stimulate things in Olde Towne,” said City Council Member Jud Ashman when asked about the deal. “I’m hopeful.”

As part of the agreement, the city will also fund $1 million of the construction costs associat-ed with the first phase of the site

development. The money will come from a city fund for the Olde Towne Clock Tower/Plaza that currently has over $1.5 mil-lion in it.

The business agreement states the developer will eventually re-

pay the city funding from the net cash flow from all buildings con-structed at the site.

In 1998, the city of Gaithersburg paid $1.4 million for the East

Photo | Phil Fabrizio

Merry CHriStMaShave you been naughty or nice? santa claus visits with local youngsters as the adults document the meetings with photos earlier this month at the Kentlands mansion. he may be bringing some snow with him on Dec. 25 as early weather reports indicate we may be in for a white christmas.

Photo | Clark Day

the city plans to sell this 1.2-acre site in Olde towne to a developer for $10. the city paid $1.4 million for the site in 1998.

Photo | Leisa Ramsey

Front row, from left: maddie, sean and corrie Jackson. Back row, from left: sally marches-sault, Zack Jackson and tom marchessault.

The Gift of GivingBy Claire Fleischer

This year for her birthday, Lakelands resident Marci McCalley decided it would be better to give than to receive, and she invited all her friends and family to join her.

McCalley sent out a request in November, ti-tled “40 for my 40th,” asking for help sponsoring 40 children in the city of Gaithersburg as part of the county’s Holiday Giving Program.

Ultimately, not only did she meet her goal, she exceeded it. So many people wanted to partici-

pate that McCalley, her friends and family mem-bers ended up sponsoring 60 kids.

Gaithersburg’s Holiday Giving Program is a collaboration among the city, area congregations, nonprofit organizations, businesses and individu-als and is coordinated countywide. All referrals to the program come from area county and nonprof-it social workers and Montgomery County Public Schools counselors. The city of Gaithersburg then receives any referrals that come in for city residents.

Sponsors are given the name, age and gender of

n clOcK tOWer PlaZaContinued on page 13

n hOlIDaY GIVING PrOGram Continued on page 12

The Town Courier December 24, 2010

December 24, 2010 The Town Courier

Last-Minute Shopping Close to HomeBy Brooke Thaler

I f you’ve made your list, checked it twice, and realized you have some last-minute Christmas

shopping to do, you better not pout, you better not cry because it’s not as bad as you think. There’s no need to stress about getting to the mall or braving traffic on the Pike with the rest of the late shoppers — you can stay home for the holidays by shop-ping right here in the neighborhood and finding some unique gifts for ev-eryone on your list.

For the wine lover:With four wine stores in Kentlands,

it’s easy to find the perfect bottle of wine, winter-themed beer, or festive champagne at any price. At the Wine Harvest, you can customize a gift bas-ket for the wine lover on your list, or pick up a 2010 bottle of Baujolais Nouveau. Every November, a new bottle is bottled and sold through the holidays — start an annual tradition for your favorite wine enthusiast.

For the health nut:Kentlands Nutrition offers “Gifts of

Health” packages ranging from $8.95 to $27.50. Package themes include Sport and Energy, Immune Boosting and a Teacher Package (which includes a Vitamin C moisture spray and hand sanitizer), or customize your own bas-ket. If your health nut has a sweet tooth (or you need a party dessert), order a fresh protein pumpkin pie for $15.

For the music lover:Pritchard Music Academy cov-

ers everything from stocking stuffers (metronomes, music charm bracelets, magnets, note cards) to less expen-sive instruments (harmonicas, record-ers, ukuleles), to more expensive in-struments (electric and acoustic guitars range from $175 to $650). You can also buy music lessons for all ages, all lev-els and all instruments, including voice lessons.

For the fitness buff: Run to Fleet Feet for a wide vari-

ety of gifts for runners and walkers. Kentlands newcomer Fit to the Core offers gift bags that include differ-ent options for Pilates classes ($29 for group; $49 for private; $79 for both), a massage from Ace Foot Spa (anoth-er newbie, specializing in reflexology)

and a pair of toe socks.

For the pet lover:In addition to everything you could

ever think of for your pet, Bark! offers gifts for humans, too. Select t-shirts for pet lovers are 50 percent off through Christmas, ranging from $8.99 to $12. They also have pet-themed mugs, cards and dog breed car magnets.

For the clean freak: Don’t be afraid to give the gift of a

vacuum cleaner, especially if the one you love loves to clean. Oreck has reg-ular, handheld and car vacuums in ad-dition to steam mops ranging from $79 to $179, a cordless iron for $79, a wide range of cleaning supplies (put a bunch together for a cleaning gift basket), odor absorbing candles for $24.99, and pure air candles for $12.

For the home decorator: If someone you know needs a little

help decorating their home or rear-ranging their furniture, L&M Designs recommends giving them a design consultation ($150 for one hour; $350 for three). L&M can provide help with accessorizing, space planning, or some much-needed inspiration.

spa/salon Packages:A little pampering goes a long way.

You chose from about a dozen salons in the neighborhood and give someone a

By Sonya Burke


members of the Pritchard music academy Brass ensemble warm up before taking the stage at this month’s holiday tree lighting in Kentlands.

christmas closingsWhole Foods Market is closed on Christmas

Day in Kentlands but will be open from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The Kentlands Giant Food store will also not be open for business on Christmas Day, but store officials said the nearby Muddy Branch location will be open on Dec. 25.

Winter Windows WinnerThe Kentlands Downtown Partnership (KDP)

announced at the tree lighting ceremony earli-er this month that Stiles Dentistry is the winner of this year’s “winter windows” storefront design contest. Congratulations!

coffeehouse eventsDon’t forget to check out Chloe’s Coffee on your

winter holiday break. The local hotspot has live music on Fridays and on Wednesdays open micro-phone nights (the signup starts at 7 p.m.). For more information, www.chloescoffee.com/events.

Kentlands DayThe third annual Kentlands Day event is sched-

uled for May 7, and preparations are already un-derway. Registration for vendors is now open, and sponsorships are also available.

New BusinessScottrade has opened an office at 277 Kentlands

Boulevard, Suite 2. The business relocated from Bureau Drive on Dec. 10. For more information, www.scottrade.com.

New BoutiqueThe 525 Boutique opened its doors at 113

Market Street this month. For more information visit www.525Boutique.com.

KDP meetingThe next regular business meeting of the

Kentlands Downtown Partnership (KDP) is scheduled for Jan. 12. New KDP members in-clude Kentlands Psychotherapy and Paired Images. E-mail Paula Ross for more information about at-tending a meeting or getting involved: [email protected].

Send us your Shop Talk at [email protected].

ShoPTALK

n last-mINute shOPPINGContinued on page 11

Gas Wars for the Holidays

By Krista Brick

There’s a new player in town in the gas market, and so far it’s the drivers who are winning the gas wars.

Darnestown Liberty opened its doors at the corner of Darnestown and Quince Orchard roads in November, giving drivers along this route another choice in where to buy their gas.

What they are finding is a per gal-lon rate that is about 10 cents cheaper than their direct competitor, Potomac Valley Shell, located across the street. Although prices in the market vary sometimes daily, a recent check by The Town Courier found a posted price at Liberty of $2.89 per gallon for regu-lar unleaded. Shell’s price was $3.02 for the same gallon just a few steps away.

A short drive to the north on Route 28, the Darnestown Sunoco posted a price of $2.87 per gallon for regular unleaded.

Price-setting in the gas business has most to do with the cost of gas for the station. For name-brand stations like Shell and Exxon, station owners are locked into buying their product from a major distributor who sets that price, according to Lon Anderson, AAA mid-Atlantic spokesman. Independent stations like Liberty are free to shop the market to find the cheapest rates. Sometimes that works to their advan-

tage and sometimes, when speculators drive up the market, it can cost inde-pendents more money per gallon, he said.

Liberty owners Aldo Carbonaro and Alex Diaz said their business plan is to make a profit on volume instead of margin.

“We are volume guys. We try to promote our service bays and conve-nience store. We don’t make as much per gallon of gas, but we have more traffic,” Carbonaro said.

Repeated attempts to contact Shell’s management were unsuccessful.

At the Darnestown Sunoco, manag-er Melbin Dhungel said he’s been given direction to stay 2 cents cheaper than Liberty’s prices. Prior to Liberty’s ap-pearance on the scene, he said prices at his station were 6 to 10 cents lower than the nearby Shell.

“Business is good,” he said. “We have a loyal customer base. Liberty has

helped people look at the competition.”Price, loyalty and brand-specif-

ic credit cards are all reasons drivers choose certain stations, according to Anderson.

“Twelve cents difference seems like a lot of money mentally for people. A couple cents difference doesn’t seem to make them change their station, but 12 cents gets some notice,” Anderson said.

At the Gaithersburg Sunoco locat-ed at 121 Kentlands Boulevard, owner Jarett Minkoff said Liberty’s appear-ance on the market hasn’t affected sales.

“We have a very loyal customer base that enjoys our extremely friendly and helpful staff as well as our first class fa-cilities. We take great pride in being a neighborhood store, and we do every-thing we can to help service the com-munity,” he said.

Statewide, Maryland’s gas prices are about $3.01 per gallon as of December 14. That is up 5 cents from the week prior, and Anderson said that might not be the top of the upward climb. He predicts per gallon prices could hit $3.25 for a brief time. The price jump is coming from speculators pushing up the price of oil futures, he said.

Drivers have gotten used to the $3 per gallon mark, meaning that price doesn’t do much anymore to change driving habits.

“We don’t see a significant change in attitude since we have already been over $4 a gallon. That is when we see people slow down or shop for cheaper gas,” Anderson said.

Photo | Krista Brick

liberty gas station opened its doors last month.

Photo | Brooke Thaler

Joe Pritchard of Pritchard music academy shows off a collection of instruments that make great gifts for the music lover on your list.


Desperate Deal?New real estate agent

needed: The city is qui-etly selling a parcel in Olde Towne for $10 and loaning the buyer a mil-lion dollars (interest free) to construct an office building there. This is the same piece of property the city ac-quired 12 years ago for $1.4 million. Two other nearby city-owned prop-erties sold for over $2 million each in 2006 and 2008, according to a city official.

Impatient DriversImpatient drivers

make the crowded Main Street intersection area near Lakelands Park Middle School truly unsafe for stu-dents. In their quest to save a few sec-onds, drivers are putting students at risk on a daily basis.

the GiversWe salute all the selfless

and energetic volunteers who are always giving their time and talents to area schools and shelters year round and especially now during the holidays.

Giving is the greatest gift of all.

cctThe Corridor Cities

Transitway appears to be gaining momentum and that’s good news for our neighborhoods, which will be benefit greatly by the CCT’s proximity and service once it’s built.

YouThank you for read-

ing The Town Courier and choosing to advertise your services in our communi-ty’s local paper. We have a small staff that is committed to bringing you the big story day after day. You can find us on newsstands, online and in mailbox-es. This free paper wouldn’t be possible without the financial support of the ar-ea’s local businesses that advertise their goods and services on these pages issue after issue. We want to thank our ad-vertisers and our readers for their loy-alty, and we hope the New Year brings us all more prosperous economic times.

309 Main StreetGaithersburg, MD 20878

For Advertising: 301.279.2304Also on the Web at www.towncourier.com.

©2010 Courier CommunicationsThe Town Courier is an independent monthly newspaper providing news and information for the communities of Kentlands, Lakelands and Quince Orchard Park in Gaithersburg, Md. The paper is published by Courier Communications, which is responsible for the form, content and policies of the newspaper. The Town Courier does not espouse any political belief or endorse any product or service in its news coverage. Articles and letters sub-mitted for publication must be signed and may be edited for length or con-tent. The Town Courier is not responsible for any claims made by advertisers Letters to the Editor and Commentary do not necessarily ref lect the views of the staff, management or advertisers of The Town Courier.

Diane Dorney Publisher

301.330.0132 [email protected]

Matt Danielson President


Sonya Burke Managing News Editor

[email protected]

Debi Rosen Advertising Director


Claire Fleischer Copy Editor

Staff Writers Patsy Beckman, Krista

Brick, Nora Caplan Mike Cuthbert,

Betty Hafner Sheilah Kaufman,

Karen O’Keefe

Staff Photographers Clark Day

Phil Fabrizio

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leaders Needed in lakelands

To the Editor, What is going on in Lakelands? The

Dec. 10 Town Courier headline about a Lakelands HOA board member resigna-tion was significant only in the fact that Lakelands has had four individuals (out of a five-person board) step down in 2010. That’s roughly a resignation every quar-ter! As of December, only two of the five seated board members were voted into office by residents, with the majority of members serving as replacements for oth-ers that have resigned.

So, why such a massive turnover? In the Dec. 10 Town Courier article, the board president stated that, “I don’t understand why people can’t follow through on a two-year commitment.” However, the fact that all four left before their terms were up is unprecedented and symptomatic of a larger problem. Let’s face the facts … board meet-ings have been anything but harmonious. In 2010, the board’s inability to function as a team has led to:

• Increased legal fees due to board infight-ing: As of November, Lakelands spent $15,561 on a $6,000 budget. Worse, the

board forecasted that its legal fees will skyrocket to $18,000 by the end of the year, or 300 percent over budget.

• Part of the $4 monthly increase in dues each family will pay beginning in January will cover the budgeted $15,000 legal expense category for 2011, a 250 percent increase over the 2010 budget. So, it looks like we can expect more of the same behavior in 2011.

• Spending residents’ dues on securi-ty guards required to keep the peace at board meetings.

• A drop in volunteers to serve on the various HOA committees. A recent poll on Lakelands.org cited that 76 percent of respondents stated that the actions of the board of directors were a factor in whether or not they would consider serving on a committee.

When committees can’t get volunteers, residents often end up paying for contracted services. Case-in-point, the role of website administrator has been a volunteer position in the past, yet Lakelands budgeted $6,000 in 2011 for this position. That’s the equivalent of the current annual dues for six families!

In summary, the board’s behavior has caused the community embarrassment and cost Lakelands residents money. Having served on the Lakelands board and com-mittees in the past, I’ve never experienced the kind of pettiness and infighting that we’ve become accustomed to now. Board meetings in the past were civilized, and the community had energetic committees and a vibrant social calendar with frequent happy hours, bus trips and numerous fami-ly-oriented events. Lakelands was the envy of other communities. I hope those days aren’t behind us as none of us moved here to see this community become the basis for the next reality television series.

A responsive and proactive board of di-rectors would call a meeting of the com-munity to address these issues, including the mass exodus of board members. A re-sponsive and proactive board of directors would take input from the community and start the process of getting Lakelands head-ed in the right direction.

Jim WakefieldLakelands


When telling a lie Isn’t so Bad …By Robin Ferrier

I n my entire life, I've fibbed dozens of times — usually to be polite or to get out of attending some mind-numbing

social event — but I've only told one re-ally big lie…

Are you on the edge of your seat? Waiting to see what big lie I told? Shocked that I’m ready to reveal something so pri-vate to the world in these pages?

Well, you’ll have to keep waiting, be-cause that opening line isn’t mine and I have no intention of sharing some big se-cret with all of you.

In fact, the line is the brainchild of lo-cal novelist Sarah Pekkanen. She, along with organizers of the Gaithersburg Book Festival, hope it will strike a chord with lo-cal high school students, because this year the Gaithersburg Book Festival is launch-ing a short story contest for high school students, and that is one of three open-ing lines students can use in crafting their stories.

Participation is easy … and free. To enter, you must be a high school student (grades 9 - 12 in the 2010-11 school year) living in Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. Your story has to be 1,000 words or fewer and must start with one of three lines:

• In my entire life, I’ve fibbed dozens of times — usually to be polite or to get out of attending some mind-numbing social event — but I’ve only told one really big lie …

• “Don’t open the box,” my father always told me …

• When I left my parents’ house for good, I took five things with me …

Pekkanen, author of The Opposite of Me (2010) and the forthcoming Skipping a Beat (2011), provided all three opening sentenc-es for the contest. She also participated in last year’s festival and will again be a fea-tured author at the 2011 festival.

The finalists — up to 10 — will get to read their stories to an audience at the

Gaithersburg Book Festival on Saturday, May 21, 2011, held on Gaithersburg City Hall grounds. After the reading, festival officials will announce the winner of the contest, who will receive a $100 gift cer-tificate to Barnes & Noble, provided by the Johns Hopkins Montgomery County Campus.

Other details: Submission deadline: January 31, 2011,

at 5 p.m. Submission method: electroni-cally as a Word document to [email protected]

For further information and to read the complete contest rules, go to www.gaith-ersburgbookfestival.org/writing-contest.htm.

Oh, and for those of you not yet “in the know,” here’s a little more information about the Gaithersburg Book Festival. The event — now in its second year — is an annual, large-scale celebration of the writ-ten word and all things literary. Held out-doors, it features presentations and signings by authors of national and local acclaim, writing workshops, literary exhibitors, book sales, children’s activities, food and a Coffee House featuring poetry readings and music. The inaugural book festival in May 2010 featured 56 presenting authors, including a 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner, a National Book Award winner, a Newbery Medal winner and more than half a dozen national best-selling authors. General ad-mission to the Gaithersburg Book Festival is free.

For more information about the Gaithersburg Book Festival, go to our website, connect with us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter (@GburgBookFest). And stay tuned as we’re about to announce some big national authors who have agreed to participate in the 2011 festival!

Robin Ferrier is the communications manager at the Johns Hopkins Montgomery County

Campus and the chair of the Public Relations Committee for the Gaithersburg Book Festival.

oTher VoiCeS

exp. 12/31/10


CiTYnewS Compiled by Sonya Burke

By Sonya Burke

Mike knapp, the city’s new eco-nomic consultant, toured downtown Kentlands for several hours on Dec. 15 and met several business owners.

The tour began at Chloe’s Coffee where Knapp asked some questions about the history of the Kentlands Downtown Partnership (KDP) and where he wanted to know who owns the roads in the downtown area.

KDP President Paula Ross answered his questions and let Knapp know that Kentlands merchants may not be do-ing as well as some city officials seem to think.

She also led the walking tour, which also included stops at Pritchard’s Music Academy, Chyten and My Gym and concluded at O’Donnells restaurant on Kentlands Boulevard.

Knapp said he learned a lot talk-ing to the Kentlands owners and said he planned to meet with the city’s Planning and Code Administration di-rector the following day to discuss the Kentlands charrette plan.

Also this month, he is expected to in-terview some of the finalists for the city’s new economic development director post and meet with the Olde Towne

THE KNAPP REPORT

Andrews Predicts “Controversial” Budget YearBy Sonya Burke

S tanding at a podium in a room lined with art at the Kentlands Mansion, Montgomery County Council

member Phil Andrews painted a bleak pic-ture and said tough choices would have to be made by the county’s elected lead-ers in order to balance the 2012 fiscal year budget.

Andrews was the keynote speaker at Gaithersburg’s Economic Development Committee’s breakfast meeting on Dec. 17. Sitting alongside the city volunteers were also Mayor Sidney Katz and City Council members Jud Ashman, Cathy Drzyzgula, Henry Marraffa and Michael Sesma.

“It is an understatement to say the coun-ty budget is challenging,” said Andrews, referring to a projected $300 million bud-get gap.

At this time, Andrews said he didn’t be-lieve raising taxes was the prudent thing to do to county residents who are already feeling “squeezed” by other fee and tax in-creases. But he said county spending would have to be reduced to close the gap and bal-ance the budget.

He said local leaders have to change the salary and pension formulas and restructure

county government because increases in the cost of personnel are “unsustainable.”

According to Andrews, 80 percent of the county’s operating budget is spent on salaries with a workforce of 32,000, and two-thirds of those employees work for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).

Andrews said the chance of MCPS Superintendent Jerry Weast’s proposed 2012 budget (which includes a nearly $60 million increase over last year) being ap-proved by county leaders is as likely as the Redskins winning the Super Bowl this year.

He hinted the months ahead would be “controversial” and predicted resis-tance from those affected by any proposed changes.

“We are going to have to reduce the cost per employee, and that is a challenge,” Andrews said. “My goal is to make sure we treat employees fairly and avoid layoffs.”

He said layoffs were “devastating” to employees and would have a negative im-pact on the local economy.

“Our employees do good work, but af-fordability is the issue,” he said.

Andrews has served on the Montgomery County Council since 1998.

Photo | Sonya Burke

montgomery county council member Phil andrews ad-dresses the city’s economic Development committee at the Kentlands mansion on Dec. 17.

n KNaPP rePOrt Continued on page 8


As you begin your holiday shopping, think about all the fantastic specialty stores and

restaurants in your very own neighborhood. These businesses need your support more than ever!

Below is a list of some local favorites.


www.AmyDePreta.com345 Main StreetNorth Potomac, MD 20878301.947.6500 Broker Located in The KENTLANDS!

Our BOUTIQUE approach embraces superior market knowledge while offering VIP quality services. Our

clients deserve the very best!

Amy [email protected]

Patricia Elder240.672.7783

[email protected]

18310 Montgomery Village Avenue, Suite 220 Gaithersburg, MD 20879www.LakeforestTitle.net

301-590-0500 • [email protected]

Advisory Subcommittee. He said early next year he will meet with representatives at the Lake Forest Mall and Washingtonian/Rio.

He is also planning to add some more cli-ents to his company’s portfolio and is in talks with another government and a university among others.

On Nov. 30, Knapp served his final legis-lative day as a Montgomery County Council Member after two terms.

In his closing remarks to residents, staff

and fellow Council members, Knapp said: “Government exists to serve its people, and we should always focus on how to solve their problems, not make things more difficult for them.”

Earlier this fall, the city of Gaithersburg contracted with Knapp’s firm, Orion Ventures, LLC, for economic development consulting services. The city is paying the firm $12,000 per month plus expenses not to exceed $1,250 per month for a base contract maximum of $79,500. Knapp’s work for the city began on Nov. 1; his contract expires on April 30, 2011, although it can be extended by mutual agreement.

n knapp repOrt from page 6

Feet: Meet Your Angels!

Dr. Fraser Dr. Steinberg Dr. Yanes

Frederick Foot and Ankle Specialists, PC. “Official Podiatrists of the Keys.”FMH Urbana, 3430 Worthington Boulevard, Suite 201, Urbana, Maryland, 21704

mynewfeet.com 301.874.2712

“Se habla espanol”


The Park Pages report is a bimonthly means of communicating information of interest to Quince Orchard Park (QOP) residents. It is published by The Town Courier on behalf of the Quince Orchard Park Homeowners Associa-tion. The Park Report does not espouse any political belief or endorse any products or service. Articles and letters must be signed and may be edited for length and content. QOP does not endorse products or services adver-tised herein, nor are they responsible for any claims made by advertisers.

QOP management contact Information:

Quince Orchard Park Community Managers Ruchita Patel/Dante Jofferion

c/o The Management Group Associates, Inc.20440 Century Boulevard, Suite 100Germantown, MD 20874Phone: 301.948.6666Fax: 301.963.3856E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

The ParkPagesNews and Current Events for Quince Orchard Park n E-mail your contributions to: [email protected] n DECEMBER 2010

Meeting and Event Calendar

1/11 QOP Board and HOA, 7 p.m

QOp HeaDLineS

CCT on QOP’s Agenda

The next QOP board meeting is scheduled for Tues-day, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Clubhouse, and Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT) Project Manager Rick Kiegel plans to attend to discuss the important transporta-tion project. Residents should attend to learn more about the upcoming transitway and its impact on QOP. For detailed information on the CCT, visit www.mta.maryland.gov/cct.

Holiday Decorating Contest Winners

The QOP board is pleased to announce the winners of the holiday decorating contest.

Top Three• 1st Place:412 Winter Walk Drive (Lowe's gift card $100)• 2nd Place: 713 Highland Ridge (Lowe's gift card $75)• 3rd Place: 436 Winter Walk Drive (Lowe's gift card $50)

Honorable Mentions to:116 Elmira433, 620, 713 Highland Ridge107, 115, 119, 123, 127, 314 Swanton Lane206 Church Gate411, 441 Winter Walk433, 620 Highland Ridge171, 716, 724 Summer Walk314, 330 Tannery

ManaGeMent MentiOnS

Trash, Recycling and Bulk Pickup

Trash is picked up twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays in QOP, and recycling is collected on Fridays. Remember, residents need to store their garbage and recycling bins out of sight on the other days of the week. Recycling bins can be obtained by calling the city’s Public Works Department at 301.258.6370. Bulk items are collected by city crews on the first recycling day of the month.

Welcome New Neighbors:

Julien Pierru and Tara Terndrup, 55 Swanton Mews #200, 11/4/10

Quince Orchard Park Snow Removal Responsibilities

In order to avoid any confusion this winter regarding snow removal, please note the following information regarding snow removal contacts and responsibilities:

Sidewalks

Except for condominium residents, all homeowners are responsible for shoveling the sidewalks that run parallel to the roadway directly in front or to the side of their property. In Gaithersburg, property owners are responsible for remov-ing snow from sidewalks immediately fronting or abutting the property. This should be done within 12 hours of the last precipitation.

Unless mentioned above, Quince Orchard Park Com-munity Association is responsible for shoveling all sidewalks that run parallel to the roadways that are not directly in front of or next to homes.

Quince Orchard Park Community Association shovels the sidewalks that run parallel to Orchard Ridge Drive (only those sections that are adjacent to the community).

Parking

People who live off of alleys: Please do not park cars in the alley as they block the snowplows and prevent them from

properly clearing the pavement. Until the snow is plowed, park in the garage, if possible.

People who use the on street parking: Please try to use the cutout parking spaces only, and don’t park parallel to the curb, if possible. Snowplows have a hard time maneuvering around cars parked along the curb, which usually results in only one lane of traffic being cleared. In addition, cars parked along the curb can be plowed in.

Everyone: Please don’t shovel snow back into the alley or streets after they have been plowed. Move the snow to the grass.

Need Help with Shoveling?

The Montgomery County Volunteer Center activates a matching system during snow emergencies for the elderly and disabled. To volunteer or to be put on a list for assis-tance, call the center at 240.777.2600.

City Snow Removal

For more information about the city’s snow removal op-erations, visit the Department of Public Works page on the city’s website at www.gaithersburgmd.gov.

nOn-COnDOMiniUM StreetS anD aLLeyS

Area Entity Responsible for Snow Removal

Contact Information

Clubhouse parking lot and sidewalks Quince Orchard Park Community Association

TMGA, 301.948.6666

Alleys off of Winter Walk Drive

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Quince Orchard Park Community Association

TMGA, 301.948.6666

Highland Ridge Mews Quince Orchard Park Community Association

TMGA, 301.948.6666

Elmira Mews Quince Orchard Park Community Association

TMGA, 301.948.6666

All streets and parking spaces except those described above

City of Gaithersburg, Dept. of Public Works

301.258.6370

COnDOMiniUM StreetS, aLLeyS anD priVate prOperty

Area Entity Responsible for Snow Removal

Contact Information

All Condominium drives and alleys QOP I and QOP II Main Street Property Management, 240.632.0001

All Condominium lead walks (sidewalks leading to front entry doors)

QOP I and QOP II Main Street Property Management, 240.632.0001

Sidewalks on both sides of Mill Green Avenue that are parallel to buildings and in front of parking spaces

QOP I Main Street Property Management, 240.632.0001

All property interior (within Condominium) sidewalks and walkways including those leading to mailboxes

QOP I and QOP II Main Street Property Management, 240.632.0001

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Quince Orchard Park Community Association

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resident George mulholland (right), who opposed the loss of the open field near his home for the reforestation project, checks out the progress.

the Big DigIt was below freezing weather for Public

Works Department crews tasked with re-moving hundreds of trees and shrubs from the frozen ground in the West Riding com-munity on Dec. 15. Approximately 200 plants from the city’s reforestation project were dug up as part of a compromise with residents. Public Works crews said they are trying to protect the root balls of the trees and shrubs in hopes they can be relocated elsewhere in the spring.

ashman Named VPThe Gaithersburg City Council elected

Jud Ashman to a one-year term as vice presi-dent on Dec. 6.

“Serving the residents of Gaithersburg is both a great joy and honor,” said Ashman. “I am immensely grateful for the opportunity.”

By Gaithersburg City Code, the Council

annually elects a vice president from among its members. The vice president acts as pres-ident in the absence of the president and is entitled to vote on any decision by the Council. The mayor serves as president of the Council. As such, the mayor takes part in discussions but does not vote on matters before the Council.

New city committeeThe city elected leaders appointed 13 vol-

unteers to the Celebrate Gaithersburg in Olde Towne Street Festival Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on Dec. 6. The appointments include: Marilyn Balcombe, Chuck Blessing Jr., Shaun Curtis, Robert Fischer, Adam Greenberg, Fares Hassan, Marjorie Lane, Yvette D. Monroe, Cho Ortega, Paul Poto, Paula Ross, Tom Rowse and Kenneth D. Weiss.

Committee members will review the overall scope of the festival and recommend enhancements for future events. Volunteers will also be asked to assist with identifying and securing cash and in-kind sponsors, pub-lic relations and promotion using a variety of media, volunteer recruitment and manage-ment, program layout and development, and vendor recruitment and registration. The advisory committee’s first meeting is set for Jan. 11 at 8 a.m.

economic Development DirectorDeputy City Manager Tony Tomasello re-

ports the list of candidates for the newly cre-ated economic development director job has

been narrowed down to four. He said some of the finalists will be touring Gaithersburg during the week of Dec. 19 and that the city’s economic development consultant, Mike Knapp, would also be meeting with them. According to Tomasello, many of the candidates have spent their whole careers working in economic development, and he reported at a recent economic development breakfast that some of them have said they are willing to make changes and sacrifices to live in Montgomery County for the schools and culture.

city hosts holiday receptionDespite freezing temperatures and a lit-

tle snow, the city of Gaithersburg host-

ed its “Annual Incubator Tenant Holiday Reception” at the Shady Grove Innovation Center (9700 Great Seneca Highway) from 5–6:30 p.m. on Dec. 16.

Deputy City Manager Tony Tomasello said between 30 – 40 attended the event, which is fewer than in the past. He said the party costs “a couple thousand dollars” but that it’s always worthwhile for the contacts that can be made. The city’s elected leaders were in-vited to the event as well as the city’s eco-nomic development committee. Tomasello was there, and he said City Council mem-bers Henry Marraffa and Michael Sesma at-tended as well as City Manager Angel Jones and five committee members.

inSiDe CiTY hALL Compiled by Sonya Burke

ryder recognized

Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz and Kentlands Community Foundation (KCF) Chair John Schlichting recog-nized Bridget Ryder at the Dec. 6 City Council meet-ing for her work as the former executive director of the KCF. Ryder, who left the KCF after seven years to pursue another career, said she would always be a volunteer.

Photo | City of Gaithersburg

Photo | Sonya Burke


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Element, Kentland’s Commercial District Master plan and the Montgomery County’s Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan anticipate the proposed realignments and construction of the CCT as necessary por-tions of their respective elements,” he said.

Katz said the city prefers the light rail op-tion over the bus rapid transit, which would include a dedicated lane. According to CCT studies, the light rail option with new align-ments would cost about $1 billion. Bus rapid transit along the same route is estimated at about half that amount.

Lakelands Board President Andy Inkeles also testified at the hearing, presenting the results of a community survey that favors the CCT and its alignment along the Kentlands and Lakelands side of Great Seneca Highway. He said Lakelands residents are concerned about how the community’s main entrance off Great Seneca Highway onto Lakelands Drive would be affected and how the addi-tional right-of-way required would impact Lake Varuna.

Inkeles also called for a transit stop at the entrance to Lakelands to encourage its usage. As proposed, the plan calls for a stop behind Lowe’s Home Improvement in Kentlands.

Kentlands resident Neil Harris testified at the meeting, saying he hopes the MTA se-lects the light rail option.

“In this upper socioeconomic area you need to build something people will actual-ly use. They will use train over bus,” he said.

Kentlands resident Dee Aronson spoke in favor of a CCT that transverses through the Kentlands community, a move that would make the transit line user-friendly for com-munity members.

“I would urge that reconsideration be given to having the CCT routed through Kentlands so that the many people who … commute to their downtown jobs on Metro will be encouraged to use it routinely,” she said.

Rockville’s Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio said city officials support a mass transit alterna-tive for Montgomery County but cautioned against closing pedestrian-friendly pathways in King Farm. The CCT alignment un-der consideration literally slices King Farm in half, following King Farm Boulevard through the community.

“The three alternative alignments in the supplemental environment assessment are not located within the Rockville city lim-its; however, we stress the importance of considering all environmental impact of the project on the city as it moves forward,” she said.

King Farm residents made up most of the speakers at the Dec. 15 public hearing in Gaithersburg, voicing an opinion in favor of the CCT but against the alignment through that community. Residents were concerned that the CCT would limit access east and west through the development and would create noise pollution from the rail system.

A recently released environmental impact study showed the CCT had minimal envi-ronmental impact on the area.

n CCt HearinG from page 1

Shaare torah Celebrates HanukkahBy Brooke Thaler

Shaare Torah was bustling with festiv-ities during its annual Hanukkah Party.

More than 100 people attended the party, which featured lots of fun activi-ties for kids of all ages including arts and crafts, storytelling, latkes, donuts, face painting, Menorah lighting and songs.

On Christmas Eve the Shaare Torah Social Action Committee will host its First Responder Appreciation event. Families are invited to bake treats and deliver baskets of goodies to local police and fire stations for the first responders who work during the holidays.

If you are interested in this opportu-

nity to thank our first responders please RSVP to [email protected]. Kids are welcome.

Photo | Submitted by Ken Beecher

rachel carson first graders Jordan Beecher and allison udler celebrate hanukkah at shaare torah. Jordan, 7, said of the event, “my favorite parts were the magic show, arts and crafts, and face painting.”

treatment of their choice, but don’t forget about gift baskets of hair and skin products.

For her:If she loves clothes, jewelry and acces-

sories, Clover and Lipstick Lounge are good spots for the latest trends. Because Lipstick Lounge is a consignment store, you can find great bargains. Used jewelry starts at $10 but can include precious finds like an 18-karat gold Cartier bracelet for $250. They also sell new jewelry — Kentlands jewelry designer Tish Moody is one of their top sellers. The

same goes for accessories — you can find a $20 Coach purse or splurge on a hard-to-find Chanel bag for $850.

While you’re grocery shopping:If you’re running into Giant for holiday

meal ingredients, you can stop in the toy aisle for last-minute kids’ gifts. If you’re shopping at Whole Foods, they carry or-ganic clothing and gifts for babies through adults.

Don’t forget the gift cards: While you’re out, pick up a gift card to

their favorite neighborhood restaurant, mov-ie tickets, dry cleaning, coffee, dance lessons, classes for Mom and baby, or ice cream.

n LaSt-MinUte SHOppinG from page 3


before Santa arrives. This set-up is a welcome surprise

for Sean, who grew up in the nearby Westleigh neighborhood and always trav-eled to Boston to visit his grandparents for the holidays. He figured he would some-day be living out of town, bringing his kids back home to Maryland to visit his parents. But after attending college near his grand-parents in Boston, meeting Corrie, and liv-ing there for 12 years, it was his wife who decided she wanted to be close to family and asked that Sean’s job search to be fo-cused on the D.C.-area so they could live near Tom and Sally. Corrie grew up down the street from her own grandparents in New York.

“It’s amazing to be this close to home. The ability to watch my kids grow up — it’s a gift I can give my parents,” said Sean.

When Corrie and Sean lived in Boston, they could walk to everything and found that to be one of the appealing parts of Kentlands, where Sally and Tom had been living since 1998. The Jacksons stayed with the Marchessaults for about three months

before moving into a townhouse on Gatestone Street, where they lived for sev-en years. This past summer, they bought a single-family home on Lynette Street, just a block away from Sean’s parents.

“The bonus was that we were closer to town, and closer to my in-laws,” said Corrie.

“We’re overjoyed,” said Sally, who, along with Tom, helps drive the kids to their two separate daycares each morning. “It’s the best beginning of my day, to have one of them in the backseat.”

Corrie said many of her friends gawk when they find out she lives a block from her mother-in-law, but she knows how lucky she is to have such a respectful, lov-ing relationship with her. “She’s always very respectful of our space and our time. They are great in-laws and it’s so nice to be close to them,” she said.

“I consider her the daughter I never had,” said Sally. “She’s a wonderful moth-er and very generous with my grandchil-dren. It’s just a magical gift that we’re very grateful for. There aren’t really words to describe how fortunate we feel to be part of their everyday family and for them to be a part of ours.”

n MarCHeSSaULtS from page 1

a child, along with a clothing size. General guidelines are to purchase a minimum of three to four clothing items and two to three toys.

The McCalley family has participated in the program for seven years, always spon-soring at least two children.

“We usually ask to sponsor kids who are my girls’ ages, and then if they have siblings, we’ll sponsor them, too,” said McCalley. “Having a name, age and size helps you realize there is a real person out there that you are helping.”

McCalley and her husband, Patrick, in-corporate the program into their Hanukkah celebration with their children, Melissa, 8, and Alison, 6.

“One night during Hanukkah, we don’t get presents, we only give presents to [Holiday Giving Program] kids,” said Melissa. “We like to give to kids who don’t get presents on Christmas.”

On Dec. 9, McCalley held a “wrapping party.” Both kids and adults attended, dec-orating bags and wrapping presents, and at the end of the evening, the McCalley’s liv-ing room was piled high with bags ready for delivery.

Sam Neal, 9, came with his mom and two younger sisters. “It’s fun that you get to pick presents for other kids, and they probably will enjoy playing with them,” he said. “They deserve it.”

“It’s nice to give other people things they don’t have so they can enjoy Christmas,” said Carter France, 8, who also attended with his mom.

This year the Gaithersburg program served close to 2,000 city children from 990 city families in several ways. Children in about 300 of these families were spon-sored by area congregations, individuals, and groups like McCalley’s. About 600 families were invited to a large distribu-tion of toys, Target gift cards and family

fun stockings, and many singles and seniors were mailed gift cards.

Isabella Artino, 8, enjoyed being able to give presents to others. “To me it feels like it makes the holiday brighter,” said Isabella. “It makes the holiday special.”

McCalley said almost 50 families partici-pated in her group effort. And while orga-nizing the project turned out to be a lot of work, she said she can’t describe how great the feeling was when she took the contri-butions in to the drop-off locations.

“It was so amazing to trek in to the par-ent resource center with two car loads, and the look on the face of the woman in charge was priceless. She was so touched, and when she found out this is what I did for my birthday she was speechless,” she said. “It made all of the craziness of mak-ing this happen worth every second. It was the best birthday gift ever!”

Collection will begin for the 17th Annual City of Gaithersburg Holiday Giving Program in September 2011 for Thanksgiving and the December hol-idays. For more information, con-tact Gaithersburg Community Services Program Manager Maureen Herndon at 301.258.6395.

n HOLiDay GiVinG prOGraM from page 1

Photo | Claire Fleischer

clockwise from top left: Patrick, marci, alison and melissa mccalley pose with gifts collected for the city's holiday Giving Program.


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Diamond Avenue parcel to Sydney and Doris Fishman, according to state tax records. The city collected rents there for years. Today, the commercial property is assessed at over $1.8 million but is exempt from taxes be-cause it is owned by the city.

“I’m aware of the property assessment, but it is really a moot point as it is not on the tax rolls,” said Deputy City Manager Tony Tomasello. “Part of this strategy is to get it back on.”

Tomasello negotiated the current devel-opment deal along with Planning and Code Administration Director Greg Ossont. According to Tomasello, staff was instructed by the city’s elected leaders to get a deal done for the property “quickly” after it had lin-gered so many years with no redevelopment.

The winning developer is the team of Chad Tyler of Tyler Donegan Real Estate and Frank Priznar of Prizim, who have formed Olde Towne Development Partners, LLC, Tomasello said.

He said the team plans to develop quickly and already have a tenant, Priznar’s compa-ny, Prizim, for some of the 60,000-square-feet of office and retail space.

Tomasello would not identify the five other developers interviewed for the de-velopment opportunity. Although he said the future office building will be similar to the Lakelands Office Building, he said the Natelli development firm was not one of the developers interviewed.

“The Mayor and Council authorized us-

ing a direct solicitation process and have been kept informed throughout,” said Tomasello. “The original group was solicited directly by myself and Greg. I can’t disclose the oth-er groups at this time because if I can’t get a deal done with the current group, I am able to approach the second, then third and so on. It is not in our best negotiating interest to disclose yet.”

Tomasello did confirm that the city has sold two similar and nearby parcels in Olde Towne to local developers over the last few years for millions of dollars. He said the for-

mer teen center site was sold to Archstone for $2.1 million in 2008 and another city-owned parcel was sold to Bozzuto on March 31, 2006 also for $2.1 million.

Still, City Council Member Henry Marraffa said he trusts staff is doing the right thing with this sale.

“They didn’t go get their brother-in-law and cousin,” said Marraffa. “Who are we going to get to come to Olde Towne? Developers aren’t knocking down our door to come to Olde Towne.”

That doesn’t mean Marraffa is entirely

thrilled with the deal. He said the Council did not know all the details, and he is insis-tent that a clock be part of the façade even though it is not mentioned in the formal agreement.

“That clock will be on the building if I have anything to do about it,” Marraffa said.

“I don’t want anything that is going to slow this project down in any way,” said City Council Member Cathy Drzyzgula at the Dec. 6 Council meeting. “If it fits in and doesn’t take one day more, that’s fine.”

n CLOCk tOWer pLaZa from page 1 priZiM prOfiLe

By Sonya Burke

Frank Priznar founded his environ-mental management consulting compa-ny, PRIZIM Inc. in 1996. He chose Olde Towne for his office and, since opening his doors, has quickly grown his business.

“I’ve been blessed with a large backlog of work,” Priznar said. “[Current] space won’t contain us.”

Priznar is now partnering with Chad Tyler of Tyler Donegan Real Estate Services to build a new office building at 315 East Diamond Avenue, which is right next door to his current leased office space at 317 East Diamond Avenue.

“I’m excited about staying,” Priznar said. “I prefer to stay in Olde Towne. I feel connected to the community.”

Priznar is also excited to be working

with Tyler, who has experience in devel-opment. Priznar admits he is not an ex-perienced developer but said he will be involved in making sure the new office building is “green.”

He is not sure how long the office proj-ect may take to build but said, “the soon-er the better,” because his company needs more space to keep growing.

According to Priznar, he employs about three dozen staffers now and he is hiring more next year.

“Our plan for next year is to hire 10 to 20 people,” he said.

His employees are environmental man-agement consultants who give advice on sustainability, greening and energy, and he has people working for him across the country. He describes his staffers as peo-ple who are engineers and policy analysts with good communication skills. Their salaries can range from the late $30,000

for candidates coming out of college to the $100,000+ range for a principal.

He said his work policies are liberal and many of his staffers work from home or are on the road traveling to meet with clients. They do come together for collaboration at their Gaithersburg headquarters, he said.

His company was profiled by Washingtonian magazine in 2007 in its best place to work issue. He and his staff have received many other awards for out-standing performance and leadership such as the Alliance for Workplace Excellence EcoLeadership Award in 2009, The Wall Street Journal’s winning workplace in 2007 and 2008, and Environmental Business Journal’s Best Environmental Firm in the United States in 2008.

For more information about PRIZIM’s services and career opportunities, visit the company’s website at www.prizim-inc.com.


ArounD TownCompiled by Sonya Burke

colonnade Petitions Pepco and cityThe developer and 125 Colonnade resi-

dents are petitioning the city of Gaithersburg and Pepco to have the power lines to the newest Kentlands community upgraded.

“In the last snowstorm in 2010, the entire project was without power for days, and this situation seems to be reoccurring,” wrote Rami Rosen, on behalf of the developer Elad National Properties, in a letter dated Nov. 22. “Elad currently owns over 60 units in this project, and we feel that this issue must be addressed ASAP by the Pepco.”

In a follow-up letter to a Colonnade resi-dent on Dec. 9, Mayor Sidney Katz wrote the city “takes these matters very seriously.”

“The city understands the repercussions of repeated outages, and we have directed the city staff to work with Pepco and make this issue a top priority,” said Katz.

Young leaderCassie Koch, 11, of

Kentlands has been nominated to at-tend the National Young Leaders State Conference in Washington, D.C., this spring. She was nominated by her school’s vice princi-pal for her “scholastic merit, maturity and responsibility to rep-resent Maryland at this unique program for

exceptional young leaders.” Cassie is in sixth grade at The Barnesville School.

lakelands Board appointmentsThe Lakelands Community Association

board of directors appointed George Reinhart and Jake Zimmerman to fill va-cant board positions in November and December.

Both terms expire in November 2011.The Lakelands board now includes Andy

Inkeles, president; Mike Aubrey, vice pres-ident; Linda Wiesman, treasurer; George Reinhart, secretary; and Jake Zimmerman, director.

sze marches in macy’s Day ParadeRachel Sze, 16, a junior at Quince

Orchard High School, marched in the Macy’s Day Parade last month.

The QOHS junior was chosen to repre-sent the state of Maryland in Macy’s Great American Marching Band (MGAMB) on the basis of her music resume. She has been a member of the QOHS Marching Cougars for three years and drum major in 2010. Sze has been chosen for six consecutive years for the Montgomery County All County Honors Band and four consecutive years for the Maryland All State Honors Band, and she is a graduate of George N. Parks Drum Major Academy in summer 2010.

Her principal instrument is the euphoni-um (a low brass instrument); however, she also plays trombone, piano, trumpet, string bass and bass guitar.

She is the daughter of John and Deborah Sze of Gaithersburg.

cassie Koch


By Mike Cuthbert and Teddy Meyers

Girls’ BasketballWithout two of their top players, the

Lady Cougar season got off to a mixed start with a record of 2-2 in the first four games. Torie Ziadie had the flu and returned by the third game; Mimi Niktash, the team’s leading rebounder, was sidelined with a torn meniscus and other knee damage and remains a question mark.

After an overtime loss to Richard Montgomery, 67-64, the Cougars re-bounded with a comfortable win over Rockville, 59-26. Sophomore Morgan Turner debuted as a varsity starter by lead-ing QO in scoring in two of the four games with senior Leah Dagen notching 34 against Rockville and senior Danielle Witherspoon leading them in the fourth.

Against Northwood, with Ziadie back, the Cougars won 45-33 even though shooting poorly. The poor shooting and lack of height killed them in a spirited loss to Wootton and 6-foot-5 Gabby Flinchum, 46-36.

Traveled to Gaithersburg to face the Metro eighth-ranked Trojans, the Lady Cougars dropped that game to the Trojans, 67-56. The girls fought back hard during the fourth quarter, coming back from 25 down to come as close as eight points. The comeback was led by Dagen, who had four 3s. Dagen had support behind the arc from seniors Danielle Witherspoon and Mollie Murtaugh, who both made two 3s.

QO had an unusual non-conference game scheduled with Jewish Day School as well as their first varsity-varsity double header with the boys’ team in the pre-Christmas week.

Boys’ BasketballAs promised, the Cougars are much

more physical than previous QO teams and proved it in four early victories.

Junior Myck Miller started his first

varsity game at home against Richard Montgomery and led all QO scorers with 18 in a 66-49 win. At Rockville a huge rebounding edge of 34-14 made the 55-39 victory inevitable, but Coach Paul Foringer showed concern over the con-tinuing number of QO turnovers — 20 in the first game, 21 against Rockville. Miller again led QO scorers with 17.

Foringer is clearly not going to use as many players as in past years. He used sev-en or eight players in early games, which fortunately did not demand depth.

Facing their first real challenge of the new season, the boys won 51-48 against the Wootton Patriots in a tight game that came down to the last shot. Senior Andre Gaines came up with a crucial free throw to put the Cougars up by three with 17 sec-onds left in the game. Wootton tried to put the ball in the hands of their hot 3-point shooter, senior John Gillick, but even he couldn’t get off a clean shot. Seniors Gaines and Ben Kelly led the team to victory, both scoring 16 points. Senior Kennie Mennie was the next highest scorer with a total of

only six points from a couple of 3s.QO’s lack of depth was demonstrated in

a big way against Gaithersburg’s Trojans; the result was the team’s first loss of the sea-son, 52-51. Miller suffered an injury to his thumb and wrist in the Wootton game se-vere enough to put him in a cast, and Alex Twine was off playing in the football Crab Bowl. The subs gave it a shot but ran out of gas at the end, and Gaithersburg won it in the third quarter, outscoring the Cougars by one. A 3 by Gunnar Dillon late in the game secured the win for the Trojans and was enough to give them a four-point mar-gin that Joey Fierstein sliced to one with a heave at the buzzer.

“We missed them desperately,” said Foringer of his two missing players. “In the end, we missed some wide open shots, we missed a layup. … We played well enough to win, and we didn’t make the plays we had to make at the end.”

Gaines had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and reserve Joey Portney played his best game of the year, knocking down 10 points and six re-bounds. Good games were played by Zack Johnson and Ben Kelly as well.

WrestlingThe QO wrestling team opened its sea-

son in the Magruder Mats tournament. The Cougars wrestled hard in the two-day event, placing seventh overall.

Beginning their divisional season with a 60-24 win against the Watkins Mill Wolverines, the Cougars proved what kind of team they are after losing a couple strong wrestlers last year, including Reed Neubaum, the team’s best individual re-cord holder. His younger brother, junior Gage Neubaum, looks to end up beating that record. Neubaum wrestled well, win-ning his match with a pin, as did junior Eli Bienstock.

Out of the 14 individual matches, all of which ended in pins, the Cougars won 10, giving the team a total of six points and helping the Cougars on their way to a team victory.

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3 Degrees in Exercise Physiology 2 from Syracuse and a Masters from UVA

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Gaithersburg & Chevy Chase

[email protected]: (315) 292-0468

SPorTShigh School

SPORTS SHORTS


Point guard myck miller (#1) drives against Wootton in QO's fourth game of the season. the cougars won, 51-48.


7 Booth Street, #410COLONNADE • $270,000

SOLD in 7 DaysFor More Than List Price

113 Massbury StreetKENTLANDS • $605,000

(O) 301.469.4700

Anyone can Lista House, But Elaine

is SELLING Them!EXPERIENCE YOU CAN TRUST. 301.840.7320

[email protected]

VIEW THESE AND ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL LISTINGS AT:

www.ElaineKoch.com

635 Gatestone StreetLAKELANDS • $482,500

SOLD96% of List Price

SOLD in 4 Days!

315A Cross Green StreetLAKELANDS • $339,500

SOLD in 7 Days!

76 Golden Ash WayLAKELANDS • $470,000


55 Swanton Mews #200QUINCE ORCHARD • $359,900

SOLD in 8 Days


For Sale!2 Parking Spaces

7 Booth Street #205COLONNADE • $224,900


SOLDFor More Than List Price


Found the Buyer

15 Swanton Mews #100QUINCE ORCHARD • $345,000

Found the Buyer


Found the Buyer

309 Booth StreetKENTLANDS • $537,000

Found the Buyer

314 Tschiffely Square RoadKENTLANDS • $725,000

Under Contract2 Bedroom Condo

162 Kendrick Place #24KENTLANDS • $239,900

Just Listed!

116 Ridgepoint PlaceKENTLANDS

SOLDFor More Than List Price

725 Chestertown StreetKENTLANDS • $560,000

Over 100 Homes SOLD in Kentlands & Lakelands Over a Decade of Sales and Experience in our Community

FREE Market Analysis • FREE Home Staging Consultation by Elaine, a Certified Home Stager

FORECLOSURE

Gaithersburg’s Hometown Newspaper | Serving Kentlands...

Documents

Transcript of Gaithersburg’s Hometown Newspaper | Serving Kentlands...