Proposed MoCo law would require home sellers to test for radon

Montgomery County would require home sellers to test for radon, and supply those test results to the prospective buyer of the home, if a new County Council bill is passed. Bill 31-15 is sponsored by Councilmember Craig Rice (D - Upcounty), and is scheduled to be introduced during today's Council session.

The bill would also require the seller to furnish the buyer with an estimate of what it would cost to remediate any radon contamination present in the home. Homeowners would have to use a testing kit approved by the director of the County Department of Environmental Protection. That test would have to be conducted less than one year before the home's sale contract is signed.

Montgomery Village master plan community meeting July 7

The Montgomery County Planning Department will be holding its final MV Matters community meeting on Tuesday, July 7, to solicit feedback from residents on its Montgomery Village master plan staff recommendations. That working master plan draft will go before the Montgomery County Planning Board on July 23. The July 7 community meeting will begin at 7:00 PM at Montgomery Village Middle School at 19300 Watkins Mill Road.

A public hearing on the final master plan draft is tentatively scheduled for the September 10 Planning Board meeting.

To review the documents from the master plan process so far, visit the Montgomery Village Master Plan website.

Montgomery County-funded health initiative to reward students with sugary Starbucks drinks

Healthy Montgomery, a Montgomery County Government initiative co-chaired by County Council President George Leventhal (D-At-Large) and largely funded by taxpayers, was chartered to "improve the health and well-being of Montgomery County residents." Among its primary stated goals are the reduction of diabetes and obesity.

So you might be surprised to find that Healthy Montgomery plans to reward county students with gift cards for sugary, fat-filled drinks at Starbucks.

County high school students are invited to a Healthy Montgomery-sponsored "community conversation" at Suburban Hospital on May 21, to "discuss what they think about health and the quality of life in Montgomery County." For attending, the event announcement says, the students will be rewarded with a free "$5 Starbucks drink card". They'll also get a Chipotle gift card.

The most popular Starbucks drinks are loaded with sugar, and are often high in fat, as well. Many have more grams of sugar than the often-demonized 12 oz. Coca-Cola. They certainly exceed the recommended daily intake of sugar.

Chipotle isn't exactly health food, either. The average order at Chipotle comes in at around 1,070 calories, 75% of the recommended daily intake of saturated fat, and a whopping nearly-2,400 milligrams of sodium.

This is not only hypocrisy at taxpayer expense, but absurd when one considers Council President Leventhal's longstanding crusade against fast food restaurants in the county.

In 2008, Leventhal was quoted as saying, "school policies should support parents, and not let junk-food marketers go around parents’ backs directly to young children." Yet, the Healthy Montgomery initiative he co-chairs is literally going around parents' backs, and delivering Starbucks and Chipotle marketing and food "directly to young children." "It’s incredible, the extent to which our kids are subjected to [fast food] advertising," Leventhal told an audience of students and parents in 2007.

Sure, you can absolutely order healthy food and drinks at Starbucks and Chipotle. But you can at McDonald's and Wendy's, as well. Leventhal memorably took a publicity stunt trip to Wendy's, remarking on the nutritional content of the Baconator. He didn't mention that Wendy's also offers a line of salads and baked potatoes that are far healthier than the average Starbucks or Chipotle order.

The county just added new taxes on electronic cigarettes and Airbnb. And as Bill Turque writes in the Washington Post, the just-approved County budget increases spending by about $90 million, and your property tax bill "will tick upward slightly." A new property tax increase is being floated for next year's budget. And a majority of the Council voted to keep the Energy Tax the same, despite having promised to eliminate the massive increase it passed in 2010 in 2012. They lied to taxpayers. Period.

It's amazing that residents will be paying more and new taxes, under a new county budget that is bigger than last year's, and yet there is somehow money left for escapades such as this.

2-alarm Kentlands fire sends 5 firefighters to hospital (Photos)

A fire in the Kentlands caused some scary moments for firefighters, as a section of the burning home's roof collapsed while they fought the heavy, 2-alarm blaze. Five firefighters were sent to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, and no burns, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer said. The ambulance trips were primarily as a precaution, he said, to give them a full evaluation.

Firefighters arrived on the scene early this morning to find heavy fire at the 2-story home on Leekes Lot Way. The home's occupant managed to escape, Piringer said. A firefighter mayday was called during the battle when the roof portion collapsed, but all personnel were accounted for, he reported.

Piringer cited the chimney as the source of the fire, and that spread to the wood-shingled roof, attic and second floor. He noted that firefighters utilized master stream devices in tackling this fire.

Damage is estimated at $800,000.

Photos by Pete Piringer @mcfrsPIO on Twitter

Celebrate Damascus Parade 2015 set for July 10

The 14th annual Celebrate Damascus Parade has been scheduled for Friday, July 10 at 7:00, in the town of Damascus. Expect to see fire and rescue vehicles from the Damascus Volunteer Fire Department and surrounding jurisdiction, vintage cars and big trucks, and a variety of local businesses and community organizations in the parade.

An impressive fireworks display (I've been there before) will follow at the DVFD Activities Building on Lewis Drive, where there will also be food and entertainment. The parade will follow Ridge Road from Damascus High School, and then turn left onto Lewis. You can set up chairs along the route.

This year's theme is World of Disney.

MoCo Councilmembers to county hospitals: Stop using pesticides

George Leventhal

The Montgomery County Council has yet to pass a controversial bill that would limit the use of many common pesticides on lawns, athletic fields and public green spaces in the county. But Councilmembers Roger Berliner (D-District 1) and George Leventhal (D-At-Large) are twisting the arms of hospitals in the county, asking them to cease using pesticides now. The councilmen sent executives of those hospitals a letter Monday.

Roger Berliner

“We are writing today to ask that hospitals in our County assume a leading role in increasing awareness of the health concerns regarding pesticides by voluntarily agreeing to eliminate their use on hospital grounds,” wrote Councilmembers Leventhal and Berliner. “As you know, in 2013, Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park ceased using insecticides or herbicides in advance of the Takoma Park City Council passing its ordinance restricting pesticide use. We believe it is time for every hospital to take a similar stance.” 

According to County Council spokesperson Neil Greenburger, the recipients of the letter were Terry Forde, the President and CEO of Adventist Healthcare; Gene Green, President of Suburban Hospital; Peter Monge, President of MedStar Montgomery Medical Center; Kevin Sexton, President and CEO of Holy Cross Health; and Kurt Newman, President of Children’s National Health System. 

Leventhal is currently President of the Council, Chairman of the Council's Health and Human Services Committee, and is the lead sponsor of the pesticide bill.

Here is the complete text of the letter:

May 11, 2015 

As you may be aware, the Montgomery County Council is currently considering a range of measures that would, if adopted, significantly reduce the use of pesticides in our County. This effort is driven in large part by concerns that have been raised by the medical community about the potential negative impacts of exposure to pesticides on human health. 

There are strong signals from leading medical professionals that there is a fundamental need to reduce the amount of pesticides to which individuals are exposed. In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics found that 

“Children encounter pesticides daily and have unique susceptibilities to their potential toxicity. Acute poisoning risks are clear, and understanding of chronic health implications from both acute and chronic exposure are emerging. Epidemiologic evidence demonstrates associations between early life exposure to pesticides and pediatric cancers, decreased cognitive function and behavioral problems.” 

Earlier this year, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that glyphosate, a commonly used pesticide, was “probably carcinogenic.” 

We are writing today to ask that hospitals in our County assume a leading role in increasing awareness of the health concerns regarding pesticides by voluntarily agreeing to eliminate their use on hospital grounds. As you know, in 2013, Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park ceased using insecticides or herbicides in advance of the Takoma Park City Council passing its ordinance restricting pesticide use. We believe it is time for every hospital to take a similar stance. 

Regardless of how broader questions about pesticide regulation are resolved by our Council, your taking this step would help to reduce pesticide exposure for some of our most vulnerable residents, and more broadly, would increase awareness in our community as to its potential harmful effects. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your response. 

Photo of Leventhal: Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row

Photo of Berliner courtesy of County Council website

Gaithersburg house fire causes over $15,000 in damage (Photo)

Improperly-discarded smoking materials caused a rear deck in Gaithersburg to catch fire Sunday, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer said. The fire began to spread from the deck before MCFRS personnel extinguished it, and the damage is estimated at over $15,000.

No one was injured in the blaze on Hidden Field Drive, but firefighters did replace 2 smoke detectors in the home.

Photo by Pete Piringer