Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2007
Residents and planners will talk about the future of the Garrett Park Estates Recreation Center at 7 p.m., Tuesday, at Garrett Park Elementary School, 4810 Oxford Street, Kensington.
The center has housed the Garrett Park Nursery School for 50 years, and residents are concerned that the Montgomery County Parks Department is planning to tear down the 59-year-old building.
County Councilwoman Nancy M. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park arranged for the meeting.
In an e-mail, she said officials from Montgomery County Public Schools and the parks department will be on hand to answer questions about the current situation as well as considerations for the future.
According to a June report, the center was one of five in Garrett Park, Kensington and Bethesda that could be torn down or transferred to another county agency.
‘‘It is important to note that this is the first of several community meetings and that no decisions have been made yet regarding the park building used by the nursery school,” Floreen wrote in the e-mail. ‘‘It is very important to me and to the agencies involved to work with you to find the best solutions for everyone involved.”
For more information on the meeting, contact Floreen at Councilmember.Floreen@montgomerycountymd.gov.
Kensington Heights Citizens Association annual meeting
The Kensington Heights Citizens Association annual meeting is a busy one for the neighborhood. The state of Kensington and Wheaton roads, storm drains and other infrastructure will be the first topic discussed, before an election for the association officers for 2007-08.
The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 2 at Stephen Knolls School, 10731 St. Margaret’s Way, Kensington.
The president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer positions are up for grabs, according to an association newsletter.
While some current officeholders are eligible to and will likely run for re-election, new officers are always needed and welcome.
The association is an active organization that encourages broad community participation. In the past year it has held two general meetings and a summer picnic at Kensington Heights Park.
For candidate registration information, contact Jane Folsom at 301-942-6918 orjanefolsom@yahoo.com.
Tutoring opportunities
The Ken-Gar neighborhood program, SPARK – Students Practicing And Respecting Knowledge – is recruiting volunteer tutors.
Each so-called ‘‘sparkplug” makes a three-month commitment to volunteer once a week from 6:30-8 p.m. on the most convenient weekday.
SPARK is based at the Ken-Gar Community Center, 4111 Plyers Mill Road, Kensington, and an orientation and training session will be held Sept. 27, for those who want to tutor a student in grades three through five.
Register in advance for the training session by contacting Karen Jackson-Knight at 301-942-3514 or sparktutor@hotmail.com.
Elsewhere in the county, the Literacy Council of Montgomery County needs volunteers to tutor English students.
The council, founded in 1963, is a private, nonprofit dedicated to helping county residents learn to speak, read, write and understand English. There are more than 200 people on a waiting list for a tutor.
Volunteers tutor one-on-one or small groups of students who live or work in the county, and the council provides the necessary training.
Tutors meet for one hour, twice a week for six months at the time and place of their choosing.
For more information, call 301-610-0030 or e-mail asoka@literacycouncilmcmd.org
Kensington residentsracing for their schools
The 14th annual Kensington 8K Race, 2-Mile Challenge and 1K Fun Run begins at 6:30 a.m. Sept. 29 at Kensington Town Hall, 3710 Mitchell St.
Proceeds from the races benefit Kensington Parkwood Elementary School, North Bethesda Middle School and Walter Johnson High School.
Registration and packet pick-up will be held in the Town Hall from noon to 9 p.m. Sept. 28 and from 6:30-8:15 a.m. on race day.
Each race begins at Warner Circle, winds through Rock Creek Park and finishes near the Town Hall.
The 2-Mile Challenge begins at 7:45 a.m., the wheelchair start for the 8K is at 8:25 a.m., the rest of the 8K runners begin at 8:30 a.m. and the Fun Run starts at 8:35 a.m.
Prior to Sept. 26, registration fees will be $20 for the 8K, $12 for the 2-Mile and $10 for the Fun Run. From Sept. 26 through race day, registration fees will be $26 for the 8K, $15 for the 2-Mile and $12 for the Fun Run.
A family package that includes five race T-shirts is $65 prior to Sept. 26 and $75 from Sept. 26 through race day.
For more information about the race, visit www.kensington8k.org or Jenny Smith, race organizer, at jenny.kensington@verizon.net.
This column is for you. Share your good news! Feel free to send press releases and news tips. Contact Patrick Dunne via e-mail at pdunne@gazette.net, phone at 301-280-3005, fax at 301-670-7183, or snail mail at 1200 Quince Orchard Blvd., Gaithersburg, MD 20878.
