SILVER SPRING SPEAKS

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

A SILVER SPRING REGION WALKING ADVENTURE

A SILVER SPRING REGION WALKING ADVENTURE

Welcome to this journey!

Our Silver Spring Region is generally bounded by Rock Creek to the West, Prince George County to the East, Washington D.C. to the South, and the Beltway to the North, wrapping around the Four Corners neighborhoods.

I am challenging myself to walk most all streets in this Region. To accomplish this, I've divided the Region in 8 similarly sized quadrants and walked through and /or around all of them. I've now begun going back to each quadrant and trying to walk most streets. This will take at least 3 walks per quadrant, each of approximately 4-6 miles.

I am using the app MapMyWalk and will try to add links to each route indicated within each quadrant. I will also add occasional thoughts and observations.

The first observation is that our Region has so much to see when you walk! The diversity of housing type, street ambiance, trails, and commercial areas is truly amazing... Maybe someday in the future I will go back and add pictures. But for now, let's walk!

Update:

[1] The Bethesda Magazine did an article on this adventure. You can find it at:

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/news/rodriguez-sets-out-to-explore-many-miles-of-silver-spring-by-foot/

[2] A Blair High School student also did a short video highlighting the walks. You can find it at:

https://youtu.be/wBSxgSrNxf4

Also:

If during your walks you are looking for a bench, there's an app for that! A map showing benches throughout the County is now live.https://empoweringtheages.org/wheres-my-bench/

NOTE: This journey was started late July. By late October, most streets were covered with a walk - except those in downtown, which are customarily walked for other pleasurable purposes.

REGIONAL AREA

QUADRANTS

QUADRANT 1 (four routes)

QUADRANT 2 (three routes)

QUADRANT 3 (two routes)

QUADRANT 4 (three routes)

QUADRANT 5 (four routes, plus an extra one)

QUADRANT 6 (four routes)

QUADRANT 7 (five routes)

QUADRANT 8 (four routes)

COMPOSITE OF ALL WALKS (Except downtown)

This topic has been on my mind a long, long time. In today's world emphasizing pedestrian safety is a must. For some historical fun, look at some past blog postings on this topic:

Where One Mile Will Get You in Silver Spring (April 2010)

http://silverspringspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/04/where-one-mile-will-get-you-in-silver.html

Walking and Biking in Silver Spring (October 2011)

https://silverspringspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/10/walking-and-biking-around-silver-spring.html

Sustainability and Walkability - and Placemaking - in Silver Spring (October 2013)

https://silverspringspeaks.blogspot.com/2013/10/sustainability-walkability-and.html

Top Five Challenges to Pedestrians in Silver Spring (April, 2013)

https://silverspringspeaks.blogspot.com/2013/04/top-five-challenges-to-pedestrians-in.html

Saturday, July 18, 2020

My heart aches. My tears flow. I mourn. Two men who helped shape my core values passed away yesterday.

My heart aches. My tears flow. I mourn.

Two men who helped shape my core values passed away yesterday. One everyone knows. The other less ‘famous’, but just as influential in my life.

John Lewis and C.T. Vivian. May they rest in peace.

I had the distinct honor of working with these two giants of the Civil Rights movement in Atlanta, Georgia in the 80’s. As everyone who crossed paths with these two men, I remain forever changed. Their intense commitment to social justice and equality is truly the real deal.

C.T. Vivian was my mentor for race relations. I first met him through Leadership Atlanta and stayed in touch with him for years. He taught me so much. One pivotal exchange that stays with me is when we first met noticing my name, my undeniable Whiteness, and my proudly embraced Cuban roots, he tells me: “You are obviously not Black; but, here in the South you ain’t White either.” He coached me how to navigate what was to become my life’s journey in this never-never land of embracing Blackness, living Whiteness, and dreaming in Cuban. Complicated indeed.

My interaction with John Lewis was much more pragmatic. He was a City Councilmember and I was the young Executive Director of the Atlanta Community Design Center. We crossed path when we conceptualized the very early stages of what was to become APEX, the African American Panoramic Experience (under the stewardship of Dan Moore.) I so admired his amazing skill of navigating complicated, critical issues with the grace which defines him. A true master of positive messaging and speaking truth to power - even when he was part of ‘the system’. Of the various conversations we had, I will never forget him sharing with me after a contentious public exchange: “Young man, it is ok. Just remember to never compromise your core values of fairness and justice for personal gain or political expediency.” Oh, how wise. Today more than ever.

Quite poetic that these two giants left us the same day. That means we have to work double hard and twice as intense to continue the path they helped pave towards the beloved community.

Thursday, April 25, 2019

REMARKS GIVEN AT THE WELCOME OF STORYCORPS IN SILVER SPRING April 23, 2019

Good morning.

Buenos dias.

And welcome.

Bienvenidos.

On behalf of Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, Montgomery County Council President Nancy Navarro, and all who live, work, visit, pray, and play in our community: WELCOME!

It is with a deep sense of gratitude we welcome WAMU, NPR, and the StoryCorps team to Silver Spring.

Thank you – gracias – for choosing our community for this amazing month long project… And thank you to your wonderful staff that has so diligently worked with our team here in the Silver Spring Civic Building and Veterans Plaza to make this event a possibility.

And on a personal note: As an avid NPR listener – and annual contributor: It is simply awesome to have you here!

Our Silver Spring stories will not disappoint.

We who call Silver Spring – and Montgomery County and our DMV area – home are one feisty, inventive, loud, and opinionated bunch – as I am sure you will hear.… Thank you for giving us a space to share our stories.

We have a complicated, incomplete, and imperfect history here in Silver Spring. Some of us have been around for a while; others arrived only yesterday… We come truly from all walks of life, all economic strata, social class, and backgrounds.

Some of us are home grown, with deep roots in the rich local tradition, heritage, and privileges… Others are from all corners of the world, bringing with us our own tradition and heritage to form this quilt of a community that we call Silver Spring.

Together we are trying to make of this vibrant, thriving, intensely diverse community a place we can all call home… Silver Spring: A place with spice, soul, salsa, and spirit… A place where we can share equitably, be just with each other, and build what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called “a beloved community”.

We get that some would say that creating a beloved community can only be aspirational and not realistically achievable – we have too many problems, too many dysfunctions, too many deep hurts.… Yet, for many of us here the process of creating a beloved community is a real, achievable, practical – if difficult - journey… We are committed to this journey together, discussing, conversing, arguing, laughing, dancing, and dialoguing the best we can; not trying to convince each other so much as trying to understand each other… Trying to identify those points where our stories intersect; where we can build on common interests, hopes, and dreams.

It is through sharing our stories that we accompany each other.
It is through sharing our stories that we strengthen our relationships; for relationships are built on shared experiences.
Our personal stories define us.
Respectfully listening to each other’s stories honors us.
Celebrating and rejoicing in each other’s stories brings us together.
And weaving all these personal stories into our collective giant story is the foundation of our “beloved community.”

So, thank you – gracias – WAMU, NPR, and StoryCorps for making it possible for us to take this journey with you.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Why serve on SSCAB? (By Mark Mendez)

A guest blog by Mark Mendez, Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board member

September 2017

Fellow advisory board members,

As we enter the fall and a new year, I’d like to share why I applied to the Silver Spring Citizens’ Advisory Board in 2012. A former SSCAB member suggested that our neighborhoods needed to know 'what was coming down the pike' and felt I had the temperament to represent us on the board.

Over the past five years, I’ve enjoyed my time on the board and have been able to get ahead of the curve on some events. I could relay information and get neighbors involved on behalf of my local neighborhood of Rosemary Hills and Silver Spring in general. Through SSCAB meetings, I've made important connections with agencies and individuals that impact what happens where we live and more importantly, come to understand their priorities.

My own interests have centered on how county planning decisions impact current residents and businesses. The neighborhoods of Silver Spring all have aspects that can be improved, but also have unique strengths that should not be taken for granted.

I’ve realized that displacing or destabilizing longtime businesses and assuming they can find another home in the county or that new entrepreneurs will fill the void is risky planning at best. To this end, I suggested a topic and offered to organize two of the advisory board’s public meetings in September 2016. I invited members of the county planning board, planning department and county council to review the role of community input in our current planning process. The meetings were well attended and participants benefited from candid discussion and new perspectives.

On a more micro level, I’ve been able to bring attention to small business owners in an industrial area that was slated for redevelopment for additional residential housing. Working with neighbors and business owners to change the conversation surrounding industrial zoning was a 2+ year process. Part of this effort for me was creating an FB Page and website that shined a light on small business owners in West Silver Spring so their livelihoods were seen as more than a zoning category. I included a number of employer profiles within the videos here:

www.reallife20910.com

This year, the council came to recognize the importance of this area and reversed the trend of rezoning industrial areas for more housing. In the end, the business area was preserved and the council approved a unique sector plan that creates a variety of housing options in Rosemary Hills and significant affordable housing directly at transit. This ‘20-year’ plan for west Silver Spring plays to the strengths of the area and supports the region with important services while recognizing the role of transit.

In the coming months and years, all of us will have the chance to shape where we live. This is especially true for Purple Line or BRT neighborhoods where change is coming. I believe that being an active member of the SSCAB makes Silver Spring a stronger and more authentic home.

Mark Mendez
Rosemary Hills
SSCAB

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Marketing with MeetUp

NOTE: This is a guest posting by Kathy Jentz, a Silver Spring activist. The article was originally published by the American Farm Publications Inc.

Marketing with MeetUp

By Kathy Jentz

Who says social media is the death of face-to-face interaction? MeetUp.com has been around for almost 15 years now and is used by over 30 million members for more than 600,000 monthly in-person meetings. The whole basis of this web site is to create connections beyond online.

Yet, marketers and businesses have been very slow to adapt MeetUp as a tool for growing their customer base. This resource is low-cost and one of the most under-used of the social media channels for reaching new customers.

First, create a MeetUp account, if you don’t already have one. Then, go to your Profile and upload your same avatar image that you use on the rest of your social media channels and thoroughly fill out your information. Be sure to select several interest groups. There are many that are in the horticultural and agricultural worlds – from “Sustainable Farming” to “Plant Collecting.” This part is free, to create a MeetUp group you sign up for a basic or an unlimited plans that allow organizers to run up to 3 Meetup Groups on a single account.

Next, set up groups in your specialty area. You might search first to see if there is anything similar to what you are considering already in your area and then join that. You want your group to be specific and narrow in scope. Remember, you can host up to 3 and can create other groups for your various business focuses. An example of a MeetUp group might be “Organic Flower Farmers in New Jersey.”

After you attract a few group members, engage with them online and ask them to introduce themselves. You can then set up a tentative in-person MeetUp. You could host it as a brown-bag lunch at your own location or at a neutral spot like a nearby coffee shop.

Now you want to share and market that event far-and-wide across all your social media networks. MeetUp makes that pretty easy by allowing you to connect your various accounts to your profile. Post to your blog about it and announce it on other, related MeetUp groups. Print up flyers announcing your group and meeting and insert them in customer orders.

Don’t be disappointed if you do not have a large turnout at your event. Focus here on quality over quantity. Make the events attractive and fun and eventually you will start to build up a loyal base. A friend of mine, who sells beautiful flower photography, set up a MeetUp group for other flower photographers in her area and once a month they go together in the early morning to various local public gardens to take photos as a group. Afterwards, they meet for coffee and compare shots and swap photography tips.

Some ways to liven up your in-person meetings include having a guest expert speaker (that can be you!), providing delicious food, breaking the ice with introductions plus nametags and games, and pulling in a charity to benefit from the gathering. The nonprofit could be a marketing partner and help promote your event as well. An example might be a gleaning day at a local fruit farm at the end of the harvest with participants being able to keep some produce, but the bulk going to a local food pantry.

After your event, no matter how small it was, post photos and thank those who attended. Build up anticipation for the next one.

Business relationships are best built on friendships and MeetUp.com makes it easier than ever to connect with like-minded folks in your geographical and topic areas.

*About the Author: Kathy Jentz is the Editor/Publisher of Washington Gardener Magazine, the publication for Mid-Atlantic home gardeners. She is the former Brand Ambassador for Meadows Farms Nurseries and the Social Media Guru for various nonprofit organizations including DCGardens.com. She can be reached at KathyJentz@gmail.com or 301-588-6894.

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Wednesday, April 19, 2017

The Community Access Program - A success story

When the Silver Spring Civic Building and Veterans Plaza opened in the summer of 2010, there were some that thought the pricing structure was simply out of reach for many users – particularly for non-profits and other civic organizations.

The County – led by the County Executive – analyzed how to best lower the cost to worthy groups, without compromising the enterprise nature of the facility’s fiscal steward, the Community Use of Public Facilities.

The idea emerged to create a separate fund that would in essence subsidize certain uses. The rules were simple and clear. Users subsidized had to serve a public good. Priority would be given to those organizations located in or serving Montgomery County residents. Non-profits, civics and fraternal groups would qualify. The funds would go towards financially supporting a portion of the rental fees. A formal application process was adopted. And, a committee was set up to make the decision on who should be approved, and what percent subsidy should be granted. Annual cost of the Program has ranged from $100,000 - $200,000.

And so the Community Access Pilot program was born. After two years of experimentation and adjustments, the Pilot became a Program – the Community Access Program.

Groups that have qualified and received funding include:

Various community groups (youth, faith based, art, cultural, clubs, sorority/fraternity, etc.) that are working on improving and/or positively impacting others in Montgomery County; and,
Civic Groups - including but not limited to homeowners associations, neighborhood associations, tenant associations, senior citizen groups, etc.

The CAP has been instrumental in making the Civic Building and Veterans Plaza a premier welcoming space, accessible to a broad range of users.

Over the few years in existence, the CAP has helped over 200 organizations fulfill their dreams of using this civic space at a reasonable cost.

Friday, February 10, 2017

QUICK GUIDE TO SILVER SPRING and more

NOTE: This is the first blog posting since November 8th. After three months of hiatious, we hope to once again occasionally post meaningful stuff...

QUICK GUIDE TO SILVER SPRING and more

These are the links that appear in every eNewsletter the Silver Spring Regional Area Director, Reemberto Rodriguez sends - every week or so. (If you are not subscribed to this eNewsletter, you can do so by simply going to this link. You can see recent issues here.)

These links provide a wealth of information 'a click away'. You are encouraged to browse through them, use them, and let us know if there are some critical ones missing.

enJoy!

O FFICIAL COUNTY WEB SITE
(links to all Departments and much more!)

REGIONAL AREA SITE
(for Citizens Advisory Board, Urban District, and A&E)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT
(the broader downtown area listings and happenings)

CALENDARS OF MAJOR REGIONAL AREA VENUES
(links to venues and listings)

BUSINESS DIRECTORIES
(for commercial hubs in the Regional Area)

KEY NUMBERS & CONTACTS
(for civic matters and more)

OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE
(on County's Boards, Committees, and Commissions)