West Bradley Citizens' Association

Greetings to all of you as we begin to look forward to the new Fall Season!

Here are some new updates for our West Bradley community on both sides of Seven Locks Road:

Back to School! The County’s 2010-11 school calendar is now available. You can print or download it to the electronic calendar on your computer or mobile. Visit: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/calendars . The calendar is available on the web in Chinese, English, French, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese. School begins on August 30, 2010 and ends on June 16, 2011. MCPS students and their families will be invited to kick off the new school year at the third annual Back-to-School Fair on August 28. For more information, see: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/familycommunity/fair.

Time to Vote – New Place, New Options!

• West Bradley residents will vote in a new location for this year’s Primary and General Elections. Because Seven Locks Elementary School will be closed for rebuilding, we will vote at Carderock Springs Elementary School on Persimmon Tree Lane.
• In addition to voting at the new polling place, other options are available.
• Maryland has “no excuse” absentee voting, which means that registered voters can request a mailed absentee ballot, for any reason, by using the BOE website: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/eletmpl.asp?url=/content/elections/index.asp or by calling the 24-hour voter hotline: 240-777-8683. The deadline for requesting an absentee ballot for the Primary is September 7 and the deadline for the General Election is October 26. Voters may also go in person to the BOE office (18753-210 North Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg – Directions) and apply to vote absentee and be given an absentee ballot to be voted at that time at the BOE office.
• Maryland will institute Early Voting for the first time this year. There will be five early voting centers in Montgomery County open September 3-9 (excluding Sunday, Sept. 4) for the Primary Election and from October 22-28 (excluding Sunday, Oct. 24) for the General Election. For information on Early Voting: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/eletmpl.asp?url=/content/elections/index.asp

More on the Election – Judges and Registration: The Montgomery County Board of Elections is seeking individuals to serve as election judges at polling places for the Primary on September 14 and the General Election on November 2. Unaffiliated and Republican judges are especially needed. A stipend is provided for training and election day service. For Info: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/eletmpl.asp?url=/content/elections/ElectionJudge/notanelectionjudge.asp.  The Montgomery County Board of Elections will conduct voter registration drives on Saturdays from 11 am to 1 pm at the local public libraries during August.

MC311 – New One-Stop Shopping for County Information! For all non-emergency information and services from Montgomery County, you can now call one number (311) or go to one website (www.montgomerycountymd.gov/311 . That includes notice about such items as trees that fall across County roads. For emergency calls, including downed trees with “hot” or sparking wires that constitute an immediate safety hazard, continue to call 911.

Pepco! Two months ago — yes, well before the latest power outage! — WBCA had sent a letter to the PEPCO president registering concern about the frequent loss of power in our community. PEPCO responded with the promise to undertake an “assessment” of what can be done. While awaiting that report, we are pleased to note that several County leaders, including County Executive Leggett, have registered their dissatisfaction with PEPCO’s response to the latest storm. Stay tuned!

Fun at the Fair! There will be lots of activities at the annual Montgomery County Fair, August 13-21. Enjoy the Demolition Derby, Rodeo, Monster Trucks, Tractor Pull, Stilt Walker, Fair Idol, musical entertainment, community performances, KidZone, carnival rides, and more! See: http://www.mcagfair.com/default.asp

Montgomery County Snapshot: Want to know more about your County? The Park and Planning Department has produced a report covering everything from demographics to tax data and education levels. See: http://www.montgomeryplanning.org/viewer.shtm#http://www.montgomeryplanning.org/research

YOUR Ideas for West Bradley! As we look forward to the Fall Season, your WBCA Board wants to hear from YOU! What new or different services and events would you like? Street captains and other neighbors, would new residents on your block like to get West Bradley welcome packages with information about our community? Community entrepreneurs, would you like to donate material advertising your business that might be included in those welcome packages? All residents, would you enjoy more community events such as a Halloween party or Fourth of July parade? Something else? Let your WBCA Board know your views! For contact information, visit our WBCA website at www.westbradley.org.