Maryland Clean Energy Center locates in Montgomery County It was an honor for me to join with Governor Martin O'Malley to announce that the State of Maryland has selected Montgomery County to be the new home for the Maryland Clean Energy Center (MCEC). We competed to host the center's headquarters in partnership with the University System of Maryland and the City of Annapolis and with support from a coalition of partners from the business and academic communities and leading policy makers. The MCEC promotes clean energy economic development and jobs in the state; encourages deployment of clean energy technologies across Maryland; assists newly developed technologies with pilot projects; collects, analyzes, and disseminates industry data; and provides outreach and technical support to further the clean energy industry in Maryland.The center will provide a coordinated approach to building a strong clean energy economy in Maryland through technology commercialization, business incubation, and workforce development and training. It is a great honor to be selected to host the center headquarters. Montgomery County is a nationally recognized leader in advancing clean energy and promoting sustainability, and we are committed to making our community a model for developing a green 21st-century economy. No jurisdiction in the state can match the County's track record in successfully nurturing the growth of fledgling industries. We offer an unparalleled package of resources, networks, and access to federal agencies that will help drive the future of clean energy and green technologies in the State of Maryland. The MCEC will be located at the LEED-gold Camille Kendall Academic Center at the Universities at Shady Grove, one of Maryland's most sustainable and technology-enabled facilities. In February, I kicked off the County's new Green Economic Development Initiative, a public-private collaborative effort to grow Montgomery County's green economy. Part of the Initiative was the creation of a Green Economy Task Force comprised of public and private sector leaders and representatives from the academic, business, federal government, and non-profit communities. The Task Force is working with County staff and consultants to craft a strategy to foster the development of a clean energy/green technology cluster and the growth of related green product and service companies. For more information, contact the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection at 240-777-7700 or the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development at 240-777-2000. - top Making more affordable housing available I was pleased to be able to announce recently, along with Raymond Skinner, secretary of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, that Montgomery County has received more than $4 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to acquire and renovate foreclosed properties and make them available to county residents. I was also proud to learn that Montgomery County is the first jurisdiction to commit significant local resources to affordable workforce housing. Quality of life depends upon the quality of our neighborhoods, and foreclosures can have a tremendous negative effect on our communities. This funding will assist us in keeping neighborhoods stable, and at the same time, provide homes for families in need. We received $2,073,965 from HUD's Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). These funds will be used to enable the County's Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC) to purchase and rehabilitate foreclosed homes to lease to low-income residents. In addition, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) received funding from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and established a Neighborhood Conservation Initiative Program. Funds were made available to local jurisdictions through a competitive process, and we received an additional $2.5 million that will also be used by HOC to purchase and renovate foreclosed properties. Protecting, preserving, and creating affordable housing is one of my top priorities. During my term in office, funding for the Housing Initiative Fund has increased from $20 million just a few years ago to $53 million in the current fiscal year. In the Fiscal Year 2010 recommended operating budget, I have called for $58 million in funding for the Housing Initiative Fund. - top Improving pedestrian safety for seniors I recently joined County Councilmember Valerie Ervin and community members in celebrating a number of pedestrian safety improvements the County's Department of Transportation (MCDOT) made along Second Avenue in Silver Spring. The changes will improve access to public transportation and safety for seniors and people with disabilities. My recommended operating budget for fiscal year 2010 increases spending on pedestrian safety by more than $4 million to further the goals of my Pedestrian Safety Initiative. I'm committed to keeping pedestrians safe, and our engineering, enforcement, and education efforts are making a difference. With these additional funds, we'll be able to do more in Silver Spring and throughout the county. The Second Avenue improvements include the installation of Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible ramps and bump-outs, upgraded crosswalks and pedestrian signals, and relocation of a bus shelter. At the same time, I also announced several transportation improvements that will benefit seniors, resulting from the Senior Transportation Initiative. MCDOT selected Initiative options that are highly used by seniors, low in cost, and could be completed this fiscal year with minimal or no impact on existing budgets. Seniors need a strong transportation system that offers them options so they can remain in their own homes. The members of the Senior Transportation Initiative have done an excellent job in identifying alternatives that can be put in place immediately that significantly improve people's lives with minimal or no impact on our fiscal situation. Transportation, including pedestrian safety, was among the top priorities identified by the Commission on Aging and by participants in our Senior Summit held last November. A key theme emerging from the Summit was that mobility is essential for seniors in Montgomery County to maintain an active, engaged lifestyle and be able to age in place. For easy access to information on services offered for seniors and their families on health, recreation, library, housing, and consumer resources offered by the County and non-profit partners, I encourage you to visit our senior website www.montgomerycountymd.gov/senior. - top Receiving BRAC money from our partnership with State and Federal governments As many as 2,300 jobs will move to Montgomery County when Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. is moved to National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. The State and Montgomery County face transportation challenges around the installation. The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) has identified several short-term roadway improvements surrounding the installation and has fully-funded the design stage of those projects. Public meetings on proposed designs of intersection improvements will be held within the next month, with the first already scheduled for Thursday, April 2 at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. The people of Montgomery County appreciate the leadership shown by Governor O'Malley and Lieutenant Governor Brown, and our Congressional delegation – Congressman Van Hollen and Senators Mikulski and Cardin – to ensure the success of the expanded Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Bethesda. It will be our honor to host our wounded warriors and their families in Montgomery County. We owe them our thanks. We also owe them – and all our residents – our best efforts in accommodating the additional stress this relocation will put on our county. Thanks to the federal recovery package, signed into law by President Obama last month, Maryland will receive nearly $4 billion of federal support, including $502 million for shovel-ready, "fix-it-first" transportation projects across the state. Governor O'Malley has announced that Montgomery County will receive $57.3 million of that dedicated transportation funding, including $8.5 million that will be allocated directly to the County to use for our own priority projects. Earlier this month, the President signed the Federal omnibus bill, which includes $3 million for intersection improvements along Rockville Pike in Bethesda. Thanks go to Senator Mikulski who led efforts in the Senate to protect funding for BRAC projects. However, we must keep the pressure on the Department of Defense to provide any available funding to help Maryland and Montgomery County address our BRAC-related needs. - top Fulfilling an environmental commitment In my 2007 State of the County address, I announced that we would commit to using state-of-the-art technologies to take certain steps that would result in cleaner air for our families to breathe and less impact on surrounding communities. I am pleased to say that we have delivered on that promise. Our Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Solid Waste Services (DSWS) has announced completion of a retrofitting project at our Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) that has reduced nitrogen oxide (NOx) to about half of the amount designated by regulatory standards. Previously, the RRF recorded concentrations of about 170 parts per million (ppm), compared to the federal and state daily average limit of 180 ppm. With the newly installed technology, DSWS expects daily average concentrations of NOx to be not more than 110 ppm and 90 ppm on an annual basis. This will yield a reduction of approximately 400-500 tons per year for the benefit of the region's air quality and public health. The recently completed upgrade at the RRF incorporates a new technology called LN(TM) (for "Low NOx") that was developed by Covanta Energy, Inc. for the retrofit of existing waste-to-energy facilities. I'm especially proud of the fact that Montgomery County is the first to install LN(TM) technology at a publicly-owned waste-to-energy facility. - top Working to improve our environment and community on Earth Day and beyond The essence of Earth Day -- April 22 -- is to focus on ways to improve the environment. But, in Montgomery County, we traditionally have taken that concept one step further and proclaimed the entire month of April as "Earth Month." Under the leadership of our Montgomery County Volunteer Center, we ask individual residents, groups, faith-based organizations, businesses, schools etc. to do one of several options: Volunteer with an existing project – To find existing projects throughout the county that need volunteers, go to www.montgomerycountymd.gov/volunteer. Report a project – If a neighborhood, school or community group is doing their own clean up project, report it with the easy-to-use online Earth Day Project Form at the Volunteer Center's website, www.montgomerycountymd.gov/volunteerso the project can be recognized. Anyone interested in organizing a group should email information, questions, etc. to volunteer@montgomerycountymd.gov. Get ideas and resources – To set up a group, create a project and/or access resources to help, check out the Earth Day page at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/volunteer. For information on these events and volunteer opportunities throughout the year with hundreds of registered nonprofits, call the Volunteer Center at 240-777-2600, email volunteer@montgomerycountymd.govor visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov/volunteer. - top Enhancing our international economic development During these difficult economic times, we must work hard not only to assist our local biotech companies in maintaining and expanding their economic viability, but to help them to be successful globally. I recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance economic development and friendly relations between Montgomery County and Suzhou, China during "A Summit with Suzhou Leadership on Doing Business with China" that was held at the Bethesda Hyatt Regency Hotel. The MOU calls for enhanced economic development, cooperation and friendship between Montgomery County and Suzhou, China and specifically highlights:
During my business development mission to China last October, I visited Suzhou and met with senior Suzhou officials. Suzhou is one of China's most economically developed cities, with a total industrial output that ranks among the top three in China. It is home to more than 2,700 multinational firms, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. It is also home to the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), which I visited. It is one of the largest industrial parks in China and producer of two percent of China's Gross Domestic Product. - top In these difficult economic times, it's as important as ever to keep in touch with our residents and hear about your concerns and issues. As you know, we do this in several ways and below is a schedule of our outreach programs: The next online chat will take place between noon and 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 23. You may submit your questions in advance – or during the chat by submitting your question. Council President Phil Andrews and I will be hosting the next Call in Show on Wednesday, June 17 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. We'll take your calls at 240-777-6540. The show will be televised live on County Cable Montgomery (CCM) which is Channel 6 for Comcast subscribers and is on Channel 30 for Verizon subscribers. You can always find the latest information on the Chats, Call-in shows and Town Hall Meetings online at www.montgomerycountymd.gov. - top |