Welcome Message from the Board Chair

Welcome to t h e Website of t h e East County Citizens Advisory Board. T h e board represents t h e interests of more t h an 111,250 residents of East County . Serving as a liaison between t h e community and government officials and agencies, t h e board aims to h elp in identifying community concerns and recommending possible solutions. We meet on t h e first Wednesday of every mont h (except in August) at t h e Eastern Montgomery Regional Services Center , 3300 Briggs C h aney Road , Silver Spring .

To ensure t h at t h e Board ac h ieves its place among Montgomery County �s most effective advisory boards, we need your involvement and assistance. Your involvement can be expressed in a h ost of ways, but t h ree are especially important:

If you are a resident of East County , get to know about t h e Board and its activities. C h eck t h is Website for information to learn about w h o we are and w h at we do. Consider attending Board meetings. Time is allocated at eac h of our Board meetings for citizens (dozens last year) to raise and discuss issues t h at are important to you. Attend works h ops and forums to learn about issues directly impacting t h e eastern area of t h e County.

T h e East County Citizens Advisory Board is determined to build on our successes as we move forward. T h e ac h ievement of our ambitious goals requires t h e involvement and support of our residents.
Your voice will be t h e lync h pin to t h e board�s continuing success!

Kim Bobola

ECCAB Chair

Mission

The misson of the East County Citizens Advisory Board is to advise the County Executive of East C ounty citizens' issues and concerns, advocate for regional priorities, and help to facilitate solutions.

The 18-member Board is appointed by the County Executive and approved by the County Council.

Advisory Board Officers 2007-2008

Kim Bobola, Chair; Bill Strassberger, Parliamentarian, Coleen Ionata, Vice Chair and Sheala Durant, Secretary.

The Current Board Members are as follows:

Thomas J. Aylward III	David M. Kochanski, Esq.
Vanessa Ali	Eric G. Luedtke
Kim Bobola, Ph.D. - Chair	Allan Muligan
Amjad Chaudhry	Dwayne H. Parris
Marva R. Deskins, Esq.	Alfredda H. Payne, Ph.D.
G. Stanley Doore	Anthony Ramirez
Sheala Durant - Secretary	Bill Strassberger - Parliamentarian
John J. Fausti, Esq.	Benoy Thomas
Colleen Ionata - Vice Chair	John P. Thomas

Meeting Schedule

Citizens groups are invited to speak before the Board on issues and concerns at 7:15 p.m. the first Wednesday of every month. ( Exceptions: No meeting in August)

To view Agenda and Minutes for 2006, please click here

For any questions, please contact  Anjoo Chohda.

ECCAB Annual Reports

To review ECCAB Annual Report for 2006-2007 click here

To review ECCAB Annual Report for 2005-2006 click here

Introduction to our current and previous Board Members

To review Members featured in the month of April 2007, click here

To review Members featured in the month of March 2007, click here

To review Members featured in the month of February 2007, click here

To review Members featured in the month of January 2007, click here

To review Members featured in the month of December 2006, click here

To review Members featured in the month of  November 2006, click here

                                                Activities/Events held


Farewell to Board Member on June 6, 2007 - At the June board meeting, t h e East County Citizen�s Advisory Board and the Eastern Montgomery Regional Services Center bid farewell to the Board members w h o completed their terms.

A special thanks was made to Chair Stephen Jacobs, Esq. for his outstanding performance in serving the board for two terms. The other board members Ann Williams, David Kelly, Gladstone James, Freda Hartman and Rochelle Rollins were also appreciated and thanked for their contributions to tbe board.

The Eastern Montgomery Regional Services Center extends their sincerest appreciation to all the departing members for their willingness to volunteer their time and energy on be h alf of t h e residents of East County.

A very special tribute also goes out to t h e family and friends of Late Board Member Barbara Medina , w h o passed away during t h is past year. Her civic mindedness and sincere love of nature are missed by all

Joint CAB Meeting on January 30, 2007 - A joint meeting of the Citizens Advisory Board from the five Regional Services Centers was held on January 30, 2007 at 6:30 pm at the Executive Office Building, Rockville, MD. The County Executive, Isiah Leggett was present at the meeting and met with the Chairs and Board Members of the CAB. The meeting was informative and focused on a presentation by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government on their Regional Transportation Plan. The Board Members had a wonderful opportunity to exchange information and ideas on county-wide issues. The County Executive thanked everyone for their on-going work and significant contributions to the County.

".....On Saturday September 23 ^rd many members of the East County Citizens Advisory Board gathered to participate in a tour of the East County . The Board received an overview of the four planning areas within East County and a brief history of the plans and goals from Pierra Weiss from the Maryland National Capital Park & Planning Commission. The tour provided a first hand view of the many aspects of the area which we need to understand. Beginning with the use of a Ride-On bus for transportation the Board plied the roads that all citizens and visitors must use (For several of us, this was our first time on a Ride-on Bus).

We visited or viewed many of the public recreation and educational facilities as well as the sites of two planned facilities for Police and Recreation in the White Oak area. The tour addressed housing stock, retail development and employment centers. A stop at the Federal Research Center in White Oak provided a chance to view the first stages of the world class Food and Drug Administration facility that will soon be a major employment center in the area. Along the way opportunities for economic development at the former WSSC site and in Burtonsville were discussed.

While the Board is comprised of members from all areas of the East County , this tour has provided an overview so that all of the Board members now have a better knowledge of parts of the East County that they normally don�t see....."   - Thomas Aylward

�.....The tour was EXCELLENT and very informative!  We received a great history lesson on East County planning from Piera Weiss.  We saw the sites of the future White Oak Recreation Center and the new Police Station.  We had a very good tour of the FDA plus information on its history and future growth.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and benefited from the tour .....� - Will Kenlaw

�.....I found the tour of East County to be very informative and enlightening. I was especially impressed with the tour of the FDA and the future site of the White Oak Recreational Center . It was a wonderful experience to become aware of the vast boundaries and the planned sites, etc....� - Andre Carl Whisenton

Burtonsville Day 2006

".....Saturday, September 30 ^th marked the 16 ^th Annual Burtonsville Day . This day is packed with activities enjoyed by citizens from all parts of the East County . This years events started with a charity walk with a SIDS program as the designated recipient. Despite the rain, a fantastic parade stepped off from Paint Branch HS and marched to the Fairland Recreation Center and Library where they were greeted by over 70 vendors and numerous performers and musical groups.

The East County Citizens Advisory Board had a well positioned booth where members of the Board greeted residents. Information regarding County services, energy efficiency and home composting were handed out in exchange for citizen input regarding their neighborhoods and specific needs of the community. The crowd was not deterred by the cool and moist weather so this writer spent much of the day cooking and wrapping hamburgers and hot dogs for the masses. The activities are staged all around the recreation center and library, showcasing these fine public facilities in our area. The politicians took advantage of the crowds to get their messages out. All look forward to the 17 ^th annual Burtonsville day!....."    - Thomas Aylward

".....Burtonsville Day was quite delightful. It was great to meet so many residents who visited our tent. My family, including our two grandsons, also enjoyed the day very much....� - Andre Carl Whisenton

��..Members of the East County Citizens Advisory Board participated in the Burtonsville Day celebration on Saturday, September 30. Four board members took part in the Burtonsville Day parade, a community involvement tradition. A majority of board members worked the ECCAB booth. Throughout the day-long celebration, board members disseminated information about the services of the East County Regional Services Center ; discussed concerns identified by East County citizens; and shared ways that ECCAB acts on these concerns. Additionally, a total of 69 individuals completed a survey designed by the Outreach Committee to solicit community comments. An analysis of the survey results revealed a referendum on transportation. Other top priorities include crime and economic development. With regard to economic development, survey participants are interested in whether an anchor store will be put in the Burtonsville Shopping Center or the vicinity. This year, the Services Committee sponsored a table for the Health Fair. A volunteer pediatric dentist met with children and their families about dental hygiene��... � Kim Bobola

Keep Montgomery County Beautiful !

Purpose:

The Keep Montgomery County Beautiful (KMCB) program was started in 1983. It encompasses a series of initiatives designed to maintain the County's high quality environment, especially in connection with the Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPWT). The DPWT Director maintains an informal citizen advisory committee called the KMCB Task Force.

Members of the KMCB Task Force

Members of the Task Force include citizens; local business people; garden club representatives; the Montgomery County Conservation Corps members; area bottling companies and recycling representatives; civic association officers; and County staff.

Mission of the KMCB Task Force

The Task Force functions to educate and change citizen attitudes about littering; support cleanup and beautification projects; encourage citizens and businesses to extensively recycle; and improve awareness about graffiti in the communityThe Keep Montgomery County Beautiful (KMCB) program was started in 1983. It encompasses a series of initiatives designed to maintain the County's high quality environment, especially in connection with the Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPWT). The DPWT Director maintains an informal citizen advisory committee called the KMCB Task Force.

Adopt A Road Program 2006 & 2007

The Adopt A Road porgram was the initiative of the Keep Montgomery County Beautiful citizen task force and is administered by the Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPWT). It encourages residents and businesses of the County to participate in a community activity by keeping roads clean and litter free.  Currently, there are approximately 207 road segments that have been adopted under the program. Participants have agreed to keep their road segment as clean as possible, with at least six major road clean-ups per year. In exchange for their co-operation and participation, a sign bearing the name of the orgranization or individual may be erected to recognize the participant. T his program helps in minimizing the accumulation of litter in the public rights-of-way. For additional information, please click here

The East County Advisory Board's contirbution to Adopt A Road Program

��..The East County Citizens Advisory Board (ECCAB) met on Saturday, October 14 to clean the section of Old Columbia Pike from Briggs Chaney to Randolph Road . There were 6 volunteers for the day. The team filled 10 bags of trash in an effort to keep �our� road litter free and East County beautiful�..� � Kim Bobola

 The ECCAB was established for the benefit of the East County and its residents. In order to be an effective voice, we need to know your concerns and interests. Please feel free to contact any board member at # (240) 777-8400, Fax (240) 777-8410, TTY (240) 777-8418 or email your concerns at [email protected]

Our next meeting of the East County Citizens Advisory Board (ECCAB), will be held on
Wednesday, February 4, 2009 at 7:15 pm
at the Eastern Montgomery Regional Services Center
3300 Briggs Chaney Road
Silver Spring, MD 20904