February

SECTION 5 OF THE VILLAGE OF CHEVY CHASE

COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES

Date: February 13, 2024

Place: Village Hall, 5906 Connecticut Avenue

Time: 7:30 PM

Present: Greg Chernack, Josh Galper, Sean Downey, Phil Giordano, Ashley Kavanaugh, and Sergeant Mike Pratt

Chair Greg Chernack called the meeting to order and welcomed those in attendance.

Chair Chernack moved that the minutes from the January meeting be approved; there was a second, and the motion passed.

Sergeant Mike Pratt and the Town Manager updated the Council on recent events involving an individual delivering envelopes late at night to Section 5 residents. The envelopes contain copies of letters that he has sent to the Mayor of the District of Columbia detailing a disagreement. Residents have expressed concern, and the Montgomery County Police Department has been looking into the matter. Section 5 police officer, Captain Jason Cokinos, visited the individual and asked that he please stop delivering the letters to Section residents. The individual did not agree to completely stop, but he did indicate that he would consider delivering them during the day instead and might take a break for a while. He also said that he will not deliver to any homes that clearly display no solicitation signs. The Manager and Section 5 police will continue to monitor the situation.

The Town Manager presented an overview of the Section’s current financial status, and entertained questions from the Council.

-Two building permits were granted. One for a portion of a new fence, and the second for a change to a resident’s gutter and drainage system.

-There are no new updates to the Leland Street Access Restriction proposal.

-The State Archives officially approved the Section’s amended record retention schedule. We are now working on transferring the required email files to the State.

-WSSC confirmed that there is no work scheduled on Leland Court for the next two years. We are still waiting on final confirmation from Washington Gas. We expect to hear from them within the next few weeks. We have received a proposal from Clark Azar and Associates totaling $27,600 for the project management portion of the work. This includes the price of the survey of Leland Court.

-We received a letter from the Chevy Chase Fire Department asking Section 5 to reappoint its existing Fire Board members. Current members include John Higgins, Adam McCluskey, and Marge Radovsky. All three members are interested in continuing to serve. The Council unanimously voted to reappoint the current members.

-CCFD also noted that during its Santa routes in December, they identified multiple street parking issues that would make it difficult for an emergency vehicle to access certain areas. We are working to schedule a ride around with the Commander to find out how we can better accommodate their vehicles and make changes to street parking if necessary.

-As the Council is aware, we have been working with the legal advisor for the property on Windsor Place that is in the process of applying for subdivision. One of the outstanding issues with the County has been how to note the location of a possible future public sidewalk on the plan. Ron Bolt and Jason Azar have been advising the Section on this, and Ron has been working with the County and applicant’s counsel to formulate appropriate language. Ron advises that it is in the Council’s best interest to decide whether the applicant will be required to build a sidewalk. The Council discussed the matter and voted unanimously to not require the sidewalk to be built.

-For several years as part of our stormwater building regulations, the Section has followed Montgomery County’s Stormwater guidelines for small lots. The County has updated the documents and Ron Bolt recommends that the Council take an official vote stating that the Section now follows the updated guidelines. There are small changes as to what is allowed as far as drywell usage. The Council voted unanimously to adopt the updated County guidelines.

Chair Chernack adjourned the meeting. The next meeting will be held March 12, 2024, at 7:30 PM at the Village Hall, 5906 Connecticut Avenue. The Village Hall has handicapped access. Everyone is welcome.