I am writing in response to the letter to the editor published in the July 9 issue of The Town Courier in which the author had, in part, written that her opinion of MedImmune had been “greatly diminished” after a group of family and friends was ordered to vacate the MedImmune garage the night of July 4. I am baffled, however, that the author of the letter thought it was wrong of the security guard to make her and others leave the garage when they were trespassing on private property. Did these families want the security guard to jeopardize his or her own job by permitting them to illegally remain on the property he or she was hired to protect?

This guard and other members of the security team work diligently to protect an office complex that contains millions of dollars of high-technology research equipment. And while I acknowledge that this group of family and friends simply wanted to watch and enjoy fireworks, why not find a suitable, public place to take in the view?

— Nicole Karp
Kentlands

The Maryland Transit Administration and State Highway Administration are working together on the CCT, a mass transit initiative that has been on the books for many years. It is designed to provide high-speed mass transit from the middle and upper parts of Montgomery County to the Marc Train and to the Shady Grove Metro station. With CCT you would be able to board near Lowe’s and arrive at Shady Grove in less than 15 minutes for less than the cost of parking at Shady Grove today.

The core concept behind the CCT is that the state would build a separate transitway that would minimize interference with local roads. For example, a section along Great Seneca Highway would be above the road grade, allowing for the CCT traffic to pass over the highway.

The state is deciding between building the CCT as Light Rail Transit or as Bus Rapid Transit. All the local municipalities favor light rail, but the data presented in the state’s presentation clearly leans toward the bus option. It appears that the presentation is tilted toward BRT because of its lower initial cost. After examining the data and asking deeper questions, it appears that there is much of the picture not included in the presentation that would favor the light rail option.

The state’s Feasibility Study estimates ridership for LRT as marginally higher than BRT. The model that produces these results takes only one factor into account — how much time is saved. LRT is a bit faster so it would result in more riders. The model does not take into account rider preference for one mode vs. another. Light rail is a much more comfortable way to travel than a bus and would be much more appealing to residents. In a county with one of the highest incomes in the nation, getting people out of our SUVs and luxury cars is going to take more than another bus route, however fast — light rail would have a much better chance of achieving that goal.

The state’s numbers as presented included up-front capital costs but not the long-term operating costs. From the Q&A part of the session it became clear that light rail has a number of advantages in this area. Rail cars have a much longer life span than busses — 50 years vs. 10-15. Rail capacity can be expanded without additional labor costs since adding rail cars does not require extra drivers.

There is another advantage for rail over busses related to operating costs. Throughout the country it is clear that proximity to light rail has a significant advantage in property values over bus systems. Not only is this a factor for us as homeowners, but from the county’s point of view, an increase in our property values increases the county’s property tax revenue, which can provide significant revenue to support the CCT’s operations.

The state has made much progress in developing alignments supporting our community. The proposals to run the CCT route through the proposed Science City development and bring a stop to the Kentlands/Lakelands area recognizes the need to bring improved mass transit to areas that have become more important to the region since the original CCT plan was created.

Now is the time for us to view the CCT strategically. By funding the light rail option, the CCT will maximize its benefit to the region by maximizing ridership. The municipalities, Montgomery County, and the state should sharpen their pencils and take a deeper look at the costs, revenues and benefits and move forward with building CCT as a modern light rail system.

Editor’s Note: Neil Harris is a Kentlands resident.

After two weeks of rain delays, the Main Street Music Festival finally got off the ground on June 23 and again on June 30 with dozens of people in the crowd, including City Council members Ryan Spiegel and Michael Sesma. We salute the Kentlands Downtown Partnership (KDP) for bringing some live music to Main Street this summer.

Planning Report

The city’s 2009 planning report recently filed with the state completely ignores this side of Gaithersburg … not one mention in the report of MedImmune, Kentlands, Lakelands, Quince Orchard Park or even the new Vistas community. This despite the city’s goal to balance citywide the competing issues and interests that affect future development. Olde Towne and Watkins Mill are specifically called out in the report.

Crown Farm Demolition

Developers knocked down the green and white house at Crown Farm last month with no recent notice to the public despite interest in moving the recognizable house to another section of the property and direction to salvage parts of the house for reuse. The city’s elected leaders say they were also surprised to discover the house was gone.

Public Works Crews

The city’s Public Works crews were busy in late June clearing away tree debris in Kentlands after some severe summer thunderstorms. We appreciate the city workers’ quick response to our neighborhood.

QOP Celebration

The Quince Orchard Park Stars and Stripes Parade is an annual tradition that most residents look forward to each year. This year’s celebration on July 3, not July 4 was just as grand, especially because of the support of city leaders (Mayor Sidney Katz; Council members Jud Ashman, Cathy Drzyzgula, Michael Sesma and Ryan Spiegel; and City Manager Angel Jones) who took time out of their holiday weekend to attend.

I awaken to the sounds of construction coming from the ever-expanding MedImmune across Great Seneca Highway. Normally it doesn’t bother me as I always thought of MedImmune as a friendly company whose expansion brings both career and economic opportunities the people of Gaithersburg, but after being ordered to leave the parking garage in the middle of the 4th of July fireworks display by a security officer who suddenly appeared (after we were there for at least 45 minutes before the fireworks started) threatening us with calling the police if we did not vacate the premises, my opinion of this ever-expanding giant has greatly diminished.

We were questioned as to whether or not we were employees of MedImmune, and when a few of the employees did not step up to the plate and stand up for us I thought, how un-American can you get? How do you tell a group of parents and kids that they have to leave and miss the fireworks display, especially when people were parked all over the roads and parking lots along Quince Orchard Boulevard where we moved to and still had a great 4th?

I think Medimune should host a 4th of July Party for the community to show their appreciation of our support!

— Diane Gerber
Kentlands

Congratulations to the city and its Police Department for a continued proactive approach to combat gang crime.

It’s not easy public policy because just acknowledging gangs are around is bad PR. But there are gangs in Gaithersburg — and there are gangs everywhere. According to a gang prosecutor in the State’s Attorney’s Office who also teaches law, there were gangs in America before the country was founded and there will always be gangs.

Is the problem in Gaithersburg suddenly worse? No. Nobody says that. 

Gang problems are regional. Problems move around. Statistics are slippery. 

I first wrote a newspaper article about the gang problem in Montgomery County and the region a dozen years ago. In the years since, I have written five news stories or columns about some aspect of gangs.

I notice that whenever resources are devoted to fighting gang crime, it makes the news. Understandably, gangs make people uncomfortable.

Gaithersburg resident and Montgomery County Council member Phil Andrews chairs that Council’s Public Safety Committee. Last week members of his and another Council committee were briefed by police, prosecutors, social services people and others on the status of inter-jurisdictional cooperation in the county’s efforts to fight gangs.

He reports there is “excellent coordination” and is pleased by a “significant decrease in gang-related crime that mirrors a general decrease in the crime rate locally and nationally.” 

There are six Montgomery County police districts in the county. District three — Silver Spring’s — numbers for gang crime were highest. The sixth district, which encompasses both Gaithersburg and Montgomery Village, was second.

Overall, gang crime in the county has gone down for the first quarter of 2010 — and for the last several years, there has been a downward trend in gang crime.

Andrews shed some light on my observation that gang crime news — even when the amount of crime is small — seems to have a very loud sound.

“Street crime,” Andrews explained, “has a ripple effect on the perception of public safety.”

A three-pronged approach to gang crime — prevention, intervention and suppression — is shared by the Gaithersburg Police Department and the Montgomery County Police Department. Gaithersburg shares some services with the county department, and the two entities work together on many things.

As a reporter, I have always encountered a high degree of openness and accessibility working with the Gaithersburg P.D. when I have had questions about gangs.

Also the Gaitherburg police keep a very comprehensive data bank on all contacts with gang members and do not hesitate to answer questions about numbers.

This week Gaithersburg P.D. Detective Patrick Word told me that at the current time, there are 10 regional gangs operating in the city with 150 to 200 members.

It is estimated by the county that there are 40 gangs throughout the county.

In Gaithersburg, “our entire agency,” said Word, tracks gang contacts.

Therefore even when city police are called for something that is not a gang crime, or there is a crime in which a gang member is victim, the interaction with that individual is noted by Gaithersburg police as a gang contact. Information on individuals in gangs is updated at constantly.

“We are keeping our own numbers, and our number are accurate,” said Word. “We know what’s happening in our city.

“Usually in difficult economic times like these, crime goes up. We are lucky in our city that we have not seen an increase.”

Luck?

Mayor Katz has always been willing to talk gangs when I have asked for input.

Discussing the Olde Towne camera pilot program, the mayor said there has been no recent surge in gang activity in the city. But, he added, “[If crime is low] and you don’t do something, it doesn’t mean it will stay low.”

Katz emphasizes that the use of digital surveillance technology in Olde Towne, “is a trial.”

 Of course, there are important issues concerning the use of digital surveillance cameras to improve public safety for us to consider in this trial.

In some places, surveillance video has been used to hurt innocent people. There is debate about privacy and the impact on the U.S. Constitution’s protection against unreasonable search and seizure. People disagree on whether the data show the cameras lower the incidence of crime or aid effective prosecution. Some people say the cameras just move crime to hidden pockets.

This discussion will now take place in Gaithersburg, too.

I look forward to it.

Comments: karen@towncourier.com.

Working as a legislative assistant for the House Ad Hoc Select Committee on Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) was my first job after college. I was a political science major, and my involvement with the OCS Committee started as an internship.

I was ignorant and idealistic in those days. In 1978, the OCS bill became public law. We celebrated when the bill passed.

I left the committee for a job in another field, and then I stopped paying attention to oil and gas drilling. Been there — done that; you know how it goes.

Yet over 32 years, there have been many tragic leaks from exploratory and established undersea oil and gas drilling operations. I was unaware because I was not paying attention.

Also, during the Reagan years, much of the OCS bill’s toughness was gutted — but I did not know. I was busy.

On June 3, 1979, in circumstances eerily similar to the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, the semi-submersible Sedco 135 F rig leased by the Mexican government-owned oil and gas company PEMEX was working the IXTOC I exploratory well off the west coast of the Yucatan Peninsula when it exploded, incinerated and sank. No loss of life was reported, but over the next 10 months 3.3 million barrels (a barrel is 42 gallons) gushed into the water, much of it ending up on the Texas coast.

The blowout was capped after two relief wells were dug. Two relief wells are planned for the Deep Horizon.

BP claims the relief wells will be dug by sometime in August. I hope they are right, but I am concerned. First, because I do not trust anything BP or any other oil company says.

Second, the PEMEX wells took 10 months in 1979 — and PEMEX was working in only 165 feet of water. BP’s Deep Horizon site is one mile beneath the surface.

Maybe undersea well-digging technology has really blossomed since 1979. Otherwise, good luck with those two wells.

Current estimates are that between 12,000 and 100,000 barrels a day are coming out of this hellish hole in the earth. No matter what measure is used, this disaster will undoubtedly overtake the PEMEX mess in volume, if that has not happened already.

Call it a gut feeling after reimmersing myself in this oily business after 30-plus years.

Reading a transcript of Congressional testimony from Transocean, (the world’s largest drilling rig owner and owner of Deepwater Horizon), BP (which leased the platform and owns the well), Cameron International  (manufacturers of the blowout preventer that failed to seal the well when it exploded) and Halliburton (providers of a variety of services to the natural gas and oil exploration and production industry for almost a century and responsible for cementing the well), reads like tragic comedy.

I didn’t watch the testimony on TV, so I could only imagine four chimpanzees seated together facing a Congressional committee while they combed each others fur for tasty fleas, scratched themselves abstractedly, and pointed at each other and everyone else in the room.

So far, it also appears that the people in the government who should have been monitoring and enforcing the law regarding offshore oil and gas operations were not performing their duties effectively.

I regret that while I was once so involved in the issues around this tragedy — even as a most junior staff person — I no longer took any responsibility as a citizen to just pay attention to what has been going on.

I think my citizenship is worth more.

Let’s hope we do a better job protecting our people and our resources in the years ahead.

Comments: Karen@towncourier.com