Author: Jeff Griffith, PRA Newsletter Editor

Community Notes, People

Parkwood second grader is state winner in Doodle for Google competition

Jeff Griffith, PRA Newsletter Editor

As reported in MoCo360 and other local media, Sofia Ravilious, a second grader at Kensington Parkwood Elementary School, has been selected as the Maryland winner for the 16th annual Doodle for Google contest.

Sofia, 8, is now facing off with 55 other young artists from around the country to garner the most votes by the end of the day on June 4 to be the national winner and have her doodle featured on Google.com for 24 hours. You can vote for Sofia’s artwork at this link.

Her clay sculpture, titled “Nature will never end”, depicts a forest scene with trees, flowers, birds, insects, squirrels and rabbits crafted from colorful clay to spell out “Google.” The theme of the contest this year was for students to answer the prompt “My wish for the next 25 years …” through their art.

“I made a forest with animals and trees because my wish for the next 25 years is that there will be more nature for animals to survive in,” Sofia said in her art description.

Community Notes, People

Paul Snyder Honored at Memorial Day Concert

Jeff Griffith, PRA Newsletter Editor

Parkwood Resident and centenarian Paul Snyder was among 17 World War II veterans honored at the 35th anniversary of the National Memorial Day Concert held on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Sunday.  These veterans were hailed as representatives of our country’s “greatest generation.”  The full concert can be viewed using this link.  Paul and the other honorees appear on the stage approximately 30 minutes into the program.

That’s our Paul on the right side of the bench, along with five of his fellow  veterans.

PRA

Warner Mansion Condos-Update

Jeff Griffith, PRA Newsletter Editor

Washington Landmark Corporation, the developer of the Warner Mansion condominiums on the Warner Circle Park grounds, reported at a recent meeting of the Kensington Historical Society that work might begin soon, with some units available in 15 months. Because of its limited size, no MDPUs are included in the project. Non-binding reservations have been placed for several of the units. The park grounds will remain open to the public and some public events will be held in the mansion during the year.  See the video of the meeting here. Additional background is here.

Environment, Solar Energy

Going Green-Driving on Sunshine

Jeff Griffith, PRA Newsletter Editor

(Editor’s note: A thoughtful, highly informative, and engaging article by Gerald Sharp about how he came to provide his house with electricity and power his car with solar energy.)

When I added a floor to my house on Edgefield Road about 10 years ago, I had the electrician run a tube from the attic to the electric panel in the basement, thinking that someday I’d want to put solar panels on the roof.  And I also had a door installed on the roof so I could get to it from the attic without using a long ladder.  I even took a night class at Montgomery College on photovoltaics where we were actually taught how to install the panels, but still I delayed having a system installed.  Last year I asked myself what was I waiting for?   Did I think we’d have better government subsidies to pay for solar panels?  Were prices of panels going to come down?  Was PEPCO going to be reducing what they charged for power?   With the answers to all these questions being “no”, I made the leap in 2023 to tapping the free electricity coming from the sun.  And then I also ended up buying an electric car that would be powered by sunshine.

The deciding factor for me was last August when I learned about the Washington Area Solar Switch program where they get bids from local solar panel companies and give home owners in Montgomery County (and DC and Northern VA) access to the lowest bidder. This seemed like such a smart idea, and it also took the decision of having to figure out which company to hire out of my hands.  I figured the program would pick a company not only with the best prices, but one that they had vetted that was likely to do a good job.  Last summer Lumina Solar in Baltimore was one of the contract companies, and, according to the Solar Switch website, about 2,000 houses in our three-jurisdiction area signed up for the program.  Lumina told me their price was a 20% discount from the usual cost plus there was a 30% federal tax credit and a $1000 state rebate from Maryland.   I paid the Solar Switch fee of $150 to find out how many panels could be installed on my house and what the system would cost.

Read the full article here.

PRA

Kensington Shoe Repair and Dry Cleaning

Jeff Griffith, PRA Newsletter Editor

Mr. Seon Chun and Mrs. Young Chun, immigrants from South Korea, have owned and operated Kensington Shoe Repair & Dry Cleaning for approximately 20 years. Their shop is on Antique Row at 3772 Howard Avenue. In addition to shoe repair and dry cleaning, they provide laundry service and alterations at reasonable prices. Their services include cleaning unusual items, such as table cloths and winter jackets. The shop is open 6 days a week, Mon.-Sat., 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. During breaks in the workday, Mr. and Mrs. Chun can be seen walking throughout Old Town. They are the proud parents of two grown children. The couple enjoys chatting with their customers, who increasingly are returning to offices for work. This trend is, of course, good for the business!. Parkwoodians are always welcome.

Joe Harkins, Contributing author

Elections 2024

Primary Election-Early Voting

Jeff Griffith, PRA Newsletter Editor

Early voting in-person for this year’s primary election begins today Thursday, May 2 and runs through Thursday, May 9, (including Saturday and Sunday), from 7:00 am – 8:00 pm. Locations can be found here. Primary Election Day is Tuesday, May 14.  For information about all candidates for all offices, see the nonpartisan MoCo360 Voters Guide here and the nonpartisan League of Women Voters Guide here.

While all elections are important, the election of three members of the seven member Board of Education is especially important this year because of the issues to be resolved by the Board, including hiring a superintendent, implementing the state mandated Blueprint for improving education in Maryland, and responding to the calls by the County Council for more transparency in its operations.  Parkwood residents who are registered may vote for candidates for each of the three Board of Education open seats, regardless of the district.

MoCo360 also has links to five of the eight forums in which BoE candidates participated.

PRA

PRA MayPole is up

Jeff Griffith, PRA Newsletter Editor

The PRA May Pole is up at the Wildwood Garden.  The lovely weather allowed it to appear on time this year.  However, its age is starting to show, and I am hoping it will last the month.  But the pole will undoubtedly have to be replaced next year.  Let me know if you happen to have a 10-12 foot bit of bamboo growing in your yard you would be willing to part with.