Rockville task force on boards and commissions makes recommendations

Former Rockville Mayor Steven Van Grack,
chair of the task force on boards and commissions

A task force appointed to study the City of Rockville's Board and Commissions, and appointments to those bodies, has filed its report. The task force found that one-third of city residents are not aware of Rockville's boards and commissions, the work they do, or that they are eligible to participate as a member of them. In its report, which will be discussed by the Mayor & Council at their July 6 meeting, the task force made several recommendations:

1. Improve diversity across all boards and commissions
2. Create a full-time volunteer-coordinator position
3. Increase transparency
4. Better coordination among different boards and commissions when missions or issues overlap
5. Improve clarity of missions and objectives with annual reports and workplans
6. Enhance the volunteer experience with increased visibility and public acknowledgement of their work, enforcing the limits of terms, a more open expression-of-interest process, timely vacancy filings, and better training
7. More openness to creating new boards and commissions, and reviewing the relevance of existing ones
8. Update the City Code and guidelines to reflect any of the above changes if they are adopted

The report made other findings, including that the Animal Matters Board has not met in five years. A similar finding was made about the Personnel Appeals Board, The Recreation and Parks Advisory Board is currently being undermined by "subgroups" within the board, the task force said. 

REDI, the city's economic development corporation, needs more transparency, and attention to conflicts of interest, the report argued. And the task force suggested the Sign Review Board be abolished, its functions replaced by existing city staff and the Board of Appeals as needed.

Task force members include Anita Neal Powell, Anne Goodman, Anne Herbster, James Hedrick, Jack Kelly. John Becker, Lorraine Tarnove, Michael "Ben" Parry. The task force has a high-profile chair, former Rockville Mayor Steven Van Grack. Van Grack is also a prominent attorney, who has remained actively involved in the city long after his 1985-1987 mayoral term.

Photo via Twitter

Kabuto Hibachi Sushi to reopen today in Rockville

Kabuto Hibachi Sushi will reopen today at 220 E. Middle Lane in Rockville. They will be offering takeout service only for the time being. Their temporary operating hours will be 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM for lunch, and 4:30 to 8:00 PM for dinner.

Pence visits U.S. Public Health Service headquarters in Rockville

Vice-President Mike Pence donned a mask to visit the headquarters of the U.S. Public Health Service in Rockville yesterday. He was joined by members of the Trump administration's Coronavirus Task Force, including U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Brett Giroir, M.D., U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, and Dr. Stephan Hahn of the Food and Drug Administration.

Pence said "it is a particular honor to be here at the headquarters of the United States Public Health Service," and thanked "the women and men who wear the blue uniforms across the country and have served our nation with such distinction and compassion over the past four months." He reported that 28 states currently have rising numbers of coronavirus cases or rising percentages of positive Covid-19 tests. 12 states have both, he added. And four states currently account for half of the total cases in America at the moment.

Admiral Giroir said that self-administered home nasal swab test kits will be the next leap in testing across the country. He predicted that up to 50 million tests will be available by September.

Hahn described himself as "cautiously optimistic" about the timetable for making a Covid-19 vaccine available to the public. Almost all of the speakers stressed the importance of wearing masks until such a vaccine is widely available. 

"If you want the return of college football this year, wear a face covering.  If you want a chance at prom next spring, wear a face covering," urged Dr. Adams, who couldn't resist playing to the home crowd in Rockville - at least to those who remember the pre-Big-10 days of local college basketball. "I had an interview earlier with a North Carolina radio station...if you want to see North Carolina beat Duke in person this year, wear a face covering. And I grew up in Maryland and in Indiana, so, sorry, Duke, but I...as long as somebody beats you, I’m okay with that," he said to laughter from attendees.

Photos via Office of the Vice-President

Rockville construction update: Main Street Apartments (Photos)

The Main Street Apartments project is rounding into a nearly-finished shape at 50 Monroe Place. This was formerly the location of the IBM building. The project was scheduled for a July 2020 delivery, so let's see what happens in the coming weeks.

Gumbo YaYa has closed at Rockville Town Square

Gumbo YaYa has closed at Rockville Town Square. Rockville residents are growing used to businesses at the property closing, but it seems like the life of a business is shorter than ever here.

Longtime anchor Gordon Biersch lasted for well over a decade before closing recently, but businesses departing in recent years have sometimes lasted a year or less. Gumbo YaYa opened in November 2019.

Microsoft Store to close at Montgomery Mall

Bad news for Xbox gamers and fans of Microsoft devices: the Microsoft Store at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda will be closing. Microsoft Stores had been closed already during the pandemic, but now the tech giant is permanently closing all 83 of its bricks-and-mortar retail stores across the country. Shares of Microsoft have dropped 1.83% on the announcement this morning, CNBC reports.

Sephora sets reopening dates for Pike & Rose, Montgomery Mall

Sephora has announced reopening dates for its stores at Pike & Rose and Westfield Montgomery Mall. The Pike & Rose store will reopen tomorrow, Friday, June 26, 2020. Sephora's Montgomery Mall location will reopen a week later, on Friday, July 3. Both stores will operate under social distancing and hygiene guidelines to lessen the risk of spreading the coronavirus.