Dawn Crafton Dance Connection opening at Rockville Town Square

The blank wall next to Bar Louie - that has been a dead spot since Rockville Town Square opened - will finally become an active storefront. Dawn Crafton Dance Connection will take over that space on Gibbs Street in June.

DCDC's facility will include four dance studios, Marley and hardwood sprung floors, and a beauty station. The locally-owned business has an existing location in Gaithersburg, and this will be their second facility. Classes range from ballet and tap to jazz and hip hop. The interior build-out is now underway.

Dawn Crafton is a graduate of Wheaton High School.

It'sugar opening Friday at Rockville Town Square; Finnegan's Wake Watch continues

New candy store It'sugar will open this Friday, March 18, at Rockville Town Square, according to a store employee. The boutique's staff was unpacking sweets and lining the shelves and displays late Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Irish pub Finnegan's Wake was dark and locked up tight 24 hours before St. Patrick's Day happy hour. A building permit was visible through the front door's window, but the yet-to-open pub was not listed in a St. Patrick's Day email announcement from Rockville Town Square. Stay tuned.

It'sugar

130 Gibbs Street

Rockville Town Square

Metro shutdown - now what?

The failure of all three levels of government to hold WMATA accountable, and years of incompetent leadership within that transit agency, have culminated in a full shutdown of the Metro subway system today. That closure began at 12:00 AM this morning. While the public has been told the shutdown will last 24 hours (technically not true, as Metro doesn't operate overnight), there are indications it could last even longer if serious safety issues are found during the inspection of the system's power cables.

Here's the latest as of this hour:

Federal workers have the option of unscheduled leave or teleworking today. It will be interesting to see if the loss of Metro will mean carmageddon, or great driving conditions like we experienced during the Pope's visit.

Driving and Metrobus are the best options this morning. Metrobus and Ride On Bus are both operating on regular schedule this morning.

MARC commuter rail is a legitimate option, with stations in Rockville, Gaithersburg and Kensington. The train can take you into Union Station in the District, where you can connect to other transit options.

Been meaning to try biking to work? This could be the day. Search #WMATABikePool on social media to find fellow riders to make the trip safer. An extra hour of daylight should help tonight.

Capital Bikeshare is offering 24-hour memberships today.

Uber will cap surge pricing in the Washington area at 3.9 times base fares today only. Lyft is offering new users $20 off their first ride during the shutdown.

This is another lesson today - we have to finish our master plan highway system. And we simply must do our homework, vote smarter, and start electing the right people who can get the job done. The results so far speak for themselves.

Rockville Police readying body camera policy

Rockville Police will soon be wearing body cameras, and that requires not only getting the technology and equipment in place, but also a policy to address privacy concerns such as how long footage will be stored. Chief Terry Treschuk told the Mayor and Council last night that he has been working on both aspects of the program.

Treschuk said one server will support and store video files from all of the cameras in use. He examined body camera footage storage policies from police departments across the country, as well as locally. Montgomery County, which already has begun using body cameras, has a 120-day storage policy. After study and consideration, Treschuk said he is recommending a 90-day storage time for the archiving of video taken by Rockville Police body cameras.

Councilmember Julie Palakovich Carr asked if citizens and the Mayor and Council will be kept apprised of the final policy, such as when body cameras will be on or off. Treschuk said he would ensure everyone is kept informed as the policy and cameras are implemented.

Photo courtesy City of Rockville

Rockville Pike Plan transmitted to Mayor and Council, public hearings set for April 11, May 16

The Rockville Pike Plan was officially transmitted to the Mayor and Council at last night's meeting. Planning Commission Chair Charles Littlefield was there in person, as the plan process reaches its conclusion with two public hearings, worksessions and adoption.

Public hearing dates were set by the Mayor and Council for April 11 and May 16. Yesterday's transmittal triggers a 90-day review period for the plan. Should the Mayor and Council ignore the plan for 90 days without adopting it, it would either take effect as is, or the City could grant itself one extension if it can demonstrate a good-faith effort to complete it.

Caregiver grants, cell tower revenue among Rockville budget concerns

Rockville's FY-2017 budget will increase spending by 2.2% to $126.1 million dollars, but property taxes will remain the same, under recommendations by the City's finance department. Deputy Director of Finance Stacey Webster presented the budget at last night's Mayor and Council meeting.

Savings were found in many areas, Webster reported, such as in taking advantage of lower fuel prices. Other costs have gone up, including the amount needed to cover new vehicle purchases across many departments. The City is also facing a major fiscal challenge in the Supreme Court's decision in the Wynne case, which will result in less revenue coming from the state to Rockville.

Expanded programming at the Twinbrook Community Center and Rockville Senior Center, upgrades at the Swim Center, and design improvements for the Croydon Creek Trail are among the expenditures that residents will notice the most. Rockville taxpayers will also face greater burdens as a result of Montgomery County's increase in the minimum wage. Public funds of $43,250 and $50,000 for temporary employees in refuse collection and Recreation and Parks, respectively, show that County wage boost has required greater public spending.

Councilmembers Mark Pierzchala and Beryl Feinberg raised concerns over the cost of caregivers funded by the City. Not all who receive City funding are keeping adequate records, Pierzchala noted, and he suggested that for next year they should be warned that such failure may result in termination of City funding.

Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton asked Webster and Finance Director Gavin Cohen if cell tower revenue from towers at a water tank and RedGate golf course currently going into the general fund could be moved back to the enterprise funds they were meant to support. Webster said RedGate is in good financial shape, but she and Cohen said the potential of reverting the funds could be explored.

One new factor this year is that the County is demanding the City pay its property taxes much earlier. Originally, they asked to receive them by May 13, but Webster was able to obtain an extension until May 17, the day after the Mayor and Council are expected to adopt the final budget.

Public hearings on the budget will be held on March 21, April 4, and April 18, 2016.

Rockville construction update: Floyd's 99 Barbershop at The Galvan (Photos)

"The original rock and roll barbershop" looks just about ready to go at Galvan at Twinbrook, JBG's new development at 1801 Chapman Avenue (but which fronts directly onto Rockville Pike).

Floyd's 99 Barbershop has rock paraphernalia covering its walls, but probably won't have plastic wrap covering its barber stools much longer. Traditionalists will be glad to know they still have a classic barber pole out front.