Resident group to discuss Town Center

The resident-led Town Center Action Team will hold a summit to discuss the status of the year-old Town Square development in downtown Rockville and to look ahead to building out the rest of Town Center.

"I think [the Town Center Action Team] was concerned that Town Center was being forgotten," Mark Pierzchala, TCAT president, said

Now is a good time to have the discussion given the decline in the economy, he said.

A few shops and restaurants have closed since last year. The Super Fresh grocery store is intended to be the anchor for the mixed-use development, but its opening was delayed by a redesign of the store.

The meeting will include representatives from Rockville city staff, developers, and residential and commercial property managers, who will also address the next phase of development in Town Center, bordered by Beall Avenue, North Washington Street and Hungerford Drive.

The Town Center Action Team was created more than a decade ago to help create the vision for downtown Rockville.

The meeting will be held 7-9 p.m. Tuesday in the second-floor exhibit hall of the Metropolitan Center for the Visual Arts (VisArts) in Town Square.

For more information, send an e-mail to TownCenterSummit@cs.com or visit http://rockvilletcat.blogspot.com.

Chamber encouraging participation in Buy Rockville

An alliance of businesses, residents and property owners have hired a marketing firm to help promote Rockville businesses and are now seeking private contributions.

The Coalition to Preserve Rockville Neighborhood Businesses, led by the Rockville Chamber of Commerce, will meet Thursday at the Legacy Hotel and Meeting Centre in Rockville to discuss plans for the extension of the citywide Buy Rockville marketing campaign aimed at giving retail stores and restaurants a boost in business.

The group hired Maier & Warner, a Rockville-based public relations and marketing firm, to implement the action plan and take the campaign "to the next level," said Andrea Jolly, Rockville Chamber director.

The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. at the Legacy Hotel at 1775 Rockville Pike. Those attending will have the opportunity to give their comments and ideas as well, Jolly said.

The City Council approved $28,000 to fund half of the coalition's proposed action plan last month. The other half will come from private contributions.

"We're asking for small amounts of money both from property owners as well as local business owners and other employers in the city of Rockville, not necessarily in the retail area," Jolly said, adding that the group also hopes to extend the campaign beyond the retail and restaurant sector into the business-to-business sector.

The City Council launched the Buy Rockville campaign in late November to encourage people to shop in Rockville during the holiday season by providing an online directory of retail stores and restaurants.

To register for the meeting, visit www.rockvillechamber.org.

Shuttle service ready

for Town Square

The long-awaited Town Square buses will begin shuttling people through downtown Rockville starting next week, city officials said.

The Round Rockville shuttles were initially expected to begin running last fall, but that was put off because of delays creating the Rockville-themed design and a change in vendors, city officials have said.

The six $1.2 million buses branded for Town Center were first discussed in 2005 and were purchased in part with a nearly $1 million federal grant.

The county's Ride On bus service will operate and maintain the shuttles that will follow Route 45, which runs from the Twinbrook Metro station through Fallsgrove. Beginning Monday, the route will include two new stops in Town Square on Gibbs Street and Maryland Avenue next to the plaza.

The City Council will celebrate the launch of the shuttles at noon Saturday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Gibbs Street at the pavilion.

For more information, call 240-314-8508 or e-mail eelshafei@rockvillemd.gov.

Caregivers thank city

for proposed increases

The city's caregiver agencies dominated Monday night's budget public hearing with gratitude for the nearly 9 percent increase in the proposed fiscal 2010 budget over last year.

"This year we celebrate an important milestone in the city since it is the first time that the human services budget reaches and passes the half-million-dollar mark," said Agnes Saenz, executive director of Community Ministries of Rockville.

The Rockville Caregiver's Coalition consists of more than 25 human services programs that provide shelter, health care, food and clothing, and other programs to families, minorities and senior citizens, among others.

Council members also heard from representatives of Rockville Seniors Inc. and Rockville Science Center who asked for continued financial support.

George Gallasso, chair of Rockville Seniors Inc., stressed the need for the expansion of the exercise facility at the Senior Center, which he said is too small and in need of new equipment.

Ed Eisenstein, a member of the organizing committee for the Rockville Science Center, asked for support as the group continues to plan for an educational center.

"We ask you to consider the modest request made in the budget," Eisenstein said. "The impact on the city of Rockville is far greater than the amount requested."