North Woodside Annual Meeting 2023

Dear North Woodside Residents,

Please join us for the North Woodside Citizens Association annual meeting!

When: Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Where: Grace Episcopal Church
(1607 Grace Church Rd., Silver Spring)

Pizza will be served starting at 6:30 and the meeting will begin at 7:00pm. Our new County Councilmember Kate Stewart will talk about her work on the council and answer questions. We will hear what the Board and committees have done this past year, review the NWCA budget, and vote on new Board members. Representatives from our committees and interest groups will be available to meet in breakout groups to let you know about their activities and give neighbors a chance to meet and get involved.

Please RSVP for the meeting so we will know how much pizza to order and how many families plan to use the onsite childcare.

Hope to see you there!

Poll: Childcare During Annual Meeting

In a neighborhood survey conducted a few years ago, one of the reasons some neighbors cited for not having attended a NWCA Annual Meeting was lack of childcare.  In the interest of making the meeting more family friendly, the board is looking into several possible childcare options for the upcoming Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 25.

Before we proceed further, it would be helpful to get a sense of how many families would appreciate childcare being offered, the ages of their children, and if there is any preference between the various childcare options we are considering. Towards that end, we invite all parents of younger children (12 and under) to respond to a short poll by this Wednesday, May 11.

Based on the responses we will determine whether or not there is an interest in our providing childcare, and if so, which option/s makes most sense, based on the number and ages of the children, families’ preferences, relative cost, etc

Related, if there are any teens in the neighborhood who babysit and would be interested in assisting with childcare during the annual meeting, please contact the NWCA Communications Coordinator.

NWCA Annual Meeting 2022

Join us in person for the NWCA Annual Meeting!

The North Woodside Citizens Association annual meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 25th, 2022, at Grace Episcopal Church from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. The church is located at 1607 Grace Church Road, just across Georgia Avenue from North Woodside. We are excited to hold this year’s meeting in person again and to provide dinner and a chance to get together with neighbors. 

Pizza and beverages will be served starting at 6:30 pm, and the meeting will begin at 7:00 pm. If you plan to join us for dinner, please RSVP here by May 23rd, so we know how much pizza to order.

In addition to neighborhood updates and voting, the meeting will include a forum with the candidates running for our new County Council District 4: Al Carr, Amy Ginsburg, Troy Murtha, Kate Stewart, and John Zittrauer. Bring your questions for the candidates!

All North Woodside residents are encouraged to attend, however only NWCA member households will be allowed to vote on neighborhood issues and the slate of officers for the upcoming year. Residents can pay membership dues at the meeting by check or online.

UPDATE: *Free* childcare will be offered in a separate room during the meeting, to enable more families with younger children to attend.

Association Name Change and By-Laws Revision!

During the Association’s Annual Member Meeting on May 23rd, 2019, the Association voted in favor of a revision to the Association’s bylaws. The new bylaws as amended can be found here.  One of the notable changes was a decision by the Association to remove “Montgomery Hills” from the Association’s name. It shall now be known as the North Woodside Citizens’ Association.

Well-Attended Annual Meeting Held At Woodlin

The North Woodside Montgomery Hills Citizens Association convened its annual meeting at Woodlin Elementary School on Wednesday, May 17.

One of the main orders of business was electing association officers. By voice vote, the following roles were approved: Geoff Gerhardt, president (left); David Cox, vice president; Anne Kennedy, secretary; Jim Mannion, treasurer; and Scott Hensley, editor of The Beacon. Geoff Gerhardt gave an update on the activities of the association and led a discussion about the various construction projects and traffic issues in the neighborhood, including the closure of the Talbot Avenue bridge. (See page 1 for more information.) Jim Mannion reviewed the association’s finances and encouraged people to pay their annual dues.

Our guest speaker was Reemberto Rodriguez, director of the Silver Spring Regional Service Center. Rodriguez is an enthusiastic advocate for our neighborhood and downtown Silver Spring. He talked about how increasing residential density downtown is leading to more foot traffic and a livelier feel, day and night. He acknowledged that the construction that is transforming downtown can also make it difficult at times to navigate the streets by car and to find places to park.

The association has inquired about the possibility of getting a Capital Bikeshare station located in the county owned parking lot across Seminary Road from Snider’s Super Foods. Rodriguez was supportive of the idea. After the meeting he suggested in an email to a county official that a bikeshare station shouldn’t be contingent on a revised sector plan for the Montgomery Hills business district along Georgia Avenue.

With Rodriguez’s encouragement, the association is exploring the idea of holding a food truck fair in the parking lot. Local merchants would also be encouraged to participate. The association still needs to find out if the idea is feasible.