'Tis the season for shiny, new things. We've been celebrating ribbon cuttings and grand openinings all over the county, so you might want to check out some of these great new spaces:

Clarksburg Premium Outlets, which will have about 90 stores, is located directly off Interstate 270 at the Clarksburg Road interchange. Representatives of the Simon Property Group say they chose Montgomery County in part because of our low unemployment rate and our solid economy. 

The 48,000-square-foot Nancy H. Dacek North Potomac Community Recreation Center features an expansive full-sized gymnasium, auxiliary gym, rock climbing wall, exercise and weight room, spacious social hall, commercial kitchen, multi-use community room, arts/kiln room, game room, meeting rooms, offices and more. The 11-acre site provides a new organic multipurpose turf field, playground, bus stop at the facility and two outdoor multi-purpose courts.

The new 23,133-square-foot Glenmont Fire Station #18 is built on the site of the former Glenmont Elementary School at the southwest intersection of Georgia Avenue and Randolph Road in an area of the County that continues to see tremendous growth and aligns with the fire department’s mission of delivering outstanding service to the residents, businesses and visitors to Montgomery County.

The new Public Safety Training Academy will house specialized training programs for all new law enforcement officers hired by Montgomery County's Department of Police and Office of the Sheriff as well as police departments run by municipalities. The K9 unit will also train at the facility. The PSTA will provide functional training programs for all career and volunteer fire and emergency personnel, Ride On bus drivers and Department of Correction and Rehabilitation personnel.

The newly renovated Ross Boddy Community Recreation Center in Sandy Spring features a new gymnasium, regulation-size basketball court, arts and crafts suite with a kiln, kitchen with upgraded equipment and a renovated social hall for a total of 27,400 square feet. The 8.37-acre site provides a playground and renovated soccer/softball field, volleyball court and multipurpose court that can be used for basketball and tennis.

Marriott International, Inc., the world’s leading hotel company, announced its plans to relocate its global corporate office to a state-of-the-art, build-to-suit $600-million facility to be located in downtown Bethesda in Montgomery County. The county has been Marriott’s home for more than 60 years. The new complex will house more than 3,500 employees in approximately 700,000 square feet of leased office space. The company is continuing its consideration of several sites in downtown Bethesda, and is expected to select a final site in the first half of 2017. Marriott plans to occupy the new space before the expiration of its current lease at 10400 Fernwood Road in late 2022. Marriott also announced that it will build a 200+ room, Marriott-branded hotel on the site.

As part of the announcement, Marriott President and CEO Arne Sorenson said, “Marriott has been headquartered in Montgomery County, Maryland for more than 60 years and we intend to remain close to our roots. Our goal is to provide a cutting-edge workspace for our associates that offers state-of-the-art technology, modern amenities, and access to a range of transportation options.” Sorenson added, “We also plan to manage a new 200+ room Marriott-branded hotel to be built on the site, which will be a significant economic driver for the community. After a comprehensive review of many excellent options in Washington, D.C., as well as Arlington and Fairfax counties in Northern Virginia, and North Bethesda, we have narrowed our search to downtown Bethesda, an area which offers multiple sites that meet our priority needs.” Learn more.

I recently introduced Bill 42-16 that would create a new property tax credit for residents who are at least 65 years old and who have lived in the same dwelling for at least 40 years. Retired members of the U.S. armed forces who are at least 65 years old also would be eligible for the tax credit. See the video. 

Councilmembers Sidney Katz, Nancy Navarro and Craig Rice are co-sponsors of the bill.  A public hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 15. If you can't make the hearing, you can also send your testimony to county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Residents who qualify for the credit would be eligible to receive a 20 percent credit for the property tax imposed on their property. The credit would be granted annually for five years subject to application requirements. 

The dwelling for which a property tax is sought must have a maximum assessed value of $500,000 or less. 

We want to do whatever we can to encourage people who love living in Montgomery County to continue to be able to live here as their life circumstances change. We understand that this can be an expensive place to live for many people at the prime of their earning power, and it gets more challenging for those in retirement years. With this bill, we can offer some help to people who have lived here a long time and helped build this County and to those who served our country and helped preserve and protect all the things for which we are thankful.

Voting is easy in Montgomery County with three ways to cast your ballot. For more information, visit the Board of Elections at www.777vote.org.

 New! If you missed the October 18 registration deadline and are qualified, you can register and vote the same day at any of the early voting sites. Just bring a Maryland driver's license, identification card, learners permit or other proof of residency.

Vote by Mail

Any voter can vote by mail. Download the absentee ballot request form and send it to the Board of Elections by November 1 if you want your ballot mailed to you or by November 4 if you want it delivered electronically.

Vote Early

Early voting is available October 27-November 3, 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. at any of these ten early voting sites: 

• The Activity Center at Bohrer Park, 506 S. Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg
• Damascus Community Recreation Center, 25520 Oak Drive, Damascus
• Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville
• Germantown Community Recreation Center, 18905 Kingsview Road, Germantown
• Jane E. Lawton Community Recreation Center, 4301 Willow Lane, Chevy Chase
• Marilyn J. Praisner Community Recreation Center, 14906 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville
• Mid-County Community Recreation Center, 2004 Queensguard Road, Silver Spring
• Potomac Community Recreation Center, 11315 Falls Road, Potomac
• Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veterans Place, Silver Spring
• Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad, 2401 Arcola Avenue, Silver Spring

Vote on Election Day

Show up at your local precinct on November 8.

Let us know what matters most to you at our Town Hall Meeting for the Silver Spring area on Wednesday, November 9, at Sligo Middle School (1401 Dennis Avenue) beginning at 8:00 p.m. with a pre-meeting reception at 7:30. You can voice your opinions on specific issues and ask questions of us in an organized, but informal, setting. I hope to see you there.

The meeting will be taped for later broadcast on County Cable Montgomery (CCM—cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon or in high definition). For more information about the Town Hall Meeting or about the broadcast times, call 240-777-7931.