A few notes here about the status of Montgomery County’s new Day Laborer Center on Crabbs Branch Way.

First, Dena Levitz writes in the Examiner:

Had snow and ice not blanketed the region last week officials said a new day labor center for the Gaithersburg community would definitely open by March 1.

But in spite of the harsh weather, the hope still is to be in business as close to the beginning of next month as possible, according to Chuck Short, special assistant to County Executive Ike Leggett.

“We’re waiting for the trailers to be delivered,” he told The Examiner on Tuesday. “That was supposed to happen already, but it was delayed by the weather.”

In fact, as of Tuesday, the trailers have been delivered (picture courtesy of a Gaithersblog reader):

Short said the contract between CASA of Maryland and the county outlining the way CASA will run the center has been signed but county officials did not provide a copy to The Examiner on Tuesday, nor did they reveal the amount of the contract.

The previous deal between Montgomery County and CASA for management of the Wheaton day labor center allows the county to pay the immigrant advocacy group up to $114,780 per year. It’s estimated that running the Gaithersburg-area center will cost nearly $140,000 annually.

Second, I note that the audio recordings of the February 8 Planning Board Meeting are now available. The hearing on this topic is just about two hours long. It starts at the beginning of segment 8, and continues to about two thirds of the way through segment 10. The audio may either be downloaded as mp3s (and loaded to your iPod if you like :) or streamed into your computer’s media player.

Lastly, a Gaithersblog reader has obtained a copy of the memo from the Planning Board Chairman to Mr. Arthur Holmes, Director Department of Public Works and Transportation, communicating the decision of the Planning Board as well as specific direction regarding the construction, operation and supervision of the proposed center. As the memo was provided in the form of a scanned, bit-mapped PDF, the Gaithersblog reader kindly also provided a transcription, which I’ve formatted into HTML below. As usual, this transcription could contain errors and the original PDF — or better yet, the Planning Board themselves — should be consulted for the exact wording. If anyone does spot any errors, however, please bring them to my attention.

Montgomery County Planning Board
The Maryland National Capitol Park and Planning Commission

Office of the Chairman
February 13, 2007

Mr. Arthur Holmes, Director
Department of Public Works and Transportation
101 Monroe Street, 10th Floor
Rockville, Maryland 20850

SUBJECT: Mandatory Referral No. 07302-DPWT-1
Temporary Day Laborer Center

Dear Mr. Holmes:

At the regular meeting of the Montgomery County Planning Board on February 8, 2007, we reviewed the proposed location of a temporary day laborer center at 16500 Crabbs Branch Way, Rockville, Maryland. After discussions with staff, representatives of the Office of the County Executive and the Department of Public Works and Transportation and the community, the Planning Board recommends that this mandatory referral proposal be APPROVED subject to the comments outlined below. We commend all parties for working together cooperatively to evaluate the location of this proposed worker center.

In addition to the comments contained in the staff report, as modified, the Planning Board reserves the opportunity to provide further comments as information on site circulation and operations is reported to the Planning Board:

  1. Participate in the Greater Shady Grove Transportation Management Program when established and enter into a traffic mitigation agreement.
  2. Provide the Shady Grove Implementation Advisory Committee with quarterly updates on progress towards finding a permanent day laborer site.
  3. Coordinate with DPWT Transit Services to redirect buses from I-370 to Shady Grove Road to better serve the new center. An alternative is to provide shuttle bus service from Gaithersburg to the new center.
  4. Mark the crosswalk area along Crabbs Branch Road, where the existing sidewalk crosses driveway(s) of the County-owned property.
  5. Install traffic control signs along the Montgomery County Food Service access road and Crabbs Branch Way prohibiting standing or parking except in areas designated for the day laborer center.
  6. Install multi-language directional signs along Shady Grove Road, Crabbs Branch Way, Redland Road and Frederick Road (Maryland 355) to identify the location of the center.
  7. Provide a status report to the Planning Board summarizing site operations, including observed weekday peak period traffic volumes after the temporary day laborer center has been in operation for at least one month.
  8. Monitor the Shady Grove Shopping Center and provide police enforcement to assure that this location is not used as an alternative for workers and employers to meet.

The Planning Board endorses full implementation of the 2006 Shady Grove Sector Plan recommendations that the County Service Park be relocated. We ask that the Office of the Executive clarify the intended duration of the term “temporary” day labor center so that there is no impediment to relocating County Service Park uses due to the presence of the worker center.

We request a response within 30 days on how your agency intends to include the Planning Board’s recommendation in the operation of this day laborer center. Thank you for providing the necessary information to this mandatory referral review possible.

Sincerely,

Royce Hanson
Chairman

RH:se:ha
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