Five Too Much at Fawcett
The Park and Planning Commission will take up a proposal for Fawcett Farms, the property at the corner of Falls Road and MacArthur Boulevard, will on May 29.
The planning board has considered and rejected several proposals for the property over the years, including an office building, affordable townhouses and a restaurant and inn. The Board of Appeals approved a proposal for an assisted living facility, but that was later overturned in the courts.
The current preliminary plan calls for five houses on the 4.5 acre property, but Park and Planning staff recommend denying the application, saying the proposal is incompatible with the surrounding properties.
Staffers say that the largest of the proposed lots will be smaller than the smallest lot in the established neighborhoods which border the property. Furthermore, staff asserts that the proposed lots have too small a building area, are too narrow and have too small a frontage to be compatible with existing homes in the area.
Call 301-495-4600.
Four More for Potomac
About 20 students participated in the lottery to decide which out-of-boundary students will be allowed to enter Potomac Elementary’s Chinese Immersion program, according to principal Linda Goldberg. Four students, two from Potomac, one from Silver Spring, and one from Gaithersberg will be offered admission into the immersion program this fall. Two will be in Kindergarten and two in first grade.
There is no guarantee that the students will attend, said Goldberg. Families will have about a week to decide if they want to enter the program.
The students are being added as part of a Board of Education plan to turn the immersion program into something like a magnet program. Of the 25 spots in the class, two will be reserved for students from outside the boundaries of Potomac Elementary. Potomac Elementary students will have the first opportunity to fill the remaining 23 spots, any which are not filled will be opened up to more out-of-boundary students. No transportation will be provided to the out-of-boundary students.
Potomac families will likely have until the late summer to decide about entering the program before it would be opened up to the rest of the county. Enrollment in the program averages 18 students in the Kindergarten and first grade level. Enrollment typically goes down in successive grades as families move away, since entering the program in later years is difficult for non-native speakers.
To date, the program has expanded to Hoover Middle School, and it is hoped that it will continue to expand into Churchill High School.
Flea Market
There will be a flea market and community yard sale at the Potomac Community Center, 11315 Falls Road, on Saturday May 31st from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There will be more than 40 vendors selling collectibles, children's toys, games, children's and adult's clothes, household goods, jewelry and other items.
Last fall this sale netted more than $1,600. All the money that is
raised is used for such things as helping beautify the grounds, update
equipment in the weight room, provide extra play equipment in the lobby and generally provide extra funds for the community center. Admission is free and all are welcome.
Dentist on the Lam?
Montgomery County Police are searching for Dr. David Fuster, a Bethesda dentist and resident of Damascus, who was recently convicted of raping a 15-year-old female patient.
Fuster was convicted on May 7 and was released on bond pending sentencing.
After returning from a vacation on May 20, Fuster’s attorney was unable to contact him. When police went to Fuster’s home, they found the door unlocked, packed boxes, and trash placed outside. It appeared that no one was sleeping at home. Fuster’s children have not been in school since May 8.
Fuster is a citizen of Peru. Montgomery County Police report that the United States has an extradition treaty with Peru. Police are looking for information on Fuster’s whereabouts, in addition to the whereabouts of his wife and five elementary-school aged children.
A warrant has been issued for Fuster’s arrest. The family may be driving a silver 2003 Chevrolet Venture with Maryland license plate number M866617. Anyone with information about Fuster is asked to call 240-773-5070.
Strong Arm Robbery
On May 17 at 11:45 p.m., two employees of a clothing store in Montgomery Mall were taking the night deposit to a bank drop, also in the mall. They were approached by two suspects who charged the victim carrying the deposit. The suspects took the deposit bag and fled the mall in a white Dodge vehicle. The vehicle was later found abandoned.
Indecent Exposure
On May 9, Satip Gosh, 33 of the 8700 block of Ridge Road in Bethesda, was arrested and charged with indecent exposure. Montgomery County Police allege that he exposed himself inside a business on Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda.
Residential Burglary
On May 14, between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. a house on the 10600 block of Muirfield Drive was broken into. The home was entered and painting equipment, compact discs and television equipment was taken.