Council Member Duane Rollins and I attended the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department’s (KVFD) ceremony commemorating the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A solemn annual event honoring the nearly 3,000 victims, including 343 firefighters who died in the World Trade Center, KVFD joined hundreds of other fire stations while responding to the Pentagon. While honoring KVFD’s pledge to ‘Never Forget’, the Town donated funding in 2019 to complete a plaque recognizing Flight 93, which crashed into a field in Shanksville, PA. The plaque is included within KVFD’s 9/11 Memorial and is the only Fire Station in Montgomery County to have such a Memorial. I would encourage everyone to take the time to visit the 9/11 Memorial at Station 5 and ‘Never Forget’.
The Town has completed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Konterra Limited Partnership for the use of the property located at 10450 Metropolitan Avenue as a Dog Park. Considering the property is located between the CSX railroad tracks and Metropolitan Avenue, we believe that the Dog Park will be an ideal location, as it is far from any residential properties. The Town Council approved the purchase of a 6’ fence at our August meeting and the staff is currently working with the County on permits. To get the Dog Park opened this fall, we will be placing compacted dust gravel and grass, similar to Dog Parks in Gaithersburg and Rockville, and will also install 2-3 benches, a trash/recycling station, dog waste stations, and signage/regulations for use of the Park. The Town’s Public Works Crew will also provide landscaping upgrades along Metropolitan Avenue. The location does not have enough space for separate large and small dog areas, nor will the Park have water; however, we are very excited to finally find an appropriate location for a Dog Park within our Town. An advisory committee has also been formed to review future upgrades, including art opportunities, shade structure(s), surface material, and agility furnishings.