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Sustainable Maryland Community Certification Report

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This is the Sustainable Maryland Certification Report of Rockville, a Sustainable Maryland bronze certified applicant.

Rockville was certified on October 10, 2021 with 600 points. Listed below is information regarding Rockville’s Sustainable Maryland efforts and materials associated with the applicant’s certified actions.

Contact Information

The designated Sustainable Maryland contact for Rockville is:

Name:Erica Shingara
Title/Position:Chief of Environmental Management / Public Works (Environmental Management Division)
Phone:2403148872
Email:eshingara@rockvillemd.gov
Address:111 Maryland Avenue
Rockville, MD 20850

Actions Implemented

Each approved action and supporting documentation for which Rockville was approved for in 2021 appears below. Note: Standards for the actions below may have changed and the documentation listed may no longer satisfy requirements for that action.

  • Community Action

    Innovative Demonstration Projects - Community Action

    40 Points

    Program Summary: Rockville has a variety of innovative programs to engage with the community: - Community Engagement and Diversity Program: actively informs and engages residents and ensures responsive City services and a high quality of life in neighborhoods. - Volunteer Program: inspires and mobilizes people from all walks of life to volunteer for a stronger, healthier, and more productive and engaged community. - Holiday Drive: distributes food baskets, gift cards, and new toys to Rockville families. - Environment & Sustainability Newsletter: Provides environmental news, volunteer opportunities, events, programs updates, and tips and resources to promote environmental action.

    MD Green Schools

    30 Points

    Program Summary: Between 2018-2021, five of the seven "Green Schools" recertified within Rockville or serving Rockville residents: Beale Elementary in 2018, Earle B Woods Middle School in 2015 and 2019, Lakewood Elementary was certified in 2009, 2015, 2020, College Gardens Elementary in 2010 and 2014, Meadow Hall Elementary in 2012, Rock Terrace School in 2013 and 2017, Richard Montgomery High in 2014 and 2018, Twinbook Elementary in 2014 and 2018, and Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in 2012 and 2016. Additionally, one Maryland Certified Green Center is located within the city limits that offers support to schools working towards green school certification status. The School Energy and Recycling Team (SERT) of Montgomery County Public Schools was certified in 2012, 2016 and 2020.

    Green Team Action Plan

    10 Points
    Bronze Required Silver Required

    Program Summary: Since original certification in 2012, the Green Team continues to enhance existing SMC actions items and advance new action items. The Green Team originally issued the community Sustainability Survey in 2012 that identified the “Top Ten” actions rated as a high priority for Rockville’s sustainable future: 1. 85% - ensure clean and reliable drinking water 2. 70% - increase waste reduction, reuse and recycling 3. 68% - increase green building practices used in new construction and retrofits 4. 64% - provide high quality parks, facilities and recreation programs 5. 61% - improve stormwater management and community watershed stewardship 6. 61% - reduce energy consumed by homes, businesses and Rockville government 7. 59% - promote compact, walkable and mixed use neighborhoods 8. 57% - increase use of renewable energy by homes, businesses and Rockville government 9. 57% - promote alternative transportation options 10. 51% - provide access to healthy, locally grown foods While a separate SMC sustainability survey has not been issued since 2012, the City conducts a biannual community survey to assess community amenities, services, quality of life and local government. The National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) completed the 2018 Rockville Survey data collection and analysis and submitted the Report of Results in February of 2019. Out of the 895 completed surveys obtained, 180 were completed online, while 24 were completed in languages other than English through a consultant to the City of Rockville. As stated on page 9: "About three-quarters of respondents rated Rockville’s natural environment as excellent or good, a rating that was similar to the national benchmark comparison. The City of Rockville’s environmental protection and sustainability initiatives were deemed excellent or good by nearly 8 in 10 respondents." The Green Team updated the attached 2021 plan to include enhancements to existing initiatives (e.g. watershed stewardship volunteering, education and outreach, watershed plans, solar co-op, etc.) and include several new innovative actions (Climate Action Plan, municipal energy audits, pesticides, plastic bag and styrofoam bans, Weed Warrior program, etc.) to promote continued certification in the SMC program.

    Green Team

    10 Points
    Bronze Required Silver Required

    Program Summary: Rockville’s Environmental Commission continues to serve as the core of the Green Team, with support from community partners. The Commission is a nine-member body of Rockville residents with backgrounds in science, the environment and education. Members serve without compensation for terms of three years from the date of appointment and may be appointed to succeeding terms. The Commission continues to reach out to residents, municipal staff, the Rockville Chamber of Commerce, and other organizations to participate and/or serve as advisors for individual SMC action items. For example, over the last several years they have hosted booths at public events (Farmers Market, Hometown Holidays) and posted information on their website for outreach purposes and to recruit new volunteers (www.rockvillemd.gov/index.aspx?NID=106). The Commission is fully appointed and additional volunteers can participate in any of the three designated committees that serve the Commission (Energy, Watersheds, and Climate Action). Since certification in 2012, the Team continues to implement existing SMC actions items (e.g. watershed stewardship volunteering, education and outreach, watershed plans, etc. ) as well as advance new action items (e.g., solar co-op, electric vehicles, community wildlife habitat certification, etc.) in support of the City's recertification.

  • Community Based Food System

    Establish Local Farmers Market

    15 Points

    Program Summary: The City of Rockville hosts its weekly farmers’ market every Saturday from mid-May to the end of November in a public lot on the corner of Maryland 28 and Monroe. Operating for more than 25 years ago and managed by the City Parks and Recreation department, the market attracts vendors from all across Maryland as well as from Virginia, DC and Pennsylvania. While offering the standard locally grown fruits and vegetables and a variety of organically raised meats, the market is home to several stalls offering bakery fresh goods, local vineyard wines, freshly roasted coffee as well as plants and other goods. The adopted FY21 budget increased funding for the Farmers Market Eat Fresh Program to $30,000 through the City operating budget. The City accepts EBT cards and the City will match up to $10 of EBT benefits in $1 Market tokens. Rockville estimates an annual attendance of approximately 55,000-58,000. Rockville coordinates its own promotion and advertising for the farmers’ market using Facebook and other social media outlets as well as through its monthly newsletter (see Rockville Reports newsletter), brochures and Channel 11 local news station). The Rockville Farmers Market website is available at: http://rockvillemd.gov/index.aspx?NID=664

    Community Garden

    15 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority

    Program Summary: The City of Rockville has operated a community garden plot program at Woottons Mill Park (located on Hurley Avenue just west of I-270) for over 40 years. The City's Recreation and Parks Department manages this community garden program; including advertisement, plot registrations, payments, and park maintenance. The Parks Maintenance Division is responsible for mulching, mowing, and overall landscape management throughout the year. These maintenance activities are folded into the City's overall parks and open space maintenance budget, which is funded by the general fund. Additional management details are included in the supporting documentation. The Woottons Mill Park contains 159 plots and typically hosts around 110-120 gardeners at a time. Plots are 25’x25’ and are available for $70 for Rockville residents and $80 for non-residents. The community garden website is available at: https://www.rockvillemd.gov/653/Garden-Plots See attached article for the 2021 garden season with a photo. A video on the community garden and program is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_gJj0ZVUq8

  • Energy

    Innovative Demonstration Projects - Energy

    20 Points

    Program Summary: Please see attach summaries for the following three energy innovation projects: 1) Solar Co-op 2) Building Energy Benchmarking 3) Electric Vehicle Charging Station

    Residential Energy Efficiency

    15 Points

    Program Summary: Rockville partners with Montgomery County, local utilities, non-profits and other agencies to promote residential energy programs that educate the community about utility, state and federal programs and incentives to promote home energy efficiency. Rockville’s location within the Pepco service area and Montgomery County provides a unique opportunity to join forces with other residential energy programs to leverage limited resources. As included in the attached summary, Rockville promotes Pepco’s home energy savings incentive programs offered under the Maryland Empower Program through its website, online and printed monthly newsletters, and community events. Rockville also coordinates with Montgomery County on education and outreach. Montgomery County's Residential Energy Program Manager organizes a variety events and coordinates with different Rockville community groups to help residents become more energy efficient and find renewable energy options (see attached). In 2019, Rockville expanded this program to promote and provide incentives for energy audits and weatherization for low-to-moderate income homeowners.

    Municipal Energy Audits

    15 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority

    Program Summary: The City of Rockville operates a variety of facilities, parks, water and sewer utilities, street and traffic lights, and fleet that consume significant energy resources; costing between three to four percent of the City’s operating budget. The Mayor and Council adopted Resolution #12-13 on October 18, 2013 declaring the City of Rockville’s intent to take a leadership role in reducing electricity consumption and generating renewable energy, partner with the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA), and enroll as a Maryland Smart Energy Community (MSEC). As part of the MSEC program, the City adopted an energy policy for City buildings and operations that establishes a 15 percent electricity reduction goal and a 20 percent renewable energy generation goal. The City developed an electricity baseline and identified several potential cost-effective energy projects and practices to meet the energy efficiency and renewable energy goals. Each year, the City continues to plan and implement energy operating and CIP projects to reduce energy costs at various sites with a combination of funds from the City, MSEC grants, and Pepco utility rebates. The following attachments summarize our progress to date and budgeted projects between 2018-2021. Also included are screenshots of dashboards of our EnergyCap software used for energy tracking. Please note that the energy audit reports for Lincoln Park Community Center and City Hall were labeled proprietary and confidential and could not be publicly uploaded.

  • Greenhouse Gas

    Innovative Demonstration Projects - Greenhouse Gas

    15 Points

    Program Summary: Green Power Partner and Green Power Community: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to use green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. Since 2011, Rockville has been a Green Power Partner and has participated in the Green Power Community Challenge to support renewable energy development and carbon footprint reduction. Each year, Rockville purchases wind renewable energy certificates (RECs) for a portion of it's municipal energy use. A REC is a market-based instrument that represents the rights to the environmental, social and other non-power attributes of renewable electricity generation. Rockville participates a Montgomery County led coalition of County agencies and municipalities to cooperatively purchase RECs. Since fiscal year 2015, the City increased its wind REC purchase to 100 percent of the electricity consumed by Rockville's municipal buildings, City utility systems and streetlights. In FY21, the City purchased RECs for 16.5 MWh, totaling $14,685. This purchase is a small part of the City's overall budget for electricity consumed across all departments; which is generally more than $2 million. Additionally, the City is a Green Power Community and promotes community green power use by businesses and residents. As of April 2021, EPA reported that the Rockville community collectively used more than 119 MWh of green power, 12.6% of the annual community's electricity consumption (https://www.epa.gov/greenpower/green-power-communities). EPA collects yearly reports from green power partners and green power suppliers to estimate community green power usage. EPA compiles data from the following sources in Rockville: 1) the City submits annual reports on municipal green power use to EPA; 2) for confidentiality purposes, a green power supplier reports aggregate green power use by Rockville customers to EPA; and 3) several individual green power partners (businesses, schools, non-profits, government agencies, etc.) report their green power usage to EPA, as illustrated in the attached green power summary The majority of green power reported is from Green-e certified wind renewable energy certificates (RECs). While Rockville has numerous buildings with solar installations, these are not reported or factored in green power estimates at this time because the annual REC ownership can not confirmed.

    Community Carbon Footprint

    15 Points

    Program Summary: The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) initiated a regional effort to prepare community carbon footprint/greenhouse gas inventories for member jurisdictions using ICLEI's ClearPath software. COG staff coordinated with local utilities and jurisdictions to obtain data. The attached carbon footprint fact sheet provides a general overview of Rockville's emissions in 2005, 2012, 2015 and 2018. Despite a 17% population increase between 2005 and 2018, Rockville's emissions decreased by 21% as a result of increased efficiencies and switching to cleaner fuel sources for electricity generation. The attached inputs and assumptions table provides an overview of the inputs for each year and data assumptions. The detailed emissions table provides source specific emission estimates. According to the 2018 greenhouse gas emission inventory, the community generated approximately 816,868 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). The bulk of emissions is generated by commercial and residential building energy consumption (58 percent of emissions). Transportation and mobile sources generated 36 percent of emissions. This community inventory informs the strategies identified in the City's Climate Action Plan to mitigate ghg emissions. The data is made available to the public and further descriptions are included on Rockville's Climate Action Plan project page at: www.rockvillemd.gov/2329/Climate-Action-Plan Please note: COG reported all community data using the attached tables and did not provide the standard ICLEI scope reports.

    Climate Action Plan

    20 Points

    Program Summary: Rockville has a long history of climate commitments and has already reduced emissions 20% from 2005 levels. On August 2, 2021, the Mayor and Council of Rockville adopted a series of climate action goals and policies in the Environment Element of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan (available at https://www.rockvillemd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/42158/). Given that land use, transportation and buildings play a significant role in greenhouse gas emissions and resiliency, the Comprehensive Plan sets the policy stage as the City focuses on a deeper analysis of specific policies, plans, projects, and programs and implementation measures in the Climate Action Plan (CAP). During the development of the CAP: 1) The City coordinated with the Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments to develop community greenhouse gas emissions inventories and estimated municipal emissions. 2) Reviewed national best practices to developed a list of current actions contributing to the CAP and a list of potential strategies and actions for future evaluation. 3) The City incorporated climate mitigation and resiliency strategies into the Draft Environment Element of the 2040 Comprehensive Master Plan which is planned for adoption in the summer of 2021. Please see pages 121-142: https://www.rockvillemd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40921/ 4) Created a project webpage to keep stakeholders engaged: https://www.rockvillemd.gov/2329/Climate-Action-Plan 5) Conducted extensive CAP community outreach to boards and commissions, a community survey and an open house. 6) The City allocated $23,500 to work with a consultant on a cost-benefit analysis of potential actions and will hosting a public meeting in July to get feedback on potential actions. 7) Conducted a draft Climate Action Plan update and review of action list on July 22, 2021 (see attached presentation). The City anticipates the draft Climate Action plan will be presented to the Mayor and Council in November of 2021 for guidance on future adoption.

  • Health & Wellness

    Innovative Demonstration Projects - Health & Wellness

    15 Points

    Program Summary: Drug Take-Back: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is promoted in the region by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COGS) and area partners, including law enforcement agencies, water and wastewater utilities, and health officials. This is a safe, free and anonymous opportunity to dispose of unused, unwanted or expired prescription drugs. National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a convenient and responsible means of disposal, keeping prescription drugs from potentially polluting our drinking water, while educating the public about the potential for abuse or theft of these medications. Twice a year, Rockville Police host take-back events to prevent drug abuse, accidental ingestion, and the contamination of area water supplies by properly disposing of unwanted medication. The drugs are accepted at the Rockville City Police Station parking lot. To make it quick and convenient, officers provide easy drive-up and drop-off access. The DEA destroys the medications. Rockville Police also coordinate with the Rockville Senior Center to offer a free and easy take-back at the Senior Center’s lobby. This is held in conjunction with senior education programs for managing medications and other wellness programs. From October 2018 to April 2021, the police held 5 events and collected 73 trash bags containing 1,550 pounds of medication for safe disposal. An additional benefit of safe drug disposal is preventing medicines from being poured down the drain or flushed down the toilet and entering streams and rivers used for drinking water. Regional water supply and wastewater officials applaud these efforts for keeping potential contaminants out of the water life cycle. In fact, Rockville’s water utility participates in MWCOG’s public education campaign to “protect your pipes”. One element of the program is to promote the proper disposal of expired medication to prevent contamination of waterway and accidental ingestions. On July 21, 2014, the Mayor and Council adopted a Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Resolution, articulating the city's commitment to advancing healthy eating and active lifestyles in Rockville (which has similar program elements to the Let's Move Initiative). The resolution goals are articulated in the Live Well attachment.

    Workplace Wellness Program

    15 Points

    Program Summary: The City of Rockville’s Employee Health and Wellness Program, LiveWell, has helped employees maintain or improve their health through health promotion programs, health education, screenings, and other services since 1987. Since its inception, the program has focused on identifying the health risks and needs of the employee population through health risk assessments and employee input surveys, and then developing programs to address the identified health priorities. Over the last 30 years, the program has offered health fairs, screenings, counseling, healthy lifestyle programs, exercise programs, and incentives to increase health awareness, provide education, and foster behavior change. The program is run by a full time Health and Wellness Program Manager in the Human Resources Department. The attached Virtual Health and Wellbeing Expo summary provides information on the vendors from our new virtual health fair format in May 2021. The attached Health Assessment info provides details of our most recent health assessment campaign in 2020. Currently, approximately 69% of the eligible population participates in at least one well ness activity or event per year. In 2018, the city started a contract with a new third party wellness vendor, WellRight to provide a customized wellness portal for employees and their families. The portal includes opportunities to take a health assessment, choose from over 200 personal challenges, participate in quarterly City-wide challenges, watch educational videos, and view earned points to cash in for electronic gift cards. The program connects with fitness tracking devices, such as an Apple Watch or a FitBit so that it records physical activity easily. Through the portal, we offer employees and families an opportunity to participate in an annual physical and health assessment campaign to earn discounts on their health insurance (or other financial incentives if the employee does not participate with the city's insurance plans). Aggregate reporting of the health assessments since 2018 tracks a variety of health behaviors. Some of the most significant changes in health outcomes since 2018 are outlined below: Achieved a low risk for High Cholesterol: 2020: 76.7% 2018: 71.83% Population has mastered Physical Wellness 2020: 84.62% 2018: 76.63% Population has mastered Financial Wellness: 2020: 78.15% 2018: 70.12% Increased Sleep: 2020: 54.77% 2018: 48.37% The City's transition to a more comprehensive, strategic wellness program design has helped Rockville earn a spot on the "Washington Business Journal's" list of "Greater Washington's Healthiest Employer's" for many years. LiveWell is promoted through employee emails (weekly newsletters and event reminders) posters in City facilities, home mailings, the LiveWell page on the City's intranet, and the WellRight app/website portal, including a new text message reminder feature.

  • Local Economies

    Innovative Demonstration Projects - Local Economies

    15 Points

    Program Summary: Economic Development Program and Plans: Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI) was formed in 1997 as a 501(c)(3) by the City of Rockville to proactively support existing industry and attract new businesses to the city. The City of Rockville provides annual financial support to REDI to perform economic development work in the community, which includes providing businesses with the necessary tools to get started in Rockville and guidance and support to business ventures in the city. The City of Rockville contributed $1.1 million, $160k over the previous year to assist local businesses during COVID. REDI promotes local businesses in a variety of ways - events, networking, website, social media, monthly newsletters, blogs, etc. REDI services include, but are not limited to site selection assistance, fast track development coordination, data and demographic research, business funding and incentive connections, networking and referrals and workforce development. A full service list is available at: http://rockvilleredi.org/about/redi-to-help/redi-business-assistance/ Among REDI's various programs and services, it maintains an online local business directory that helps identify potential customers, partners and/or vendors in the community. Approximately 9,500 businesses are located in Rockville, employing more than 72,500 people. For example, REDI maintains lists of local biotech/medical/health companies, IT companies, international affiliations and large employers in Rockville. A searchable database is located online (http://rockvilleredi.org/choose-rockville/existing-business-base/#) and sample lists are attached. REDI's annual report summarizes programs and accomplishments in FY 2020. Additionally, the attached Economic Report is one of a series of documents developed as background material for updating the City of Rockville’s Comprehensive Master Plan (CMP). The Report discusses the existing economic, labor and market conditions in Rockville and the region, and also discusses past and future trends, core strengths and future challenges and uncertainties that provide a framework for setting policies, goals and objectives in the 2040 master plan process. The Mayor and Council approved the Economic Development Element of the Comprehensive Master Plan in August 2021 to establish economic policies and actions through 2040 (https://www.rockvillemd.gov/203/Rockville-2040-Comprehensive-Plan-Update). REDI has an operating budget of $141.2 million and a staff of 10.

    Economic Analysis of Procurement Practices

    15 Points

    Program Summary: The City initiated a comprehensive analysis of procurement practices, developed a Purchasing Action Plan to address the study recommendations, and instituted annual reports to document progress. On March 2, 2015, the Mayor and Council approved a RFP for consulting services to review and recommend a comprehensive strategy to improve the City’s overall purchasing operation. Calyptus Consulting Group was selected to conduct the study and presented a final report to the Mayor and Council on October 19, 2015. The purpose of this assessment was to evaluate purchasing processes, procedures, organization, staffing, metrics, compliance, systems, and performance. The study included project research, City staff and stakeholder interviews, policy and procedure review, observation study, vendor survey, skills assessment, evaluation of purchasing processes, purchasing file review, benchmarking, and an analysis of expenditures. On February 1, 2016, the City Manager submitted a Purchasing Action Plan with recommendations for improvement. City staff instituted many of these recommendations and now provide the Mayor and Council with an annual report (FY 2019 and FY 2020 attached). As a result of this initiative, the City increased measures to foster increased participation by minority, female and disabled-owned (MFD) businesses in the city’s procurement process. Rockville’s Procurement Division serves as an information resource and fosters a positive environment for MFD businesses. City staff works to identify proactive ways to include MFD businesses in city contracting by publicizing procurement opportunities at conferences, seminars, workshops and networking functions and by submitting articles about the program to minority and local publications. The city also works with Rockville Economic Development, Inc. and other partners to provide procurement training to MFD businesses. Rockville provides bid information and technical assistance to MFD business owners, and upon request, discusses why a bid did not result in a contract award. As a result, in FY2019, about 18% ($4.0M) of Mayor and Council award items, including multiple award contracts, were awarded to MFD businesses. In FY2020, about 13% ($2.6M) of Mayor and Council award items were awarded to MFD businesses. Also in FY21, the City implemented an automatic electronic bidding software to allow for receipt of electronic bids and proposals and to conduct procurement by electronic means. These improvements contributed to earning the 2020 Excellence in Procurement Award from the National Procurement Institute, Inc.

    Establish Local Business Directory

    10 Points

    Program Summary: The Rockville Chamber of Commerce maintains a local business directory at https://www.rockvillechamber.org/ and a sample list from the directory is attached. The City of Rockville supports a variety of other Chamber initiatives to help foster an environment for businesses to succeed through leadership, advocacy and community partnerships. The Chamber's member-elected Board of Directors includes a City representative. The Chamber includes a Public Policy committee that interacts with the City and monitors and advises on legislative and regulatory issues on the local level to improve business conditions. The City of Rockville also provides the Rockville Chamber of Commerce an outside agency grant of $20,000 to administer the Rockville Rewards Card as a way to promote the local economy and local spending initiatives.

    Buy Local Campaign

    15 Points

    Program Summary: Rockville collaborates with the Rockville Chamber of Commerce to promote and maintain a buy local program to support local purchasing initiatives and a thriving local economy. The City of Rockville provides the Rockville Chamber of Commerce an outside agency grant of $20,000 to administer the Rockville Rewards Card as a way to promote the local economy and local spending initiatives. Each year a new card is issued with program discounts. There are discounts and savings to more than 100 local businesses, including restaurants, health & beauty, services, retail and many recreational activities. New businesses that are located in Rockville or are members of the Rockville Chamber of Commerce can sign up at any time, and are promoting right away. A list of businesses and discounts is attached. All proceeds from the card sales go directly to the nonprofit partnered with each business. The program is advertised through Rockville social media outlets, Chamber events, Rockville's monthly newsletter and the City's cable TV and YouTube programs. It is also possible to buy a rewards card at many participating businesses or through the website.

  • Natural Resources

    Innovative Demonstration Projects - Natural Resources

    50 Points

    Program Summary: Please see attach summaries for the following four natural resources innovation projects: 1) Innovative Pandemic Outreach Programs - Like many organizations, Rockville developed innovative environmental outreach programs to keep the community engaged during the pandemic. 2) Rockville Weed Warrior Program - A volunteer program that helps remove non-native plants in community parks. 3) Spring Festival and Native Plant Sale was scheduled but cancelled due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Instead, Environmental Management Division held a native tree and seed giveaway in the fall of 2020 (see #1 above, Innovative Pandemic Outreach Programs) 4) A Homeowners Guide to Sustainable Home Drainage- To help respond to homeowner drainage complaints, the City created an education guide to help residents find solutions for backyard drainage problems. This booklet is distributed to residents at outreach events and when staff respond to a drainage complaint. It is also promoted in our email newsletter and in Rockville Reports. 5) Straw and Styrofoam Ban 6) Pesticide Ban

    Tree City USA

    15 Points

    Program Summary: Rockville has been named a Tree City USA for 32 consecutive years. The City maintains approximately 28,000 street trees and more than 300 acres of parkland designated as Forest Preserve. The 2040 Comprehensive Master Plan Update that was approved in August 2021 by the Mayor and Council includes a policy goal to continue to assess tree canopy coverage, the health and condition of city forests and landscaped areas, and maintain and enhance a robust urban tree canopy. Urban Tree Canopy Assessment using 2014 aerial images concluded that 50% of the City is currently covered by tree canopy. The City Forester’s Office is charged with preservation, protection, and management of Rockville’s urban forest. The office maintains street trees on public right of ways and implements the City’s Forest and Tree Preservation Ordinance. The ordinance, which was enacted in 1992, aims to encourage the preservation and enhancement of Rockville’s urban forest; replaces tree cover in non-forest areas; establishes procedures, standards, and requirements for afforestation and reforestation; and meets Maryland’s requirement to adopt the State's Forest Conservation Law. The City’s forestry program is supported by a budget of more than $1.2 million in fiscal year 2021 and is staffed by six full time employees. This is well in excess of the goal of $2 per capita. The City has several initiatives to engage the community in tree planting and preservation. The Mayor and Council recognize Arbor Day every year with a tree planting event, proclamation, and acceptance of the PLANT 2020 Green Award and Tree City USA designation (attached). In addition, City forestry staff visited first grade classes in Rockville in 2019 to talk about Arbor Day and the benefits of trees, and to distribute tree seedlings. Beginning in 2019 in celebration of the City’s 30th year as a Tree City USA, the City initiated an annual tree give away event. See the advertisement attached. Since 2019, the City has distributed 600 (gallon container or larger) trees for installation on private residential and HOA property. Due to the pandemic, a copy of the Arbor Day Tree City certificate was not available; however, Rockville is listed on the Tree Cities website: https://www.arborday.org/programs/treecityusa/treecities.cfm?chosenState=Maryland

    Adopt a Pet Waste Ordinance

    5 Points

    Program Summary: Rockville has more than 4,000 cats, dogs and ferrets licensed in the city. Pet waste removal requirements are included in Chapter 3 of the Rockville City Code, Animal Control. While general pet waste removal requirements have been in the City Code for several years, the Mayor and Council adopted comprehensive amendments to this ordinance (attached Ord. 12-15) and a resolution establishing a new fine schedule (Resolution 7-15) on June 15, 2015. Section 3-21 (5) defines "animal nuisance" to include the failure to maintain sanitary conditions in enclosures or surroundings thereby causing unreasonable annoyance or discomfort to neighbors. Section 3-22 requires the removal and proper disposal of pet solid waste to protect public health, safety and welfare. Pet owners are required to immediately remove waste when deposited on any public walk, recreation area, public street or private property other than the owner's premise. When walking off property, pet owners must possess a viable means to pick up and remove pet waste. Section 3-38 designates the Neighborhood Services Division within the Police Department the authority to enforce the ordinance. Neighborhood Services administers pet license's, investigates complaints and issues notice of violations and fines in accordance with the Mayor and Council's adopted resolution establishing administrative and municipal infraction fines for Chapter 3 (attached). Violations of Sections 3-22 are municipal infractions with fines of $25 for the first violation, $50 for the second violation and $100 for the third violation. This ordinance remains in effect as of June 2021.

    Develop a Pet Waste Program

    5 Points

    Program Summary: Given the associated pollution prevention and park aesthetic benefits of this ordinance, the City's Department of Recreation and Parks maintains Mutt Mitt(TM) stations at 14 parks and contracts dog waste removal services at the dog park. The Public Information Office provides pet waste pollution prevention public education tips on social media and Rockville Reports. Environmental Management distributes outreach material (attached below) and free pet waste disposal bags at public events.

    Implement a Pet Waste Education Program

    5 Points

    Program Summary: Proper disposal of pet waste is an important aspect of protecting health and preventing pollution in local watersheds. Rockville continues to implement a program to educate residents about the environmental and health hazards posed by pet waste, and to facilitate and motivate proper disposal of pet waste. The City aims for these efforts to decrease the amount of pet waste that enters streams and creeks, and to thereby decrease nutrients and bacteria in our waterways. In 2017, Rockville Channel 11 created a pet waste public service announcement to be featured on the city's cable TV channel, social media and website: https://youtu.be/2-b00U8xoTg The City has a brochure, “Doo the Right Thing, Scoop the Poop” (see attachment), to educate residents about risks to local waterways and human health posed by animal waste that is not picked up. The brochure also informs pet owners about how to properly dispose of pet waste. The brochure and pet waste bag holders (see photo) have been distributed by the City’s Environmental Management Division at numerous civic and environmental events over the past three years, such as Hometown Holidays, Public Works Day, the spring native plant sale, and to neighborhoods upon request. The brochure is also available on the City’s website. Articles reminding residents to pick up after their pets have also been included in Rockville Reports, the City’s monthly newsletter (see attachments). The City maintains 20 pet waste stations, including at the municipal dog park and other locations, to help pet owners to clean up after their animals. Parks with pet waste (Mutt Mitt) stations are searchable on the website (see attached park list and map). Each station provides bags and a disposal container for pet waste, which is emptied routinely. Lastly, the City posts signs in parks reminding pet owners to pick up their pet’s waste. The signs notify pet owners that the City can assess a fine when pet waste is not properly disposed.

    Develop a Water Conservation Plan

    15 Points

    Program Summary: Rockville is served by two public drinking water systems; one is owned by the City and the other is Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC). The City serves approximately 50,000 water and sewer customers with more than 170 miles of drinking water pipelines and 148 miles of sewer pipeline. WSSC serves the remaining residents and businesses. Each year, Rockville withdraws nearly 2 billion gallons of water from the Potomac River. Current peak (summer) daily demand withdraw frequently rises to 8 million gallons. This amount is within our authorized allocation of up to 12.1 million gallons a day. In 2010, the Mayor and Council amended Rockville's Comprehensive Master Plan to adopt a new state-mandated Water Resources Element (WRE), consisting of analyses of the City's long term water and wastewater capacity. The Mayor and Council recently approved the 2021 WRE (https://www.rockvillemd.gov/203/Rockville-2040-Comprehensive-Plan-Update). The document concludes that Rockville's infrastructure in these areas will be able to accommodate projected population increases through 2040. Rockville also developed a Water Conservation Plan (attached) that includes actions to decrease the volume of lost water in the distribution system and actions aimed at reducing our customer’s demand for water, particularly during peak times. As described in the attached plan, Rockville has historically taken a proactive approach to water conservation through annual water accounting, consumer education, accurate metering and tiered pricing incentives (see FY20 water rates). Rockville is also an active partner in the Wise Use water program coordinated by the Metropolitan Council of Governments and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin. The program coordinates regional agencies and jurisdictions on monitoring and public education. The City has incorporated low flow plumbing fixture requirements in building codes to require efficient fixtures be installed in new construction and renovations requiring plumbing permits. The City offers a toilet replacement program to help low-income homeowners implement efficient upgrades. The City also offers a Rainscapes Rewards program that provides rebates for rain barrels and conservation landscaping with native plant that utilize less water after established.

    Stormwater Management Program

    15 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority

    Program Summary: The City of Rockville continues to implement a comprehensive Stormwater Management (SWM) program designed to maintain Rockville’s SWM infrastructure and improve local and regional water quality. The comprehensive program is essential to protect the City’s investment in public infrastructure and to meet state and federal requirements to protect the Chesapeake Bay. In 2008 the City adopted a stormwater utility fee to fund stormwater activities, which are carried out by numerous City departments. The City spends approximately 5 million dollars annually to implement operational and capital improvement project (CIP) activities. Chapter 5 of the Water Resources Element of the Comprehensive Master Plan, adopted by the Mayor and Council on August 2. 2021, contains an overview of the City’s SWM program. Key elements and functions include: • Development review: Review, approval, inspection and enforcement of sediment and erosion control and stormwater management plans. • CIP program: Design and oversee construction of SWM facilities and stream restoration CIP projects. • Program management and policy making: Update city ordinances and regulations to comply with State and Federal requirements; develop standard operating procedures; program coordination; and annual report writing. • Outreach, education and incentives: Administer volunteer and residential incentive programs; developed website and written communications; and coordinate outreach events. • Storm drain maintenance: Inspect and maintain storm drain lines and structures; clean infrastructure; administer street sweeping contract; and implement public works maintenance facility pollution prevention plan. • SWM facility inspection and enforcement: Inspect public SWM facilities and oversee cleaning and maintenance; inspection and enforcement of private SWM facilities. • Water quality investigation, documentation and enforcement: Investigate all complaints, perform hot spot investigations, and enforce any violations of the stormwater section of the City code. • Illicit discharge detecting and elimination (IDDE) and spill response: Perform IDDE activities, including stream walks, outfall assessments, dry weather flow tracking and spill containment and cleanup. • Fats, oils and grease (FOG) program: Inspect and enforce FOG requirements designed to keep grease out of the sanitary sewer. • Watershed study, planning and monitoring: Oversee design and implementation of watershed study and planning; design and administer watershed-monitoring protocols; record and manage data.

    Stormwater Manager / Coordinator

    15 Points

    Program Summary: The City of Rockville established the Stormwater Manager position in 2008. As illustrated in the attached fY2021 budget, the position is still funded by the Stormwater Management Fund and held by Ms. Heather Gewandter. The Stormwater Manager has six direct reports and helps plan and coordinate activities of 16.9 additional staff. It is a matrix position with direct responsibility for: • Program strategic planning and budget development; • Watershed study and project prioritization; • City-wide monitoring (to assess the success of program); • Spill containment and cleanup; • Water Quality Protection Ordinance enforcement; • Public and private SWM facility inspection and maintenance/enforcement; • Erosion and sediment control inspection and enforcement; • Illicit discharge detection and elimination (IDDE); • Inter-jurisdictional coordination; • Outreach and volunteer coordination; and • Ordinance, regulation and policy development. The position is also responsible for planning, budgeting and coordination support for the following activities: • Storm drain line, structure and outfall inspection, maintenance and cleaning; • Development Review oversight; • CIP identification, prioritization, community outreach/involvement and monitoring; and • Standard operating procedure development for all activities listed above.

    Stormwater Fee Structure

    20 Points

    Program Summary: The Mayor and Council adopted legislation in April 2008 establishing a Stormwater Utility Fee, based on impervious area, to fund stormwater management programs. A copy of the ordinance is attached. Please refer to page 43/46 Division 3, Stormwater Management Utility Fee. In July 2009, the first Stormwater Utility Fee was billed via the Montgomery County tax bill. The Stormwater Utility Fee is a charge for service assessed for all property owners, including homeowners, businesses, houses of worship, governments and schools. This fee is structured to recover costs for the services the City must provide to protect public safety, property and the environment, and to share these costs among all property owners fairly and equitably. The City’s Stormwater Utility Fee is based on the amount of impervious area for each property. Impervious surfaces, such as roofs, driveways and parking lots, produce more runoff from rainstorms than vegetated areas produce. Stormwater runoff typically flows through the City’s public stormwater treatment facilities and/or storm drain pipes into streams. These are part of the City’s stormwater management system. The cost to manage this system is being distributed to all property owners based on this fee. While the stormwater impact of any one property may seem small, the cumulative effect of impervious areas greatly affects stormwater runoff quality and rate of stream erosion. A summary of the stormwater fund and utility fee is included in the attached budget. The FY2021 fee was $132.00 per equivalent residential unit and the FY2022 proposed fee is $132.00. The fee is advertised in annual budget and utility fee public information materials (website, Mayor and Council meetings, monthly newsletter (see attached Rockville Reports article). The stormwater utility fee supports Rockville’s Stormwater Management Capital Improvement Program which provides funding to study, design and construct stormwater management facilities, stream restoration projects and stormwater conveyance projects. The projects are designed to restore, protect and maintain the physical, chemical and biological integrity of City streams, as well as protect private property and eliminate downstream impacts. The attached summary provides an overview of three projects completed in the last three years and nutrient and sediment reduction estimates.

    Provide Incentives for Watershed Stewardship on Private Lands

    15 Points

    Program Summary: The City of Rockville implements several incentives for Watershed Stewardship on Private Lands. In addition to a stormwater management utility fee credit program for property owners who maintain private onsite stormwater management facilities meeting current standards, the City provides smaller, accessible incentives through the “RainScapes Rewards” program. Funded by the City's stormwater utility fee, this innovative program offers City homeowners and non-profits the opportunity to secure financial rebates for activities that retain stormwater onsite, including rain barrels, conservation landscaping and rain gardens, tree planting, pavement removal and permeable paver retrofit projects. (A new flyer was not created this year because of COVID). Free training for implementing these techniques is offered twice a year at Green Your Backyard Information Sessions. The annual program budget for rebates is $10,000, which is allocated as follows: - Rain barrels: The City offers a $1 per gallon rebate for installation of rain barrels with a minimum volume of 55 gallons (max. rebate: $500). The City also produced a four-part video series to show residents how to choose, install and maintain a rain barrel. - Conservation landscaping: The City offers rebates to homeowners for replacing turf grass, non-native invasives or bare soil with native plants. Residential properties are offered a financial rebate of $1 per square foot (without soil improvement) or $2 per square foot (with soil improvement), with a minimum volume of 250 square feet (max. rebate $1,200). - Tree planting: The City offers an incentive for residents to plant native trees on their property. Residential properties are offered a $150 rebate for each approved tree (max. rebate $600). In 2019 and 2020, the City hosted tree giveaways. Additionally, over 600 trees were distributed to Rockville residents during tree giveaways in 2019 and 2020. - Pavement Removal: The City offers a financial rebate of $3 (sod) or $4 (native plants) per square foot, with a minimum volume of 100 square feet (max. rebate $1,200). - Permeable Paver Retrofit: The City offers a financial rebate of $1,200, or $4 per square foot up to $2,500, whichever is greater, with a minimum of 100 square feet. Program information, applications, and instructions for all three RainScapes initiatives are available on the City Web page. The attached summary provides program participation summaries for FY 2019 – FY2021. The program website is available at: http://www.rockvillemd.gov/rainscapes Photos of RainScape installations are available at: http://www.rockvillemd.gov/gallery.aspx?AID=22.

    Provide Voluntary Opportunities for Citizen Engagement in Watershed Stewardship

    10 Points

    Program Summary: The City of Rockville provides several stewardship opportunities for community members who want to play an active role in protecting and improving watershed quality. The City promotes these opportunities and provides incentives and leadership through the Environment Commission, the City Environmental Management Division, the Department of Public Works, the Department of Recreation and Parks, and city volunteer coordinators. City liaisons also partner with neighborhood and civic associations, schools, community centers, and places of worship to help citizens play an active role in the process of protecting and improving water quality in the city’s three different watersheds. The City maintains a centralized environmental volunteer website to help local citizens and students understand the importance of natural habitats and healthy watersheds and access ongoing opportunities to engage in numerous workshops and training sessions so that they are adequately informed and equipped to participate. Voluntary opportunies for citizen engagement with outside organizations, include the Alice Ferguson Foundation, Montgomery County, Rockville Science Center, and WSSC. The City organizes an Earth Month promos and calendar to help promote various events in April and uses the Environment & Sustainability Newsletter to share existing opportunities. 1) Rockville Science Day: The Rockville Science Center sponsors Rockville Science Day every year with the support of the City of Rockville and Montgomery College. The event has over 90 exhibitors from the community, local businesses, and academic institutions. There are science activities for the whole family including chemistry, rocket launch, robotics, water conservation, environment, birds and reptiles. The event typically has more than 4,000 visitors. 2) Montgomery County Community Service Month: In support of the Montgomery County Community Service Month, the City hosts and provides supplies for several stream cleanups every October including two City hosted cleanups at Twinbrook Park and Maryvale Park. From 2018 to 2020, 453 volunteers cleaned up 23 stream segments and collected 277 bags of trash. The City provided promotional support, student service-learning hours, trash bags, gloves, and trash collection. In addition to a stormwater management utility fee credit program for property owners who maintain private onsite stormwater management facilities meeting current standards, the City provides smaller, accessible incentives through the “RainScapes Rewards” program. Funded by the City's stormwater utility fee, this innovative program offers City homeowners and non-profits the opportunity to secure financial rebates for activities that retain stormwater onsite, including rain barrels, conservation landscaping and rain gardens, tree planting, pavement removal and permeable paver retrofit projects. (A new flyer was not created this year because of COVID). Free training for implementing these techniques is offered twice a year at Green Your Backyard Information Sessions. The annual program budget for rebates is $10,000, which is allocated as follows: - Rain barrels: The City offers a $1 per gallon rebate for installation of rain barrels with a minimum volume of 55 gallons (max. rebate: $500). The City also produced a four-part video series to show residents how to choose, install and maintain a rain barrel. - Conservation landscaping: The City offers rebates to homeowners for replacing turf grass, non-native invasives or bare soil with native plants. Residential properties are offered a financial rebate of $1 per square foot (without soil improvement) or $2 per square foot (with soil improvement), with a minimum volume of 250 square feet (max. rebate $1,200). - Tree planting: The City offers an incentive for residents to plant native trees on their property. Residential properties are offered a $150 rebate for each approved tree (max. rebate $600). In 2019 and 2020, the City hosted tree giveaways. Additionally, over 600 trees were distributed to Rockville residents during tree giveaways in 2019 and 2020. - Pavement Removal: The City offers a financial rebate of $3 (sod) or $4 (native plants) per square foot, with a minimum volume of 100 square feet (max. rebate $1,200). - Permeable Paver Retrofit: The City offers a financial rebate of $1,200, or $4 per square foot up to $2,500, whichever is greater, with a minimum of 100 square feet. Opportunities for citizen engagement include: • An Adopt A Stream Program that engages community groups such as homeowners’ associations, scout troops, businesses, and places of worship in taking ownership of local stream and holding litter cleanups at least twice a year. From FY19 to FY21, 908 volunteers participated in 55 cleanups and collected 696 bags of trash. • Weed Warrior Workdays, started in FY20, that provide an opportunity for residents to take part in improving the biodiversity, and therefore health, of the watersheds in City’s park. During FY20 and FY21, over 400 volunteers have participated in bimonthly workdays. • Youth camps and programs focused on streams and watersheds offered by Croydon Creek Nature Center. In FY19, 22 youth participants in the camp received presentations on storm drains, stormwater, pollution prevention, and stream monitoring and habitat assessments from City staff as well as outside organizations. The youth group also designed and painted three stormwater themed storm drain murals with supplies and general guidance provided by EMD and under the direction of nature center staff. • A Storm Drain Marking Program that provides an opportunity for elementary and middle school students to take part in a simple action that can spread the message that storm drains run directly to our local streams. The storm drain placards used in the program also include the City’s pollution hotline number. A link to the City volunteer opportunities, including Adopt A Stream and Weed Warrior Workdays, is available at: https://www.rockvillemd.gov/2152/Volunteer A link to the Croydon Creek Nature Center and volunteer and education activities is available at: http://www.rockvillemd.gov/index.aspx?NID=380 Samples of promotional articles and photos are also attached.

    Facilitate Engagement in Existing Watershed Stewardship Opportunities

    15 Points

    Program Summary: Rockville facilitates engagement in several existing watershed stewardship programs with outside organizations, including the Alice Ferguson Foundation, Montgomery County, Rockville Science Center, and WSSC. The City organizes an Earth Month promos and calendar to help promote various events in April and uses the Environment & Sustainability Newsletter to share existing opportunities. Included among these are the following: 1) Annual Potomac Watershed Cleanup: In support of the Alice Ferguson Foundations’ Trash Free Potomac Watershed initiative, the City coordinates stream cleanups every April including three City hosted cleanups at Twinbrook Park, Maryvale Park and the Hayes Forest Preserve. The City hosts three public stream cleanups and provides promotional support, trash bags, gloves, trash collection for several community stream cleanups. From 2019 to 2021, 455 volunteers cleaned up 32 stream segments and collected 421 bags of trash. Due to COVID-19, all 2020 spring stream cleanups were cancelled. 2) H2O Summit: Each fall, Rockville hosts the annual Montgomery County H20 Summit which brings local watershed groups, residents, and jurisdictions together to discuss water quality issues and provide participants with a range of outreach materials on the local stormwater programs. Due to COVID-19, the first virtual H2O Summit was held in November 2020. 3) Rockville Science Day: The Rockville Science Center sponsors Rockville Science Day every year with the support of the City of Rockville and Montgomery College. The event has over 90 exhibitors from the community, local businesses, and academic institutions. There are science activities for the whole family including chemistry, rocket launch, robotics, water conservation, environment, birds and reptiles. The event typically has more than 4,000 visitors. 4) Montgomery County Community Service Month: In support of the Montgomery County Community Service Month, the City hosts and provides supplies for several stream cleanups every October including two City hosted cleanups at Twinbrook Park and Maryvale Park. From 2018 to 2020, 453 volunteers cleaned up 23 stream segments and collected 277 bags of trash. The City provided promotional support, student service-learning hours, trash bags, gloves, and trash collection.

    Implement Watershed Stewardship / Pollution Prevention Outreach Program(s)

    10 Points

    Program Summary: The City of Rockville implements a comprehensive Watershed Stewardship/Pollution Prevention Outreach Program that uses a multi-media approach to inform residents and businesses about pollution prevention. Tips are included in Rockville Reports, the City’s monthly newsletter sent to all residences and available to all businesses, and on social media. Information is also aired on Rockville Chanel 11, the City’s cable TV station. The City has educational pamphlets that are handed out at community events and information sessions and are available at City facilities or by request. The Watershed Committee also has also coordinated with community blogs, listserves and other distribution opportunities. We conduct outreach on commercial pollution prevention, proper disposal of fats, oils and grease (FOG’s), proper disposal of pet waste, proper use of fertilizers and pesticides (lawn care), green your background techniques for sustainable lawns, techniques for sustainable car washing and maintenance, pool drainage, and the proper use of de-icers. Also included are details on the City’s Pollution Hotline for reporting pollution and illegal dumping with examples of problems which should be reported. The attached NPDES MS4 annual report includes a summary of all stormwater pollution prevention education, outreach and enforcement activities for fiscal year 2020.

    Create a Watershed Plan

    20 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority

    Program Summary: The City of Rockville periodically assesses the health of its three watersheds: Cabin John Creek, Watts Branch and Rock Creek. In general, teams involving various Rockville staff and consultants have contributed to the watershed assessment and management plans. With an emphasis on “stakeholder” involvement, City staff have also developed partnerships with interested residents, civic and homeowners’ associations and watershed groups to contribute to the watershed planning process. These assessments inform the City and its residents on the health of the streams, and opportunities for stormwater management facility retrofits. They also identify problem spots, such as areas that are severely eroded and in need of repair and restoration. Finally, they document the successes of Rockville’s stormwater program efforts and indicate the amount of work still required to achieve the City’s goals. These plans make recommendations for activities that will improve water quality and manage stream erosion. These activities can range from Capital Improvement Program (CIP) projects, like stream restoration and stormwater management (see attached FY21 CIP), to enforcement and outreach programs. Rockville completed two rounds of watershed studies. The most recent studies were completed as follows: Cabin John 2011, Watts Branch 2013, Rock Creek 2015. Rockville also performed a Green Streets Study in 2017. Rockville is in in various stages of implementing recommendations from these studies through the CIP. Until the City is through that project backlog, it opted to perform smaller, in-house assessment; reevaluating projects identified in the studies given advances in technology, and investigating projects identified via other infrastructure inspections activities and property owner complaints. Within the last three years, the City updated the Water Resource Element (WRE) (see attached Element) of its Comprehensive Master Plan. The WRE Describes the City’s current program and highlights long-term. Programmatic goals for the future. All of the City's watershed studies and management plans are available at: http://www.rockvillemd.gov/570/Streams-Watersheds

  • Planning & Land Use

    Innovative Demonstration Projects - Planning & Land Use

    45 Points

    Program Summary: - Bike Friendly Community. Bicycling in Rockville is a sustainable, healthy, and equitable mode of transportation and recreation. Since 2019, in partnership with Montgomery County, Rockville offers various bike sharing locations throughout the City. This encourages residents to use bikes for local transportation. The attachment below describes the Bike program in Rockville with links to the City's website. - Vision Zero Plan is a priority initiative of the Mayor and Council as part of their goal of creating safe and livable neighborhoods. The attachment below includes the plan, timeline and link describing the program. - Historic Preservation. Since our last certification the following has been developed: *Historic Preservation Trends Report *Tax credit program for historic properties *Historic Resources Management Program. - Recreation and Parks Strategic Plan this focuses on the needs and uses of residents. - Redgate Park is a former golf course. Recreation and Parks staff were asked to lead a process for reimagining the future of RedGate Park and are working with Public Works and Planning and Development Services to manage the project. The city recently contracted with a consultant to help prepare design concepts that will assist the Mayor and Council in the next steps for RedGate Park.

  • Transportation

    Innovative Demonstration Projects - Transportation

    10 Points

    Program Summary: Backyard Chickens: In 2015, the Rockville Mayor and Council approved revisions to the Animal Control ordinance (Section 3-24) to allow up to five female chickens for personal use at a single-family home; only in their backyards and only if coops and cages are located at least five feet from the property line and at least 40 feet from the home on the lot. This ordinance is still in effect and residents must obtain a permit before keeping chickens at home and notify their neighbors. The ordinance language, permit application and information are included in the attached guide. Additional information on the program is attached. Approximately 25 people participate in this program.