Get ready to jump into the 2021 Pool Season!

Summer is right around the corner—and the application process for Amberfield residents to enjoy the pool is now open. The easiest way to register is online, via our website. Just click here.

In an effort to save money on printing and postage costs for the HOA, the full 2021 Pool Registration Packet can be downloaded here. It includes some very important information in regards to rules, eligibility, COVID-19 safety precautions, and more. PLEASE BE SURE TO READ IT THOROUGHLY!

DEADLINE FOR POOL REGISTRATION IS MONDAY, MAY 3rd!

All visitors are required to fill out, print, and bring the mandatary Pool Participant Waiver (COVID-19) on their first visit. It’s included in the packet but can it be downloaded here as an individual sheet.

Are you a tenant? Be sure to have your landlord fill out the Homeowner’s Pool Privileges Release Form, so you can enjoy our great community amenity! It’s in the Pool Registration Packet, as well, but you can download it here directly.

The pool opens Saturday, May 29th, but just like like last year, there will be time blocks. All patrons must leave the pool area when the swimming period ends. For full COVID-19 provisions rules, please see the 2021 Pool Registration Packet.

WEEKDAYS

11:00 am -1:00 pm    Open for Swimming period 1

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm     Open for Swimming period 2

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm     Closed for Cleaning

4:00 pm - 6:00 pm     Open for Swimming period 3

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm     Open for Swimming period 4

WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS

10:00 am - 12:00 pm Open for Swimming period 1

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm   Open for Swimming period 2

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm     Open for Swimming period 3

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm     Closed for Cleaning

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm     Open for Swimming period 4

7:00 pm - 8:00 pm     Open for Swimming period 5

Let’s have a happy and safe pool season! Should you have any questions or need additional information after you’ve read the 2021 Pool Registration Packet, please contact Abaris Realty at (301) 468-8919 (Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) or email kambush@abarisrealty.com and you’ll receive a response as soon as possible. Enjoy your summer!

Snow Preparedness Contacts & Info

AMBERFIELD RESIDENTS:

With the possibility of significant snowfall this winter, please take advantage of the following snow preparedness tips and resources available through the City of Gaithersburg.

FOR CITY SNOW REMOVAL INFO, CLICK HERE.

All snow-related correspondence, please email: snow@gaithersburgmd.gov. You can also call and leave them a message at 240-805-1345, if you have a comment or concern during or immediately following a storm. For true emergencies, such as downed wires or trees blocking your doorway, call 911.

Monitor the City’s website for updates at www.gaithersburgmd.gov. They also push out the most current information on Facebook and Twitter (@GburgMD) and on Nextdoor.

Register for Alert Gaithersburg to get emergency notifications delivered simultaneously to devices you identify. Sign up at www.gaithersburgmd.gov/alerts. Want to receive regular City of Gaithersburg news? Subscribe to inGaithersburg, the city’s weekly e-mail newsletter, at https://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/government/enewsletters.

Please note, cars parked illegally on snow emergency routes will be ticketed. Whenever possible, the city will announce that a snow emergency will be put in place in advance of its effective time, giving residents the opportunity to move their vehicles. Those parked on routes once the snow emergency takes effect will be subject to ticketing and towing. Warnings will not be issued.

Find out which jurisdiction is responsible for maintaining which road at this Maryland Department of Transportation website. Also, their prescribed order of snow plowing.

DO NOT shovel snow back into roadways or parking lots. It may sometimes be difficult to find places to put all that snow, but putting it back into the roadway slows down the city’s snow removal efforts and often creates safety hazards. It’s one of the biggest challenges we face during heavy snows.

Please comply with City laws about removing snow from sidewalks and bus stops. It is imperative that pedestrians, including school children, have a safe place to walk.

It’s best to hold recycling and bulk items on days when severe weather is anticipated. If a determination is made to suspend recycling and bulk pick-up, notification will appear on the City’s website and their Recycle Coach program, which is also available on their website or as a free app available from the App Store and Google Play. Learn more about the Recycle Coach here.

Please be safe and follow all the rules and regulations stated above.

THE COUNTY ADVISES AGAINST DOOR-TO-DOOR TRICK-OR-TREATING

As much as we would love to see all the little ghosts and goblins, princesses and superheroes of the neighborhood out there trick-or-treating with family and friends, Amberfield’s HOA Board strongly recommends adhering to the COVID-19 safety guidelines established by county officials.

Some of their social-distant recommendations for Halloween include:

• Participating in online costume parties and pumpkin carvings

• Decorating homes, yards, neighborhoods with Halloween decor

• Participating in car parades such as:

  • Drive-by events or contests where participants dress in costume or decorate vehicles

  • Dive-in or drive-through events where people can remain safe in their vehicles and drive through an area looking at Halloween displays. For events like these, participants can “receive a treat bag (limited to commercially packaged nonperishable treats) or other takeaway item from an organizer while the participants remain in their vehicle.”

• Visiting Halloween movie nights at drive-in movie theaters that are in accordance with county health guidelines

• Eating a Halloween themed meal at an outdoor restaurant that complies with county health guidelines

• Checking out Halloween-themed art installations at outdoor museums that adhere to county health regulations

  For complete press release on keeping children and families safe during halloween, click here.

“Many of the traditional ways of celebrating do not allow people to minimize contact with non-household members so it is important to plan early and identify safer alternatives to avoid the risk of spreading COVID-19”

— MoCo Gov

Bulk Pick Up is Now On-Demand—and no longer THE first Wednesday of EVERY month!

While your regular trash and garbage collection is handled by private contractors, the City of Gaithersburg provides on-demand bulk refuse collection to single family homes and townhouses for large items, including heavy electrical appliances, furniture and other large household objects that private trash collectors will not accept.

Starting in September, 2020, the City of Gaithersburg is changing its bulk refuse collection program to make it more convenient for you, more efficient for City staff, and more thoughtful of the environment. You must now schedule an appointment to arrange for bulk pick up collection. There’s a limit of one per month, but it can be scheduled on any of your regular recycling days.

The City is happy to provide this service to you, and our goal is to recycle as much of what we collect as possible. However, reuse and repair are always preferred options. Before scheduling a bulk pick up, please consider alternatives to disposal. Montgomery County has an extensive list of donation options that can be explored here.

Complete details about this new program, including scheduling instructions and a list of what can and cannot be put out can be found on the City’s Bulk Pick Up webpage here. Questions? Contact the Department of Public Works at 301-258-6370.

Online Registration & Enrollment for Montgomery County Public Schools

If you have a child to enroll for the 2020-21 school year, your local schools would like to know!  Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has launched a new online registration/enrollment process to support families who wish to enroll their children while school buildings are closed.  Families who need to enroll their children in prekindergarten/Head Start programs and kindergarten for the 2020-21 school year, as well as new K-12 and international enrollments for the remainder of this school year and the 2020-21 school year, can complete the process in three ways:

1.  Online, starting with the Registration Survey found here:  https://bit.ly/MCPS_Registration_Survey

2. Over the phone by calling 240-740-5999

3.  Using paper versions of enrollment forms.  To access paper forms, complete the Registration Survey (linked above) or call 240-740-5999 to request that forms be mailed to your home.

Additional information can be found on the MCPS website:  https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/enroll/index.aspx

Quick Garden Tips for Spring and Summer

Maintaining and beautifying the outdoors of you home should always be of growing interest, but even if you don’t have a green thumb, Mike McGrath of WTOP has some great advice to give before he goes on hiatus. You can view a couple of his quick tips below and view years of helpful posts on the station’s “Garden Plot” page by clicking here.

• Don’t cut your grass too short

• Water only in the morning and only if it hasn’t rained for a week

• Grow in raised beds so you don’t step on the roots of your plants

• Save and shred all your fall leaves for mulching and compost making

• Inspect your garden daily so problems can be solved quickly

Don’t forget, there’s mulch to think about this season.

Avoid piling up too mulch to the base of trees. No volcanoes! It could rot the bark. Keep in mind, these wood chips can suck plant-feeding nitrogen from the soil—so be frugal with your spreading. Avoid mulch that has been dyed (it could be hiding diseased wood among other things) and consider yard-waste compost to your surrounding plants.

Montgomery Parks Coronavirus Information & Restrictions

To view all website details, visit www.montgomeryparks.org/covid-19/

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Saturday, March 14, 2020

***EVENT CANCELED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS***

Parade starts at 10 AM.

Lucky you! Come join the fun at Rio Washingtonian Center with Celtic and Bolivian dancers, bagpipe bands, clowns, fire trucks, and more.

The City in partnership with The Peterson Companies & Rio, will host the 20th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade at Rio, at Rio Boulevard & Grand Corner Avenue. Free parking is available in three garages along Washingtonian Boulevard.

Interested in Participating in the Parade?

Community groups and other organizations are invited to march. It is a great way to be involved in the community and get your group noticed. Participant application forms will be posted here when available. All registration forms submitted must have a parade participant agreement form attached.

Please note that participation in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade by groups or organizations other than City of Gaithersburg officials, departments or committees does not constitute City of Gaithersburg endorsement.

Holiday Festivities & Events

WINTER LIGHTS FESTIVAL

Seneca Creek State Park

Now thru Dec. 31

Sun–Thurs, 6–9 PM.; Fri. & Sat. 6–10 PM

(Closed 12/25)

The 3.5 mile drive through the enchanted woodland setting of Seneca Creek State Park takes you past more than 450 illuminated displays and beautifully lit park trees that brighten the night. Admission at the gate is $12 per car Monday through Thursday and $15 per car Friday through Sunday. Details here.

---

FIRE & ICE

Wed, December 4, 2019

Crown Park at Downtown Crown, Gaithersburg

Wed, December 4, 2019

6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Enjoy live ice sculpting, hot chocolate bar, sweet treats, music, giveaways and more!

Special Dance performance by Dawn Crafton Dance Connection

---

HOLIDAY SING ALONG & TREE LIGHTING

BlackRock Center for the Arts, 12901 Town Commons Drive, Germantown, MD

Wed, December 4, 2019

6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Come down to BlackRock on Wednesday, December 4 from 6-8 PM for a special holiday celebration. Warm up with hot chocolate, enjoy holiday cookies and craft a unique snowflake to turn the streets of Germantown into a winter wonderland.

Local students will take the grand staircase at 7 PM to lead us in song from: Seneca Valley High School , Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School , and Great Seneca Creek Elementary School .

This event is free and open to the public and there will be plenty of free parking.

Brought to you by: BlackRock Center for the Arts, Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce, and Germantown Alliance.

---

JINGLE BELL ROCK OUT

King Farm Village Center, Rockville

Sat, December 7, 2019

2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Enjoy performances by Members of LDE Unplugged with Friends, appearances by The Grinch, Elvis, and the guest of honor: Santa Claus. A FREE, family friendly event with ton of holiday entertainment. Free photos with Santa, arts & crafts for the kids, complimentary face painting and balloon art, giveaways, hot cocoa, and more! First 150 kids to register at the King Farm Village Center table will receive a goody bag.

---

CAROLING IN THE KENTLANDS & FREE CONCERT

Dec. 16, 2019

6 p.m. – Caroling (meet at Lakelands Clubhouse)

7:30 p.m. – Free Concert at Arts Barn, 311 Kent Square Road

Get in the holiday spirit with a caroling sing-along in the beautifully decorated Kentlands & Lakelands neighborhoods. Meet at the Lakelands Clubhouse at 6 p.m. After caroling, come to the Arts Barn for hot drinks and yummy treats at 7 p.m. At 7:30 p.m., enjoy a holiday concert by the Gaithersburg Chorus and the Kentlands Children's Chorus.

Amberfield's Annual Doggie Swim

POOCHES TO THE POOL!

Come to the neighborhood’s Annual Doggie Swim. Bring your four-legged friends for the last hour of pool time (7pm–8pm) on Labor Day—Monday, September 2, 2019. All dogs must be leashed upon entering the pool deck. They must also be current on all their vaccinations, especially rabies. All participating pooches need to be registered through the city of Gaithersburg or Montgomery County. And owners must sign an informed consent/release of liability agreement before entering the pool deck.

Don’t miss it! Celebrate the end of summer in true doggie fashion. “Go fetch!”