In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:

• What's Happening at PLN?
  • Celebrating Dr. Glenn Orlin
  • Thank YOU!
• Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
  • Tree Planting Information
  • ACT Organizes Efforts to Fully Fund Transit
  • From Our Friends at the Purple Line Corridor Coalition
• Construction Updates and Project Features
  • MDOT MTA Purple Line Website
  • Purple Line Status Report

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WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN?

Celebrating Dr. Glenn Orlin

Last Tuesday, January 23, 2024, county elected officials, civil servants, activists, and other friends gathered to celebrate Council Senior Legislative Analyst Dr. Glenn Orlin's retirement after 33 years of service on the Montgomery County Council staff. Elected officials and a range of colleagues paid tribute to Glenn and his contributions as a provider of independent analysis to the Council. Former County Executive Ike Leggett credited Glenn as being a long time sparring partner and gave him credit for turning Ike into a Purple Line supporter as Ike transitioned from Council Member to County Executive. 

Glenn's public service goes even further back those 33 years, however. He joined the Montgomery County Department of Transportation one week before the announcement that the Georgetown Branch right-of-way would be up for sale. That right-of-way, which traverses between Silver Spring and Bethesda, was the genesis of the Purple Line.

During remarks at the party, Glenn gave a touching review of the many people inside and outside the government with whom he worked over the years. With regard to the Purple Line specifically he praised Purple Line NOW founder Harry Sanders as well as the work by the Action Committee for Transit that began before this organization was founded for building a constituency for the line through relentless public engagement. Barbara Sanders recalls Harry and Glenn having, "what seemed to be regular Saturday morning calls about the status of the project and how to keep it moving forward, always encouraging each other that it would, indeed, be completed."

All of us here at Purple Line NOW thank Glenn for his many years of service and wish him all the best on his new adventure!

Thank YOU!!!

We don't think there are enough exclamation points to convey how thrilled and grateful we are for the response we had to our matching campaign which ended on December 31! And, even after the ending date, supporters have sent donations in to help us keep our eye and elbow grease on our work. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

With your help, and with the help of an awesome donor who matched your donations, we were able to raise a whopping $9,305! Every donation, small and large, that came in throughout the holiday season had us cheering and so very thankful to have such amazing supporters. To our matching donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, we thank you for helping us spur others to give, as well. We simply could not have been as successful without that motivating nudge.

Our need is ongoing - we operate on a budget between $20,000 and $25,000 each year, so if you missed the matching campaign, please know that your donation any time of year in any amount is welcomed and necessary for us to continue our work. You can easily donate by clicking the Purple "Donate" button below.

Please take a look at the donors below who gifted Purple Line NOW over the past twelve months. 

Thank you from all of us here at Purple Line NOW!

FEATURED DONORS

The Malloy and Sanders Family

Tina, Don, and Jessie Slater

Purple Line Corridor Coalition

SUPPORTING DONORS

Ralph Bennett

Eric Talbot

ENGINEERS

Elizabeth Barbehenn

Jose Galdamez

John Robinson

Ben Ross

Nancy and Rob Soreng

CONDUCTORS
Anne Ambler and John Fay, Nicholas Brand, Brian and Bee Ditzler, Dr. Troy Jacobs and Dr. Kawsar Talaat, Gerrit Knaap, Greg Madden, Anita Morrison, Christine Scott and JohnR Llewellyn

COMMUTERS
Gus Bauman, John Carroll, Paul Goldman, Peter Gray, Margaret Greene, Stacy Kaplowitz, Jodie Kulpa-Eddy, Jay Miller, Ray Nosbaum, Kathy Porter, William Strang, Jerry Withers

PASSENGERS
Theo Brown, Tina Curry, M. G. Diamond, Patrick Dougherty, Elaine Emling & Michael Jenner, Patrick Flaherty, Lucile Freeman, Kay and William Gilcher, Richard Gollub, Jennifer McAuliffe, Judith Morenoff, Mark Perlman, Mark Posner, Tom Quinn

HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR

Tree Planting Information

The Woodside Civic Association continues to encourage the planting of street trees in the neighborhood and some of the information from their recent meeting may be helpful to anyone in Montgomery County, regardless of which neighborhood you live:

• Click on the link for a detailed list of species the County will plant.
• Reforest Montgomery supports the planting of trees on private property. For information click on the link below or contact Mia Rothberg at 301-495-4614.
• Tree Montgomery also assists with trees on private property.
• Street Trees on state roads -- this includes 16th Street and Georgia Avenue -- is under the jurisdiction of the State Highway Administration. If you are interested in helping to get trees planted on 16th Street, please let the Woodside Civic Association know. While nothing can be done in the vicinity of the Purple Line work or near the 16th and Georgia Avenue intersections, funding may be available to make 16th Street greener between these areas.

ACT Organizes Efforts to Fully Fund Transit

Action Committee for Transit is coordinating a write-in effort to provide input to the state to fully fund WMATA. You can use this helpful form to find your state senator and provide support for increasing the transit budget.

From Our Friends at the Purple Line Corridor Coalition

PLCC has released a 2023–2027 Housing Action Plan, which includes seven core actions that will serve as a guide for the HAAT over the next 4–5 years. In the document, you’ll see ways to help more people and communities build and retain wealth through homeownership; you’ll see an expanded set of legal protections and resources to support tenants and amplify their voices; and you’ll see ways to connect the benefits of new homes and mixed-use development to the needs and aspirations of communities along the Purple Line. 

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES & PROJECT FEATURES

MDOT MTA Purple Line Website

If you haven't visited the MDOT MTA Purple Line website in a while, you are in for a treat -- they've refreshed the website and added a whole bunch of new features to their newsletter, including station renderings! The carousel of images on the website is reason enough to take a gander.

Purple Line Status Report

In the January 2024 MDOT MTA report to the Maryland General Assembly, Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and House Appropriations Committee, we thought the following graph might help understand where particular segments are in terms of completion. If you are interested in reading the full report, you can find it here.

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