Text Box: TOWN COUNCIL NOTES October 9 Three copies of a three-volume overview of the effects of the recent flood are now available at the town office for residents’ perusal. It is the National Flood Insurance Study… It is imperative that the furnace and air conditioning system for the town hall be updated very soon, Mayor Beers told the council. Resident Jim Shaut presented a specific proposal for the work that the town has obtained with a cost of approximately $41,000. Since the original heating and air-conditioning systems are considered inadequate at this time, repairs need to be started very soon, before the existing system dies, the mayor said… The mayor also brought up the need for street repairs. She presented information about the recent experience with such repairs in Takoma Park and said its representatives offered to be available to Glen Echo as the town prepares to take on a similar extensive updating of our streets. She pleaded that we take advantage of the views of experts as we proceed rather than allowing individual homeowners to direct the street repairs in front of their homes and/or to have individual vetos of the larger projects… Three residents of upper Princeton Ave. expressed concerns about the speed of drivers traveling up Princeton Ave. to MacArthur Blvd. There was discussion about how children at play might be protected. The possibility of a speed bump was discussed. No action was taken… Town council members Eve Arber and Nancy Long attended the Sept. 21 Maryland Municipal League meeting which was held at the Glen Echo Town Hall… --Phyllis Daen Text Box: INTERSEX FISH ON THE POTOMAC This is not the title of a campy ‘50s drive-in movie, but the latest in a string of insults upon the river that provides our drinking water. Male fish in the Potomac and its tributaries have been found developing eggs. The first intersex fish were found in the region in 2002, and there are still no answers as to why this is happening, according to the Potomac Conservancy. Research currently indicates that pollutants are likely to blame. So called “endocrine disruptors” that affect the hormones within fish are causing this problem. Thanks to real bipartisan concern on the part of our local members of Congress, this issue may be gaining the focused and intensive attention it deserves. You can call your member of Congress and ask them to get the EPA to stop wasting time and get to the bottom of this issue. To date, Rep. Van Hollen, Rep. Moran, Rep. Davis, Rep. Cummings, and Rep. Gilchrist have been taking a leadership role on this issue, the Potomac Conservancy says. Text Box: LET YOUR GARDEN FEED THE BIRDS Before you start snipping and removing the heads and stalks of retiring summer plants, remember that many birds will feed on the seeds of flower heads such as coneflowers, tall marigolds, zinnias, cosmos, coreopsis, and sunflowers, the Poromac Conservancy suggests. Leaving plant material for the winter also provides protection for birds. If you can leave some leaf litter where it falls, towhees and other birds will appreciate the insects.