Ibi Sofillas

The Clarksburg Maryland ombudsman position could be eliminated, if contemplated county budget cuts come to fruition.

Owing to a $500+ million budget shortfall in the Montgomery County budget, the county executive is looking for areas to cut, and the ombudsman job is one such item under the ax.

The buzz in the community is that the ombudsman is still needed in order to look out for the interests of Clarksburg residents. The current ombudsman's contract runs until January 31, 2010, at which time the position would disappear, unless there is a change in the budget.

The Clarksburg Maryland Civic Association will meet on Monday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Ombudsman's Office, 23210 Stringtown Road, Clarksburg.

A major topic of discussion will be an update on the plans for the Adventist Healthcare Campus, including the Clarksburg community hospital and medical offices.

See you there!

The Clarksburg Chamber of Commerce will be meeting on March 18 at 8:00 a.m. at the Ombudsman's office, located at 23201 Stringtown Road (in the Highlands Shopping Center).

The featured speaker is Renee Lewis, President of Pensare Group. Renee has over 20 years of experience in helping emerging companies thrive and succeed, and this is sure to be a dynamic and fascinating presentation.

Also on the agenda: progress reports on the shop local initiative, Adventist Healthcare, HOA amendment, and infrastructure and business development.

If you have any questions about the Clarksburg Chamber, you are welcome to email me: Ibi@ClarksburgLovelyHomes.com

See you there!

The February statistics have just been released by MRIS, Inc., which operates the Realtor database in the Washington metropolitan area.

In Clarksburg, a total of $4,839,810 worth of homes sold last month. This is a slight increase (up 2.40 percent) compared to February 2008.

...But, the big news is that the median price of homes that sold was $535,219 -- a jump of 20.27 percent during that same timeframe. So things seem to be moving in the right direction if you are a homeowner or home seller in Clarksburg.

I'll be very interested to see if this is just a statistical blip, or if we are seeing a longer-lasting trend here.

Please stay tuned for more news!

Residents of Clarksburg, Maryland who suffer from a heart attack will now have access to an automated external defibrillator (AED) being donated to the community by Adventist HealthCare.

The device, worth $1500, is to be presented to the Clarksburg Civic Association at their meeting this evening at 7:30. The meeting will be held at the Ombudsman's Office at 23201 Stringtown Road (in the Highlands Shopping Center at the corner of Route 355 and Stringtown Road), if you'd like to attend.

In addition, Adventist HealthCare will be offering CPR and AED training to the Clarksburg community.

Adventist HealthCare is currently in the midst of planning for a hospital and medical campus at Route 121 and I-270 in Clarksburg, with the goal of expanding health care services available for residents of upper Montgomery County.