Washington Gas on-scene for Day 2 of the Big Dig in Bethesda's Veterans Park (Photos)

Day 2 brought confirmation that the "Big Dig" taking place in downtown Bethesda's Veterans Park is related to a natural gas line. Washington Gas had a crew at the scene Friday, joining the teams from NPL Construction and Badger Infrastructure Solutions. Badger is a firm that specializes in hydrovac excavation to daylight underground utilities, and for trenching, both of which have been performed in Veterans Park over the last two days. 

The big dig in Veterans Park in Bethesda (Photos)

What the heck is going on in Veterans Park in downtown Bethesda? Heavy equipment and a crew of men converged upon the park, which is located at the intersection of Norfolk and Woodmont Avenues, yesterday. They proceeded to tear up a portion of the hardscape, and dig a hole or trench in front of Jetties, with one man also doing something at the front wall of Jetties. Traffic was backed up on Woodmont at times, as some of the construction vehicles traveled between the park and Fairmont Avenue. The contractor, NPL of Landover, specializes in natural gas and electric utility work. 

Working on something at the front
wall of Jetties

The trench in front of Jetties

Debris pile on Woodmont Avenue

Woodmont sidewalk closed

Vehicles staging on Fairmont Avenue...

...caused traffic to back up on 
Woodmont at times

Veterans Day 2024 at Veterans Park in Bethesda (Photos)

Veterans Day 2024 saw the annual placement of wreaths around the veterans' memorial at Veterans Park in downtown Bethesda. Each one was sponsored by a community organization or elected official. Individuals and groups represented in the park included the Bethesda Urban Partnership, the Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce, the Bethesda Historical Society, and Montgomery County Councilmember Andrew Friedson. The memorial was erected in honor of Bethesda and Chevy Chase residents who perished in the major military conflicts between World War I and the Iraq War.

Surveillance camera robot removed from Bethesda park again

The surveillance camera robot in Veterans Park in downtown Bethesda has been removed again. It was previously stationed there from June 1 to August 4, and from August 26 until yesterday. Montgomery County had also recently deployed a second mobile camera unit on nearby Cordell Avenue. If the park camera has been redeployed elsewhere, I haven't run across it yet.

Surveillance camera returns to Veterans Park in Bethesda

The surveillance camera robot that was removed from Veterans Park in Bethesda earlier this month returned yesterday. This is Montgomery County's camera number 2220165, the same unit that was here before. Camera number 2220164 was deployed a few blocks away on Cordell Avenue on Saturday, August 24, and is still there now. While the camera was not in the park, a man recently smashed the front windows of Z-Burger, which faces the park.

Man attacks front of Z-Burger in Bethesda (Photos)

A man attacked the front of Z-Burger at 4827 Fairmont Avenue in Bethesda about an hour before the restaurant opened yesterday morning. Witnesses said the man smashed the front windows using what appeared to be one of the new, rat-proof public trash cans. The crashing of the metal trash can drew a lot of attention from those in the vicinity at the time. Montgomery County police arrived at the scene, and very shortly had a suspect in custody. 

The suspect was handcuffed and seated in the adjacent Veterans Park, as officers searched his belongings. A motive for the vandalism is unknown at this time. An arrest in the case does not appear in Montgomery County arrest records as of this writing. Despite the damage, Z-Burger forged ahead Monday. The broken glass was swept up, and the burger restaurant opened for lunch.

Suspect detained in
Veterans Park

With debris cleaned up,
Z-Burger opened for lunch

Surveillance camera robot removed from Veterans Park in Bethesda

A security camera robot that has been surveilling Veterans Park at 7898 Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda this summer has been removed. The camera had been stationed there since June 1. Montgomery County, as well as some private businesses like the nearby CVS Pharmacy, have employed the robots as a tool to combat the crime wave that has persisted since 2020. The County has primarily deployed the cameras in the downtowns of Bethesda and Silver Spring.

Robot as seen on June 1

Unmarked surveillance camera robot appears in Veterans Park in Bethesda

A surveillance camera robot was placed at Veterans Park at 7898 Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda yesterday. Unlike most of the others we've seen, it is not marked with a Montgomery County Government logo. The number on the side is similar to other County robocameras, however. A County robot in Silver Spring bore the number 2220161. This camera is No. 2220165, and is keeping watch over the park as a persistent crime wave enters its fourth year in Montgomery County, as well as nationwide.

Fountain activated at Veterans Park in Bethesda

The number of water features in downtown Bethesda has been shrinking rapidly in recent years. One of the few still functioning was just activated for the summer season yesterday at Veterans Park at 7898 Woodmont Avenue. The fountain is a natural noise cancelling machine, providing a calming effect amid the sounds of traffic and activity downtown. This memorial is dedicated to Bethesda and Chevy Chase residents killed in the major military conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries. "Fondly do we hope - fervently do we pray - that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.” - Abraham Lincoln.

Assault at Veterans Park in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an assault at Veterans Park at 7898 Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda Friday morning, November 10, 2023. The assault was reported at the park at 8:00 AM Friday. 

Veterans Day 2023 at Veterans Park in Bethesda (Photos)

The annual wreath-laying at the veterans memorial in Veterans Park in downtown Bethesda left behind a colorful array of tributes to the fighting men and women of Bethesda. They were placed around the fountain memorial, which is dedicated to residents of Bethesda and Chevy Chase who died while serving in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, and the Iraq War. Among the organizations contributing were the Bethesda Urban Partnership, the Rotary Club of Bethesda-Chevy Chase, the Bethesda Historical Society, the National Capital Optimist Club and American Legion Post 41, Cissel-Saxon. As always, the fountain is a calm place for quiet contemplation, including remembering our neighbors who have passed in service to our country over the last 106 years.

Montgomery County police investigating deceased person in Veterans Park in Bethesda

UPDATE - 5:03 PM: Montgomery County police report thar officers responded to Veterans Park, along with fire and rescue personnel, this morning for a welfare check. They located the person, but found they were deceased. No foul play is suspected in the case, and police say there is no danger to the community.

Montgomery County police are investigating a deceased person who was apparently discovered in Veterans Park in Bethesda this morning. Crime scene tape was placed around a body under a sheet in the vicinity of Jetties and the former BGR, according to several eyewitnesses around 9:00 AM this morning. Four police cruisers were at the scene. The body has now been removed from the park by police, but the department has not commented publicly on the death as of this writing. At least three nearby residents have cited hearing what sounded like gunshots or a car backfiring around 3:00 AM this morning in that area.

Fountain activated in Veterans Park in downtown Bethesda

The first signs of summer approaching include the activation of the few remaining fountains in downtown Bethesda. This morning, the fountain was activated at Veterans Park at the intersection of Norfolk and Woodmont Avenues in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle. The memorial at the fountain is dedicated to Bethesda and Chevy Chase residents killed in the major military conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Veterans Park fountain activated for summer (Video + Photos)

The fountain in Bethesda's Veterans Park has been activated for summer by the Bethesda Urban Partnership. Part of the memorial in the park to Bethesda-Chevy Chase residents who died in the major military conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries, it is activated every April. The park used to host a summer concert series, but that has been moved a few yards over to the Norfolk Avenue Streetery. Concerts will begin Friday, May 20, 2022 at 6:00 PM with singer-songwriter Juliet Lloyd.

Water features are slowly disappearing from downtown Bethesda, so it's good to still have this one around. Fountains are an important urban amenity. Like trees, they can lower stress and blood pressure, and their negative ions are a natural mood booster. Fountains of a size large enough also produce a noise-canceling effect that can provide an escape from the traffic and construction noises downtown. Located at the corner of Norfolk and Woodmont Avenues, Veterans Park is a great place to take a coffee or lunch break in the Woodmont Triangle.

Bethesda fountains come alive for summer (Video+Photos)

The temperature and the fountains in downtown Bethesda often get ahead of Mother Nature in declaring the arrival of summer. Once again, the fountains in Veterans Park and on the Bethesda Metro Center plaza are providing David Letterman-esque dancing waters, cool breezes and negative ions that can boost the spirits of the weary commuter, tourist or Montgomery County taxpayer. 

The cascading waterfalls at the Bethesda Metro Center fountains can relax the mind. Bethesda's water features remind us of the inspiration behind our town's name: the healing pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem.