British pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, has signed the new lease of a 198,000 square foot building in Gaithersburg – adding to its existing 1.27 million square foot presence in Montgomery County.
“The execution of our lease to occupy 700 Progress Way reinforces our commitment to the life sciences industry in Montgomery County while accommodating the company’s planned growth,” an AstraZeneca spokesperson wrote in an email to the Washington Business Journal.
According to the spokesperson, AstraZeneca already employs more than 4,300 people at its headquarters in Gaithersburg. The pharmaceutical company entered the region in 2007 when it bought Gaithersburg-based MedImmune for $15.6 billion. [Washington Business Journal]
School board reelects Silvestre as president, selects Harris as new vice president
On Tuesday, Board of Education member Karla Silvestre was unanimously reelected by the board to serve as its president. The board also selected board member Lynne Harris as the new vice president of the school board with a five to three vote. Harris succeeds board member Shebra Evans.
Silvestre announced four priorities that she would focus on moving into the new year, including improving students’ literacy and math skills; building an inclusive and safe school climate; improving communications between the board and MCPS families; and maintaining a diverse workforce among students and administration. [My MCM]
Buy a slab of the Linden Oak at Montgomery Park’s urban wood sale
Salvaged wood from hundreds of trees chopped down by foresters from Montgomery Parks will be available for the public to purchase at this year’s urban wood sale on Dec. 9 and 10 in Gaithersburg. This year slabs of wood from the historic Linden Oak tree will also be for sale.
According to Patrick Harwood, an urban forester with Montgomery Parks, the urban wood sale is part of the county’s effort to recycle and reuse green waste produced in parks across the county. Lumber that isn’t used by the parks department to construct park benches and furniture will be available to the public.
The sale will be held from 8:00 a.m. to noon (or until supplies run out) at the Montgomery Parks Green Farm Maintenance Facility, at 8301 Turkey Thicket Drive. [DCist]
Today’s weather:
Partly cloudy with a low of 33 degrees and a high of 44 degrees.
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