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193-Corridor Sector Plan Meetings, Workshops

Greenbelt Sector Plan Map

On May 17 the Prince George’s County Council authorized development of the Greenbelt Metro Area and Md. 193 Corridor Sector Plan and Sectional Map Amendment involving the Greenbelt, Berwyn Heights and College Park communities.

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s planning staff has scheduled a series of agency coordination meetings to proactively address concerns on the sector plan identified by residents, workers and visitors.

These meetings will serve as a starting point for continued partnerships between all parties as planning and implementation solutions are recommended. At the initial meetings, staff will review the goals and objectives of the sector plan, present issues that have been identified to date by the communities and discuss how to best coordinate through and beyond the sector plan process.

According to the Greenbelt News Review, the first meeting on the transportation network took place on last Tuesday. There will be two more meetings on Economic Development/Implementation today ,  11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and another one on Public Facilities/Parks and Recreation 2 to 4 p.m. Today’s meeting will take place in the Lakeside Office Complex, Jane Jacobs Conference Room, 14422 Old Mill Road, Upper Marlboro.

The Prince George’s County Planning Department will also be holding its third communty workshop on September 22, 2011 from 6:30-9:00 p.m at Greenbelt Middle School. The meeting will focus on Greenbelt Station North and South Cores.

College Park – Home of Dinosaurs?

Nodosaur fossil in College Park

Yesterday’s news of the discovery of a baby dinosaur in the College Park perhaps added a new slogan to the the city’s official tag line – College Park – Home of Dinosaurs.

According to this Washington Post report, a local dinosaur tracker in College Park discovered the fossil of an armored dinosaur hatchling estimated to have lived 112 million years ago.

The discovery was made in 1977, but scientists at Johns Hopkins University waited until now to tell us about it. The fossil was identified as a baby nodosaur, of the family Nodosauridae — a short, plant-eating dino with both flat and spiky plates on its back.

The infant armored dinosaur, smaller than a dollar bill, apparently drowned in a flood plain not long after it hatched during the Early Cretaceous Period. Its remains were buried in sediment, fossilized and preserved in rock until 1997.

That’s when amateur fossil hunter Ray Stanford of College Park found the rock in College Park.

Last week, Stanford and Johns Hopkins University scientist David Weishampel described the fossil in an article published the Journal of Paleontology. And they gave the little dinosaur a name: Propanoplosaurus marylandicus.

Weishampel, professor of anatomy at the Hopkins School of Medicine, called the animal the youngest “nodosaur,” or armored dinosaur ever discovered, and the first hatchling of any species ever found in the eastern United States.

Neighbors Come Together to Grow Hollywood Garden

It’s a small flower garden at one of the forgotten sections of north College Park. More precisely, northeast side of Rhode Island avenue and Edgewood Road, near the strip of shops, in the Hollywood shopping area.

Three north College Park residents, Janis Oppelt, Rita Zito and Jackie Kelly came together to make a difference to the spot. Over the years each of them has served on the board of CBE working together on various projects within the City. Rita being among one of its first members. They combined our talents for this project.

Rita came up with the idea of doing something creative with a small raised bed in the parking lot where Nellie’s Cafe is located. The triangular area looked like a former flower bed, however, at this time it was filled with weeds, chicken bones, beer bottles, broken glass etc. They cleaned the area both inside the bed and out.

Janis received money from CBE (Committee for a Better Environment) for the project, which was a big help since they had to buy soil to fill the flower bed. They ordered the soil from Public Works. Then they purchased some of the plants; others were donated from various gardens.

The selection of plants is key, and all of those they planted are perennials. Some will re-seed their selves, and others survive the winter, some will die back but will reappear next spring. During the summer, Janis and Jackie have watering and weeding as needed.

The second phase of their project was to enhance the beauty of the area by placing flower pots in front of businesses in the two strip malls in that area.

Last fall Janis and Jackie purchased large flower pots with the idea that they would use them in the spring to start our project. Their first order of business was to speak with business owners to see if they would be interested in having the flower pot in front of their shops. Then Janis contacted the landlords of several of the strip malls for their permission.

By contacting the landlords and getting their permission for the pots to be on their property, they eliminated any future problems for either the City or business owners.

In the spring, Janis, Rita and Jackie filled 12 flower pots with 26 lbs of cement in the form of two 13 lb tubes. They added soil, plants and mulch. Each owner of the business committed to watering the flower pots.

“We came together to add beauty to the strip. For years that area has been the forgotten section of College Park and wanted to make a difference.” – said Jackie Kelly.

North College Park to Stay in County Dist. 1

Lehman at Sept 2011 NCPCA

The 2011 Redistricting Commission’s released plan leaves North College Park in District 1. County council woman (District 1) Mary Lehman told north College Park residents in their September meeting last Thursday.

The commission originally placed entire College Park in District 3. Many of north College Park residents opposed this plan and spoke against it in August public hearings.

You can find related documents including the latest District 1 map on the website here.

The Prince George’s County Redistricting Commission has scheduled on more public hearing for Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Council hearing room on the first floor of the County Administration Building, 14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive, in Upper Marlboro. Residents can voice their thoughts on the proposed Prince George’s County redistricting plan at a public hearing this month in Upper Marlboro.

At the county level, the council appoints a three-member redistricting commission that takes the results of the most recent Census (2010), holds a series of public meetings to get citizen input, and then redraws councilmanic districts to comply with one man, one vote.

The goal of this year’s commission was to keep Census Designated Places (CDP’s) together, whether those are large subdivisions in the unincorporated parts of the county or municipalities.

“Countywide, I believe there were only three or four exceptions made to this effort to keep CDP’s intact, and one of those exceptions was College Park where the commission is recommending that the city remain in two county council districts (3 and 1).” – said Mary Lehman in an email to me.

Other cities such as Greenbelt will move entirely into a new district — Greenbelt would be put in District 3 with College Park (after being in District 4 with Bowie for many years) if the council follows the Redistricting Commission’s recommendation.

NCPCA Picnic 2011 Roundup

Some 65 neighbors attended NCPCA’s annual picnic on September 10, 2011. They include MD Senator Jim Rosapepe and College Park Mayor Andrew Fellows.

September College Park Development Update

Please see below the September College Park Development update. The Development Update is a bi-monthly newsletter prepared by the City of College Park Planning, Community and Economic Development Department covering development activity in the City. To find more, please feel free to call Robert Riker at (240)487-3544 or internplanning@collegeparkmd.gov

Download (PDF, 85.98KB)

Area May Lose More Jobs – Warns Rosapepe

Rosapepe at Sept 2011 NCPCA

A proposed federal cost cutting measures may hurt the area with more job loss, warned Senator Jim Rosapepe at last night’s NCPCA meeting. The losses may include those in local federal facilities such as agricultural facility at Beltsville and at NASA operations at Greenbelt.

Congress has recently formed a Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, otherwise known as the “super committee,” to address economic downturn.

Rosapepe however said he MD Senate has worked with Gov. O’Malley to support President Obama’s efforts to preserve jobs and “put people back to work in Maryland”. Part of that effort includes restoring state funds to keep teachers in local schools and police in the neighborhoods.

He said the State has invested state funds to create construction jobs, including building schools, repairing roads and boosting energy conservation and pollution control.

To help those who have lost jobs and income, Rosapepe said the MD Senate supported Gov. O’Malley’s policies to cap college tuition hikes for local students at the University of Maryland and the other state Colleges. It also has protected medical insurance for those who have lost their jobs and extended unemployment insurance benefits to those who have exhausted 73 weeks of State and Federal benefits between January 2, 2010 and December 31, 201.

21st Delegation, Rhode Island Traffic Lights at Tonight’s NCPCA Meeting

NCPCA - It's Your Neighborhood Association

After two months summer recess, NCPCA will meet again tonight. This will be our first meeting in 2010 – 2011 calendar year. We have a new board of directors – Bob Seward is our new vice presidents and Larry Bleau has rejoined the board as NCPCA treasurer.

The meeting will start with a briefing from Maryland State’s 21st Delegation. State Senator Jim Rosapepe of our district has been conformed to attend. Two Delegates representing College Park, Ben Barnes and Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk are also expected to join. Expect to hear the progress they have made in the past legislative session and also what they are doing to address the current situation surrounding related to recession and economic downturn.

Maureen Cissel and Dwight Joseph of the Prince George’s county’s Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPWT) will be on hand to talk about the traffic signal project at the Rhode Island / Edgewood road intersection. They have been serving as project managers since the project started some time ago. Please bring your questions to find where the project is heading.

Members will discuss where the City should be putting neighborhood entry signs for our neighborhoods.

There will be one bylaws amendment related to a new dues structure. The proposed structure is based on individuals living in households, as opposed to household itself. You must be a member to vote on the amendment.

NCPCA will also discuss and will likely take a position on new sector plan for Greenbelt Metro.

Oh, please do not forget our annual picnic this Saturday.

See you all tonight.

Fourth Armed Robbery Hits NCP Store

Suspect in Sep 6 2011 Robbery

North College Park’s 7/11 store was hit by another robbery yesterday. The store is located at 4921 Edgewood Road.

This is the 4th time the store has been targeted in recent weeks.

After the 3rd robbery at the store, a suspect was arrested and safely placed behind bars.

According to police report, “on September 6th, 2011, at approximately 0405 hrs, the suspects committed an armed robbery at, College Park, Maryland.”

Police is asking anyone with information that may assist in this investigation to call CRIMESOLVERS at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477) or the CID-Robbery Unit at 301-772-4905 as soon as possible. Please refer to case number 11-249-0253. Whenever information is given to the Prince George’s County Crime Solvers Line, you do not have to leave your name. A CASH REWARD OF UP TO $1000.00 is being offered for the tip that leads to the arrest and indictment of the suspects responsible for this robbery.

Despite repeated robberies, it’s unclear if the store has taken any steps to upgrade security systems since the initial armed robberies

“The fact that they are continually being targeted also poses risks to customers and other local businesses” – said one nearby resident.

Purple Line Project’s Neighborhood Meeting, This Thursday

There will be a Purple Line Project’s Neighborhood Meeting for the proposed College Park Station and the surrounding area. The proposed College Park Station would be located at the current College Park Metro Station. The meeting will be held on Thursday, September 8, 2011 at College Park City Hall located at 4500 Knox Road, College Park, Maryland, 20740 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

At this meeting the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) will present an overview of the current plans for the College Park Station, explain what light rail stations are like and lead detailed discussions about station issues such as community access. The Purple Line Study team will present this information.

Please contact Michael D. Madden, Project Manager, Office of Planning at 410-767-3694 or at mmadden@mta.maryland.gov, if you have any questions regarding the Purple Line project.

Please see a copy of the Powerpoint for the briefing below.

Download (PDF, 1.95MB)

North College Park Man ‘Assaults’ Driver with Live Power Line

Montgomery County Police Probe Possible Road Rage Attack Involving Live Power Lines: MyFoxDC.com

Richard John Bialczak, 32, of 9630 Milestone Way in north College Park (near IKEA), has been accused of ramming his car into a parked car, hitting it with his fists while trying to force entry and eventually throwing a downed, sparking power line on the car, the Gazette reports.

Student Beaten Unconscious During ‘CRIME TIME’ Hours

Crime time

A University of Maryland student who had been at a bar near the College Park campus was beaten unconscious and robbed Friday morning, the Washington Post reports.

The student was followed by two men whom he had met earlier at the bar, police said. They began punching and kicking him, and he lost consciousness briefly, the police said. When he awoke, police said, he found that his cellphone and wallet were gone. Police said he was treated for minor injuries.

The incident occurred about 2:15 a.m. in the 7400 block of Knox Road, the Prince George’s County police said.

Ironically, this happened during the “CRIME TIME – Get Home Safely” safety campaign, which was unveiled last Wednesday at the City Hall. The campaign is a partnership comprised of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union – Center for Campus Life, the Student Government Association, the Prince George’s County Police, the University of Maryland Department of Public Safety, and the City of College Park.

University of Maryland Police Chief David Mitchell and District 1 Commander for Prince George’s County Police Major Hector Velez led the campaign kick-off by addressing officers from both agencies who then went out on foot to speak with students and community members to raise awareness about personal safety at night in the College Park area and on the UMCP campus.

According to police reports, officers and representatives from the organizations involved were out during night-time hours from August 31st – September 3rd providing safety information to students and city residents to promote smart safety habits.

Late night hours, particularly after bars have closed and parties have ended, present added opportunities for criminals to target individuals. Raising awareness in the students’ and community members’ minds about good personal safety habits is integral to preventing criminal acts.

“CRIME TIME” posters were also displayed in area businesses and housing complexes as well as in campus residence halls and on UM Shuttle Buses to help promote the campaign.

UMD Unveils New Rooftop Solar Arrays

The University of Maryland unveiled 2,600 panels last Wednesday on top of the Severn Building, just south of Rt 193, near north College Park. The panels will provide enough power for 872 homes. Washington Gas Energy Services owns and operates the panels, which were installed by Standard Solar of Rockville. The university is buying the power from WGES under a 20-year agreement.

The University of Maryland says a new rooftop solar power array atop a College Park building is one of the largest in the Washington area.

The Varsity at College Park to Open on Sept 6

Varsity

The Varsity at College Park (8150 Baltimore Ave) is finally ready to open for this fall semester.

Potomac Holdings, the owners, will be hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony to launch the property on Tuesday, September 6, 1 – 3 p.m.

Speakers will include Dr. University of Maryland president Wallace Loh, Prince George’s County vice chair Eric Olson, and Prince George’s County executive Rushern Baker, III.

In addition to speakers, there will be guided tours and refreshments available at Looney’s Pub and tours of the building. Please RSVP to Kate Kuhlman at kate@bendurepr.com by September 3.

Save Money and Live a Little Greener

Save Money and Live a Little Greener

College Park’s Committee for a Better Environment (CBE) will be hosting a free workshop on “Purchasing Clean Energy” on this Saturday, September 10, 10 am to Noon at the College Park City Hall Council Chambers

In this second of CBE’s energy-efficiency workshops, Dr. Ross Salawitch, a professor from the University of MD, and Michael Heintz, a planning manager for the Energy Assurance division of the Maryland Energy Administration, will answer questions like the following:

What is “clean” (or renewable) energy, who sells it, and how much does it cost?
How can we get clean energy into our homes?
Is it dependable?
Several renewable energy vendors also will be present.

For more information, please contact janiso@erols.com. To register, please email evitale@collegeparkmd.gov.