Month: February 2013 Page 1 of 3

February ’13 New Business Spotlight

On February 28, 2013

Eddie's Cafe in north College Park

Here are a few businesses that have recently opened or will open soon in College Park. Here is the complete listing .

Eddie’s Cafe – 9823 Rhode Island Avenue
Status: Opened in February
Eddie’s Cafe is now open in the Hollywood Shopping Center and offers a wide variety of Chinese and American dishes. The dishes, ranging from Szechuan beef to cheeseburgers, are all priced under $10 at this locally-owned restaurant.

Jumbo Slice Pizza – 7412 Baltimore Avenue
Status: Lease Signed
A Washington, D.C. late night classic, Jumbo Slice Pizza offers oversized pizza and a few other menu items at their Adams Morgan location. Their new location in Downtown College Park is certain to be a favorite among students.

The Maryland Smokehouse – 8150 Baltimore Avenue
Status: Opening March 2013
Replacing Austin Grill Express, The Maryland Smokehouse will open on the ground floor of The Varsity apartment building in the next few weeks. Meats will be smoked over a live hickory wood-burning fire and menu items include ribs, brisket, chicken, and seafood. The restaurant was previously known as Memphis Barbeque at their Arlington location.

Ovo Simply Veggie – 7313-E Baltimore Avenue
Status: Opened in January
Ovo Simply Veggie is a quick service restaurant focusing on innovative vegetarian dishes with an Asian influence. The owner traveled around the U.S. sampling a variety of vegetarian dishes prior to opening Ovo. Through his travels, the owner found that many restaurants presented the same old vegetarian dishes at relatively high price points. At Ovo Simply Veggie , the owner hopes to showcase the varying possibilities for healthy food beyond salad including unique desserts

Petition Against Stop Funding for College Park Academy

By Fazlul Kabir

On February 27, 2013

In College Park academy, Education

The General Assembly is considering cutting the funds that the State is making available to start the College Park Academy, the local charter school that will be opening next year. The University of Maryland Student Government Association has started a petition to stop those cuts, which you can sign here:

Here is a description of the Academy and the petition:

The College Park Academy is a charter school founded in partnership between the University of Maryland and the city of College Park, Maryland. This school, set to open next year, will provide its inaugural class of 300 students with an excellent education––but it needs resources.

The Department of Legislative Services has expressed that they believe the Academy should be funded locally, not through the state’s higher education budget. The school, however, will not just serve the local community, but the University of Maryland as well.

UMCP College of Education students will acquire valuable experience from the College Park Academy. The training and professional development they receive will be invaluable, and the benefits will be transferred on to students around the state of Maryland and the country, as a whole.

University of Maryland students are extremely involved in the communities surrounding campus, often in local schools. They volunteer countless hours, organizing after school and tutoring programs. This school will be no exception; it will be a part of our university.

Furthermore, students at the College Park Academy will have the opportunity to earn up to 60 credits from the University of Maryland. This school and its students will be as much a part of the University as they will be a part of the College Park and Prince George’s County communities.

We cannot let this opportunity go to waste.

College Park Motels, Gangs, Gunshots and Prostitution

By Fazlul Kabir

On February 26, 2013

In Public Safety

A motel in College Park

Recently, I came across a discussion on the issue of public safety around numerous motels in College Park. This came after a 20 year old Lanham resident was shot dead in the early Sunday morning. The Police report says, a fight between two groups broke out in the parking lot of the hotel, and the victim was shot during the confrontation. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The incident adds more problems to other crime related issues that our hotels and motels are having in the city. In the past I’ve heard complaints from residents on prostitution in and around some motels along Route 1. Some residents told me that prostitution problem often spills over to the nearby residential houses.

Police is saying Sunday’s unfortunate incident was gang related. Could these gangs be involved in other property related crimes such as auto thefts and thefts from vehicles that we see all the time?

In terms of public safety, someone pointed out to me motels pose more problems than hotels. Motels have open access to their rooms, whereas hotels don’t have that; all residents must go through the main security. Open access to rooms can potentially invite more crime.

While there have been talks to redevelop these hotels and motels on Route 1, we should do everything to improve public safety surrounding these motels. As investigations continue in last Sunday;s shooting we’ll be working with our staff and police to that direction.

Tomorrow’s Council Meeting, Feb 26, 2013

By Fazlul Kabir

On February 25, 2013

In City Council

College Park City Hall

This week, Council will be starting with a 7:15 public hearing on a couple minor, technical changes to the Tree and Landscape Ordinance. We will then vote on a couple of things, including a contract for a plan for marketing the City’s new brand and for hiring a market master for the College Park Farmer’s Market.

Here’s our agenda for this week:

1.7:15 – PUBLIC HEARING ON 13-O-01, AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 179, “TREE AND LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE,” TO EXPAND OR CLARIFY CERTAIN DEFINITIONS OF APPOINTED MEMBERS. Last month, Mark Wimer, Chair of City’s Tree & Landscape Board, came and presented some suggested changes for the Council to consider to Chapter 179 of the City Code, which pertains to the make-up and operations of the Tree and Landscape Board. These are just some housekeeping changes to help with the way that the Board is run – specifically, to clarify the definitions of “landscape” and “maintenance,” to clarify that part of the Board’s role is to ensure that landscaping is maintained so as to protet the City from liability stemming from this maintenance, to allow the chair of the City’s Committee for a Better Environment, the City’s Director of Economic Development and the City’s Director of Public Works to appoint designees to serve as a liaisons to the Board instead of serving themselves, and to define a “quorum” as a majority of the members of the Board who have been appointed, rather than a majority of the total seats on the Board.

PROPOSED CONSENT AGENDA:
2.13-G-21 – APPROVAL OF A LETTER IN OPPOSITION TO HB 820/SB 893 – MUNICIPAL PROPERTY TAXES – ANNUAL BUDGET ORDINANCE AND SPECIAL RATES. The State House of Delegates will this next week be considering a bill that would, among other things, place limits on the ability of municipalities to set different property tax rates by subclass or class. This would limit the City’s ability to create special taxing districts and allow residents to pay different tax rates for different levels of service, such as the proposal that the Council is considering to create special taxing districts to pay for the expansion of monitored closed-circuit TV cameras in different neighborhoods and expansion of concurrent jurisdiction of the University of Maryland Police into the more student-heavy areas off campus. It would do this by limiting the rate differential between different classes to only 10%, and by requiring a special process to enact a special taxing district. The City Council has been considering special taxing districts that would allow the City to charge more to those who most benefit from a service. The Council will be considering a letter in opposition to this bill.

3.13-G-22 – APPROVAL OF A LETTER IN SUPPORT OF HB 640 – WASHINGTON SUBURBAN SANITARY COMMISSION – SEWAGE LEAKS – NOTICE REQUIREMENTS. This bill would require WSSC to notify the County and any municipal corporation in which a sewage leak is located within 24 hours after the discovery of the leak. The Council will consider approval of a letter in support of the bill.

NON-CONSENT AGENDA:
4.VOTE ON 13-O-01, AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 179, “TREE AND LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE,” TO EXPAND OR CLARIFY CERTAIN DEFINITIONS: The Council will vote on the proposed Ordinance discussed earlier at the public hearing.

5.13-R-04 – A RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING AN AWARD IN RECOGNITION OF COUNCILMEMBER JOHN EDWARD “JACK” PERRY. The Council will consider approval of establishing an award in recognition of late Council member John ”Jack” Perry. John Edward “Jack” Perry moved to College Park in March of 1969 and served on the College Park City Council from 1979 – 1983 and from 1989 to 2011, for a total of 26 years, tied with Mayor Davis as the second-longest serving official in the City’s history. Any resident, neighborhood association or organization located in the City of College Park may submit a nomination for the Jack Perry Award. Nominations shall be submitted in writing to the City Clerk for the City of College Park. The nomination period shall be open annually from May 15 (Jack Perry’s birthday) to July 15. The Jack Perry Award will recognize a person who has participated to an extraordinary degree in neighborhood, civic, or municipal affairs within the City in a manner that improves public spaces, fosters community cohesion, eradicates blight, informs discussion of public issues, provides leadership, and/or furthers the best interests of the City as a whole. To be eligible, a person must be at least 18 years of age, and a registered voter or legal resident. The Jack Perry Award shall be conferred when and if an eligible member of the community is nominated and found to be deserving of the Award. The Award will be advertised annually but there is no obligation to grant the award each year. Nominations will be reviewed by a subcommittee of at least three persons appointed by the Mayor. The subcommittee shall include a member of the Perry family. The subcommittee’s recommendation will be forwarded to the full Council for approval by majority vote. This is a non-monetary award to be given to the person selected by the Council at a regular meeting in September or October.

6.13-G-23 – APPROVAL OF A LETTER OF INTENT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE “MARYLAND SMART ENERGY COMMUNITY” PROGRAM. The Council will consider a letter of intent to participate in the Maryland Energy Administration’s new “Maryland Smart Energy Communities” program, which is intended to encourage local governments to reduce energy consumption and use alternative energy sources. The Council must then consider later whether to apply for the program by April 5, 2013. If the City does apply for the program, the City would be eligible for grants in amounts between $20,000 and $500,000 to carry out energy efficiency and alternative energy projects. The application requires that each local government agree to establish a plan for implementation to complete at least two of three things by December 31, 2013: 1) establishing baseline electricity usage in all City buildings and developing a plan to reduce electricity usage by 15% within 5 years of adopting the plan; 2) reducing conventional centralized electricity generation serving City buildings by meeting 20% of the electricity demand with distributed renewable energy generation by 2022. This energy must be purchased and deployed within the City; and 3) establishing baseline petroleum usage for all local government vehicles, and putting in place a comprehensive program to reduce the baseline by 20% within 5 years of the baseline year. The City Green Team has recommended that the City commit to completing the first two of these three tasks. Up to 20% of the grant funds available to the City may be used in the first 8 months in order to complete the plans to accomplish these tasks. More information about this program is available at http://energy.maryland.gov/Govt/smartenergycommunities/.

7.13-G-24 – AWARD OF A ONE-YEAR CONTRACT TO KSM MARKETING, LLC IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $28,600 FOR A FARMERS MARKET MASTER FOR THE SUNDAY DOWNTOWN COLLEGE PARK FARMERS MARKET. The City Farmers Market committee last year developed recommendations on how to proceed with establishing a downtown Farmer’s Market with more of a focus on local and organic produce than the current market. The Committee did significant research and developed a recommendation to pursue one of three different options – to hire a company to operate the market entirely on its own, to retain an independent contractor to run the market, or to hire a market master working directly for the City. The Council, after discussing these options with our City attorney, issued a Request for Proposals for an independent contractor to work with the City on running the market. Only one contractor – KSM Marketing – submitted its proposal in a timely manner (two other proposals were submitted past the deadline and were also significantly higher than the proposal from KSM). KSM offers full-service market management capabilities and currently runs two farmers markets in Washington, DC. Under this contract, KSM will provide vendor recruitment, market oversight and day-to-day management, as well as marketing services for the downtown market. KSM will begin immediately to prepare the market for opening this season.

8.13-G-25 – APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE AGREEMENT WITH “IDFIVE CONSULTING” FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF A MARKETING PLAN IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $29,700. The Council will consider approval of a marketing plan by the consulting company idFive towards the implementation of an amount not to exceed $29,700. The Mayor and Council allocated $30,000 in the FY 13 operating budget to implement recommendations from the planned marketing study. idfive, LLC was hired to complete this study and created a tagline and logo to help brand and promote the City and increase awareness about College Park being A Smart Place to Live. Mayor and Council needs to determine how to utilize these budgeted funds. In a report presented to Council on January 15, 2013, idfive provided marketing ideas and recommendations for a City marketing campaign. Subsequently, staff worked with idfive to propose activities which could be accomplished this fiscal year within the allotted budget. idfive has made a proposal within the City’s budget to design and implement marketing strategies to accomplish awareness and education goals for the new brand. These strategies include purchasing media and actively managing the media as well as the creative production of the media. In addition to the proposed agreement, staff plans to use some FY 2013 Economic Development funding to purchase more materials which staff can use in meetings and at community events, such as Maryland Day and College Park Day. These materials include postcards, brochures, and table covers. idfive also recommends a multi-media campaign on Pandora radio to reach young, affluent professionals in the DC market. To continue marketing implementation into FY 2014, further funding discussions will occur as part of the FY 2014 budget process.

9.13-R-05 – A RESOLUTION ADOPTING PROGRAM GUIDELINES FOR THE COMMERCIAL TENANT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. The Council will consider final guidelines for the commercial tenant improvement program, an grant program that is intended to incentivize improvements to commercial properties occupied by small and local businesses and businesses that College Park residents want to see in the City, funded through a $75,000 grant from the State Department of Housing and Community Development. The Council has reviewed draft guidelines for eligibility and a structure for the program at three different worksessions and worked out a number of different legal and practical issues. Existing and proposed businesses that want to relocate into College Park or improve property at existing locations may apply to up to $25,000 grants to conduct leasehold improvements including, but not limited to, upgrades and installation of HVAC and plumbing systems, lighting fixtures, and flooring. Grants will be available solely to locally-owned and independent businesses. Applications will consist of business plans, construction plans, and financial records of the business. The financial records will not be reviewed by City staff, but will be submitted separately in a confidential envelope to the Maryland Small Business Development and Technology Center at the University of Maryland, which will provide guidance and consultation services to the business and also prepare a recommendation to the Council regarding the viability of the business model. The businesses must provide at least 1:1 matching funds for the grants. City staff will decide whether to approve the application based on set criteria, and the staff’s decision on the grant is final.

10.13-O-02 – INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE ADOPTED REDISTRICTING PLAN FOR COUNCIL MEMBER ELECTIONS TO INCLUDE LAND ANNEXED SINCE THE ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE 11-O-09. The Mayor and Council have recently adopted a resolution enabling the City to annex the Domain Property, as well as a portion of Mowatt Lane abutting this property, and that portion of Campus Drive not presently within the City from its intersection with Mowatt Lane to Adelphi Road, into the City. The Mayor and Council undertook redistricting in 2011 as required by§ C2-2 “Districts” of the College Park Charter. At the time of redistricting, it was known that the Domain Property would eventually be annexed into the City, and the Redistricting Commission determined that the property should be included in Council District Three once annexed. The Council will consider approval of an ordinance, required to include the annexed Domain property into District Three.

11.13-G-26 – APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMITTEES. The Council will consider appointment of Stephen Kemp Brimer, District 1 resident, to the Committee for a Better Environment. Thanks to Mr. Brimer and all of our volunteers for their service to the City!

As always, please let me know if you have any comments or questions, and thanks for reading!

NCP Crime Stats: Feb 16 – 23, 2013

By Fazlul Kabir

On February 24, 2013

In Crime Reports

Please see below last week’s crime stats. Please let me know if you have any questions.

[mappress mapid=”104″]

Date of Incident	Time of Incident	Incident Type	Location
02/18/2013	42	THEFT Adult Arrest	4900 Blk HOLLYWOOD RD
02/19/2013	450	AUTO, STOLEN	9500 Blk 48TH PL
02/19/2013	1017	THEFT FROM AUTO	9200 Blk 51ST AVE
02/19/2013	2159	AUTO, RECOVERED	9300 Blk CHERRY HILL RD
02/22/2013	1249	AUTO, RECOVERED	FOX ST/48TH PL

Dalai Lama to Speak at UMd in May

By Fazlul Kabir

On February 23, 2013

In Announcements

Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama of Tibet will deliver the Anwar Sadat Lecture for Peace on Tuesday, May 7, 2013, at 10 a.m. in the Comcast Center.

In a letter to the University community, UMd president Dr. Loh said “the Dalai Lama is an international force for peace, nonviolence and religious harmony, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Unlike the 20th century, in which millions died in conflict, ‘Let the 21st century be a century of tolerance and dialogue,’ he has said.”

“Scientific inquiry fascinates him. The Dalai Lama has engaged in many conversations with eminent scientists. He has actively sponsored dialogues to harmonize and contrast the ways of religion and science. He is a passionate advocate for the environment. He describes himself as a feminist.” – Loh continues.

Professor Shibley Telhami, Sadat Chair for Peace and Development in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, personally arranged this special visit.

Over the years, the Sadat Lecture has brought international voices of the highest caliber to our campus, including Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, Henry Kissinger, Ezer Weitzman, Jimmy Carter, Mary Robinson, James Baker, Mohamed El Baradei, and Madeleine Albright.

The Sadat Lecture will be free and open to the university community and the public; however, tickets will be required. Information on ticket distribution, as well as parking, transportation and other details will be posted at www.umd.edu/lecture on March 8, 2013. Please check the website for updates.

Crime Reports and Alerts: How Much is Too Much?

By Fazlul Kabir

On February 22, 2013

In Public Safety

The other day I received an email from a resident, much concerned about the recent string of robberies in downtown College Park.

She writes: College Park is looking REALLY BAD on the news. I think the council’s #1 priority has to be stopping all the robberies!!! What do the contract police and UM police really do? I think the UM police should be kept off of Univ Blvd and Metz RD and spend their time in the Rte 1 Lakeland Area. I love CP, but the robberies are ridiculous!!!

I took the resident’s email for a brief discussion among my colleagues on the Council. It looks like in addition to the robbery incidents that the resident was referring to, the media had a number of coverage following the shooting death of two University of Maryland students.

Here is one report on the Washington Post that talks about how the recent crime emails and alerts are making residents and students nervous about the public safety situation in College Park. Here is the paper says:

Despite what students and their tuned-in parents think, crime at U-Md. has fallen in recent years, as it has on college campuses across the country. Some police officials blame the proliferation of systems that send out public safety alerts via e-mail, text and Twitter for fueling the false idea that universities are unsafe.

What the paper is saying is that more public information is available now more rapidly. If we get various alerts from different sources about the same few incidents it could appear that there were more incidents than actually occurred.

Contrary to what appears to be a very bad situation, the recent crime data does not quite support that. The crime rates in the city and the county are consistently going down, and as a whole this City is safer than before.

That said, I still think sending out accurate crime data to residents is a good thing to do. They provide good information to residents and often the residents take precautions in preventing them through programs like Neighborhood Watch. Leaving them in the dark on these vital crime data will only make situation worse.

Please let me know your thoughts on this.

Farmers Market Seeks Help from a Market Master

By Fazlul Kabir

On February 21, 2013

In Farmer's Market

In last Tuesdays worksession, the Council discussed a proposal from the downtown Farmer’s market committee to hire a market master to run the market in the upcoming season.

Last year, the Council appointed a committee to review the operations of the downtown College Park Farmer’s Market and survey the community regarding the desire to encourage the sale of locally grown produce through the Market.

The committee recommended that the City pursue one of three avenues to hire a Market Manager – operate the Market itself, retain an independent entity to operate the market, or hire an independent contractor. The Council decided to look into the second and third options, and issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a Farmers Market Master on December 27, 2012.

The City received one proposal in response to the RFQ, which was submitted by KSM Marketing, LLC of McLean, Virginia in the amount of $28,600. Staff and the Farmers Market Committee (“Committee”) reviewed the proposal, conducted an in person interview with the company’s President, and checked references for the respondent. All of these tasks, as well as the others listed in their scope of work, are included in the proposed contract amount of $28,600. Items related to planning and marketing for the DCPFM’s re-launch in mid-April will cost $5,500, while items related to in-season management and marketing will cost $23,100 for the 2013 season.

The budget is based on a 30-week market season, with each market day costing $770, excluding off-season planning and marketing. The market would open in mid-April and run into November. The Farmer’s Market Committee recommends that the Mayor and Council award the Farmers Market Master contract for one year to KSM Marketing, LLC in an amount not to exceed $28,600. No funds are currently appropriated for this activity.

The Council will vote next Tuesday to approve the appointment.

Removal of Branchville Firefighters Likely to Go Ahead

By Fazlul Kabir

On February 20, 2013

In Fire Department

Branchville Fire Company

In last nights Council worksession, we discussed the planned removal of 4 career firefighters from Branchville Fire EMS station.

Recently, the City received word that the County will be removing the full-time career staff personnel from the Branchville Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) as well as three other VFD’s from around the County as of March 1, 2013.

As we’ve found out since, the reason for doing this is due to negotiations with the union representing the career fire staff and out of safety concerns. As Chief Bashoor explained, safety standards require that, if a fire truck goes to respond to a fire, there should at minimum be four staff on that truck so that, once they arrive at the fire, two people can go inside the building and two people can stay outside to watch and support the others as needed.

In order to meet these safety requirements at all fire stations where there are career personnel, the County is shifting career personnel out of these four stations and moving them to other stations that have career personnel but that are generally understaffed. The four stations were selected based on which stations have at least six other stations within a 7-minute maximum response time parameter.

At last week’s NCPCA meeting, residents raised a number of concerns about the proposal, including whether the other stations in the area have the capacity to pick up the additional calls when, as well may happen when there are no career staff available to assist with answering calls, the Branchville volunteers are not able to respond to a call.

Also, as happened about 10 years ago when the county removed career staff from Branchville, there is a concern that the added burden would cause a strain on the existing volunteers. The last time this happened, some volunteers burnt out and left as a result. We hope that, if we are unable to prevent this plan from moving forward, that the plan will be temporary and that the County can put the resources into the Fire/EMS program to provide adequate staff at all fire stations.

From the discussion last night, it looks like the move is going to take place in early next month. However, Chief Bashoor told us he is looking at possible relocation of Branchville Fire EMS up north, some where close to north College Park. This will be along process, which depends on the approval of County’s budget in its CIP funds etc. I will keep you posted as things move in that direction.

Jack Perry Award for Community Service

By Fazlul Kabir

On February 19, 2013

In Community Service

John "Jack" Perry

At tonight’s worksession, the Council will discuss establishing an award in recognition of late Council member John ”Jack” Perry. John Edward “Jack” Perry moved to College Park in March of 1969 and was active in his community until his death in 2012.

Over the years, Jack Perry served on the Board of Directors and as President of the Berwyn District Civic Association, as President of the College Park Boys and Girls Club, and on numerous other boards, coalitions, task forces and committees.

Jack Perry served on the College Park City Council from 1979 – 1983 and from 1989 to 2011, for a total of 26 years, tied with Mayor Davis as the second-longest serving official in the City’s history. Jack Perry volunteered his time in countless ways to improve the quality of life in College Park, fostered neighborhood pride, participated in public discussion in an informed and fair-minded way, and provided leadership at all levels of city life.

Members of the Berwyn community and the Berwyn District Civic Association, Inc. met and discussed the creation of a City award to honor Jack Perry’s contributions to his neighborhood and the City; and the Mayor and Council of the City of College Park share the desire to honor the memory and legacy of Jack Perry through an Award to a deserving member of the community.

Any resident, neighborhood association or organization located in the City of College Park may submit a nomination for the Jack Perry Award. Nominations shall be submitted in writing to the City Clerk for the City of College Park.

The nomination period shall be open annually from May 15 (Jack Perry’s birthday) to July 15. The Jack Perry Award will recognize a person who has participated to an extraordinary degree in neighborhood, civic, or municipal affairs within the City in a manner that improves public spaces, fosters community cohesion, eradicates blight, informs discussion of public issues, provides leadership, and/or furthers the best interests of the City as a whole.

Although our community may never again see as public-spirited a citizen as Jack, his spirit and example should be honored and emulated. It is in the interest of the City to periodically recognize a resident who embodies the qualities Jack so admirably lived. To be eligible, a person must be at least 18 years of age, and a registered voter or legal resident.

The Jack Perry Award shall be conferred when and if an eligible member of the community is nominated and found to be deserving of the Award. The Award will be advertised annually but there is no obligation to grant the award each year. Nominations will be reviewed by a subcommittee of at least three persons appointed by the Mayor.

The subcommittee shall include a member of the Perry family. The subcommittee’s recommendation will be forwarded to the full Council for approval by majority vote. This is a non-monetary award to be given to the person selected by the Council at a regular meeting in September or October.