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Month: June 2018 Page 1 of 3

Paint Branch Bridge and the Underpass Get Lighting

By

On June 30, 2018

In Transportation

On Thursday, June 28, 2018, leadership from the College Park City-University Partnership, City of College Park, University of Maryland, and State of Maryland, local businesses and residents came together to unveil new artistic lighting on Baltimore Avenue’s Paint Branch Bridge.

The Paint Branch Bridge is at the heart of the bustling mid-town of College Park – at the intersection of the UMD Hotel and Conference Center, Brendan Iribe Center, The Clark School of Engineering, the Varsity and University View apartments, the Cambria Hotel, the Lakeland Heritage area and more. With increased activity in the area, enhancing the visibility and vibrancy of the bridge is important. The wide palette of colors lifts the location as a memorable and inviting place for pedestrians and bicyclists.

These LED lights provide a wash of color to the bridge, enlivening and invigorating this area between campus and community. New lighting also bathes the underpass, which includes a bike trail, creating a more inviting and warm environment for pedestrians in this growing area.

The College Park City-University Partnership worked with Imaginex, a lighting company that was founded in College Park by former UMD student, Eric Mintzer. This work was supported by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development and with the College Park Arts Exchange.

[Source: The College Park City University Partnership]

Tomorrow at the Hollywood Farmers Market

By

On June 29, 2018

In Farmer's Market, Hollywood Farmers Market

It’s going to be a great weekend at the market!

Yoga Heights DC will return this week and are at the market around 10:30 am.  It’s a perfect way to start the day!
 If you would like to contact our group of instructors please email yoga.hollywoodmarket@gmail.com or visit their website http://yogaheightsdc.com/

Exciting News!
We will have an ice cream truck at the market!  A great tasty treat for kids and adults!  Can’t wait!
A message from Shanice of Elated Harmony Massage:
“We would love to return to Hollywood with our new addition: THE MOBILE MASSAGE STUDIO BUS!!

But as of now we are still in the midst of converting it and it is taking most of our weekends to complete. I’m hopefully looking at a tentative date of  Saturday, July 21st, 2018 or July 28th, 2018.

But since this is our first Bus conversion, I will keep you updated if our schedule is pushed back a little.”

Other News:
Bakery Charley will be off for a few weeks but will return after a few family events.
Inge’s Crochet will not be back to the market for a while.  Inge had a loss in her family and had to return to Germany.  Please keep Inge in your thoughts and prayers.
Roy and Arti’s Kitchen and Garden will be back in a month.  We will miss them until then.
Stone Hearth Bakery is looking for someone to sell their product at our market.  Hopefully they’ll find someone by this weekend.
Calvert Farm is looking for someone in the local area to help sell their produce.  Farmer Pam has someone to drive the truck from Rising Sun but needs an additional hand to meet the staff member around 8am to help set up, sell and then take down at the end of the day.  If you or someone you know who is trustworthy and a hard worker would like to fill that spot please contact farmer@calvertfarm.com.

Returning (tentatively) vendors for this week include:
A Little Pottery: Handmade pottery
Alcoba Coffee: Guatemalan coffee by the pound and by the cup
Amity Kitchen: Thai food, Spring Rolls and Mango Sticky Rice\
Blessed Creations: Soaps and oils
Calvert Farm: Produce and fruits will hopefully return at some point in the fall.
College Park Hypnosis Center: Making positive changes easier
Designed Naturally: Natural bead jewelry
Double Sharp: Local Musicians
Heavenly Created Desserts: Hot dogs and desserts will return June 23rd
Terrapin Care Center: Chiropractic Care
The Baked Apple: Apple muffins and breads
Victory Chapel Family Farms: Local Honey
Waltz Family Farm: Meat, eggs and cheesesThese vendors will be returning at a later date:
Baker Charley: Gluten free bread and baked goods
Elated Harmony: Massage
Moonstruck Oyster Company: Shelled Oysters, Shucked Oysters, Cookbooks, etc.
Inge’s Crochet: Hand made crochet items
Peacesake Candles: Soy based candles in multiple scents
Roy and Arti’s Kitchen and Garden: Prepared Indonesian cuisine and vegetables
The Wood Dr.: Handmade wooden items
Valencia’s Produce: Berries, flowers and herbs
VizingaWoodworks: Handcrafted jewelry and accessories
If you have a moment…..
Across much of the United States, farmers markets have reported a decrease in consumer participation over the last couple of years, resulting in a decrease in farm sales and income. In an attempt to understand and reverse this slump, a multi-state study is being undertaken by Farmers Market Federation of NY and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County, in partnership with Community Involved in Agriculture (CISA), NOFA-VT, Maryland Cooperative Extension and the Farmers Market Association of Maryland. The study will consist of a consumer survey to ascertain the reasoning behind consumer choices of venues to shop for local food. The survey will focus on all consumers with an interest in local food.
Your help in reaching consumers is valuable to the outcome of this study. We have identified categories of consumers that we hope to reach with our survey. Each category is important in identifying customer shopping behavior in purchasing local food, even those with no interest. Our hope is to reach all categories of consumers.
·         those who regularly shop at farmers markets and are firmly behind the local food movement
·         those who view farmers markets as a social event, but have a keen interest in local food
·         those who are interested in local food, but rarely shop at a farmers market
·         those who have little to no interest in local food and never shop at farmers markets
Below is a link to the consumer survey. It is an online survey and does not require a face-to-face interaction. The survey is meant to take between 10 – 15 minutes.
https://cornell.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_72s6sR6z0cs4D1X
The study partners will use a summer-long social media campaign to reach consumers and direct them to the survey. You can find social media graphics at (http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com/2018-consumer-survey/ ) to use in reaching your consumer base.
The online survey will remain open from June 18, 2018 through October 1, 2018. At that time the survey will close to allow a team from the Charles H Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management at Cornell University to analyze the surveys to determine trends, preferences and needs of “today’s” local food shoppers.
As a thank you for your assistance in helping to reach consumers with the survey, we will share the white paper prepared by the team at the Charles H Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management at Cornell University. The paper should be ready sometime in March 2019.
Please direct any questions or comments to Diane Eggert at deggert@nyfarmersmarket.com or Laura Biasillo at lw257@cornell.edu.
Diane Eggert
Farmers Market Federation of NY
Laura Biasillo
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County

2018 Primary Election Results

By

On June 27, 2018

In Election

The following results are current as of 7:40 a.m. on June 27 with 98.96 percent of votes counted. Not all provisional and absentee ballots will be counted until the end of the day on July 6. All results are unofficial until certified.

Maryland Governor’s Race Results
Jealous, Ben 220,058 (39.84%)
Baker, Rushern 161,966 (29.33%)
Shea, Jim 45,848 (8.30%)
Vignarajah, Krish 45,225 (8.19%)
Madaleno, Rich 31,647 (5.73%)
Kamenetz, Kevin 17,274 (3.13%)
Ross, Alec 12,888 (2.33%)
Jaffe, Ralph 8,823 (1.60%)
Jones, James 8,572 (1.55%)

Maryland U.S. Senate Race Results
U.S. Senate – Dem – Primary
Cardin, Ben i 450,904 80.45 %
Manning, Chelsea 32,205 5.75 %
Segal, Jerry 18,775 3.35 %
Wilson, Debbie 17,744 3.17 %
Morgan, Marcia 15,049 2.68 %
Young, Lih 9,273 1.65 %
Vaughn, Rikki 8,845 1.58 %
Jetmir, Erik 7,708 1.38 %

U.S. Senate – Rep- Primary
Campbell, Tony 49,445 29.24 %
Chaffee, Chris 40,878 24.17 %
Grigorian, Christina 29,544 17.47 %
Graziani, John 14,849 8.78 %
Taylor, Blaine 8,490 5.02 %
Smith, Gerald 7,203 4.26 %
Vaeth, Brian 5,194 3.07 %
Cronhardt, Evan 4,213 2.49 %
Krehnbrink, Bill 3,431 2.03 %
Eze, Nnabu 3,258 1.93 %
Howard, Albert 2,595 1.53 %

U.S. House – District 5 – Dem – Primary
Hoyer, Steny i 69,834 84.25 %
Fritz, Dennis 13,056 15.75 %

Prince George’s County Executive
Democrat
Angela Alsobrooks: 77,143 votes (61.9%)
Donna Edwards: 30,236 votes (24.3%)
Anthony C. Muse: 12,515 votes (10.1%)
Paul Monteiro: 2,606 votes (2.1%)
Michael E. Kennedy: 626 votes (0.5%)
Tommie Thompson: 476 votes (0.4%)
Lewis S. Johnson: 381 votes (0.3%)
Billy Bridges: 302 votes (0.2%)
Sam Bogley: 278 votes (0.2%)

Republican
Jerry Mathis: 3,362 votes (100%)

Prince George’s County Council
AT-LARGE — 2 SEATS
Democrat
Mel Franklin: 41,565 votes (20.7%)
Calvin Hawkins: 37,566 votes (18.7%)
Karen Toles: 34,816 votes (17.4%)
Juanita Culbreath-Miller: 29,485 votes (14.7%)
Gerron Levi: 24,509 votes (12.2%)
Julian Lopez: 14,952 votes (7.4%)
Melvin Bernard Johnson: 9,303 votes (4.6%)
Jonathan White: 4,552 votes (2.3%)
Reginald J. Tyer: 4,107 votes (2.0%)

Republican
Felicia Folarin: 3,750 votes (100.0%)

DISTRICT 1
Democrat
Tom Dernoga: 5,215 votes (52.3%)
Craig A. Moe: 4,755 votes (47.7%)

Attorney General
Brian E. Frosh (D): 430,195 votes (100.0%)
Craig Wolf (R): 150,240 votes (100.0%)

State’s Attorney
Democrat
Aisha Braveboy: 74,824 votes (62.9%)
Victor Ramirez: 32,124 votes (27.0%)
D. Michael Lyles: 11,973 votes (10.1%)

Sheriff
Democrat
Melvin C. High: 60,538 votes (52.1%)
Anthony Ayers: 19,761 votes (17.0%)
Kendal Wade: 15,154 votes (14.6%)
Dave Grogan: 8,712 votes (7.5%)
Sylvester E. Jones Sr.: 7,571 votes (7.4%)
Percy Reeder Sr.: 1,437 votes (1.4%)

Board of Education
DISTRICT 2
Non-partisan
Lupi Grady: 4,039 votes (49.8%)
Rob Anthony: 1,299 votes (16.7%)
Joshua M. Thomas: 2,809 votes (33.6%)

House of Delegates – District 21 – Dem – Primary
Pena-Melnyk, Joseline i 8,336 (29.97%)
Barnes, Ben i 7,083 (25.47 %)
Lehman, Mary 5,268 (18.94%)
Dernoga, Matt 5,095 (18.32%)
Smith, Brencis 1,089 (3.92%)
McDowell, James 940 (3.38%)

[Source WTop News]

Primary Election: Please Vote

By

On June 26, 2018

In Election

Today is the primary election. North College Park residents can vote at the Methodist Church on Rhode Island Avenue.

There are a few races that will be watched closely:

1, Governor’s race:
The biggest race on the ballot is the Democratic primary contest for governor, which will determine who faces popular incumbent Republican Larry Hogan in the fall.

Six major candidates are on the ballot. Most have the same policy views — more money for education, a $15 minimum wage, legalized marijuana — but differ in personality, biography and style.

The two front-runners are former NAACP President and CEO Ben Jealous and Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker. Jealous is a darling of Maryland progressives and represents a Bernie Sanders-style candidate. Baker is a more traditional candidate and has the support of nearly all the big names in Maryland politics. In many ways, they represent the progressive-establishment split that has roiled the Democratic party nationally since the 2016 presidential primary election.

2. County Council District 1:
Former council member Thomas E. Dernoga (D) and Laurel Mayor Craig Moe are vying to succeed council member Mary A. Lehman (D-Laurel) in a heated race centered on development. Lehman is term-limited and running for state delegate.

3. MD 21 State Delegates:
There is an open seat because Democratic Del. Barbara Frush is not seeking reelection and is joining Rushern Baker’s gubernatorial campaign. 6 candidates are running for 3 seats
Ben Barnes (I)
Matt Dernoga
Mary Lehman
James McDowell Jr.
Joseline Pena-Melnyk (I)
Brencis Smith

[Sources: WTOP, The Baltimore Sun, the Washington Post]

City’s 2018 State of Economy

By

On June 25, 2018

In Business, Development

City’s Economic Development Coordinator made the annual state of City’s economy at last week’s City Council meeting. You can find the entire presentation here on City’s website. Here are a few highlights.

1. City’s current population is 32,303 – There has been a 6.3% increase from the April 2010 Census.

2. There are a total of 31,829 jobs in College Park. Roughly half of the employees (14,341) working in the City of College Park work with the University of Maryland

3. Median Age 22.6 The large number of students living in College Park brings the median age down to almost half that of the State of Maryland (39.0)

4. Over half of College Park residents are between the ages of 15 and 24.

5. Nearly half of City’s population (48%) having at least a Bachelor’s Degree. Only one third of county’s population has at least a Bachelor’s degree.

6. City’s median household income is $61,051. The County’s median household income is $76,909.

7. City has a total of 977 total businesses. Most businesses in College Park involve educational services, with hospitality and retail trade being the next most popular. 70% of jobs are white collar jobs

8. The City’s tax revenue primarily comes from residential properties, which include student housing.

9. City’s median housing rent is $1,511. The similar figure in the county is $1,337

10. City has a total of 3,034 student housing units, having a total of 9859 beds.

11. Currently, 97.73% of student housings are occupied

12. City has a total of 903 number of total retal houses. This number has remained steady over the past 4 years.

13. City’s total vacancy rates are 6%. This includes office, retail and industrial. P.G. and MoCo have 8% and 9.2% vacancy rates respectively. City’s industrial vacancy rate is 15%, retail 3.2%, office 3.1%

14. As of 2017, Berwyn has the cheapest commercial rental rates ($14.36 / sq ft), followed by Hollywood ($15.99 / sq ft). Lower mid town ($35 sq ft) and downtown ($28.44 sq ft) have the highest commercial lease rates. I’ve asked Mr. Ryan to provide breakdown of vacancies by district. Hollywood seems to have more stores vacant than other parts of the city.

15. City has a total of 1,731,217 sq ft of retail space.

MoM’s Moving to New Location Early Next Month

By

On June 24, 2018

In Announcements, Business, Development

I cannot wait to see MoM’s opening at the new location (@ the old REI place).

The new store will have nearly twice in space (27,500 square feet), compared to what they currently have (15,000 sq ft).

In addition to everything the current store has, the new space will have an organic cafe (called Naked Lunch), a lounge, a fresh bakery place, a pinball game room, the Witches’ Brew Cafe, a pet store and wider selection of teas.

I’m hearing the move to the new store will be in early next month.

This Week’s Hollywood Farmers Market

By

On June 22, 2018

In Announcements, Farmer's Market, Hollywood Farmers Market

Happy Summer all! Just think of all the wonderful produce we’ll have in a few months time. Watermelon, corn on the cob…. Can’t wait! Almost makes up for the heat and humidity- I mean almost….. 🙂

Yoga Heights DC will return this week and are at the market around 10:30 am. It’s a perfect way to start the day!
If you would like to contact our group of instructors please email yoga.hollywoodmarket@gmail.com or visit their website http://yogaheightsdc.com/

Exciting News!
We will have an ice cream truck at the market! A great tasty treat for kids and adults! Can’t wait!
A message from Shanice of Elated Harmony Massage:
“We would love to return to Hollywood with our new addition: THE MOBILE MASSAGE STUDIO BUS!!

But as of now we are still in the midst of converting it and it is taking most of our weekends to complete. I’m hopefully looking at a tentative date of Saturday, July 21st, 2018 or July 28th, 2018.

But since this is our first Bus conversion, I will keep you updated if our schedule is pushed back a little.”

Other News:
Bakery Charley will be off for a few weeks but will return after a few family events.
Inge’s Crochet will not be back to the market for a while. Inge had a loss in her family and had to return to Germany. Please keep Inge in your thoughts and prayers.
Roy and Arti’s Kitchen and Garden will be back in a month. We will miss them until then.
Stone Hearth Bakery is looking for someone to sell their product at our market. Hopefully they’ll find someone by this weekend.
Calvert Farm is looking for someone in the local area to help sell their produce. Farmer Pam has someone to drive the truck from Rising Sun but needs an additional hand to meet the staff member around 8am to help set up, sell and then take down at the end of the day. If you or someone you know who is trustworthy and a hard worker would like to fill that spot please contact farmer@calvertfarm.com.

Returning (tentatively) vendors for this week include:
A Little Pottery: Handmade pottery
Alcoba Coffee: Guatemalan coffee by the pound and by the cup
Amity Kitchen: Thai food, Spring Rolls and Mango Sticky Rice\
Blessed Creations: Soaps and oils
Calvert Farm: Produce and fruits will hopefully return at some point in the fall.
College Park Hypnosis Center: Making positive changes easier
Designed Naturally: Natural bead jewelry
Double Sharp: Local Musicians
Heavenly Created Desserts: Hot dogs and desserts will return June 23rd
Terrapin Care Center: Chiropractic Care
The Baked Apple: Apple muffins and breads
Victory Chapel Family Farms: Local Honey
Waltz Family Farm: Meat, eggs and cheeses

These vendors will be returning at a later date:
Baker Charley: Gluten free bread and baked goods
Elated Harmony: Massage
Moonstruck Oyster Company: Shelled Oysters, Shucked Oysters, Cookbooks, etc.
Inge’s Crochet: Hand made crochet items
Peacesake Candles: Soy based candles in multiple scents
Roy and Arti’s Kitchen and Garden: Prepared Indonesian cuisine and vegetables
The Wood Dr.: Handmade wooden items
Valencia’s Produce: Berries, flowers and herbs
VizingaWoodworks: Handcrafted jewelry and accessories

If you have a moment…..
Across much of the United States, farmers markets have reported a decrease in consumer participation over the last couple of years, resulting in a decrease in farm sales and income. In an attempt to understand and reverse this slump, a multi-state study is being undertaken by Farmers Market Federation of NY and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County, in partnership with Community Involved in Agriculture (CISA), NOFA-VT, Maryland Cooperative Extension and the Farmers Market Association of Maryland. The study will consist of a consumer survey to ascertain the reasoning behind consumer choices of venues to shop for local food. The survey will focus on all consumers with an interest in local food.
Your help in reaching consumers is valuable to the outcome of this study. We have identified categories of consumers that we hope to reach with our survey. Each category is important in identifying customer shopping behavior in purchasing local food, even those with no interest. Our hope is to reach all categories of consumers.
· those who regularly shop at farmers markets and are firmly behind the local food movement
· those who view farmers markets as a social event, but have a keen interest in local food
· those who are interested in local food, but rarely shop at a farmers market
· those who have little to no interest in local food and never shop at farmers markets
Below is a link to the consumer survey. It is an online survey and does not require a face-to-face interaction. The survey is meant to take between 10 – 15 minutes.
https://cornell.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_72s6sR6z0cs4D1X
The study partners will use a summer-long social media campaign to reach consumers and direct them to the survey. You can find social media graphics at (http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com/2018-consumer-survey/ ) to use in reaching your consumer base.
The online survey will remain open from June 18, 2018 through October 1, 2018. At that time the survey will close to allow a team from the Charles H Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management at Cornell University to analyze the surveys to determine trends, preferences and needs of “today’s” local food shoppers.
As a thank you for your assistance in helping to reach consumers with the survey, we will share the white paper prepared by the team at the Charles H Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management at Cornell University. The paper should be ready sometime in March 2019.
Please direct any questions or comments to Diane Eggert at deggert@nyfarmersmarket.com (mailto:deggert@nyfarmersmarket.com) or Laura Biasillo at lw257@cornell.edu (mailto:lw257@cornell.edu) .
Diane Eggert
Farmers Market Federation of NY
Laura Biasillo
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County

Copyright © 2015 *Hollywood Farmers Market, All rights reserved.

Council Approves Subdivision Plan of Route 1 Storage

By

On June 20, 2018

In JDI Storage

At last night’s meeting, the City Council supported the preliminary subdivision plan of the JDI storage facility project on Route 1 in north College Park. The vote was a close one (5-3). Council members Rigg, Mitchel, and Kabir voted against the plan.

The US Route 1 sector plan prohibits the use of the property as a storage at this location.

Additionally, I had concerns about the use of the property as a “storage facility” on such a visible/prime location on our main street (Route 1). I was looking at the list of businesses/amenities residents wanted to see on this corridor back in 2011 when the City hosted the “Route 1 visioning session” (please see report here), I don’t think storage was anything that the residents wanted to see here. For good reason, it’s not a permitted use in the Route 1 sector plan. While we’re concerned about the sector plan compliance in regards to the CFA moving to College Park, I’d ask ourselves to think more before we approve a storage business at the location.

The Council will consider reviewing the detailed site plan of the project in July. Now that we supported the preliminary plan last night (knowing that they want to build a storage facility there), It will be really odd if we tell the JDA that we don’t want to see a storage there when we weigh in on the DSP next month.

13 residents wrote to the Mayor and Council, all asking the Council to oppose the preliminary plan.

City Will Ask to Relax Rules at College Park Airport

By

On June 19, 2018

In Airport

At tonight’s meeting, the City Council will consider approving a letter to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission expressing the City’s support proposed revisions to the Operating Rules and Regulations of the College Park Airport.

In the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, in February 2002, new FAA and TSA rules took effect that were particularly onerous to the College Park airport because of its proximity to Washington, DC. Over the ensuing years, the FAA and TSA gradually relaxed some rules, but many still found them burdensome. M-NCPPC established a committee to revise the airport rules to accommodate the current operating restrictions and are intended to make the airport a more viable economic entity while maintaining good community relations.

For the last two years, members of the College Park Airport Authority have participated in this effort and made a few recommendations, which are reflected in the City’s letter.

In general, the changes made encourage an increase in recreational flight operations while maintaining safety by doing two things (a) Allow student (primary) training to originate and terminate at the airport. (b) Allow highly regulated non-profit IRS 501(c)(3) flying clubs to operate at the airport and to allow flight training in their aircraft.

Storage Facility Proposed On Route 1 in North College Park

By

On June 18, 2018

In City Council

At tomorrow’s meeting, the Council will host a Public hearing to get input about a proposed development at the property located on the west side of US-1 at 9604 Baltimore Avenue across from Hollywood Road. The proposed project will raze the existing building, currently used as an office (Atlas Realty, Inc.), and construct a 6-story storage facility.

The project will be accessed from a shared 25-foot wide private right-of-way. The property is zoned Commercial Shopping Center (C-S-C) DDOZ in the Corridor Infill Character Area. The applicant will need to request an amendment that is addressed at Detailed Site Plan and requires approval by the District Council.

The Planning Board hearing is scheduled for Thursday, June 21th, 2018. Staff is recommending the approval of Preliminary Plan of Subdivision 4-17042 with the following conditions:
(a) Eliminate the bus pull-off lane and cycle track shown on the plans along the property frontage and provide a minimum 10-foot landscape strip with a minimum 8-foot wide sidewalk.
(b) Contribute funding towards construction of planned sidewalks on Hollywood Road east of Route 1.
(c) Provide bus shelters on both the east and west sides of Route 1, if sufficient right-of-way exists at existing bus stops in the vicinity of the subject property.
(d) Provide directional trail signage for the Paint Branch Stream Valley Trail.
( e ) Dedication of ROW to the City, as needed, to replace the private access drive with a new City road, in the future.
(f) Acknowledgement of responsibility of maintenance in the Baltimore Avenue right-of-way for pedestrian light fixtures, landscaping, and sidewalks.
(g) Restriction that no vehicle larger than a 26-foot truck or greater than a gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 lbs. shall use the joint shared access driveway.
(h) Commitment that the Applicant shall manage parking/traffic during peak movein/ move-out times through scheduling and on-site staff.

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