ThE bIRThs...
...AND ThE bEEs
Midwife-assisted home births are on the rise, according to a recent study. In Hyattsville, there were at least 15 in the last year alone. PAGE 6
A growing number of Hyattsville households are helping save the honeybee – and enjoying some pretty sweet benefits. PAGE 3
Savings on trash pilot less than expected by Karen J. Riley
The year-long pilot program of reduced trash pickup that ended last month saved the city only about 40 percent of the projected amount, according to information released during a series of public meetings in late January. Before the program began, city residents enjoyed twice-weekly trash pickup, which required a fleet of four garbage trucks staffed by three employees each, for a total annual cost of $797,328 a year. Once-weekly collection of household solid waste was one of the items recommended in a management and efficiency study conducted for the city in April 2009. City residents could easily accommodate the change, it was believed, because the city had distributed large capacity solid-waste refuse containers a few years before. Last October, the Hyattsville City Council agreed to experiment with a year-long pilot of a once-weekly solid waste collection with the intent of gathering sufficient data to determine
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit # 43 Easton, MD 21601
trash continued on page 13
MORE hIsTORICAL ROUTE 1 REVELATIONs Legend & Lore’s series on Historic Route 1 continues with a tour of three locations of special importance to the history of African-Americans in Prince George’s County. PAGE 4
Hyattsville Life&Times
Vol. 8 No. 2
Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper
Community garden effort moves forward by Paula Minaert
The pre-dawn blaze started on the first floor and quickly engulfed the bungalow in the 4700 block of 40th Avenue. Parents Marcos Zelaya and Ena Hernandez managed to escape, along with 4-year-old Maria and 13-year-old Melani. But Melani’s twin, Kelli, and their 9-year-old sister, Kimberly, were unconscious when firefighters pulled them from the building.
After a process that has lasted more than a year, and involved several community meetings and much city council discussion, the Hyatt Park Community Garden is significantly closer to becoming a reality. The garden will be located in Hyatt Park, at the corner of Hamilton and 36th streets, the site of the former Jack and Jill Nursery School. That site was purchased in 2009 by the Maryland National-Capital Park and Planning Commission at the request of the city. The city then entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the commission and agreed to maintain the property. At press time, the city council was expected to approve a plan for an organic vegetable garden developed by the Hyatt Park Community Garden Association. Council originally had scheduled a presentation and a vote on January 24, but delayed it to have more time to look over the supporting documentation. That documentation, requested by Council, included a Memorandum of Understanding between the city and the garden association, administrative documents such as by-laws, a site plan, a fencing plan, a soiltesting plan, and a way to fairly distribute garden plots. That MOU states that the garden association will be responsible and liable for the costs and maintenance of the garden. According to the by-laws, the 40 plots proposed for the site
Fire continued on page 12
Garden continued on page 10
KEEPING
VIGIL
barb baNcroft
After fire, community rallies to help family by Susie Currie Hyattsville Life & Times PO Box 132 Hyattsville, MD 20781
February 2011
In the aftermath of a fire that claimed the lives of two sisters and destroyed the family home, neighbors and businesses have come together to help pick up the pieces. Investigators have attributed the January 19 fire to an electrical malfunction, said Prince George’s County Fire Department spokesperson Mark Brady.
Included: The February 9, 2011 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter — See Center Section