Hyattsville
INSIDE: Principal sought for Hyattsville Middle, Ward 1 voter guide, Rhode Island Reds closes
Hyattsville artist reflects on his legacy by Amira Aycock
Long before the Arts District existed, Hyattsville was home to David Driskell, a renowned artist and one of the world’s foremost scholars on African-American art. He turned 80 last month, and events commemorating his life and legacy are scheduled well into the fall. Of his many accomplishments – including having his work in the National Gallery of Art – he is most proud of The David C. Driskell Center for the Study of Visual Arts and Culture of African-Americans and the African Diaspora. The center opened in 2001 at the University of Maryland, where he chaired the art department for five years and taught for more than 20. “When I began teaching, there were no courses on AfricanAmerican art,” he says. Now, young artists and scholars can access the immense achievements Driskell has spent a lifetime assembling. For over 30 years, Driskell has served as curator of the Cosby Collection of Fine Arts and cultural advisor to Camille and Bill Cosby. He has planned trips to Europe, Africa, and South America for their family, and even advised them on which colleges their children should attend. In 1996, he helped the Clintons select the first piece of art by an African-American for the per-
Vol. 8 No. 7
Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper
Hyattsville Life & Times PO Box 132 Hyattsville, MD 20781
July 2011
No property tax hike in 2012 by Karen J. Riley
No one looks forward to opening their annual property tax bills, but at least residents will know what to expect in their next bill. The Hyattsville City Council adopted a $21.33 million city budget on June 13 that left the city’s current tax rates intact in fiscal year 2012, which began July 1. As a result, the real property tax rate will remain at $0.63 per $100 in assessed value, and the personal property tax rate will remain at $1.15 per $100 in assessed value.
Real property taxes are by far the major source of money for the city, making up about 52 percent of all revenues and 72 percent of the total in the city’s general fund. Although housing values aren’t going up, new properties are being added thanks to Arts District construction. As a result, the city is expected to collect $11.38 million in real property taxes this fiscal year, up from $10.88 million in fiscal year 2011. The city’s relatively lean 2012 budget features $14.47 million for day-to-day operating expenses, including $6.4 million to run the
city’s police department and $4 million for public works (services such as trash pickup and street maintenance). This was the first year that city staff has developed a detailed five-year capital improvement plan. The proposed plan, unveiled in April by City Administrator Gregory Rose, calls for $13.6 million in expenditures 2012 through 2016, including $6.2 million in 2012 with funding from bond issues, general fund transfers, leases and state grants.
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DRISKELL continued on page 12
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BUDGET continued on page 13
One dead in Town Center stabbing by Susie Currie
On June 30, an early-evening brawl at University Town Center left one man dead and four others injured. Responding to reports of a fight, Hyattsville City Police arrived on the scene at around 6:30 p.m. to find that Leonard Raynod Smith-Matthews, 21, had been stabbed. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital, becoming Prince George’s County’s 60th homicide victim of the year and Hyattsville’s first. Homicide investigations are handled by the county police force, which at press time had not released information on suspects, motives or the identities of the others who were injured. They may have also been stabbed – witnesses later described seeing three trails of blood – but were expected to make a full recovery. Hyattsville Police Chief Douglas Holland said, “The City’s police department has maintained a significant and visible police presence at University Town Center, including a satellite office. Prince George’s County STABBING continued on page 13
Included: The July 13, 2011 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter — See Center Section