WARD 3 CANDIDATE PROFILES
by Paula Minaert There’s good news and bad news about the incidence of crime in the city of Hyattsville. The good news is that in many categories, it’s going down. A graph comparing crime over the last five years for the period January to June 2009 shows that auto theft has hit a five-year low. The same is true for residential breaking and entering. Robbery has hit a four-year low. Some serious crimes have also decreased. The homicide figure ranged from 0 to 3 from 1999 through 2007, but in 2008 it was 5—the highest number of homicides in more than 10 years, said Chief Holland. But the 2009 year to date figure is 0. The number of rapes for 2009 year to date is 1, the same as 2008, and these numbers are down from 2006 and 2007, which each had 6 rapes. For theft, the graph shows that the trend has been downward for the last three years, but was significantly lower in 2005 and 2006. “That huge increase in 2007 is the result of the city’s annexation of the Mall at Prince Georges,” explained Hyattsville Police Chief Douglas Holland. “The mall has close to 100 retail businesses.” Another change resulted from the construction of University Town Center, Holland said.
Our guide to area thrift stores will tell you where to go for toys, furniture, and even lawnmowers. PAGE 4
Life&Times
Vol. 6 No. 10
Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper
OCTOBER 2009
Proposed building would be tallest in metro area
Trash pickup discussed by city council
CRIME continued on page 11
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit # 43 Easton, MD 21601
The new feature 'Legend and Lore' debuts this month, focusing on local ghost stories. PAGE 2
Hyattsville
Tim Hunt and Shirley Bender, candidates for the Ward 3 city council seat, in their own words. PAGE 3
Some city crimes fall, report shows
HYATTSVILLE'S HIDDEN HISTORY
THRIFTY FASHIONISTA
by Allison Lyons
by Sarah Nemeth
Belcrest Plaza, the red-brick garden-style apartments behind The Mall at Prince George’s, has 782 units. Percontee, the company that owns the property, is planning 2,750 units to replace them, the Hyattsville City Council heard at a recent meeting. The plan, designed by The Lessard Group, also includes 289,000 square feet of retail and office space and would be capped by a 33-story skyscraper — more stories than any other building in suburban Washington, D.C. During the council presentation on October 5, Percontee Executive Vice President Jonathan Genn said that the design would be an iconic landmark for Hyattsville. The 25-acre site is in an unincorporated area of Prince George’s County. Because the Percontee
Some city officials say paring down the number of trash pickups in Hyattsville would encourage more recycling, reduce the amount of waste being sent to the county dump and drive down costs to the city by several hundred thousand dollars. The City Council is now mulling over the option of a city-wide, one-year pilot program to reduce solid waste pickups from twiceweekly to once, a measure which has some residents questioning how the sanitation needs of the city will continue to be met. Residents at a recent council meeting raised a variety of concerns, ranging from rats to odor to the money being spent to alert residents about the change. “I wonder what will happen about the stench and flies,” said resident Lewis Knight. Some council members also seemed to oppose the plan. "[This will be] a tremendous issue in the city of Hyattsville," said Ruth Ann Frazier (Ward 5). "Mark my words." To help stem the possibility of overflowing trash, the council will consider making additional Toters available to residents, Mayor William Gardiner said. According to Assistant City Administrator Vincent Jones, the city picks up trash from about 3,400 households twice weekly. There are four trucks with a three-man crew on each. The proposal before council is to use two trucks, and: •Routes 1 and 2, now with Monday and Thursday pickup, will become Monday pickup. • Routes 3 and 4, now with
PHOTO COURTESY OF PERCONTEE The centerpiece of the Belcrest Plaza proposal is a 33-story skyscraper.
BELCREST continued on page 10
HEARD AROUND HYATTSVILLE
Hyattsville Life & Times PO Box 132 Hyattsville, MD 20781
HLT asked: “What will your children be doing for Halloween?” The respondents were all parents of young children.
"We'll stay in the neighborhood. Everybody here goes all out for Halloween." — Tamara Briggs (son and daughter)
"My wife will take the kids trick-ortreating." — James Brodie (son and daughter)
"We're going to the pumpkin-patch farm." —Rahassan McKellJeffers (son)
"We'll be at home, trick-or-treating with our neighbors." — Christopher Salazar (daughter)
TRASH continued on page 8
Included: The october 14, 2009 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter — See Center Section