FROM MARYLAND TO MOSCOW Local teen picked to join Bolshoi Ballet Academy. PAGE 3
Volunteer fire dept. honors history, plans new station by Susie Currie
The Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department (HVFD) will mark its 125th anniversary this month with a weekend-long celebration, and hundreds of former members are coming from all over America for it. They will be here not only to remember a shared past at the fire station, located at 6200 Belcrest Road, but to take an important step toward the future: breaking ground for a new, $12 million building to replace it. The groundbreaking, which will kick off the fire station’s annual fall open house on October 12, is largely ceremonial. Permits are still being pulled and site plans finalized, said HVFD President Dave Iannone. Construction, funded entirely through bonds issued by the county, is expected to begin next year and finish in 2016. But for many attendees, it will be the last time they see the 9,000-square-foot station that so many of them once called home. It was built in 1958 and for many years used as a substation. The main fire station, which has now been incorporated into Firehouse Lofts condominiums, was on the
FESTIVE FALL FESTIVALS September weekend draws record crowds to both the Hispanic Festival and the Hyattsville Arts Festival. PAGES 4 AND 5
MIDDLE SCHOOL HOSTS NATIONAL PARK LAUNCH The National Park Service picked Hyattsville Middle School to debut its latest educational tool. PAGE 8
Hyattsville Life&Times
Vol. 10 No. 10
Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper
Turmoil at city hall as two directors resign Treasurer departs in wake of delinquent audits; city administrator out by end of year
by Susie Currie
Two city directors resigned after the Hyattsville City Council called a special meeting to discuss a troubling fact they’d only recently learned: The city
is nearly three years behind in its required annual audits. City Administrator Jerry Schiro’s resignation was accepted during the September 19 meeting, which started with a two-hour closed session. Schiro had given
RIDING HARD Hundreds raced in fifth annual Hyattsville Cyclocross
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HVFD continued on page 12
MICHAEL HORLICK Hyattsville Cyclocross returned to Magruder Park on October 6, a day that felt more like late summer than early fall.
October 2013
30 days’ notice; the council then voted to retain his services for an additional 60 days for $21,000. Hyattsville City Treasurer Elaine Stookey was not present at the meeting, where the public heard that the city’s audits for fiscal years 2011 and 2012 have not been completed. Stookey submitted a letter of resignation the next day, September 20, that was effective immediately. Neither she nor Schiro specified a reason for leaving in their resignation letters. Despite repeated RESIGNATIONS continued on page 13
by Mike Persley
Arrow Bicycle volunteer Ted Monoson bought his first bike while he was in college in western New York around 1992. One day, he walked into a “not so reputable” bike shop, where customer service meant something very different than what he’s seen at Arrow. “Those guys were like ‘What do we have that we can pop this guy off on?’ ” he recalls. What he came away with was a 14-inch bike that did not fit him, and had pieces fly off when he rode it. Its been a long bike journey since then for Monoson. Today he’s riding a much better vehicle. On Sunday, October 6, he was one of nearly 500 riders who competed in the fifth annual Hyattsville Cyclocross (CX), held each fall in Magruder Park. Bikers registered in 17 categories based on gender, age and experience. The race, the second in the Super 8 Cyclocross series put on by Bikereg.com, has been a consistent success for Hyattsville since it began in 2008. Sponsors include the city, Arrow Bicycle, Route1Velo, and Crosshairs Cycling. Unlike many forms of bike racing, which can be long distance CYCLOCROSS continued on page 12
Included: The October 9, 2013 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter — See Center Section