ELECTION PREVIEW
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY SERVICES
NEW COLUMN DEBUT
On November 4, voters will be faced with several key Prince George’s County-specific questions. Referendum questions addressing term limits and anti-discrimination will both be on the ballot. PAGE 3
Meet Jake Rollow, the City’s new Director of Community Services. Rollow comes to Hyattsville after years of working with local communities across the country and around the world. PAGE 2
Over the next few months, Kit Slack will highlight local schools. This month she takes a look at all Hyattsville Elementary has to offer. PAGE 7
Designs for transit district revealed New plan includes second metro entrance, tree-lined walkways by Andrew Marder and Rebecca Bennett
On September 17, more than 60 people met at the Hyattsville Municipal Building to kick off a three-day design charrette to discuss updating the transit district development plan (TDDP) for the area around the Prince George’s Plaza Metro Station. The meetings, run by the County planning department, were designed to give community members a chance to make suggestions for the future of the area around the Mall at Prince George’s. That area, bounded by Northwestern High School on the north, the Hyattsville Library on the east, Nicholas Orem on the south, and West Park Drive on the west, has been designated as a future downtown site in the Plan Prince George’s 2035 program. Residents, City Council members and business stakeholders were asked to suggest ways in which they thought the area could be improved. Questions ranged from how to increase
Hyattsville Life&Times
Vol. 11 No. 10
Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper
Hyattsville man may hold key to Lyon sisters’ disappearance
Police search family home, property for clues in 1975 case by Susie Currie and Rebecca Bennett
SUSIE CURRIE Two weeks after police searched Richard Welchʼs 41st Place home, they named him a person of interest in the disappearance of two young girls nearly 40 years ago. Nephew Lloyd Welch, who grew up in Hyattsville, became a person of interest in February.
CHARRETTE continued on page 12
NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID EASTON MD PERMIT NO. 43
October 2014
SHEILA LYON
KATHERINE LYON
LLOYD LEE WELCH JR
RICHARD ALLEN WELCH SR
Months after his nephew was implicated in one of Washington’s most notorious cold cases, a Hyattsville man who police say worked in Wheaton as a security guard in the 1970s has been targeted as well. On October 2, in a joint press conference between authorities in Montgomery County, Md. and Bedford County, Va., police named Richard Allen Welch Sr. a “person of interest” in the disappearance of Sheila and Katherine Lyon nearly 40 years ago. The sisters, ages 12 and 10, were last seen on March 25, 1975, walking the half-mile between Wheaton Plaza and their home. The missing girls sparked a high-profile, wide-ranging investigation. WELCH continued on page 13
Pedestrian safety in spotlight after fatalities Hyattsville Life & Times PO Box 132 Hyattsville, MD 20781
by Rebecca Bennett
On August 27, Aimee Condayan of Hyattsville said her 9-year-old son was nearly struck while crossing Jefferson Street. The family was headed towards Elevation Burger. Condayan said she was holding her 4-yearold’s hand when they saw the walk sign flash. “In what felt like a millisecond, I saw my son step into the street as a large, black SUV flew right toward his path. I froze and screamed my son’s name and the SUV had passed us,” she said. Elizabeth Pfaffenroth said her family also
had a close call on August 28 at that same intersection, just one day after Condayan. “Despite having the right of way, we were almost hit by a driver [who was] turning into the complex on Jefferson from Route 1 going south,” Pfaffenroth said. Not everyone has been so lucky. Earlier this year, three fatal pedestrian accidents led to the Maryland State Highway Administration (MDSHA) to make high-profile changes on Route 1 in College Park. Alterations include a reduction in the speed limit from 30 to 25 miles per hour and the installation of a barrier to prevent pedestrians crossing Route 1 ex-
cept at intersections. A pedestrian-activated signal at Hartwick Road is to be completed by late October. On September 11, a bicyclist was struck on East West Highway in front of the Mall at Prince Georges. Police believe the victim was in the crosswalk at the time of the collision and cite heavy rain as a factor. That person survived, but Thelma Flores was not so lucky while walking with her 3-year-old daughter on September 1. The mother-of-two was killed in the crosswalk PEDESTRIAN continued on page 8
Included: The October 7, 2014 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter — See Center Section