LOCAL ARTISTS
The annual Arts Festival featured jewelers, sculptors, painters, and other craftspeople from Hyattsville and surrounding towns. P. 6
SENIOR SERVICES
Beryl Johnson is starting off with a bang! With new programming and events, Hyattsville seniors will have much to look forward to. P. 12
Concept plan presented for Lutheran Concordia School site by Caroline Selle
The former Lutheran Concordia School site at 3705 Longfellow Street has been on the market for three years, and a new concept development plan from the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation (CDC) hopes to change that. In partnership with Hailey Development, the Hyattsville CDC is considering a plan which would rehabilitate the school building and develop it into artist residential studios with townhomes on the surrounding property. The church, which still owns the building, came to the Hyattsville CDC more than a year ago, said Executive Director Stuart Eisenberg.. He said it’s a challenging property to develop, because its use is restricted by zoning. The potential design for the space includes 20 townhouse units plus 10 artists residential studios in the existing school building, as well as two-car garages for each of the townhomes and a parking lot for the studios. A paved fire lane would need to run along the side of properties adjacent to Concordia’s field. Currently, the site is designated
SIDEWALK POLICY
The University Hills neighborhood sidewalk project continues to draw a mixed response from residents. P. 5
Life&Times & &Times
Vol. 12 No. 10
Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper
Meet Hyattsville’s newest members of city council by Alyce Thompson
RUTH ANN FRAZIER: WARD 5
The City of Hyattsville held two municipal elections in 2015, which brought three new or returning members onto the Hyattsville City Council. I sat down with each of them to learn a little more about their backgrounds, and to find out what one item they would take if stranded on a desert island.
I meet Ruth Ann Frazier at her cozy home in Ward 5. “Excuse the piles,” she says, referring to the dining room table; she has been catching up on city council reports so that she is up to speed for the next meeting. Only eight days after her win in the Ward 5 special election (to fill the vacancy created
by the June resignation of former councilmember Clay Williams), Frazier is eager to get back to work on issues facing the city. Her Hyattsville roots run deep, and her love for the city is evident. She has been a Hyattsville resident for over six decades, and three generations of her family live in the area. She COUNCIL continued on page 8
Tow truck thief crashes, destroys Art Works greenhouse By Rebecca Bennett
NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID EASTON MD PERMIT NO. 43
CONCORDIA continued on page 12
Hyattsville Life & Times PO Box 132 Hyattsville, MD 20781
October 2015
REBECCA BENNETT A full side of the greenhouse was demolished in the Sept. 19 tow truck crash. As the truck was pulled away from the building, the sound of crashing glass was notable.
On Sept. 19, a thief stole a tow truck from a repair shop just outside the City of Hyattsville, according to the Hyattsville City Police Department (HCPD), and then crashed into the greenhouse of the former Marché Florist, which is the future home of the arts non-profit Art Works. While responding to a call in the 4800 block of Rhode Island Avenue for an assault in progress at approximately 2:55 p.m., police said they saw the truck had crashed into the building. The thief fled the scene of the crash, according to HCPD, and was apprehended on the alternate Route 1 bridge. The two incidents were related, police said. The stolen tow truck belonged to locally-based G&A Auto Transport. According to the son of the truck’s owner, the truck was just dropped off that morning to have its brakes worked on when it was stolen. He said it was their only truck. He was visibly shaken by the events that transpired. All of this unfolded while Art ART WORKS continued on page 12
CENTER SECTION: OCTOBER 14, 2015 ISSUE OF THE HYATTSVILLE REPORTER — IN ESPANOL TOO!