THEN AND NOW
GOING TO MARKET
HPA Vice President Randy Fletcher shares his obsession with cracks. P. 6
Program at UMD offers a golden opportunity for seniors By Sandy Lundahl
LOCAL NEWS
Find more local news and events online at Hyattsvillelife.com.
HL&T Webmaster Lindsay Myers interviews organizers of the Cheverly Farmers Market. P. 9
Life&Times
Vol. 14 No. 7
Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper
July 2017
TROLLEY TRAIL UPDATE
University of Maryland (UMD) has a little-known program for seniors — no, not those about to graduate — senior citizens. Maryland residents over age 60 who are not working more than 20 hours per week may take courses at UMD and receive free tuition as part of the Golden Identification Card Program (Golden ID). UMD continued on page 12
Bike-share programs are rolling into Hyattsville By Ben Simasek
Local transportation options will soon shift into high gear in Hyattsville. Over the next few years, the city plans to pilot two bike sharing programs. In spring 2018, the Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation will bring the Capital Bikeshare program to Hyattsville and several adjacent communities along the DC border. Karyn McAlister, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Program manager for Prince George’s County, presented the multiyear plan to install 67 Capital Bikeshare stations and 670 bikes across the county to BIKE-SHARE continued on page 13
COURTESY OF WASHINGTON AREA BICYCLIST ASSOCIATION A rendering of Rhode Island Avenue plus the proposed Hyattsville Trolley Trail extension
The Trolley Trail gap: A half mile can make a difference By Dana Patterson
Currently, there is no safe, pedestrian- and bike-friendly connection between the south end of the Trolley Trail in Hyattsville and the Northwest Branch Trail a half-mile
away, according to the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA). WABA suggests building a half-mile extension between the two existing trails in order to bridge the “crucial gap” and create a safe connection.
The project’s campaign site points out that a half-mile is all “that stands in the way of a regional trail system connecting Beltsville and Bladensburg, College Park and Capitol Hill, Silver Spring and Southeast Washington,” and notes that
“Rhode Island Avenue, with its wide lanes and fast-moving car, bus, and truck traffic, is no alternative to a safe, low-stress trail between the Trolley Trail and the Northwest Branch.” TRAIL continued on page 4
CENTER SECTION: JULY11, 2017 ISSUE OF THE HYATTSVILLE REPORTER — IN ESPANOL TOO! HYATTSVILLE MD PERMIT NO. 1383
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