INSIDE THE FIRST FOUR: The mayors who built our town P. 6 AFTER A HIT-ANDRUN: Neighbors on Queensbury call for enforcement, traffic calming. P. 11
VOL. 18 NO. 3
HYATTSVILLE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
MARCH 2021
Quarantine cut trash pickup staff by half By Pete Daniels Hyattsville residents benefit from a wide range of services provided by the city’s Department of Public Works (DPW), including trash and compost pickup, and snow and ice removal. If a rare lapse occurs, residents tend to notice, as DPW Director Lesley Riddle experienced late last year, when the department was forced to temporarily curtail leaf collection due to COVID-19-related staff shortages. At first, the department received “some nasty emails,”
according to Riddle, but as word got out about the cause of the uncollected leaves, community reaction turned overwhelmingly positive. “They love us, and we love them,” she told the Hyattsville Life & Times during a recent interview. Back in early February 2020, in response to the threat of the pandemic, the DPW began holding virtual meetings and separating staff into smaller working teams. Compliance was good, according to Riddle, who laughed as she talked about staff overhearing a colleague singing “Happy
Teachers get vaccinations, return to school By Collin Riviello
Birthday” while hand-washing, per the department’s guidance (a tip aimed at ensuring hand-washing lasts long enough to kill germs). Given the rate of COVID-19 infection in Prince George’s County, however, Riddle said, “We were just waiting for the other foot to drop,” adding that she was surprised that the department went as long as it did without a single case. The first COVID-19 case at the DPW was discovered in early December 2020, after an employee reported not feeling well.
On Feb. 17, just three weeks after Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) staff received priority status for the COVID-19 vaccine, CEO Dr. Monica Goldson announced a hybrid-learning schedule to get students back into classrooms starting in April. According to Goldson, the two-phase plan starts on April 8 and allows students in grades K-6, 12th-graders and all spe-
SEE DPW ON 12
SEE SCHOOL ON 9
The science of the city: skate parks
The paradoxical safety in danger By Paul Ruffins If you compare the Melrose Skate Park to Hyattsville’s other recreational facilities, it looks like a major injury or lawsuit just waiting to happen. The new children’s playground on 38th Street has a soft, cushioned surface and equipment with carefully rounded corners. So does the new adult fitness center just a few yards away. The skate park, just a little way down the Northwest Branch Trail from the playground,
A young man skates Melrose Skate Park. JULIA NIKHINSON
SEE SKATE PARKS ON 13
CENTER SECTION: The March 9, 2021 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter — in Español too! HYATTSVILLE MD PERMIT NO. 1383
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