2021-06 Hyattsville Life & Times

INSIDE KEEPING THE BEAT: Meet local drummer Steve Larrance in “At Home in Hyattsville.” P. 6

VOL. 18 NO. 6

HYATTSVILLE’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

City plans housing on public land, rent control

By Kit Slack On May 17, the Hyattsville City Council unanimously approved a strategic plan to promote affordable housing in the city over the next 10 years.

Under the plan, the city will establish a city-level fund to finance development or otherwise support housing for residents. The city will also seek to use public land — city- or county-owned land — for housing development. To support tenants, Hyattsville will legislate rent control and expand other

tenant protections.

According to the plan, more specific goals for each of these initiatives will be worked out, with community input, over the next year.

Apartments for less than $1,000 per month and houses for less than $300,000 are becoming scarce in Hyattsville, according to data in the plan, which was authored by the affordable housing nonprofit Enterprise Community Partners.

Between 2013 and 2018, Hyattsville lost about 700 apartSEE HOUSING ON 12

What’s up with the Prince George’s County Municipal Association?

By Sophie Gorman Oriani As candidates vied for the honor of being elected to the office of mayor last month, a

little-known organization was the subject of a minor controversy. Former Councilmember Bart Lawrence (Ward 1) accused mayoral candidate

JUNE 2021

WHAT’S KILLING BIRDS? Probably homeowners trying to poison cicadas, says Miss Floribunda. P. 10

PLAYGROUND PREDICAMENTS

Mid-May, tree-felling and grading for the Suffrage Point development began near the Driskell Park playground, though litigation over the project continues. Construction will replace stormwater drains and outfall. Houses went on presale June 1 for $1.1 million. Werrlein Properties says they will plant 450 new trees. COURTESY OF NOELLE BOUGHANMI

Councilmember Joseph Solomon (Ward 5) of working against the city’s best interests through Solomon’s work with the Prince George’s County Municipal Association (PGCMA).

One issue Lawrence had was with PGCMA’s support SEE MUNICIPAL ON 9 

Hyattsville resident sends son off to play for the Minnesota Vikings

By Joanna Turner The following is a Hyattsville Life & Times (HL&T) interview with Stephanie Twyman, Hyattsville

resident and mother of Jaylen Twyman, who was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft with SEE TWYMAN ON 13

CENTER SECTION: The June 8, 2021 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter — in Español too!

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Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2021

Page 2

HYATTSVILLE KIDS WELCOME BROOD X

Created by contributors in grades K-8, the HyattsKIDS Life & Times features local news, columns, and comics from our city’s youngest journalists. Our editors are Evan LeFevre and Claudia Romero Garvey. To participate, contact adult adviser Mary Frances Jiménez: mf_jimenez@yahoo.com. We also invite readers’ questions for an upcoming “Ask a HyattsKID” column.

THE MALEAN FAMILY’S DISASTER BY DELIA SILVA

By Bella Romero You’ve probably seen the many cicadas that are arriving this summer. This particular brood of cicadas is named Brood X, and is one of the largest groups of periodical cicadas. Periodical means that Brood X emerges all at once, after 17 years of living underground.

HyattsKIDS interviewed many local children and found that they had very different reactions to the sudden arrival of the cicadas.

The Vaidyanathan family doesn’t mind them much, although Marta Vaidyanathan does not like climbing trees anymore.

Paul Dickson thinks the cicadas are cool, and killing them is sad. And in the eyes of Lucy Dickson, these large insects are cute!

One young boy had an interesting view of the cicadas.

Gus Gibbons is fascinated with them, and enjoys catching them and holding them.

He and his little brother Basil can often be seen in their yard looking for cicadas.

Whatever your feelings about the cicadas, there is nothing to be afraid of about these insects. They do not bite or sting, and despite common beliefs, the cicadas do not eat our plants. Instead, try to appreciate this amazing spectacle we can only witness every 17 years.

A community newspaper chronicling the life and times of Hyattsville Mailing address: PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781 http://facebook.com/ HyattsvilleLife http://twitter.com/HvilleTimes Hyattsville Life & Times is published monthly by Streetcar Suburbs Publishing Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

Editors welcome reader input, tips, articles, letters, opinion pieces and photographs, which may be submitted using the mailing address above or the email addresses provided.

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CICADA SATURDAY AT JOE’S

By Evan Muynila

Cecily Cicada appeared at Joe’s Movement Emporium in honor of Brood X. EVAN MUYNILA

Managing Editor Kit Slack kit@hyattsvillelife.com

Business Manager Catie Currie catie@hyattsvillelife.com

Associate Editors Sophie Gorman Oriani sophie@hyattsvillelife.com

Advertising Sales Manager Miranda Goodson miranda@hyattsvillelife.com

Heather Wright heather@hyattsvillelife.com Webmaster Jessica Burshtynskyy jessica@hyattsvillelife.com Layout & Design Editor Ashley Perks Copy Editor Nancy Welch Writers & Contributors Victoria Boucher, Juliette Fradin, Reva G. Harris, Lauren Flynn Kelly, Kelly Livingston, Paul Ruffins, Joanna Turner, Wanda Waddy Advertising advertising@hyattsvillelife.com 301.531.5234

Board of Directors Joseph Gigliotti — President and General Counsel Chris Currie — Vice President Stephanie Stullich — Treasurer Emily Strab — Secretary Rosanna Landis Weaver, Gretchen Brodtman, Reva Harris, T. Carter Ross, Kit Slack and Mark Goodson — Ex Officio Circulation: Copies are distributed monthly by U.S. mail to every address in Hyattsville. Additional copies are distributed to libraries, selected businesses, community centers and churches in the city.

Total circulation is 9,300.

HL&T is a member of the National Newspaper Association.

May 22 was Cicada Saturday at Joe’s Movement Emporium in Mount Rainier. “Cicadas! What A Bug!” invited families to learn about the Brood X cicadas and participate in bug-related fun.

There were songs, stories, and a booth for making your own pair of paper cicada wings.

The idea for the show was from Brooke Kidd, founder of Joe’s, and Toni Salmi. Salmi said they were talking one day and thought, “Wouldn’t it be neat to celebrate the cicadas? We could do a show for kids!” Kidd and Salmi organized a 45-minute program about these bugs.

Salmi added, “It’s very important for Joe’s to teach everybody about the environment. ... Since this happens every 17 years, we thought we should celebrate it through the arts.”

The show had four parts. Children’s stories were shared and performed by Rakeem Delwin, who encouraged kids to move and interpret the stories in their own way. There was a song about cicada anatomy and a song by Sam McCormally for folks that enjoy cicadas as a meal. Kids were very enthusiastic when it was time to ask entomologist Kay Taub questions about cicadas. Taub taught the audience about the cicada life cycle, the different sounds cicadas make, and even how the bugs eat. Popular questions were, “Why now?” and “Why every 17 years?”

Taub answered, “Scientists still don’t know exactly why this happens! Maybe someone in the audience will study cicadas and help answer it in the future!” No program at Joe’s

is without dance, and Brooke Kidd led the audience in a nature-themed interpretive dance.

Cicada Saturday had its own mascot: the larger-than-life Cecily Cicada. Cecily says, “There’s all kinds of ways kids can make art and dance about anything in nature. You could ask your local park about programs or borrow books from the library about anything that’s interesting and write a song. You could probably go up to a tree and try to draw and paint me if you see me!”

REFLECTIONS ON A PANDEMIC SCHOOL YEAR

By Delia Silva I want to share my experience with hybrid learning at Cesar Chavez Dual Immersion School.

My experience had its ups and downs. When the county announced that there would be an optional hybrid plan for students, I was excited to go back.

What I like about this plan is that I get to see my teachers in person and I get to be at school. What I don’t like about this plan is that I can’t see all of my classmates in person. At the moment, I only have seven classmates.

My school has assigned colorcoded outdoor areas for safety and social distancing at recess.

Only a few kids, depending on your grade, can be in one spot.

My teachers each have an opinion about this plan. My homeroom teacher, Dr. Ronda, said that the hardest part of doing virtual learning is that the learning space and teaching processes were changed. Another one of my teachers, Ms. Busch, said SEE HYATTSKIDS ON 12 

Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2021

Page 3

SCIENCE OF THE CITY

Food complicates restaurant recycling

By Paul Ruffins Why are local restaurants having difficulty recycling food waste, which unlike plastic, rapidly breaks down into simple natural compounds?

The problem is when and where food breaks down. In an urban dumpster, food waste attracts flies and vermin. In a garden, it nurtures the soil. In a low-oxygen landfill, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more dangerous than carbon dioxide.

In Hyattsville, some food waste is easy to divert from landfills. Mike Roy, brewmaster for Franklins Restaurant, Brewery and General Store, says the company produces 650 to 1300-plus pounds of spent grain a week. “Depending upon the beer, it may break down to ... 4 to 8 ounces per pint. We produce a lot of spent grain, but that’s really pretty easy to dispose of; a farmer comes and takes it away for free as animal feed.”

Daniel Calles, a production roaster for Vigilante Coffee Company, explains that his company contends with 150,000

burlap coffee sacks and plastic linings a year. There’s also the chaff left over from roasting coffee, hundreds of pounds of used coffee grounds, and a relatively small amount of the typical commingled restaurant trash.

Calles said, “Coffee grounds and chaff are not an environmental problem because they make great compost. We pay Compost Cab to pick them up, and people love the used coffee sacks so much we just give them away.”

Vigilante’s founder and owner, Chris Vigilante, said that the plastic liners are reused by a coffee firm in Hawaii.

The reason these food items are so easily disposed of is because they’re not combined with anything else.

However, when food mixes with single-stream recycling, in which paper, cardboard, plastic, glass and metals are combined, those recyclables are often considered contaminated. Vigilante’s business partner Ashley Bodine noted, “We used to use a recyclable cardboard container with a compostable liner. But if

there’s just a tiny bit of butter or cream cheese in it, then it would be considered contaminated.

We were getting charged $400 a month for rejected recyclables.

That’s why we switched to compostable containers where a little left over food is acceptable.”

“Cross-contamination is absolutely the problem,” agreed Mike Franklin, who owns Franklins. “If a bottle has just a little bit of wine left in it, it’s not considered recyclable. I would have to pay one full-time employee just to wash everything out, and we just don’t have the space to sort everything.”

Food cross-contamination makes it hard for restaurants to recycle, and hard to enforce recycling requirements for restaurants. Only clean, dry materials can be put into recycling. Few recyclables thrown out at a busy restaurant will be clean or dry.

“It’s a terrible headache,” said Andy Shallal, who founded and owns Busboys and Poets. Like Franklins, Busboys puts a lot of effort into sustainability, preferring local suppliers and organic foods on the sourcing end, but struggles

to the Wall Street Journal.

As for grease, Shallal noted, “A few years ago, companies were actually paying me to pick up our used fry oil to refine it into biodiesel.”

Efforts to fight global warming mean that sooner or later, food waste will have to be separated from other trash. On June 1, Maryland’s organic recycling legislation, House Bill 264, became law; supporters say it will encourage the growth of facilities that use composting or anaerobic methods to process food waste without emitting methane. One example is Prince George’s County’s organic recycling facility, which composts yard and food waste into marketable gardening products called Leafgro and Leafgro GOLD, helping offset costs.

Starting in 2023, the law requires certain organizations that produce more than two tons of food waste a week, primarily supermarkets and schools, to divert it away from landfills and incinerators. By 2024, some that produce only one ton a week will have to comply. For now, restaurants are exempt, but the pressure, or incentives, to recycle food waste will only increase.

on the disposal end. “This is a great example of where a smart partnership with government could really help,” Shalall declared.

Vigilante said, “It would be cheaper not to use composting. We do it because we believe in it. But there is no economic incentive to recycle rather than throw things in the trash.”

Understanding the few things that virtually all local restaurants do recycle consistently: clean cardboard boxes, grease and used fry oil, shows the advantages of sorted recycling over single-stream recycling.

Local restaurants recycle cardboard boxes in separate dumpsters that keep them relatively clean and dry. The dumpsters often have a narrow slot to discourage adding anything else.

Likewise, grease and used fry oils from restaurants and kitchens must be kept in separate tanks or dumpsters.

And there is a strong market for both the cardboard and the grease. The pandemic has created a surging demand for recycled corrugated cardboard, according

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Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2021

Page 4

SECONDHAND NEWS

Hunting for lost treasure at the beach

By Lauren Flynn Kelly

G

iven my well-documented love of thrifting and repurposing, it shouldn’t surprise you that one of the first things I planned to do when fully vaccinated was revisit the thrift store. Providing me an extra layer of freedom during that long-awaited third week in May, my father took the kids to New Jersey for a week of Zoom school from the beach. Meanwhile, my first post-vax trips to Value Village and Village Thrift were disappointing. Champagne flutes from the bygone Caesar’s Pocono Resort or what appeared to be the entire inventory of a dress supplier were sad reminders of shuttered businesses — possible byproducts of the pandemic?

The art I perused on my latest trip to Value Village was exceptionally bad. I was transfixed by one portrait in particular: an amateurish rendering of two children that I imagined once proudly hung above their par-

#vintagebeachhouse hashtag on Instagram, I found a fellow enthusiast who has been upping the vintage flair of an old North Carolina beach house, complete with a gallery wall of sailboat paintings. She also sells vintage wares and shipped me a Marushka scallop shell print that was the perfect addition to my “updated” bedroom.

From what I’ve seen on trash day in the small island town where my dad lives, most people are tossing this kind of stuff, and if I could rescue it all, I would.

One Sunday night, I scanned the streets to see what people had left out after another weekend of removing the last vestiges of the ’70s and ’80s from their homes. I carried home a glass-topped rattan table. Then I went back with my car for an oversized bamboo mirror and a crescent-shaped ottoman with its cover missing (challenge accepted). The next morning, my dad asked me to pick up his mail at the post office.

I came back with a Lucite (i.e., fancy plastic) ice bucket covered in sailboats. This made my dad laugh out loud, as it undoubtedly brought back memories of my late mother going for a neighborhood stroll and coming back with her curbside finds.

Maybe the thrift store is a bit light on quality inventory right now, but I’ll keep searching the streets (and the ’gram) for those salty secondhand finds.

ents’ mantel. At one point did they realize, “It’s kinda bad … maybe someone else would like it?” Turns out, that someone else would be fellow thrifter and Hyattsvillager Pat Padua, whose thrifting adventures have been featured in this column and who ended up adding it to his gallery wall, as Instagram informed me.

Defeated by my thrift store experiences, I headed to New Jersey to reunite with my girls and continue helping my dad transform our late 1970s beach house into his forever home. In the past few years, this has meant having to get rid of some crucial but crumbling details — like a chevronpattern exterior wall that for years felt dated — which were, in retrospect, very cool. And yes, we tackled the many-shades-ofbrown Formica kitchen, which looked as though photos of wood had been adhered to its cabinet doors. We renovated the kitchen, brightened up the bedrooms with new paint and gave prominence to favorite pieces of furniture and

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art while donating the rest. In a forever home, we finally had the freedom to curate rather than maintain your standard rental by the sea. And renters, in my experience, don’t appreciate the vintage kitsch as much as I do.

COVID-19 put a pause on our efforts, as we decided to keep our distance until my dad and I could both be vaccinated. In the meantime, I got my thrifting fix online and found that Instagram can

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Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2021

Page 5

MY TWO CENTS

How we can get to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic

By Wanda Waddy

I

t has been over one year since we were thrown into the pandemic. Like kids on a long car trip, we want to hurry up and get there. Well, how do we get there together if we are not all going down the same road?

Sometimes I feel like rather than a car trip, this is a roller coaster ride — and I cannot get off !

As a director of nursing for Sacred Heart Home, a long-term care facility here in Hyattsville, I faced the loss of my mother at the same time as my first positive COVID-19 case in the building. Because my mother lived in another state, I was unable to attend her funeral or visit her in the hospital. Amidst that stress and pain, I had the responsibility to lead the team in the remediation and eradication of this deadly virus in the facility where I work.

While others were quarantining at home, we were donning and doffing our clothing throughout the work day, and washing our hands upon arrival, upon leaving the facility, and whenever necessary for the care of the resident. We placed our personal items in a plastic bag whenever we entered the facility door.

We conducted temperature checks and COVID-19 surveillance every day on everyone and on every shift. This was not only time-consuming but stressful as we anticipated any one of us having to be sent home with COVID-19 symptoms on any day.

“We all have the ability to lead others towards a movement of change.”

Over time, we could see the toll the confinement was placing on our residents. We had to instantly become their family members and confidants. Staff stepped out of their comfort zone to make every effort to meet the physical, mental and psychosocial needs of all of the residents.

Unfailingly, generous donations from the families, gifts of food and trinkets brightened the daily routine for all of us.

Moreover, our administrator worked hard to ensure we had special treats to relieve our emotional burden as we fought the COVID-19 virus seven days per week.

Now, we fast forward to the

present. The State of Maryland has allowed us to relax restrictions and create a semblance of normalcy. Residents are participating in more activities, and family members are visiting.

Staff are wearing their regular

pre-COVID clothing and no longer wearing hats.

Notwithstanding, we continue to wear our masks, practice infection control techniques, have our temperature taken and complete a COVID-19 sur-

veillance survey daily. We are maintaining the course!

This journey has taught me it takes a team effort to deal with a pandemic. This effort has to transcend beyond the longSEE TWO CENTS ON 10 

Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2021

Page 6

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AT HOME IN HYATTSVILLE

Beyond ‘Skin Deep’ with drummer Steve Larrance

By Reva G. Harris

S

teve Larrance gifted me with a drum key, the perfect icebreaker to begin our conversation about his career as a professional drummer and teacher of percussion instruments. He informed me, “Percussion means any instrument you strike or stroke. A lot of people don’t realize the piano is a percussion instrument, too.”

Born in the District, Steve discovered drums at age 13. His father was an audiophile who built speakers. “One night, I heard drumming through the heat vent,” Steve said. “I ran downstairs and asked my dad who was playing. It was a solo, ‘Skin Deep,’ by jazz drummer Louie Bellson. That was the moment that changed my life. I started banging on my father’s speaker cutouts with toy sticks.

The next year, I started drum lessons and got a real drum set.”

When Steve was 15, his drum teacher told him that Bellson was coming to the shop to conduct a drum clinic and asked if Bellson could borrow Steve’s drums. “I was introduced to the great Louie Bellson,” Steve exclaimed. “And he autographed my drumhead with, ‘Nice to meet you. Thank you for letting me use your drums.’”

Steve majored in music at Montgomery College, and then attended and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland. While in school, he played with Lawrence and the Arabians, led by Lawrence Kidwell, a Hyattsville native.

“When I graduated Maryland, I worked two gigs and was playing jingles for TV and radio. A friend said, ‘Look how well you are doing. Imagine if you were in New York or some other major market.’”

Steve decided to move to California.

His first job in Hollywood was playing the rimshot for comedian Wayland Flowers and Madame.

In 1973, Steve joined the Social Security Band. The band played a festival hosted by Wolfman Jack that featured Ike and Tina Turner. After the show, Steve decided he’d ask Ike Turner for a job. The next day, Turner’s trumpet player, Claude Williams, asked Steve to come to the studio. “I was shuffled into Studio B when Tina Turner walked in. She said, ‘I understand you feel like playing some music today. How about “Honky Tonk Women”?’ When we finished the song, Tina Turner said ‘Thank you. That was fun.

I have to go feed my three kids.’” Claude welcomed Steve to the band that day, and Steve recorded with Ike and Tina at the studio for six months.

Steve’s next job was with Albert Hammond, a singer and songwriter who wrote the popular tune “It Never Rains in Southern California.” Steve toured with Hammond’s band in the U.S., Europe and South Africa.

In 1980, the 167-day strike by the American Federation of Musicians began. “It basically closed down the music industry,” Steve said. He decided to return home to help his aging parents. By 1985, Steve was back in D.C., freelancing at black-tie events.

During a 15-minute break at an event, he went to buy a drink. The bartender was Greta Mosher, now chair of Hyattsville’s Board of Supervisors of Elections. Steve and Greta married in 1992 and moved to Hyattsville in 1995.

“Before moving to Hyattsville, we were living in Wheaton. One morning my wife cried out, ‘I’ll never have my own garden.’ Ironically, that same night, my bandmate Ginny asked me if I wanted to

Steve Larrance holds his drumhead signed by jazz drummer Louie Bellson. COURTESY OF GRETA MOSHER

buy her house.” The next day Greta and Steve went to see Ginny’s house on Oliver Street. “It was something that we could afford,” he said. “But my wife did not like the galley kitchen.”

“Greta found our house on Crittenden. It was a run-down Victorian, but she saw the potential,” Steve said. “It’s been featured on the Hyattsville Preservation Association’s [HPA] home tour two or three times. It was Gloria Felix-Thompson [HPA president] who urged me to start my jazz band [Friends Trio]. We play at HPA’s annual picnic and at festivals around town.”

“Hyattsville has come a long way since 1995,” he noted. “Route 1 [ in the Arts District] was ratty, and Magruder Park was muddy. They fixed up the park in 2000, and I am glad it’s getting a new name [David C. Driskell Community Park].”

Steve typically worked a 16-hour day, performing gigs, giving private lessons and teaching percussion full-time at Montgomery College for more than 25 years. “Now, I’m slowing down,” he said. “I teach classes on Zoom with a few students. And I have my beautiful wife and my band.”

“At Home in Hyattsville” is our new series profiling longtime residents. Please send your ideas for people you’d like to see featured in this column to kit@hyattsvillelife. com.

Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2021

Page 7

Over 50 years of Help(ing) by Phone

By Heather Wright John van Hagel is credited with founding the nation’s first food bank, in Phoenix, Ariz., in 1967.

Lois Jones, who lives next to Greenbelt Park, and representatives from about a dozen area churches weren’t far behind as they met in November 1968 in the Berwyn Presbyterian Church (BPC) library. Spurred on by their desire to help residents in need during the upcoming holiday season, they started what would become the nonprofit organization Help by Phone, Ltd. and its constellation of Prince George’s Countybased emergency food pantries.

More than a half-century of holiday seasons have now come and gone, while Help by Phone remains, providing county residents with emergency assistance — food, clothing, financial aid for medication — and transportation to medical appointments, year in and year out.

Best known for its food pantries, Help by Phone operates eight of them hosted by county churches, including St. Jerome Catholic Church in Hyattsville, Berwyn Presbetyrian in Berwyn Heights and University Baptist Church in College Park.

The pandemic triggered a few changes for Help by Phone, beyond their mask-wearing, surface-wiping and physicaldistancing measures.

One of the pantries, hosted out of a Catholic church in Clinton, had to close for several months in response to an archdiocesan shutdown order, according to Marsha Voigt, president of the Help by Phone board of directors.

In Hyattsville, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church/Iglesia Episcopal San Mateo’s Help by Phone pantry shut down during the pandemic for want of volunteers, while St. Jerome started hosting one. Many established pantries had to reduce their days and hours due to fewer available volunteers.

Surprisingly, the pandemic has generally decreased demand at Help by Phone pantries, Voigt noted. She attributes this, in part, to the many free food distribution events held during the pandemic. These events usually have clients line up in cars to receive their food. In contrast, to access Help by Phone pantry services, clients call 301.699.9009, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., to connect with the pantry serv-

ing their zip code. Clients then receive an emergency food supply from that pantry, based on household size.

“A lot of people would rather line up and be anonymous than visit us,” Voigt noted in a phone interview. She also said that only one of their phone staff speaks Spanish, whereas other food distribution programs circumnavigate language barriers more easily.

BPC has hosted a Help by Phone pantry since the organization’s inception and was one of a few pantries that didn’t have to reduce its hours during the pandemic, according to Judy Birkenhead, coordinator at that pantry since August 2015.

Although use of the BPC pantry remained stable from 2019 to 2020, it saw a significant drop in the number of clients during the first four months of 2021 (50 families, for a total of 158 individuals), compared to the same time period in 2020 (136 families, for a total of 461 individuals), Birkenhead noted in an email.

Voigt said she sees fewer notices on Facebook about popup food distributions, and she also sees evidence that demand

for Help by Phone’s call-in and pickup services will tick up again.

Help by Phone also runs Safe Haven, a cold-weather shelter for homeless men that rotates among about 15 churches in central Prince George’s County.

Due to the pandemic, Safe Haven could not operate this past winter. “It was agony to have to cancel,” Voigt commented.

The 52-year-old organization has had to pivot in the past, too.

Voigt said that Help by Phone closed a clothing distribution center at a church within the last decade because of space and volunteer constraints.

Within a year, though, they established partnerships between area churches and Title 1 elementary schools, like that between Greenbelt Community Church and Springhill Lake Elementary School, to provide clothing for students, including winter coats, underwear and shoes.

Lois Jones, who was instrumental in founding the organization, quickly rose to executive director and has led Help by Phone through these changes.

Jones, now in her late 80s, has received numerous awards and accolades for her work, includ-

ing a proclamation from County Executive Angela Alsobrooks naming Oct. 2, 2020, “Lois Jones Day” in the county and commending her for exemplary service.

Kristine Wilhelm, who has been a Safe Haven coordinator with St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Riverdale for about 10 years, said that men staying there when Jones has been an overnight chaperone have described her as “tough.”

For permitting purposes, Safe Haven churches have to enforce a number of rules, including no alcohol or weapons. Wilhelm indicated that Jones strictly enforces these rules so that the program can continue.

Indeed, Help by Phone has an extraordinary track record of continuing, never closing down once during its half-century tenure.

Jones is proud of the ways in which Help by Phone has supported area residents over the decades. When asked about the organization’s most important contribution, she said, “Feeding a lot of people and sheltering a lot of people. Everything we’ve done, I’m proud of.”

County residents in need of emergency food or interested in volunteering can call Help by Phone (301.699.9009), Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., to connect with a nearby pantry.

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Hyattsville Reporter Notices and Updates

No. 399 • June 8, 2021

www.hyattsville.org • 301-985-5000 for all. We commit to continuing to create inclusive programming and policies that promote a more just and welcoming community.

Ward 1 Special Election: The City of Hyattsville will host a special election this fall to fill the Ward 1 vacant Council seat created by Councilmember Kevin Ward accepting the position of Mayor. The election will offer both vote-by-mail and an inperson election day on Tuesday, September 14, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the City Building Polling Center. More details will follow. Ward 1 residents can file for candidacy between July 6 through July 23. To learn more about the requirements, visit hyattsville.org/candidates.

We’re Hiring: Make the City of Hyattsville your next career move! We’re seeking to hire a Director of Community Services, a Police Chief, a Part-time Bilingual Police Communications Specialist, a Laborer, and an Experienced/lateral Police Officer.

For details and to apply, visit hyattsville. org/jobs.

Bulk Trash Pop-Up & Community Shred-It Day: The City will host a combined Bulk-Waste Pop-Up & Shred-It Day on Saturday, June 26. Residents can drop off bulk-waste items to the City Building or Heurich Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or until containers are full. The Community Shred-It event will occur at the DPW Operations Center, 4633 Arundel Place, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., or until the truck reaches capacity. Items for shredding must be free of paper clips, staples, and other binding materials. For a list of acceptable items for each event, visit hyattsville.org/cleanup or call (301) 985-5032.

Magruder Park Renaming: During their June 7 meeting, the Hyattsville City Council passed an official resolution to rename Magruder Park to David C. Driskell Community Park. The new name honors former Hyattsville resident Dr. David C. Driskell, a preeminent artist, historian, curator, and scholar of African American art. A ribbon cutting ceremony is expected to take place in the fall. For information about the park’s renaming process, visit hyattsville.org/namethepark.

Mask Mandate Lifted for Vaccinated Individuals: Prince George’s County has lifted the mask mandate for fully vaccinated individuals in most situations. Masks are still required on public transit, and in schools, childcare and healthcare settings.

Non-vaccinated individuals are strongly encouraged to wear masks for their safety until they are vaccinated. For details, visit mypgc.us/reopen.

COVID-19 Vaccines: Anyone 12 and older can now receive a free COVID-19 vaccine in Prince George’s County! Most vaccination sites across the State, including the local site at the Hyattsville First United Methodist Church, offer the approved Pfizer vaccine for minors accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Appointments are encouraged but not required to ensure supply. You can find registration links and phone numbers to nearby vaccination sites at hyattsville.org/covidvaccine.

Mosquito Control: Through the end of September, the State of Maryland will monitor adult mosquito activity in Hyattsville. If certain risk thresholds are met, they will conduct spraying operations on Monday evenings. Residents should stay indoors, close their windows, and bring in pets when that occurs. To report a problem area or request an exemption from the State’s services, visit hyattsville.org/pests or call (410) 841-5870.

Nicholson Street Improvements: Work on the 3100 Block of Nicholson Street to replace curbs, sidewalks, driveway aprons, and tree boxes is currently underway through June. The tree planting pilot project and road resurfacing will take place later this year. You can find details on the tree pilot project on hyattsville.org/trees and construction information at hyattsville.org/construction.

Compost Bins Best Practices: Have you checked out the recently installed compost bins at Driskell Park, Heurich Park, the University Hills Duck Pond, and the City’s DPW Operations Center? The friendly green bins are open to residents to dispose of compostable items like food, yard waste, paper towels, and cardboard. Trash, like plastic bags, soda cans, and food wrappers are not acceptable and will make the contents unfit for compost! Please follow the

Hyattsville Police Department officers Williams and Hernandez stopped at Driskell Community Park before cycling to the station on Bike to Work Day! ¡Los oficiales Williams y Hernandez del Departamento de Policía de Hyattsville pararon en Driskell Community Park antes de ir en bicicleta a la estación en el día de montar la bici al trabajo! posted signage on the bin or learn more about acceptable compostable items at hyattsville.org/compost.

PGCPS School Boundary Initiative Update: PGCPS is seeking feedback for its draft boundary scenarios report. The proposed scenarios were developed using community engagement and data analysis.

Boundaries affect where students attend school and help balance enrollment across the County. Community members are encouraged to read the report and complete the boundary report survey at pgcps.org/ boundary.

PGCPS Kindergarten Registration Now Open!: PGCPS Kindergarten registration is open! Registration is online this year; find information and the forms to enroll at pgcps.org/registration/.

Programs, Services, and Events

Hyattsville COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Site: The COVID-19 vaccination site at the Hyattsville First United Methodist Church (6201 Belcrest Road) accepts walk-up vaccination requests for anyone 12 and older on Tuesdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., supplies permitting. A parent or legal guardian must accompany minors. Though walk-ins are accepted, making an appointment is encouraged as it is the most reliable way to be vaccinated. An appointment can be made by completing the pre-registration form at hyattsville.org/covidvaccine or calling (443) 481-5852.

Free, non-appointment COVID-19 testing remains available at the Church site on Mondays and Thursdays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1

p.m. Residents can call (301) 985-5000 for vaccine or testing site questions.

Ward 2 Check-In: Join Ward 2 Councilmember Danny Schaible and Councilmember Robert Croslin for a virtual check-in on Wednesday, June 16, 7 p.m. Residents from all Wards can attend as the Councilmembers answer questions and provide updates on the recent election, affordable housing, COVID-related resources, and discuss legislative priorities. Interested attendees can pre-register at hyattsville.org/ calendar.

Juneteenth: Juneteenth marks the day that the last of the Country’s slaves were made aware that they were set free, even though the emancipation proclamation abolished slavery two years prior. You can find a list of educational resources and both in-person and virtual programming to celebrate this historic holiday at hyattsville.org/juneteenth.

Commercial Facade Improvement Program: Attention Hyattsville business owners - the City’s Commercial Façade Improvement Program is now open for applications! This program provides matching funding for business owners to make improvements to their building’s exterior.

Past recipients have included Shortcake Bakery, Will’s Decorating, Vigilante Coffee, and more! Find the full list of past projects and information about applying for this grant cycle at hyattsville.org/facade.

The deadline to apply is July 29, 2021.

Happy Pride Month Hyattsville!: The City is proud to celebrate with its LGBTQ+ community members this June and to support the expansion of equal rights

Hyattsville Working Artists Relief Fund: Working artists, licensed barbers, cosmetologists, pet groomers, and tattoo artists have until June 30, 2021, to apply for the City’s COVID-19 Relief Fund! Onetime grants of $750 ($300 for non-City resident employees) are available to those professions who work in businesses registered within City limits. Applications and details are available at hyattsville.org/relieffund.

Weatherization Program: Weatherize your home and save on your summer energy bills! Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland, a non-profit organization, is offering free weatherization services to homeowners seeking to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and reduce the cost of their utility bills. Services include air sealing, insulation, duct sealing, Energy Star certified appliances, and HVAC system repairs and upgrades. Qualifying applicants must be income-eligible and demonstrate a need for weatherization services. For full details, visit habitatmm.org.

Caribbean American Heritage Month: June is recognized as National Caribbean American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the countless gifts Caribbean Americans have contributed to the United States. You can find a variety of resources and local virtual programs happening all month long at hyattsville.org/cahm.

Age-Friendly Programs

Smithsonian Virtual Program: See Me at the Smithsonian is a program for individuals living with dementia and their caregivers to virtually interact with and discuss Smithsonian collections. Programming is held via Zoom on the first and third Wednesdays each month from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Spanish programming is held on the fourth Wednesdays of each month, also from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. If you’d like to learn more about this program and register, email Access@si.edu.

Youth Services

Creative Minds: Good news – programming for Creative Minds is rolling into the summer! Sign up for City notices at hyattsville.org.notifyme to stay tuned for upcoming July events!

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Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2021

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Reportero de

Hyattsville

No. 399 • 8 de Junio, 2021

www.hyattsville.org • 301-985-5000

Avisos y Noticias

Elección Especial del Distrito 1: La Ciudad de Hyattsville sostendrá una elección especial este otoño para llenar el vacante puesto de Concejal del Distrito 1 creado por el Concejal Ward aceptando el puesto de Alcalde. La Elección ofrecerá el voto por correo y un día de votar en persona el martes, 14 de septiembre, de 7 a.m. a 8 p.m., en el Centro de Votación en el Edificio Municipal. Mas detalles vendrán próximamente. Los residentes del Distrito 1 podrán presentar su candidatura entre el 6 de julio hasta el 23 de julio. Para obtener más detalles sobre los requisitos, visite hyattsville. org/candidates.

Renombramiento de Magruder Park: Durante su reunión del 7 de junio, el Concejo Municipal de Hyattsville aprobó la resolución oficial para renombrar Magruder Park a David C. Driskell Community Park. Este nuevo nombre rinde homenaje al ex residente de Hyattsville Dr. David C. Driskell, un artista preeminente, historiador, curador y alumno del arte afroamericano. Una ceremonia se espera que tome plazo en el otoño. Más información sobre el proceso de renombramiento del Parque puede ser encontrado en hyattsville.org/ namethepark.

Mandato Levantado de Máscaras Individuos Vacunados: El Condado Prince George’s ha levantado el mandato de la máscara para los individuos completamente vacunados en la mayoría de las situaciones. En el transporte público y en las escuelas, centros de cuidado infantil y centros medicos, se siguen necesitando máscaras. A las personas no vacunadas se les piden que usen máscaras para su seguridad hasta que sean vacunadas. Para obtener más información, visite mypgc.us/ reopen.

Vacunas COVID-19: ¡Cualquier persona de 12 años o más puede recibir una vacuna COVID-19 gratis en el Condado Prince George’s! La mayoría de los sitios de vacunación en el estado, incluyendo el sitio local en la Iglesia First United Methodist de Hyattsville, ofrecen la vacuna Pfizer aprobada para menores acompañados por un padre o guardián. Para asegurar el suministro, se alientan las citas, pero no son requieras. Puede encontrar enlaces de registro y números a los sitios de vacunación cercanos en hyattsville.org/covidvaccine.

Control de Mosquitos: Hasta el fin de septiembre, el Estado de Maryland vigilará los mosquitos adultos en Hyattsville.

Si se cumplen ciertos umbrales de riesgo, llevarán a cabo operaciones de fumigación los lunes por la noche. Los residentes deben permanecer en el interior, cerrar las ventanas y traer mascotas cuando eso ocurra. Para reportar un área problemática en su vecindario o solicitar una exención de los servicios, visite hyattsville.org/pests o llame al (410) 841-5870.

Mejoras en la Nicholson Street: El trabajo en el Bloque 3100 de Nicholson Street para reemplazar las bordillas, aceras, entres para coches y cajas de árboles está actualmente en marcha hasta junio.

El proyecto piloto de plantación de árboles y la repavimentación de carreteras se llevarán a cabo a finales de este año. Puede encontrar detalles sobre el proyecto piloto de árboles en hyattsville.org/trees e información sobre la construcción en hyattsville.org/construction.

Councilmember Daniel Peabody presents certificates to the winners of the Heritage Trees Student Competition! First prize winner Arianna Casalini and Second prize winner Leonardo Casalini both submitted art works to the contest. ¡El Concejal Daniel Peabody presenta certificados a los ganadores del Concurso de Estudiantes de Árboles Patrimoniales! La ganadora del primer premio Arianna Casalini y el segundo premio Leonardo Casalini presentaron obras de arte al concurso..

Mejores Prácticas de Contenedores de Compostaje: ¿Ha visto los recientemente instalados contenedores de compostaje en Driskell Park, Heurich Park, University Hills Duck Pond, y el Centro de Operaciones DPW de la Ciudad? Los contenedores verdes están abiertos a residentes para deshacerse de artículos compostables como comida, residuos de yarda, toallas de papel y cartón. ¡La basura, como las bolsas plásticas, latas de soda, y las envolturas de comida no son aceptables y harán el contenido no aceptable para el compostaje! Por favor siga las instrucciones en los contenedores o aprenda más sobre articulas aceptables en hyattsville.org/compost.

Actualización de Iniciativa de Límites Escolares de PGCPS: PGCPS está buscando reacciones sobre su informe preliminar de escenarios de límites escolares. Los escenarios propuestos se desarrollaron utilizando el compromiso de la comunidad y el análisis de datos. Los límites afectan el lugar donde los estudiantes asisten a la escuela y ayudan a equilibrar la matrícula en todo el Condado. Se anima a los miembros de la comunidad a leer el informe y completar la encuesta del informe de límites en pgcps.org/boundary. ¡Inscripción para Kínder de PGCPS está Abierta!: ¡La inscripción de Kínder de las escuelas PGCPS está abierta! La inscripción es en línea este año; encuentre información y los formularios para inscribirse en pgcps.org/registration/.

Programas, Servicios y Eventos

Sitio de Vacunación y Pruebas COVID-19 de Hyattsville: El sitio de vacunación COVID-19 en la Iglesia First United Methodist de Hyattsville (6201 Belcrest Road) acepta solicitudes para vacunas sin cita para cualquier persona de 12 años o más los martes entre las 9 a.m. y las 5 p.m. mientras los suministros permitan. Un padre o guardián legal debe acompañar si es menor. Aunque se esta aceptando a personas sin cita, programando una cita sigue siendo alentada ya que es la forma más segura de ser vacunado. Una cita puede ser hecha completando el formulario de preregistración en hyattsville.org/covidvaccine o llamando al (443) 481-5852.

Pruebas COVID-19 gratuitas y sin cita están disponibles en el sitio de la Iglesia los lunes y jueves de 9 a.m. a 3 p.m., y los sábados, de 9 a.m. a 1 p.m. Los residentes pueden llamar al (301) 985- 5000 para preguntas sobre vacunas o pruebas en el sitio.

Reunión del Distrito 2: Acompañe a los Concejales del Distrito 2 Danny Schaible y Robert Croslin para una reunión virtual el miércoles, 16 de junio a las 7 p.m. Los residentes de todos los Distritos pueden atender mientras los Concejales responden preguntas y proveen actualizaciones sobre las elecciones recientes, viviendas asequibles, recursos relacionados con COVID y discutir las prioridades legislativas en las que están trabajando. Miembros comunitarios interesados pueden pre-registrarse en hyattsville.lorg/calendar.

Juneteenth: El 17 de junio, Juneteenth, marca el día en que los últimos esclavos del país fueron conscientes de que fueron liberados, a pesar de que la proclamación de emancipación abolió la esclavitud dos años antes. Puede encontrar una lista de recursos educativos y programación virtual y en persona para celebrar esta histórica fecha en hyattsville.org/juneteenth.

Programas para Mejora de Fachadas Comerciales: Dueños de negocios de Hyattsville - ¡El Programa para Mejoras de Fachadas Comerciales de la Ciudad ya está abierta para solicitudes! Este programa proporciona fondos complementarios para que los propietarios de negocios realicen mejoras en el exterior de su edificio. ¡Los destinatarios anteriores han incluido Shortcake Bakery, Will’s Decorating, Vigilante Coffee y más! Encuentre la lista completa de proyectos pasados y información sobre cómo solicitar este ciclo de subvenciones en hyattsville.org/facade. La fecha límite para aplicar es el 29 de julio de 2021. ¡Feliz mes del orgullo, Hyattsville!: La Ciudad se enorgullece de celebrar con los miembros de nuestra comunidad LGBTQ+ este junio y de apoyar la expansión de la igualdad de derechos para todos. Nos comprometemos a continuar creando programas y políticas inclusivas que promuevan una comunidad más justa y acogedora.

Estamos Contratando: ¡Haga que la Ciudad de Hyattsville su próximo movimiento profesional! Estamos buscando contratar a un Director de Servicios Comunitarios, un Jefe de Policía, un Especialista Bilingüe de Comunicaciones Policiales de Tiempo Parcial, un Trabajador y un Oficial de Policía con Experiencia Lateral. Para obtener más información y solicitar, visite hyattsville.org/jobs.

Día de Triturar Documentos y Basuras Grandes: La Ciudad sostendrá un día combinado de deshacerse de basuras grandes y triturar documentos el sábado 26 de junio. Residentes pueden traer artículos al Edificio Municipal y el nuevo lugar en el Heurich Park de 10 a.m. a 2 p.m. o hasta que los contenedores estén llenos. El evento de triturar documentos tomara plazo en el Centro de Operaciones del Departamento de Obras Publicas, 4633 Arundel Place, de 10 a.m. a 1 p.m. o hasta que el camión alcance su capacidad. Los artículos para triturar deben estar libres de clips, grapas y otros materiales de metal. Para una lista de artículos aceptables para cada evento, visite a hyattsville.org/cleanup o llame al (301) 985-5032.

Fondo de Alivio COVID-19 de Hyattsville: ¡Artistas trabajantes, peluqueros licenciados, cosmetólogos, “groomers” de mascotas y artistas de tatuaje tienes hasta el 30 de junio de 2021 para aplicar para el Fondo de Alivio COVID-19 de la Ciudad!

Subvenciones de $750 ($300 para trabajadores que no son residentes de la Ciudad) están disponibles a personas en las profesiones mencionadas. Deben trabajar en un negocio registrado dentro de los limites de la Ciudad. Detalles y las aplicaciones están disponibles en hyattsville.org/relieffund.

Programa de Climatización: ¡Climatice su hogar y ahorra en sus facturas de energía de verano! Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland, una organización sin fines de lucro, está ofreciendo servicios gratuitos de climatización a los propietarios de hogares que buscan mejorar la eficiencia energética y reducir el costo de sus facturas de energía. Los servicios incluyen sellado de aire, aislamiento, sellado de conductos, aparatos certificados por Energy Star, y reparaciones y mejoras del sistema HVAC. Los solicitantes que califiquen deben ser elegibles para recibir ingresos y demostrar la necesidad de servicios de climatización. Para obtener más información, visite habitatmm.org.

Mes Nacional de la Herencia Estadounidense del Caribe: ¡Junio es reconocido como el Mes Nacional de la Herencia Estadounidense del Caribe, un tiempo para celebrar los innumerables regalos que los Caribeños Estadounidenses han contribuido a los Estados Unidos. Visite hyattsville.org/cahm para ver una variedad de programas virtuales que ocurren durante todo el mes.

Programas Amigables con la Edad

Programa Virtual Smithsonian: See Me at the Smithsonian es un programa para individuos que viven con demencia y sus cuidadores para interactuar virtualmente con y discutir las colecciones del Smithsonian. La programación se lleva a cabo a través de Zoom en el primer y tercer miércoles cada mes de 2 p.m. a 3 p.m. La programación en español se lleva a cabo el cuarto miércoles de cada mes, también de 2 p.m. a 3 p.m. Si desea aprender más sobre este programa y registrarse, envíe un correo electrónico a Access@si.edu.

Programas para Menores

Creative Minds: Buenas noticias - ¡la programación de Creative Minds seguirá este verano! ¡Regístrese para los avisos de la Ciudad en hyattsville.org.notifyme para estar atento a los próximos eventos de julio!

Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2021

Page 8

Theo and Josie are now worm experts and love to feed their new pets.

COURTESY OF CARRIANNA SUITER-KURUVILLA

ZERO WASTE OF TIME

When opening a can of worms gives you black gold

By Juliette Fradin

W

orms are a gardener’s best friend, improving the soil structure and adding nutrients. But did you know you can start worm farming, or vermiculture, right at home? This is what Carrianna Suiter-Kuruvilla did a couple months ago: “At the beginning of the pandemic, we built a few new raised garden beds, and while we compost at home, I kept reading about the benefits of the compost tea produced when vermicomposting.” So when her neighbors put their vermicomposter on the curb to give away, that was the sign she was waiting for to start!

Vermicomposting is another

eco-friendly way to transform your food waste into gold for your garden, lawn and even houseplants. The worms are contained in a compost space where they live on food scraps.

As the worms break down organic materials, they produce castings, which are a very high quality fertilizer. You can start vermicomposting in a small space, indoors or outdoors.

Suiter-Kuruvilla set up her bin outside next to their recycling and trash cans.

And within six months, you will end up with vermicompost, also called black gold.

Red wigglers (Eisenia foetida) are the best and most widely used worms for composting.

They eat a lot and reproduce

very easily. European nightcrawlers (Eisenia Hortensis), are another option and are great as fishing bait, too. They can also be released into your garden.

The easiest place to find worms is right in your community. Sarah Weber, who has done vermicomposting on and off since 2011, first got some worms from a colleague: “She brought me worms in a plastic bag at work!” You may want to check out Hyattsville email groups. Weber found a composting kit that someone was giving away on the HOPE (Hyattsville Organization for a Positive Environment) email group.

Worms breathe air through

their skin, so they need a house with proper ventilation and drainage. The size of the bin you use depends on how much compost you want to produce, but the container should be between 6 and 12 inches deep.

(The worms will feed in the top layers of the bedding.) You can use plastic or wood bins to make a worm box, but avoid metal containers. Reuse what you have around, like a dresser drawer, styrofoam cooler or even an old bathtub. The bin needs a cover to conserve moisture and provide darkness for the worms.

If your bin doesn’t already have holes for drainage, make about a dozen half-inch holes in the bottom of the bin, and place a plastic tray under to capture excess liquid, which you can then use as liquid plant fertilizer (more on this later). Make three to four holes on each side of the container, and cover them with a screen. Most worm bins are single-layered, but you can add another box on top so the worms can migrate up through the holes when their work is done in the first one. This allows you to collect the castings more easily.

You can install a bin indoors — in a garage, basement or kitchen, for example — but worms don’t like strong vibrations or loud sounds, so avoid the laundry room or a room with a creaky floor. Outdoors, avoid placing the bin in direct sunlight. Ideal temperatures are between 55 and 77 degrees F. The worms need bedding to live in. Any carbon source can be used as worm bin bedding: Leaves, straw, peat moss, shredded office paper, shredded cardboard, shredded newsprint (no glossy paper) and sawdust all work well. Make sure the bedding is kept as moist as a wet sponge.

What will the worms eat?

Remember, they are living animals, so you cannot just feed them whatever you have

YOU ARE WELCOME HERE

UNIVERSITY CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Did you know that PGCPS registration is open?

Registration will be online this year. You can find more details about how to register, as well as the link to the online registration, all at https://www.pgcps.org/registration/ Folks who are interested in learning more are encouraged to reach out to Ms. Peterson at Hyattsville Elementary School, or the PTA. Ms. Peterson can put you in touch with Principal McKee or teachers, and the PTA would be happy to share parents’ perspective.

www.uccmd.org

we are the church at the intersection

6800 Adelphi Road Hyattsville MD 20782

Tisha Peterson Parent Engagement Assistant tisha.robinson@pgcps.org

Hyattsville Elementary School PTA hyattsvilleespta@gmail.com

on hand. They love fruits and veggies, tea, coffee grounds, mushrooms, lettuce, dead flowers, smashed eggshells, paper and cardboard, wood chips, straw and egg cartons.

From time to time, you can add a handful of sand or grass clippings — but no pesticides!

They don’t like citrus, garlic, leeks, bread, potatoes, dairy, meat or fat. Ideally, you should cut everything into small pieces, dig a hole in the bedding, dump the food in and cover it up with more bedding. Pick a new spot each time you add food, and don’t feed them too much all at once.

Weber and Suiter-Kuruvilla both highly recommend including your kids (or someone else’s!) in your vermicomposting activities. “That was one motivation for doing it the second time,” said Weber. “My older son was 2 at the time, and it was cool to get him interested in the process and the worms.”

Suiter-Kuruvilla purchased a kid’s book about vermicomposting to read to her kids.

“My 5-year-old is really into all things animals, insects and nature right now, and I thought this would be a fun educational activity to do with him. They are pretty involved in my vegetable garden, so this has been a fun addition to bring them full circle on growing and caring for our own food.”

It will take at least six months before you can use your black gold, but after that, you can harvest more frequently. Simply dig down to the bottom of the worm bin and pull out a handful of worm castings to add directly to your soil. You can either include the worms or keep them in the bin.

Water released from the decomposing scraps in the bin will produce a black liquid called leachate, which can be nutrient-rich and useful in the garden. Dilute it (1 part leachate to 10 parts water), and use it on your indoor plants. However, refrain from using it if it smells bad, as it means bacteria could have gotten in due to overwatering and lack of oxygen. This leachate won’t benefit your plants and may, in fact, prove toxic to them.

Weber declares vermicomposting “super fun” and adds, “I highly recommend it! You don’t need anything high-tech, and there are tons of videos and instructions online on how to make your own.”

Juliette Fradin is the sustainability columnist for the Hyattsville Life & Times.

Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2021

MUNICIPAL FROM PAGE 1

of a new law, House Bill 980 (HB980), which exempts Prince George’s County councilmembers from restrictions on voting on issues before the county council under certain circumstances.

The Prince George’s County Municipal Association is a regional organization within the Maryland Municipal League that works to facilitate “communication and cooperation within the League and between municipalities and other levels of state and local government,” according to their website. The Maryland Municipal League is a nonpartisan organization which supports local governments through advocacy and leadership training.

According to Bennard Cann, the mayor of Morningside and the president of PGCMA, any elected official from the 27 municipalities that PGCMA represents is welcome to join the organization. Administrative employees may also join.

PGCMA’s bylaws state that each municipality gets one vote regardless of how many officials have joined. The vote is decided by the senior ranking official from each municipality.

According to Cann, Councilmember Edouard Haba (Ward 4) currently represents the City of Hyattsville.

According to Hyattsville’s council rules of procedure, councilmembers may never represent the city council unless they are authorized to by a majority vote, although they may state their personal position on an issue if it is clearly and explicitly distinguished from the city’s position.

Page 9

PGCMA tackles a wide range of issues affecting Prince George’s County municipalities, such as COVID-19 relief and police reform. One bill they supported was Maryland HB980.

Under HB980, county councilmembers are not required to abstain from a vote due to potential financial conflicts, such as campaign contributions from developers, if “the proceeding in which the member participates is part of a countywide zoning map amendment that is recommended by the planning board.”

The countywide zoning map amendment rezones the entire county, except for the City of Laurel, with newly defined and streamlined zones.

According to the countywide map amendment website, the rezoning will “transition the existing zones to the most similar zones contained in the new Zoning Ordinance.”

HB980 is controversial. “If the County Council cannot move forward without disqualifying council members who have received political contributions from persons, entities, or agents seeking zoning changes, then they cannot move forward,” stated a March 12 letter opposing HB980. The letter also raises concerns that developers could use the amendment process to achieve rezoning goals without having to fol-

low the standard rezoning procedure. The letter was signed by a group of 11 organizations, including Clean Air Prince George’s and Maryland Legislative Coalition.

Solomon clarified in a phone interview that as the chair of the legislative committee, he did not vote on PGCMA’s decision to support HB980 and that the chair only votes in the event of a tie. Solomon explained that the legislative committee supported HB980 because the standard ethics requirements prevented the county council from reaching the quorum needed to pass the countywide map amendment. This is because the amendment covers the whole county, so any councilmember with a potential financial conflict anywhere in the county would not be allowed to vote.

Solomon called HB980 “a minor update,” with the targeted purpose of allowing the countywide map amendment to be voted on. Because of the bill’s specificity, he said, “there aren’t any wide-ranging issues with it, and that’s why the members of the committee ultimately voted to support it.”

The bill includes a deadline; without any action from the general assembly, the act will be “abrogated and of no further force and effect” at the end of 2022.

HB980 passed on April 9. It goes into effect on July 1.

• Learn to Scull classes • Youth Summer Camps • Ongoing rowing programs • Youth and adults

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202-344-0886

RECORD-BREAKING VOTER TURNOUT IN HYATTSVILLE ELECTION The 2021 Hyattsville election smashed city records in the first vote-by-mail election, with 28.2% of registered voters — 3,222 individuals — turning out across the city. The previous record, set in 2017, was 15% of registered voters.

The turnout varied across wards, with a low of 20.8% in Ward 3 and a high of 36.4% in Ward 2.

The election saw Ward 1 councilmember and interim Mayor Kevin Ward elected to serve the remaining two years of Candace Hollingsworth’s term. Hollingsworth resigned last year from her position as mayor. Ward easily beat his challengers, Councilmember Joseph Solomon (Ward 5) and Austin Martinez, taking 57.8% of the total votes, compared to Solomon’s 31.7% and Martinez’s 9.1%.

The city will hold a special election in September to elect a Ward 1 councilmember to fill the empty seat.

Incumbent councilmembers, Robert Croslin (Ward 2) and Edouard Haba (Ward 4), were reelected and were the only councilmembers receiving a majority of the votes. Sam Denes beat out three other candidates to take the Ward 1 seat with 40.3% of the votes. In Ward 3, which was the largest field, with six candidates,

Jimmy McClellan won with 48.8% of the votes. In Ward 5, Rommel A. Sandino won with 42.9% of the votes. This yields an all-male city council.

The current ward boundaries were set in 2012 following the 2010 census; each ward contained a roughly equal proportion of the city’s population at the time. Currently, Ward 1 has the most registered voters, with 3,100, while Ward 5 has the fewest, with 1,300.

Wards 2, 3 and 4 have 2,500, 2,800 and 1,600 registered voters, respectively. The wards may be redrawn based on the results of the 2020 census.

AN UNDERGROUND STORAGE UNIT …

AT THE MALL? The development group Poverni Sheikh is requesting an amendment to the restrictions governing the Mall at Prince George’s in order to build a storage facility in the mall’s basement. Storage units are generally prohibited in the area governed by the county’s Transit District Development Plan for the Prince George’s Plaza Regional Transit District. The proposed amendment to the restrictions would allow storage units specifically in the basement of the mall, but not anywhere else within the transit district.

SEE BRIEFS ON 13 

And our Neighboring Community UNDER CONTRACT

It continues to be a STRONG SELLERS market!

SOLD

6117 42nd Place, Hyattsville. Listed for $500,000.

Seller received MULTIPLE OFFERS! Spacious bungalow with 6 true bedrooms, 3 full baths including a finished basement apartment! Situated on a beautiful lot with brick patio, rear deck and front porch!

SOLD

SOLD 3818 Oglethorpe Street, Hyattsville.

Sold for $450,500 Brick Cape with 3 BRs, 2 1/2 baths.

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SOLD

5018 37th Pl, Hyattsville.

Listed for $625,000, Sold for $800,500! Sellers received multiple offers!

Fabulous Victorian-style home with a spacious kitchen addition on a 1/2 acre lot with a HUGE detached garage and pool.

3933 Nicholson St, Hyattsville. Sold for $575,000. Total renovation and bump up made this a 4 bedroom/3 bath home with a gorgeous kitchen and baths.

Everything new!

SOLD

Realtor®, ABR, SRS

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.

9094 Baltimore Avenue, College Park, MD 20740

cell: 240-938-6060

5621 Lustine Street, Hyattsville. Sold for $519,000. Sunfilled, corner 3 BR, 3 1/2 bath plus 2-car garage Arts District HVL townhome.

Granite counters & SS appliances, westerly-facing roof deck. Newer HVAC/ Heat pump systems and lots of gorgeous new flooring. Super clean!

SOLD 4219 Nicholson St., Hyattsville.

SOLD for $788,000 4102 Jefferson St. Hyattsville. Sold for $595,000. Sellers asked me to bring them a buyer!

Ann Barrett

3406 Purdue St., Hyattsville. SOLD for $435,000

office: 301-441-9511 ext. 261

email: ann.barrett@LNF.com www.longandfoster.com/ANNBARRETT

Proven Results:

Top-Producing Individual Agent, Long & Foster College Park 2009 - 2020!

Top Listing Agent, Long & Foster Prince George’s County Southern Maryland Region, 2018-2020 The information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted.

Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2021

Page 10

MISS FLORIBUNDA

Exasperated expediency and the perils of pesticides Dear Miss Floribunda, I’ve heard reports of dead birds being found in gardens recently and seen a few downed sparrows myself as I walk my dog.

Some people are blaming the cicadas, but since my dog scarfs those down and hasn’t gotten sick, I don’t think so. Some people have blamed cats, but I know that a hungry feral cat wouldn’t leave much more than feathers. These birds are intact.

Meanwhile, I’ve noticed signs in various yards posted by private mosquito-control companies, and now there’s a notice going around that the Maryland Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the City of Hyattsville, is going to monitor Hyattsville for mosquitoes and probably start a spraying campaign on Mondays. This notice includes a warning to close win-

dows and bring in pets at that time. I’m thinking that if people and pets aren’t safe outside, what about birds, butterflies and other pollinators?

Alarmed on Livingston Street Dear Alarmed, First of all, the spraying is generally done in response to community concern. There is an online form at the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) site one can use to register complaints about mosquitoes and other pests (www.doit.state. md.us/selectsurvey/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=740Kl54#).

The City of Hyattsville’s mosquito control website (hyattsville.org/255/Pests) has a similar form as well as a form requesting that spray trucks bypass your home. Addition-

ally, the site offers good advice on how to control mosquitoes yourself with such commonsense practices as just regularly changing the water in your birdbath.

The chemicals used in the MDA spraying program are BioMist 30-30 and PermaSease 30-30, permethrins that are approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. Some private companies use pyrethrins, which are related to permethrins but are synthetic rather than derived from the chrysanthemum flower. Although these chemicals are not usually harmful to birds, concentrated dosages pose a real danger to beneficial insects and fish.

Based on an exchange with my mentor for mosquitoes, Dr. Greengenes, I suspect that the death of the birds may well be due to efforts of homeowners

TWO CENTS FROM PAGE 1

term care walls. I believe we all can embrace a spirit of cooperation. I call on each reader to be a Conscientious Virus Crusader by following seven steps: • Step 1: Wear your mask — regardless of your vaccination status, if an establishment asks for you to wear a mask, respect their wishes.

• Step 2: Wash, wash, wash your hands for 20 seconds.

• Step 3: Social distance — maintain at least 6 feet of social distance even if you have your mask on if you are not vaccinated.

• Step 4: Get vaccinated — building your body’s immunity is the goal!

• Step 5: Avoid crowds — refrain from participating in superspreader events if you are not vaccinated.

• Step 6: Empower others — educate those in your sphere of influence.

• Step 7: Stay informed — keep abreast of changes of not only the variants of the virus in your community but also improved infection control guidelines outlined by reliable sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc. gov/coronavirus).

Wanda Waddy on duty at Sacred Heart Home COURTESY OF SACRED HEART HOME

We all have the ability to lead others towards a movement of change. Healthcare providers who are no longer living amongst us made the ultimate sacrifice to lead us through the pandemic.

Let’s honor them by temporarily refraining from behavior that counteracts our global efforts for

stability. You may ask, “How can we do that?” That answer is easy!

Everyone can do their part by becoming a Conscientious Virus Crusader. And, just maybe, we can get there sooner than later.

Wendy Waddy is the director of nursing at Sacred Heart Home.

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to combat the Brood X cicada invasion. Unfortunately, it isn’t difficult to get very strong insecticides over the counter, and people in fear or exasperation could be spraying anything they see a cicada hanging from. If there’s a breeze, these chemicals can travel to other yards. Professionals would moderate and control dosage, but homeowners can just keep spraying at will.

If you must use a spray, try one made with garlic. It is more effective than any chemical for the real problem in our area, the Asian tiger mosquito.

This mosquito can survive on almost no water — just dew on grass is enough to keep it alive — and it doesn’t wait till dusk to come out and bite. You might also consider planting allium, citronella grass and herbs that repel all mosquitoes. Along with mints, lavender, sage, rosemary and basil, such flowers as marigolds, bee balm and scented geraniums emit fragrances that mosquitoes don’t relish. If you can afford it, installing a small fish pond or water garden is an extremely effective remedy — if counterintuitive. Mosquitoes will lay their larvae there, and minnows and other small fish will devour them. Minnows are not only efficient larvae-eating machines, but have the advantage of not attracting the raccoons who prefer koi and other expensive ornamental fish.

These are all just short-term solutions, however.

Those of us who have main-

tained poison-free gardens over more than two decades have developed actual ecosystems that keep mosquitoes at bay. Our gardens harbor the mosquitoeating bats and toads that too many people abhor for their peculiar appearance — despite the fact that these helpful creatures are shy and rarely seen.

In fact, they are not at all fearsome when they are actually seen, but their symbolic depiction in literature and films has made them objects of loathing.

These innocent creatures are far more effective than any chemicals against mosquitoes, and are harmless to pets — as long as those pets leave them alone.

Dogs have been known to vomit after attacking toads, but I know of no fatalities. By the way, dogs are also getting indigestion from eating cicadas. They apparently can’t eat just one — just as we can’t eat one salted peanut — but in sufficient quantities, the rough carapaces of the otherwise harmless insect can irritate a dog’s digestive tract. You might want to monitor your canine’s cicada-snacking.

Please check the Hyattsville Horticultural Society website, hyattsvillehorticulture.org, for updates on meetings and events.

Miss Floribunda is the Hyattsville Life & Times garden columnist.

You may email questions to floribundav@gmail.com.

Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2021

Page 11

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Send your event information for the calendar to Kit Slack at kit@hyattsvillelife.com.

B

elow you’ll find information on community events sponsored by local nonprofits and artists, current as of June 3.

The cicadas scream, “Vaxeeee-ee-n! VaxEE-EE-EEN!” louder and louder every day.

Bug off, more than half of us living in the Hyattsville zip codes are vaccinated!

Will the ongoing cicada music festival drown out the oboes and bassoons on June 11 at Riversdale Mansion? Go find out: details below.

Soon enough, the cicadas will be gone and we humans may be gathering in larger groups outdoors again. SoHy Co-op, the coalition of Hyattsville small businesses along the Route 1 Corridor, is working on The Spot, a project which will feature monthly outdoor events in the empty lots along the bike trail between Franklins Restaurant, Brewery and General Store and the Yes! Organic Market.

Saturday 1 to 3 p.m., weather permitting, in the parking lot behind 4502 Hamilton St. acousticblues.com

child, ages 2 to 6. 11 a.m. to noon. 4811 Riverdale Rd., Riverdale Park. Register by May 12 at pgparks.com.

Poetry open mic every Thursday at Busboys and Poets. $5. 9 to 11 p.m. 5331 Baltimore Ave. 301.779.2787. busboysandpoets.com

Joe’s Movement Emporium hosts a GET Dance performance by Columbian dancer Carolina Hernandez. Travel the world through dance. 4 to 5:30 p.m. $20 general admission; $10 seniors, veterans, and children.

7 to 8:30 p.m. Outdoors at 3309 Bunker Hill Rd., Mount Rainier. joesmovement.org

ONGOING

JUNE 11

Hamilton Splash Park is open for swimming for those who make an online reservation through the Prince George’s County PARKS DIRECT system. Available time slots are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 to 6 p.m., seven days a week. pgparks. com/4618/Hamilton-SplashPark

The Riversdale Chamber Music Society invites you to kick off your shoes, sit on the grass and enjoy the Picnic Pod Summer Concert Series. First in the series is a woodwinds concert

by University of Maryland faculty and friends. 6 to 7 p.m. Riversdale House Museum, 4811 Riverdale Rd., Riverdale Park.

Register by June 10 at pgparks. com.

Pyramid Atlantic Art Center presents an art exhibition “Maps and Mazes,” curated by Andrew Wodzianski. Features work by artists, including Irene Chan and Zofie King, that explore mazes inspired by analog and digital gaming. In person and online through July 11.

Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 4318 Gallatin St. pyramidatlanticartcenter.org.

The Brentwood Arts Exchange features two art exhibitions in June: “Happy Mending,” paintings by Kyujin Lee that feature lush color and fantastical imagery, and “From Dusk ’Til Dawn,” a group show, including sculptures by Emily Fussner and pen and ink works by Alex Porter. Free. Open daily 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. 3901 Rhode Island Ave., Brentwood. 301.277.2863

RECURRING The Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation presents an acoustic blues jam every

Rise + Rhyme Monday mornings at Busboys and Poets. An engaging storytelling and performance series introducing children ages 5 and under to the performing arts. $5 suggested donation. 9:30 to 11 a.m. 5331 Baltimore Ave. 301.779.2787. busboysandpoets.com Riverdale Park Farmers Market is open every Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m. in the parking lot near the Riverdale MARC Station, 4650 Queensbury Rd., with live music! For more information, contact Jim Coleman at rpkfarmmkt@gmail.com. facebook.com/RPFMarket

JUNE 12 Two sets of love songs celebrating “queerness, blackness and joy” by Be Steadwell and the Boo Cats. $20 general admission; $10 seniors, veterans and children. 7 to 8:30 p.m. Outdoors at Joe’s Movement Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Rd., Mount Rainier. joesmovement. org

JUNE 13 Happenstance Theater brings Preposterous: A Happenstance Clown Circus to Joe’s Movement Emporium. Familyfriendly clowning and mime. $20 general admission; $10 seniors, veterans, and children. 4 to 5:30 p.m. Outdoors at 3309 Bunker Hill Rd., Mount Rainier. joesmovement.org

JUNE 19 The Bookworm Garden: A Bug’s Life. Little ones and their caregivers can learn, create and grow together while taking a closer look at what is blooming in Riversdale House Museum’s beautiful gardens. $5/resident

JUNE 20 Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation presents a Piedmont (similar to ragtime) Guitar Workshop with Mary Flowers. Flowers will demonstrate and teach works by the Rev. Gary Davis and Willie McTell, plus her own music using a band-in-the-hand approach: The right hand simultaneously picks the melody, rhythm and alternating bass.

Advanced beginners and above who fingerpick and read tablature will benefit the most. $35.

Virtual (Zoom) 7 to 8:30 p.m. acousticblues.com

JUNE 24 Food historian Joyce White presents “Suitably Cold and Impeccably Clean: Butter and Cheese Making in Early Maryland,” a lecture and discussion on the butter-making business and dairy farm that operated in Riversdale in the early 1800s, and the roles of enslaved and free dairy workers in the business. 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Riversdale House Museum, 4811 Riverdale Rd., Riverdale Park. Register by June 22 at pgparks.com

JUNE 25 “They Don’t Leave Veterans Behind, Do They?” A onewoman show by Rebekah Mason that tells the story of a Mexican American legal aid attorney much like Mason, who assists veterans and their surviving spouses. 7 to 8:30 p.m. $10. Outdoors at Joe’s Movement Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Rd., Mount Rainier. joesmovement.org

JUNE 26 Route 1 Corridor Conversations presents “Art Works.

It Really Does.” Join Barbara Johnson, artist and leader of the nonprofit Art Works Now,

in an online discussion of how art supports well-being. Bring blank paper and something to draw with. Free. 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Register at HyattsvilleAgingInPlace.org/events.

JULY 9 The Riversdale Chamber Music Society presents the second event in their Picnic Pod Summer Concert Series: Clarinet for Kids with the University of Maryland Clarinet Quintet.

See instruments from the contrabass clarinet to the piccolo clarinet up close. 6 to 7 p.m.

Riversdale House Museum, 4811 Riverdale Rd., Riverdale Park. Register by July 8 at www. pgparks.com.

JULY 10 A concert by jazz guitarist and composer Alex Martin and his quintet, featuring music from their new recording “Folk Songs, Jazz Journeys.” Jazz takes on folk music from West Africa, Brazil, France and the southern U.S. Tickets on sale soon. 7 p.m.

Outdoors at Joe’s Movement Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Rd., Mount Rainier. joesmovement.org

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Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2021

Page 12

HOUSING

FROM PAGE 1

ments costing $750 to $999 per month, and gained nearly 600 units in the $1,500 to $2,000 range, according to Enterprise. Similarly, houses under $300,000 have appreciated in value 93% since 2013.

Also according to Enterprise, 575 new households earning more than $125,000 per year came to Hyattsville between 2013 and 2018, making up the large majority of those moving here in those five years (652 residents total).

Housing for seniors (about 9% of residents), persons with disabilities (about 8% of residents), and those who earn less than $35,000 a year (20% of households) could be at risk, though there will be plenty of housing in the next 10 years for those who can afford it.

According to Enterprise, between 2000 and 2018, Hyatttsville added 1,120 new housing units — a 19% increase — outpacing the growth in new households (874 during the same period).

At a July 2020 city council meeting, Community and Economic Development Director Jim Chandler estimated that several thousand more units would be built near the city’s two Metro stations in the next 15 years. In its report, Enter-

According to Enterprise, between 2000 and 2018, Hyatttsville added 1,120 new housing units — a 19% increase.

prise counted more than 1,600 additional dwellings recently built or approved for construction, including more than 1,100 new dwellings in various developments near the Prince George’s Plaza Metro, 300 apartments in the Canvas ( formerly Armory) development on Route 1 north of Hamilton Street, and 200 town houses being built near the West Hyattsville Metro.

In 2020, Hyattsville awarded a $90,000 contract to Enterprise to develop the plan approved in May. Enterprise is a nonprofit that focuses on increasing housing supply, advancing racial equity and building resilience and upward mobility.

Enterprise developed a housing strategy for Prince George’s County in 2019 and issued a report on housing needs for the State of Maryland in February

2021.

In developing Hyattsville’s plan in 2020 and 2021, Enterprise analyzed state, county and city housing policy, and held three city council workshops and one virtual community forum.

At public meetings, Councilmember Danny Schaible (Ward 2) encouraged consideration of rent control, which was not a focus of early Enterprise reports, as well as eviction protections.

In preparing the strategy, Enterprise also interviewed 34 people, listed on p.74 of the plan submitted to the city council at their May 17 meeting.

That list included one for-profit developer, Robert Gilbane, of Gilbane Companies, which is building the Riverfront at West Hyattsville development and six county schools, including Hyattsville Middle School. The list also included a banker, investors, city and county staff, and several nonprofit developers.

In September 2020, while the city council was developing this strategy with Enterprise, Hyattsville approved an expansion of a city affordable housing tax credit proposed by then-Mayor Candace Hollingsworth. In May 2021, through a county affordable housing program, the city council approved a nonprofit’s purchase of Hamilton Manor, a 245-unit Hyattsville apartment building.

HYATTSKIDS FROM PAGE 2

that virtual learning has been a challenge for her because she never used Zoom before the pandemic. But she said that it also provides some fun options, like scavenger hunts and seeing each other’s pets. My last teacher, Ms. Gonzalez, said that the major thing that she misses about in-person learning is socializing with her students.

SATURDAY SOCCER IS BACK

By Maggie Ross Every Saturday morning in the spring and fall, there are soccer games in the fields by Driskell Park (aka Magruder Park). Last year, there was not a spring or fall league because of COVID. Players and coaches have safety restrictions this year, but at least we can still play.

The players of the Hyattsville soccer league are from ages 4 to 14 with co-ed and girls’ teams. The league has about 30 teams this season because of COVID restrictions, but usually there are twice as many or more. Players do not have to socially distance, but they have to wear a mask. Lillian Hicks plays on a third-fourth grade team, and says, “I dislike wearing masks because it is always

hot and sunny.” Some players on my team (LUP) dislike wearing masks too while playing soccer, but we do it to help stop COVID. Coaches in the league are volunteers. Coach Valerie Woodall has been a soccer coach since 2006. This year she is leading a first-second grade team. She says, “For me, coaching is not more difficult this year. While it’s no fun to play or coach in a mask, I would call it an inconvenience rather than a difficulty.”

Lillian Hicks and Coach Woodall have given me some advice for players. Lillian says, “When the other team has the ball, don’t be afraid to kick the ball out of their way.” Coach Woodall says, “Play defense on their side of the field and not in front of our goal, stay goal side, and when in doubt, kick it out!”

When on offense, “steal the ball, dribble and be ready to pass and score.” For both, “Don’t flinch!”

Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2021

Page 13

TWYMAN

HL&T: What was it like waiting for the NFL Draft pick?

ST: Oh, we were so anxious and nervous! Because he thought he would go earlier in the draft. He was a little overweight; his agent told us he would probably go fifth or sixth round. On Sunday, when they finally called him, he was crying — we had 32 hats set up for each team in the NFL. When he grabbed the Vikings hat, we just started crying, and my mom started praying. I never experienced anything like that!

It was an unforgettable moment.

FROM PAGE 1

the 199th overall pick. He was drafted on May 1. Jaylen is 21 years old, born July 19, 1999. (The interview has been edited for length and readability.)

HL&T: What do you remember about being Jaylen’s mother when he was little?

ST: From the time Jaylen was born, he was very active, and he drove me crazy! He always played football. Back then, he had an older brother, Kenyata, who he played with. He was a force to reckon with.

In high school, H.D. Woodson in Washington, D.C., he won a lot of championships. All the teachers and coaches loved him.

HL&T: Do you have any advice for mothers of talented/athletic children?

ST: Yes. Let them live out their dreams. Be their biggest fan and supporter. Always be supportive of them. Always be at their games. Be interactive with the coaches. Make sure they stay in school and do what they’re supposed to do to get to the next level. I would always tell him — God first, school, and then football. When looking for a college

BRIEFS FROM PAGE 13

Attorneys Lawrence Taub and Nathaniel Forman, who are representing Poverni Sheikh, spoke to the city council at the May 17 meeting. Forman called the plan “very unique,” due to the minimal changes to the building’s exterior that would be required. The mall already has access ramps which could be used for loading and unloading, so the exterior changes would primarily be adding signage near the ramps and also on a storefront which would be used as a pedestrian entrance.

Stephanie Twyman with son Jaylen Twyman, who was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 199th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. COURTESY OF STEPHANIE TWYMAN

to attend [ for Jaylen], we did a college tour and we picked the University of Pittsburgh. We did because they had a wonderful system as far as your health and medical issues. They had a way of spotting an injury before it occurred. By the time Jaylen was in the 12th grade, he had over 30 college offers — full scholarships. So, I never had to pay a penny for college.

That was because he kept up his grades. That’s why they have to pay attention in class, and then dominate on the football field.

HL&T: What are you most proud of about him or about your parenting?

ST: I always listen to what my children have to say. I let them voice their opinion, and then we talk about it. I wasn’t given the Blue Book on parenting. My parents weren’t there for a lot of my life. It was God who led me into being a good parent and to understanding my boys.

The basement space, which was previously used for stores’ inventory storage, has been sitting unused. The detailed site plan lays out approximately 800 storage units, ranging from 5 x 5 feet to 10 x 30 feet. The storage units would only be accessible when the mall is open, and the storage facility would be staffed during most hours of operation.

Forman suggested that the increase in condos, apartments and town houses nearby would result in a need for more storage. “This would be a good use of space to support those new dwelling units, but without the actual addition of

a consolidated storage building,” he said.

“To me it’s a very good use of this otherwise vacant space,” noted Councilmember Danny Schaible (Ward 3). Councilmember Joseph Solomon (Ward 5) was more hesitant, expressing concern that the empty inventory storage could signal that mall stores are experiencing financial distress. “I’m not convinced that this is the best decision for us right now,” he said, “but I’d like to hear a little bit more.”

The city council will review the detailed site plan in June and then advance the plan to the county.

HL&T: How does Hyattsville fit into the story right now for your family?

ST: We moved from Largo to Hyattsville on Feb. 24, 2019.

We liked the house; it was nice.

I didn’t purchase at the time.

Hyattsville is pretty peaceful.

It’s convenient, and everybody delivers to my house. There are a lot of beautiful single-family homes here. My 16-year-old son goes to DeMatha Catholic High School. He has a scholarship

there. He’s in the 10th grade and is into football as well.

HL&T: Why did you move here?

ST: We moved to Hyattsville because it was a little more affordable with the same amenities.

Housing in Largo is anywhere from $300 to $500 more than in Hyattsville, which is not even a five-minute ride away.

HL&T: Finally, how does your faith in God play a part in all of this?

ST: Well, I’ve always had a strong faith in God. I’ve prayed and prayed and prayed. Ever since Jaylen was small, he would ask my mother about God. He’s been baptized twice. We know that without God, none of this is possible. I’ve always trusted God, and I’m thankful God gave him the gift of football. Without God, we’re nobody. I just give Him the praise, and I have faith that Jaylen will have a successful career and that he’ll be able to give back. We’re trusting God.

HL&T: Is there anything you wish you had done differently?

ST: No.

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Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2021

Page 14

Sediment flows through Hyattsville

By Kelly Livingston Sediment pollution in the branches of the Anacostia River that flow through Hyattsville continues to trouble local residents, and the Hyattsville Department of Public Works is taking steps to respond.

One incident on April 8 stood out. Hyattsville resident Theresa Goedeke described the river water that day: “It was just orange, like orange soup.”

Construction can loosen soil, and that soil, carried by stormwater to the Anacostia River and the Chesapeake Bay, becomes sediment that degrades water quality and destroys wildlife habitat.

Goedeke said she reported the issue to the Hyattsville Department of Public Works, Prince George’s County, the State of Maryland and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

According to Dawn Taft, City of Hyattsville arborist and manager of environmental programs, the city can only control or maintain what happens on city-owned property. In response to the April 8 reports, representatives from the city, county and state inspected the sediment breaches.

Since January, Taft has heard

from residents about almost monthly incidents. “We found that some of it was coming from D.C.” She described how sediment from the April incident also came from a water main break and a construction site. The county representative noted a few things at the construction site that need correction, according to Taft.

Though local sediment pollution can often fall outside of Hyattsville’s jurisdiction, the Department of Public Works is still taking steps to address the ongoing problem. The city is working on its first Watershed Implementation Plan. Such plans are part of a state-led effort to meet and maintain designated water quality standards for the Chesapeake Bay. That effort should be coming before the city council in the coming months.

Taft noted that the city plans to roll out education programs for residents, which will include fall workshops on tree education and stormwater management.

The city recently sponsored 10 residents to become master watershed stewards through an academy run by the Anacostia Watershed Society.

The city funded these sponsorships with grant money from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, which also helped fund a recent tree planting effort.

Grant money additionally funded a study on stormwater impacts in the lower Ward 1 area, near the meeting of the Northeast and Northwest Branches.

“Our first implementation project from that study is going to be a submerged gravel wetland at the corner of Charles Armentrout and Route 1,” Taft said. “We put money aside for the design and implementation of stormwater projects within the city.”

Other upcoming city efforts include the installation of Silva Cells — a pavement system that uses underground structures to allow large tree growth and retain stormwater.

Taft recommends reporting sediment pollution directly, and quickly, to the county’s Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement. She emphasized the need for a quick turnaround in order to accurately detect the source of sediment pollution: “Once it’s traveled or once it dissipates from where it came from, we can’t tell.”

CONSTRUCTION BY DRISKELL PARK CONTINUES

Werrlein Properties’ Suffrage Point development (above). Stormwater outflow for that development into Driskell Park (below). Werrlein Properties Managing Partner Jonathan Werrleinsays his company will upgrade stormwater management. KIT SLACK