inside:
Hyattsville Life&Times
Vol. 6 No. 2
earLY votING
Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper
February 2009
No tears in these beers
Early voting ballot counting not likely in city due to cost. PAGE 3
by Dan Coogan
D mINIvaN maN
Columnist Tim Hunt loses all credibility by buying a minivan. PAGE 4 PHOTO BY DAN COOGAN (L-R) Andrew Bradley, Dan Coogan and Justin Smith check out Rubber Chicken Red, the newest brew at Franklin’s Restaurant.
raising Cain
espite being a beer drinker, I feel detached from the increasingly sophisticated world of beer. While connoisseurs compare the delicacy of the India Pale Ale (IPA) and the Oatmeal Stout, I select a 30-pack of Bud because of price, not palate. Seeking to learn the finer points of the pale ale, the session beer, and the stout, I created a research team consisting of two friends, Andy Bradley (taster #1) and Justin Smith (taster #2), and myself (taster #3) to judge the merits of Franklin’s microbrewed beers. I chose Andy and Justin, drinking partners for more than a decade, because they also share my ignorance – an ignorance that precludes us from praising the “temperament of the malts,” “the effusiveness of the barley,” or “a hoppiness that conjures Beer continued on page
SNOW DAY
Residents, authorities dispute over Hamilton Street house addition
ParKING Wars
Rt. 1 is in need a facelift - and better parking for visitors. PAGE 3
by Paula Minaert & Sarah Nemeth
I
Hyattsville Life & Times PO Box 132 Hyattsville, MD 20781 PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit # 43 Easton, MD 21601
n what has become a multi-jurisdictional torrent of he-said, shesaid, Gerard and Makenda St. Michel continue to find themselves embroiled in a seven-year dispute over the construction of an addition to their Hamilton Street house. And it is likely that even if county officials grant them an exception for their addition – which does not comply with county code – the couple will still find themselves in a jumble that has city, county and regional officials scratching their heads. Adding to the difficulty, the St. Michels – who have four children living at home – must untangle the process while living in a small apartment outside Hyattsville. In February of 2008 the city declared their house at 4002 Hamilton unfit for human habitation and they had to move. Makenda St. Michel, who has been doing most of the construction herself, quit her job to finish the work. Gerard, who was laid off from his job, recently found other work but at half the salary, he said.
“this has been a real hardship because we’re paying both the rent [at the apartment] and the mortgage.” — Makenda St. Michel homeowner
“This has been a real hardship, because we’re paying both the rent [at the apartment] and the mortgage,” Makenda said. “And now they want us to pay for all these changes.” On Feb. 4, the Prince George’s County Board of Zoning Appeals delayed a decision on granting the variance. The hearing was the latest in a long series of permit applications, permit revisions, inspections, complaints, phone calls and meetings about the
PHOTOS BY SARAH NeMeTH Residents shovel snow after an ice/snow storm hit the city last month.
HouSe continued on page 10
Included: The February 11, 2009 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter—See Center Section