01-2022 Hyattsville Life & Times

Hyattsville sets ARPA budget timeline

By Collin Riviello

At the Dec. 20, 2021, Hyattsville City Council meeting, the council viewed a presentation on a proposed timeline for the city’s distribution of federal funds for COVID-19 relief aid. The city was awarded almost $18 million in aid, which must be spent over the next five years.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) awarded the city $17,961,280.56 to help cover pandemic-related expenses. Hyattsville received $8.9 million this

Apartment building to replace mall parking lot

By Dan Behrend

An underused parking lot near the Mall at Prince George’s may find a new use as apartments and retail space. Under a proposal presented to the Hyattsville City Council and Mayor Kevin Ward on Dec. 6, 2021, AvalonBay Communities, Inc. would build and operate

A conversation with Mayor Kevin Ward

By Kit Slack

At 9:05 on the morning of Dec. 17, 2021, Hyattsville Mayor Kevin “Scooter” Ward strode into a light-filled office, threw out a wilting houseplant, put the coffee on and sat down. He was there to answer questions from residents, questions brought to him by the Hyattsville Life & Times (HL&T).

Under his open orange dress shirt Ward

wore a black T-shirt with the words “radically inclusive” in white capitals. Black jeans topped white sneakers with little green swooshes.

Ward took office at the end of 2020. He first became mayor by default: He was city council president when then-mayor Candace Hollingsworth stepped down. Ward then won a mayoral election in May 2021. In spring 2023, he will be up for reelection

for a four-year term.

A search of recently passed legislation shows that, as mayor, Ward has co-sponsored the purchase of Bolawrap (lassogun restraints for police use), COVID-19 aid for local restaurants, preservation of the Hamilton Manor apartment building as affordable housing, the changing of the name Magruder Park to David C. Driskell

Young Hyattsville residents enjoy sledding during the Jan. 3 snow day. See more snow pics on page 6. SOPHIE GORMAN ORIANI

FROM THE EDITOR

Hyattsville 2021: The good, the bad and the ugly

By Heather Wright

Ifeel like I’m slouching into 2022 — mouth parched, back bowed, eyes a bit bleary as they try to adjust to the uncertain dawn of tomorrow. No, these symptoms aren’t the result of a raucous New Year’s Eve party; I’m just another inhabitant of a relentless pandemic — a stranger in a very strange and troubled land. Before I slouch any further into the new year, though, I’d like

to take a rheumy glance back at Hyattsville in 2021, one last look at the city’s good and bad — and even its ugly. But let’s go in reverse order, as that somehow may bring us to a more hopeful conclusion.

THE UGLY County school board dynamics seemed especially dysfunctional and ugly this past year — the infighting, fractious five-hour-long virtual meetings, ethics complaints and counter-complaints,

and members’ bids to oust one another were far from attractive.

In June, we covered the unattractive orange-soup phenomenon of sediment pollution abundantly visible in the Anacostia River as it flows through Hyattsville. And in July, we examined some residents’ claims that Werrlein Properties’ construction work at Suffrage Point, next to Driskell Park, was not being properly regulated and was contributing to said sediment pollution.

Other notable uglies this year: dog escapes and attacks, eleventh-hour county redistricting decisions, and county council zoning moves that continued to ignore county planning committee and City of Hyattsville recommendations, instead favoring the opinions and past promises of just one county councilmember.

THE BAD (WITH SOME QUALIFIERS)

In mid-February a hit-and-run on Queensbury Road sent a pedestrian to the hospital. (Of note: A 2018 city transportation study recommended traffic-calming measures along Queensbury.) And a bicyclist was struck by a car near the intersection of Queens Chapel Road and Lancer Drive in mid-November (see p. 14). The 2018 transportation study lists installing a traffic light at that intersection as one of the 20 highestpriority projects in the city.

In May, we wrote about how carjackings had been climbing, nationally and locally, during the pandemic. Fortunately, on the local front, police had recovered most of the targeted cars, including a red Alfa Romeo Giulia.

In mid-July, a shooting took place on Jefferson Street, in the Arts District; an apartment building and three businesses, including Busboys & Poets, were all hit. No injuries were reported, and city police later arrested one of the three suspects.

And we honored some of the

lights that went out. Particularly notable among those lights was former DeMatha Catholic High School principal John Moylan, who died, at age 88, last January. Moylan served DeMatha in several capacities for 60 years, including his stint as principal, from 1968 to 2000.

De Clichy Menswear and the Tiered and Petite bakery were among the Hyattsville businesses whose windows went dark in 2021. And many Hyattsville residents bemoaned the sudden closing of College Park’s family-owned Bagel Place, in late October.

THE GOOD

For as disagreeable as last year was, a number of lights did shine brightly, piercing the viral gloom and opening our eyes to the blessings around us. Cheers to the First United Methodist Church of Hyattsville! Testing for COVID-19? Check. Administering vaccinations? Check. Hosting the first mobile shower program in the greater D.C. area? Check.

And in September, community members rallied to help refugees, especially those coming from Afghanistan, following the U.S. withdrawal from that country in August.

The late art historian, educator and artist Dr. David Driskell (1931-2020) received well-deserved recognition on at least two fronts: On June 7, the city passed a resolution legally changing the

SEE EDITOR ON 7 

In the fall of 2021, artists put their finishing touches on a mural at The Spot, a community gathering space that opened this past summer at 4505 Hamilton Street; the mural celebrates Black history and calls attention to the Black Lives Matter movement. KYLE HEFLINGER

Virtual learning returns; student distraction continues

By Alexandra Rodovic

Prince George’s County students are returning to the new semester virtually this month, due to the current surge of coronavirus cases in the county. Chief Executive Officer Monica Goldson announced in mid-December that virtual learning would start Dec. 20 and continue through Jan. 14.

According to the press release, students in the K-6 virtual learning program will go back to in-person instruction on Jan. 31.

Returning to online learning, a mode in which many students use Chromebook computers provided by the county, raises a number of issues — not all of them about juggling home and work and school and childcare logistics.

Some parents are concerned that Chromebooks offer too many distractions.

“When we were remote all last year, the Chromebooks were essential,” said Amanda Souna, whose second grader attends Hollywood Elementary in College Park. “Most of my issues [are] with the apps, and that students are becoming very dependent on the apps and the typing, as opposed to just having the Zoom meetings, then doing oldfashioned learning.”

Souna commended teachers for conducting informative and engaging Zoom meetings with the class, though she noted that students can easily be distracted by games and browsing.

Greetingsfrom HYATTSVILLE

“Now that [my son] is older and now that he’s seeing his friends go on YouTube, it’s become more of an issue to where he has this thing now with all of these distractions. There’s no blocking the video games,” she said.

Prince George’s County offers students YouTube on school-issued devices, unlike neighboring Montgomery County.

Nancy Washington, a former teacher and mother of two PGCPS students, was enthusiastic about the free technical resources provided by the school system.

“The teachers have been great in providing resources on how to use the technology,” Washington said. “I would tell parents to utilize the resources the school gives you.”

One free resource she pointed to was Remind, which offers free tutoring to students county-wide.

Washington’s son is an eighth grader at Greenbelt Middle School, and her daughter is a fifth grader at Dora Kennedy French Immersion School, also in Greenbelt. She noted that her kids are not fans of virtual learning and said that their focus is better when they are in the classroom and can interact with teachers and classmates. Washington also said that her daughter has sometimes strayed from her virtual classroom, an issue that the school has flagged.

“We’ve had to make it very clear that she can only use her school computer for school

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Amanda Souna’s son, a student at Hollywood Elementary in College Park, participating in virtual learning from home COURTESY OF AMANDA SOUNA

Hyatts KIDS

HyattsKIDS is off this month. Created by contributors in grades K-8, the HyattsKIDS Life & Times features local news, columns and comics from our city’s youngest journalists. To participate, contact adult adviser Mary Frances Jiménez: mf_jimenez@yahoo.com.

The Sun

by Gus Lipari, age 7

The sun is bright. The sun is great, but sometimes it goes home.

And then it goes up, and up, and up.

And then it goes down, down, down, and up.

“A Nice Day in the Neighborhood” by Gus Gibbons, age 5

CULTURAL CONNECTIONS

Austrian native now calls Hyattsville home

By Julia Gaspar-Bates

Born in Vienna just after World War II, Gloria Felix-Thompson said her childhood was filled with constant reminders of the war, including having an Allied doctor billeted in her house. “I remember standing in the front garden and watching the Allied soldiers patrol by in their Jeep. They were friendly. They had confiscated part of the house my parents lived in. There were a lot of destroyed buildings, and you watched the rebuilding going on. Because Austria was small and compact, you saw a lot of the wounded returning. I saw, very early in life, people without limbs.”

The shadow of the war left an indelible mark on Felix-Thompson and her friends. She explained, “We tried to figure out how to resolve the horrible Holocaust and our parents’ shared guilt with the fact that we loved our parents. This particularly hit us hard during the teenage years, when we read everything we could about the Holocaust, and there was no answer to that question. You resolve that you will do anything or everything possible to prevent anything like that happening again.”

When she was 7, Felix-Thompson’s beloved father died suddenly. Despite this significant loss, she recalls having a happy childhood in which she was raised by her formidable mother, a successful businesswoman. “My mother was what the women’s liberation [movement] was all about. She was an incredible role model for my sister and myself.” FelixThompson was also surrounded by her large, eccentric Hungarian extended family, who had emigrated to Vienna when her mother was a child and instilled in her a strong sense of formality, along with a love of paprika.

One memorable event occurred when Felix-Thompson was 10 years old, just after the Soviets had invaded Hungary, and refugees started pouring into Austria: “My family still had close ties to Hungary. Word spread that there was a woman in Vienna who had a big house, so my aunt’s neighbors sent people. For several weeks, Hungarian refugees stayed in my home. It was a lot of fun, because in a

husband, Douglas, an American who was stationed there with the U.S. Air Force.

“It took two and a half years to get permission to get married and get my visa to come to the U.S. It wasn’t easy, because he was marrying a local girl. We had to fulfill the law of three nations to get married.”

feely family, and there is lots of hugging in the U.S. I wasn’t used to people you barely know throwing their arms around me. When I first came to the U.S. and people would ask me my name, I would say ‘Mrs. Thompson.’”

normal Austrian orderly house, you don’t have people sleeping on the floor. There was a lot of excitement and activity. People would make friends and play with you even if you couldn’t talk to them. It was like a giant sleepover.”

Felix-Thompson said that in Vienna, “you have an orderly life but also a carefree life. You can get anywhere on foot in 10 minutes, but you also have many new influences, such as the U.N. and OPEC. There’s a formal but also a relaxed atmosphere. There are scores of parks, and people are relaxing there. It’s a wonderful way of life.”

After finishing school, FelixThompson moved to Germany, where she eventually met her

When they finally got her visa, thanks to the help of a Michigan senator, Felix-Thompson joined Douglas briefly in his home city of Detroit before they moved to Washington, D.C., so he could attend the University of Maryland.

After living in Georgetown and Alexandria, and adopting their son from Central America, they decided to move to a more diverse area that would be a better fit for their mixedrace family. They discovered Hyattsville after seeing their house advertised for sale in The Washington Post as the “last of the vanishing breeds in Hyattsville.”

Felix-Thompson reported that she didn’t experience major culture shock after moving to the U.S., although she was a bit surprised by the informality and familiarity among people, friends and strangers alike. “We were not a touchy-

Having lived in Hyattsville for over 40 years, Felix-Thompson appreciates the old homes and tree-lined streets that remind her of Vienna. She also enjoys the rich cultural diversity. “You had the plumber, the Swedish university professor, the winos, neighbors with a huge stuffed giraffe. The crazies were already present, and this was just fine with me.”

Because she dislikes flying, Felix-Thompson hasn’t returned to Austria since the late 1980s. Yet she has maintained ties to her homeland, over the years, by hosting a Franz Schubert festival, honoring the famed composer with an Austrian and German string quartet (see “Auryn Quartet,” p. 9). She added, “Sometimes I long for the formality of Austrian culture, because it gives you structure. I miss the language, and I’m afraid that I’m starting to lose some of it. I miss having three to four newspapers every day.”

“Cultural Connections” is dedicated to bringing forth the voices of Hyattsville’s international residents. Interested in sharing your story? Please contact culturalconnections@ hyattsvillelife.com.

Gloria Felix-Thompson COURTESY OF GLORIA FELIX-THOMPSON

Having lived in Hyattsville for over 40 years, Felix-Thompson appreciates the old homes and tree-lined streets that remind her of Vienna. She also enjoys the rich cultural diversity.

HAVING A SNOW BALL

Clockwise from far left: Christine Blackerby took this photo on Jan. 3 from the Northwest Branch Trail behind Driskell Park, looking toward the river as the sun set; Young Hyattsville residents enjoy a snow day on Jan. 3; A young Hyattsville resident gets his first taste of snow; Local children sled near Melrose Skate Park on Jan. 7. PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE BLACKERBY, SARA BENDORAITIS, SOPHIE GORMAN ORIANI, AND KYLE HEFLINGER

¡FONDOS DE EMERGENCIA DISPONIBLES!

La Ciudad de Hyattsville tiene $17 9M en dinero federal para apoyar a nuestra comunidad

Una parte de los fondos se asignará a las necesidades de ayuda de emergencia para residentes y negocios de Hyattsville a principios de 2022

La ayuda de emergencia puede incluir, pero no se limita a:

Asistencia de vivienda y facturas

Asistencia alimentaria

Alivio para negocios y organizaciones

Otra cosa: ¡comparta sus ideas!

¿CÓMO

PUEDEN LOS FONDOS DE RESCATE AYUDAR A NUESTRA COMUNIDAD?

Hay varias formas para compartir sus ideas Las respuestas deben ser sometidas antes del 11 de febrero de 2022.

Complete la forma en hyattsville org/rescueplan*

Deje un mensaje de voz al (301) 985-5039*

Asista a una reunión pública Fechas en hyattsville org/calendar

*Las respuestas son anónimas

Los fondos solo están disponibles para los residentes de la Ciudad de Hyattsville. Verifique si su dirección está en la Ciudad en hyattsville.org/rescueplan

ESCANEE PARA MÁS INFORMACIÓN

name of Magruder Park to David C. Driskell Community Park. And this fall, a special exhibition, “David Driskell: Icons of Nature and History,” at the Phillips Collection, in Northwest D.C., featured more than 50 pieces of Driskell’s work.

Most school and Olympic sports were able to resume this year, producing some local highlights: Frances Tiafoe, who grew up training at the Junior Tennis Champions Center, in College Park, and lived with his family just outside Hyattsville city limits, competed in the Tokyo Summer Olympics. And in November, the Northwestern High School soccer team won its third state championship.

With diffuse dreariness descending over the nation during this long pandemic, the Hyattsville City Police Department (HCPD) focused its attention on mental health and wellness. In March, an HCPD officer made national news when he sat down at a local convenience store to connect with an agitated and confused customer. And the HCPD recently secured two federal grants, total-

ling almost $350,000, to fund a crisis intervention team and expand the department’s mental wellness check-in program.

Many local businesses and restaurants drew on their resilience and creativity in response to the year’s challenges. In mid-June, after a 15-month interruption, dancers from Adagio Dance Studio finally took the stage again, outside at Driskell Park. Queens Chapel Barbershop celebrated its 80th year this past summer;

Tina Sang, who came to the U.S. from Vietnam, has owned and operated the shop for the past 25 years. And Maryland Meadworks toasted its new mural with an art opening and reception at the end of August.

Some businesses and restaurants turned their lights on for the first time — or for the first time in a new location. Three Little Birds Sewing Co. moved into a bigger space (5307 Baltimore Avenue) this fall and is partnering with Sweet Pea Fiber, a mother-anddaughter-owned yarn shop. And Satchmoe Art Tattoo Lounge moved into the Gallatin Street space that Three Little Birds vacated. Suga & Spice, a Caribbean-

influenced restaurant in the Arts District, held a soft opening at the tail end of December, offering a teaser of gustatory hope for 2022. Speaking of teasers, I’ll end with a few more for 2022: The opening of the new Hyattsville library (now slated for late January), with its new art pieces and reading terrace, its fireplaces and study rooms. Ongoing city and commercial initiatives to support small businesses and fill empty storefronts. Millions of dollars of American Rescue Plan funds, flowing in to support the city and those residents most impacted by the pandemic (see p. 1). The arrival of a much-anticipated Trader Joe’s (need I say more?), just up the road in College Park. Since there seems to be no way of escaping this pandemic, riding it out in Hyattsville sounds pretty darn good to me.

Because so many events are in flux due to the current surge, there is no Community Calendar this month.

To submit a letter to the editor, or a “My Two Cents” column, contact kit@hyattsvillelife.com.

Hyattsville Reporter the

No. 406 • January 11, 2022

Notice & Updates

Tell us what Emergency Relief you Need: The City of Hyattsville has received $17.9M from the American Rescue Plan Act. A portion of the funds will be set aside to create emergency relief programs for Hyattsville residents and businesses in early 2022. The City is seeking community feedback to identify emergency relief needs. There are several ways to submit your needs for consideration:

• Fill out the online survey at hyattsville. org/rescueplan

• Complete the tear-away card in the special Rescue Act Info Guide, arriving in homes mid-January

• Leave a voicemail at (301) 985-5039

• Attend a public meeting or hearing; dates available at hyattsville.org/calendar

Responses, which remain anonymous, are due by February 11, 2022. Relief applications are expected to be ready in the Spring. To learn more visit hyattsville.org/ rescueplan.

COVID-19 Update: The FDA has approved booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12-15. Now anyone ages 12 and older is eligible for a booster 5 months after their second COVID-19 shot. Boosters are strongly encouraged as a defense against the omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus. First and second vaccines are also recommended for anyone ages 5+. You can find the nearest location to vaccinate your family at mypgc.us/covidvaccine.

The City’s COVID-19 site at the First United Methodist Church on 6201 Belcrest Road continues to offer free, non-appointment weekday testing and vaccine clinics as well as special weekend vaccination clinics. Testing (ages 10+) is available on Mondays & Thursdays, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Vaccines and booster doses (ages 12+) and flu shots are available on Tuesdays, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Special weekend family vaccine clinics dates can be found at hyattsville.org/covidvaccine.

Winter Safety Tips: Make sure you’re prepared for winter weather! Be sure to have a supply of non-perishable foods, batteries, and warm clothing available in your home and vehicle. In the event you see a downed utility wire, please stay away and report it to the appropriate utility company. The highest wires are Pepco electrical wires (call 911) and the secondary wires are typically telecommunication (call Verizon at 1-800-837-4966). Freezing temperatures can also cause water main breaks, which should be reported to WSSC at (301) 206-4002. Lastly, get notices about City service updates by signing up for Hyattsville email and text alerts at hyattsville. org/stayconnected.

Volunteers Needed: Are you looking to make a difference in your community this year? Let the City’s Office of Volunteer Services match you or your group with service projects that make an impact in Hyattsville! Volunteers of all ages and abilities are welcome, whether they live in Hyattsville or just want to lend a helping hand. To learn more, visit hyattsville.org/volunteer or email caistis@hyattsville.org.

Programs, Services, and Events

Hyattsville Justice Center Redevelopment: City staff and the County Revenue

Authority will host a virtual meeting on January 13, at 7 p.m. to discuss the request for proposals for the redevelopment of the Hyattsville Justice Center (5000 Rhode Island Avenue). Register and learn more at hyattsville.org/calendar.

Invasive Removals: Join us on Saturday, January 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., to remove non-native, invasive plants from Driskell Park. Student service-learning hours are available! You can confirm if the event is cancelled due to weather by contacting Dawn Taft at (240) 487-0290 or at dtaft@hyattsville.org. Please arrive on time or contact Dawn if you anticipate being late.

Service Updates for Martin Luther King Jr. Day: City offices and the Hyattsville COVID-19 test site at the First United Methodist Church will be closed Monday, January 17 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. There will be no yard waste or compost collection that week. Regular trash and County recycling routes are not affected.

MLK Day of Service: Hyattsville Mayor Kevin Ward, City staff, and the non-profit organization Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) are teaming up for an interactive virtual workshop on Monday, January 17, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., to honor Martin Luther King Jr and his legacy. The workshop is open to all ages and servicelearning hours will be available. Learn more at hyattsville.org/mlkday.

In addition, the City will host a community donation drive to collect pre-packaged, individually wrapped snacks to support Hyattsville students. Collection boxes will be available Monday, January 17, at Driskell Park, the City Building, and the LAYC Center at 6200 Sheridan Street,

Riverdale, MD. For more information, visit hyattsville.org/mlkday.

Free ESL Classes: Prince George’s Community College English as a second language (ESL) career exploration classes are back for a new semester! Non-native English speakers can sign up for free job preparedness classes or earn culinary and childcare certificate programs. Classes begin January 18. For requirements and to register, call (301) 546-8350, or email boggsrx@pgcc.edu.

February Business Roundtable: The next Hyattsville Business Roundtable will take place on Thursday, February 3 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. via Zoom. The roundtable discussions will focus on business continuity planning in addition to updates about local resources for the City’s business community. Details at hyattsville.org/roundtable.

Composting in Hyattsville: Looking to begin your composting journey in 2022? Composting in the City is easy! Just collect kitchen scraps and items like paper towels, coffee grounds, and yard waste in a secure container and leave it curbside for pick-up on Monday mornings. If your home isn’t serviced by regular Monday pick-ups, bring your compost to one of the green bulk compost containers in a City park instead! Visit hyattsville.org/compost for a list of accepted compost materials and a brief video to help you learn the basics.

Youth Services

Teen Center: The Hyattsville Teen Center has temporarily gone virtual until at least January 31. Staff will continue to monitor the County’s COVID-19 safety guidelines before returning to in-person

programming and tutoring. For more information about the virtual activities schedule, visit hyattsville.org/teen-center.

Mini-Camp: On days school’s out, Hyattsville Mini Camp’s in! Registration for February 22 & March 7 Mini-Camp Days opens January 19. Learn more and register your child at hyattsville.org/minicamp.

Summer Camp: It’s time to start thinking about your summer plans! Registration for Summer Camp Hyattsville opens at 10 a.m. on February 2 for City Residents and at 10 a.m. February 9 for non-City residents. Camp is scheduled to run from June 27 through August 19. Space is limited. Registration for camps take place through Recdesk – be prepared for registration day by ensuring your family’s account is up to date! For more information and instructions on how to create a free Recdesk account, visit hyattsville.org/summercamp.

Age-Friendly Services

Call-A-Bus: The City’s Call-A-Bus to help seniors and persons with a disability travel to medical appointments and grocery stores is operating from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday – Friday. To request a ride, please call (301) 985-5000 before 2 p.m. at least one business day in advance. Fees are waived through the end of January!

In-Person Senior Programs: Please note that as of December 2021, all senior in-person programming, activities, and special trips are on hold or cancelled due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases. To be notified when programs re-start, contact the City’s senior services coordinator Beryl Johnson at bjohnson@hyattsville.org or (301) 985-5058 to be added to the senior mailing list.

The Mayor’s Choice Award for the 2021 Clause Applause Holiday Lights Contest belongs to the 3507 Jefferson Street household in Ward 5! To view the winning results for all Wards, visit hyattsville.org/applause. The City thanks everyone for participating in the annual tradition!

¡La elección del Alcalde Ward para el concurso de luces navideñas “Claus Applause” de 2021 pertenece al hogar en la 3507 Jefferson Street del Distrito 5! Para ver los resultados ganadores para cada Distrito, visite hyattsville.org/applause. ¡La Ciudad le da gracias a todos por participar en la tradición anual!

Avisos y Noticias

Díganos qué Ayuda de Emergencia

Necesita: La Ciudad de Hyattsville ha recibido $17.9 millones de la Ley del Plan de Rescate Americano. Una parte de los fondos se reservará para crear programas de ayuda de emergencia para los residentes y negocios de Hyattsville a principios de 2022. La Ciudad está buscando ideas de la comunidad para identificar las necesidades de ayuda de emergencia. Existen varias formas de enviar sus necesidades para consideración:

• Llene la encuesta en hyattsville.org/ rescueplan

• Complete la tarjeta en el Guía de Información del Plan de Rescate especial, llegando a hogares a medios de enero

• Deje un mensaje de voz al (301) 9855039

• Asista una reunión publica; las fechas están disponible en hyattsville.org/calendar

Las respuestas, que se mantendrán anónimas, deben ser sometidas antes del 11 de febrero de 2022. Se espera que las aplicaciones de alivio estén listas en la primavera. Para mas información, visite hyattsville.org/calendar.

Actualización de COVID-19: La Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos ha aprobado doses de refuerzo de la vacuna COVID-19 para niños de 12 a 15 años. Ahora cualquier persona de 12 años o más es elegible para una dosis de refuerzo 5 meses después de su segunda vacuna. Se recomienda fuertemente las dosis de refuerzo como defensa contra la variante Omicron del virus COVID-19. La primera y la segunda vacuna también se recomiendan para cualquier persona de 5 años. Puede encontrar el lugar más cercano para vacunar a su familia en mypgc.us/covidvaccine.

El sitio de COVID-19 de la Ciudad en la Iglesia First United Methodist Church en la 6201 Belcrest Road sigue ofreciendo pruebas y clínicas de vacunas gratuitas sin cita entre semana, así como clínicas especiales de vacunación los fines de semana. Las pruebas (de 10 años +) están disponibles los lunes y jueves, de 9 a.m. a 3 p.m. y los sábados, de 9 a.m. a 1 p.m. Vacunas y dosis de refuerzo (de 12 años +) y las vacunas contra la gripe están disponibles los martes, de 9 a.m. a 5 p.m. Las fechas de las clínicas especiales de vacunación para familias los fines de semana se pueden encontrar en hyattsville.org/covidvaccine.

Consejos de Seguridad de Invierno: ¡Manténgase preparado para el clima invernal! Asegúrese de tener un suministro de alimentos no perecederos, baterías y ropa de invierno disponible en su hogar y vehículo. En el caso de que vea un cable de servicios públicos derribado, por favor manténgase alejado y comuníquelo a la compañía de servicios públicos apropiada. Los cables más altos son los cables eléctricos de Pepco (llame al 911) y los cables secundarios son típicamente de telecomunicaciones (llame a Verizon al 1-800-837-4966). Las temperaturas frías también pueden causar roturas principales de agua, que deben comunicarse al WSSC al (301) 206-4002. Y últimamente, reciba avisos sobre las actualizaciones de los servicios de la Ciudad registrándose para alertas de email y texto de Hyattsville en hyattsville.org/stayconnected.

Es una belleza y tan linda... ¡Mire Esparky’s nuevo look! Gracias a Clara Cornelius por el diseño y a Jacki de Image 360 Harford por la instalación. Obtenga más información sobre el camión de basura eléctrico único de la Ciudad en hyattsville.org/sparky

Necesitamos Voluntarios: ¿Busca hacer una diferencia en su comunidad este año? ¡Deje que la Oficina de Servicios de Voluntarios de la Ciudad le encuentre a usted o a su grupo con proyectos de servicio que tengan un impacto en Hyattsville! Voluntarios de todas las edades y habilidades son bienvenidos, tanto si viven en Hyattsville o simplemente quieren prestar una mano de ayuda. Para obtener más información, visite hyattsville.org/volunteer o envíe un email a caistis@hyattsville.org.

Programas, Servicios y Eventos

Desarrollo de Centro de Justicia de Hyattsville: El Personal de la ciudad y la Autoridad de Ingresos del Condado sostendrán una reunión virtual el 13 de enero, a las 7 p.m. para discutir la solicitud de propuestas para el redesarrollo del Centro de Justicia de Hyattsville (5000 Rhode Island Avenue). Regístrese y obtenga más información en hyattsville.org/calendar.

Removimiento de Plantas Invasoras: Acompáñenos el sábado, 15 de enero, de 10 a.m. a 2 p.m., para ayudar a remover las plantas invasoras no nativas de Driskell Park. ¡Las horas de aprendizaje de servicio para estudiantes están disponibles! Puede confirmar si el evento esta cancelado debido al mal clima contactando a Dawn Taft al (240) 487-0290 o dtaft@hyattsville.org. Por favor contacte a Dawn si anticipa llegar tarde.

Servicios de Ciudad para Día Martin Luther King Jr.: Las oficinas y el sitio de pruebas COVID-19 de la Ciudad de Hyattsville estarán cerradas el lunes, 17 de enero para el Día de Martin Luther King Jr. No habrá recolección de residuos de yarda ni de compostaje esa semana. Las rutas de basura regular y reciclaje del Condado no son afectadas.

Día de Servicio MLK: El Alcalde de Hyattsville Kevin Ward, el personal de la Ciudad y la organización Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) se están juntando para un taller virtual interactivo el lunes, 17 de enero, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., para honrar Martin Luther King Jr. y su legado. El taller esta abierto a todas las edades y horas de aprendizaje de servicio para estudiantes estarán disponible. Aprenda más en hyattsville.org/mlkday.

Además, la Ciudad será sostendrá una campaña de donación para colectar bocadillos empaquetados individualmente para apoyar a los estudiantes de Hyattsville. Las cajas de recolección estarán disponibles el lunes, 17 de enero en Driskell Park, el Edificio Municipal, y el Centro LAYC en 6200 Sheridan Street, Riverdale, MD. Más información disponible en hyattsville.org/mlkday.

Clases Gratuitas de Aprendizaje de Ingles: ¡Las clases de exploración de carrera ofrecidas por el Colegio Comunitario Prince George’s están de regreso para un nuevo semestre! Las personas quienes el inglés es su segundo idioma pueden inscribirse para clases de preparación para el trabajo u obtener programas de certificación culinaria y de cuidado infantil. Las clases comienzan el 18 de enero. Para obtener detalles sobre los requisitos y para registrarse, llame al (301) 546- 8350 o envíe un email a boggsrx@pgcc.edu.

Reunión entre Negocios de Febrero: La próxima reunión entre de negocios de Hyattsville tomará plazo el jueves, 3 de febrero de 10 a.m. a 12 p.m. a través de Zoom. Las discusiones de la reunión se enfocarán en la planificación de la continuidad de negocios, además de actualizaciones sobre los recursos locales para la comunidad empresarial de la Ciudad. Detalles en hyattsville.org/roundtable.

Compostando en Hyattsville: ¿Desea comenzar su viaje de compostaje en 2022? ¡Es fácil en la Ciudad de Hyattsville! Sólo tiene que recoger los desperdicios de la cocina y artículos como toallas de papel, café y residuos de yarda en un contenedor seguro y dejar en su acera para el servicio de recolección los lunes por la mañana. ¡Si su hogar no recibe servicios de recolección regular los lunes, traiga sus desperdicios a uno de los contenedores verdes a un parque de la Ciudad! Visite hyattsville.org/compost para obtener una lista de materiales de compostaje aceptados y un breve video para ayudarlo a empezar.

Servicios para Menores

Centro de Jóvenes: El Centro de Jóvenes de Hyattsville ha vuelto temporalmente a la programación virtual hasta por lo menos el 31 de enero. El personal continuará monitoreando las pautas de seguridad de COVID-19 del Condado antes de regresar a la programación y tutoría en persona. Para obtener más información sobre el programa de actividades virtuales, visite hyattsville. org/teen-center.

Días de Minicampamentos: En los días que la escuelas publicas están cerradas, ¡el campamento de Hyattsville esta abierto! La registración para los días de minicampamento el 22 de febrero y 7 de marzo se abre el 19 de enero. Visite hyattsville.org/minicamp para aprender mas y registrar a su menor.

Campamento de Verano: ¡Es hora de empezar a pensar en sus planes de verano! La registración para el Campamento de Verano de Hyattsville se abrirá a las 10 a.m. el 2 de febrero para los residentes de la Ciudad y a las 10 a.m. del 9 de febrero para aquellos que no son residentes de la Ciudad. El campamento está programado a empezar el 27 de junio y terminar el 19 de agosto. El espacio es limitado. El registro para los campamentos se realiza a través de Recdesk - ¡prepárese para el día de registro asegurándose de que la cuenta de su familia este actualizad! Para obtener más información e instrucciones sobre cómo crear una cuenta gratuita de Recdesk, visite hyattsville.org/summercamp.

Servicio para la Tercera Edad

Llame-Al-Bus: ¡El Llame-Al-Bus de la Ciudad para ayudar a las personas de la tercera edad y personas con discapacidades a viajar a citas médicas y tiendas está operando de 9 a.m. a 2 p.m. de lunes a viernes! Para solicitar transporte, llame al (301) 985-5000 antes de las 2 p.m. con al menos un día hábil de anticipación. ¡Las tarifas no se aplican hasta finales de enero!

Programas de la Tercera Edad en Persona: Por favor note que, desde diciembre de 2021, todos los programas, actividades y viajes especiales en persona para personas de la tercera edad están pausados o cancelados debido al reciente aumento en los casos de COVID-19. Para ser notificado cuando los programas vuelvan a comenzar, comuníquese con la Coordinadora de Servicios para personas de la Tercera Edad de la Ciudad, Beryl Johnson, a bjohnson@hyattsville.org o al (301) 985-5058 para ser agregado a la lista de correo para alertas.

She is beauty and she’s grace... Check out Sparky’s new look! Thanks to Clara Cornelius for the design and Jacki at Image360 Harford for the install! Learn more about the City’s one-of-a-kind electric trash truck at hyattsville.org/sparky.

a mixed-use building with 360 apartments and 1,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.

AvalonBay plans to construct the complex on the northwest parking lot at the rear of the mall, between the existing building and Toledo Road. The developer would also demolish a portion of the former JCPenney building. (JCPenney closed the Hyattsville store in 2020.) The remaining portion of the building would be retained for future retail. The apartment building would not have a direct connection to the mall, with a street separating the two buildings. The building design will allow for truck access from Toledo Road, through the center of the AvalonBay development, to underground storage units planned beneath the mall.

AvalonBay submitted an application to the county to subdivide roughly 5 acres from the mall’s 50-acre property, which is owned by Preit MPG, for the new development. The developers anticipate that the Prince George’s County Planning Board will hold a hearing about the preliminary plan of subdivision sometime this February or March. The developers will present additional details about the project to the Hyattsville Planning Committee and to the city council prior to filing a detailed site plan application with the county planning board.

REPLACING SURFACE PARKING

Currently, surface parking is the dominant land use within the area around the mall and the Prince George’s Plaza Metro station. The long-term plan for the area, the 2016 Prince George’s Plaza Transit District Development Plan, envisions a walkable, transit-oriented com-

munity around the Metro station, including the area around the mall. The transit district plan calls for green development to replace “the bleak asphalt of expansive parking lots.”

The AvalonBay development would join two previously approved developments in replacing surface parking lots with housing near the Prince George’s Plaza Metro station. Perseus TDC plans to construct a building with 316 apartments and 2,052 feet of ground-floor retail space at 6400 America Boulevard, north of East-West Highway, between Belcrest Road and America Boulevard. The Dewey Property development will replace surface parking and previously undeveloped land with 682 apartments and 168 condos in several multifamily buildings. The Dewey Property, located north of Toledo Road, between Belcrest Road and Adelphi Road, will include retail space and also be the site of the county’s Nine Ponds stormwater management facility.

NO AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLANNED

Hyattsville’s affordable housing action plan, its community sustainability plan and the county’s transit district plan all include goals for building and preserving affordable housing; despite this, none of the projects proposed in the Prince George’s Plaza Transit District, including the 6400 America Boulevard project, the Dewey Property and the Landy Property, will actually build affordable housing.

Like the other projects proposed for the transit district, AvalonBay plans to build only market-rate housing. When asked about including affordable apartments, Tom Haller, an attorney representing AvalonBay at the Dec. 6 presentation, clarified that the project is a market-rate project, not

an affordable housing project. He later explained that, based on market research and the target market for the location of the new building, AvalonBay intends to design the building and apartments “targeted toward the upper 20s- and 30ssomething market, people that would be interested in living in a more urban retail environment within walking distance to the Metro station.”

The mayor and numerous city councilmembers encouraged the developers to explore ways to include affordable apartments in the project. When the developers explained that the proposed building would be only five stories tall, Councilmember Ben Simasek (Ward 3) pointed out that the transit district plan permitted buildings up to 16 stories on the site: “It does seem like the extra 11 stories that are permitted here could be an opportunity to create some additional space for affordable housing.”

DEVELOPERS PROPOSE ELIMINATING BIKE LANES

The transit district plan calls for a network of complete and

green streets in the area near the Metro station. Complete streets are designed to ensure that all people using the road, including pedestrians, cyclists, public transit riders and motorists, can travel safely. Green streets include environmental features to reduce the impacts of stormwater runoff. The transit district plan recommends a number of upgrades for the portion of Toledo Road near the proposed AvalonBay development, including widening the street to provide two travel lanes for motor vehicles, on-road bike lanes, and curbside parking on both sides of the street. Wide, tree-lined sidewalks would also be installed. The plan also rec-

ommends siting the buildings close to the street.

Instead, AvalonBay proposes to bypass the recommendations for both bike lanes and all of the curbside parking. The developers propose to wait for the future development of the Belcrest Plaza Apartments, to the north of Toledo Road, and then possibly add one westbound bike lane and one curbside parking lane along the northern side of the street. The county will evaluate AvalonBay’s proposed changes to the transit district plan.

The AvalonBay building would be the first project to redevelop Toledo Road in the transit district west of Belcrest Road. So the county’s decision regarding the developer’s proposed changes to the street design could have broader implications for the transit district. Consistent with the transit district plan, Toledo Road east of Belcrest Road is already slated to have on-road bike lanes added, as part of the development at 6400 America Boulevard. AvalonBay noted that their proposed changes to the transit district plan will go through further review. Ken Dunn of Soletz, an engineering firm involved in the project, stressed that they are working with the city and county to ensure that everyone is comfortable with the road design, and that the developers “want a safe bike and pedestrian experience for everybody involved.”

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AvalonBay Communities, Inc. plans to construct a new building on the parking lot at the rear of the Mall at Prince George’s; the developer would also demolish a portion of the former JCPenney building. HEATHER WRIGHT

Auryn Quartet returns for last

By Kit Slack

On the temperate evening of Oct. 6, 2021, pairs of Hyattsville residents stood quietly, six feet apart, in a loose line that unraveled down the steps of the First Baptist Church on 42nd Avenue.

A brightly lit sign flashed next to us as we waited, saying, in an alternating paradox, “All are welcome,” and “playground closed.”

A wide shaft of light came through the open door of the church. The sound of violins warming up came out too, faint as the fall crickets.

The brightness of the light shocked us when we came into the wide, white church sanctuary. Caution tape closed off every other pew.

Masked, distanced and dutifully cautious, we found our places and sat on the long red cushions of the dark open pews.

We were there to see one last concert of the Auryn Quartet, which has played in Hyattsville every few years since the late 1980s.

The string quartet, formed in 1981, took the name Auryn from the magical protective amulet in the 1979 German novel “The Neverending Story.” In the novel, the Auryn is a circular piece of jewelry made of two snakes that form an endless knot, swallowing each other’s tails.

The original members of the quartet have been together for 40 years. They are Andreas Arndt (cello), Stewart Eaton (viola), Matthias Lingenfelder and Jens Oppermann (both violin). They are retiring in 2021.

After an introduction from their longtime local patroness and friend Gloria Felix-Thompson (see “Cultural Connections,” p. 5), the four musicians filed in to applause — and looked pleased, if a little battered. Their black suits were dusty in the bright light, but the black buttons on their black shirts shone.

They sat down, no further apart than a string quartet of the beforetimes, and began to play together, unmasked.

On the program that night were string quartets Nos. 14 and 15, written by Franz Schubert, a famous songwriter in his time. He was Austrian, like Felix-Thompson. He died in 1828, at the age of 31, and was in the midst of a long illness when these quartets were composed.

Schubert’s last quartet, the 15th, came first.

It was a shock to hear music live, the tremolo (a technique that shakes the bow along the string) as real as the buzz of the crickets we had just heard outside, and much louder. The theme passed

effortlessly between these men who had been making music together for nine years longer than Schubert had lived.

As they finished the movement on a slippery, lulling decrescendo we sat silent, and noticed they’d been playing over the ambient noise of an air-conditioning fan, presumably running to keep us safe from each other.

A cello sings out near the beginning of the second movement, an andante. Arndt, the handsome white-haired cellist, had a fleshcolored eye patch over his left eye, and peered over thick reading glasses to catch the eye of the first violinist, Lingenfelder.

Pizzicato (plucked strings) clipped through the piece like the footsteps of a horse through the brooding, adventurous music. Near the end, the music sped up into a train ride through open country, with violist Eaton chucking in time, and Oppermann joining Arndt and Lingenfelder in crying out at the beauty of the landscape flying by.

I won’t tire you out by trying to put the last two movements of the quartet into words.

I will tell you, though, that when we got to intermission, my husband ran home to rouse our 10-year-old cellist out of bed and bring her back to hear Schubert’s most famous string quartet, No. 14 in D minor, known as “Death

and the Maiden.”

That piece began somber and familiar, with rhythmic unison and tonal complexity. The second movement was singer-songwriter sad, with the violin weeping through gypsy high notes and the cello answering in pizzicato before ending in a death march.

A short, shouting third movement, and then on to the final presto: The last movement was incredibly catchy, a cross between a pop song and a call to arms. My maiden (our 10-year-old)

had sat forward for the first movement and sunk back in my arms for the second; she was now bopping in her seat.

As we neared the end, the first violinist slowed down into a keeningly poignant, uncertain repetition of the theme, and the other three instruments rallied round, like three reflective and thoughtful listeners. They reminded me of my maiden’s wonderful uncles. There was a standing ovation, of course. A white rose for each player.

And we sighed with happiness as they retook their seats for an encore. “Schubert and Schubert is not enough,” said Lingenfelder. “We play another Schubert, Quartettsatz in C minor.”

“For Gloria,” said Arnst, with a big smile.

We listened, and then we left, exultant; what a wonderful gift to hear music like that, blocks from your home, for $10 tickets, in the second October of a pandemic. Our maiden has been practicing a lot, ever since.

MISS FLORIBUNDA ed the primroses in my garden, they never rebloomed in February but waited until April when I have lots of other yellow flowers and don’t need them. So I’m wondering if you could ask Wendy Wildflower, who has the four-season garden, for recommendations. Don’t suggest February Gold daffodils. I have some of those, and they don’t bloom till March.

Let’s give a big bellow for yellow

Dear Miss Floribunda, I haven’t heard anything so far this year about the Hyattsville Horticultural Society seed sale, which used to take place the first Saturday in February. There are, however, rumors that seeds might be obtainable from HHS at a later date. That’s nice, but I hate to miss the whole social event as well as the chance to take home some of the pots of primroses always used as table decorations.

Funny, but it was the yellow ones I always bought. I guess by February I’m starved for sunlight, and golden-yellow flowers seem to be a good substitute. Though I always plant-

Longing for Yellow on Longfellow Street

Dear Longing for Yellow,

Unfortunately, the Hyattsville Municipal Center, the usual venue for the February Hyattsville Horticultural Society

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(HHS) seed sale, is still unavailable for public meetings. However, this doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to buy seeds from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange and the Charles C. Hart Seed Company relatively soon. It is my understanding that seeds have been ordered, and you can contact the chair of the HHS seed committee, Julie Wolf (wolfj1000@ gmail.com) for a list. I’m sorry, but pots of yellow primroses won’t be available.

In the meantime, I have peeked into Wendy Wildflower’s garden and seen some feathery sprays of golden cypress and the climbing Euonymus fortunei Variegatus, whose leaves are edged with a soft gold. Euonymus, while a good climber, can be invasive as a ground cover, and you would have to keep it in bounds.

I greatly admire Wendy’s Aucuba japonica shrub, Gold Dust, which looks much less dusty than splattered with vibrant flashes of yellow. Among her winter-flowering shrubs are Chinese witch hazel, Hamamelis mollis, which can have yellow blooms as early as January when days are mild, and winter jasmine, Jasminum nudiflorum, which blooms in radiant cascades in

early February. It also comes from China, where it is called Yingchun, “the flower that welcomes spring.” I asked Wendy about native witch hazel choices and learned that while Hamamelis virginiana blooms in fall rather than winter, our Hamamelis vernalis does bloom in winter, even in January. In addition, it is more fragrant than the Chinese varieties as well as ecologically a better choice. Wendy tells me her whiteblooming camellias have yellow stamens and reminds me that white as well as yellow in the winter garden lifts the spirits. Our mutual neighbor Capability Green plants both white and yellow pansies next to the foundation of her house in fall. The warmth of her house keeps them flowering brightly even in the dead of winter. Of course, in spring they continue blooming till the heat of summer comes. Although Wendy doesn’t include ivy in her garden because it can become invasive, I feel compelled to let you know that the yellow-leaved Hedera colchica Sulphur Heart and Hedera helix Goldheart are effective and easy as ground covers. I asked Wendy what golden flowers planted from bulbs are the first to appear in her garden, and she reminded me that I have often admired her winter aco, when

it begins blooming in late January/early February. She has a cheerful expanse of it near her gate, and it always brightens the day of all those who pass by. It doesn’t need to be replanted but naturalizes easily, and can thrive under trees.

Before the daffodils of March and April brighten our days, you can enjoy the snowdrops and early crocus of February. The snow crocus, Crocus chrysanthus, bloom well before the Dutch crocus of early spring. You can limit yourself to the yellow varieties, such as Goldilocks and Romance, but the mauve, white and purple blooms sport prominent stamens of bright yellow. The snow crocus has the advantage of naturalizing, so you will have more and more each year — squirrels permitting, of course.

I have noticed that among Wendy’s more somber purple, rose and mahogany-red Lenten roses (Helleborus orientalis), there smiles a chartreuse-yellow variety. This is the Corsican hellebore, Helleborus argutifolius, and it has an extraordinarily long blooming period. It starts blooming in February and continues till June if in shade.

I am sorry we can’t welcome you to a gathering next month, but please keep an eye on the HHS website, hyattsvillehorticulture.org, for information on seed purchase and social events.

Miss Floribunda writes about gardens. Email questions to floribundav@ gmail.com.

ZERO WASTE OF TIME

How to declutter your home in the new year (and beyond)

By Juliette Fradin

Is decluttering one of your New Year’s resolutions?

I always feel the urge to purge and declutter to start a new year with a clean slate. Even more so, after months of the four of us living under one roof almost all of the time. As the weather has gotten colder — and the kids are back in virtual learning — we’re spending more time inside. The holidays also brought more stuff into our home again. So, inevitably, I feel overwhelmed and crave clarity — especially after another pandemic year. I need a new year’s overhaul of my belongings.

To clear your space (and your mind), the best first step is to sort and get rid of things before you even start to organize. Otherwise, all you’ll do is move clutter around. You want to keep only what you use, need and love. Try not to own more than one of something, especially in the kitchen, and dispose of any duplicates.

In the end, you’ll have less mess to clean up, and you’ll be able to find the stuff you do have more easily. You will think twice before buying things you don’t need and save money by doing so. The less you have, the less organizing you have to do.

For many of us, the most difficult part is just getting started. During the pandemic, I tackled the pantry, where I store

my cloth bags, jars, cookbooks and knickknacks. Pantry items aren’t very sentimental, so making decisions about them is pretty straightforward — mismatched lids for food containers are easy to deal with.

A quick win at the start can give you momentum to stick with the work, so pick a space or category you can declutter quickly that would have a big impact (bathroom? underwear drawer?) or an area that brings you the most stress (kitchen counters? junk drawer?).

There are different methods for doing this, and you can choose an approach that fits your personality and available time.

If you have limited time and the right mindset, you can choose the extreme declutter method, where you work on each room, one after the other, over a weekend. You can do it by yourself or with the help of a partner or friend, but if you’re working in a team, it’s important to be respectful of the items that don’t belong to you — you cannot make decluttering decisions for other people. If you have kids, ask someone to watch them so you can run your declutter marathon without interruptions.

If this turns out to be too much, pick just one room and stick to it. The common clutter culprits are typically closets and pantries, or the kitchen or bathroom. A bedroom is also a good space to address in the

beginning, since you want that space to be calming and restful, not filled with clutter on your dresser or nightstands. The garage and basement tend to be the last spaces to tackle, as they are filled with the stuff that is often the most sentimental, and we can have a harder time letting go of those items.

Or if you need to start slow, do it over a month. On the first day, get rid of one thing; on the second day, two things, and so on. If you start on the first day of February, for example, you will remove a total of 406 items from your house by Feb. 28. You can also commit to decluttering for a chunk of time each day, like 20 minutes. This approach is great if you have specific areas to work on, like cabinets or drawers.

For example, go through your closet and remove all the clothes that no longer fit or you haven’t worn in the last six months. You need to be consistent with it, though.

Lastly, you’ve probably heard about the Marie Kondo method, where you work on one category, like clothes or books, at a time. A little while ago,

I used this method, gathering all the toys we had in our house in a big pile in the living room. I was shocked to realize how many toys we owned. But it was liberating to keep only one-third of that pile and donate as much of the rest as I could.

Make five piles when you’re sorting items: trash, recycling, donations, sell and fix/mend. After your decluttering session, responsibly dispose of what no longer serves you, so it doesn’t all end up in a landfill.

MOM’s Organic Market, in College Park, will take your old shoes, cell phones, batteries, eye glasses, natural cork, holiday lights (until Jan. 31) — and even real oyster shells!

Donate basic necessities (think underwear and socks), clothing or toiletries to homeless shelters or people in need in your community.

Check the Hyattsville city website for electronics and paint recycling days, or take those items to the Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill, in Upper Marlboro.

Join the Barter and Trade or Buy Nothing groups on Face-

book to rehome some of your stuff.

Sell on Facebook marketplace or simply drop unwanted items that are in good condition on your curbside.

Community Forklift will happily accept any building materials, and they are doing limited large-item pickups during the pandemic.

Try to reuse as much as possible: Turn old towels into rags and use them in lieu of paper towels, and save glass jars for bulk shopping and storage.

If you need support and accountability for your decluttering efforts, start a group with like-minded people and post pictures of your before-and-afters. Organize a swap — and let me know about it! While you’re making more space in your home and your life, you might also be making new friends — and you may very well achieve your other goals for 2022, too.

Juliette Fradin writes about sustainability for the Hyattsville Life & Times

The Victorian home: fussy or fabulous?

By Randy Fletcher

If you’re preparing to sell your home, a real estate agent will almost certainly recommend that you declutter and depersonalize the space first. Realtors say that homebuyers like to envision how their furnishings could fit into the environment, and too much clutter gets in the way of that.

Recently, on a drive through historic Hyattsville, I wondered how our old painted ladies and Victorian ginger boxes would have been decorated at the peak of the Victorian era. Would a home seller back then declutter and depersonalize these beauties to improve their market value? Somehow, I doubt it.

Decorating your home during Victorian times meant bringing it on, bringing it in, and pumping up the volume all the way — not an inch of interior real estate was spared. The Victorians developed a taste for opulence, hungering for the exotic and unusual in their homes. Their world was fast expanding and, through trade, the far-flung corners of the globe were coming to them; it was a time of expansive creativity and innovation.

During that time, newly burgeoning technology made mass production possible, and luxuries became affordable and accessible to almost everyone. No longer was having the latest and greatest just for the wealthy; now, average people could be on-trend too. In a show of their growing wealth and emerging social status, Victorians emulated the aristocracy by filling their homes — to the brim — with furnishings, textiles, accessories, and curiosities.

A bare room seemed to show a lack of taste, and “more is more” became the motto of the times. Charles Eastlake, a leading British architect and interior designer, even implied

that minimalism would lead to madness. His bestselling book Hints on Household Taste became the bible of correctness for everything from color scheme to wallpaper. While the Victorian era takes its name from Queen Victoria, who ruled the U.K. from 1837 to 1901, there’s no single Victorian look. With inspiration going as far back as the Greeks and Romans, Victorian interior design was a cacophony of styles, often combined to provide a romantic, richly layered look, dripping with ornament. Victorian furniture tended to be overstuffed, oversized, adorned with tassels and tufting, and placed close together. These plush pieces were often upholstered in sensuous fabrics like velvet and damask. Colorful rugs and tapestries, jewel-toned paint, richly textured wallpaper and layered window treatments accented rooms. It was a look of opulence and excess. You could say the Victorian home straddled a fine line between cozy and overcrowded. Dead animals and insects intrigued Victorians, who — in high contrast to our modern tastes — displayed them proudly. Upon its demise, the family pet often visited the taxi-

dermist and returned home, stuffed. In this way, the family memorialized a much loved pet, while practicing what was then an art form — another way to zhuzh up the parlor. This trend even carried over into women’s fashion. Wearing fur was becoming popular, and it wasn’t uncommon to see a fashionable Victorian woman sporting around her neck a fox stole, legs and head intact, chomping down on its tail. It was also considered chic to dress up one’s hat with feathers — and why use just one feather when you could use an entire dead bird?

Today’s minimalists would probably suffer from a claustrophobic attack upon entering a richly decorated Victorian home. The lush textures and colors would be an assault on the senses. I personally like the dramatic décor of the period; I find it more interesting and cozy than the minimalist aesthetic. Modern-day hoarders would also feel quite at home in these overstuffed rooms with every available surface decorated with knick knacks, curios and tchotchkes. Maybe I verge on a hoarding mentality? I do wonder, however, how any cleaning got done in the Victorian home. It must have taken an army of housemaids to remove the dust.

That said, if I had a Victorian home to put on the market today, I would probably take my realtor’s advice and hide the curio collections, tone down the paint color, and definitely remove any stuffed animals standing guard at the parlor entrance.

“Then & Now” is a column about houses and history in the Hyattsville area.

things,” Washington said.

In addition to observing that their kids can get distracted while using their Chromebooks, some parents have reported that their kids are more absorbed in them than in other activities that were previously appealing.

“My child is on a screen a lot,” noted Meghan Simpson, a member of the Hollywood Elementary PTA, whose child is a second grader at the school. “Screens are now his go-to, rather than looking at a book, playing with Legos, drawing, going outside. … They are the norm.”

Simpson noted, though, that some of the games and apps preinstalled on Chromebooks can help with learning.

“A good amount of my child’s curriculum seems to entail districtapproved apps,” Simpson wrote. “They offer an element of gamification that can be fun for kids. … They also provide constant feedback and encouragement.”

Simpson acknowledged that some Chromebook learning tools may be frustrating and difficult to master, particularly for younger students.

past summer and will receive the balance in summer 2022. The city must allocate these funds by the end of 2024 and spend them by Dec. 31, 2026.

In an interview with the Hyattsville Life & Times, Hyattsville American Rescue Plan Program Manager Patrick Paschall, who gave the Dec. 20 presentation, emphasized a people-first approach towards distributing the money, a targeted approach that aims to support those most financially impacted by the pandemic. Paschall, who started as program manager in October 2021, said the city plans to launch public information campaigns and hold discussion sessions with residents throughout January about how to best serve the needs of the community.

“It is important for us to recognize both the opportunity we have here for big-picture, long-term change and the obligation we have here for urgent community

relief,” said Paschall. “What are the emergency relief packages that the people in our community need? How can the city use this once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvest back into our community in a way that puts people first? Balancing those needs is probably going to be the biggest challenge that we experience in managing the rescue plan.”

Paschall served as a Ward 3 Hyattsville city councilmember from 2013-2017. He is a civil rights attorney with expertise in LGBTQ anti-discrimination policies. In 2013, Paschall sponsored and helped enact Hyattsville’s first anti-discrimatinon law for transgender people in employment, housing and realestate transactions, and public accommodations. A Democrat, he is running in the June 28 election for a seat in Maryland’s House of Delegates.

At the beginning of this new year, however, Paschall’s — and the city’s — main focus is on establishing an administrative base and contracting legal services to

assist in navigating the ARPA fund guidelines.

Hyattsville can only use the funds to cover pandemic-related costs incurred after March 3, 2021, with exceptions for direct assistance to households, assistance to small businesses and nonprofits, and for retroactive premium pay.

Eligible categories of uses for ARPA funds include providing public health services like COVID-19 vaccinations; upgrading water and sewage lines; improving broadband access; hiring workers to manage the city’s ARPA account; and replacing expected revenues that were lost as a result of the shutdown.

After setting up an administrative base, the city will focus on creating blueprints for vaccination incentives; food, housing and insurance premium assistance programs; and small business and nonprofit assistance programs. Paschall said he expects that the council will discuss the application process for these programs by late March. Paschall hopes to have online applications up and run-

ning by late spring, but stressed that nothing is set in stone.

The council then plans to shift its focus to long-term needs, like sewage system upgrades. The timeline projects that ARPA funds would allow the city to begin a number of studies — a business retention and engagement study, and an updated transportation study — by the first quarter of 2023.

The city has already allocated approximately $2.5 million in ARPA funds, with about $600,000 going towards the city’s general funds to pay off previous council-approved expenditures, including replacing the Hyattsville Municipal Building’s HVAC system, that fall in line with ARPA guidelines. Other allocations include $550,200 for grants/donations, $500,000 for contracted services, $450,000 to cover IT expenses, $272,800 for professional services, $110,000 for salaries and benefits, and $10,000 for supplies. Collin Riviello was an intern with the Hyattsville

“For instance, a simple math lesson might ask a child to solve 10 plus two,” she said. “To do this, the child must drag 10 red icons to and two blue icons to certain places, using the mousepad or touch screen, to show that 10 plus two equals 12. Or, kids might need to use the mousepad or screen to write … which feels unnatural.” She added, “It seems to me that kids might be better off using a pencil and paper for many tasks in school.”

Souna shared a similar concern. “I just think it’s gone too far,” she said. “I get the feeling that they’re not doing enough handwritten work. My son is only in the second grade; he needs to be practicing his handwriting and written expression, and instead they are doing typing.”

Souna noted, too, that her son’s in-person classroom experience is heavily influenced by technology, and she pointed out that students are allowed to use their Chromebooks during indoor recess and at after-school care.

“What’s been disappointing is that they’re still using the Chromebooks a lot, even though they’re in person,” she said. “I just wish they would just leave them at the school. I want the kids to be able to put them aside for part of the day; it’s like this new attachment. I know I have trouble resisting my phone and the temptation to check emails. If I’m an adult, and I have trouble, you can’t expect a child to handle that.”

The classic Victorian parlor SHUTTERSTOCK

Community Park and, most recently, the creation of an outdoor event space, The Spot.

Hyattsville mayors are parttime city employees. In his day job, Ward works as a director of technology for KIPP DC, which runs 20 charter schools in the District.

RESOLUTIONS FOR 2022

Asked what he’d like to do differently in 2022, Ward said he wishes he could focus less on the pandemic. “But that’s not happening, because everyone’s not doing what they are supposed to.”

He hopes in 2022 to find ways to be less reactive, and see more initiatives through from start to finish. “Execution is everything. It really doesn’t matter what you do for someone if you do it poorly. For me, it’s about having a comprehensive approach to solve common problems that extends beyond treating them as discrete issues.”

Ward’s priorities for 2022 include affordable housing, adult education, and services for youth and seniors.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

The HL&T asked the mayor several questions from residents about affordable housing.

Ward says he is looking to patch the gap between housing prices and the housing needs of “all the people we’ve been talking about the last 21 months — nurses, policemen, firemen.”

While Ward lived in affordable housing as a child, he has also worked in finance. He said he understands that developers typically cannot find financing for projects

that include much affordable housing.

“I say it this way to my staff, ‘How might we work on the financing problem? How can the city intercede and work with the county and the state?’” He looks for well-researched approaches that include mechanisms that the city can control.

Ward is interested in developing an affordable housing fund from which developers can take loans — an independent nonprofit. He said his dream would be to buy four- and eight-plexes and keep them affordable.

Ward said negotiating directly with developers sometimes makes sense. He gave the example of the AvalonBay development, an apartment complex planned for a parking lot immediately behind the Mall at Prince George’s (see p. 1).

The developers presented to the city council in December 2021. Ward says he typically asks questions of presenters before meetings. However, in this case, he asked a question in the meeting to make a public point: Since the developers are a private equity fund, financing themselves, he believes they can and should set aside apartments for affordable housing. Ward contends that rather than planning for some level of vacancy, they should plan affordable units.

Ward mentioned a number of affordable housing strategies that he doesn’t support, including tax credits, which he said can be sold rather than used for building locally, and rent control. He said that he has seen for himself that rent control can cause buildings to fall into disrepair.

In response to a Hyattsville tenant, who pointed to affordable housing requirements for developers in Montgomery

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County and the District, Ward said Maryland is a countystrong state, and Hyattsville has to lobby the county on development rules.

“I have a philosophy called bringing solutions,” Ward said. “We bring solutions to the county. What we’ve seen in the past four years is that the county council and the district council have not been amenable to what we’ve requested. That makes it hard. That is a drain on our resources, and it’s a drain on the taxpayer when we go to court.”

WERRLEIN PROPERTIES

Speaking of lawsuits, a resident of Longfellow Street asked why the city did not publicly oppose Werrlein Properties’ redevelopment of a vacant property adjacent to Driskell Park and why the city’s active code enforcement staff had not cited Werrlein for violations of city code.

“I don’t know how you get more public than going to court,” Ward said with a smile. “Theatrics are not my personality. I’m not going to be a blowhard and go on Twitter.”

According to Ward, the city’s code enforcement and permitting staff have been very active in Werrlein’s Suffrage Point development. “When we see it, we cite it,” he said. However, while the city can issue fines, “the county is the only one who can issue a stop work order,” he added.

Ward said the county has been more aggressive about enforcement at the Werrlein site in the past few years. City staff have been working hard on aggregating complaints and asking the county what the plan is for addressing them.

“I think it’s important for people to understand where we sit. If this were a family dinner, we’d be at the kids’ table.”

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TREE CANOPY

A member of Hyattsville’s advisory Shade Tree Board described a development planned for 12 wooded acres near Northwestern High School, the Clay Property. She asked what could be done to ensure a 150foot wooded buffer between existing homes and the planned townhouses, as well as “what can be done to make sure that the replacement trees that the developer is required to plant get planted in Hyattsville.” According to a county analysis of the developers’ plan, developers will preserve 2 acres of forest onsite and conserve 4 acres offsite in order to satisfy the county’s woodland conservation requirements.

Ward said that in this case, the city has consistently asked for a wooded buffer of at least 150 feet between existing homes and the new townhouses. However, the developer is not obligated to comply.

While Ward said he understands that people don’t want to be told what to do with their trees — “that’s why people love and hate HOAs [homeowners associations]”

— he said that over the past 15 years, he has come to understand the critical role of tree canopies in combating climate change.

He added that he will look into whether there was a way to get the developer to plant the required replacement trees in Hyattsville.

CRIME

Another resident expressed concern about crime in the city, citing recent violent incidents and mentioning a potentially understaffed police force. Ward offered balanced reassurance. “We are making progress,” he said. While much crime is random, “people don’t know about the crimes we’ve thwarted.”

state roads like the East-West Highway.

Ward noted, however, that “bisecting arteries are going to have traffic as we become a more and more attractive locale.”

Ward said he prefers comprehensive traffic studies to spot-traffic studies, though he also thinks Hyattsville’s 2018 transportation study may be outdated.

SENIORS

A representative from Hyattsville Aging in Place asked about Ward’s priorities for seniors. Ward supports comprehensive, multigenerational services.

He believes the city should maintain a list of vulnerable seniors, and hopes to build a citizen emergency response team to help seniors in crisis.

Other services Ward supports include exercise classes, adult education and book clubs. Ward imagines programming that would bring together Hyattsville youth and seniors, allowing each group to teach the other new skills.

HOW TO GET CITY HELP

A member of Hyattsville’s resident-organized email group, HOPE, wanted to know whether Ward reads group conversations about issues like loose dogs and loud cars.

While Ward said he does read the HOPE daily digest, he encourages residents to reach out directly through citysponsored channels like info@ hyattsville.org, noting that these channels, managed by city staff, are open to everyone and carefully monitored.

SHOES

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Ward also noted that the police department is nearly fully staffed, and that he has an immense amount of faith in the department’s new leadership.

TRAFFIC ON EASTWEST ARTERIALS

A Jefferson Street resident asked what could be done to slow and reduce traffic. Citing Jefferson Street, specifically, Ward said the city had approved a traffic calming initiative that should go into effect in the spring. He also noted that the city is working to remove Jefferson Street and Queensbury Road from directional navigational tools, which could route out-of-town traffic to larger

Finally, a resident of the Historic District asked about Ward’s shoes, a topic we have covered before. Ward said that he has more than 800 pairs of sneakers, which he keeps in a storage locker that he visits several times a month.

“I love sneakers. I’ve always loved sneakers.”

Growing up, he wanted Jordan 1 Chicago shoes but couldn’t afford them. Once he could, he started buying. A fan of urban streetwear, he wears sneakers with everything, including suits.

He said he wears them not so much to show off as to pay homage to where he came from.

Have a question for the mayor, or someone else you think we should talk to for this new series of interviews with city staff? Email your question or suggestion to kit@hyattsvillelife.com.

Councilmembers work to improve traffic safety

By Sophie Gorman Oriani Hyattsville’s

councilmembers are taking action to reduce traffic dangers in the city.

According to a Hyattsville City Police Department Facebook post, a bicyclist was struck by a car near the intersection of Queens Chapel Road and Lancer Drive on Nov. 19, 2021. Two years earlier, a cyclist was hit and killed just two blocks south, at the intersection of Queens Chapel Road and Hamilton Street.

In August 2021, a pedestrian who was crossing Ager Road near the West Hyattsville Metro station was hit and killed by a car. According to the local news outlet WDVM, Prince George’s County had the highest number of pedestrian deaths in the Washington metro area in 2020; almost 40% of Maryland’s pedestrian deaths took place in the county.

In 2020, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks launched Vision Zero Prince George’s as “a countywide strategy to eliminate traffic-related serious injuries and deaths by 2040,” accord-

ing to the initiative’s website. The Vision Zero plan combines road and transportation design strategies with driver, cyclist and pedestrian education.

The plan ranks the stretch of Belcrest Road between Adelphi Road and East-West Highway as the 9th most dangerous among countyowned roads. This stretch, which is in Ward 2, saw 21 severe injuries to bicyclists or pedestrians between 2015 and 2018.

In an effort to make city streets safer, Councilmember Danny Schaible (Ward 2) has organized the HVL Street Design Team, which is recruiting members to join brainstorming sessions. Schaible described the initiative in the November/ December 2021 edition of his newsletter, the Schaible Scoop.

Joseph Solomon and Rommel Sandino (Ward 5) have hosted a number of meetings with residents to discuss concerns around traffic and safety.

In a Dec. 16, 2021, phone interview, Sandino said residents shared concerns about vehicles cutting through residential neighborhoods, speeding and

ignoring signals and signs.

Solomon and Sandino held a September meeting on Gallatin Street, behind the Bestway grocery store, to listen to residents’ traffic concerns. The city’s 2018 transportation study specified that that stretch of Gallatin Street had insufficient parking.

At an October 2021 meeting on Lancer Drive, dozens of residents gathered with city employees, including representatives from the police, code enforcement and public works departments, and both Ward 5 councilmembers to discuss their concerns. One Hyattsville police officer watched in amazement, during the meeting, as cars failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection of Lancer Drive and 35th Place, despite the presence of a police car and multiple uniformed officers.

Sandino said that the public works and police departments are gathering data on crashes and traffic flow in the areas of Gallatin Street and Lancer Drive, and will consider installing temporary or experimental traffic-calming measures.

The 2018 Hyattsville Transportation Study recommends a number of measures to increase safety in the city. Installing a traffic light at the intersection of Lancer Drive and Queens Chapel Road is listed as one of the 20 highest priority projects. Queens Chapel is a state road, so the city has to engage with the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration to address any concerns.

Sandino also mentioned several projects aimed at improving ease of travel in the area, including improved signage at the Riverfront at West Hyattsville Metro and the newly painted bike lanes on Ager Road. Sandino also said that the city is hoping to reach an agreement with the State of Maryland for the city to take ownership of the stretch of Hamilton Street between 38th Avenue and Queens Chapel. On Dec. 20, 2021, the city council voted to hire Pennoni, a consulting engineering firm, to evaluate the stretch of road and propose improvements. The evaluation could cost up to $100,000.

The 2018 Hyattsville Transportation Study lists installing a traffic light at the intersection of Lancer Drive and Queens Chapel Road as one of the 20 highest priority projects.

KYLE HEFLINGER