08-2022 College Park Here & Now

Big changes have been proposed for Greenbelt. P.9

Primary voting results are in; voters express concerns over process. P.12

College Park steps up in a time of need

By Sam Draddy

When a large storm ravaged College Park on July 12, residents of Attick Towers lost power. To make matters worse, downed trees on cars surrounding the senior living apartments on Rhode Island Avenue made it hard for residents to leave or even have essentials delivered. According to the National Weather Service, winds in the College Park area reached speeds of up to 90 mph. The storm caused major damage throughout the city, totaling cars, damaging homes and leaving countless residents and businesses without power. Several local organizations stepped up to ensure that residents of Attick Towers were safe.

City council grapples with plan to install 5G antennas

By Jon Meltzer

College Park councilmembers, joined both virtually and in-person by city residents at a meeting on June 28, asked telecommunications contractors tough questions about installation of new 5G antennas around the city. James Crane, a communications and public safety expert with the Columbia Telecommunications Corporation (CTC), led a presentation on the planned expansion of 5G

College Park recuperates from devastating storm

By Jon Meltzer

Heavy rain and tornado-level winds ripped through College Park on July 12, leaving behind a rash of utility outages and broad swaths of debris for city crews and residents alike to deal with.

“The department of public works estimates that several hundred trees came down during the storm,” said

Assistant City Manager Bill Gardiner, adding that it took about 10 days for all of them to be removed from public rights of way. Prince George’s County and the cities of Hyattsville, Laurel and Rockville sent crews and equipment to support College Park’s recovery efforts, he added.

Gardiner estimated that the cost to the city would be about $750,000. This

estimate does not include damage to private property; those costs land squarely on the shoulders of homeowners and, in some cases, their insurance companies.

Pepco’s online outage map indicated that the storm left many hundreds of households in College Park without power, and residents’ social media

Vio and Boyd Conley stand by the house they built which was destroyed in the July 12 storm. MARK GOODSON

COLLEGE PARK WILD

Citizens of the (natural) world

By Rick Borchelt

Conservationists say it so often that it may seem trite, but it is entirely true that if you don’t know what biodiversity you have, you can’t know if it’s in trouble — and you won’t know how to save it. Citizen science — activities and reporting done by regular community members — helps researchers and the rest of us understand and appreciate the natural world we live in. And we have a host of great apps at our

fingertips that can let anyone record the wild in College Park.

Want to know if coyotes have been documented in the city?

There’s an app for that! (And the answer is that they’re not yet here, at least not officially, although coyotes have been reported in nearby Beltsville and Greenbelt.)

Want to know if that spider lurking in your wood pile is a venomous black widow or a harmless common house spider? There’s an app for that! (and in College Park, there have

Managing Editor Mark Goodson mark@hyattsvillelife.com

been four recent black widow sightings.)

Want to know if that plant that popped up along your drive and gave your kids a rash is poison oak? There’s an app for that! (And if you’re in College Park, the answer is no; we have poison ivy but not poison oak.)

The iNaturalist app (available at inaturalist.org) offers up all this information — and a whole lot more. And the app’s a terrific way for anyone and everyone to get involved in identifying, appreciating and conserving

Advertising Sales Manager

Miranda Goodson

the wild in College Park.

This handy app was the brainchild of master’s students at UC Berkeley and launched in 2008; it’s now a joint initiative of the National Geographic Society and the California Academy of Sciences. More than a million natural history observers worldwide have logged in and recorded their observations; all you need is a mobile phone to use the app, which is free.

cent) picture with your cell phone (or with a regular camera and download it to your mobile or computer) and log it on iNat.

Answer a few quick questions about when and where you found the specimen (if your mobile doesn’t automatically provide that information with the photo), and voila! — up pops a menu of possible IDs for your mystery life form.

You can use iNat’s information feature to see pictures and read about each candidate species, and then select the one that best fits the species you found.

When you think you’ve identified your species, share your sighting to create a temporary report. Experts will review your finding and may even offer their two cents about what the species is. If they endorse your identification and the picture is good enough, your report will be rated research grade and become part of a scientific database of verified worldwide observations.

Or let’s say you want to know where to find a pugnacious leafcutter bee (yes, it’s a thing). You could go to iNat and click on the explore feature. Type in the thing you want to see (pugnacious leafcutter bee) and where you want to see it (College Park, Md.), and you’ll find that the legendary Vera Wiest saw one July 1 along the Paint Branch Trail on the University of Maryland campus and snapped a picture of it collecting pollen and nectar from a thistle.

A nationally-recognized community newspaper chronicling the here and now of College Park.

Mailing address: PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781

The College Park Here & Now is published monthly by Streetcar Suburbs Publishing., 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. StreetcarSuburbs.News

Associate Editor Nancy Welch nancy@hyattsvillelife.com

Writers & Contributors Rick Borchelt, Julia Crooks, Beth Charbonneau, Sam Draddy, Sophie Gorman

Oriani, Jon Meltzer, Tracy O'Heir, Kit Slack, Debbie Van Camp, Lauren Vulanovic, Sarah Weber, Jessica Weiss, Heather Wright

Layout & Design Editors

Ashley Perks, Valerie Morris

Web Editor Jessica Burshtynskyy

Advertising

advertising@hyattsvillelife.com

301.531.5234

Business Manager Catie Currie

Board of Directors

Joseph Gigliotti — President & General Counsel

Emily Strab — Secretary Stephanie Stullich — Treasurer

Rosanna Landis Weaver, Gretchen Brodtman, T. Carter Ross, Bette Dickerson, Melanie Dzwonchyk, Nora Eidelman, Maxine Gross Katie V. Jones, Mark Goodson, Kit Slack — Ex Officios

Circulation: Copies are distributed monthly by U.S. mail to every address in College Park. Additional copies are distributed to popular gathering spots around town. Total circulation is 9,600.

In College Park alone, we have more than a thousand iNat observers, and they’ve collectively added almost 15,000 reports of some 2,000 species of plants, animals, fungi and other life forms. In June alone, College Park iNat users documented Halloween pennant dragonflies, DeKay’s brownsnake, zebra swallowtail butterflies, fox grape, virile crayfish and the enticingly named dog vomit slime mold — along with some 150 other species.

We have some real iNat super achievers here in College Park; Vera Wiest tops the chart, having logged almost 50 observations of 38 different species, ranging from plants to birds to butterflies to fungi.

You could be the next Vera Wiest.

iNat is a Swiss army knife of a mobile app. If you don’t know what a plant or insect or other critter is, snap a (halfway de-

There are plenty of other apps for sharing observations from nature, too, of course — eBird, LeafSnap, Merlin, HerpMapper are also popular — and there’s even one to identify objects in the night sky called SkyView. And iNat has a bare-bones version of the app called Seek.

Whatever app you choose to use, you can get to know a lot about the wildlife around you, and you can help scientists and conservationists build a better and more complete picture of the non-human world around us. Biodiversity here in College Park is likely richer than most of us can imagine. So while you are out and about, consider doing your part to identify what you can, so we can protect what we actually do know.

Have questions for Rick about the world of nature in and around the city, or suggestions for future ”College Park Wild” columns? Drop him a note at rborchelt@gmail.com.

Rick Borchelt is a naturalist and science writer living in College Park.

The iNat app maps reported observations; green flags are plants, blue ones are vertebrates, red are insects or other invertebrates, and the rare purple flags mark fungi. RICK BORCHELT

UMD’s public-private incubator celebrates five-year anniversary

By Jon Meltzer

The Discovery District, an incubator for tech firms and start-ups established by the University of Maryland (UMD), celebrates its fifth anniversary in 2022, and with it, looks to its future in partnership with the City of College Park.

“We worked collaboratively with folks in the community to create our Vision 2030,” said Ken Ulman, chief strategy officer for economic development with the University of Maryland College Park Foundation.

According to Ulman, this plan includes transportation options – “more bikeability, more walkability,” in his words – as well as more opportunities for locally owned businesses to set up shop. The plan also calls for more student housing close to the UMD campus.

The Discovery District is located on two tracts of land across Route 1 from the main campus; both parcels are owned and managed by the university. A business incubator previously occupied land around the College Park Metro station; that parcel was merged with land acquired in 2017 and became the Discovery District of today.

Ulman noted that the Discovery District has been a stepping stone for a number of UMD graduates: “Brednan Iribe created Oculus on the West Coast. Sergey Brin built Google on the West Coast. Ethan Brown took Beyond Meat to the West Coast.” Ulman underscored that while the West Coast has an appeal, staying put in Maryland offers advantages, too. The Discovery District is now home to more than 60 businesses, and Ulman pointed to one in particular, IonQ, that chose to stay close to its UMD roots.

IonQ was founded in 2015 with $2 million in seed money and joint technology licensing from UMD and Duke University. The company’s mission is to bring quantum computing to the marketplace; it has maintained its headquarters in College Park since its founding, and even signed a deal in September 2021 for a new initiative, the National Quantum Lab at Maryland (Q-Lab), at the university. The new enterprise will be housed in a $20 million facility that will give researchers access to the most sophisticated quantum computing technology available.

“The University of Maryland possesses more than 200 quantum researchers … it is one of the largest hubs of quantum talent in the world,” wrote Dillon Olagaray, an associate with the strategic communication firm Mission North, on behalf of IonQ in an email. He went on to say that IonQ has invested in the community because it sees this area as being an important hub for the industry in the future.

Ulman is well aware that convincing talented graduates to stay in College Park can be challenging in today’s competitive market. He said that catering to the full range of young workers' needs is critical to retention. “Mass transit is at the heart of [our development strategy],” he said, noting that the Discovery District’s first

residential space, The Atworth, is ideally situated for access to the Purple Line and planned bike lanes along Route 1.

Residents throughout the city are turning to eco-friendly transit, too, which fits with Ulman’s vision for a more sustainable community. Members of the North College Park Community Association (NCPCA) met on June 9 to discuss a planned apartment complex along Baltimore Avenue, and many participants, including now-NCPCA president Alaina Pitts, expressed strong desires for the developers to add more substantial bike paths as they finalize plans for the development.

Ulman, an avid cyclist himself, is looking forward to those Baltimore Avenue bike lanes, but he’s set his sights on more. UMD’s computer science and engineering programs are among the largest in the nation and offer an enormous talent pool.

“We have proximity to an anchor institution with 41,000 of the best and brightest, and connectivity to Baltimore and Washington, D.C.” he said. He anticipates that College Park will see significant growth as more companies take up residence at the Discovery District.

Although most of the businesses incubating at the Discovery District are in technology and aerospace industries, other sectors are represented, as well. Ulman cited a number of promising biomedical firms in residence and is particularly proud of the partnership that is growing between creatives and the incubator.

Jauvon Gilliam, a faculty member with the UMD School of Music and a timpanist with the National Symphony Orchestra, opened The Shed, a facility offering instrument and equipment rentals, as well as rehearsal space with 24-hour access. Ulman said that members are welcome to use the space to create and collaborate whenever and however they like, “whether you just want to go and grab a guitar and play, or your band wants to record their sound.”

More than 6,500 employees currently work in businesses incubating at the Discovery District, surpassing the number at BioPark, the university's biotechfocused incubator in Baltimore. Ulman said that he hopes to see this number nearly double to 11,000 Discovery District employees by 2030.

Although most of the businesses incubating at the Discovery District are in technology and aerospace industries, other sectors are represented, as well.

FROM

posts suggested that full restoration took several days. Temperatures on July 13 and 14 reached the low 90s, with up to 94% humidity, according to Weather Underground and LocationConditions.com.

Victoria MacDonald, a Berwyn resident, was caught off guard by the storm’s severity and said she wished that the University of Maryland had used its warning siren to caution residents of the impending storm, rather than sending only phone alerts. “Maybe that has to be looked at, in my opinion,” she said, “what are the criteria?”

Bob Kuligowski, a meteorologist with decades of experience who lives in College Park, said the storm was a part of a bow echo formation of thunderstorms that started in central West Virginia and then swept east. Bow echo storm systems typically have high-speed, destructive winds; Kuligowski noted that the damage and outages in College Park typically happen when this kind of event “hits a densely populated area … [it] played havoc with the electrical grid.” Some residents lost more

than just power. Kathy Bryant, a fourth generation College Park homeowner, was devastated that a century-old tree fell on her house, destroying the back porch and breaking several windows.

“I was at the front of the house, and the house started shaking violently,” she said, “so I went to the back of the house … and it started shaking even more violently.” After the shaking subsided and the storm passed, Bryant left her house to find that it had claimed one of her

family heirlooms.

“[My] approximately 130-yearold pecan tree had fallen down in my backyard,” she said. Bryant mourned the loss of the tree not only because it was planted by her great uncle, but also because she claims it was the champion, or tallest, pecan tree in Maryland, according to measurements taken three years ago.

Others lost more than remarkable flora and back porches. Strong winds ripped the top floor off a house in

Lakeland, and MacDonald reported that a student living there was taken to the hospital with injuries. Another home on Potomac Avenue was nearly bisected by a falling tree. Although the current occupants (who could not be reached for comment) weren’t home at the time of the storm, Boyd Conley, who built the house, said that it “looks like a total loss.”

Conley said he built the house and lived there with his wife and children for years before

moving to Rockville. When he heard about the damage to his old home, he said he had to come down to see it for himself. “It really touches the heart,” he said, “we used to host Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner” in the dining room — the room most damaged by the tree.

“I just thank God no one was hurt,” Conley continued. He said he learned that the current owners typically spent their evenings in the dining room, right around the time the storm came through; they had decided to go to a casino that night instead. “They really won big,” Conley joked.

Bryant and other residents reported that they saw a tornado spout touch down, and she blamed it for the loss of her pecan tree. Kuligowski, however, was skeptical. “I don’t want to come across as ‘no, you didn’t see that’ when I wasn’t there,” he said, but he did note that the National Weather Service (NWS) determined that the storm did not spawn a tornado.

Tornadoes aside, the storm was a destructive affair in its own right. Kuligowski said that the NWS team cited wind speeds of 90 miles per hour, which is equivalent to an F1

This Lakeland home was destroyed by the July 12 storm. COURTESY OF SAM MOSELEY

tornado – though the storm had straight-line, instead of circular, winds. He also said that this is the most severe storm he has seen in College Park since June 2012. In 2021, a team of climate researchers at Newcastle University reported in Science Daily that "rising temperatures will intensify future rainfall extremes … with largest increases [in frequency]

to short thunderstorms," including bow echo storms like this one. Kuligowski, however, urges caution in chalking this particular freak storm up to climate change.

“I believe climate change is happening,” he said. “I’m just very reluctant to try to say for sure how much climate change did or did not contribute to a particular event. Any extreme weather event is always the result of a whole bunch of stuff.”

Though this storm is now behind us, College Park should

be braced for severe weather in the months to come. An Aug. 4 report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that the agency expects an “abovenormal” Atlantic hurricane season, with potentially as many as 5 major hurricanes — storms with wind speeds of 111 miles per hour or more. And, in July, researchers at Colorado State University told Reuters that there was a 50% chance that one of those storms would make landfall on the East Coast.

Emergency vehicles set up base camp in the parking lot of Holy Redeemer School.

Th e importance of recreation

By Beth Charbonneau

Nurturing good mental health is a day-in, day-out process. We all know that we need adequate sleep and nutrition, safe housing and access to healthcare. But we may not focus as clearly on other things that add to our health, and in particular, recreation and leisure. Both of these are essential to our well being and can connect us with other people in ways that enrich and expand our lives.

When we do have down time, many of us try to relax in front of a screen — a phone, a tablet, a laptop, a TV — watching videos and shows, or spending time on social media. While those activities can be enjoyable, they aren’t giving us a lot of mental health benefits and often don’t do much to truly reduce our stress, which we typically feel in our bodies and minds from dealing with challenges in life (stressors). Stress can make us irritable and restless, and it can lead to sleep difficulties and physical aches and pains. Even when we stabilize or resolve stressors, we can still be dealing with lingering ways they may affect us. Recreation is a key antidote to stress; it can boost your mood, reduce anxiety and improve your health in a host of ways. Physical activity, creative expression, connecting with oth-

ers and spending time in nature can all reduce stress and increase your well being.

Physical activity is one of the best ways we can offload stress. We don’t have to exercise vigorously to gain benefits; just being present in our moving bodies provides rewards. Our local parks and trails offer opportunities to walk, jog, bike, bird-watch, play disc golf or try archery — and so much more. Time outside in nature improves mood and even boosts our cognitive skills, including our attention and concentration. You don’t have to visit the middle of the wilderness to reap these rewards; a stroll around Lake Artemesia or a bike ride down the trolley trail can lower your stress level. Or try something new and rent a boat at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park and paddle along the Anacostia. Try to see how many of your senses you can engage while you are outside: Can you tune into the many sounds of birds, leaves rustling, or people laughing? Can you feel the temperature change on your skin as you move between sun and shade, or feel the breeze as it comes and goes? Do you smell flowering plants, cut grass or damp earth after a rain?

Connecting with others is vital for our health and well-being, too, and when we spend our recreational time with others, we su-

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND’S LEGACY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE ON PUBLIC POLICY, in partnership with the state of Maryland. is looking for volunteers age 50+ to serve as volunteer legislative leaders during the 2022 session of the Maryland General Assembly.

Classroom instruction will be in a hybrid format (in-person and virtual) and begin on September 13 and end on December 8, 2022.

Classes are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. For more information or an application, email wqueen@umd.edu

https://sph.umd.edu/legacyleaders

ARE WELCOME HERE

percharge the many benefits we receive. Simply taking a walk with a neighbor can be a wonderful physical and social outlet. Or you can join the county’s Yoga in the Parks program, connect with the Cycling Seniors Club and go on a bike ride, or take up birdwatching with the Audubon Society. We human beings co-regulate our nervous systems with the people around us, so when we get together, we help each other manage the stress we all carry. If you are looking to meet people, try joining the College Park parkrun on Saturday mornings at Acredale Park. This volunteerrun weekly event is free and open to all, and gives participants a chance to stroll, walk, jog or run a 5K along the Paint Branch Trail. Newcomers, kids in strollers and dogs are warmly welcomed, and everyone is cheered on and celebrated for coming out to simply participate.

Some of us are big fans of indoor activities for fun and recreation — that’s good too! Creative activities, and especially those we do together, also benefit our health

and well being. Creative, expressive activities stimulate our brains and can help us be in the moment, freed up from worries and stressors. The College Park Arts Exchange offers us many opportunities to be together and create: we can sing and dance, play instruments, discuss books, and explore visual arts and creative writing. And we can gather

to celebrate the talents of our local musicians and artists — simply being a spectator can give us tremendous benefits. Between arts exchange activities and performances at the University of Maryland, we have so much to enjoy, right here in our own town. And don’t miss Game Kastle or Board and Brew if you want to connect with other board game fans. Their frequent events feature many popular games and are open to everyone. Gaming with others is social, creative and fun!

If you are looking for positive ways to take good care of yourself and support your physical and mental health, give some of these recreation ideas a try. The Here & Now’s community calendar offers a host of activities and events to get you started. College Park offers something for everybody.

Beth Charbonneau, LCSW-C, is a psychotherapist living and working in College Park.

If your child will be at least five years old by Sept. 1, check out what Georgetown Hill Greenwood can offer:

Physical activity is one of the best ways we can offload stress. We don’t have to exercise vigorously to gain benefits; just being present in our moving bodies provides rewards.

COLLEGE PARK POST

Getting Neighbors and Public Safety Together for National Night Out

Five Neighborhood Events were Held this Year for NNO, an Annual Event Promoting Community-Police Partnership University offices also came out to several events.

For another year, five College Park neighborhoods celebrated National Night Out (NNO) on Tuesday, August 3.

This event is a community-police partnership that provides an unique opportunity for residents to increase awareness about crime prevention and safety, get to know their neighbors, and meet local law enforcement and other public safety officers. Neighborhood Watch committees in the Berwyn, Cherry Hill, College Park Woods, Lakeland, and North College Park neighborhoods organized events with fun and activities for kids and adults of all ages.

Local police departments made appearances at each community event, including University of Maryland Police Department, Prince George’s County Police Department, M-NCPPC police. City contract officers, Code Enforcement and other staff also attended each each. The College Park Volunteer Fire Department, Branchville Volunteer Fire Department, County agencies, and

In Berwyn, attendees enjoyed an ice cream social; in Lakeland, children played on the moon bounce and ate popcorn before recieveing school supply giveaways. North College Park residents mingled at Duvall Field while Cherry Hill residents enjoyed refreshments at the neighborhood park. Although each gathering is different, National Night Out provides a space for public safety officers and communities to build positive relationships.

When dusk settled in, the crowds geared up to take a nightly stroll around their respective neighborhoods. People took to the streets donned in glow-in-the-dark accessories. Those who didn’t walk turned on their porch light at home to ensure the safety of walkers.

The event and tradition highlights the importance of everyday vigilance and neighborhood watch teams. Thank you to everyone that came out! We’ll see you next year!

All events are from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at City Hall Plaza (7401 Baltimore Avenue). Free Parking during the event will be available at the Downtown Parking Garage. Details at www.collegeparkmd.gov.

Upcoming Friday Night LIVE Dates:

August 12 – Sing me the Blues

September 9 – Oktoberfest!

CLASSIC CAR SHOW

Upcoming City Events

Details & Calendar at www.collegeparkmd.gov

Sunday, August 21, 10am-2pm City Hall Plaza

Join the City of College Park for a Classic Car Show! There will be cars, BBQ, beer, and a rocking live band. Car plaques will be awarded. This family-friendly event is free to the public. For more information or to register, email events@collegeparkmd.gov. Space is limited.

NIGHT AT THE MOVIES

Saturday, August 27, 7:00pm

College Park Woods Park

The City of College Park will host

a Family Night at the Movies on Saturday, August 27 at College Park Woods Park. Activities start around 7:00pm with games for the kids and adults. The movie will be shown around 8:00pm. Popcorn will be available. Admission and parking are free. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets to sit outside on the grass. No pets, tents, or umbrellas please.

COLLEGE PARK DAY

Saturday, October 15, 12pm - 6pm College Park Aviation Museum

www.collegeparkday.org

Save the date for College Park Day on Saturday, October 15, 2022, from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the

College Park Aviation Museum and Airport (1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive)! This is the City of College Park’s signature event and features a wide array of activities, entertainment, and fun to celebrate the community. The event is open to the public and free to attend.

FREE SUMMER PARKING

Ends August 13, 2022!

Downtown Parking Garage

Free parking is in effect until August 13, 2022 in the Downtown College Park Parking Garage! Park there for free while you visit local shops and restaurants on weekdays after 5pm and all-day on weekends.

7/12 Storm Updates

7/12 STORM RELATED DAMAGE UPDATES AND WAIVERS

Woody Yard Waste Requirements Waived Through August 15

Due to the amount of woody debris created by the storm on July 12, 2022, the requirements to prepare woody debris for curbside collection are being expanded:

• Cut large diameter branches & limbs into lengths 8 feet or less.

• Place material at the curb, not in the street

• Set material away from poles, wires, trees, fire hydrants and vehicles for easier collection.

The revised requirement for collection of woody material will be effective until August 15, 2022.

To request pickup: Contact the Department of Public Works (publicworks@collegeparkmd.gov or call 240-487-3590). Include the size material needs to be collected.

For more information, visit www. collegeparkmd.gov.

Waiver for Fallen Tree Permitting for 7/12 Storm Related Damage

If you have a fallen or damaged tree on your property because of the weather emergency on 7.12.22, you can remove the tree or fallen branches without a permit. Document or photograph the damage/emergency and send to DPW after (arborist@ collegeparkmd.gov).

Those who wish to remove or prune a surviving tree must submit an application for a permit.

COLLEGEPARKDAY.ORG

Para información en español por favor visite nuestro sitio web del evento www.collegeparkday.org

According to Maryland Law, in the aftermath of a weather-related event, which results in fallen trees and debris, or similar incidents that may be qualified as an “act of God,” the affected property owners are responsible for damage to their property, including debris cleanup and removal or other related expenses. These weather event related expenses may be covered under the homeowner’s insurance policy. Property owners are encouraged to contact their homeowners’ insurance company to determine policy coverage.

HOSTEDBY

City Announcements

More information: www.collegeparkmd.gov

COVID-19 AT-HOME TEST DISTRIBUTION

The City of College Park has been distributing more than 1,000 athome COVID-19 test kits to City residents.

If you are a City resident and would like a FREE COVID-19 AtHome Test Kit, you must fill out the reservation request form at https:// cityofcollegepark.formstack.com/ forms/covid19testkitrequest.

More details available on the City’s website and the form link above.

NEW RESIDENT REPORTING SYSTEM

Effective July 1st, the City will begin use of a new reporting system for general concerns and/or complaints. Links to and registrations for reporting through Comcate will be deactivated. Please share your concerns about a property in the City, such as tall grass or other issues, at www. collegeparkmd.gov/tellus.

Effective July 1st, the City will begin use of a new product that will allow our property owners, business owners, and contractors to initiate the City’s required occupancy permit and building permit proces online. Users can search available permit applications, and apply for new permits as needed. To create a new application, you must register for an acount. Find details at www. collegeparkmd.gov/permitapps.

THE CITY IS HIRING!

The City is Hiring! The City has several jobs available. Apply here: collegeparkmd.applicantpool. com/jobs.

ELECTRONICS DROP OFF LOCATION

City residents can bring electronics for recycling to the drop off box near the entrance of the front doors to Davis Hall. No more than 3 items can be disposed of at no cost.

• Accepted: TVs, monitors, mouse pointers, keyboards, microwaves, gaming systems, computers, hard drives, cell phones, printers, laptops, surge protectors, copiers, fax machines, telephone systems, cable, circuit boards, and toner cartridges.

• Not Accepted: Light bulbs (CFL or Tubes) or batteries of any kind.

COMMUNITY SURVEY

The City is partnering with ETC Institute to conduct a comprehensive community survey. This upcoming City of College Park Community Survey will measure residents’ attitudes and opinions on City services like refuse and recycling collection, City facilities and parks, City events, and economic development.

Surveys are anticipated to arrive in the fall. Participation in the survey will help City officials better serve the College Park community. Help us shape the future of College Park! Stay tuned to the City’s website, facebook and twitter pages for upto-date news and information.

REDISTRICTING COMMISSION MEETINGS

The City’s Redistricting Commission will hold two meetings for residents to review and provide feedback on the Commission’s preliminary City District maps prior to the Commission presenting its report to the City Council on September 27th. The Commission meeting minutes, the Council charge to the Commission, and other information are available at https:// www.collegeparkmd.gov/186/ Boards-Commissions#RDC .

The first Redistricting Commission presentation of the data and preliminary districts will be held at Davis Hall on Thursday, September 1, 2022 at 7:00 pm. Residents will also be able to participate remotely via https://zoom. us/j/91603412440. The preliminary maps will be provided on the City website at the link above by 5 pm on Thursday, August 25th.

The second Redistricting Commission presentation of the data and preliminary districts will be held at 7:00 pm on Monday, September 12th at City Hall. This meeting will also be hybrid and participants can access the meeting via https://zoom. us/j/91603412440.

FRESH WOOD CHIPS

Due to the recent storm, we have fresh wood chips (not mulch) available for free to use on trails, pathways, and well-established planting areas. Fresh wood chips can deplete nitrogen from the soil, so don’t use them on new plantings. Call for availability 240487-3590.

Protecting Our Tree Canopy

Ordinance 21-O-09

Trees are a vital part of our ecosystem. On May 10, 2022, the City Council approved Ordinance 21-O-09, which will require a permit to remove trees on residential land beginning July 1, 2022.

The ordinance was enacted to limit the removal of healthy, mature trees as a measure to maintain the City’s tree canopy. The Tree and Landscape Board and City Council

held numerous public meetings and incorporated changes to address many concerns and suggestions from residents.

Residents, property owners, and tree and landscape companies may have many questions about this new permitting process.

For details, FAQs, and application, visit www.collegeparkmd.gov/ trees.

Curbside Food Scrap Collection

New Program Coming Soon! Apply Now!

The City is planning to offer a new program to divert organic materials, that are not waste, out of our landfill.

According to the EPA, nearly 24% of trash that is collected contains food scraps that can be composted. Diverting food scraps from the trash will reduce harmful greenhouse gases emitted from organic decomposition in landfills, which contributes to climate change.

NEW PROGRAM DETAILS:

The new Food scrap collection program will become a component of curbside service for City residents who must apply in order to receive services.

The program start date and collection day is to be determined, but will be announced on the City’s website and other City media.

There will not be a fee for collection, but residents must purchase one of the required containers. All material must be put in a designated City container

for collection.

Food scraps must be put in compostable bags, before placing in collection container - no plastic bags allowed

HOW DO I SIGN UP?

Residents can sign up online and purchase their container(s) (at 50% of the container cost).

Participants are required to select either a 12-gallon wheeled cart, or a 5-gallon bucket. Residents can also choose to purchase a small kitchen pail to store food scraps inside your home.

Be sure to fill out and submit the application form and purchase the required containers in order to participate.

Residents may sign up for the service online at www.collegeparkmd.gov/ CurbsideCollectionApp.

For more program information, please visit www.collegeparkmd. gov/foodscraps.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

SAVE THE DATE

College Park Community Library Book Club. The library’s book club will discuss The Japanese Lover, by Isabel Allende, on Aug. 11, and Lady Clementine, by Marie Benedict, on Sept. 8. The group meets at 7:00 p.m. in the lower level of the College Park Church of the Nazarene, 9704 Rhode Island Ave. For more information, email Carol Munn at donkinc@msn. com

Kayak with a Ranger. A rare opportunity to kayak on Lake Artemisia! Aug. 13, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. $5 resident; $7 non-resident. To register, go to pgparksdirect.com and search using activity code 22627-459C

Who’s my neighbor? Members of the College Park United Methodist Church are hosting a free dinner. Come for the food, dance to the music and meet your neighbors! Aug. 11, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. 9601 Rhode Island Ave.

Virtual Book Club. The College Park Arts Exchange invites you to discuss The Boston Massacre: a Family History, by Serena Zabin, on Aug. 16 and The Daughters of Kobani, A Story of Rebellion, Courage, and Justice, by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, on Sept. 20. Free. 7 to 8:30 p.m. RSVP by emailing info@cpae.org

Learn Brazilian Drumming. The College Park Arts Exchange is hosting free, in-person drumming classes at the Old Parish House on Aug. 13 and 27, and Sept. 10 and 17 from 2 to 5 p.m. 4711 Knox Rd. For more information, email info@cpae. org

Meet Sadie the Airmail Pup! Come to the College Park Airport Museum to learn about the adventures of pup and pilot, Sadie. Recommended for children under 5. Free with

museum admission: adults $5, seniors $4, children $2; children 1 and under free. Aug. 13 from 1 to 2 p.m. 1909 Corporal Frank Scott Dr. For more information, contact Kimberly Schwartz at kimberly.schwartz@pgparks. com

Trekking the Tarmac. Take a guided walking tour outdoors at the College Park Airport, the oldest continuously operating airport in the world. $10 resident, $13 non-resident. Aug. 20 from 11:00 a.m. to noon. 1909 Corporal Frank Scott Dr. To register, go to pgparksdirect.com and search using activity code 18400-415C

Indian Music Concert. The College Park Arts Exchange offers a night of traditional Indian music. Free. Aug. 27, 7 p.m. at the Old Parish House, 4711 Knox Rd.

NextNOW Festival. The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland is celebrating artists from around campus and the College Park community. Sept. 6 to 10. Festival locations and times are to be determined from Register for updates on ticketing and more information at theclarice.umd. edu/events/2022/nextnowfest-2022

Draw Like a Famous Artist. Join Racquel Keller and explore the techniques of a famous artist at each virtual workshop. Sept. 24 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. For more information, go to cpae.org

College Park Day. The College Park Aviation Museum celebrates the city with its annual College Park Day on Saturday, Oct. 15 from noon to 6 p.m. 1909 Corporal Frank Scott Dr. For the latest information, go to collegeparkday.wordpress. com

ONGOING

College Park Aviation Museum

Airmail Tour. Discover how airmail got off the ground in College Park! Free with museum admission: adults $5, seniors $4, children $2; children 1 and under free. Saturdays and Sundays in August, from 1 to 2 p.m. 1909 Corporal Frank Scott Dr. For more information, contact Kimberly Schwartz at kimberly.schwartz@pgparks.com

Cycling Seniors Club Ride. Join park rangers and the Cycling Seniors Cycle Club for a ride from Lake Artemesia to the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. Ages 60 and older. New riders are welcome. Free for residents of Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. For more information, call 301.446.3403

Summer Senior Co ee Social. Neighbors Helping Neighbors College Park has teamed up with Proteus Brews to host a senior coffee hour every Thursday morning from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. All ages welcome! 9827 Rhode Island Ave. For more information or to arrange a ride, call 301.222.3434 or email coordinator@nhn-cp.org

ESL Classes. Participants will practice using English to improve reading, writing and speaking skills. $20 per session. Textbook provided; bring paper and pen and pencil to take notes. Tuesday evenings through August from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Lower level of the College Park Church of the Nazarene, 9704 Rhode Island Ave.

Free Yoga at Lake Artemesia. Free yoga sessions at Lake Artemesia every Saturday this summer; last session on Sept. 3. Hour-long sessions start at

9:15 a.m. (meet near the restrooms). For more information, including registration details, email wellness@pgparks.com

Friday Dance Workshops. Join instructor Karen Stewart, of Jessie’s Soul Line Dancers, every Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. for stepby-step instruction and dance along to soul, gospel and pop music. For more information, go to cpae.org

Saturday Tap Dance Workshops. Free virtual tap workshop with instructor Elizabeth Gardner every Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. For more information and to register, email info@cpae.org.

College Park Community Library Story Time. Story time with Micki Freeny every Wednesday from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. If weather permits, gather on the church’s front lawn. If weather forces the event indoors, the library will require masks and respect social distancing. The library is located in the lower level of the College Park Church of the Nazarene, 9704 Rhode Island Ave.

Food Assistance Available. Help by Phone Ltd. operates food pantries across Prince George's County, with local locations at Berwyn Presbetyrian Church (Greenbelt Rd.) and University Baptist Church (Campus Dr.). To schedule a pickup, call 301.699.9009, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

College Park Farmers Market at Paint Branch Parkway. Farm stands, local vendors and more. Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. 5211 Campus Dr.

Hollywood Farmers Market. Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in

the parking lot of the Hollywood Shopping Center.

Ballet Classes for Children. Creative dance (ages 3-6) and primary dance (ages 5-7) classes will be offered in the fall. For registration and fees, go to berwynballetschool.com

Produce Available Every ird ursday. Sponsored by Community Connect Calvert Hills. Make a reservation by emailing your name, street address, email and phone to connectporfavor@gmail.com at least one day in advance of distribution. You can register for a duplicate order and share with others in need. Deliveries available to homebound residents. Pickups between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at a central location. For more information, or to volunteer to deliver, call 301.864.5267

UMD recruiting for paid survey. Do you live or work in Prince George’s County and identify as Latinx? The University of Maryland wants to hear from you. Participate in a 1 to 1.5 hour interview for $50, with other perks included. Virtual or inperson interview in Spanish or English (your choice). For more information, call 301.405.0662 or email rare@umd.edu

COLLEGE PARK CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS

Yarrow Civic Association. Membership is free. For more information, email Wendy Kelley at wendybird85@yahoo.com

College Park Estates Civic Association. There will be an organizational meeting in August, date and time TBD. For

Home Questions? I Have Answers

antennas, also known as Small Wireless Facilities (SWFs). Shawn Thompson, vice president for analytics with CTC, assisted via Zoom. After running through a 15-minute PowerPoint presentation during the first half of the meeting, the CTC representatives took questions from councilmembers and residents.

A number of residents and councilmembers were dismayed to learn that a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule bans jurisdictions from blocking 5G SWF installations. According to Suellen Ferguson, attorney for the city, the 2018 FCC rule requires that “a state or local government must approve an eligible [SWF installation] request within 60 days.” She confirmed that the city can only discuss the exact location of proposed arrays with telecommunications enterprises, but not whether arrays can be installed at all.

The College Park City Council has passed at least one ordinance indicating location preferences. According to Crane, there is a “preference for locating these facilities in … commercial areas,” as opposed to residential areas, and that arrays are installed on existing structures such as light or telephone poles.

Ferguson said that the city has received its first qualifying application: Verizon has filed documents to install a 5G array at the intersection of Edgewood Road and Rhode Island Avenue.

Councilmember Fazlul Kabir (District 1), recalled from a previous council meeting with Verizon representatives that the telecommunications giant planned to install eight antennas within the city’s municipal limits.

According to a table shared by CTC, there are over 800 currently proposed sites for telecommunications arrays, including both SWFs and macro arrays, across Prince George’s County. Verizon will be responsible for more than half of these installations, adding at least 398 SWFs and 15 larger installations in the coming months and years. T-Mobile and AT&T will also install new radio-frequency (RF) devices, though it is currently unclear how many of these will be in College Park proper.

Residents at the meeting expressed concerns about health risks to those living and traveling in close proximity to the proposed SWFs. A 2020 article in the peer-reviewed medical journal Oncology Letters noted that “the evaluation of [RF] radiation health risks from 5G technology” had not been properly reviewed by unbiased researchers in the European Union. The authors were concerned that “the WHO [World Health Organization] in May 2011 classified RF radiation in the frequency range of 30 kHz to 300 GHz to be a ‘possible’ human carcinogen,” a significant concern that was being largely ignored by telecommunications policymakers in multiple nations, possibly due to conflicts of interest.

CTC’s inability to fully respond to residents’ concerns increased tension at the meeting. Crane stated that CTC “cannot advise on health risks.”

Thompson underscored that “the FCC has published limits on how much exposure people can [safely] get,” and that CTC makes sure “there’s no opportunity for people to have that [unsafe] experience.”

Residents voiced other concerns, as well. David Dorsch asked about the antennas’ propensity for interfering with aircraft communications signals; he also asked about how the SWF power sources would be backed up in the event of an outage. Mary Thompson, also a resident, wanted to know why her neighborhood would be the first to get a 5G SWF; city officials responded that the corresponding application was the first that was approved.

Councilmembers reported that residents were primarily expressing concerns about potential health risks related to 5G exposure. Denise Mitchell (District 4) said she received no fewer than 25 comments about this issue prior to the June meeting; Kabir said he had received dozens of similar comments over the past few months.

Verizon, T-Mobile and other carriers filed plans for county review; as of press time, that review had either not been completed or made public by the Prince George’s County Telecommunications Transmission Facility Coordinating Committee.

CALENDAR

FROM PAGE 7

more information, email Ray Ranker at rayranker@gmail.com

West College Park Citizens Association. Membership is open to all residents of West College Park age 18 and over. For more information, email Suchitra Balachandran at cp_woods@yahoo.com

Berwyn District Civic Association. BDCA’s monthly meeting will be on Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m. and on each third Thursday of the month after that. To register, email president@myberwyn.org

North College Park Community Association. The NCPCA will meet on Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m. The agenda and location will be posted on Sept. 6 at myncpca.org

Lakeland Civic Association. Next virtual meeting is Oct. 13 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. For login information, email lakelandcivic@gmail.com

Old Town College Park Civic Association. For more information and to add your name to the listserv, email Kathy Bryant at kdbryant20740@gmail.com

Calvert Hills Citizens Association. Next meeting is at 7 p.m. on Sept. 7. For more information, go to calverthills.weebly.com or email the board at calverthillscitizensassn @gmail.com

Big changes in the works for Greenbelt

By Sam Draddy

The City of Greenbelt looks forward to significant changes over the coming years, including renovation of a major corridor and the possible relocation of FBI headquarters to the city. While the FBI will likely retain a branch office in the District, the bureau has outgrown the J. Edgar Hoover building, and the Biden Administration’s proposed 2023 budget includes funding for construction of a new campus. The General Services Administration (GSA) has been evaluating three potential sites for the new facility, including one in Springfield, Va., and locations in both Landover and Greenbelt; this last is a 50-acre parcel adjacent to the Greenbelt Metro station. GSA may announce their decision as early as September.

College Park’s business community stands to benefit if the FBI relocates to nearby Greenbelt, and Councilmember Kate Kennedy (District 1) would welcome the bureau’s move. “One of the things that we hear a lot from residents is that they want more shops and sit-down restaurants. All of that is really hard to build with the current population we have in College Park. With more folks in the area, we can sustain these things,” she said.

College Park City Manager Kenny Young is also enthusiastic about the FBI’s possible move to Greenbelt. “Anytime you can add a significant workforce like that to the area, it is going to have a

positive impact,” he said. “And obviously, something that is located right at the Greenbelt Metro station is something very much in our interest here in College Park.”

Young attended the Maryland Municipal League Summer Conference 2022 in June and advocated for the FBI’s potential move to Greenbelt. “We were able to form some strong partnerships, particularly in relation to our bid for the new FBI facility. I think that will pay big dividends for us,” he said, at a recent College Park City Council meeting. Greenbelt also anticipates the long-anticipated overhaul of the Greenbelt Road Corridor, a project intended to dramatically improve the stretch of MD 193 east of Baltimore Avenue, as well as the stretch of Greenbelt Road originating at Baltimore Avenue and merging with MD 193 east of Rhode Island Avenue. The renovation was initially proposed in October 2021, and Greenbelt officials have worked hard to keep the project on the front burner. Greenbelt received a grant from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Transportation Land-Use Connections program for the project, funding which will significantly upgrade the nearly two-mile stretch from Baltimore Avenue. Residents have described this corridor as dangerously unsafe and busy; the improvements are designed to address both issues. The proposed plan includes travel and turn

lanes designed to reduce vehicle speeds, designated bike lanes, benches and shelters at bus stops, and numerous upgrades to sidewalks and pedestrian crossings.

Connecting residential communities, businesses, neighborhoods, and parks and trails is key to the project.

Alek Pochowski, an associate engineer and planner with Kittleson & Associates’ office in the District said, “This is not just a corridor for moving people. It’s also a corridor for economic opportunity and development.” Kittelson & Associates, a civil engineering firm based in Portland, Ore., prepared a detailed plan to coordinate design and construction efforts for the project.

Mayors and councilmembers from Berwyn Heights, College Park and Greenbelt met in March to discuss the project, with a specific focus on anticipated environmental impacts of the renovated corridor. “I think as we plan ahead in terms of making the street more walkable and viable, we also need to really focus on making it more environmentally friendly,” Greenbelt Mayor Emmett Jordan said. The draft plan aims to create an environmentally friendly district for local residents and visitors to the corridor. To learn more about the project, you can visit greenbeltmd. gov and search with the word corridor to find the draft plan and other information.

Greenbelt also anticipates the overhaul of the Greenbelt Road Corridor, a project intended to dramatically improve the stretch of MD 193 east of Baltimore Avenue.

FROM WHERE I WE STAND

We must all do more to stop gun violence

By Julia Crooks, Tracy O'Heir, Debbie Van Camp, Lauren Vulanovic, Sarah Weber and Jessica Weiss

It’s been yet another summer of harrowing headlines about gun violence in the U.S. From high-profile mass shootings to the steady drumbeat of daily gunfire, the epidemic of gun violence feels overwhelming and out of control.

Like so many of you, we fear for the safety of our children.

After all, gun violence — including suicide, accidental shootings and homicides — overtook car accidents in 2020 to become the No. 1 cause of death for U.S. children and adolescents. The May massacre in Uvalde, Texas, was yet another grim reminder that our children’s safety isn’t even a given at school.

But that doesn’t mean that we are hopeless. When the grief and fear feel all-consuming, we find hope in the fact that gun violence is preventable, and that there are evidence-based measures we can all take to try to stop it.

We represent Tired Parents, a group of parents along the Route 1 Corridor that has been working since 2017 on

gun violence prevention in our community, specifically as it relates to children. Chief among our objectives is to popularize the evidence-based Asking Saves Kids (ASK) Campaign, which encourages parents and caregivers to ask if there are firearms — and if so, if they are securely stored — in the homes where their children play.

Across the country, an estimated 4.6 million children live in a home where at least one gun is kept loaded and unlocked. Research shows that keeping guns locked and unloaded and storing ammunition separately from its gun substantially reduces the risk of family fire — or a shooting involving an improperly stored or misused gun found in the home. Our goal is to make the question “Is there a gun in your house?” as natural and commonplace as conversations about pets or allergies.

And asking about unsecured firearms isn’t just for parents of young kids; teens who take babysitting jobs, young adults moving in with roommates and adults making living arrangements for aging parents can all benefit from having these conversations.

We’ve held community conversations on why and how to ask about guns in homes, circulated tip sheets in English and Spanish on how to ask throughout the community, and included this critical information in messages on social media and through our newsletter. And we’ll continue to share this information with local families wherever and however we can.

Now, as we prepare to head back to school, Tired Parents is calling on Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) to continue to actively promote gun violence prevention in the school and home settings. Data show that 76% of school shootings are facilitated by kids accessing guns at home. And we know Black and Latinx children and teens are disproportionately impacted by gun violence, including school shootings. With that in mind, in May and June, we successfully lobbied PGCPS to send a message to all parents and caregivers in the school system encouraging them to have conversations about guns and gun safety with every adult who supervises their kids. And we provided a letter about the ASK Campaign that PGCPS circulated to the county network of PTA leadership.

We are now requesting that PGCPS 1) share information with all parents and caregivers

COURTESY OF TIRED PARENTS

about the responsibilities of safe gun storage and the importance of asking about unsecured firearms in homes and 2) require parents to sign a letter at the start of each academic year acknowledging they have received the information. This is already being done in school districts such as the Los Angeles Unified School District. We also request that the county school system send a reminder about safe gun storage before school breaks.

We also encourage child care providers and community groups to talk about guns in homes with their families and are happy to provide materials to facilitate these conversations.

We recognize that directly addressing these issues may be awkward at first, and some may ask if this is within the mandate of our education system. Sadly, the epidemic of gun violence requires an all-hands-on-deck approach, and our schools are no exception.

If you’d like to learn more about Tired Parents or get involved, please follow us on Instagram @ tired.parents and/or sign up for our newsletter at bit.ly/3Pisrqt. We wish everyone a wonderful — and safe — 2022-23 school year.

Tired Parents is a group of local parents working for gun violence prevention in our community.

FROM PAGE 1

Bonnie McClellan, a Route One Communities Care representative, received a call from Gloria Aparicio Blackwell, director of the Office of Community Engagement at the University of Maryland. Aparicio Blackwell asked for assistance; Attick Towers residents were in dire need of food. Route One Communities Care partners with local restaurants to distribute as many as 500 meals every week to people living along the Route 1 Corridor.

“I contacted the people at Route One Communities Care (ROCC), and they had already ordered 100 meals that day to be delivered somewhere else,” McClellan said. “They were able to shift that and take them to Attick Towers instead, which was perfect, because we couldn’t have gotten a restaurant at that time to suddenly make 100 meals.”

A number of ROCC’s community partners responded rapidly to the need, including Carlos Alvarado, owner of Cocineros and Taqueria Habanero. Alvarado provided 30 meals and Route One Communities Care provided 100 more that they had in reserve. College Park Meals on Wheels also contributed, bringing the total to 160 meals for Attick Towers.

“My restaurants are always open for anyone in need of support in the community, especially older or disabled people. If they ever reach out to me, I will provide any assistance needed,” Alvarado said.

Aparicio Blackwell emphasized that it really does take a village to support neighbors in need.

“Whether it is education or helping each other out in times of emergencies, I am so glad that we can count on each other to come together in these types of situations,” she said.

Local nonprofit hosts family festival to raise money for schools in Malawi

By Sam Draddy

The Desks Project, a non-profit organization launched by College Park residents Chikondi Kulemeka and her father, Andrew, hosted a family fair at Duvall Field on July 23. Moon bounces, concessions, games and much more brought families out to enjoy a sunny day and support a good cause; the project supports students in Malawi, a country in Southeastern Africa, by furnishing their schools with desks.

“My dad really wanted to do this,” Chikondi Kulemeka said. “He has been talking about having a fun family activity for people in the local College Park community because that is where we are based from. We are always looking to do more fundraisers in College Park and would love to connect with the community on the University of Maryland’s campus as well.”

Chikondi Kulemeka taught English at the Chankhanga Primary School in Kasungu. She quickly noticed that none of the first- through eighthgrade students had desks in their classrooms; witnessing about 100 children in each class sitting on the ground, she felt the urge to take action. After some deliberation with her cousin, Kulemeka talked with staff at the school to see if providing desks would even be possible.

“I realized it was going to cost nearly $50,000, and as a 20-yearold with like $20 in my bank account, I did not think I could do it,” she said.

After speaking with her parents and getting their support, Kulemeka immersed herself in learning about how to start a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. She soon put together teams to help her in both the United States and Malawi, and The Desks Project became a reality. Chikondi Kulemeka now runs the organization with her

father, Andrew Kulemeka, who is a retired teacher.

They launched the nonprofit in 2017 and completed their first project by 2019, furnishing all of Chankhanga Primary School’s classrooms and providing desks to approximately 5,000 students. Andrew Kulemeka went to Malawi in 2019 to celebrate their accomplishment and check out the finished products, but when he got there, he was surprised to see something that had not been there before.

The Chankhanga Primary School had previously asked The Desks Project team to help build a fence around their school, since it was close to an open market which created a lot of traffic in the area.

“I told them that, unfortunately, in order to maximize our impact, we just need to focus our funds specifically on the desks,” Chikondi Kulemeka said.

When Andrew Kulemeka returned, though, he saw that a fence had been built around the school, even though The Desks Project had not raised money for this to happen.

“The community had raised money by themselves and provided labor. They very clearly said that a young girl from the United States really inspired them with the idea that they could also take action themselves,” Andrew Kulemeka said. “It’s amazing to see that the community was inspired by what Chikondi had done for the school.”

County adopts climate action plan

By Heather Wright

On July 12, the county council unanimously passed a resolution adopting the draft climate action plan (CAP), submitted to it in January by the Prince George’s Climate Action Commission, with the goals of preparing for and mitigating against the effects of regional climate change.

The county council adopted the CAP

and established goals of reducing county-wide emissions to 50% below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. The county’s department of the environment will lead the implementation of the plan’s 26 priority recommendations, which include strategies for reducing carbon emissions, conserving trees and open spaces, promoting sustainable agricultural practices, expanding flood

The Desks Project has fully furnished two schools since 2017, both the Chankhanga Primary School and the Kalilombe Primary School, which together enroll about 1,100 students.

An article published in July of this year in the Nyasa Times quoted Monica Chang’anamuno, Malawi’s education deputy minister, as saying that the country is in need of over two million desks for students.

Chikondi Kulemeka had a ready response: “Our ultimate goal is to fully tackle this problem,” she said.

The Desk Project’s organizers hope that the July event, Family Fun Day!, is just the start of a broader campaign to be more involved with the community of College Park.

mitigation, conducting vulnerability assessments and increasing community engagement. The plan also calls for establishing resilience hubs, centers that support the community by coordinating communications and distributing resources with an eye to reducing carbon pollution.

Amendments to the draft, introduced and accepted by the county council, stipulate achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, in line with the state’s Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022, and revising the

“We would love to get more community members from the College Park area, and we are looking to get more involved there,” Chikondi said. “We are very interested in teaming up with any businesses or organizations in the community.”

To read more about The Desks Project or to volunteer, go to thedesksproject.org.

The project will be new Team USA members starting in September. No experience is required, and the organization accepts highschoolers and adults as volunteers. The website also includes links to donate, buy merchandise, learn about teams and get information about upcoming events.

target for reaching carbon neutrality from 2050 to 2045. The approved amendments also include recognizing that the CAP is a dynamic plan that will need to be revised to stay current with rapidly changing events and will depend, to some extent, on new legislation; supporting the creation of a climate action implementation task force and a resident advisory group; supporting the county public schools climate action plan; and requiring status reports to the council on at least an annual basis.

The Desks Project, launched in 2017, furnished all of Chankhanga Primary School's classrooms and provided desks to about 5,000 students.

COURTESY OF CHIKONDI KULEMEKA

Primaries: voter turnout and process complaints

By Sophie Gorman Oriani and Kit Slack

Results are in for July’s primary election.

Nearly 214,000 voters, about a third of those registered in the county, turned out for the Prince George’s County Council at-large race, which incumbents Calvin Hawkins and Mel Franklin easily won. The race drew the most votes, up from 210,000 in 2018.

For comparison, about 145,000 voters cast ballots in the race for the governor’s seat, up from 130,000 in 2018.

Voter turnout this year in most local Democratic state races was largely comparable to or somewhat lower than turnout in 2018. Turnout increased slightly over 2018 in many county council races. While the Republican party fielded fewer local candidates than in 2018, Republican turnout increased, from under 5,000 voters in 2018 to nearly 7,000 in 2022.

Some area residents have concerns about the voting process itself, including a number of Hyattsville residents who reported that the machines they used seemed to allow them to choose between casting a Republican or Democratic ballot.

There was an even more basic problem: Staffing issues stalled the opening of the Ritchie Coliseum polling site from 7 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. on Election Day, inconvenienc-

ing voters who had arrived on time. College Park City Councilmembers discussed this issue during a meeting on Aug. 3.

Choosing ballots

Maryland primaries are, by law, closed primaries; a voter must be registered with either the Republican or Democratic party to vote, and may only vote using a ballot corresponding to their party.

In July’s primary, for the first time, residents were allowed to register on Election Day, following an amendment to the state constitution that voters approved in 2018. Also on Election Day, previously registered voters could choose to affiliate with a party or change their affiliation to the other party through the same-day voter registration process, and could then vote using provisional ballots.

However, some Hyattsville residents who did not choose to update or change their voter registration found that the voting machines at Hyattsville Elementary School and Nicholas Orem Middle School allowed them to select their choice of ballot, instead of displaying the ballot of their designated party.

In Maryland, the machines voters use to mark their ballots record but do not actually cast the votes. These machines, called ExpressVote Ballot Marking Devices, simply track a voter’s choices

and print them on a marked ballot. The machine-marked ballots are then read by separate machines that also read handmarked ballots.

Jennifer Kubit, who lives in Hyattsville, said that the machines she and her spouse used at Nicholas Orem offered them a choice between Republican and Democratic ballots. While Kubit selected the ballot for the party with which she was registered, her spouse accidentally selected the wrong ballot. He was able to void the erroneous ballot and submit a correct one. The county election board has not responded to a request for comment.

Late opening and staffing issues Ritchie Coliseum, which is located on the University of Maryland campus, is a voting location for some College Park residents.

At their Aug. 3 meeting and worksession, the College Park City Council discussed the lack of notice or communication about alternative polling places when Ritchie Coliseum opened one and a half hours late. And according to council meeting materials, a College Park resident who served as a volunteer poll worker during the 2020 election was assigned to serve as a poll judge in this year’s primary, though that person hadn’t volunteered to do so. The individual also did not receive contact information that would have allowed them to decline the assignment.

The College Park City Council voted unanimously to send a letter underscoring the staffing issues to the Prince George's County Board of Elections. College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn said he hoped Alisha Alexander, the elections administrator for the county, would meet with the city council in advance of the November general election.

“[The late opening] is distressing regardless of whether or not it ultimately had an impact on the results of the election,” Wojahn said.

Some area residents have concerns about the voting process itself, including a number of Hyattsville residents who reported that the machines they used seemed to allow them to choose between casting a Republican or Democratic ballot.