Most Laurel businesses have survived these past two and a half years, but the pandemic may leave a lasting impact on the way they operate in the future — mostly by accelerating changes that were already taking place.
For many, the pandemic has propelled a shift to hybrid schedules, with workers coming into the office some days and working from home on
McCall, manager of the West Laurel Wahoos. “You had to wear masks outside of the pool.”
By Mary Schneidau SullivanChristian Pulley was a graduate student in 2003 when she first attended a Laurel City Council meeting as an assignment for a city planning class at Morgan State University. The New Jersey native dutifully took notes at the meeting, where she observed Laurel Mayor Craig Moe in his
From June until the middle of July, the sounds of cheers and laughter could be heard at local community pools on Saturday mornings as swim teams engaged in friendly rivalry.
After two summer seasons altered by the pandemic, this year marked a return to normal, with more families coming back and meets held in person. “The energy is palpable,” said Christine Kposowa, communications liaison for the Montpelier Marlins swim club. “It is a really cool thing to witness.”
While no meets were held in 2020, during the 2021 season, meets were held virtually.
“We would swim at our own pools and compete with another team virtually,” said Terry
The Wahoos, he noted, did hold practices throughout the 2020 season and competed against each other.
“It was really important we had a swim team,” McCall said. “We were the only outlet for kids that summer we were open.”
The pandemic, Kposowa said, “did a number” on the team’s membership, reducing the roster of swimmers from 100 to 60.
“Not a lot of swimmers returned,” Kposowa said, of the 2021 season. “Our team was so small.”
Typically, swim clubs feature youth ages 5 to 18 competing in various heats, doing strokes
palpable.
a really cool thing to witness.”
Christine Kposowa communications liaison for the Montpelier Marlins swim club.
After working her way to the top, Pulley is ready to serve
Laurel gained its first urban farm last year when Kellie Cox, horticulturist and owner of Strawberry Fields, a landscape design and installation company based in Silver Spring, purchased a flat and sunny quarteracre property in the city. Millie Farms, which Cox named after her daughter, is part of a growing urban agriculture movement in Prince George’s County. In addition to providing significant environmental benefits, urban agriculture offers economic and community development opportunities. An urban farm can offer health and education advantages, as well.
Urban farms have become popular. In 2012, a MarylandNational Capital Park and Planning Commission report on urban agriculture featured 15 urban farms in the county, though none in Laurel. Urban
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Agriculture Conservation Planner Kim Rush Lynch is with the Prince George’s Soil Conservation District (PGSCD), which offers comprehensive support to current and aspiring urban farmers in the county; the program also taps into local, state and federal agencies for support.
Rush Lynch indicated that there are fewer than 40 urban farms committed to actively working with PGSCD. According to Rush Lynch’s office, there are also other urban farms in the county that are not currently partnering with PGSCD.
Rush Lynch observed that between 2015 and 2016, the Prince George’s County Council was successful in incentivizing urban farming to locate in the county through an urban agriculture property tax credit, one that is still available to eligible applicants. Further growth of the movement has been fostered through partnerships and
Managing Editor Katie V. Jones
Katie@streetcarsuburbs.news
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Writers & Contributors
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the focus of urban farming as a food-access strategy. Food equity, conservation and climate change mitigation also factor into the push to encourage urban agriculture. Fast forward to now, and there are zoning ordinances that allow for urban farming across much of the county.
Along with its many benefits, urban farming can also present unique challenges, including some imposed by zoning and permitting requirements. Rush Lynch’s office supports urban farmers with its Bloomin’ PGC Urban Farming Initiative, a resource-rich program that offers resources for business planning and marketing, cultivation and land-use practices, education and training, and legislation and regulations. It also connects urban farmers to each other, including through Google and Facebook groups. The initiative was developed by PGSCD in partnership with the Prince George’s
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
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County Food Equity Council. While some urban farmers may face local resistance to their efforts, Cox reported that immediate neighbors and the larger Laurel community have welcomed Millie Farms with open arms. Cox’s husband, employees and tenants all help with the project.
As a woman business owner, Cox is eager to support and empower women also working in horticulture, and she has established a micro-grant initiative, the Strawberry Sprout Grant program, to do exactly that. Eligible applicants may receive grants of $1,000 to further their careers and work in horticulture and related fields. Cox plans to put 100% of the proceeds from Millie Farms into the program. Cox and her team are excited
about the progress they are making at Millie Farms. For her part, Cox said that she “loves creating a native habitat for our local wildlife and food source[s] with a variety of native plants that we are growing. Along with this, we are providing an educational resource for the local residents, which we greatly enjoy.”
Cox recently sold Millie Farms’ cut flowers and fresh rosemary through a coffee collective based in Silver Spring, and she is considering selling the farm’s flowers, herbs and produce at local farmers markets and similar locations in Laurel.
To learn more about urban farming, including tapping resources to start your own farming enterprise, go to pgscd.org or contact Kim Rush Lynch at karlynch@co.pg.md.us
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 right here at home.
Want to know if coyotes have been documented in the city? There’s an app for that! (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! (Black widows are definitely in the area.)
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! (The answer is likely no; we have poison ivy all over the place — but poison oak? Not so much.)
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 all of us, of all ages, to get involved in identifying, appreciating and conserving the wild in our area.
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.
In nearby College Park alone, there are 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, iNat users there 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 in the area, and College Park’s Vera Wiest tops the chart, having logged almost 50 observations of 38 different species, ranging from plants to birds to butterflies to fungi.
And 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 decent) picture with your cell
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
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 (let’s say College Park, Md., as a test run), 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.
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 their 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, too. Biodiversity in our area 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 area? Drop him a note at rborchelt@gmail.com.
Borchelt is a naturalist and science writer living in College Park.
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. The Greenbelt site is a 50-acre parcel adjacent to the Greenbelt Metro station. GSA may announce their decision as early as September.
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.
Congratulations and Happy 100th Birthday to Laurel residents Mildred Awkard and Virginia “Ginny” Scagliarini who both reach the 100-year milestone this year.
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.
It’s been yet another summer of harrowing headlines about gun violence in the U.S. From highprofile 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.
The biggest killer in America isn’t smoking, guns or car accidents. It’s heart disease, a ruthless killer that is directly linked to what we eat. Saturated fat found in animal products can lead to heart disease and increase the risk of other serious health problems.
With high obesity rates, pandemic concerns and soaring food prices, many people are seeking a healthier and more affordable lifestyle. A wholefood, plant-based diet has been proven to prevent, treat and even reverse many of our worst health conditions and chronic diseases including diabetes, cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure. It can reduce inflammation, improve
gut function and boost the immune system. And plant-based diets are packed with fiber, which keeps you full longer and provides vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. A plantbased diet can help you lose weight and generally improve your quality of life.
Adopting a plant-based diet is easier than you may think and can be affordable, especially if you grow most of your veggies and fruits in your own backyard.
Donna Koczaja, owner of Green Haven Living in Laurel, supports clients with custom herbal formulations, clinical herbal medicine, and diet and lifestyle recommendations. She is an herbalist, master gardener and plant enthusiast, and she grows a huge amount of
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 Hyattsville 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 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.
veggies and herbs in her home garden for both their fresh flavor and medicinal value.
“During the prime growing season, I use my harvest as a focus for my meals just about every day. It’s important to eat a good amount and wide variety of veggies,“ Koczaja said.
Her staple garden veggies include tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini and green beans — all good starter crops for beginner gardeners. Leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach and kale are also relatively easy to grow, but they are cool weather crops that should be planted in early spring or fall. Koczaja’s favorite fruits range from cantaloupes to strawberries, blueberries and blackberries.
“We have a produce crisis in
this country in that, according to the CDC [Centers for Disease Control], only one in 10 Americans achieve their recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables,“ Koczaja said. “Planting what you like to eat will inspire you to eat better.”
Herbs are a wonderful way to enhance a plant-based diet. “Herbs add a wide variety of flavors without adding things you don't want or need, like excessive salt and fat,” Koczaja said. “They offer an abundance
of phytochemicals that provide numerous health benefits, like reduced inflammation, antimicrobial properties, and [they] even improve cognitive function.”
Koczaja particularly likes growing peppermint, lemon balm, rosemary, sage, thyme and basil. “It's fun to blend several herbs for a desired health benefit such as teas to calm, improve digestion and fortify the immune system,” she said.
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.Zucchini is one of Donna Koczaja's staple garden veggies. COURTESY OF PEXELS
Having a local volunteer and community server who is also a scholar boasting a weighted 4.46 GPA and a senior class president would be enough to make any community proud, yet we are only getting started. At 5-feet8-inches tall, Juliette Whittaker is gaining national attention for her performance on and off the track field. Whittaker joins an esteemed list of former Gatorade Players of the Year which includes Allyson Felix, Lolo Jones, Grant Fisher, Candance Hill and Robert Griffin III, just to name a few.
Whittaker, of Mount de Sales Academy, has been named the 2021-22 Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of
the Year. Her outstanding record includes numerous firstplace wins, including three at the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland Championships, alone. Whittaker is heading to Stanford on an athletic scholarship this fall. Her initial visit to the campus sealed the deal: "When I was there with the team, it felt like I was on the team," she said. "Everyone was welcoming. It was genuine, and everyone was kind. I totally saw myself with the teammates on weekends and going to the mall."
Although we would have loved to keep Wittaker close to home, we will be wishing her all the best from across the country — continue to make the DMV proud, Whittaker.
The Department of Parks and Recreation is a full service agency offering recreation programs and services throughout six facilities and 19 park sites encompassing over 222 acres of parkland.
The Department is in the business of creating memories that make life worth living! Whether you are looking for a class to participate in, a place to work out and get in shape, a sports league, swimming pool, camp program or senior social activity, the Department of Parks and Recreation has something for you!
The Department has a Senior Services agency catering to those 55 years young and over. With senior adult programs and classes scheduled at various City facilities, as well as day trips, you’ll want to check out these senior trips coming up:
• Asian Food Festival
• American Visionary Museum
For more day trips and other events, visit www.cityoflaurel.org/park/senior-services.
Senior Transportation
Need help getting to a doctor’s appointment or to the grocery store? The Senior Transportation Service is available to take you anywhere you would like to go within the city limits of Laurel from 9:00am3:00pm.
Preschool
Registration for the 2022-2023 school year has begun. Accepting students for 3-year-old class (must be 3 by August 31,
2022) and 4 year-old class (must be 4 by August 31, 2022). Space is limited.
Softball and basketball league registration is open. Contact Susie HehirKeys at shehir-keys@laurel.md.us for more information.
If you are looking for some great programs to keep you active, check out the Youth, Teen, & Adult Drop-in Basketball available at both centers throughout the year. Or get a Fitness Room membership available for sale year-round and try one of our fitness rooms that can be found at both community centers.
There is more to mention, but with limited space here, please visit our website at www.cityoflaurel.org/parks and find something for you or the whole family!
Finally, the 2022 Fall Brochure will be available in August. Pick up a copy at either community center or go online at www.cityoflaurel.org/parks.
The Department of Public Works is here to help you enjoy the basic necessities and the quality of life that is expected within the City of Laurel. Whether you need bulky item collection, a pothole filled or roads cleared after a snow storm, we are here to assist. Public Works has also created new projects that we would like to share with you.
The City of Laurel is implementing a new project to protect our local waterways in a high tech way. Storm drain filters will be
installed on all City streets, reducing pollutants, trash and debris from entering our infrastructure and most importantly the Chesapeake Bay. QR code placards will be installed on the top of each storm drain to encourage residents to help us reduce trash in the City. Residents can scan the unique QR code to upload photos and to report any issues with the storm drain. Once uploaded to the app, Public Works is notified of the exact location where services are needed. Look for this to come in the near future!
Composting
Our composting program encourages the residents of Laurel to reduce landfill waste, with the incentive to make your household waste into reusable compost. Once you are a participant in this program, you are granted free compost for your garden.
The new One and Done program was launched in April 2022 and simplifies refuse, recycling and compost collections by making them all on the same day. The City now provides all refuse, recycling and compost receptacles to all of its residents.
If you have any questions about this program, be sure to call Public Works at 301-725-0088.
Electronic Recycling
Public Works holds an Electronic Recycling event twice a year - once in April and again in October. This event lets residents take advantage of getting rid of outdated electronics, while saving valuable landfill space and recycling useful materials.
Public Works is here for you, so if you have any questions, be sure to email them at DPW@laurel.md.us.
Clean Water Action Group, Laurel for the Patuxent, Native Gardeners, and much more. If you have an idea on a group and/or initiative that would support the City’s long-term sustainability plan, please e-mail mblair@laurel.md.us.
• Sprinkle baking soda on newspaper lining the bottom of your containers.
• Mix some organic tea tree oil with water and spray on the newspaper.
How is the City making our environment more sustainable? More pollinator friendly? More “bee”utiful? If you haven’t guessed already, the Mayor and City Council passed Resolution No. 4-22 supporting the Bee City Initiative! The City is now part of the Xerces Society’s Bee City champions.
Residents can learn more about what to expect as a Bee City from the Green Living Resource page at www.cityoflaurel.org/green and by coming to the City’s FIRST Sustainable Saturday!
Sustainable Saturday, Sept. 10th
The Environmental Affairs Committee (EAC) will host a Bee City information table and Bee City committee members will be there to answer your questions –show you where our pollinator gardens will be, give you an update on seminars on pollinator gardening and introduce you to other initiatives underway. Other exhibitors/vendors will be the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society, The
Summer composting can be challenging...smells, fruit flies and ants are common problems that we hear about. Some residents get so frustrated that they give up! Don’t give up! Composting is the number one way that individuals can reduce methane gas emissions at our landfills.
If you have ever experienced fruit flies, you know how frustrating they can be. They are tiny, but oh so annoying for their very short life span (8 to 15 days), but they are very prolific (females can lay up 2,000 eggs and they can turn into maggots) So how to avoid and conquer?
Here are some helpful tips to reduce smells and pests that may be feasting on your kitchen countertop compost containers:
• Freeze compost directly in the bag provided by DPW.
• Keep the kitchen countertop container out of the sun.
• Line the bottom of your compost container with a layer of newspaper.
• All City-issued kitchen counter-top containers have lids with charcoal filters, so keep the lids on! And dry the container before adding a new liner.
• Replace the filters every 4-6 months. Contact DPW for information on getting new filters.
• Empty compost every 2-3 days. DPW will provide all composters with free compostable liners for the kitchen countertop carts.
• Throw a sprig of fresh mint in your compost or use organic essential oils to help keep the fruit flies at bay.
• Wash your fruit! Fruit flies can travel on the fruit you purchase outside of your home – just remember the egg story from above and you will always want to wash your fruits and veggies!
• Use your vacuum hose to suck them up – the sucking action will kill them.
If you would like additional information, please contact the Office of the City Administrator at 301-725-5300 or visit the Green Living page on the City’s website at www.cityoflaurel.org.
Parques y Recreación (Parks and Recreation)
El Departamento de Parques y Recreación es una agencia de servicio completo que ofrece programas y servicios de recreación.
¡El Departamento crea recuerdos que hacen que valga la pena vivir la vida! Ya sea que esté buscando una clase en la que pueda participar, un lugar para hacer ejercicio, una liga deportiva, una piscina, un programa de campamento o una actividad social para personas mayores, ¡tienen algo para usted! ¡Visite www.cityoflaurel.org/parks!
El Departamento de Obras Públicas está aquí para ayudarlo a disfrutar de las necesidades básicas y la calidad de vida que se espera dentro de la Ciudad de Laurel. Ya sea que necesite recolectar artículos voluminosos, llenar un bache o despejar el camino después de una tormenta de nieve, estamos aquí para ayudarle.
Para obtener más información, visite su página web en www.cityoflaurel.org/dpw.
Laurel is a “Bee”utiful CityListed below are recent legislative actions and bid recommendations taken by the Laurel City Council at the Mayor and City Council meetings for the past month. For further information on any of these legislative actions, please feel free to contact the Office of the City Clerk at 301-725-5300 x2121 or at clerk@laurel.md.us
Approved Bid Recommendations:
Fleet Acquisition
2022 Ford F-150 Super Cab 4x4 Truck – Department of Public Works
Fleet Acquisition – 2022 Ford F-750 Super Duty Truck – Department of Public Works
Granville Gude Park Path Light Replacements – Department of Parks and Recreation
COUNCIL O FFICE
301-725-5300 ext. 2121
clerk@laurel.md.us
Mosquito Control Spraying on Sundays through September - Visit https:// www.cityoflaurel.org/em/mosquito-control-program for more information and how to opt out.
Labor Day - September 5th - City/Passport Offices Closed -
Visit www.cityoflaurel.org/calendars for trash/recycling adjustment.
Doggie Dip Day at Greenview Drive Pool -
September 10, 2022 - 12:00 - 3:00pm
Sustainable Saturday
September 10, 2022 - 10:00am - 2:00pm - Main Street (former Quill Lot)
Government Meetings
All government meetings suspended for the month of August.
August 17 - City Hall in the Park - Greenview Drive Pool - CANCELLED
Virtual Mayor and City Council Work Session - September 7th - 6pm
Virtual Mayor and City Council Meeting - September 12th - 6pm
In 2004, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) dedicated September as National Emergency Preparedness Month to emphasize the importance of personal survival measures following the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Therefore, the Ready Campaign at Ready.gov has designed yearly themes, with the 2022 theme, “A Lasting Legacy: The life you’ve built is worth protecting. Prepare for disasters to create a lasting legacy for you and your family. ” To help individuals and families prepare, use the following tips:
• Make a Plan: Talk to household members and neighbors to know how you will communicate before, during, and after a disaster.
• Build a Kit: Gather supplies to last 72 hours after a disaster for everyone living in your home. Don’t forget unique needs for medications, dietary needs, babies, and pets.
• Stay Informed: Follow the City’s social media (@LaurelCityOEM and Facebook) for information during a disaster and sign up for the City’s emergency notification system at www.cityoflaurel.org/ em/preparedness/stay-informed
• Get Involved: Volunteer with local organizations to support preparedness efforts in your community. For more information on CERT, contact Christina Cornwell at ccornwell@laurel.md.us or 301-725-5300.
To learn more about how to prepare, please visit www.ready.gov.
To familiarize the residents & business owners of the City of Laurel with the purpose, process, & structure of the City’s government & equip citizens to become active participants in municipal matters.
* Gain a better understanding of how local government functions. * Participate and interact with knowledgeable staff to learn and understand how City finances, operations, projects, and services are developed, distributed, and executed.
* Learn about volunteer opportunities in City government.
* Obtain feedback from citizens regarding governmental programs and services.
Send your event information to Katie V. Jones at katie@ StreetcarSuburbs.news
PATUXENT
RESEARCH REFUGE: Programs are free; some require advance registration. Programs are subject to changes or cancellation due to weather or low enrollment. For more information and to register, call 301.497.5887
South Tract, 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop
Family Fun: Reptiles. Learn about turtles, lizards and snakes through hands-on activities, games and crafts. Ages 3 and up; no registration. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 12 and 13.
Junior Wildlife Ranger. Join a Refuge Ranger for five nature-related activities and complete your Junior Wild-
life Ranger activity booklet to earn a badge. Ages 6 to 10; registration required. 1:30 to 3 p.m. Aug. 13.
Pollinators in a Pot: Native Plants for Patios and Decks. Learn how to create a wildlife home for a limited space and adopt a native plant grown at the USGS Bee Lab. All ages; registration required. 2 to 3:00 p.m. Aug. 20.
North Tract, 230 Bald Eagle Dr.
Photo-Adventure
Scavenger Hunt. Using clues, individuals and groups can hunt for stones, mystery objects, plants and animals while learning about the history and features of the facility. Bring a cell phone or camera to record your observations. All ages; no registration. 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 13.
Untold Stories of North Tract. You may know that the military once trained in the area, but there’s much more to the story of North Tract. Removing lead from soil? Deals struck with beavers? Join Refuge Manager Brad Knudsen for a driving tour and tales about wildlife and wild times at the refuge. All ages; registration required. 2 to 3:45 p.m. Aug. 13.
Interactive Nature Hike. Join fellow walkers on a short stroll and discuss the history of North Tract, the role and importance of pollinators, and the ecology and biodiversity of a forest habitat. Ages 10 and up; registration required. 10 to 11:30 a.m. Aug. 27.
Wildlife Conservation Day. This year’s Conservation Day at the North Tract will include a family adventure scavenger hunt, crafts, fishing, archery and air rifle target shooting. All ages; no registration. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 27.
Summer Concert Series.
Towne Centre Laurel continues its free summer concert series with a lineup including Edwin Ortiz Y La Mafia Del Guaguanco, Aug. 11; Jcastro,
Aug 18; and Harmonee & Co., Aug. 25. All concerts are at 7 p.m. 14828 Baltimore Ave. For more information, go to visittcl.com
Laurel MIll Playhouse
Presents “Willy Wonka Jr. & Cabaret.” Based on the story by Roald Dahl, this musical contains songs from the 1971 film of the same name and new music, too. $15-$20. Aug. 12 through 14 and Aug. 19 through 21. 508 Main St. For more information, go to laurelmillplayhouse.org
Emancipation Day 2022. Laurel’s annual celebration returns with live music, food, games, a parade and more. 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., parade at 3 p.m. Sept. 3. 601 8th St.
Laurel Board of Trade Monthly Networking. Virtual opportunity to meet and network with local business people; Laurel Board of Trade membership not required. Aug. 18, 12:15 p.m. For more information and meeting link go to laurel boardoftrade.org, email laurelboardoftrade383@ gmail.com or call 301.483.0838
What’s Cookin’, Laurel? Restaurants, Recipes & Community. Exhibit at the Laurel Museum explores the many ways we connect with our past and each other through food. Discover Laurel’s farmers, restaurants, food stores, African American traditions and community cookbooks. Free. Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, noon to 4 p.m., through Dec. 18. 817 Main St. For more information, go to info@laurelhistorical society.org or call 301.725.7975
Bingo at American Legion Post 60. Friday night bingo every week; 23 games with cash prizes, food and drinks for purchase. Doors open at 5 p.m.; bingo starts at 7:30 p.m. 2 Main St. 301.725.2302
Friday Food Festival: American Legion Post 60 hosts Friday dinners, with Canteen 60 providing meals the first and third Friday of the month and P&G Catering serving up on the second and fourth. 5:30 to 8 p.m., 2 Main St. 301.725.2302
St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, in partnership with Capital Area Food Bank, offers food distributions on the third Sunday of every month; next distribution is Aug. 21. 9 a.m. to noon. Sixth and Prince George sts.
Laurel Advocacy and Referral Services
Food pantry is open by appointment only Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Monday evenings from 5 to 7:30 p.m. 311 Laurel Ave. To schedule a visit, call 301.776.0442
Prayer Tower Church
Community food pantry, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 12 N. Second St. For more information call 240.583.0996 or email prayertowerchurch.org/food
Fish of Laurel food pantry, Thursday and Saturday, from 10:15 a.m. to noon, 308 Gorman Ave. By appointment only. To schedule, call 240.547.9013 SEE
ON 10
first full year on the job.
“I always kept Laurel in the back of my mind as a planning job,” Pulley said.
She joined the city as a planner in 2008 and has spent the last 14 years working her way up through city government, including serving for several years as director of economic and community development. In January, Pulley was appointed as the first Black person to serve as Laurel’s city administrator, the employee tasked with running the city’s daily operations.
“It’s been great, and I’ve definitely been blessed,” she said. “I have a to-do list for almost every day, but a lot of times my to-do list is very different from the todo list that gets done.”
The city administrator manages operations across the city’s 13 departments, handles aspects of the city’s insurance programs and budget administration, and oversees boards, commissions and committees. The administrator also serves as a liaison between the mayor and city council and often responds to inquiries from residents and businesses that need help or a resolution.
“She’s the day-to-day person that is making things happen,
taking care of issues, those types of things,” Moe said of Pulley. “It really needs to be a person that can multitask on several different levels and assignments, and she’s been able to do that.”
Moe has worked with four previous city administrators, including Kristie Mills, Marty Flemion, Bill Goddard and LouAnn Crook. All of them, including Pulley, spent years on city staff before moving into the administrator position. That progression, Moe observed, allowed them to become deeply familiar with city operations as well as the needs of residents and businesses. He also appreciated Pulley’s desire to keep learning, as evidenced by her membership in this year’s Leadership Maryland class, among other things.
Pulley is one of a handful of women who hold key positions in the city.
“It’s awesome, it’s empowering,” she said. “The mayor is surrounded by women and trusts women.”
Other women in top city jobs include Michele Saylor, director of budget and personnel services; Kim Rau, clerk to the city council; Audrey Barnes, director of communications; Sara Green, the chief of staff; and Joanne Barr, the deputy city administrator.
Pulley also recognizes the influ-
ence she carries as a Black woman in such a prominent position.
“Of course I am my own woman, my own person,” she said. “But it’s humbling, it’s exciting. It’s legacy-building within itself, and it’s an honor.”
All of the struggles that women and African Americans go through to achieve success and influence are not ultimately
about power, Pulley said, but service.
“It’s doing the right thing with the power of influence to serve the community, the city of Laurel, citizens and business owners.”
Pulley’s parents and grandparents instilled in her a clear understanding of the importance of education, and she credits that
for helping her earn her bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and a master’s from Morgan State.
Erika Pulley-Hayes, Pulley’s older sister, also credited a strong family life and vision with laying the foundations for success.
“All she has achieved she certainly put in the work for it,” Pulley-Hayes said. “But also our family really instilled a sense of excellence in us from a very young age.”
Pulley-Hayes said she often thinks of her younger sister as “her oldest child” because their mother died when Pulley was just 15 years old; Pulley said that Pulley-Hayes, nine years older, helped guide her through young adulthood. The two remain best friends, having recently taken a trip to Greece together and regularly meeting for dinner. Their close bond helped them navigate the loss of their father last year. For her part, Pulley said she is focused now on helping Laurel go “to the top.” She believes Laurel is the best municipality in Prince George’s County and wants to help it become the best in the state.
“I definitely enjoy working here,” she said. “I try to remain calm and [be] a leader who is approachable. I’m here to serve the great citizens of Laurel.”
Both the Wahoos’ and the Marlins’ numbers rose for this season, with the Wahoos going from 65 swimmers in 2021 to 93 and the Marlins increasing from last year’s 60 to around 100.
SWIM
FROM PAGE 1
like the breaststroke, freestyle and the butterfly. This year, a 4-year-old competed on the Wahoo team, McCall said.
“The criteria at the low end to swim in meets is to not hold up meets or be a danger to themselves,” McCall said. “She was energetic.”
As team captain of the Wahoos, Kara Schmidtt, 16, encouraged swimmers and helped them line up to compete. She also helped coach swimmers ages 8 and under.
“We have a lot of younger
swimmers,” Schmidtt said. “I met my best friend when she was 6 and I was 5. The younger kids have the same relationships as I did, and it’s like wow, I’m watching the younger generation of the pool.”
The Marlins offered a pre-team this year to coach beginner swimmers. Though the Mini-Marlins were not allowed to compete at meets, they were invited to participate in all the group’s other activities, Kposowa said.
“We had an overwhelming response from the community,” Kposowa said, noting that more than 20 new swimmers joined.
“It was a challenge in some ways.
We had to keep the minis safe.”
New policies were put in place, Kposowa added, as the team had to maintain the correct ratio of students to teachers.
“My son joined the team and had swim instruction,” Kposowa said. “He graduated to advance[d] swimmer and placed first in freestyle. There are so many stories.”
Many families have several children swimming, both Kposowa and McCall noted, and some even have third-generation swimmers.
“Our team has been around since the 1960s,” Kposowa said. “It has a long history. It is really cool, the legacy of kids who
learn to swim at Montpelier.”
McCall credits the families’ support during the meets for the fact that everything runs smoothly.
“It’s a lot of work,” McCall said. “Meets require about 75% of parents to be involved.”
Both the Wahoos’ and the Marlins’ numbers rose for this season, with the Wahoos going from 65 swimmers in 2021 to 93 and the Marlins increasing from last year’s 60 to around 100.
“The parents really like being able to come to meets and see their kids swim,” McCall said. “To see kids doing something important to them is really great.”
Previous media sales experience is not required. Willingness to learn, work independently, and promote the “value of local” is a MUST!
Want to know more? Email Mike McLaughlin at Mike@StreetcarSuburbs.News
Laurel’s
newspaper, The Laurel Independent, has hit the ground writing and reporting, but we need your help to bring home the news every month.
If you have a local story to tell or if you just have a writing itch that needs to be scratched, contact our managing editor, Katie Jones, at Katie@StreetcarSuburbs. News.
On July 12, the county council unanimously passed a resolution adopting the draft climate action plan (CAP), submitted to the council 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 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 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 Laurel Historical Society (LHS) recently elected officers and added a member to its board of directors.
The newly elected officers are Denise Redmond, president, and Robert Mignon, treasurer; Beth West is joining the board. Their terms began July 1 and will run through June 2024.
Redmond has served on the LHS board of directors since 2020 and is a longtime community volunteer with the Woman’s Club of Laurel, the West Laurel Civic Association and Prince George’s County Public Schools. She is also an award-winning realtor with Long and Foster Realtor Real Estate.
Mignon is a long-time Laurel businessman and former owner of Minuteman Press fran-
FROM PAGE 7
chises in Laurel and Beltsville. He is active in the Lions Club, and with The Laurel Board of Trade and Side By Side.
Three LHS officers were reelected, including Alicia Fields, vice president, who joined the board in 2016 and is with Sandy Spring Bank; Melanie Dzwonchyk, recording secretary, a former LHS president and former editor of the Laurel Leader; and Amy Dunham, corresponding secretary, who is a physical education teacher with Prince George’s County Public Schools and is based at Laurel Elementary.
West, who is serving her first term on the board, is a longtime LHS volunteer. She is a government information specialist at the National Institutes of Health and volunteers with the Woman’s Club of Laurel.
Board members Mike Boivin, Larry Eldridge, Marlene Frazier, Michelle Keating, Karen Lubieniecki and Margie McCeney were reelected for the current term.
Living Hope Church distributions, Tuesdays from 1 to 2:30 p.m. 613 Montgomery St. For more information, call 301.497.6424
Grab & Go Groceries at Grace 2 Grace Center, Royal House Chapel, starting Saturday, Aug. 13 and continuing every other Saturday, from 10 a.m. to noon. 7911 Bray Green Rd. For more information call 301.437.9441 or email charismafoodbank@gmail. com
St. Mary of the Mills food pantry, Thursdays, 9:45 a.m. while supplies last. 114 St. Mary’s Pl. Call before you come. 301.725.3080
Gospel Assembly Church food pantry, First and third Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. 8740 Cherry Ln, Suite 12
Little Chapel Food Pantry, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Corner of 6th and Prince George sts. Aug. 21, 9 a.m. to noon
others.
For retailers, the pandemic has quickened the need to have multiple sales streams — in-store, online and by delivery.
Rich McCoy, executive vice president of Konterra Realty, leases both retail and office space in the Laurel area. Properties include the Konterra Building on Sweitzer Lane and multiple buildings in the Konterra Business Campus off Route 1 south of Muirkirk Road.
McCoy said that flexible office-home work schedules were in their infancy before spring 2020. Today, the practice is “significant and much larger than pre-pandemic,” he observed. “Remote work is here to stay. We’re not going to reverse that. We’re not going back to mid-pandemic, where everyone was home. The hybrid work model is going to be the most common.”
McCoy said one of his tenants, a bank, had leased both executive office and training spaces before 2020. The bank has decided to retain the office space but to give up the training space. During the pandemic, the bank’s employees began to meet virtually, which worked well for them.
“The days of 20 people coming to a conference room for a meeting” are in decline, McCoy noted.
Marilyn Johnson, owner of a sewing design studio and president of The Laurel Board of Trade, agrees that meeting expectations have changed. The organization is currently holding virtual networking events, not just for safety’s sake but also for convenience.
“We don’t have to spend 20 minutes to an hour getting there and 20 minutes to an hour getting back. Pretty soon you’ve used up your whole day,” she said.
But Johnson said people still desire the immediacy of meeting in person, at least occasionally. She noted that many of the business organizations with which she is involved “will Zoom for two meetings in a row and then have an in-person meeting.”
McCoy said employers know that spending time in an office with co-workers is important.
“There is a benefit in going to a central place where there is a flow of ideas,” he said. ”Part-office/part-home work situations will probably lessen demand for office space, but I don’t think it will be a
gigantic impact.”
McCoy suggested that employers are still trying to figure out whether they can save space by having employees share desks with co-workers who come in on different days.
“There are a lot of employees who don’t want to share,” he noted.
Ben Berman is optimistic about office leasing in Laurel for the same reasons as McCoy. Berman’s company, Berman Enterprises, owns four local office properties, including a mid-rise building at 312 Marshall Avenue, where Prince George’s Community College leases space; an office park off Sandy Spring Road, behind the Laurel Municipal Center; and two fivestory buildings on Greenview Drive, off Route 197.
“Leasing in 2020 [the first year of the pandemic] was basically non-existent,” Berman said. “We definitely lost a handful of tenants.” But, he added, “We have seen a real
resurgence of interest in our spaces in the Route 1 Corridor. … We’ve been pleasantly surprised by leasing activity from 2021 into this year.”
Berman agreed with McCoy that businesses still desire a creative proximity in which “if you have an idea, you can pop into your co-worker’s office.”
Berman noted that most of his tenants are small-business owners who appreciate having some geographical separation between their work and their home life and that they also may need a professional setting in which to greet clients or customers.
Berman said that the wrenching first year of the pandemic did not deter his company from making a major bet on the viability of office space. The family purchased the two Greenview Drive office buildings, totaling 150,000 square feet of space, in the final days of 2020. They chose to do that, he said, because they could pay a low price — the proper -
fully occupied. During the first year of the pandemic, they lost several tenants, but “the vacancies got backfilled fairly quickly,” he said. The Megamart grocery is one the largest tenants.
Berman reported that most of their tenant businesses survived the pandemic because they “made appropriate pivots.” The businesses strengthened their online sales technologies and offered curbside pickup as well as home deliveries, he said. Such diversification has “helped the businesses not only survive, but also thrive post-COVID[-19]. … They are probably in a stronger position financially than they were before the pandemic,” he added.
Konterra’s McCoy agreed that the pandemic quickened the decades-long shift to online commerce but said that it also exposed limitations.
“Online isn’t going to totally take the place of bricks and mortar,” he said. “People still want to go to a store and try on a pair of shoes, rather than ordering 10 pairs and sending nine back.”
McCoy said he had heard from brokers of high-quality retail space that they have two to three businesses vying for every vacancy.
“The [retail] world isn’t as bleak as it looked a couple of years ago,” McCoy said.
Laurel Mayor Craig Moe said he was relieved the city survived the pandemic without suffering a rash of empty storefronts and office spaces.
ties had been in receivership for years and were up for auction.
According to Berman, buying distressed properties and turning them around has always been the company’s modus operandi. He noted, too, that the family could convert the buildings to apartments if necessary. In fact, the demand for office space pleasantly surprised them.
Starting with only 11% occupancy in both buildings in 2021, one building is now 88% leased, 18 months later, he said. Berman’s biggest tenant is Perfect Office Solutions, a company that leased two floors and has divided them into modest offices for smallbusiness clients. Berman Enterprises began marketing leases in the second building two months ago.
As for retail, Berman owns two adjoining shopping centers at the southeast corner of the intersection of routes 1 and 198. Those shopping centers have traditionally been
“There have been a few, but not many businesses in the city that have closed,” he said.
Moe noted that federal aid during the pandemic, including the CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program, has been crucial in keeping the city government and business community healthy.
Throughout Moe’s 20-year tenure as mayor, he has focused on how to preserve brick-and-mortar businesses in a world that increasingly relies on online commerce. City grant programs to help merchants on Main Street and in other targeted areas with move-in expenses and façade renovations have helped, he said, and the city is considering expanding such programs.
Moe noted that many of his colleagues in the state are also concerned about their Main Streets’ futures: “It’s something we always worried about. … The pandemic has really heightened the alert.”
