07-2023 Hyattsville Life & Times

Changes coming to Hyattsville parks

By Kit Slack

Rabid foxes. Ravenous goats. Unruly children. Strangling vines. Food forests. This June, even a black bear who lost his way: Hyattsville parks have it all — and a new city parks website lists the amenities at each one. Plans are afoot to bring even more to local parks.

Finally, a bigger swimming pool

This winter, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) purchased wooded land on Adelphi Road north of the existing community center, in a deal

New

Hyattsville Elementary set to open fall 2028

By Claire Panak Tombes

Hyattsville Elementary School will close in summer 2026 for demolition and rebuilding, and will reopen for the 2028-29 school year, two years later than originally expected. The new school building’s enrollment capacity is expected to be 650, with a projected enrollment of 458 students in fall 2027.

School bus drivers say shortage due to low pay

By Mark Betancourt

On a chilly afternoon in early February, Mirna Lorena Navarrete sat on a low wall near her second grader’s school bus stop in West Hyattsville. This is her post on most days, waiting for a bus that’s often an hour and a half late dropping off her daughter, who attends César Chávez Dual Spanish Immersion School, about six minutes away.

“Sometimes it’s really cold,” Navarrete said in Spanish. The low temperatures are bearable while the sun is still up, she added,

but not later, especially if it’s snowing. One day last October, she waited three hours. Other parents have taken to driving their kids to and from school, but Navarrete has no car. Sometimes her brother-in-law or another parent picks up her daughter, but if no one is available, she said, “the only option is to wait until the bus appears.” Delayed, waylaid or simply missing buses have become commonplace in Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS), which has been hit hard by the driver shortage snarling school transportation across

the country. Specialty schools like César Chávez must transport students from across large areas, and often bear the brunt of busing problems.

Many parents have built informal networks to share information about the whereabouts of the buses carrying their children (they say the district’s bus tracking app, StopFinder, rarely works). According to César Chávez PTO president Kate Culzoni, she and other parents have resorted to sending their children to school

CENTER SECTION: Check out the latest issue of The Hyattsville Reporter , in both English and Español!

Prince George’s County NBA player takes home championship

By Freddy Wolfe

Jeff Green, born and raised in Prince George’s County, has been crowned an NBA champion with the Denver Nuggets after playing for 11 teams over 15 seasons.

Born in Cheverly and raised

in College Park, Green attended Northwestern High School, averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds during his senior year.

However, despite being a top 150 recruit, Green was passed over by the Maryland Terrapins, fresh off their National Championship in 2002; coach

Gary Williams opted to sign Good Counsel’s James Gist instead.

In response, Green put up a 19-point, 14-rebound pergame effort in the Maryland 4A tournament to lead the Northwestern Wildcats to a state championship in 2004.

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Green decided to attend Georgetown University, where he earned Big East Rookie of the Year honors in 2005, playing all 32 games of the season while shooting 50% from the field and leading the team in rebounds, assists and blocks — the first Georgetown player ever to lead the team in these three categories.

In 2007, Green was named Big East Player of the Year and was a unanimous selection to the All-Big East First Team, along with teammate Roy Hibbert. Green then went on to lead the Georgetown Hoyas to their first Big East title since 1989 and a Final Four appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Deciding to forgo his senior year, Green entered the 2007 NBA Draft. The Boston Celtics selected him with the fifth overall pick. However, Green would spend the next four summers finishing his degree between NBA seasons, graduating in 2012 with a degree in English and a minor in theology.

Green was traded before his

first season to the Seattle Supersonics. He made the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2008 after averaging 10.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 80 games.

In 2011, eight days after re-signing with the Celtics, Green’s contract was voided after a routine physical examination detected an aortic aneurysm. He would subsequently miss the entire 201112 season to undergo heart surgery.

Green joined the Denver Nuggets in 2021. During this past championship season, Green averaged 7.8 points and helped the Nuggets win their first NBA championship.

“This is what you live for; this is all the sacrifice, all the blood, sweat and tears. The countless hours,” Green told “SportsCenter.” “For me, going through the [heart] surgery, 11 teams, adapting to every environment — this is what it's all for. All that sacrifice, it paid off.”

Freddy Wolfe is an intern with the Hyattsville Life & Times

We can’t ‘Blame Canada’: County air quality gets an F all year round

By Heather Marléne Zadig

Canadian wildfires have been generating an ominous haze and hazardous local air quality across the region this summer, triggering spikes in harmful fine particulates that have been hard to miss.

According to a widely reported conversion chart, the worst days in the region were the equivalent of smoking more than a pack of cigarettes a day — a grim prospect, especially for children and pregnant women. The Environmental Protection Agency guidelines prompted residents to avoid or strongly reduce outside activity during air quality alerts, as the World Health Organization attributes 7 million extra deaths per year to air pollution.

The problem for local residents isn’t merely Canadian smoke, however. According to the American Lung Association State of the Air report for 2023, the county and the District both

Top-ranked in the DC metro area Top-ranked in the DC metro area

received an F for consistently unhealthy levels of groundlevel ozone pollution — the kind generated by power plants and road traffic, among other sources. Meanwhile, Montgomery County earned a C. A variety of factors contribute to this air quality gap between adjacent jurisdictions, but local advocacy groups have called Prince George’s County “an environmental sacrifice zone,” where polluting industries are disproportionately concentrated in communities of color. In response to chronically low air quality, for instance, the towns of Cheverly and Capitol Heights commissioned a targeted air-monitoring system to study how much traffic and local industries are contributing to the problem (specifically, recycling centers and concrete manufacturing plants).

County government reports have also highlighted persistent and pervasive environmental justice concerns, particularly related to the placement of air-polluting power plants. In 2016, Earthjustice submitted a Title VI civil rights complaint on behalf of local advocacy groups in southern Prince George’s County to the

Canadian wildfires have sent regional air pollution levels to record-breaking highs in recent weeks, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Airnow.gov, including this reading from June 8. COURTESY OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL

A variety of factors contribute to this air quality gap between adjacent jurisdictions, but local advocacy groups have called Prince George’s County “an environmental sacrifice zone,” where polluting industries are disproportionately concentrated in communities of color.

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FIREWORKS MAY BE CAUSE OF JULY 3 FIRE AT FRANKLINS

Franklins Restaurant, Brewery and General Store, located on Baltimore Avenue, is closed until further notice, following a fire that occurred in the early morning hours of July 3. Baltimore Avenue was closed in both directions for over an hour, according to emergency texts from the City of Hyattsville, while the firefighters battled the blaze.

According to a July 3 Franklins Facebook post, the fire originated outside the building, not inside it — and no one was injured. In a July 8 email to the Life & Times, Debbie Franklin said, “The most likely cause of the fire was from fireworks.”

Franklin said that although the fire occurred in the onestory stationery section of the general store, thick smoke spread throughout the retail and restaurant sections of Franklins. As of press

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time, Franklins remained closed. A posting on the restaurant door, as of July 8, noted, “While the restaurant suffered very little damage, enough needs to be done to keep our doors shut for a while.”

According to a follow-up July 7 Facebook post, the restaurant section is expected to open July 18.

Franklin said that because the general store underwent extensive damage and was still without power, “it may not open for at least a few weeks.”

The original Facebook post received more than 100 responses. Maryland Del. Ashanti Martinez (District 22) posted, “Here to help in any way. You’re a community gem and one of my favorite places.”

Mike and Debbie Franklin bought the Hyattsville Hardware Co. building in 1991, soon after they moved to Hyattsville. The initial version of Franklins opened in 1992 as a deli and toy-and-gift store.

Although the fire occurred in Franklins' stationery section, thick smoke spread throughout its retail and restaurant sections. COURTESY OF DEBBIE FRANKLIN

ZERO WASTE OF TIME

County ban on single-use plastics goes one step further

By Juliette Fradin

Irarely do takeaway from restaurants, as I don’t like the amount of unwanted items I’m left with. Between the plastic bag, the napkins, the condiments and the plastic cutlery I didn't ask for, I have too many things I then have to discard. Unlike refillable and reusable food ware, single-use plastics consume a huge amount of energy, water and natural resources to serve a customer for just a few minutes. Plastic utensils will eventually end up in a landfill — or worse, in the streets or water streams if poorly handled.

Many others are apparently bothered, too, as Prince George’s County passed a bill, effective June 1, regulating the distribution of single-use food ware accessories and standard condiments (County Bill 014-2022). Full-service and fast-food restaurants, food trucks, coffee shops, supermarkets and other eateries can now only provide single-use items upon request or at self-serve stations.

These single-use items include straws, utensils, condiment cups and packets, cup sleeves, splash sticks, stirrers and napkins. The regulation would apply to both takeout and delivery.

The use of plastic utensils by restaurants soared during the pandemic. And because disposable plastic ware is often cheaper than the alternatives, many restaurants have continued to provide them.

Besides the single-use food ware bill, there’s more good news for our flora and fauna in the county (and beyond): On May 30, the county council voted unanimously in favor of the Better Bag Bill, which bans the use of plastic bags and adds a 10-cent fee on paper bags.

In a May submission to The Bowie Banner, Prince George’s County Sierra Club Chair Martha Ainsworth wrote, “Prince Georgians use an estimated 353 million plastic bags annually.”

The 10-cent fee on paper bags is to prevent shoppers from substituting one type of single-use waste with another. Paper bags still require

the use of a lot of resources like trees, water and fuel, and have an impact on our health and overall pollution. If not correctly composted or recycled, paper bags take up more space in landfills than plastic ones and will take years to decompose. Some store chains, like Aldi or Lidl, have already abandoned plastic carryout bags and charge 5 to 25 cents to offset costs and discourage their use.

Montgomery County, Laurel and Takoma Park are among the local jurisdictions that have laws prohibiting the use of plastic bags. Hyattsville thought of implementing a similar ban, but at the Dec. 19, 2022, Hyattsville City Council meeting, Councilmember Joanne Waszczack (Ward 1), who supports the initiative, recommended waiting for the upcoming county legislation. College Park recently proposed a better bag ordinance that will go into effect on Sept. 1.

When approved, pending proposed amendments, the county bill will become law on Jan. 1, 2024. In the meantime, remember that no plastic bags are allowed in your

recycling bins. This prohibition includes bread bags, cereal bags, fruit and vegetable bags (fresh or frozen), pasta and snack bags, garden product bags, newspaper bags, and dry-cleaning bags; the outer wrap of paper towels, napkins and diapers; and bubble and cling wrap. Instead, many of these bags and wrappings can be returned to bins at local grocery stores.

The U.S. Interior Department has stated that by 2032, single-use plastic products will be phased out of national parks and some public lands. Ultimately, the single use of any bag is the worst possible choice for the environment. The key to reducing your environmental impact and saving money is to use whatever bags you have around the house (plastic, paper, cloth) as many times and in as many ways as possible. For more inspiration, see my March 2022 column for other ways to limit single-use plastics.

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Don’t squash this bee!

By Rick Borchelt

July and August bring farmers market tables laden with squash — zucchini, patty pan, crookneck. Bushels and bushels. Dinner tables groan with them too: Think succotash. Squash fritattas. Gazpacho. Wellmeaning neighbors leave bags of them on your front porch. By the end of summer, you wish the squash would all disappear.

Well, it would, were it not for one industrious little bee that paid attention as the Indigenous peoples of Mexico domesticated squash thousands of years ago. This bee followed the fortunes of squash, gourd and pumpkin culture from the Southwest U.S. through most of the rest of North America wherever the days are long enough to support growing squash.

This bee is not the honey bee, our domesticated European bee that most people think of as our one and only crop pollinator. No, this bee lives for one thing and one thing only: to pollinate squash and squash relatives in the genus Cucurbita. Naturally, it’s called the squash bee.

There are actually about 20 different kinds of squash bees, but the one that has followed the fortunes of squash culture through

the American landscape is the pruinose squash bee (Peponapis pruinosa). The pepo in the genus name references Cucurbita pepo, a diverse plant species that includes cultivated crops such as winter squash, zucchini, watermelon and ornamental gourds. Botanists call this diverse group of plants cucurbits.

Squash bees want only one thing from squash — and it isn’t zucchini bread. They want the pollen inside the handsome golden flowers, which they collect and pack into their underground nests to feed their young. The big, yellow pollen grains stick to long hairs on the squash bee’s hind legs. In the process of collecting pollen, the bees also fertilize the squash plants that then produce the bumper crops

we see in farm stands. Honey bees are terrible squash pollinators. All they want is nectar, and they bypass the pollen on their way to get to it. Plus, honey bees are slackers compared to squash bees. Because squash blossoms open at the crack of dawn and wither after the sun starts to bear down, squash bees have evolved special ocelli — little eyes — in addition to their large compound eyes. These ocelli help them fly in the dark, before dawn, to find squash. Squash bees do all their work in the first hour or two of daylight before honey bees even get going.

If you’re up at that ungodly early hour, you will almost certainly see squash bees among your squash flowers. If you keep honey bee hours, on the other

hand, and don’t get out to the garden until the squash blossoms are toast, you can still often find male squash bees napping in the spent flowers. (They often hang out there so they don’t have too far to fly the next morning to find females collecting squash pollen.) They look superficially like honey bees — with the same general size and behavior — but they have a striped abdomen that looks more like prison garb than the furry golden butts of honey bees. Also unlike honey bees, squash bees are solitary. Each female is fertile, not just the queen, and each digs her own tunnel in the ground to provision with pollen. She lays her eggs in the stored pollen, covers the tunnel up, and never sees her progeny. (The young bees won’t mature and emerge until squash season the following year.) You may even see female squash bees digging holes in the garden around your squash plants; they need loose, open soil for their nests, and garden dirt is just the ticket.

Margarita Lopez-Uribe and her lab at Penn State have been studying how squash bees evolved and moved across the North American landscape as Indigenous peoples spread squash culture. Lopez-Uribe is also interested in how these bees may be adversely impacted by modern agricultural methods. She and her team found that if the farmer — or the agricultural conglomerate — plows up a field after squash or pumpkin harvest, nests get plowed under. Similarly, if the farmer covers the ground around plants with plastic sheeting or landscape cloth, or even heavy mulch to control weeds, the bees likely can’t nest there.

Squash agriculture has literally shaped the evolution of this bee, notes Lopez-Uribe. Squash bees probably originated 50,000 to 100,000 years ago, before humans domesticated squash. Peponapis

pruinosa likely harvested pollen from wild cucurbits like wild buffalo gourd before squash culture evolved. But once squashes and their relatives were widely cultivated, squash bees didn’t look back. Squash was cultivated in the eastern U.S. as long as 7,000 years ago, and genetic data from bees analyzed by Lopez-Uribe and her team suggest squash bee populations boomed as Native Americans ramped up agriculture as a primary way of life about 1,000 years ago.

This mutualistic relationship between cultivated squashes and squash bees has been a good one for both the bees and the squash — so far. Our increasing use of agricultural pesticides, which has had a serious downside for more generalist pollinators like bumblebees, has spared squash bees (for the most part) because of their very strict squash diet. These pesticides may, however, become a problem for squash bees if we more aggressively use them to control pests like the squash bug and squash borer.

If you want to keep those bushels of zucchini and wagon loads of pumpkins coming, you need to take some care for squash bees. Don’t till your garden. Leave open patches of soil in your yard for squash bee (and other native bee) nests. And don’t use pesticides on your cucurbits — or in your garden at all.

You can hear an extended interview with Lopez-Uribe about squash bees and their relationship to squash culture on the radio program “Living On Earth” here: tinyurl.com/yc5hjr9h.

Have questions for Rick about the world of nature in and around the city, or suggestions for future “Re-wilding Route 1” columns? Drop him a note at rborchelt@gmail.com.

Squash bees collecting pollen deep inside a blossom COURTESY OF MARGARITA LOPEZ-URIBE

The Hyattsville Reporter

The City, in partnership with design firm Graham Projects, recently completed the asphalt art installation “Quilted Crossing” at the intersection of Jefferson Street and 40th Avenue. The high-contrast, durable coating is intended to increase visibility and pedestrian safety at the intersection, which was identified as a priority in the City’s Transportation Study. This spring, community members contributed to the design ideas and voted on the final artwork at HelloHyattsville.com! A second project, “Bean There, Sun That” will be installed along Church Place and Gallatin Street later this summer. Stay tuned for details on a community paint day to help complete the installation!

Community members may be aware that the art at Jefferson Street and 40th Avenue was unfortunately vandalized shortly after installation by a person claiming to be motivated by hate for the LGBTQ+ community. Thanks to the quick reporting of community members, the Hyattsville Police Department was able to arrest the suspect, who was charged with malicious destruction of property and a hate crime. The City’s Department of Public Works and the Graham Projects team are working to fully restore the piece.

City leadership would like to reassure our community that all are welcome here, and acts of hate will not be tolerated.

La Ciudad, en colaboración con la firma de diseño Graham Projects, completó recientemente la instalación de arte de asfalto “Quilted Crossing” en la intersección de Jefferson Street y 40th Avenue. La capa duradera de alto contraste tiene como objetivo aumentar la visibilidad y la seguridad de los peatones en la intersección, lo cual fue identificado como una prioridad en el Estudio de Transporte de la Ciudad. ¡Esta primavera, los miembros de la comunidad contribuyeron a las ideas de diseño y votaron sobre la obra final en HelloHyattsville.com!

Un segundo proyecto, “Bean There, Sun That” se instalará a lo largo de Church Place y Gallatin Street a finales de este verano. ¡Estén atentos para obtener detalles sobre un día de pintura comunitaria para ayudar a completar la instalación!

Los miembros de la comunidad pueden ser conscientes de que el arte en Jefferson Street y 40th Avenue fue desafortunadamente vandalizado poco después de la instalación por una persona que afirmaba estar motivada por el odio hacia la comunidad LGBTQ+. Gracias a la rápida información de los miembros de la comunidad, el Departamento de Policía de Hyattsville pudo arrestar al sospechoso, quien fue acusado de destrucción maliciosa de propiedad y un crimen de odio. El Departamento de Obras Públicas de la Ciudad y el equipo de Graham Projects están trabajando para restaurar completamente la pieza.

El liderazgo de la Ciudad desea asegurarle a nuestra comunidad que todos son bienvenidos aquí, y que los actos de odio no serán tolerados.

Introducing... “Quilted Crossing” Next up, “Bean there, Sun That”

Introduciendo... “Quilted Crossing” Ahora sigue, “Bean there, Sun That”

ANNOUNCEMENTS | ANUNCIOS

COMPOST TOTERS ARE COMING!

35-gallon compost toters should be delivered this July to all City residences that receive Hyattsville waste services! Did you know that Hyattsville pays tipping fees by weight for every load of trash that goes to the landfill? Putting food waste in your compost bin means that money can go to other City services instead! Learn more about composting and what to expect when bins arrive at hyattsville.org/compost.

FREE TREES!

The City is accepting applications for FREE native tree plantings on private property through July 30! This includes homeowners, businesses, apartment complexes, churches, etc. Complete the form at hyattsville.org/trees to get started. Consultations will be scheduled first come, first served starting in July. Depending on weather and availability, trees will be planted this fall or spring 2024.

METRO STATION CLOSURES

WMATA will be closing several Green Line stations, including Hyattsville Crossing and West Hyattsville, from July 22 – September 4, 2023, as part of a summer construction initiative. Free shuttle service & parking will be available throughout the closures. Details at wmata.com.

CARJACKING PREVENTION TIPS

The Hyattsville Police Department is investigating a series of carjackings that recently occurred in the City. Prevent a carjacking from happening to you by parking in well-lit areas; staying aware of your surroundings; locking your doors; rolling up windows; having your keys ready; and not stopping for stranded strangers along the road. Report suspicious activity by calling the HPD’s non-emergency line at (301) 985-5060.

FREE MEAL OPPORTUNITIES

The Prince George’s County Public Schools System is providing free summer breakfast and lunch for anyone 18 and younger at locations throughout the County until August 11. There is no income requirement, and registration is not required. Pick-up sites in Hyattsville include University Park Elementary and the Hyattsville Branch Library. Find the full list of locations at pgcps.org/offices/ food-and-nutrition/summer-meals.

The Prince George’s County Senior Nutrition Program offers a meal delivery service to seniors aged 60 or older who are unable to shop or prepare food for themselves. The hot meals are delivered to program participants five days a week. There is no income requirement. To learn more about the program, call (301) 265-8450 or visit hyattsville.org/meals.

Seniors or individuals with a disability that cannot prepare food on their own can reach out to Meals on Wheels of College Park (MOWCP), which also serves Hyattsville. For $5 per day and up to 5 times per week, they can deliver lunch, dinner, and breakfast for the next morning. Hyattsville residents that meet income requirements may qualify for free meals! If you are a Hyattsville resident in need of MOWCP services, contact Meals on Wheels of College Park directly at (301) 927-2700.

¡LOS CONTENEDORES DE COMPOSTAJE ESTÁN LLEGANDO!

¡Los contenedores de compostaje de 35 galones deben ser entregados este julio a las residencias que reciben servicios de basura de Hyattsville! ¿Sabía que Hyattsville paga tasas según el peso de cada carga de basura que va al vertedero? ¡Poniendo sus desperdicios de alimentos en su contenedor de compostaje significa que el dinero puede ir a otros servicios de la Ciudad! Obtenga más info sobre el compostaje y qué esperar cuando lleguen los contenedores visitando a hyattsville.org/compost.

¡ÁRBOLES GRATIS!

¡La Ciudad está aceptando solicitudes para plantaciones de árboles GRATIS en propiedades privadas hasta el 30 de julio! Esto incluye propietarios de viviendas, empresas, complejos de apartamentos, iglesias, etc. Complete el formulario en hyattsville.org/trees para comenzar. Las consultas se programarán por orden de llegada a partir de julio. Dependiendo del clima y la disponibilidad, los árboles se plantarán este otoño o en la primavera de 2024.

CIERRES DE ESTACIONES DE METRO

WMATA cerrará varias estaciones de la Línea Verde, incluyendo Hyattsville Crossing y West Hyattsville, del 22 de julio al 4 de septiembre del 2023, como parte de una iniciativa de construcción de verano. Habrá servicios gratuitos de bus y estacionamiento durante los cierres. Más info en wmata.com.

CONSEJOS PARA PREVENIR ROBOS DE AUTOS

El Departamento de Policía de Hyattsville está investigando una serie de robos de coches ocurridos recientemente en la Ciudad. Evite robos de autos estacionando en zonas bien iluminadas; prestando atención a lo que le rodea; cerrando las puertas con seguro, subiendo las ventanas, teniendo las llaves a mano; y no deteniéndose ante extraños en la carretera. Informe de cualquier actividad sospechosa llamando al numero de no emergencias de Hyattsville al (301) 985-5060.

OPORTUNIDADES DE COMIDA GRATIS

El Sistema de Escuelas Públicas del Condado Prince George’s está proporcionando desayunos y almuerzos gratis para cualquier persona de 18 años o menos en lugares alrededor del Condado hasta el 11 de agosto. No hay requisito de ingresos, y no se requiere registro. Los sitios de recogida en Hyattsville incluyen University Park Elementary y la biblioteca de Hyattsville. Encuentre la lista completa de ubicaciones en pgcps.org/offices/food-and-nutrition/summer-meals.

El Programa de Nutrición para la Tercera Edad del Condado Prince George’s ofrece un servicio de entrega de comida a personas de 60 años o más que no pueden comprar o preparar la comida por sí mismos. Las comidas calientes se entregan a los participantes del programa cinco días a la semana. No hay requisito de ingresos. Para conocer más sobre el programa, llame al (301) 265-8450 o visite hyattsville.org/meals.

Las personas mayores o discapacitadas que no puedan preparar la comida por sí mismas pueden acudir a Comidas a Domicilio de College Park (MOWCP), que también servicia a Hyattsville. Por $5 dólares al día y hasta 5 veces por semana, pueden entregar comida, cena y desayuno para la mañana siguiente. Los residentes de Hyattsville que cumplan los requisitos de ingresos pueden optar a comidas gratuitas. Si usted es un residente de Hyattsville que necesita los servicios de MOWCP, póngase en contacto directamente con Comidas a Domicilio de College Park llamando al (301) 927-2700.

CALENDAR | CALENDARIO

FREE ZUMBA CLASSES

Escape the heat and join us for FREE Zumba fitness classes on Wednesdays from 4 - 5 PM at the City Building! Learn more at hyattsville.org/ wellness.

STEERING WHEEL LOCK GIVEAWAY

Hyattsville City Police is hosting a steering wheel lock giveaway for City residents who own Kias (2011-2021) and Hyundais (2015-2021) on July 15, 10 AM - Noon, at the City Building, 4310 Gallatin Street. No registration is required. Driver must show proof of residency and vehicle ownership.

INVASIVE VINE TRAINING & PLANT REMOVALS

The City & the Chesapeake Cimate Action Network are hosting a vine removal training on July 15 from 9 AM - Noon at Driskell Park. Register at hyattsville.org/ enviro-education.

The monthly event to remove invasive plant species is also on July 15 from 10 AM - 2 PM at Driskell Park. To RSVP, email environment@ hyattsville.org.

SHAKESPEARE IN DRISKELL PARK!

M-NCPPC is touring the County with a FREE showing of “The Tempest” and making a stop at Driskell Park, 3911 Hamilton Street, on July 15, starting at 7:30 PM! Details at arts.pgparks.com.

HYATTSVILLE COUNCIL MEETING

Hyattsville’s City Council is meeting virtually on July 17, starting at 7 PM. View the agenda once it’s available, provide e-comment, and register to attend by visiting hyattsville.org/meetings.

FRESH PRODUCE DISTRIBUTION

The City is hosting a fresh produce distribution on July 18, starting at noon, at First United Methodist Church.

CERT SESSION

The next community emergency response team (CERT) organization meeting is on July 19, from 6 - 8 PM, at the City Building. Learn more at hyattsville.org/cert.

SENIOR OUTINGS!

Hyattsville seniors can enjoy a day at the American Visionary Art Museum on July 20 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. with members of the Hyattsville Teen Center!

Seniors are also invited to the U.S. Botanical Gardens on July 25 from 9 AM - 3 PM.

Register for these events before spaces fill up by emailing seniors@hyattsville. org or calling (301) 985-5000.

WARD 2 COMMUNITY

WALK

Join Ward 2 Councilmembers Schaible & Strab for a community walk on July 20! The walk will begin at Dietz Park at 6:30 PM.

NARCAN TRAININGS

Free NARCAN community trainings at the City Building on July 20 at 6 PM and July 21 at 10 AM. Register at hyattsville.org/calendar.

SUMMER JAM!

Support local businesses with us at our next retailer’s month-themed Summer Jam on July 21 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. at “The Spot!”, 4505 Hamilton Street. Learn more at hyattsville.org/summerjam.

GAS-POWERED LEAF BLOWER TRADE-IN EVENT

The City’s next gas-powered leaf blower trade-in is July 22, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., at the DPW Operations Center, 4633 Arundel Place. This is the absolute LAST opportunity for Hyattsville residents and landscape contractors to trade in gas-powered blowers for a reimbursement of up to 75% of the cost of an electric blower – take advantage before the rebate is reduced to 50% in August! Learn more at hyattsville.org/leafblower.

CLASES DE ZUMBA

¡Escápese del calor y únase a nosotros para clases GRATUITAS de Zumba los miércoles de 4 a 5 PM en el Edificio Municipal! Obtenga más información en hyattsville.org/wellness.

BLOQUEO DEL VOLANTE GRATUITOS

La Policía de Hyattsville está distribuyendo bloqueo antirrobo del volantes para residentes que poseen Kias (2011-2021) y Hyundais (2015-2021) el 15 de julio, 10 AM - mediodía, 4310 Gallatin St. No se requiere registro. El conductor debe mostrar prueba de residencia y propiedad del vehículo.

ENTRENAMIENTO Y ELIMINACIÓN DE VIDES Y ESPECIES INVASIVAS

La Ciudad y Chesapeake Climate Action Network están organizando un entrenamiento para la eliminación de vides el 15 de julio de 9 AM - 12 PM en Driskell Park. Regístrese en hyattsville.org/enviroeducation.

El evento mensual para eliminar especies de plantas invasoras también es el 15 de julio de 10 AM - 2 PM en Driskell Park. Reserve su espacio con environment@ hyattsville.org.

¡SHAKESPEARE EN DRISKELL PARK!

M-NCPPC está de gira por el Condado con show gratuito de “La Tempestad” y hará una parada en el Parque Driskell el 15 de julio a las 7:30 PM. arts.pgparks.com.

REUNIÓN DEL CONCEJO MUNICPAL

El Concejo Municipal de Hyattsvville se reunirá virtualmente el 17 de julio a las 7 PM. Vea la agenda cuando este disponible, proveé comentarios y registresé vía hyattsville.org.

DISTRIBUCIÓN DE ALIMENTOS

La Ciudad está organizando una distribución de productos ágricolas el 18 de julio a mediodía en First United Methodist Church.

SESIÓN DE CERT

La reunión del equipo comunitario de respuesta a emergencias es el 19 de julio, 6 - 8 PM, en el Edificio Municipal. hyattsville.org.

¡VIAJES!

¡Las personas mayores pueden disfrutrar de un día en el Museo de Arte Visionario Americano el 20 de julio de 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. con miembros del Centro de Jovenes de Hyattsville! Támbien están invitados a los Jardines Botánicos el 25 de julio de 9 AM - 3 PM.

Registresé para los eventos antes de que se llenen los espacios contactando a seniors@hyattsville.org o al (301) 985-5000.

CAMINATA DEL DISTRITO 2

¡Únase a los concejales del Distrito 2 Schaible & Strab para una caminata comunitaria el 20 de julio! La caminata comenzará en Dietz Park a las 6:30 PM.

ENTRENAMIENTOS DE NARCAN

Entrenamientos gratis para uso de NARCAN en el Edificio Municipal el 20 de julio a las 6 PM y el 21 de julio a las 10 AM. Registresé en hyattsville.org/calendar.

FIESTA SUMMER JAM

Apoye a los negocios locales con nosotros en el próximo Summer Jam con temática de un mes para vendedores el 21 de julio de 5:30 ‘ 8:30 PM en “The Spot!”, 4505 Hamilton Street. Obtenga más información en hyattsville.org/summerjam.

EVENTO DE INTERCAMBIO DE SOPLADORES DE GAS

El próximo intercambio de sopladores de hojas de gas de la Ciudad es el 22 de julio, de 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., en el Centro de Operaciones DPW, 4633 Arundel Place. Esta es la última oportunidad absoluta para que los residentes y los contratistas de jardinería de Hyattsville puedan intercambiar sopladores a gas para obtener un reembolso de hasta el 75 % del costo de un soplador eléctrico – tome ventaja antes de que el reembolso se reduzca al 50 % en agosto! Aprenda más información en hyattsville.org/leafblower.

covered by the Washington Business Journal.

The $4.7 million purchase will allow for a new 87,000-squarefoot recreational center on a 5-acre site. The new center, which will replace the old community center, will include an indoor pool and track, as well as spaces for sports and fitness — all designed for multigenerational use.

A request for proposals for the design work will go out this year, according to Claire Worshtil, the capital budget manager for the M-NCPPC. Worshtil anticipates that the firm selected would then need 12 to 18 months to create full construction documents ready for a permit. The design process will include community input on features like the size and attributes of the indoor pool, and the design of some indoor spaces based on community needs.

Worshtil expects that the $115 million project will be fully funded by the end of next year.

In 2021, the county finished construction of a similar facility, the Southern Area Aquatic and Recreation Complex in Brandywine. Two others are planned further east in the county, according to a feasibility study published in 2021.

Imagining, and reimagining, Driskell Park

The largest city project in the works is a renovation of the 32acre David Driskell Community Park, an idea introduced to the city council by then-Mayor Candace Hollingsworth in January 2017.

Before the pandemic, the city developed a plan to put a new community center deeper in the park, between the entrance to Trumbule Trail and the giant oak by the bridge to the bike path. The concept plan, developed after extensive community meetings, interviews and focus groups, also included moving parking and a car entrance to the east side of the park, moving the playground, expanding the basketball court and adding new paths and trails.

The Neighborhood Design Center (NDC), a nonprofit with offices on Gallatin Street next to the Hyattsville Municipal Building, led the redesign process — then called Magruder Park Reimagined — under a $51,000 contract approved as part of the city’s 2018 budget process.

The project paused during the pandemic, according to Hyattsville Director of Public Works Leslie Riddle, as her department focused its strained resources

on basic services like trash pickup and road maintenance.

During the pause in the redesign process, the city renamed the park for the late David C. Driskell, a prominent artist and longtime Hyattsville resident who died in 2020 after a lifetime of advocacy for African American art and artists.

This year, Riddle says the city will take the concept plan for the park and turn it into a master plan. In April, the city council approved up to $400,000 for further NDC work on the project, including landscape and stormwater engineering design, an architectural plan for a new community center and possibly other buildings, and programming ideas — all driven by a new community engagement process.

The NDC helped the city with the park renaming ceremony in 2022 and related park installations — including the community looms and painted road honoring Driskell — under a $28,000 contract.

O’Neill said that each component of the current design effort will be guided by principles and themes from Driskell’s work, including discovery and creativity, contemplation in nature, and the idea that everyone belongs.

The NDC identified themes through conversations with Driskell’s mentees, colleagues, his biographer and others, according to O’Neill.

The design team — and their clipboards — will be back in the park in the late summer or early fall, collecting data, running focus groups, and leading larger community conversations, O’Neill said.

Funding and construction of the new park amenities will take time, according to Riddle.

The Spot — the parkinglot-turnedgathering-space along the Trolley Trail between Yes! Organic Market and Franklins

Restaurant — will be getting a makeover.

City renovation goals include a stage, shade, bike parking, lighting and areas for food trucks and bathrooms.

Meanwhile, under a proposal made this spring by former Ward 3 Councilmember Dan Peabody, the city would use $300,000 of federal pandemic relief money to build a threeseason outdoor classroom onto the back of the current community center, providing more space for camp and afterschool programs.

This spring, the city approved up to $75,000 for a study of how to redevelop the five-way intersection at the current park entrance. That work, according to Riddle, may dovetail with the design of the park entrance.

Plans for the large field adjacent to the park may be in flux: A group of residents has been challenging the Suffrage Pointe townhouse development planned for the site for years,

arguing that zoning laws do not allow such a development in a flood plain. In May, the county council rejected a detailed site plan previously approved for the development, sending it back to the county planning board.

Hitting The Spot

On a much smaller scale, The Spot — the parking-lotturned-gathering-space along the Trolley Trail between Yes! Organic Market and Franklins Restaurant — will be getting a makeover.

City renovation goals include a stage, shade, bike parking, lighting and areas for food trucks and bathrooms, with the NDC handling design work under a $40,000 contract approved by the city council this spring.

The city has been surveying residents about the project on the Hello Hyattsville website, and received almost 200 responses there, according to City Communications Manager Cindy Zork.

O’Neill held a drop-in workshop for residents about the project during the recent June 10 Trolley Day. She says the NDC will submit an engagement report and a couple of design concepts to the city council this fall.

Getting teens to go outside

Attracting teens to Hyattsville parks can be a challenge, at least according to NDC surveys of Driskell Park back in 2019.

The NDC will be leading landscape design for a teenfriendly mini-park next to the new Hyattsville Teen Center that is under development at 40th Avenue and Nicholson Street; in February, the city council approved up to $80,000 for the landscape de-

sign work.

Preliminary plans for the project, drafted two years ago by another contractor, include picnic tables, an obstacle course and a handball wall. NDC staff says those plans will be a starting point for a community conversation about what to put in the space, and they say residents should keep an eye out for opportunities to engage in the fall.

Tots need parks too

Last but not least, Riddle says new designs are coming for the tiny playground and park on Gallatin Street, which has been closed since fall for environmental remediation prior to construction. In March, the city council accepted a petition from residents asking that play equipment remain in its current location and that a green space be preserved in the center of the park. The Low Impact Development Center, a nonprofit focused on stormwater management, is working with the city on the project.

During Riddle’s 10 years as the city’s public works director, she has worked with the NDC on renovations to Hyatt Park and Deitz Park, and overseen the cultivation of two food forests where residents can forage. Riddle also worked with the M-NCPPC on the new playground and outdoor fitness center at 38th Avenue Neighborhood Park. “It’s been a real joy for me to see the parks develop as they have,” said Riddle, crediting staff and council support.

For all city-led projects listed above, residents can find updates and ways to participate in planning at Hellohyattsville.com.

Hyattsville.org/parks now lists amenities at each city park.

Exercise, athletics and playgrounds abound at the recently redesigned 38th Avenue Neighborhood Park. GRIFFIN LIMERICK

Combine & Save.

Harboring hummingbirds

Dear Miss Floribunda,

I recently moved from a culde-sac near Driskell Park to Madison Street and like my larger garden. However, there are no hummingbirds. My kids in particular miss them. Our old home didn’t have anything designed to attract them, though the birds visited the azalea bushes that came with the house even after the fragrant pink flowers had dropped off. They also visited a volunteer vine with orange flowers that ran up our redbud tree. Whenever we turned on our sprinkler’s mister in the summer, we could look out the window and watch the hummingbirds flying back and forth through it. In our new home, the kids have planted scarlet runner beans, which our old neighbors told us were magnets for hummingbirds, but without success. In the meantime, we have put up hummingbird feeders and colored the syrup red. So far, all we’ve been getting are ants and some wasps. Please advise.

Humdrum without Hummingbirds on Madison Street

Dear Humdrum,

You may have not known it, but you did have hummingbird attractors in your garden: Your azalea was probably the native Rhododendron arborescens, commonly known as smooth or sweet

azalea. Not only do hummingbirds like its nectar, they also like azaleas and other fairly low, dense shrubs as places to nest in. Our native redbud trees are another hummingbird favorite.

You had either a native coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) growing up into your redbud tree, or a trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans), known as hummingbird vine in some areas. Both vines have tubular flowers that are loved by the long-beaked hummingbirds, not only for the nectar but because the long shape discourages such rivals as bees and wasps from competing with them. Hummingbirds can see flowers of all colors, but bees cannot see red and are drawn to yellow. Some plants have actually evolved to have red flowers because of a preference for hummingbirds over bees as pollinators. This kind of “choice” among plants is worth exploring in an entire column.

You haven’t mentioned what plants are in your new garden. You also haven’t mentioned, and perhaps don’t know, if your new neighbors keep their gardens free of pesticides. If they don’t, there is no way in the world that hummingbirds will visit anything you plant.

My Aunt Snapdragon gets indignant with people who hire companies to spray their lawns each year with pesticides and then complain about the gnats in summer. She grumbles that gnats are precisely the one insect that the pesticides don’t kill, and, as a consequence, they proliferate. Ironically, birds such as hummingbirds would quickly decimate the gnat population, as well

mosquitoes and other annoying small insects — if they could survive such chemicals. So, when someone once dared protest to her that the company hired only used chemicals designed to kill insects and not birds, Snapdragon burst out, “What in the name of J.I. Rodale do you think birds eat!? How would you like it if some know-it-all came along and poisoned your food?”

Even worse, she says, are the companies that spray for mosquitoes. Even cats and dogs and small mammals suffer from these chemicals, not to mention the birds, bats and toads that so much more efficiently and safely control even the elusive tiger mosquitoes that are resistant to chemicals. Montgomery County now has an ordinance limiting “cosmetic” lawn chemicals, and I hope Prince George's County and Maryland as a whole will adopt similar legislation.

Because hummingbirds love eating fruit flies in addition to nectar, you might get one of the hummingbird feeders that allows you to add sliced bananas as well as nectar. These feeders usually have ant guards, too.

I’m sorry to have to tell you that it is a very bad idea to add red dye to any syrup you put in a bird feeder, as the dye is toxic to hummingbirds. They like clear syrup just fine, in the proportion of 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. It’s a good idea to boil the solution first. Please remember to frequently wash the feeder and replenish the syrup.

The Audubon Society has a website, audubon.org/native-plants, listing native plants and the birds they attract. The International Hummingbird Society has a wider list at hummingbirdsociety.org/ hummingbird-flowers.

Some tropical plants, such as hibiscus and canna, are also favored by hummingbirds because so many come from South America. They love the misting feature on your hose because it mimics rainforest conditions. Be sure to provide water for them, preferably a fountain or something that moves the water.

Please check the website of the Hyattsville Horticultural Society, hyattsvillehorticulture.org, for the date of our next meeting.

Floribunda writes about gardening for the Hyattsville Life & Times. You may email her at missfloribundav@gmail.com.

Miss

Dougherty Ins Agcy Inc

Hummingbirds like azaleas and other fairly low, dense shrubs as places to nest in. PEXELS

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Our list of events sponsored by local nonprofits, arts organizations and performance venues, occurring between July 11 and Aug. 8; all information is current as of July 7. For events and meetings organized by the City of Hyattsville, see the Hyattsville Reporter in the newspaper’s centerfold. Please send notices of events that will take place between Aug. 9 and Sept. 12 to managingeditor@ hyattsvillelife.com by Aug.3.

RECURRING

Busboys and Poets hosts an open mic for poets every Thursday. $5. 8 to 10 p.m. 5331 Baltimore Ave. 301.779.2787. Busboysandpoets.com

Weekly acoustic blues jams, in the Piedmont blues tradition. Proof of vaccination required. Listeners welcome! Free. Saturdays 1 to 5 p.m. Archie Edwards Blues Foundation, 4502 Hamilton St. Acousticblues.com

Sharpen your drawing skills in a relaxed, informal setting at Hyattsville figure drawing group's drop-in drawing sessions at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center. Sessions consist of several short warm-up poses and a single sustained pose for the duration of the session. Bring your own art supplies; drawing boards and chairs provided. $20/session or $75/5-session punch card or $15/session for Pyramid Atlantic members. Tuesdays, 6 to 9 p.m. 4218 Gallatin St. hyattsvillefiguredrawing@ gmail.com

JULY 15

Come to Maryland Meadworks for some great original music from local musicians Mike Walls and Noah Kallish Walls has recently released a CD, “Better Late … ,” and will be playing songs from that project, as well as from an upcoming release. Each

song has a story, and you’ll get a glimpse behind the music. Free, although tipping is encouraged. 7 to 10 p.m. Indoor and outdoor seating. 4700 Rhode Island Ave., Suite Bee. Marylandmeadworks. com. 301.955.9644

JULY 19

Dr. Miles M. Jackson is taking the Busboys and Poets’ stage to share the significant and lasting contributions Black people have made in Hawai’i. Copies of his book Islands With Rainbows, Palm Trees and the Sun: Hawai’i’s Experience with Blacks will be available for purchase during and after the event, and the author will be signing following the program. Free. 6 p.m. 5331 Baltimore Ave. 301.779.2787. Busboysandpoets.com

JULY 22

Join Hyattsville Aging in Place, Helping Hands University Park, Neighbors Helping Neighbors of College Park and Explorations on Aging for the next installment in their series of monthly online Corridor Conversations Learn from members of the Uhuru Quilters Guild about African American quilting traditions, culture and history. Free. 2 to 3:30 p.m. To register, visit hyattsvilleaginginplace.org.

JULY 29

Join Hot Joe’s Summer Festival Series outdoors for a festival with craft and food vendors, art activities for kids, and a performance by Proverbs Reggae Band — a positive and unique rootz reggae band, utilizing strong lyrical content and musical expressions to uplift Rasta livity. Pay-what-you-wish, starting at $5. 5 p.m. Joe’s Movement Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Rd., Mt. Rainier.

federal government, claiming that the state's environmental and natural resources departments discriminated against the majority-Black unincorporated community of Brandywine by approving two new power plants near three existing plants within 13 miles of the town.

The case was mediated in 2020 by two federal agencies under the Trump Administration, but the resolution fell short of the community’s goals, compelling the state to identify a “community resource officer” for residents interested in power-plant permits, and to develop a nondiscrimination program unrelated to the primary concern of the complaint: the plant. Ultimately, both new power plants were permitted, though only the PSEG Energy Center was completed (the second was abandoned for potentially unrelated financial reasons).

Maryland Matters reported in 2021 that Prince George’s County generated a quarter of the state’s electricity, but census data shows the county makes up just 15% of the state’s population. According to the most recently published data, power plants in Prince George’s County produce more than nine times the energy of Montgomery County plants per capita, while this county actually consumes less energy overall than Montgomery County (see Table 1). Most energy production in both counties involves burning fuel sources, like solid waste (trash) and/or natural gas (methane, a fossil fuel), so the dominant factor in the power emissions gap is the substantial

difference in power generation.

In contrast to the years-long Brandywine battle, which ended in defeat for residents, local resistance to a proposed power plant in Charles County, Md. — this time from Virginians — had a starkly different outcome.

The Mount Vernon Ladies Association protested the proposed project across the Potomac River in Maryland because it would have marred “George Washington’s view.” Following a single week of PR campaigns in 2018, they succeeded. According to ProPublica, the ladies association currently has $342 million dollars in assets. As of 2021, the per capita income of Brandywine was $53,295 per year.

with tracking devices. Parents have rearranged their work days to accommodate the bus roulette, even going so far as to cancel after-school care because buses were failing to drop off their kids before the facilities closed.

In interviews with the Life & Times, bus drivers cited one main factor preventing the county from hiring and keeping new drivers — the low pay.

‘I need a driver behind every wheel.’

According to school district records, the week school started last August, one in four of the district’s bus routes had no one to drive it. Even beyond the hiring shortfall, 10% of drivers call in sick every day, said David Hill, the county schools’ transportation operations supervisor. Hill said that he and his staff constantly adjust and combine routes to fill the gaps. In the mornings, drivers have to start so early to cover extra routes they often arrive at stops before students do.

Between October 2022 and March 2023, most weeks saw an on-time morning pickup rate of less than 50% countywide, the records showed. Afternoon buses, which carry fewer students because of after-school activities, did only slightly better. PGCPS doesn’t track bus performance at all for the first month of the school year. Hill said that route adjustments are so chaotic during that time, largely due to last-minute enrollments, that his office is unable to determine how bad the delays are.

According to several drivers, the workload can be over-

whelming, especially when they have to take on unfamiliar routes. “There were times I would have to pick up four bus loads from one school,” said Gina, a former PGCPS bus driver who asked not to use her real name. “I’d have to get the route descriptions faxed from the bus lot to the school, and then figure out the most time-efficient way to drop off each set of kids to their parents.”

Some parents have given up on their assigned bus routes. The final straw for César Chávez parent Lee Cheyne was when his son’s bus arrived after dark. The kindergartner was the only student left riding as the driver searched for his stop. When his son got off the bus, Cheyne saw that he was on the verge of tears. “He knew it wasn’t supposed to be dark when he was getting home from school,” Cheyne said. Eventually, Cheyne placed his son in a different aftercare, farther from home, because its bus route was more consistent. Late buses are more than just an inconvenience. More than one parent said that their children had guided lost bus drivers to their homes, a violation of district safety protocol.

Managing Editor Griffin Limerick griffin@streetcarsuburbs.news

In a PTO meeting last November, César Chávez principal Tyrone Harris told parents that students were losing up to 200 hours of instruction time per week due to late buses. To stem such losses, the district has been adjusting morning bell times for some schools.

This fall, PGCPS will be taking advantage of a 2022 change in Maryland state law that allows school districts to use passenger vans to transport students, according to a PGCPS spokesperson.

Unlike school buses, the vans do not require a driver with a commercial driver’s license; using the vans will free up drivers with a commercial license for routes that require fullsize buses. But of the district’s 1,034 school bus routes, Hill said, only a fraction have few enough students to be covered by passenger vans — the county has ordered a total of 16 vans.

In emails and interviews, PGCPS officials highlighted their driver recruitment efforts, including regular job fairs and paid training that includes qualification for a commercial drivers’ license.

“I need a driver behind every steering wheel,” said Hill, but

Business Manager Catie Currie catie@hyattsvillelife.com

he acknowledged that the district is struggling to compete with other transportation jobs that pay better. “It all comes back to the green dollar.”

Not enough pay

Gina said she had to quit in 2022 after four years driving for PGCPS. She was struggling to make enough money to take care of herself, her partner and their new baby. As her household’s only breadwinner, she said she made between $22,000 and $28,000 a year. They relied on government assistance, which, she said, “isn’t the life I prefer to live.”

The decision to quit was a hard one. “I just loved being in the position to really implant good advice in the youth and make a difference,” Gina said. But she couldn’t afford to stay. “No matter how much you worked, the pay was still not enough to support yourself.”

PGCPS now pays new bus drivers $21.13 an hour, up from $20.32 last year. According to a living wage calculator created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the living wage in Prince George’s County for one adult with no children is $22.31. For one adult with two children, it’s $52.84.

PGCPS drivers are guaranteed 6.5 hours per day, and the regular school year includes about 185 work days. The district spreads those wages evenly across the year, accounting for any days schools are closed. That effectively shrinks drivers’ biweekly paychecks. Meanwhile, many drivers said that the nature of the job, which splits the work day between morning pickup and afternoon drop off, makes it difficult for them to supplement their income with other work.

never stay more than a year or two.” McCaffity, who is also a union rep, said a bump in pay of only a few dollars would help new drivers make ends meet. “A lot of people are not willing to stay here for 10 years to get there.”

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), a district comparable in size to PGCPS, pays new drivers $23.17 per hour, two dollars more than PGCPS offers. Fairfax and Arlington counties also start new drivers at over $23 per hour.

Just before school started last August, The Washington Post reported that MCPS was short 70 bus drivers, while PGCPS still needed 168.

The difference in pay may be helping MCPS attract more new drivers in particular. According to a 2022 report to the Maryland State Department of Education, the two counties had similar numbers of experienced drivers, but MCPS had 28% more drivers with fewer than three years experience, including more than twice as many drivers who had been driving less than a year.

‘Please don’t leave’ PGCPS Communications Director Meghan Gebreselassie said in an email that the district is “committed to offering competitive pay to drivers and will seize any opportunity to do so,” but provided no specifics as to what those opportunities might be.

A community newspaper chronicling the life and times of Hyattsville Mailing address: PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781

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Hyattsville Life & Times is published monthly by Streetcar Suburbs Publishing Inc., a 501(c) (3) nonprofit corporation. Editors welcome reader input, tips, articles, letters, opinion pieces and photographs, which may be submitted using the mailing address above or the email addresses provided. StreetcarSuburbs.News

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Board of Directors

President: Stephanie Stullich

Vice President & General Counsel: Michael Walls

Treasurer: Joe Murchison

Secretary: Melanie Dzwonchyk

Bette Dickerson, Nora Eidelman, Joseph Gigliotti, Maxine Gross, Merrill Hartson, Marta McLellan Ross, Carter Ross

Ex Officios: Katie V. Jones, Griffin Limerick, Elizabeth Shirley

Circulation: Copies are distributed monthly by U.S. mail to every address in Hyattsville. Additional copies are distributed to libraries, selected businesses, community centers and churches in the city. Total circulation is 9,300.

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Under their union contract, the PGCPS hourly rate increases annually, up to $41.57 for drivers with 15 or more years of experience. The contract also requires that routes be offered to the most senior drivers first, including extra routes to cover vacancies. With enough overtime, senior bus drivers can make close to six figures.

Theodore Booth, who has been with PGCPS for two decades, said he’s comfortable with his salary. He suggested young drivers may not make enough if they’re not willing to pick up shifts. “The work is always there,” he said.

But James McCaffity, who has been with the district for four years, said there’s only enough work for newer drivers like him because of the driver shortage. “If we were fully staffed,” he said, “[new drivers] would

Parents said they felt a disconnect between the district’s optimistic language and what they’re seeing at bus stops every day. “We spend a lot of money on property taxes,” said Cynthia Totten, another César Chávez parent. “Why are the bus drivers getting paid so crappily? What's happening around how the priorities are being weighed?”

Some parents have taken it upon themselves to shore up the district’s bus drivers. César Chávez PTO president Culzoni, whose daughter is a rising fourth grader, said she gives their bus drivers gift cards several times during the school year — “Just trying to say, like, ‘Please don’t leave.’”

Back in February, at the stop in West Hyattsville, Navarrete watched a school bus pull up across the street. She glanced at another woman waiting for her grandchild, both of them resisting the urge to hope. “That’s not it,” Navarrete said. Then the bus door opened and her daughter hopped out. The grownups practically applauded. The bus was only 20 minutes late.

Prince George's County Public Schools bus drivers at the end-of-year picnic on June 15 in Ardmore Park JAMES MCCAFFITY

Jason Washington, director of the Prince George’s County Public Schools Office of Alternative Infrastructure Planning and Development, said at the June 15 Educational Facilities Task Force (EFTF) meeting that the delay was due to the inclusion of two additional elementary schools in Phase 2 of the Alternative Construction Financing (ACF) Program, temporary school location (“swing space”) constraints, and the need to have Hyattsville Elementary’s design approved by the Maryland Historical Trust.

While the request for proposals gives a site availability date of August 2024, Wash-

ington confirmed in an email that “the two-year swing is definitive at this point,” and that the school system plans to keep all students at a single swing space location from July 2026 to July 2028.

The final swing space has not been identified, but Washington said at the June EFTF meeting that swing space at Robert Goddard Montessori School, in Seabrook, (most recently used by Hyattsville Mid-

dle School) and the former Matthew Henson Elementary School building, in Landover, were both possibilities. The school system has previously rented the former parochial school at St. Mark’s Catholic Church on Adelphi Road as swing space, and Washington said this remained a possibility but would be “very expensive.” He also said the school system prefers to use swing space it owns.

In 2021 and 2022 meetings, members of the EFTF had discussed expanding the existing 2-acre site — which is significantly smaller than the other school sites in Phase 2 — by acquiring additional land from the city, neighboring St. Jerome’s Catholic Church or private landowners, according to meeting recordings obtained by the Life & Times; ultimately, however, no additional land will be added to the 43rd Avenue site. The school system will be purchasing land from the City of New Carrollton to expand the sites of two Phase 2 schools.

According to information shared at the June EFTF meeting, the new school will include prekindergarten classrooms and underground parking. As part of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, school systems statewide will be expanding access to pre-K for 3- and 4-yearolds. Washington also said de-

signers anticipated building a rooftop playground, and said in an email that the new school would have a minimum of 100 parking spaces.

Hyattsville Elementary’s enrollment peaked at 566 during the 2015-16 school year, and, while it has declined each year since, enrollment has remained above the state rate capacity of 406, with 423 students enrolled during the 2022-23 school year. Portions of the current building date to 1935, and it is considered past its useful life.

Hyattsville Elementary is the second school in the city to be rebuilt through the ACF program. Hyattsville Middle School, which was rebuilt as part of Phase 1, closed for demolition and construction in summer 2021. Washington confirmed at the June EFTF meeting that the new middle school building will be ready for the first day of school this August as scheduled.

Hyattsville Elementary is the second school in the city to be rebuilt through the Alternative Construction Financing program. FREDDY WOLFE

Authentic Venezuelan cuisine resurfaces in Riverdale Park

By Matt Leviss

When Mickey Torrealba came to the U.S. from Venezuela, in 2008, he missed the flavors of his home country. Not being able to find any Venezuelan restaurants when he moved to Hyattsville, Torrealba opened his own.

“Venezuelan food — it’s my country, my culture. I know, perfectly, how to cook it!” Torrealba said.

Since 2009, he has been serving traditional Venezuelan dishes to the Hyattsville community. Cafe Azul – Caracas de Ayer specializes in arepas: savory cornmeal-based cakes that are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and filled with meats, cheeses and other toppings.

“The base in Venezuelan cuisine is corn,” explained Torrealba. “Arepas are the most popular food in Venezuela, made of a white corn mix.” He added that he sells the country’s second most popular dish as well — a sweet crepe called cachapa, made of sweet yellow corn.

Formerly located in the Arts District, Cafe Azul closed in 2020 to move to The Station at Riverdale Park. Torrealba said that his business had outgrown its space. In April 2023, after a three-year delay

caused by the pandemic, the restaurant’s new doors finally opened, at 6740 45th Street, next to MOD Pizza. Torrealba hopes the bigger indoor space, the outdoor seating area and better parking will make Cafe Azul more accessible for customers.

He also hopes the new location will draw customers from a wider geographic area. Torrealba noted that business has been slow, as is expected during the summer months. When August comes, he said, everything changes.

Torrealba said he is proud of making his culture’s unique cuisine. “I believe in arepas,” he said. “It’s different than a hamburger, different than a taco, different than a sandwich. It’s different.”

Torrealba was born and raised in Venezuela. He lived in the capital city of Caracas until 1998, leaving prior to the election of Hugo Chávez. He had been working in restaurants in Venezuela until that point. At the advice of his boss at the time, the then 25-year-old Torrealba immigrated to Puerto Rico. In 2008, he resettled in Hyattsville to be with his wife, Monica, whom he met while she was on vacation in Puerto Rico.

Venezuelan food was not available, let alone known, in the Hyattsville area back when Torrealba arrived, so he decided he would be the one to introduce it.

“I remember my first year, back in the day, I didn’t see anything. These were very difficult moments,” he said. “Eventually, people learn what arepas are: They try it for the first time, and they come back.”

Today, Cafe Azul is no longer the only Venezuelan restaurant in the area, but Torrealba continues to celebrate his restaurant’s legacy, along with the impact of Venezuelan food in the area and across the country.

Open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Cafe Azul, with its authentic recipes and modern atmosphere, is worth a visit.

Matt Leviss is an intern with the Hyattsville Life & Times.

Mickey Torrealba established Cafe Azul – Caracas de Ayer in 2009; the restaurant recently reopened at a new location, The Station at Riverdale Park. FREDDY WOLFE