08-2023 College Park Here & Now

Berwyn resident speaks for the trees

By Emely Miranda

In 1999, Marina Dullnig planted her first tree, a maple, in the city’s Berwyn Park. Dullnig has since planted 40 trees throughout the park, and 38 of them, including her first tree, are still standing.

Earlier this summer, a Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation employee left a card asking Dullnig to contact them about her efforts.

The Arbor Day Foundation provided Dullnig with 10 trees, all of which she planted in April. Dullnig typically plants only a few at a time; she believes the larger number caught the county’s attention. County regulations prohibit individuals from planting vegetation,

Four Green Line stations closed until September

By Kayla Nazaire

Metro is suspending Green Line service to Greenbelt, College Park, Hyattsville Crossing and West Hyattsville until September 4 due to scheduled maintenance.

Metro will offer free shuttle service between all four stations and the Fort Totten station every 10 to 15 minutes. The

Meet the women behind STEAM Day

By Lydia Hurley

Local science enthusiasts and families flocked to the College Park Aviation Museum on July 29 for an afternoon of aviation and aeronautical activities celebrating STEAM Day.

STEAM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. The museum debuted STEAM Day in

2022; the event showcases how aviation is linked to STEAM fields of study. Kimberly Schwartz, the museum’s education manager, spoke about this year’s event: “This year, we’re focusing on aerospace and space design … we wanted to provide a day of activities to engage people a little more than we typically have in the gallery,” she said.

Schwartz invited NASA’s Jet Propulsion

Laboratory (JPL) and the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Space Sciences Outreach Cooperative to contribute learning activities for museum visitors.

“Today, we have a 3D model of the OSIRIS REx landing activity … we have the old landing zones set up and little capsules with the parachutes,” said Kathryn Gansler, JPL’s Solar System Ambassa-

Abigail Bailey helps Christina Grant and her daughter Sandra Grant create galaxy slime at the College Park Aviation Museum's STEAM Day. LYDIA HURLEY

Th e fast and the dangerous

By Paul Ruffins

This is the third article in my series examining the high rate of traffic fatalities in Prince George’s County.

Correction: May’s column incorrectly stated that the 2022 rate of pedestrian fatalities in Prince George’s County was approximately 12 per 100,000 residents. That rate was for total traffic fatalities. Based on data from the Maryland Department of Transportation, Prince George’s County had a pedestrian fatality rate of 3.8 per 100,000 residents in 2022.

Between 2018 and 2022, pedestrians in Prince George’s County were more than twice as likely to die in traffic accidents compared to pedestrians in Montgomery County. This high number of casualties results from a complex interplay between the county’s demographics, road characteristics, and the national trend of people speeding and driving trucks and SUVs.

Prince George’s and Montgomery counties cover close to the same geographic area, and each averages two vehicles per household. They also share several major roads — the Beltway, East-West Highway and University Boulevard — and both are governed by the same Maryland traffic laws.

According to the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Zero Deaths Maryland Crash Data Dashboard, however, in 2022 Prince George’s County had 122 traffic fatalities, while Montgomery County, which has approximately 105,000 more residents, had 48. There is a similar difference between the counties when it comes to pedestrian deaths. In 2022, Prince George’s

County tallied 36 pedestrian fatalities, while Montgomery County had 14.

One reason for the differences may stem from the fact that Prince George’s and Montgomery counties have notably different demographics. According to the 2020 census, residents of Prince George’s County were 59% Black, 21% Hispanic or Latino, 11% white and 4% Asian. In that same census, Montgomery County’s population was 40% white, 20% Hispanic or Latino, 18% Black and 15% Asian.

A 2022 national study conducted by Harvard and Boston University (BU) found significant differences in rates of traffic fatalities that were drawn along racial lines. It reported that Black Americans died at more than four times the rate per mile when they were cycling than white Americans. Per mile traveled, Black pedestrians and drivers were about twice as likely to die in traffic related ac-

Editor Elizabeth Shirley elizabeth@streetcarsuburbs.news

cidents than white people. The fatality rates for Hispanic Americans were slightly lower than for Black Americans, but still much higher than the rates for white or Asian Americans. Data in the study was not broken down on a state or local level.

Authors of the Harvard/BU study noted that structural racism in the country has historically led to minority communities having fewer sidewalks, less public transportation and more liquor stores. Other studies have found that Black and Hispanic people are less likely to wear helmets while bicycling or buckle their seat belts while driving than white or Asian people.

Prince George’s County also has substantially more traffic than Montgomery County does. The Maryland Department of Transportation tallies vehicular miles of travel (VMTs) to quantify and understand road use patterns throughout the state.

Advertising Sales Manager Miranda Goodson

In 2021, drivers logged 25% more VMTs on roads in Prince George’s County than they did in Montgomery County. More significantly, Prince George's County also tops Montgomery County with 316% more VMTs on major urban arteries, which are inherently more dangerous than limited access highways like the Beltway or I-270. Drivers on Route 310 or Martin Luther King Highway often reach highway speeds, even as these roads have stop-light controlled intersections and pedestrians frequently walking on the shoulder.

The most notorious of these arteries is Indian Head Highway (Route 210). At 23 miles long, it represents only about 1% of the county’s approximately 2,000 miles of state-maintained roads.

According to the Route 210 Traffic Safety Committee, 13% (5 out of 36) of the county’s pedestrian fatalities and about 8% (10 out of 122) of the total traffic deaths occurred on this road in 2022.

roads have also reported an uptick in speeding vehicles.

As part of its participation in the Zero Deaths Maryland traffic safety program, the county reported that driver and passenger fatalities related to speeding doubled from 10 in 2019, to 20 in 2021. Because of improvements in seat belts and airbags, accidents at moderate speeds, 35 mph for instance, may leave drivers and passengers unharmed, but the risk goes up significantly in highspeed accidents. For pedestrians, being hit by cars moving at even modestly higher speeds can mean serious injury or death.

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

Mailing address: PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781

The College Park Here & Now is published monthly by Streetcar Suburbs

Publishing., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Editors welcome reader input, tips, articles, letters, opinion pieces and photographs, which may be submitted using the mailing address above or the email addresses provided. StreetcarSuburbs.News

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Associate Editor Nancy Welch nancy@streetcarsuburbs.news

Writers & Contributors Alexa Bely, Rick Borchelt, Lydia Hurley, Matt Menke, Emely Miranda, Kayla Nazaire, Jeremy Rose, Paul Ruffins, Heather Marléne Zadig

Layout & Design Editors Ashley Perks, Valerie Morris

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Business Manager Catie Currie

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

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National Safety Council data show that injuries and deaths related to speeding have been increasing nationwide since 2019. One theory regarding this suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic cut commutes for many, resulting in fewer drivers on the roads, and those who were still driving did so at higher speeds.

Regardless of the pandemic's impact, certain roads in Prince George’s County are notorious for speeding and street racing. In 2008, eight pedestrians were killed while they were watching an illegal race on Route 210. In recent years, residents along St. Barnabas and Ritchie Marlboro

For almost a decade, sales of SUVs and pickup trucks have outnumbered car sales across the country. In 2020, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reported that SUVs and pickup trucks are about three times more likely to injure or kill a pedestrian than a sedan traveling at the same speed. In 2023, IIHS reported that SUVs and pickups moving at any speed posed twice the risk of death for cyclists and caused 60% more serious head injuries than an accident involving a smaller vehicle.

“SUVs tend to knock riders down, where they can also be run over, rather than vaulting them onto the hood of the vehicle,” said IIHS statistician Sam Monfort. “That’s probably because the higher front end of an SUV strikes the cyclist above their center of gravity.

Paul Ruffins is a citizen scientist and professor of curiosity.

Prince George’s County had 122 traffic fatalities in 2022, while Montgomery County, which has approximately 105,000 more residents, had 48. PAUL RUFFINS

including trees, on park property without a permit or authorization. Dullnig claims to have been unaware of the rule.

In response to receiving the card, Dullnig called the county’s parks and recreation maintenance coordinator, Shawn Beaumont. During their conversation, Beaumont informed Dullnig that there was an official process in place if someone wanted to plant trees in the park.

“It doesn't cost park and planning anything if I plant a tree and take care of it,” Dullnig said. “The park is losing trees, but they're not replanting. They're not doing that.”

In the past 20 years, the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation planted three trees in the park. Two of the three were damaged and cut down shortly after being planted, and the third tree seems to have stopped growing.

“I guess this is my crusade because we need them. We need oxygen, wildlife habitats and shade,” Dullnig said.

Berwyn residents who live by the park would like to see more trees added to the canopy, which has thinned over the past few years. The July 2022 storm, in particular, reduced the number of trees in the neighborhood.

“The canopy is really important,” said Faith Rodell, who has lived in College Park since 1974. “If they're planted where they shouldn't be planted, nature will take care of that, but I don't think [Dullnig] should have to relocate.”

Ritvik Karnati, who lives in the neighborhood and frequently walks his dog in the park, has seen Dullnig planting and believes that adding more trees to the park is essential.

“I feel like the trees are much needed because it's mostly barren land … She’s doing it on her time and expenses,” he said.

“No one ever said anything. They were just happy to have trees,”said Victoria MacDonald, a Berwyn resident since 2008. “Usually, [Dullnig] planted one whenever another one died, replacing them. I think this year, because we lost so many trees, she planted more than she usually would, which brought attention.”

“The issue is the coordination between Park and Planning and folks in the community,” said State Sen. James C. Rosapepe, whose home faces the park.

Dullnig met with eight members of the Prince George’s County Department of Parks

and Recreation on July 28. Several of her supporters turned out for the meeting, which took place at Berwyn Park.

During the meeting, Dullnig spoke about what she does in the park, including picking up trash, removing graffiti and planting trees. She gave a tour of the park, showing where trees used to be and where she had planted new ones.

Kyle Lowe, assistant division chief of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s Natural and Historic Resources Division, and other county representatives noted that some of the trees Dullnig planted were not native and that she had planted them in less-than-ideal locations.

“There's a list of trees native to our region. It's good to plant those kinds of trees. They have the chance for survivability ... it becomes really important to make sure that if it is non-native tree that it's not the type that will spread and can cause any issues,” Beaumont said. “From looking at the trees that she had planted, some are in areas, like the drainage swales, where they may not have as good of a

chance of surviving.”

Dullnig and a number of residents remain focused on the loss of trees in the park and are concerned that the trees that remain need to be taken care of. Dullnig voiced concerns about the mowing crew that cuts grass in the park, and Beaumont agreed that best practices are important.

“From discussions between management and with the teams, I believe we're all on the same page now that we need to make sure we slow down and are careful,” he said.

According to county park and planning, because of the large number of trees lost in the past few years there is a plan to replant trees in numerous parks, including Berwyn Park.

“We had a number of large microbursts that came through and really decimated the tree population in our parks in the College Park area … there's been a partnership between the Natural and Historical Resources Division with our department and the City of College Park to plant about 145 two-inch caliper trees this fall,” Beaumont said.

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Marina Dullnig stands with the family dog, Little Girl, by the first tree Dullnig planted. EMELY MIRANDA

“It doesn't cost park and planning anything if I plant a tree and take care of it. The park is losing trees, but they're not replanting. They're not doing that.”

Marina Dullnig Berwyn resident

COLLEGE PARK WILD

For ants, antlions are the pits

By Rick Borchelt

You’ve probably seen them in the sand or loose soil under roof overhangs, beneath playground equipment or even right out in the open in the fine dust of baseball diamonds — alien-looking conical pits in the dirt, up to an inch wide and half an inch deep. They’re interesting to us — but deadly to ants.

These pits are the home of antlions, appropriately named pint-sized predators with massive jaws that lie in wait at the bottom of those pits, hidden in the sand with only the end of their massive jaws visible. Woe be to the ant that gets too close to the edge of a pit and slips in; the steep sides and fine grains of dust offer no leverage, and the hapless ant tumbles to the bottom. Its frenzy to escape only brings more sand down on top of it and alerts the waiting antlion that there is prey in its trap. The antlion quickly uses those long jaws to inject poison and solvents into the hapless prey to dissolve its internal organs.

Antlion pits are marvels of engineering. While they may appear to be uniform funnels of dirt to the casual observer, one side is always steeper than the others. It’s a perfect balance between collapse and stability; an ant that approaches the rim almost invariably causes the wall to collapse. If the ant doesn’t fall all the way in, the antlion uses its abdomen to flip a few grains of sand at the struggling victim, further destabilizing the wall and bringing the ant to the waiting jaws below.

While antlions have fearsome jaws, they don’t actually have a mouth — those long jaws consist of a fused mandible and maxilla, mouthparts that are usually distinct in most other insects. In antlions, this fusion creates a drinking straw with which they suck out the liquefied contents of their ant prey. (They don’t have an anus either, since all their food is liquid.) When the meal is finished and all that is left is the dried ant husk, the antlion simply flings it out of the pit, smoothes the walls and buries itself again at the bottom.

These pits are the home of antlions, appropriately named pint-sized predators with massive jaws that lie in wait at the bottom of those pits, hidden in the sand with only the end of their massive jaws visible. Woe be to the ant that gets too close to the edge of a pit and slips in; the steep sides and fine grains of dust offer no leverage, and the hapless ant tumbles to the bottom.

Top: Lots of antlions sharing one of their favorite habitats, in the dust inside an abandoned barn in Anne Arundel County.

antlion in

A common colloquial name for antlion larvae is doodlebug, and this moniker comes from how they move about. Antlions can only move backwards; all their powerful digging apparatus is in the muscular back end and legs. They travel just at or under the surface of the soil looking for an appropriate spot to dig a pit: usually in the shade and often under a surface that provides some protection from rain. Their wanderings leave seemingly random tracks in sand or dust — the doodles that

would disturb the sand, rousing the antlion into thinking there was a struggling ant. It would reveal itself by throwing sand up the side at the fake ant and could then be plucked out of its pit.

Larval and adult antlions could not be less alike. Antlions adults are delicate, winged creatures related to lacewings. The female flies about on calm, late afternoons looking for loose soil in a likely location — probably using chemical cues to make sure there is an ant colony nearby — and broadcasts her eggs on top of the dust or sand.

Depending on the antlion species and how good their supply of ants is, the larval stage can last a few months or over winter. The mature larva spins a silk cocoon — very similar to the cocoons of moths — at the bottom of its pit. A winged adult emerges from this cocoon.

Our most common antlion is the spotted-winged antlion (Dendroleon obsoletus), whose pit traps you can often see in sandy soil along river banks and in abandoned sandboxes, among other places. But perhaps our most beautiful antlion doesn’t build pits at all. It’s the aptly named picture-winged antlion (Glenurus gratus), whose dazzling pink and black wings resemble stained glass. The larva is an ambush predator at the bottom of dry tree holes, burying itself in the accumulated debris and grabbing passing prey. The largest antlion in Maryland is the giant antlion (Vella americana). In Maryland, it’s only found on beaches in Worcester County, around Assateague Island, where it also forgoes digging pits in favor of lying in wait to ambush prey. Look for their trails across sandy paths in the dunes.

give doodlebugs their name — tracks that begin to coalesce into a spiral and eventually a pit once the construction site has been selected.

Growing up in the Ozarks, I learned a chant from my grandfather that kids are taught to lure antlions into revealing themselves. While waving a very thin straw or grass blade in circles around the edge of the pit, we’d say, “Doodlebug, doodlebug, come and get your corn!” The straw would inevitably touch the side of the pit, or our breath

Antlions also have a firm place in the cinematic history of the Star Trek universe: They’re the model for the alien parasite that Khan puts in Chekov’s ear to render him biddable in “The Wrath of Khan”! youtube.com/ watch?v=3i42Smtbmeg

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

Bottom: An adult picture-winged

St. Mary’s County. TOP: RICK BORCHELT / BOTTOM: TYLER BELL

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

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

College Park should consider adopting ranked choice voting for city elections

Our current voting system has a serious flaw.

If you walked into an ice cream shop and they didn’t have your favorite flavor, what would you do — walk out? Or ask for your next favorite flavor? Having a favorite choice doesn’t mean all the other options are unacceptable or all the same to you. Those next-best choices are important!

When there is a contest for mayor in College Park, we vote for a single candidate, but we currently ignore voter preferences among the rest of the candidates. This doesn’t matter if the top candidate receives more than 50% of the votes, as Mayor Fazlul Kabir did in our most recent election. But if there are three or more candidates in a mayoral race and none of them wins a majority, our current voting system can elect a candidate who does not have the broadest appeal. Imagine two similar candidates in a three-person race. If

voters prefer those two similar candidates and split the vote, the third candidate could actually receive the most votes and get elected. That’s a problem.

Jurisdictions across the country are instituting ranked choice voting (also known as instant runoff voting), which we think is a better approach. This voting method considers a voter’s top preference and their ranked choices across all candidates. All first choices are tallied, and if a candidate receives more than half of the first choices, that candidate wins, just like we’re used to. But if there is no majority winner after first choices are counted, this system eliminates the candidate with the fewest votes, and voters who picked that candidate as their top choice will have their next choice counted instead. This process continues until there’s a majority winner.

This approach provides important advantages. Ranked choice

voting increases overall voter satisfaction and decreases polarization among candidates. It can also draw a larger and more diverse pool of candidates.

College Park’s mayor and council had an initial discussion about ranked choice voting last fall. Given that our next mayoral election is just around the corner, it should proceed under our current system. But College Park should consider adopting ranked choice voting for the 2025 city election — for the benefit of both voters and candidates. If you’d like to learn more or are interested in promoting this option in College Park, please email the city’s chapter of Ranked Choice Voting Maryland at rcvcollegepark@gmail.com.

Jeremy Rose, College Park, and Alexa Bely, Calvert Hills

Jeremy Rose works at FairVote and lives in North College Park. Alexa Bely is a teacher/researcher at the University of Maryland and lives in Calvert Hills. They can be reached at rcvcollegepark@gmail.com.

PEXELS

Clear backpacks, metal detectors come to PGCPS; Do they work?

By Heather Marléne Zadig

In a reversal from an announcement made earlier this month, Prince George’s County Schools (PGCPS) stated in a July 31 email to families that a new mandatory clear backpacks policy will only apply to high schools in the district; most middle schools will now be exempt.

The new superintendent of PGCPS, Millard House II, previously said at a July 11 press conference that clear plastic backpacks would be required at both middle and high schools this fall to deter weapons on campus. An additional security measure of weapons detectors at all high schools and eventually several middle schools will still be phased in incrementally throughout the fall, as announced earlier.

At the press conference, House cited security efforts at sports stadiums as his rationale behind supporting the measures, adding that “these types of security enhancements are nationwide, and I think they make sense.” The district communications office said guidelines related to clear backpacks have not yet been finalized, but thousands of backpacks are being made available to families in need, and updates can be found at pgcps.org.

Lisa Pfueller Davidson, parent of a rising 11th grader at College Park Academy, told the Hyattsville Life & Times she’s concerned about the lack of padding in clear backpacks for

expensive, required laptops, especially while riding bikes to school. She also called the policy “a show of security theater” that seemed ineffective. “It projects a terrible image for our public schools,” Davidson said.

The two most recent high-

profile incidents involving guns in PGCPS did not appear to involve backpacks. In May, three suspects were charged with attempted homicide of a fourth student on a school bus with a gun, but surveillance footage suggests they were wearing

hoodies, not backpacks. On July 10, a loaded gun was safely confiscated from a student’s waistband at a Central High School summer program.

PGCPS Board Member for District 3, Pamela BoozerStrother, offered a statement to the Life & Times over email, saying security was a “top level concern” and that PGCPS will be monitoring the new security measures for effectiveness.

A similar clear backpacks rule in Broward County, Fla., recently led to a swift parent backlash, with parents arguing the backpacks violated student privacy, were a waste of funds, and would not make students safer, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The rule was then quickly reversed in June.

The other new PGCPS security policy involves installing Opengate AI weapons detectors in a four-phase rollout at all high schools and several middle schools over the next year, costing an estimated $4.09 million total, with $2.07 million coming from grant money. The district will pilot the units at six high schools right away and aims to install them in all high schools

by October, then in some middle schools at a later date.

Boozer-Strother said the decision to introduce weapons detectors was made by the previous superintendent but that board members encountered the CEIA Opengate systems last year at association conferences.

Opengate’s intended target is “high caliber assault weapons and other large mass casualty metal threats,” according to a CEIA press release. In an interview with Campus Safety magazine, a CEIA representative acknowledged the company does not consider pocket knives and other smaller weapons to be a mass-casualty threat. He noted that if the sensitivity were set that high, there would be frequent false alarms such that students “would no longer be able to carry a backpack full of stuff.”

When asked about this issue, county schools spokesperson Raven Hill said, “We can let students know what to remove prior to screening.”

Recent local and national data involving guns in schools indicates that most shootings

Clear backpacks, such as the one pictured here, will be required for Prince George’s County Public School high schoolers this fall. Can you spot the 13 deadly weapons (see p. 7) we hid in this one? HEATHER MARLÉNE ZADIG

COLLEGE PARK POST

National Night Out

Raising awareness about public safety and crime prevention

College Park residents gathered with public safety officials on Tuesday, August 1 for the 2023 National Night Out!

The event is a community-police partnership that celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Introduced in August 1984, National Night Out brings together a network of law enforcement agencies, neighborhood watch groups, civic associations, state and regional public safety stakeholders, and residents to raise awareness about crime prevention and highlight the importance of everyday vigiliance and neighborhood watch teams.

Five neighborhoods observed the tradition, providing an opportunity for residents to get to know public safety officials and personnel. Neighborhood watch committees in Berwyn, Cherry Hill, College Park Woods, Lakeland, and North College Park organized fun activities for kids and adults.

Local public safety departments like the Prince George’s Police Department, the University of Maryland Police Department, M-NCPPC police, and City Code Enforcement participated in each community event. In Berwyn and North College Park, local Boy Scout Troops made hotdogs for participants while residents in Cherry Hill and College Park Woods mingled with members of the Prince George’s County Department of Social Services. The College Park Volunteer Fire Department joined the event activities in Lakeland, which included a backpack giveaway for students.

Although each gathering is different, National Night Out allows all residents to build positive relationships with public safety officials.

Thank you to everyone who organized and attended the events!

City General Election for Mayor and Council

City Elections will be held on Sunday, November 5, 2023 must continuously reside in their respective district.

The City of College Park will hold its General Election for the offices of Mayor and eight District Councilmembers (two from each district) on Sunday, November 5, 2023.

INTERESTED IN RUNNING FOR OFFICE?

Residents interested in running for elected office must be a citizen of the United States, a current registered voter in the City, and must have been domiciled in the City for at least one year immediately preceding the date of qualification. At the time of taking office, which will be December 5, 2023, the elected official must be at least 18 years old.

A Candidate Guide with more information about running for office and the necessary forms is posted on the City website here. You may download the Candidate Guide or make an appointment with the City Clerk (240-487-3501) to pick up a hard copy.

Candidacy petitions and other required forms are due by 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 13, 2023.

College Park uses a petition process to qualify candidates for elected office. Candidates for the office of Mayor must collect the signatures of 20 qualified voters from each Council district. Candidates for a Council district seat must collect the signatures of 25 qualified voters from their respective Council district. The council district boundaries adopted by Council in December 2022 after redistricting are in effect.

During the two-year term, the Mayor must continuously reside in the City and each Councilmember

VOTER REGISTRATION

CLOSES OCTOBER 21, 2023

You must be a City resident and a registered voter to vote in this election.

• If you are new to the City, please complete a Voter Registration application on line at https://voterservices. elections.maryland.gov/ OnlineVoterRegistration/ InstructionsStep1.

• If you are already registered to vote with the Prince George’s County Board of Elections at your current City address, you are ready to vote in this election.

• If you have moved or changed your name since you registered, update your Voter Registration. Call the Prince George’s County Board of Elections at 301-341-7300, or visit www.elections.state. md.us.

PERMANENT VOTE BY MAIL LIST

If you prefer to vote by mail, please consider the State’s Permanent Vote By Mail list.

• If you are on the State’s Permanent Vote By Mail list by September 15, you will automatically receive a ballot for this election; there is no need to apply.

• To sign-up, visit the state’s website.

For more information about the upcoming City Election, please contact Janeen S. Miller, City Clerk, at 240-487-3501.

Elecciones Generales para Alcalde y Concejales

Las elecciones municipales se realizarán el domingo 5 de noviembre de 2023

La Ciudad de College Park celebrará sus Elecciones Generales para los cargos de Alcalde y ocho Concejales de Distrito (dos de cada distrito) el domingo 5 de noviembre de 2023.

¿LE INTERESA PRESENTARSE A LAS ELECCIONES?

Los residentes interesados en presentarse a cargos electos deben ser ciudadanos de Estados Unidos, estar registrados actualmente como votantes en la Ciudad y haber tenido su domicilio en la Ciudad durante al menos un año inmediatamente anterior a la fecha de cualificación. En el momento de la toma de posesión del cargo, que será el 5 de diciembre de 2023, el cargo electo deberá tener al menos 18 años de edad.

Una Guía del Candidato con más información sobre como presentarse a las elecciones, incluso los formularios necesarios, se encuentran en el sitio web de la Ciudad a www.collegeparkmd. gov/elections. Puede descargar la Guía del Candidato o concertar una cita con la Secretaría Municipal (240-487-3501) para recoger una copia impresa. Las peticiones de candidatura y demás formularios requeridos deben presentarse antes de las 4:00 p.m. del miércoles 13 de septiembre de 2023.

College Park utiliza un proceso de petición para calificar a los candidatos a cargos electos. Los candidatos al cargo de Alcalde deben recoger las firmas de 20 votantes cualificados de cada distrito del Consejo. Los candidatos a un cargo en un distrito del Concejo deben reunir las firmas de 25 votantes calificados de su respectivo distrito del Concejo. Los límites de los distritos del Consejo adoptados por el Consejo en diciembre de 2022 después de la redistribución de distritos están en vigor.

Durante el mandato de dos años, el Alcalde debe residir

continuamente en la Ciudad y cada Concejal debe residir continuamente en su respectivo distrito.

EL

REGISTRO DE VOTANTES SE CIERRA EL 21 DE OCTUBRE DE 2023

Para votar en estas elecciones debe ser residente de la Ciudad y estar inscrito en el censo electoral.

• Si usted es un nuevo habitante de la Ciudad, por favor complete una solicitud de Registro de Votantes en línea en https://voterservices. elections.maryland.gov/ OnlineVoterRegistration/ InstructionsStep1

• Si ya está inscrito para votar en la Junta Electoral del Condado de Prince George en su dirección actual de la ciudad, está listo para votar en estas elecciones.

• Si se ha mudado o ha cambiado de nombre desde que se inscribió, actualice su Registro Electoral. Llame a la Junta Electoral del Condado de Prince George al 301-3417300, o visite www.elections. state.md.us

LISTA PERMANENTE DE VOTO POR CORREO

Si prefiere votar por correo, tenga en cuenta la Lista Estatal Permanente de Voto por Correo.

• Si está incluido en la Lista Estatal Permanente de Voto por Correo antes del 15 de septiembre, recibirá automáticamente una papeleta para estas elecciones; no es necesario solicitarla.

• Para inscribirse, visite el sitio web del Estado.

Para más información sobre las próximas elecciones municipales, póngase en contacto con Janeen S. Miller, Secretaria Municipal, llamando al 240-487-3501.

Better Bag Ordinance

City residents can receieve a reusable bag this August

The Better Bag Ordinance will become effective on September 1, 2023!

This new ordinance aims to reduce single-use plastic bag waste and litter in our local waterways and tributary system by restricting the use of non-reusable plastic bags given or received at the point of purchase by City retailers and restaurants.

To support residents in transitioning away from plastic bag use, the City is giving away FREE reusable bags in August 2023 (while supplies last)! These bags were custom-designed to reflect local animals of the Anacostia tributary and the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Participants must be a resident of the City of College Park. Request a bag at www.collegeparkmd.gov/ betterbaggiveaway.

As part of the Ordinance, alternative bags like paper bags or reusable bags can be provided, but retailers must charge a minimum of $.10 per bag and may retain the entirety of the fee to cover costs. Restaurant carry-out bags are included in the Ordinance.

EXEMPTIONS INCLUDE:

• Loose produce or bulk item bags (fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains, candy, or small hardware items)

• Bags to wrap fresh meat or seafood

• Bags used to contain or wrap flowers, potted plants, or other damp items

• Bags used to contain unwrapped prepared foods or bakery goods

• Laundry/dry cleaning bags

• Bags for live fish, insects, mollusks, or crustaceans

For a full list of exemptions and more information, visit www. collegeparkmd.gov/BetterBag.

College Park Connect App

Request services and report issues through a new app

The City of College Park is excited to launch College Park Connect, a new mobile resident engagement application and website powered by GOGov. The app and website allow residents to have a direct line of communication to request services and report issues such as potholes, graffiti, animal issues, litter, and more. The app will also be a great source of information with links to the City website, news, and upcoming events.

To report any non-emergency concern or issue, visit www. collegeparkmd.gov/tellus. To download the free app, go to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and search “College Park

Connect” to find the app.

As always, residents can call the City’s 24/7 Hotline at 240-487-3588 to report non-emergency issues including noise complaints. For emergency assistance, call 9-11 immediately for police, fire, or EMS assistance.

City staff will leverage powerful dashboards and reporting tools to identify hot spots, increase productivity, streamline communications, and prioritize projects. This app will further support the City’s Department of Public Works’ Bulk Trash Program by tracking and reporting all bulk trash collection data.

Stay Connected

City Announcements

More information: www.collegeparkmd.gov

LABOR DAY CLOSURE

All City of College Park offices will be closed on Monday, September 4 in observance of Labor Day.

Refuse and recycling will occur one day later than normal during this holiday week. Special collections for brush and bulky items will only be scheduled for Friday, September 8, 2023.

You must call 240-487-3590 or email publicworks@collegeparkmd.gov to schedule a pickup before setting your items out to the curb.

WASHINGTON GAS CONSTSTRUCTION

Resurface Inc., contractor for Washington Gas, will be working on street and sidewalk repairs throughout the City this August. Parking restrictions will be posted by the contractor as work is scheduled and completed.

The following areas will be affected:

• Southeast Corner of College Avenue and Dartmouth Avenue (sidewalk repair)

• 7200-Block of Rhode Island Avenue

• 7500-Block of Hopkins Avenue

• 7400-Block of Princeton Avenue

• Intersection of Berwyn Road and 49th Avenue

• 7400-Block of 50th Avenue

• 5009 Nantucket Road (sidewalk repair)

• 9720 51st Avenue (street and sidewalk repair)

• Intersection of Hollywood Road and 49th Avenue

• 5000-Block of Indian Lane

• 9100-Block of Rhode Island Avenue

• Intersection of Branchville Road and 50th Place

• 9600-Block of Narragansett Parkway

• Intersection of Limestone Place and Davidson Street

• 9011 Gettysburg Lane

YARD WASTE REMINDERS

Grass, leaves, and other yard waste can wash into storm drains, potentially clogging them and causing flooding. When this debris is washed into storm drains, it is transported through local waterways and eventually to the Chesapeake Bay. Remember to place yard clippings in paper bags or reusable containers for weekly curbside pickup. For more yard waste tips, visit wwww. collegeparkmd.gov/yardwaste.

City Events

More information: www.collegeparkmd.gov/events

FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE!

August 11 and September 8 | 6:30 - 8:30PM | City Hall Plaza, 7401 Baltimore Avenue, College Park, MD 20740.

The City of College Park hosts a series of concerts over the summer and you are invited! Join us on the City hall plaza on select Fridays for Friday Night LIVE! The events will feature a variety of musical genres and performers and includes something for everyone- music, food, beer, and entertainment. There will be children’s performers, a bounce house, kids activities, and crafts.

All concerts will be held at City Hall Plaza (7401 Baltimore Avenue) between May -September from 6:30 to 8:30PM. Parking will be offered for free at the Downtown College Park parking garage at the corner of Yale and Knox. Local food and beer will be available for purchase during the event!

NIGHT AT THE MOVIES

August 26 | 8:00PM | Calvert Field

Come and join us for a fun and FREE Night at the Movies! Bring your picnic baskets, lawn chairs, and blankets to enjoy a movie with

the whole family under the stars. The event will feature the film, “Super Mario Bros. Movie” and fun activities like a moon bounce, face painting, games and more! There will also be sno-cones and popcorn! Show-time is at sunset.

COLLEGE PARK DAY

October 7, 2023 | 12:00 - 6:00PM | College Park Aviation Museum & Airport, 1985 Corporal Scott Dr.

College Park Day is on Saturday, October 7, 2023, from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the College Park Aviation Museum and Airport (1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive)!

This is the City of College Park’s signature event and features a wide array of activities, entertainment, and fun or the whole family to bring together our residents and celebrate College Park as a community. The event is open to the public and free to attend.

Be a part of College Park Day! We are now accepting applications for local community exhibitors, food and drink vendors, and volunteers.

Learn more and apply to be an exhibitor, vendor, or volunteer at collegeparkday.org.

occur outside in areas not subject to screening, like parking lots, bus stops and ball fields. A Hyattsville Life & Times analysis of all recorded gun incidents at PGCPS campuses from January 2022-present (from news reports and national databases) found just four out of the 18 documented gun incidents involved attempted or actual shootings; of those, none occurred inside school buildings.

Additionally, county district data of incidents involving school resource officers (SROs) in 2017-20 show a tiny fraction involved firearms — 0.1% of all SRO incidents, while the sum of all physical attacks, bullying and other personal threats made up 46.6% of SRO disciplinary situations. Data from Hyattsville’s Northwestern High School from 2017-22 reported zero firearm incidents, with 3.3% involving other weapons, and physical attacks/personal threats making up 21.5% of discipline events.

When presented with Hyattsville Life & Times data showing outdoor locations for recent shootings and the largely weapons-free nature of violence in

PGCPS schools, Hill said, “We view the security screeners as another tool in our toolbox and believe training and evaluating best practices will make all members — students and staff — of the PGCPS community safe.”

Most research on metal detectors in schools, including

a comprehensive 2011 U.S. government meta-analysis, suggests that they have little to no impact on school safety and may actually make things worse. According to the U.S. Secret Service and the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, improving school culture and climate has the biggest

impact on reducing school violence, along with threat assessment and targeted prevention and counseling.

Boozer-Strother highlighted the district’s continuation of the Hazel Health online portal offering free teletherapy to all PGCPS students as a major contribution. County schools

spokesperson Meghan Gebreselassie noted over email that the district is spending $1.8 million to expand school wellness centers (which offer physical healthcare). She also cited grant funds for mental health training and supports, parent support centers and community schools partnerships, among other areas.

A review of the proposed 2024 PGCPS budget shows that several offices tasked with supporting school climate and student mental health had either significant decreases or only negligible increases over the previous year’s estimate: community schools (-41.7%), family and school partnerships (+0.07%), and student services (-29.4%). There were no requested staffing increases for psychologists, social workers, therapists or guidance counselors in the proposed 2024 budget.

The proposed budget does request an additional 11 fulltime security personnel from 2023 estimated levels, for a total of 21 new security staff since 2022. The district’s safety and security office has one of the largest increases in requested 2024 funding of any other office, at +7.4%.

We hid various weapons, including a Glock 27, three pocket pistol-sized toy guns, a long knife, three box-cutters, two tactical knives, and a hacksaw, in a student’s clear backpack. HEATHER MARLÉNE ZADIG

University bus fleet going electric

By Emely Miranda

The University of Maryland

(UMD) will transition from diesel to electric buses with funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration. UMD

President Darryl J. Pines issued a press release on June 29 announcing the grant, which totaled just under $40 million.

The funding will allow the university to replace 35 of the 48 shuttles currently in service. UMD will continue to seek ad-

ditional funding to make the full transition . The buses that are taken out of service will be surplused.

“This grant award is a tremendous opportunity for the university, and swift implementation of this project will

Meeting your audio-visual needs close to home

ensure continued service reliability, maintain a state of good repair, improve air quality, and advance environmental justice in the greater College Park community,” the university’s Department of Transportation noted.

In 2007, UMD joined the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, now called the Carbon Commitment, which works to educate students about the importance of achieving climate neutrality and sustainability as part of a larger effort to address climate change. The university has published two climate action plans; the most recent was released in 2017. The plans aim to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2025 and establish a zero-emissions vehicle fleet for the university by 2035.

Even with campus growth, the university reduced its net greenhouse gas emissions by 54% between 2005 and 2021. UMD is also working to reduce energy consumption and has purchased all of the electricity used on campus from renewable sources since 2020. The university now offers a sustainability studies minor sponsored by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources in partnership with the School of Public Policy. The university’s Build America Center, a multiinstitutional partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Build America Bureau, determined that replacing diesel buses with electric ones will lower fuel consumption by 99.7% and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 78%.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

SAVE THE DATE

College Park Community

Library Book Club. The club will discuss The Magnolia Palace, by Fiona Davis, on August 10 at 7:00 p.m. New members welcome! Lower level of the College Park Church of the Nazarene, 9704 Rhode Island Ave. For more information, email Carol Munn at donkinc@msn.com

Friday Night Live. Join neighbors at the city hall plaza for an evening of music, food, beer, entertainment, and arts and crafts stations. Free. Aug 11, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. 7401 Baltimore Ave.

Egg Drop Challenge. Explore the engineering design process as you construct a protective device to save your egg from breaking from a 20-foot fall. Challenge yourself and win prizes at the College Park Aviation Museum. Aug 12, $5. 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Dr.

Therapeutic Recreation: CHOICES. Join CHOICES weekly walking group the KiloMEETers at Watkins Park Nature Center. All abilities welcome, this is a selfdirected program for adults with disabilities. Aug 14, 10 to 11a.m., 331 Watkins Park Drive. For more information, go to pgparksdirect.com and search using activity code 25419

Virtual Book Club. The College Park Arts Exchange will lead a virtual discussion of Did I Say That Out Loud?: Midlife Indignities and How to Survive Them, by Kristin van Ogtrop, on Aug. 15. from 7 to 8:30 p.m. For the Zoom link, email info@cpae.org

Wildlife Wednesday. Zack Vucurevich, founder of Whetstone Habitat, will lead a virtual discussion about wildlife management practices for private landowners. Free. Aug 16 from noon to 1 p.m. To register, go to go.umd.edu/ wildlife23

Pond Management Basics. Join a virtual discussion to learn about aquatic plants focused on management steps for plants in natural, residential and community storm-water ponds. Free. Aug 16 from noon to 12:45 p.m. To register, email Lazur@umd.edu

Tchaikovsky

Sextet

“Souvenir De Florence."

Performed by the Four Seasons Chamber Orchestra of Washington D.C. General admission $24; students $10. Aug 26 at 7:30 p.m. at Gildenhorn Recital Hall, 8270 Alumni Drive. For more information, email ticketstheclarice@umd.edu

Night at the Movies. Bring your picnic baskets and lawn chairs to relax under the stars and enjoy “The Super Mario Brothers Movie” at Calvert Hills Playground. Moon bounce, face painting, games and more. Aug. 26 at 8 p.m. 4601 Guilford Rd.

Kayak Lake Tour. A rare opportunity to kayak on Lake Artemisia. Sept. 2, from 10 to 11 a.m. $7 resident; $10 nonresident. To register, go to pgparksdirect.com and search using activity code 22627

NextNOW Festival. UMD’s The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is celebrating artists from around campus and the greater College Park community. Sept. 5 to 14; festival locations and times are to be determined. Register for more information and updates on ticketing at theclarice.umd.edu/ events/2023/nextnow-fest-2023

ONGOING

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

Yoga in the Parks. Free yoga sessions at Lake Artemesia every Saturday this summer. Hour-long sessions start at 9:15 a.m. For more information, including registration details, email wellness@pgparks.com

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

Community Meals. Each Tuesday and Thursday, College Park United Methodist Church’s kitchen staff cook healthy and delicious meals for all who are interested. You can reserve meals in advance and also donate a meal. For every meal donated, the church gives a meal to a family in need. Pick up reserved meals at 9601 Rhode Island Ave., between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. For more information, call 301.345.1010

College Park Community Library Story Time. Story time with Micki Freeny every Wednesday June through October from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. The group meets in the courtyard of the College Park Church of the Nazarene, 9704 Rhode Island Ave. Rain relocation to the Blue Room on the lower level of the church.

Produce Available Every Third Thursday. Sponsored by Community Connect Calvert Hills. Make your reservation by emailing your contact information

(your name, street address, email and phone) to connectporfavor@gmail.com at least one day in advance of distribution. You can register for a duplicate order and share with others in need. Deliveries available to homebound residents. Please provide contact information (as above) for persons you believe might really need home delivery. Pickups after 2:30 p.m. including evenings and the weekend at a central location. For more information, or to volunteer to deliver, call 301.864.5267. No one turned away, even without a reservation.

COLLEGE PARK CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS

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

College Park Estates Civic Association. For more information, email Ray Ranker at rayranker@gmail.com

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

Berwyn District Civic Association. Monthly meetings will resume in September. For more information, go to myberwyn. org or email president@ myberwyn.org

North College Park

Community Association. The NCPCA hosts a regular meeting on the second Thursday of the Month at 7:30 p.m. For more information, go to myncpca.org

Lakeland Civic Association. For additional information, please email lakelandcivic@ gmail.com

Old Town College Park Civic Association. For more information, email Kathy Bryant at kdbryant20740@ gmail.com

Calvert Hills Citizens Association. The next regular meeting will be held September 13 at 7 p.m. For more information, email the board at calverthillscitizensassn@ gmail.com

Two new restaurants to open in College Park

By Lydia Hurley

Two new franchise restaurants are coming to College Park. Construction is underway at sites for The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill and the Little Blue Menu, and the announcement that these chains are arriving has sparked community debate.

LITTLE BLUE MENU

The Little Blue Menu is an offshoot of Chick-fil-A “inspired by the blue menu from Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy’s beginnings at the Hapeville Dwarf House, where he constantly tweaked his menu to give customers what they wanted most,” according to their website. They describe the Little Blue Menu as a digital-based restaurant, commonly referred to as a ghost kitchen, which does not offer in-house services. Customers can use the restaurant’s app to order carryout from their three kitchens: Chick-fil-A, Outfox Wings and Because, Burger.

The Little Blue Menu ghost kitchen coming to College Park this fall is the second location to open in the U.S., driven by the success of their pilot location which opened in 2021 in Nashville, Tenn.

“Our hope with bringing Little Blue Menu to College Park is that we can provide ever-changing, fresh culinary experiences to the innovative audience. We aim to fully embed in the community and will rely heavily on guests' feedback, which will help us evolve our menu and improve their experience,” the company’s representative added.

The Little Blue Menu will be located on the former site of the Applebee’s (7242 Baltimore Avenue).

College Park council members and city planners met in July 2022 to discuss site plans

for the Little Blue Menu. Meeting participants discussed the community and roadway impacts, as well as ethical concerns about the Chick-fil-A corporation and their goals for developing in College Park.

City residents have been discussing the Little Blue Menu since this time last year. According to articles in The Diamondback and The Hyattsville Wire, some residents have expressed concerns about Chick-fil-A’s association with anti-LGBTQ groups.

“There is absolutely no dissembling whatsoever. [Chick-fil-A] simply has no interest in the community and isn’t going to even try to pretend otherwise,” said Matthew Kirschebaum, an English professor at the University of Maryland.

Elizabeth Maring, a local resident said, “I have no more questions, but sadness and frustration.”

Longtime resident Christina Grant noted that ordering through an app might be challenging for some and that the process could dissuade potential customers.

The Little Blue Menu is poised

to offer competitive-wage employment and give back to the community.

“In honor of our opening, Chick-fil-A®, Inc. will donate $25,000 to Feeding America on behalf of the new restaurant. The funds will be distributed to the Capital Area Food Bank to aid in the fight against hunger,” the representative said.

The Little Blue Menu representative declined to comment on the ethical concerns raised by residents and elected officials.

Some university students also have mixed feelings about the Little Blue Menu opening in College Park.

“We have busy lives and we often find ourselves not wanting to make the walk after a long day of classes. I think that this will be an attractive option to students,"

Aadhiti Vallatharasu, a rising senior at the university, said in an interview. “However, it comes back to the ethicality of Chick-fil-A and the practices that they uphold. This has consistently been an issue on campus,” he added.

The Little Blue Menu is slated to open this fall, according to the Chick-fil-A website.

THE GREAT GREEK MEDITERRANEAN GRILL

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill will also be firing up its stoves soon at 8900 Baltimore Avenue, to the right of Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard.

The eatery was founded by neighbors Nick Della Penna and Trent Jones in 2016 after the pair left their careers in hospitality and real estate, respectively. The Las Vegas-based franchise has over 50 locations across the country; the College Park location will be the first to come to Maryland. The grill features traditional Greek items such as falafel, gyros and baklava.

“The food served in our casual atmosphere is designed for foodies with discerning palates. We focus on fresh ingredients, spice blends sourced directly from the

Mediterranean and sauces and marinades made in-house,” the company’s site notes.

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill did not respond to the College Park Here & Now’s requests for comment.

Vallatharasu suggested that

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill may have trouble competing with other Greek restaurants in the city, such as Marathon Deli and taim mediterranean kitchen.

“I think Marathon’s … fame lies in the convenience for students after a late night. And I think that it offers an option different from traditional late night food, like pizza, and the iconic Marathon fries are what I think sets it apart,” Vallatharasu said.

Vallatharasu and Grant both hope that College Park focuses more on local business and less on inviting more franchises to the city.

“Something similar to Le Fantome Food Hall, in Riverdale Park, … would be super attractive to students. I think we have enough chains as it is, all of which are major corporations, and there’s a way we can provide opportunities for businesses and for students,” Vallatharasu said.

“Everything used to be, you know, family-owned, and you knew somebody, like a mom and dad ran a convenience store, or Plato’s Diner or the laundromat. We knew the families that ran everything, and now it’s like, we don’t even recognize downtown anymore,” Grant said.

Seeking Volunteers

Construction equipment in front of The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill. LYDIA HURLEY

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has cautioned riders to anticipate longer commutes due to traffic and construction-related detours.

Metro encouraged riders to use the trip planner on the WMATA website, which is updated weekly. The rest of the line will remain open, with service starting at the Fort Totten station.

During the closure, maintenance crews will install fiberoptic cable, which will allow them to do updates outside of normal hours so customers will experience shorter and less frequent closures. The cables will also allow Metro to make additional improvements over time, including implementing computer-based train controls.

“We are working strategically to target maintenance locations and minimize the impacts on customers as we conduct this critical work to upgrade systems, improve reliability, and modernize station facilities. Continued maintenance work is essential to safe and reliable rail service,” said Execu-

tive Vice President and Chief Infrastructure Officer Andy Off in a January press release.

The Green Line closure is the last of four closures that have impacted the system since May. Ridership is down during the summer, making it an ideal time to schedule maintenance.

The Orange Line was closed three times from mid-May to early July while workers installed new roofing, replaced 30 miles of steel track and installed fiber-optic cables.

The Metro Center, Gallery

Place and L’Enfant Plaza stations are all slated for renovations, as are all three escalators at the Dupont Circle station’s north entrance (Q Street and Connecticut Avenue). None of these renovations will require closures.

The University of Maryland Department of Transportation encouraged students and faculty affected by the closures to consider opting for sustainable forms of transportation like carpooling or riding university or Metro buses.

dor. OSIRIS REx launched in 2016 and is the first mission to sample an asteroid; the craft is due to return to Earth in September.

The Space Sciences Outreach Cooperative is “a brand new organization that we created because there's a high demand here for Space Sciences in Prince George's County in the DC area. … University of Maryland, which has the strongest of the space sciences and one of the best aerospace engineering departments in the world, … lacks outreach. So we're kind of there to fill in that gap and represent the university,” Gansler said.

Gansler and Giannina Guzmán Caloca, both UMD graduate students, led a design-your-own Mars rover activity, where Gansler used her experience working on the Curiosity rover team to help visitors make models of their own Mars rovers using GoldieBlox building blocks, said Gansler.

In addition, museum volunteer Abigail Bailey set up

an event where visitors can make galaxy slime out of glue, liquid starch, food coloring and confetti.

“We’ll have some similar events throughout the year, like STEAM Fest, which happens through the park and rec division. In a few weeks, we're actually going to have an egg drop for kids as another kind of mission-based, engineering-focused event,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz pursued a master's degree related to museum work at The George Washington University, and now looks forward to being able to conduct hands-on events for museum visitors interested in science, especially women and girls interested in aviation and planetary science. Schwartz studied physics and anthropology as an undergraduate and worked as an educator at a planetarium during an internship; working at the museum brings her full-circle.

“In this role, I still get to talk about aviation and the thing I thought I wanted to do, like as a career, but now I get to merge that with my love of education,” she said.

The Green Line closure is the last of four closures that have impacted the system since May. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Winter is coming — start thinking about heat

By Matt Menke

What better to do in the hottest month of the year than think about making things warmer? After a few mild winters, it’s easy to forget about the cold snaps still in store. But now is the time to prepare for those lovely, crackling fires we’ll enjoy in the future. This is not a joke; chimney sweeps are available now but will be fully booked when everyone rediscovers wood fires at the same time. There’s time for repairs and budgeting while it’s warm outside. A full inspection of your wood-burning system, from the fireplace up to the chimney cap, is a specialized job for a chimney sweep. A traditional home inspection, though, looks at all the elements anyone with a fireplace would be wise to get to know. So here is some basic information including a look at red-flag issues that signal it’s time to call in an expert. This list is not a substitute for a full inspection by a professional, though, as some problems can be easy to miss. And if the house is new to you, an inspection and cleaning is a must. Creosote is the cocktail of unburned organic material that sticks inside your chimney. It may appear shiny black or as a shaggy brown layer. All it takes is an unusually hot fire or stray spark to ignite creosote buildup that’s only ⅛ inch thick,

creating a hot chimney fire that endangers your home. A cell phone’s flashlight makes it easy to check for buildup; point a strong light up your chimney and find an angle that helps you take a good look up the flue. Creosote also collects at the roofline, where the chimney is exposed to cold air on all sides, and that may be where you need a professional to check. If you have more than a few fires each winter, it’s best to have the chimney cleaned every year.

The safest fire is the one that’s the same every time, consistent, with no surprises, like your morning cup of coffee. Get to know your firewood. Make sure your hardwood logs (like oak and hickory) are covered and have at least a year to dry be-

fore you use them. Dry hardwoods burn well and leave very little creosote; wet wood or softer species (like pine) burn cooler and create far more buildup. Find a reliably quick way of kindling your fire, and getting it up to temperature as quickly as possible. Smoky, slow-starting fires deposit creosote regardless of what wood you use. Learn to use the air vent to ramp up and control your fire. Wood stoves and inserts often have a thermometer and the manufacturer’s recommendation for an ideal fire temperature, while traditional masonry fireplaces have neither. The goal is to- aim for a steady, strong flame with no roaring and no smoldering.

It’s important to have sufficient distance between the hot parts of your system and anything flammable. A hearth at least 16 inches wide will protect your floors and woodwork from stray sparks, and using a fireplace cover with a spark screen can be a big help. Manufactured fireplaces will each have their own set of recommendations in the manual. As a rule of thumb, wood stoves should stand at least 36 inches from flammable surfaces, even curtains and wood walls. Installing a heat shield reduces risk, but safety measures are still critically important. Even the wood frame that held the wet mortar for your hearth is often still in place, which can leave your mortar vulnerable to cracking.

The mortar that holds your masonry together is an incredible material, but it isn’t indestructible. Freeze/thaw cycles can break the material down. You may see cracks or separated bricks at the top of the chimney, brick faces popping off partway down the chimney, gaps between tiles in the firebox or cracks in the hearth itself. Those gaps accelerate chimney damage and can allow sparks to hit the wood framing. Cracks can also allow normal combustion gasses to filter back into your home. It’s important to hire a chimney professional to evaluate and fix cracks and gaps.

If you didn’t grow up around campfires and hearths, you may have never felt the need to learn the basics of fire safety. If you’re unsure about using your system it is always best to turn to a chimney sweep to be safe. Taking the time this summer to learn a new skill may seem challenging, but it could make the warm fires in the dead of next winter all the more rewarding. While a gas fire may make a classic hearth seem outdated, nothing can replace the authenticity of an old, crackling fireplace.

Matt Menke lives in College Park and is a licensed Maryland home inspector.

After a few mild winters, it’s easy to forget about the cold snaps still in store. But now is the time to prepare for those lovely, crackling fires we’ll enjoy in the future.