12-2023 College Park Here & Now

INSIDE Restaurants displaced, city's response PPS. 5 & 10 Local holiday events community calendar, P.6

VOL. 4 NO. 12

DECEMBER 2023

COLLEGE PARK WILD

Who hoots for you?

COLLEGE PARK’S AWARD-WINNING COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Kids need crossing guards, P.8

WINTER WONDERLAND

By RICK BORCHELT

H

ere in the D.C. metro area, we’re accustomed to having the icy stillness of midwinter nights being broken by rambunctious college parties, sirens and traffic helicopters. But there’s another night sound that lucky locals can hear in winter: the courtship duets of our two large resident owl species, the great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) and the barred owl (Strix varia). These birds can be quite noisy, too!

When they aren’t hunting in the cold nights, males of these owl species court females with an impressive variety of hoots, screeches, barks, and screams (you can sample some here: tinyurl. com/ms6paf8h). These sounds are a prelude to mating, establishing a nest and incubating eggs SEE HOOT ON 10

City responds to small shops losing locations Berwyn park gets new parents, protectors, plantings The Winter Wonderland event at city hall plaza on Dec. 2. More about the holiday fun on page 11. STEPHANIE STULLICH

By ALEXANDRA ALPERT AND KIT SLACK

New apartment buildings coming to College Park are displacing small restaurants and other businesses in two areas on opposite ends of campus: Campus Village Shoppes, in Lakeland, and the Terrapin Main Street retail strip near the corner of Baltimore Avenue and Hartwick Road, anchored by Pho Tom and Northwest Chinese Food (see p.5) .

Both new developments are expected to provide five floors of student housing with groundfloor retail below.

The City of College Park is looking at ways to help small businesses stay in College Park after SEE LOCATIONS ON 12

By EMELY MIRANDA-AGUILAR On Nov. 16, Berwyn Neighborhood Park gained a new set of “parents” to nurture and protect it. That was the day the Berwyn District Civic Association (BDCA) voted unanimously to adopt the triangular park between Pontiac and 49th avenues, along the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail.

Residents had been pressing for upgrades to the park since July, and the county parks department responded, planting some 30 new trees and mulching and fertilizing those already there.

The parks department installed a picnic table and replaced an old sidewalk by the playground with a new asphalt ramp, and the maintenance crew also altered how they cut the grass to stay away from young trees. In the past, some saplings had accidentally been mowed down.

"In the three years that I've been here, I've noticed an increasing interest in protecting the tree canopy and ensuring that the neighborhood continues to be known for its trees," said Alec Lynde, who serves as the BDCA’s information technology director.

Marina Dullnig, whose home faces the park, has been actively involved in its upkeep for years. She has planted a number of trees — indeed, so many that this past summer a park employee advised her to get authorization first, if she wanted to plant more. Dullnig recently said she was startled that anyone would object to her volunteering her time and effort.

Kyle Lowe, who is the assistant division chief of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s Natural and Historic Resources Division, works to promote volunteerSEE BERWYN PARK ON 7 

INSIDE: THE DECEMBER 2023 ISSUE OF THE COLLEGE PARK POST HYATTSVILLE MD PERMIT NO. 1383

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Page 2

College Park Here & Now | December 2023

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Support local news today

By KIT SLACK

T

his holiday season, many of us are busy buying gift cards for teachers and carrying cash for extra tips, thinking about how best to appreciate the people we rely on. And here at the College Park Here & Now, we do hope you rely on us.

We work hard to bring you all the news that’s fit to print — and more — every month.

Our volunteer reporters attend city council meetings, delve into local issues, cover schools and county organizations, and work every day of the week to keep you up to date with local events and developing stories.

During this season of appreciation, we need your help,

and we need it now. Streetcar Suburbs Publishing, our parent company, has set their sights on raising $13,000 in donations from you, our readers, by the end of the year. We have $9,000 still to go.

The Here & Now has a lot planned for the coming year, but we won’t be able to do it all without your help. If we don’t hit our fundraising goal, we may not be able to fully cover the city’s government, county schools and local developments. And we hope to add Spanish content this coming year, but we need your support to do so.

We hope we can count on you to chip in. Your generosity will help us deliver news to every home in the city, every

month. For free.

Give now to support local news.

Donate at omella.com/ streetcarsuburbs or send a check to Streetcar Suburbs Publishing, PO Box 132, Hyattsville, Md. 20781. Newsmatch, a collective fundraising campaign supporting public service and investigative journalism, has pledged to match donations we receive before Dec. 31 dollar for dollar.

If just 90 of our 30,000 readers in college park chip in $100, we will meet our goal! And we thank you, in advance, for your generosity.

Kit Slack is the executive director of Streetcar Suburbs Publishing.

College Park youth play winter concert

By ALEXANDRA ALPERT A sea of excited faces gathers in a large auditorium at Northwestern High School, forming a mosaic of pride and anticipation.

The air is alive with whispers, laughter and gentle rustles of program pamphlets.

Children and teenagers arrange their instruments and playbooks, eager to get started.

The stage is set with a black curtain and white, inward-arching acoustic walls to ensure the audience can hear as well as possible.

On the brisk and rainy night of Dec. 3, the youth band and

youth orchestras of the College Park Arts Exchange were ready to perform their fall concert, which they had been preparing for since September.

After a short introduction from Sarah Winston, the band director, the first group began their opening song “Let it Snow.”

The first chime hit the audience with a crisp familiarity. Parents and grandparents, teachers and friends hummed and swayed to the rhythm of the music.

Katherine Simonetti has attended her 16-year-old daughter's orchestra concerts for around five years. “[Orchestra events] are enrichInterim Managing Editor Paul Ruffins paul@streetcarsuburbs.news

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

Mailing address: PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781 The College Park Here & Now is published monthly by Streetcar Suburbs Publishing., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

Editors welcome reader input, tips, articles, letters, opinion pieces and photographs, which may be submitted using the mailing address above or the email addresses provided.

StreetcarSuburbs.News

Associate Editor Nancy Welch nancy@streetcarsuburbs.news Columnists Rich Borchelt, Mike Menke, Paul Ruffins Contributors Alexandra Alpert, Jaclyn Bruner, Maxine Gross, Kit Slack, Stephanie Stullich

Layout & Design Editors Ashley Perks, Valerie Morris Web Editor Jessica Burshtynskyy Advertising advertising@streetcarsuburbs.news 301.531.5234 Advertising Sales Manager Miranda Goodson

Members of the intermediate youth orchestra perform under the direction of Justin Newberger. ALEXANDRA ALPERT

ing for the youth of College Park.

I think it's a great opportunity for kids in the orchestra and even the kids who come to listen to the performance,” Simonetti said.

Four different groups within Business Manager Catie Currie Executive Director Kit Slack 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, Paul Ruffins, Kit Slack

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

CPH&N is a member of the National Newspaper Association and the Institute for Nonprofit News.

the College Park Arts Exchange performed at the concert: the College Park Youth Band, and the three divisions of the College Park Youth Orchestra – the primary, intermediate and chamber ensembles.

Kenneth Whitley, a cellist, directed the orchestra’s primary and intermediate ensembles for 17 years, ending in the spring of 2023. This concert was the first time he’d come back to see the groups perform, now under the direction of Justin Newberger, a former orchestra director at Northwestern High School.

“I’ll never let go of the organization,” Whitley said.

Whitley believes that students will carry their experience of being part of the youth orchestra with them for the rest of their lives.

“Being in a youth orchestra is an expansive experience …

It broadens who you are, who you understand yourself to be,”

he said. Whitley is an alumnus of the DC Youth Orchestra Program.

The chamber ensemble, directed by Claudia Chudacoff, a violinist, played last. After playing music by George Frideric Handel, Scott Joplin, Antonín Dvorák and Philip Glass, they finished the concert with a playful arrangement of the song “Jingle Bells.” Some in the audience hummed along, and younger children danced in the auditorium aisles.

The audience gave a standing ovation at the end of the performance, filling the room with their clapping and cheering.

“These [events] carry with students for the rest of their lives.

Whether they become professional musicians or not, this is an experience that will stay with them,” Whitley said.

Alexandra Alpert is an intern with the College Park Here & Now.

December 2023 | College Park Here & Now

Page 3

FROM WHERE I STAND

College Park’s upcoming opportunities for restorative justice

By MAXINE GROSS

I

n past articles I have written that the beauty of growing up in Lakeland was seeing black families living in a vibrant community, built from so little and against so many odds. I have also told of my journey of research, employing tools learned long ago as a graduate student to reveal stories outside of my personal view. I shared the tragedy of witnessing the destruction of most of my community by deliberate government policies.

In 1890, Lakeland was a slowly growing neighborhood of homes on the shores of a lake. Most residents were white. By 1903, there had been a drastic change. White families had left as Black families settled in Lakeland, seeking a place to call home. By 1903, they had built the community’s first school as well as two churches.

Lakeland grew as extended family members joined their relatives.

During the great migration, still

others came to Lakeland seeking a place where African Americans had built business and social clubs, and where their children could go from first grade through high school, sheltered within a caring community.

While Lakeland had many social and cultural strengths, it also faced many challenges, including the low pay received by African American workers, a problematic location and governmental benign neglect. Parts of the area regularly flooded, and some homes did not meet legal standards.

At the end of WWII, the University of Maryland’s president, Dr. H.C. “Curley” Byrd, initiated a plan to create a new municipality, College Park. Lakeland’s residents opposed the move to incorporate by a vote of 173 to 9.

In June 1945, the Greenbelt Cooperator newspaper reported that the community’s Black residents feared losing their lakefront homes. They suspected they’d

suffer from paying higher taxes for improvements they would never enjoy. Nevertheless, Lakeland still was included in the footprint of the new town.

In the 1960s, College Park targeted Lakeland for urban renewal, and during the 1970s many residents were forced to sell and leave their community.

More than 100 of the 150 households were displaced. As homes were vacated, some were burned as training for the local fire departments. Eastern Lakeland remained a wasteland for many years until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority used the gravel deposits under the home sites to build Metro.

Once that work was completed, the land was developed into a park, Lake Artemesia Natural Area, and was turned over to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). The old Lakeland Elementary School, built in 1925 with help from the Julius Rosen-

wald Fund, is now underwater, along with many families’ homes.

All of us should care about this history because the prosperity of Lakeland, Berwyn, Hollywood and every other neighborhood in the city determines whether the whole city will thrive.

Three long years ago, our city government sat to consider a document called Resolution in Support of Black Lives. When the

city’s leaders were confronted

by College Park’s past actions against Lakeland, they moved to to approve a resolution stating, “RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Council acknowledge and apologize for our city's past history of oppression, particularly with regards to the Lakeland community, and actively seek opportunities for accountability and SEE JUSTICE ON 9 

Your community newspaper needs you!

We welcome new tips and photos, as well as letters to the editor and op-eds on topics of local interest.

We are looking for volunteer reporters and columnists to help us cover what is happening in our communities more completely.

Email kit@streetcarsuburbs.news if you can help out.

Maryland's 21st District Delegation

College Park’s State Legislators - Standing Up for Working Families!

Your Legislators’ Environmental Record: 100%!

Every year, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters (MDLCV) lays out an environmental agenda — and then issues a scorecard on state legislators’ votes on issues from climate change and renewable energy to green equity, forest conservation, and protecting the Chesapeake Bay. We’re proud that, this year, MDLCV rated each of our records 100%!

The fight goes on! — Jim, Joseline, Ben, and Mary

Let us know how we can help you!

21stDistrictDelegation@gmail.com | (240) 712-4646 | 21stdistrictdelegation.com

Page 4

College Park Here & Now | December 2023

Jacob Hernandez joins city council

By ALEXANDRA ALPERT “Knocking on the doors of people in the c o m m u n i ty, folks shared with me that this was the first time a candidate was speaking to them in Spanish … that really energized me,” Jacob Hernandez said.

Jacob T. Hernandez, who joined the College Park City Council as a District 1 representative on Dec. 5, is the only candidate elected in November who has not previously served on the city council. He is also the city’s only Hispanic American councilmember.

According to U.S. Census data, College Park’s population is 18% Hispanic or Latino.

Hernandez, now 31, joined the U.S. Air Force in 2010, when he was 17 years old, and graduated from the University of Arizona.

He earned his master's degree from Georgetown University in 2018 and bought a home for

the first time in College Park in 2020.

“College Park just spoke to me. It was vibrant; it was diverse” he said, noting that access to quality medical care for his mother and local schools for his siblings were factors in his decision to settle here.

Hernandez is a hostage affairs officer in the U.S. Department of State. He is also a member of the U.S. Air Force Reserves.

In his campaign for city council, Hernandez said his goals were enhancing communication, improving education and helping residents navigate bureaucratic hurdles to make progress on issues that matter to them.

Of these three goals, Hernandez says enhancing communication is key.

“It's only through our united organized voices that we are going to be able to facilitate the greater projects and programs that I have in store,” he said.

Hernandez believes that Col-

“It's only through our united organized voices that we are going to be able to facilitate the greater projects and programs that I have in store.”

Jacob Hernandez College Park City Councilmember (District 1)

lege Park residents share similar desires for improvements but struggle to organize because of cultural divisions.

“My goal is to try to bridge those subcultures together in order to facilitate and lead some productive change,” he said.

During a candidate forum sponsored by the College Park Here & Now in October, Hernandez addressed residents in both English and Spanish.

At that event, Hernandez said he prides himself on leadership and empathetic listening skills that he said he learned from his parents, who were immigrants to the United States.

Hernandez hopes to strengthen relationships between the City of College Park and local public education leaders to help improve conditions in the city’s public schools. He also aims to address overcrowding at public schools and plans to host multilingual information sessions for parents who speak English as a second language.

Hernandez will represent

District 1 alongside Councilmember Alan Hew, who replaced then-councilmember Fazlul Kabir. Kabir is now the city’s mayor.

In an interview with the Here & Now, Hew said that Hernandez is young and motivated, and he looks forward to working with Hernandez on further integrating the Latino community in College Park.

“I would hope to create a Latino pride committee [with Hernandez],” Hew said.

Hernandez’ pride was evident when Kabir swore him in on Dec. 5, first in English and then again in Spanish. “While I know that I represent District 1, I also represent the Spanishspeaking residents across the city,” he said.

The views expressed by Jacob Hernandez in this article are his alone and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, Department of State or the U.S. government.

December 2023 | College Park Here & Now

Page 5

Planned Terrapin House to displace three local restaurants

By STEPHANIE STULLICH Three popular restaurants in downtown College Park are slated to be closed as part of a redevelopment of the property between Baltimore and Yale avenues and Hartwick Road.

The 0.89-acre site is currently occupied by a single-story retail strip fronting Baltimore Avenue that includes Pho Tom, Northwest Chinese and Ritchie’s Colombian Restaurant, as well as a 1915 bungalow at the corner of Hartwick Road and Yale Avenue and a three-story apartment building (Yale House).

The proposed redevelopment would raze the existing buildings and replace them with Terrapin House, a six-story, mixed-use building with five floors of apartments and 4,800 square feet of commercial space facing Baltimore Avenue, and three floors of apartments facing Yale Avenue.

The developer plans to market the apartments as student housing, with 93 units, including 298 bedrooms.

The project meets most applicable standards of the county’s Route 1 sector plan, which defines the area as a walkable node and calls for new construction to be higher-density, mixed-use buildings of two to six stories in height, with ground-floor retail and buildings set close to the property frontage lines.

The Terrapin House proposal has been the subject of multiple public meetings, including a community forum hosted by the city’s Advisory Planning Commission in December 2020, three meetings of the Old Town Historic District Local Advisory Committee during 2022 and 2023, and several city council meetings

Existing retail building at the proposed site for Terrapin House PAUL RUFFINS

over a similar period. In these meetings, residents and local officials expressed concerns about the impact of the development on existing restaurants and retail, the historic character of the Old Town neighborhood, stormwater management and parking.

At the December 2020 community forum, Old Town resident Jason Azevedo raised concerns about the development’s potential impact on flooding in the neighborhood during severe storms. Matt Tedesco, an attorney representing the developer, Greenhill Capital Corporation, said that the project will actually facilitate better stormwater management and reduce flooding, because it will comply with current requirements to handle all stormwater on site.

The impact on the three restaurants on the site comes at a difficult time for College Park residents, who recently lost other well-loved restaurants, including Hanami and Habañero, due to redevelopment of the Campus Village Shoppes in the city’s Lakeland neighborhood.

Adele Ellis, a patron of Pho Tom, doesn’t want the restaurant to disappear. “We’re losing too many local restaurants,” she said. “The developer should get the existing restaurants to

come back to the new building, and make the rent affordable so they can do it.”

Richard Biffl, chair of the historic district local advisory committee, noted that the committee recommended approval of the project after the developer revised proposed architectural plans in response to the committee’s concerns. The revisions include stepping the building down to three stories on the side facing the Old Town neighborhood and revising the building’s footprint to preserve a mature willow oak tree on the corner of Hartwick Road and Yale Avenue.

An internal garage will provide 90 parking spaces, including 12 for retail customers and the rest for building residents. Biffl expressed concern that the number of spaces will accommodate only a fraction of the nearly 300 residents that the building could have.

Councilmember Stuart Adams (District 3) noted that the developer has not asked for a waiver of the required number of parking spaces, and that the retail establishments currently on the site do not have off-street parking.

At the Oct. 10 city council meeting, councilmembers discussed a covenant agreement

with the developer to put in place measures addressing community concerns, in exchange for the city’s support. The covenants include informing potential residents that they will not be eligible for neighborhood parking permits, designing the retail space to accommodate a commercial restaurant venting system, providing 90 days' written notice for current retail tenants to vacate, and allowing those tenants the first opportunity to lease retail space in the new building.

Incoming city councilmember Jacob Hernandez (District 1) said residents were discontented that yet another development project will be devoted to student housing. Tedesco said that that determination won’t be finalized until 2025, but so far the only market interest is for student housing.

Adams commented, “This has been a threeyear process with the developer coming to the community and looking to address community concerns.” He said the developer has made “a strong commitment to help the small businesses that we cherish to either relocate or return” to the new development once it is finished. However, he also noted that the new building will have less commercial space than now exists, so not every business will be able to return.

The Prince George’s County Planning Board approved the detailed site plan for the project (DSP-22035) on Oct. 19. Construction is expected to begin in 2025, with completion targeted for 2027.

Stephanie Stullich serves as chair of the city's Advisory Planning Commission (APC), which hosted the December 2020 community forum; the APC did not have any decision-making role or provide any recommendations on the Terrapin House development. Stullich is president of Streetcar Suburbs Publishing. She serves as a volunteer in both capacities.

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College Park Here & Now | December 2023

COMMUNITY CALENDAR OUR PICKS Perry Plaza Lighting. Celebrate the holidays and enjoy seasonal treats with friends and neighbors. Dec. 14 at 6:30 p.m.

Corner of Berwyn Road and Rhode Island Ave. Holidays in Harmony. Holiday-themed concert with songs from Nat King Cole and James Brown, Motown favorites and more. Ages 60 and up. $15 county residents, $20 nonresidents.

Dec. 15 from 11 a.m. to noon.

Prince George’s Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Road, Hyattsville.

Holiday Concert with College Park Arts Exchange. Enjoy an evening of holiday music with Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal, Allison Hughes, Andrew Brown and Eric Maring. Free. Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Old Parish House, 4711 Knox Road.

Trains and Planes Weekend at the College Park Airport.

The National Capital Trackers bring their fleet of model trains to the museum for the holiday season! Explore the magical

displays and chat with train enthusiasts as you learn about the connection between trains and the College Park Airport.

Free with museum admission: adults $5, seniors $4, children $2 (1 and under free). Dec. 1517. 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Dr. For more information and times, call 301.864.6029 Breakfast with Santa and his reindeer. Take a picture with Santa Claus and go on a scavenger hunt designed for kids 2 to 10 years old. $7 county residents, $10 nonresident; food and drinks included in ticket price. Dec. 16 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Prince George’s Plaza Community Center, 6600 Adelphi Road, Hyattsville. For more information, email princegeorgesplazacc@ pgparks.com Kwanzaa Essentials at the Montpelier Arts Center. An afternoon of family fun centered on Kwanzaa, with music and educational stories shared in the African tradition. Free.

Dec. 16 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

9652 Muirkirk Road, Laurel.

For more information, email montpelierarts@pgparks.com

Stone Soup. Three classic short stories, “Stone Soup,” “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Drum” help young audiences learn about gift giving with an open heart. Ages 3 through 8. $6 county residents, $8 nonresidents.

Dec. 19 from 10 to 10:45 a.m.

Prince George’s Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Road, Hyattsville. For more information, go to publickplayhouse@ pgparks.com Christmas Caroling with College Park Arts Exchange. Celebrate the season in song with friends and neighbors! Dec. 21 from 7:30 to 8 p.m. Meet at Drexel Road and Rhode Island Ave.

ONGOING Poetry Open Mic at Busboys and Poets. Every Thursday from 8 to 10 p.m. $5 (plus fees) online; $8 at door. 5331 Baltimore Ave., Hyattsville. For more information, call 301.779.2787 or go to busboysandpoets.com LIVE! from Busboys. Open mic talent showcase for musicians, comedians, dancers, actors/ac-

tresses, magicians or any other type of performer. Every third Friday of the month from 9 to 11 p.m. $5 (plus fees) online; $8 at door. 5331 Baltimore Ave., Hyattsville. For more information, call 301.779.2787 or go to busboysandpoets.com Regional Textile Showcase at the Montpelier House Museum. Textile and fiber arts on display and an artists’ boutique with crafts for sale. Free.

Through Dec. 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 9650 Muirkirk Road, Laurel. For more information, email montpelierarts@pgparks.com College Park Community Library Book Club. Join friends and neighbors for a lively discussion of Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas, by Jennifer Raff. Dec. 19, 7 to 8:30 p.m. 9704 Rhode Island Ave. Friday Line Dance Workshops.

Join instructor Karen Stewart, of Jessie’s Soul Line Dancers, for a free, virtual workshop offering step-by-step instruction every Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. For more information and Zoom link, email info@cpae.org

Brazilian Dance and Percussion Workshops. The College Park Arts Exchange hosts free dance and drumming workshops; all levels welcome. Free.

Next session Dec. 16; dance workshop from 1 to 3 p.m. and drumming from 3 to 4:30 p.m.

Old Parish House, 4711 Knox Road. For more information, call EducArte at 202.450.8541 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 Library Story Time with Micki Freeny. Every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. in the Blue Room on the lower level of the Church ofthe Nazarene, 9704 Rhode Island Ave. SEE CALENDAR ON 7 

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CITY OF

COLLEGE PARK THE

COLLEGE PARK POST

Edition 43

DECEMBER 2023

Deck the City Holiday Decorating Contest Nominate your home or a neighbor’s by December 18 ‘Tis the season to get festive - the City’s annual Deck the City Holiday Decorating Contest is back!

Nominate your own home, your neighbor’s home, or any of the awesomely decorated homes you see in College Park! Nominations will be accepted until December 18, 2023.

The contest is open to residential addresses within the City of College Park only. Each person can submit more than one entry for nomination. All entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on December 18, 2023 at www. collegeparkmd.gov/deckthecity.

All entries must have photos of the decorations in order to be entered.

Submitted entries will be posted on the City’s Facebook page for voting. Online voting will occur on the City’s Facebook page on December 19th through December 21st. The photo with the most likes will be the online digital winner!

Winners will be determined by the total number of likes/reactions on individual pictures posted on Facebook.

Awards will be given to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. Winners of the online voting will receive a gift card to their favorite College Park business for $100, $50, and $25 for first, second, and third place. There will also be a Mayor’s Choice award.

Winners will be announced online on December 22nd. Winners for both online voting and Mayor’s Choice will receive yard signs to show off their accomplishments.

Nominate a festive College Park home today! Visit www. collegeparkmd.gov/deckthecity to enter a submission or learn more.

THE COLLEGE PARK POST | DECEMBER 2023

PAGE 1

JAN 15

at City Hall

In celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the City of College Park is hosting two performances on Dr. King’s legacy and African American history:

The Spirit to Overcome (9am & 10am) show not only offers a glimpse of the many contributions made to our world by African American women, but also celebrates the triumph of their undying spirit.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., (1pm & 2pm) is a one-man production that will introduce children to the modern civil rights advocate and how this American hero helped to transform our society.

Space is limited. Register at

https://mlkday2024.eventbrite.com THE COLLEGE PARK POST | DECEMBER 2023

PAGE 2

City of College Park Inauguration 2024 Meet your new City Council The City of College Park inaugurated a new City Council at the Council meeting on Tuesday, December 5, 2023. The newly elected Council will work together during their two-year term to address City-wide issues.

During the ceremony, Mayor Fazlul Kabir was sworn in by the Honorable Mahasin El Amin, Clerk of the Circuit Court. Mayor Kabir then swore in the newly elected Councilmembers: Jacob T. Hernandez & Alan Y. Hew (District 1), Llatetra Brown Esters & Susan L. Whitney (District 2), Stuart M. Adams & John B. Rigg, III (District 3), and Maria E. Mackie & Denise C. Mitchell (District 4).

This will be the first term for District 1 councilmember Jacob T. Hernandez. Denise Mitchell was reappointed Mayor Pro Tem by Mayor Kabir.

As part of the ceremony, the City of College Park accepted the State of Maryland’s prestigious Maryland Sustainable Growth Award for the City’s Hollywood Streetscape Project. The award recognizes the project’s strategic community design. Check out the project at www.collegeparkmd.gov/ hollywoodstreetscape.

Learn more about your City representatives at www.collegeparkmd.gov/ mayorandcouncil.

Crime Prevention Tips Be safe this holiday season with these crime prevention tips On Wednesday, December 6, 2023 the Prince George’s County Police Department joined the City’s Public Safety meeting to discuss crime prevention for the holiday season. Be safe by following these tips for auto theft, home burglary, and more: 1. If you purchase a high value item, break the box down into smaller pieces and place in the recycle bin.

2. Be observant and alert of suspicious persons and vehicles.

3. To prevent catalytic converter theft, paint the catalytic converter a bright color and etch your vehicle’s VIN

number on it. This allows it to be traceable if criminals attempt to sell the part.

4. Park vehicles with wheels sharply turned to prevent tire and rim theft. Turning the wheels makes it difficult to loosen the lug nuts and remove tires.

5. If your home will be unoccupied, wait until after you return to share the memories of your trip online or on social media.

6. If you are a victim of auto theft, immediately contact local law enforcement to provide your vehicle information and any identifying characteristics of the criminal.

Snow & Ice Removal Prepare for this winter - follow these tips in a snow emergency

Mayor Kabir swearing in the newly elected City Council

The City’s priority during a snow event is to clear snow and ice as quickly and efficiently as possible, restoring safe travel for emergency crews, motorists, and pedestrians. Snow and ice removal are considered an emergency operation and takes precedence over other Public Works tasks.

The snow plan will go into effect upon the order of the City Manager or the Director of Public Works.

The plan consists of an Alert Phase and an Operation Phase. The alert phase may include pre-treating designated streets with salt brine to prevent snow and ice adhesion to the road surface. Snow or icy precipitation, which requires roadway treatment, will be considered an emergency under the operational phase.

Mayor Kabir and the newest City Councilmember, Jacob T. Hernandez

Mayor Kabir and Mahasin El Amin, Clerk of the Circuit Court

City Councilmembers Alan Y. Hew, Llatetra Brown Esters, Susan Whitney, and Stuart Adams signing their Oath of Office

THE COLLEGE PARK POST | DECEMBER 2023

During a snow emergency: • Snow removal equipment will be dispatched to predetermined routes when snow or ice is imminent.

Salting operations usually begin at the onset of precipitation, depending on pavement temperature and the forecast.

• First application of salt will be ordered by the Director or Assistant Director. Plowing operations will commence when there is accumulated snow or slush on the roadway.

• Initially, one lane will be plowed on all streets followed by widening of the plowed lane. All streets will be plowed curb to curb, as conditions allow.

• Designated crews will be dispatched to clear sidewalks, bus stops, RRFB cross walks, and the trolley trail locations throughout the City.

• Snow and ice-clearing operations will be carried out in accordance with established priorities as circumstances permit.

Public Works crews plow and salt City streets and City parking lots to clear snow and ice. Things you can do to help include: • Move parked cars off the street so the snow plows can clear snow to the curb.

• If off-street parking is not available during predicted snowstorms, park on the EVEN side of the road (EXCEPTION: if your address is odd-numbered and the area across from your house is undeveloped, park on the odd side of the street) • The City is not responsible for clearing snow from driveways or driveway aprons - this is the resident’s responsibility.

• After the snowplows have finished cleaning your street, clear snow and ice from the sidewalks, storm drains and fire hydrants in front of your residence.

• Always plan to set your refuse and recycling carts out for your regularly scheduled day during snow events. Refuse and recycling collections may occur later in the day than normal, or they could be delayed a day.

PAGE 3

City Announcements

City Events

More information: www.collegeparkmd.gov

More information: www.collegeparkmd.gov/events

A BALANCING ACT A Balancing Act is an online budgeting tool that the City is incorporating to make the process of getting budget feedback from you, our community, even easier.

We are in the early stages of preparing the proposed budget for fiscal year 2025, which begins July 1st of 2024. The City wants to hear from you what you think are the most important initiatives for the City to invest in. To accomplish this, we have set up a survey of 16 core initiatives, plus a suggestion box. You can take the survey at www.collegeparkmd. gov/budgetfeedback.

There, you’ll be able to select and rank the five services you think are most important. If there is an idea or priority that we have not identified, you can add it in via the “your suggestion” box.

Whether it’s better streets, additional police patrols, or more community events, let us know what areas are crucial to helping the City accomplish its mission of providing excellent services, transparent and inclusive governance, and advocating for our residents to enhance the quality of life for our diverse community.

ELDERLY PROPERTY TAX CREDIT APPLICATION Elderly Property Tax Credit Application available now!

Effective 2024 (FY24), which began July 1, 2023, the City of College Park will provide a $150 credit of the City portion of the property tax bill for up to 5 years for owners aged 65 and over. Learn more at www.collegeparkmd. gov/elderlytaxcredit.

COLLEGE PARK AGING IN PLACE PROGRAM The Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland (HFHMM) College Park Aging in Place program is a construction-based resource aimed at identifying and addressing health/safety related repairs and accessibility modifications to the home. The goal of this program is to provide owner-occupied homes with a safe, healthy, and accessible environment.

To qualify, you must be a City of College Park homeowner, 62 or older, and have current homeowner’s insurance.

For more information, please visit https://habitatmm.org/how-toapply/home-repair-services-forhomeowners/college-park-agingin-place.html

Download

College Park Connect

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DAY CELEBRATION The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is a time set aside each year, where we as a country, work together, serving others, to make our communities more equitable.

We annually observe this day each year on the third Monday in January. As the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service, MLK Day encourages all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. Join us in January for: KIDS PERFORMANCES | JAN 15* *Space is limited. Register at m l k d ay 2 0 2 4 . e v e n t b r i t e. c o m.

• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, (9am & 10am) is a one-man production, will introduce you to the modern civil rights advocate and how this American hero helped to transform our society. This timely program explores the life of Dr. King, beginning with his childhood, to the peak of this career and ultimately to his untimely demise.

• The Spirit to Overcome (1pm & 2pm) is a show that follows the first female slave stepping ashore from a slave ship to Michelle Obama, the first African American First Lady. All women of color have faced daily challenges and struggles in the fight against prejudice,

bias, social and political limitations. They shared “The Spirit To Overcome.”

BOOK GIVEAWAY | JANUARY 1-31 As part of our tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the month of January, the City is also hosting a book giveaway!

Students in grades K - 6 can receieve free copies of three books that educate and inform about Dr. King’s life and his work towards Civil Rights on January 15, 2024.

FOOD DRIVE | JANUARY 2-31 Throughout the month of January, the City of College Park will honor the life and legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with a canned food drive starting Tuesday, January 2nd through Wednesday, Jan. 31.

A collection box will be established at the City Hall Building, 7401 Baltimore Avenue.

The City will gladly accept your donations of non-perishable, clean, non-dented canned and boxed food items, not past their expiration date (no homemade items) to support the College Park Community Food Bank.

DAY OF SERVICE Stay tuned for more opportunities to give back in College Park and the surrounding areas! Visit www. collegeparkmd.gov/mlk for more information.

Access Information Submit Service Requests Report Issues And more...

Powered by GOGov

THE COLLEGE PARK POST | DECEMBER 2023

PAGE 4

December 2023 | College Park Here & Now

CALENDAR FROM PAGE 6

Produce Every Third Thursday. Sponsored by Community Connect Calvert Hills.

Email your name, address, email and phone to connectporfavor@gmail.com at least one day in advance. Register for a double order to share.

No one turned away, even without a reservation, and deliveries are available to homebound residents. Pickups after 2:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month at a central location. For more information or to volunteer to deliver call 301.864.5267

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

Page 7

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. Hosting Perry Plaza Lighting on Dec. 14 in place of December membership meeting. For more information, go to myberwyn.org or email president@myberwyn.org North College Park Community Association. 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 information, email lakelandcivic@gmail.com Old Town College Park Civic Association. For information, email Kathy Bryant at kdbryant20740@gmail.com Calvert Hills Citizens Association. For information and meeting dates/times, email calverthillscitizensassn@gmail. com

The park’s smiling seahorse and other playground equipment PAUL RUFFINS

BERWYN PARK FROM PAGE 1

ing in local parks. Reflecting on the relationship between park staff and the neighborhood, he said, "I think it started a little rocky, but I think we found our footing, got to the same place, and worked through that."

After residents first met with the M-NCPPC last summer, park officials suggested that the neighborhood could adopt the park. This involves overseeing beautification and environmental projects and keeping the county staff informed about what the park needs. The officials recommended Dullnig as the perfect person to adopt the

park, but she declined.

The BDCA board was eager for the organization to adopt the park. They hosted a neighborhood meeting to get input from more residents and put the idea up for a vote. Members suggested establishing a parks and open spaces subcommittee to oversee the adoption process. BDCA established the subcommittee, with Lynde as chair, to "serve as a liaison between members and the many other stakeholders that support and maintain [Berwyn's] parks and open spaces."

"I'm glad they did it," Dullnig said. "They expanded their priorities from just the park to a couple of other grassy areas with vegetation, which will probably

make the neighborhood bettertaken care of."

According to Lowe, a sign will be posted in front of the park announcing that the BDCA has adopted it, and a park ranger from the county parks department will be a point person for the BDCA. BDCA's parks and open spaces subcommittee aims to facilitate conversations about Berwyn’s other green spaces, as well. The group is considering a number of projects, including improving the open space at the intersection of Roanoke Place and 51st Avenue, establishing permaculture gardens, and educating residents about opportunities to increase the neighborhood’s tree canopy.

Page 8

College Park Here & Now | December 2023

Staff directing traffic at a local school with no crossing guards. PAUL RUFFINS

FROM WHERE I STAND

Kids need crossing guards

By JACLYN BRUNER

I

n an untitled poem, author and grief poet Sara Rían writes: “don’t you grow up / we say to babies. / don’t you get old / we say to adults. / but please do. / grow up. get old. / what a privilege. / what a gift.”

When I heard the news that two Riverdale Elementary School students had been hit by a car, I reached for my phone. If you’re like me, you might’ve sent the same frantic text, “Are you okay?” to your neighbors and friends in Riverdale. And if you’re like me, those raw words would have felt worthless, though they might have been all you could come up with.

As the week passed and we sat down to Thanksgiving, I found

myself awash in guilt. That survivor’s kind, the kind when you catch yourself saying, “That could’ve been me.”

Because sometimes the cold, hard truth is that we haven’t done enough yet to protect that precious gift of getting old.

In January, I spoke at the College Park City Council meeting, urging the city to help us advocate for crossing guards for Hollywood Elementary School. With a shaky voice, I described watching my husband jump between a car and a neighbor’s stroller at Edgewood Road and Rhode Island Avenue. On behalf of other parents who pass through that intersection and others each day, I asked my local elected officials to consider what they could do to address the cars that zoom

through the intersection and turn without pausing to look for bikes or pedestrians. I asked the city council to do something, to put the weight of the city behind our pleas as parents to keep our children safe on their way to school.

To their credit, they listened to me, back in January, and put some pressure on Prince George’s County Public Schools ­— but it’s December now. The trees are bare again, and we still don’t have crossing guards.

Across the 200 schools in Prince George’s County, 83 crossing guard positions are currently open, according to reporting by ABC7. Sometimes these positions are covered by a police officer on duty, but such coverage is never guaranteed.

A big

to the voters of District 1!

I am honored and humbled by your support.

I will do my best to represent you on the City Council, to make College Park the best place it can be for all residents of the City.

As I’ve focused time this year on the issue, I’ve been told that the lack of crossing guards is a symptom of the pandemic. As it is in so many other places, staffing in the county is tight, and shortages are real. I understand that COVID-19 altered the landscape of labor.

However, even back in 2012, The Washington Post ran an article about crossing guard shortages in the county. That article cited retiring crossing guards as a primary factor for the shortage.

The reason provided this year?

Crossing guards and others who would normally fill those parttime roles retired during the pandemic.

But to me, it all rings a bit hollow. Maybe it does to you, too?

There are a lot of problems where we need to put our heads together and come up with creative solutions. We’re collectively recovering from a global pandemic, and we’re coping with the rising cost of living. Many of us are still challenged to find a babysitter on

a weeknight.

But this? This is a solvable problem.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that the presence of crossing guards at elementary schools is one of the most effective safety measures we have, consistently reducing crash rates and injury rates in multiple cities and states. Hiring crossing guards is aligned with the national expansion in the federal Safe Routes to School program, which promotes walking and biking to school.

There are certainly challenges in implementing this knowledge, but right here at home we have families torn apart by the tragic deaths of two children who were crossing the street, right in front of their elementary school. We know the solution.

So is that it? Do we get distracted by the other crises that also need immediate attention? I’ll be honest, that’s what happened to me this year.

Is my kid getting a quality education? Is he on his screen too much? What’s the drinking water situation at school? Is the school safe enough? There’s news of another gun incident again, of a potential federal government shutdown, of an international war.

In January, I stood up and used my civic voice to ask the community to make our walk to school safer. And at the start of the new school year in August, our family chose to drive and park closer to the school each morning in order to avoid the intersection that poses the biggest threats for pedestrian safety.

This is a solvable problem. We need to keep the pressure on, to get creative to solve the problem of a shortage and to use our voices to say that our children, heading into their school buildings … their safety matters.

Our children are a gift worth protecting. What a privilege, what a gift.

The views expressed in this column belong to its author. The College Park Here & Now reserves the right to edit “From Where I Stand” submissions for brevity and clarity.

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December 2023 | College Park Here & Now

Page 9

ON THE HOUSE

Beware of asbestos; it’s the anti-fire hazard

By MATT MENKE

F

ires remain one of the biggest threats to any home.

So, imagine all the advantages if we had a lightweight, inexpensive, all-natural mineral that could easily be formed into fireproof, sound-absorbing, energy-efficient building materials.

We do, it’s called asbestos, a common silicate compound. Unlike earlier insulating materials such as seaweed, hay, horsehair or shredded newspapers, the long, thin crystal fibers of asbestos don’t burn at normal temperatures, dissolve in water, or attract insects or vermin.

In the 1880s, asbestos quickly became the material of choice for fireproofing, and the economies of mass production drove it into a wide range of building materials, including shingles, siding, insula-

JUSTICE FROM PAGE 3

truth-telling about past injustice, and aggressively seek opportunities for restorative justice.”

When asked about that meeting, College Park City Councilmember Maria Mackie (District 4) said, “I think we weren’t sure what to do.

It was such a shocking and disappointing discovery. When the idea of forming a restorative justice commission was suggested I felt that it was a good idea because we need to know the facts and we need a plan for the future.”

The College Park Restorative Justice Commission (CPRJC) is a group of current and former residents of Lakeland, many with generations-long ties to the community. Its first actions have focused on what the United Nations would call satisfaction, asking for the Prince George’s County’s Historic Preservation commission to

tion, floor tile, wire coatings and wall paneling. A handyman could go to the store and buy a bucket of it to blend into plaster or paint.

Unfortunately, asbestos offers a deadly lesson in the law of unintended consequences. By 1906, researchers in England suspected that breathing in asbestos fibers caused terrible lung damage. By the 1930s, the Johns Manville company, along with other manufacturers of asbestos products, had clear evidence confirming its dangers. However, the risks were deliberately concealed from workers and customers, while asbestos products continued to be used in millions of homes, schools and other buildings.

We now know that long-term exposure to asbestos fibers causes asbestosis, a chronic lung disease, along with lung cancer and a number of other cancers. When

the cover-up was exposed, the resulting wave of lawsuits against asbestos companies led to the establishment of victim compensation funds and widespread efforts to abate the installed materials. In 1989, the Environmental Protection Agency began to set rules for the safe use of asbestos.

Fast forward to today. There is still a lot of old asbestos in homes in the form of poured-in vermiculite insulation, pipe insulation, and floor or ceiling tiles, so our job is to identify it and make wise decisions about how to address it. The good news is that asbestos is only dangerous when it is broken or crumbling into dust that can be inhaled. The people most at risk are construction workers who encounter it on a regular basis. Homeowners face the greatest danger when remodeling a home that contains asbestos products.

The bad news is that products containing asbestos are not always easy to identify. The common myth that 9-inch floor tiles contain asbestos but 12-inch floor tiles don’t is simply false.

Testing is the only way to be sure.

There are professionals who take and test samples, but homeowners can legally collect their own samples and pay a local lab to determine if asbestos is present, and in what concentration.

It’s expensive to dispose of products containing asbestos, because they can’t be taken to most landfills. So, in many cases, the best thing to do is to leave them in place and cover or encapsulate them to make sure they don’t fall apart and produce airborne fibers. Many homes have asbestos floor tiles, but they’re safe when they’re clear-coated or protected by a rug or carpet. It’s quite com-

mon to have asbestos insulation on pipes connected to boilers or hot water heaters, but an owner or contractor can wrap the insulation in plastic or fiberglass. Asbestos siding that’s in good condition can be sealed with paint and can last for many more decades.

The Maryland Department of the Environment’s website (tinyurl.com/ydsxx24u) offers comprehensive information about asbestos, including sources for testing and best practices for homeowners and contractors.

Unlike way back in 1906 when people were just discovering the dangers of asbestos, today there are a lot of resources and information to make smarter choices.

create a new survey also known as a map that reflects Lakeland’s historical and cultural value. The Commission also asked the MNCPPC to acknowledge the community’s history by renaming its two sites the Lakeland College Park Community Center and the Lake Artemesia Natural Area at Lakeland.

Next spring, the conversation will broaden to allow the whole community to explore the past injustices carried out in Lakeland and consider paths to repair the resulting hurts.

I am excited to announce that the Rev. Dr. Joanne Braxton, who grew up in this community and retains close ties, is lending the support of the Braxton Institute for Sustainability, Resiliency and Joy. In 2020, the organization provided a small group of Lakelanders with an introduction to restorative and transformative justice. Braxton and her team

are continuing to support these efforts. Their 2024 work will be supported by a grant through the #Case4Reparations funding initiative of Liberated Capital’s Decolonizing Wealth Fund, a group which supports transformative social change.

Mackie wrote, “My hopes are that the Restorative Justice process will cause healing in Lakeland and all of College Park.

There will not be perfect answers, but hopefully there will be some good ones.”

Councilmember John Rigg

(District 3) hopes the process can provide a degree of closure for Lakelanders and their descendants and spotlight College Park’s African American history.

Mayor Fazlul Kabir wrote, “I am genuinely grateful for the Restorative Justice Commission's work so far. The RJC has done a commendable job on the community engagement process with input and feedback from current, former, and future members of the broader Lakeland community.

I look forward to working with the RJC in achieving restorative

measures correcting the racebased harms from the City and its partners impacting the Lakeland community.”

This spring we will have the chance to explore ways to grow together as a strong community.

Please watch these pages and other outlets for details as they develop.

Explore the Trails and Towns of Prince George’s County!

www.anacostiatrails.org

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

The views expressed in this column belong to its author. The College Park Here & Now reserves the right to edit “From Where I Stand” submissions for brevity and clarity.

Page 10

College Park Here & Now | December 2023

A barred owl blends in with an oak tree in the gray winter woods of Hawn State Park, Mo. COURTESY OF ANDY REAGON/CHRISSY MCCLAREN

incubates her clutch of eggs.

Great horned owls do little to spruce up a nest, be it an old one they’ve claimed or a new one they’ve made themselves. At best, a female owl might add a few lichens or bits of moss before laying two to four creamy white eggs. She then incubates her eggs through the ice and snow of late winter while her partner does the hunting and provides her with food, since she cannot leave the eggs while the weather is so cold. The eggs hatch after about five weeks, typically in March.

Barred owls don’t usually ramp up their duets until January. Their most common call is four or five baritone notes that jump up and down in pitch, “who-cooks’for-you’, who-cooks’-for-youall.” Sometimes the call is just two notes, a very military “hoo’-ah.”

Barred owls usually pick for their nest site a tree hole or cavity, or the top of a dead tree snag.

The female lays two to three white eggs, which she incubates by herself in late winter while the male hunts for her. Barred owl eggs hatch in about 28 days.

Both barred and great horned owls need to get an early start on mating and nesting because their young are slow to develop.

The ear tufts, or horns, of a great horned owl show clearly in this photo from Arizona’s Desert Botanic Garden. RICK BORCHELT

HOOT FROM PAGE 1

— all which take place through the dead of winter. Both owl species are surprisingly common wherever sizable stands of mature trees are found; both regularly nest in and around College Park and our sister suburbs.

Great horned owls and barred owls are the region’s largest resident owls (in our area, only snowy owls, our occasional winter visitors, are larger). Barred owls are about three-quarters the size of great horned owls and have correspondingly smaller feet that allow them to take only small food — squirrels, rabbits, mice, voles and rats, along with frogs and salamanders. (They’re so agile and dexterous that they can even capture large moths and other night insects with their feet.) Great horned owls hunt rodents and rabbits, too, and can also handle larger prey like opossums and the occasional unmonitored chihuahua or freerange cat. They’re one of the few

predators that regularly feeds on skunks.

The winter owl concert season kicks off in December, with great horned owls calling through the night, often from tall pines and other evergreens. The deep bass hoots, “hoo-h’Hoo-hoo-hoo,” belong to the male, while the female’s responses are a little higher and a little raspier. Great horned owl calls are mostly all on the same pitch, which will help differentiate them from the calls of barred owls. Male and female great horned owls duet together for a month or more before claiming a nest site in late January and settling down. Both of these owl species mate for life.

Great horned owls nest in an astonishing range of sites — sheds, attics of empty houses and hollow trees, for example.

More often, they commandeer an existing crow, hawk, heron or osprey nest. If you spot an old nest of these other birds in January, don’t be surprised to find the head tufts of a female owl sticking up over the nest rim as she

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They typically fledge from the nest in May, when they’re about two months old, and adults continue to feed them and teach them to hunt through the summer and early fall. While the chicks of most birds are born naked, these owl chicks hatch with a thick, fuzzy down coat that helps protect them from freezing in the deep winter cold — and frequently earns them top marks in the cutest birds category.

Great horned owls are the apex predators in the bird world that everyone else fears. Great horned owls regularly take roosting or nestling herons and have even been known to snatch eaglets and young ospreys from their nests.

They will also take young — and sometimes even adult — barred owls; if you have a great horned owl pair in your neighborhood, barred owls will clear out.

Great horned owls are ubiquitous across the U. S.; their range extends north into Canada and well into South America. They have such a large breeding range

in part because they adapt well to drier upland habitats and a broad range of nesting sites.

Barred owls, by contrast, need large trees for nest sites. Their historic range was limited to the eastern U.S., but fire suppression and tree planting across the Great Plains have allowed barred owls to hop-scotch along rivers across the prairies and into the old growth forests of the Northwest, where they now give the endangered spotted owl serious competition.

The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology has posted good recordings of these owls on YouTube.

To hear great horned owls, go to tinyurl.com/bdhc4nyw ; you can hear barred owls at tinyurl. com/43j4fkk6.

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.

Managing Editor for the College Park Here & Now Sought Streetcar Suburbs Publishing is seeking a managing editor for this newspaper, the College Park Here & Now. The managing editor is responsible for connecting story ideas with writers and photographers, editing copy as it comes in, monitoring beats, and attending city events as needed.

The editor must be able to contribute editorial content, recruit and manage volunteer staffing, and ensure that content conforms to house style and standards.

This part-time contract position is home-office based with flexible hours, but requires some weekend and evening availability. To receive a full position description, email kit@streetcarsuburbs.news

Cover letters and resumes should be sent to kit@streetcarsuburbs.news and stullich@ earthlink.net.

December 2023 | College Park Here & Now

Page 11

Winter Wonderland of music, food, fun

By STEPHANIE STULLICH Lively holiday music, vendors selling Made in Maryland crafts, photos with Santa, and even the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who — all these and more made for a festive scene at the Winter Wonderland event at city hall plaza on Dec. 2. Local favorites Habañero and Bill's Backyard BBQ food trucks were on hand, and Denizens Brewing Co. provided beer.

Children, families, and college students alike enjoyed having their photo taken with Santa. A petting zoo featuring bunnies, chickens, goats and a donkey was another popular attraction for both young and old.

City hall offered a story reading room for young children and a display of the winners of the city’s gingerbread house competition. Shop Made In Maryland, the retail incubator that officially opened on Dec. 7, gave visitors a sneak peek of its space and also provided streetside tents filled with the handiwork of more than a dozen local artisans.

Towards the end of the event, Mayor Pro Tem Denise Mitchell

and Councilmember Llatetra Brown Esters gleefully flipped a giant red switch to light up a 20-foot tall holiday tree made of white globes.

Old Town resident Kathy Bryant commented that the new city hall, which opened in December 2021, was a wonderful venue for the event. “We couldn’t have had something like this before,” she said.

“There wasn’t any place to have it.”

Berwyn resident Emily Friend said her 5-month-old son Miles had a good time. “He was scared of Santa but loved the Grinch,” she said. “It’s cool that there was something fun for every group and every age.”

Attendees got the chance to meet Santa Claus at the city's Winter Wonderland event. STEPHANIE STULLICH

Mayor Pro Tem Denise Mitchell (left) and (far right) Councilmember Llatetra Brown Esters (District 2) cheering at the tree lighting. COURTESY OF BOB SCHNABEL

Cindy Lou Who and the Grinch STEPHANIE STULLICH

Page 12

College Park Here & Now | December 2023

LOCATIONS FROM PAGE 1

they are displaced by development.

The current annual budget for fiscal year 2024 includes a $75,000 business retention fund, intended to keep small businesses in the city and attract new ones, according to Michael Williams, College Park’s economic development director. “We wanted to retain some of the businesses who make up the fabric and the character of College Park,” Williams said in an interview.

The budget, which totals $24.8 million, also includes a threecent tax increase on commercial property and apartment buildings, which could provide additional funding to support small business retention. The commercial tax rate was increased from 30.18 cents to 33.18 cents per hundred dollars of assessed value, while residential properties continue to be taxed at 30.18 cents. Both rates are the lowest in the county, according to the city, and below the tax rate of 33.50 cents that was in effect from 2014 to 2019.

The tax increase is expected to generate $515,000 in addi-

Small businesses impacted by new developments. PAUL RUFFINS

tional revenue during this fiscal year, which could also be allocated to help local businesses.

City staff mentioned senior assistance and student housing rental subsidies as other potential uses for the revenue, in the announcement of the budget’s passage in May. Councilmember Stuart Adams (District 3) said in an interview with the Here & Now that around half of the funds raised by the tax increase could reach

local businesses. “It could be more,” he said. “The council will have to make a determination on that in a future meeting.”

Laser Essential, former tenant of Campus Village Shoppes, is the first business that the city approved for relocation assistance. On Oct. 17, the city council allocated $23,000 to Laser Essential, leaving a balance of $52,000 in the fund. Laser Essential has successfully relocated to 9658 Baltimore Avenue.

During the Oct. 17 meeting, councilmembers asked Williams whether the remaining funds would be sufficient to fund other businesses in the city.

“I really didn't think that we would be in this position to [need to] help so many of the merchants … But when you displace 15 merchants at one time, that's a lot of space to look for and a lot of money for those merchants to go to a new space

and build out,” Williams said at the Oct. 17 meeting.

Businesses seeking relocation assistance can apply online and then work with Williams to determine their needs and the amount the city could provide.

The city is working closely with businesses to identify available retail spaces.

"In general, we prioritize businesses that are locally owned, locally managed, small and minority-owned, and offer a service that is celebrated and dear to the community in College Park," Adams said.

There are nearly 1,400 businesses in the city, including restaurants, retail, warehouses, and home-based businesses, according to a College Park city staff analysis of tax records presented to the city council in May of 2023.

In recent years, College Park has distributed $1.9 million in federal aid money to local businesses to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19.

According to the city budget, there will be an additional $450,000 for such grants this fiscal year.

Alexandra Alpert is an intern with the College Park Here & Now.