02-2024 College Park Here & Now

INSIDE Paper welcomes new managing editor, P. 2 Park proposed for Berwyn, P.4 Exhibit recounts flight from slavery, P.8

VOL. 5 NO. 2

FEBRUARY 2024

COLLEGE PARK’S AWARD-WINNING COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

University Park activists claim runoff from Nine Pond is polluting Wells Run

By PAUL RUFFINS On Jan. 29, David Brosch was shivering as he stood on the roof of the parking deck at 3325 Toledo Road, just west of the Hyattsville Branch Library. Brosch, an environmentalist and University Park Sustainability Committee member, was braving the cold because the deck provides a great view of the Nine Pond project.

This 3 acre, 30-foot deep holding pond is being dug into a 17.3acre horseshoe-shaped piece of land formed by Adelphi, Toledo and Belcrest roads. Brosch compared the project to a doctor who is strangling instead of saving a patient.

“The sediment in the runoff water from Nine Pond has been choking Wells Run for two years, and we can’t get the authorities to take it seriously,” he said.

WHAT’S WELLS RUN? Wells Run is a small tributary of the Anacostia River that starts

Above: Water from the Nine Pond construction project must be constantly pumped into giant mesh bags that are supposed to filter out the silt before it drains directly into Wells Run. Right: A view of the outfall into Wells Run near the intersection of Toledo and Adelphi roads. PHOTOS: PAUL RUFFINS

SEE POND ON 7

COLLEGE PARK WILD

What does the fox say?

By RICK BORCHELT

I

n a fable known to most schoolchildren, Aesop tells about a fox that has discovered a cluster of ripe, juicy grapes hanging out of reach in a tree. Try as he might, the fox can-

not jump high enough to reach the grapes and finally stalks away angry, opining that they were probably sour, and he really didn’t want any grapes anyway. Hence our popular saying sour grapes when we disparage something we actually want but can’t have.

Even if we didn’t know that Aesop was writing about some kind of European fox, we could tell which of our Maryland foxes — red fox or gray fox — the fable SEE FOX ON 10

City proposes student housing subsidy

By ADELIA MCGUIRE The College Park City Council has proposed a housing subsidy of $1,500 for each of 150 low-income University of Maryland undergraduates to help them rent apartments in high-rise Route 1 buildings.

At an informational public meeting on Feb. 6, members of the council outlined the proposal and presented a dozen questions they received from residents during

the public comment period. Most of these objected to the $225,000 plan.

“I’m not quite sure what is going to happen with this proposal at the end, given all the pushback and questions," said Mayor Fazlul Kabir after the meeting, noting that many questions were from long-time city residents and owners of single-family homes.

The council closed the public comment SEE SUBSIDY ON 5

INSIDE: THE FEBRUARY 2024 ISSUE OF THE COLLEGE PARK POST HYATTSVILLE MD PERMIT NO. 1383

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Page 2

College Park Here & Now | February 2024

College Park Here & Now welcomes new managing editor

By PAUL RUFFINS Streetcar Suburbs Publishing is pleased to welcome Sharon O’Malley as managing editor of College Park Here & Now. She comes on board this month and the March issue will mark her debut.

“Our goal is to provide high-quality community journalism and give our neighbors local news they can trust,” said Streetcar Executive Director Kit Slack.

“The editor is the bridge between the writers and the readers, and we picked Sharon because she’s an unusually perfect fit for College Park.”

O’Malley started her career as a reporter for the Maryland Independent and the Prince George’s Journal, and she’s written for numerous publications, including Inside Higher Education and Congressional

Quarterly. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism, along with a graduate certificate in multimedia journalism from the University of Maryland, where she joined the faculty as an adjunct professor and taught writing and reporting. She is currently an assistant professor of journalism and communications at Anne Arundel Community College and is the faculty adviser to its award-winning student newspaper, Campus Current.

Stephanie Stullich, longtime city resident and president of Streetcar Suburbs Publishing, said, “Sharon has lived in College Park for over 20 years and has been active in the community. She brings a deep knowledge of local politics and priorities because she was a leader in her civic association and has organized candidate debates.”

“Coming to the College Park Here & Now brings me full circle in my career,” O’Malley declared. “When I was an undergraduate studying journalism at Maryland, one of my favorite classes put out a newspaper called the Citizen Call. It came out twice a month, and it was dedicated to covering news and events going on in the city rather than the campus.

Now that I’m a full-time professor, I’m grateful that I’m getting to participate in community journalism again, and I’m particularly happy to be working with so many students from the university who write for us.”

“We’re thrilled to have been able to fill the job with such a highly qualified professional who also has deep local roots.”

Stullich said. “That’s not an easy thing to find.”

Sharon O'Malley

Environmental committee leads sustainability efforts

By STEPHANIE STULLICH

STORM DRAIN MURALS AND SIGNS

City residents who care about the environment have been making a difference through the College Park Committee for a Better Environment (CBE) for over 50 years.

Established in 1972, the committee currently has 13 members, who are appointed by the mayor and city council for three-year renewable terms.

While the committee originally focused on beautifying the city, today it pursues a wide variety of initiatives intended to reduce harmful effects on the environment and improve quality of life for residents.

One of the committee’s highly visible projects is a series of murals and signs to raise awareness that whatever goes down storm drains ends up in local waterways.

Beginning in fall 2021, CBE partnered with the College Park Arts Exchange on the murals. Local artists have painted murals on 14 storm drains all around the city, with more to come this spring. Todd Larson, CBE chair, said, “This project gives local artists a chance to show their work in a place where everyone can see it, while also providing an educational message to help

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

residents understand why it’s important not to put anything down the storm drain except water.”

CBE has also worked with Girl Scouts, along with fraternities and sororities to place markers that say, “Only Rain Down the Drain” on over 150 storm drains. Ultimately, CBE plans to get either a marker or art on every storm drain in the city.

NATIVE TREES In 2021, CBE member Alexa Bely led the committee’s work to launch a tree identification program to label native trees along the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail, working closely

Interim Managing Editor Paul Ruffins paul@streetcarsuburbs.news

Advertising Sales Manager

Associate Editor Nancy Welch nancy@streetcarsuburbs.news

Business Manager Catie Currie

Columnists Rich Borchelt, Mike Menke, Paul Ruffins Contributors Emely Mirand-Aguilar, Adelia McGuire,Jacob Hunting, Kayla Nazaire, Sharon O'Malley, Aiesha Solomon, Stephanie Stullich

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

Miranda Goodson

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.

Established in 1972, the College Park Committee for a Better Environment currently has 13 members, who are appointed by the mayor and city council for three-year renewable terms. While the committee originally focused on beautifying the city, today it pursues a wide variety of initiatives intended to reduce harmful impacts on the environment and improve quality of life for residents.

with city arborist Brenda Alexander. The goal is to raise awareness and appreciation of native trees so that more people will plant them in their own yards.

So far, 29 trees from Calvert Hills through Berwyn have identification signs that give each tree’s common and scientific names and highlight the value of each species to the environment and community.

The city’s sustainability webpage has an interactive map to show the locations of each identified tree and more information about each species.

GREEN AWARDS For over 20 years, CBE has issued awards to recognize city residents and businesses for

their efforts to protect and conserve the environment. The Green Awards program is also intended to promote broader adoption of environmentally responsible practices.

In 2023, CBE gave out four Green Awards for efforts such as planting a pollinator garden, assisting with tree giveaways, and modeling a comprehensive renewable-energy home makeover.

Anyone may nominate a city resident, or a business or organization that is located within the city, for an award — CBE makes awards twice yearly.

Larson said the awards “are wonderful because we get to recognize leaders throughout the city.”

SEE SUSTAINABILITY ON 6 

February 2024 | College Park Here & Now

Page 3

New signs mark county Civil Rights Trail

By AIESHA SOLOMON Since the last Black History Month in 2023, several locations along Prince George County’s Civil Rights Trail have received new signage and markers to help residents and visitors better understand what life was like from the 1940s to the 1960s when the county was legally segregated. The trail is a public history project partly funded by a National Park Service African American Civil Rights grant of $45,100, with another $40,000 from a Maryland Heritage Areas Authority grant.

The trail currently has nine locations.

“We would definitely consider this more of a thematic trail,” said Meagan Baco, executive director of the Anacostia Trails Heritage Area, which manages the trail.

The sites aren’t linked geographically but by their historical significance. You can visit the physical locations and read the short histories or take a virtual tour at pgccivilrights.org/.

Baco said that creating the trail was a lengthy process that involved extensive research.

The signs for each of five sites, includ-

“It is very important to recognize the events and locations that the trail markers are highlighting.

The events were instrumental in changing the segregated conditions that existed in Laurel and Prince George’s County. The people from the churches and other locations were Trail Blazers in the Civil Rights movement.”

Sandra Johnson historian at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church

ing St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, Laurel Municipal Swimming Pool and Sis’s Tavern, in North Brentwood, were installed in April 2023. Each sign has photos, information about the site and links to the website.

“It is very important to recognize the events and locations that the trail markers are highlighting,” said Sandra Johnson, a historian at St. Mark’s, in an email. “The events were instrumental in changing the segregated conditions that existed in Laurel and Prince George’s County. The people from the churches and other locations were Trail Blazers in the Civil Rights movement.”

St. Mark’s actively supported the Civil Rights Movement, including organizing buses to take participants into the District for the 1963 March on Washington. The church’s organizing efforts made it a target of the Ku Klux Klan, which attempted to burn parts of Laurel’s African American community. Afterward, “Rev. John Evans and the Laurel Grove community leaders met with Mayor Harrison to request improvements to the Grove and the integration of the Laurel pool, and the Laurel pool was integrated in 1968,” Johnson said.

Another site, Cole Field House at the Uni-

versity of Maryland (UMD), was already famous for hosting the historic 1966 basketball game where Texas Western, the first NCAA team to have five Black starters, defeated the top-ranked University of Kentucky team, which was all white. However, in 2021, it was renamed Jones-Hill House in memory of two groundbreaking Maryland athletes, football player Darryl Hill and Billy Jones, who played basketball. Both were the first Black athletes in their sports to play at Maryland and in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Both spoke of their experiences of being recruited by UMD. As a Towson High School student, Jones played three Baltimore area championship games at the university’s Cole Field House.

“They saw me play in the field house three straight years, and based on my reputation and basketball [skills,] I think they felt that I could play there [in college]” Jones said.

Hill was already playing football for the Naval Academy but “decided [he] did not want to be a naval officer,” he recounted in a phone interview. When UMD coach Lee Corso offered him a scholarship, Hill did not initially jump.

SEE MARKERS ON 8 

Maryland's 21st District Delegation

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

3 Ways Way a s to Improve ay Imp m rove College Park Schools mp Every year, we work to secure more state support for our local schools. As champions of Maryland’s new public school reform law, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, we are focused on improving education for all of our kids. Among the key priorities are: - Raising teachers’ salaries to recruit the best - Expanding Pre-K so more kids are ready to learn - Putting new funds into local schools, not central offices We welcome your input and ideas! - Jim, Joseline, Ben, and Mary

Let us know how we can help you!

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

Page 4

College Park Here & Now | February 2024

New tiny park pitched in Berwyn

By EMELY MIRAND-AGUILAR Hidden under overgrown shrubs and trees in Berwyn is a plot of land that many in the neighborhood would like to see put to good use.

“I have always looked at it as being spooky because it is dark and isolated on both sides,” resident Brian McAllister said of the property, located at 5100 Roanoke Street. “I wouldn’t let my grandkids play at that place.” McAllister was one of a number of residents who participated in a virtual discussion about the property, hosted by the Berwyn District Civic Association’s (BDCA) on Jan. 18.

Rakhmel Rafi, the city’s grants coordinator, gave a presentation about the property.

Aerial footage from 1965 showed that a house once stood on the property at Roanoke Place and 51st Avenue, though the property has been cleared and vacant since 1977. New homes cannot be sited on the parcel because it is in a 100-year floodplain,

This screen capture shows the location of the proposed park on Google Maps.

Rafi noted.

The City of College Park is exploring possible uses for the site, which the city purchased with funds from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Program Open Space.

Rafi outlined options for the parcel, including designating it as a pocket park for residents or creating a dog park.

He said that the city was also considering installing fitness equipment similar to that at

the Crystal Springs Fit Lot on 37th Avenue.

Rafi said that the city was interested in garden options for the parcel, including a community garden or a permaculture garden. Designating it a permaculture garden would preserve much of the existing landscape and allow the city to augment it with native, pollinator-friendly plants, along with bird and squirrel feeders, to create a largely self-sustain-

ing wildlife habitat.

While attendees at the meeting were enthusiastic about the possibility of a permaculture garden, some expressed concerns about maintenance, even as permaculture gardens are, by their very nature, largely self-sustaining.

“We struggle to maintain the one we already have in our neighborhood,” said Berwyn resident Emily Friend, who is BDCA’s treasurer. “If you add another one to the neighborhood, with residents as opposed to city staff maintaining it, it could fall into disrepair again.”

Friend suggested a rain garden, which she described as a planted area that collects runoff and allows it to soak into the ground, as an alternative. She said this approach would be suitable for managing water on paths and nearby streets, and that a rain garden could be used as a teaching tool.

Dan Blasberg supported the idea of a garden of some kind, but was doubtful of the city’s

ability to handle storm water management projects.

“The city’s track record of doing water management projects, to me, is an abject failure. All you have to do is look at the soft runoff at the end of Rhode Island Avenue and Greenbelt Road. It’s 10 years old, and it collects more mosquitoes now than it did before they played with it,” he said.

Other attendees voiced support for a rain garden, a community garden or a dog park.

According to Alec Lynde, who is BDCA’s IT director and chairs the organization's parks and open spaces subcommittee, the association’s representatives will reach out to the city to coordinate a survey that would allow residents to participate in the decisionmaking process and vote on options for use of the space.

On Feb. 8, the City of College Park announced that it is buying another empty lot on Pierce Avenue, in Lakeland, for $100,000, with a specific use to be determined.

February 2024 | College Park Here & Now

Page 5

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

SUBSIDY

SAVE THE DATE

period on Feb. 9 but has not scheduled a vote. Mayor Pro Tem Denise Mitchell (District 4), who chairs a city council subcommittee on the proposal, said the council plans to hold another public meeting before voting on it.

If the proposal is approved, the city could begin giving out the subsidies in the summer ahead of the fall 2024 semester.

Nine residents submitted written comments in opposition to the housing subsidy prior to the Feb. 6 meeting.

Berwyn resident James Neilis called the program a “theft of taxpayer revenue.”

“If struggling students deserve a housing subsidy, then surely struggling families and individuals who already live in College Park are also deserving,” Nealis wrote.

Other residents agreed that College Park homeowners should qualify for the subsidy as well, or that students who attend other universities but live in the city should also be able to apply for the money.

One commentor asked why the city and not the university is offering the subsidy.

“Why does the City Council feel it is their responsibility to pay these subsidies when the university and the business developers aren't willing to do it for themselves?” resident Brian McAllister asked in a written comment.

Kabir predicted the proposal

FROM PAGE 1

Fat Tuesday! Celebrate Mardi Gras to the tunes of the Wild Anacostias band and fabulous king cakes (and more!) from Ravenhook Bakehouse. March 13, 7 to 9 p.m. Streetcar 82 Brewery, 4824 Rhode Island Ave., Hyattsville Children’s Art Drop-in. College Park Arts Exchange art drop-ins feature fun, materials-based activities for children age 3-8 (with their caregivers), led by Ian Rogers, a local artist and early childhood educator with 30 years’ experience. Feb. 17. Two sessions: 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the College Park Community Center, 5101 Pierce Ave., and 12:30 to 2 p.m. at the Old Parish House, 4711 Knox Road.

Cub Corner at the College Park Aviation Museum. Crafting in the gallery for ages 5 and under. Free with museum admission: adults $5, seniors $4, children $2 (1 and under free).

Feb. 17, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Dr. Dance Thesis Performance at The Clarice. M.F.A. candidates in UMD’s School of Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies present their thesis work. Feb. 16 to 18. $25, stu-

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dents $10. Dance Theater, 8270 Alumni Dr. For performance times and tickets, go to tinyurl. com/3ypw4nsr UMD Faculty Artist Series: Spotlight on the Viola. Kathy Murdock (viola) with Rita Sloan (piano) perform at The Clarice Center for the Performing Arts.

Free, tickets not required. Feb. 19, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. 8270 Alum-

ni Dr. For more information, go to tinyurl.com/43mt846u College Park Arts Exchange Virtual Book Club. The club will discuss Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church, by Megan Phelps-Roper. Feb. 20, 7 p.m. For more information and the Zoom link, email info@cpae.org SEE CALENDAR ON 12 

will change considerably before the council votes on it.

Under the original proposal, full-time undergraduates who have federal Pell Grants and grade-point averages of at least 2.0 could enter a lottery for the subsidy.

A 3% tax increase on commercial, industrial and apartment buildings that the council approved last year will pay for the housing subsidy if the city approves it.

The goal of the grant is to cover one month’s rent for each recipient. The average rent for a Route 1 apartment is $1,245, according to the city.

In a comment they submitted before the February public meeting, 25 students offered strong support for the pilot program. The students noted the city regularly funds initiatives to support narrow segments of the population.

“To demonstrate its commitment to addressing the affordable housing crisis in College Park, the City Council should fully fund the proposed pilot program,” they wrote.

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Feb. 17, 8 to 9:30 p.m. Prince George's Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Road, Hyattsville. For more information, call 301.277.1710

If the proposal is approved, the city could begin giving out the subsidies in the summer ahead of the fall 2024 semester.

Welcome to the Cissel House! Built circa 1888 this sunny, beautiful Queen Anne Victorian is a Prince George’s County Historic Site, set on a picture-perfect double lot. You’ll be wowed by the period details as well as the modern upgrades. Don’t miss this chance to call a piece of Prince George’s County history home!

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I love talking houses!

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Page 6

College Park Here & Now | February 2024

SUSTAINABILITY FROM PAGE 2

REBATES FOR ELECTRIC MOWERS AND MORE CBE’s most recent initiative is an incentive program designed to encourage residents to purchase green alternatives to gas-powered yard equipment.

The proposal was presented at the Jan. 16 city council meeting, and the program is slated to roll out this spring.

Under this incentive program, residents could receive a $100 rebate for an electric mower or manual reel mower and $50 for each electric string trimmer (aka weedwacker), leaf blower and hedge trimmer, up to a total of $250 per calendar year. Even old-fashioned rakes will be eligible for a $20 rebate.

ADDITIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS The above projects are just a few of CBE’s activities during the past few years. Other accomplishments include creating a permaculture garden, developing the proposal for the plastic bag ordinance that the city council adopted in 2023, educational events, tree plantings, cleanups and monthly green tips for residents that are published in the "Municipal Scene" newsletter.

Larson described the group’s work as very collaborative: different committee members take the lead on the projects they care most about, and they work closely with city staff to develop and implement their ideas.

This storm drain is now a work of art. STEPHANIE STILLUCH

“The city council has been very supportive of green initiatives,” Larson said, “and also the staff, especially Janet McCaslin and Robert Marsili in Public Works.”

All of these initiatives, and more, contrib-

ute to the city’s designation as a Sustainable Maryland Certified Community. CBE serves as the city’s Sustainable Maryland Green Team, providing advice and leadership on best practices that the city and

residents can use to advance sustainability goals. “Hopefully,” said Larson, “our work will inspire other folks to adopt green actions in their life — to think, yeah, I could do that, too.”

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CITY OF

COLLEGE PARK THE

COLLEGE PARK POST

Edition 45

FEBRUARY 2024

Love Local Find heartfelt gifts and experiences in College Park Where can you find heartfelt finds this Valentine’s Day? Make your expressions of love truly special and unique by shopping locally!

From charming delights to fun adventures, the City provides a way for all lovers to create lasting memories. Be sure to: Enjoy a staycation. Stay close to home while getting far enough away from the kids and responsibilities of life! College Park’s many hotels offer a cozy home away from home and keep you connected to the many attractions in the City.

Visit Shop Made In Maryland for unique gifts that reflect your hometown love! Opened in December of 2023, this store is dedicated to showcasing the talents of Maryland-based designers, artists, and makers.

Whether your loved one enjoys designing, crafting, roasting, baking, brewing, or building, Shop Made in Maryland has something for them. Their café also features a nice atmosphere to taste test their coffee bar or taps with Cold Brew, Kombucha, beer, and cider. Visit them on the ground floor of City Hall.

Have an experience that positively impacts your wellness. Visit a local nail salon for a manicure and pedicure or check out couples spa packages at The Hotel to plan a relaxing day that recharges you.

Indulge your sweet tooth with delicious dessert options in College Park. At Coldstone Creamery and Rita’s Italian Ice, you’ll find an assortment of flavors that will excite your taste buds.

For luxurious treats, check out Pure Sweet Indulgence Bakery for

THE COLLEGE PARK POST | FEBRUARY 2024

custom cakes and dessert tables for any occasion.

Have an enchanting experience – consult a psychic. Discard the conventional expressions of love and dare to have a thoughtprovoking adventure instead!

Whether you’re in a committed relationship or navigating the complexities of love, a psychic can be a fun way to gain a deeper understanding of your romantic journey.

Complete your gift with flowers!

Local florists, Concrete Rose Floral or Wood’s Flowers & Gifts, can help your love bloom this season. From classic roses to exotic flowers, local floral artisans will craft a bouquet that perfectly reflects your love story.

Create a culinary adventure. From classic American combinations to international flavors, College Park restaurants offer an option for every meal and tastebud. Have brunch at Milk & Honey or Iron Rooster, an intimate dinner at GrillMarx or MeatUp, or takeout from the Jerk Pit to satisfy your stomach and your loved one. Visit www.collegepark.life for a full list of restaurants in the City.

Take a sunset stroll or bike ride as a perfect date night option for those who appreciate the tranquility of nature. Follow the Paint Branch Trail to Lake Artemesia for a scenic spot to enjoy a romantic moment!

Showcase your love online by following your favorite local brands on social media, sharing your favorite finds, and leaving positive reviews. Your online support helps local businesses thrive!

PAGE 1

Join the parade force!

Register to be a part of College Park’s third annual parade! This year’s cosmic celebration is Star Wars- themed. From seasoned Jedis to baby Yodas, everyone is welcome to dress up and participate. Use jedi mind tricks to convince your friends and neighbors to join you!

collegeparkmd.gov/ cpforce2024

Interested in volunteering to help with the parade? email volunteers@collegeparkmd.gov

THE COLLEGE PARK POST | FEBRUARY 2024

PAGE 2

Flee! Stories of Flight Black History Month exhibit on display at City Hall In honor of Black History Month, the City or College Park is providing the traveling exhibition, FLEE! Stories of Flight from Maryland In Black and White, for public display.

exhibit explores previously unknown stories of slave owners, fugitives and accomplices to show how slavery and the flight to freedom shapes the lives of all Marylanders.

The Underground Railroad touched all parts of society, enslaved and free, black and white. Runaway slaves looked to friends, family and strangers for assistance. Slave owners and supporters of slavery worked to capture escapees for financial gain and to preserve their local system.

The Maryland State Archives produced this exhibit as part of its ongoing effort to study the legacy of slavery in Maryland.

FLEE! Stories of Flight from Maryland In Black and White

The five-panel traveling exhibit will be displayed on the first floor of The City of College Park’s City Hall building, located at 7401 Baltimore Avenue, during the month of February, available to be viewed from 8AM – 5PM M-F, in honor of Black History Month.

Summer Camp Scholarship City of College Park Youth (rising K-12) can apply for up to $400 per student for local area summer camps The City of College Park’s annual summer camp scholarship applications are now open!

4601 Calvert Rd.

Young explorers (up to 10 years old) will receive a basket to search for prized treasures during two hunt times: 10:30am 0R 11:30am.Enjoy live music, cocoa, cookies, and pictures with Peter Cottontail!

Scan the QR Code for additional information about City events!

THE COLLEGE PARK POST | FEBRUARY 2024

Youth (rising K-12) who reside in the City of College Park are eligible to apply. Scholarships are granted up to a maximum of $400 per student. Students are eligible to receive a scholarship for one camp session only. Priority is given to youth who did not receive a City of College Park scholarship in previous years. The scholarship can be used for camps hosted by the University of Maryland, Prince George’s County Department of Parks & Recreation, and Prince George’s Community College.

For updated information and details on camps offered by each organization, please visit their individual websites. Please check the websites frequently for updates.

To learn more about the scholarships and to apply, visit www.collegeparkmd.gov/ summercamp2024.

Questions? Email events@collegeparkmd.gov

PAGE 3

City Announcements More information: www.collegeparkmd.gov CITY HOLIDAY CLOSURES All City offices will be closed on Monday, February 19th in observace of the President’s Day holiday.

There will be no trash or recycling collections on February 19th; all collection days slide forward one day (Monday collections will occur on Tuesday and so forth), and Friday is the only special/bulk trash collection day for that week.

AARP LIVABLE COMMUNITIES Did You Know The City of College Park was approved to join the AARP Network of Age-Friendly communities?

As a member of this national network, College Park joins over 500 communities whose elected leadership have committed to work toward making their cities great places to live for all ages. The group working on this project is composed of members of the Senior Advisory Committee and other resident stakeholders. Focus areas include the domains of housing, transportation, communication, social participation, health services and community support.

The City adopted an Age-Friendly Community Action Plan in May 2023. The overarching goal of the plan is to make College Park a retirement destination and to promote the advantages for current residents to age in place.

Through the plan the City will be a place where: •

•

•

•

•

If

A variety of convenient, low-cost, multimodal transportation options will be available.

A variety of safe, affordable, well-maintained housing types are available to meet the needs of all ages, incomes and ability groups.

People of all ages will receive useful and timely communications from the City in a format that they can readily access.

There will be opportunities to be engaged in multicultural, multi-generational activities including social, educational and volunteer programs.

Physical and mental health services as well as recreational and wellness activities will be accessible to residents of all ages, abilities and incomes. you

have

an

interest

in

ct with us e n n Co The City utilizes a variety of communication rools to reach it’s many residents and stakeholders. Seek out the tools you prefer to use to find the information you need, when you need it.

Address City Hall 7401 Baltimore Ave. Davis Hall 9217 51st Ave. Youth, Family & Senior Services 9214 Nantucket Rd.

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being involved with the Age Friendly College Park (AFCP) subcommittee, contact the Department of Youth, Family and Senior Services at 240-487-3550 or email livablecommunity@ collegeparkmd.gov.

For more information and to view the Action Plan visit https://www. collegeparkmd.gov/325/LivableCommunity

TRAFFIC ALERT: TRAFFIC SWITCH ON US-1 (February 5, 2024) –The State Highway Administration will perform a traffic switch to begin median construction on US 1 (Baltimore Avenue) between Lakeland Drive and south of MD 193 (Greenbelt Road) College Park this week. Weather permitting, this work will be complete by late spring 2024.

The median construction work is part of the US 1 College Park Improvement Project. Work will take place on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Single-lane closures northbound and southbound will also be in effect.

Customers who have questions

may contact the District 3 Office at 301-513-7300 or toll-free at 1-800749-0737.

For a list of all major State Highway Administration projects, go to Project Portal, or visit the homepage at roads.maryland.gov.

For a look at real-time traffic conditions, go to md511.maryland. gov.

Please check the MDOT SHA website for more information: https://www. roads.maryland.gov/mdotsha/ pages/pressreleasedetails. aspx?newsId=4923&PageId=818.

ENVISIONING ROANOKE POCKET PARK Your Voice Matters! A community poll is underway to determine the future site for a pocket park along Roanoke Ave in Berwyn.

Residents are invited to cast their votes to select the ideal location for the new green space. Due to the nature of the location, environmentally sensitive options are being considered. Submit your opinion by March 23 at www. collegeparkmd.gov/roanokepark.

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THE COLLEGE PARK POST | FEBRUARY 2024

PAGE 4

February 2024 | College Park Here & Now

POND FROM PAGE 1

underground in Hyattsville near Northwestern High School, close to the Mall at Prince George’s, the Hyattsville Crossing Metro station and several large development projects. The stream runs roughly parallel to the west side of Adelphi Road, passes Nine Pond, then crosses east in a culvert that emerges in University Park at the intersection of Adelphi and Toledo roads. At this point, Wells Run is forested on both sides by a green park with a walking path that stretches all the way to Route 1. The stream flows east through Riverdale in a culvert and discharges into the Northeast Branch, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Like many urban streams, Wells Run is threatened by the increased volume and speed of stormwater runoff created when trees and green spaces are replaced by impermeable surfaces like roofs and parking lots.

“The developers around Nine Pond created the worst possible situation for runoff,” said Kris Moss, a longtime University Park resident. “To save money, they clearcut acres of urban forest on a slope all at once for buildings they will develop over several years.”

SOME BACKGROUND The Mall at Prince George’s, which opened as Prince George’s Plaza, in 1958, was built long before the Clean Water Act of 1972 (and its many amendments), so many of the mall’s storm drains flow directly into Wells Run. More recent legislation, including the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, does not allow new developments to discharge runoff into existing storm drains.

Instead, developers, including the county, are required to limit runoff during construction using silt fencing and other techniques.

After a project’s completion, stormwater must be managed on-site until it can percolate into the ground or be released slowly after the sediment settles.

One solution is huge underground water vaults like the one Prince George’s County is building under a playing field in Calvert Park. Another is artificial lagoons. The Gateway West town house project, north of Nine Pond, uses a large one of these.

The planning of the Nine Pond project began around 2010.

Under the county’s policy of encouraging transit-oriented development, large commercial projects were going up in Hyattsville near the Hyattsville Crossing Metro station. However, the increased runoff from these projects was causing the most damage to Wells Run in

Page 7

University Park and Riverdale.

Protests from these towns delayed building permits. In a 2012 compromise, Dewey LLC holding company, which owned the 17.3-acre parcel, agreed to donate the land for Nine Pond, and the county agreed to handle the costs of building and maintaining a lagoon big enough to handle Dewey’s runoff and store neighborhood stormwater.

TURBIDITY The biggest threat to Wells Run is turbidity — an increased amount of suspended solids, particles and silt in the water, which also leads to faster erosion of the stream’s banks and flooding downstream.

Excavating Nine Pond exposes the topsoil and underlying clay, and during construction, water from the deep lagoon must be constantly pumped into giant mesh bags that are supposed to filter out the silt before it drains directly into Wells Run, which activists charge was much clearer before the project began and got much worse in August and September 2023.

Steve Hurtt, another member of the Sustainability Committee, lives about a block from where the stream crosses Baltimore Avenue. “I’ve walked the path along Wells Run almost every day for 30 years,” he said. “It used to be completely clear, except after a very heavy rain. Now, it’s the color of coffee and cream almost every day. The sediment is more than just an aesthetic issue. It’s disrupted the whole ecosystem. We used to have a lot of ducks and a few beavers, which you almost never see anymore.”

Turbidity is measured in nephelometric turbidity units, or NTUs. A glass of clear, clean drinking water should have less than 1 NTU. The EPA’s standards for construction projects vary depending on the waterway, but generally suggest that a waterway should not be degraded. If it was swimmable or fishable before the runoff entered it, it should be swimmable or fishable afterward.

Since 2022, in areas where the EPA issues stormwater discharge permits, the agency has required turbidity to remain below a maximum average of 50 NTUs a week.

In Maryland, the state issues stormwater runoff permits. The Maryland Department of the Environment says in an FAQ updated in August that pumping has to stop or slow down if there are “discharges with 150 NTUs or more at any given time or a weekly average more than 50 NTUs.” However, county officials point to the state permitting requirement, which went into effect last year and adopted only the more lenient 150 NTU daily standard.

At the time the state rule was

Planning for the Nine Pond project, near the Hyattsville Crossing Metro station, began around 2010. JACOB HUNTING

adopted, a reason given for not adopting the 50 NTU standard was a concern that it would cause contractors to use more chemical additives to decrease turbidity.

The conflict over Wells Run centers around who is polluting the water, what standard should be applied to trigger corrective action, who the appropriate inspectors are and whether they are doing their jobs.

John Tabori was mayor of University Park from 2006 to 2014. He believes that when completed, the Nine Pond project will likely help control the volume of stormwater coming into Wells Run and eroding its banks but feels the recent construction runoff has been devastating. “Over the past few years, the silt buildup has been killing Wells Run,” he said.

“It lowers the levels of light and reduces the plant life, which produces oxygen and provides shelter and food for wildlife.”

RECENT COMPLAINTS University Park City Councilmember Ralph Dubayah, who holds a doctorate in geographical sciences, measured turbidity in Wells Run near the intersection of Toledo and Adelphi roads several times during mid- to lateSeptember 2023 and recorded consistently high readings between 30 and 50 NTUs. On Sept.

23, 2023, Dubayah recorded the turbidity further east in Wells Run, at the 48th Street bridge, at 800 NTUs. On Oct. 5, 2023, University Park Mayor Joel Biermann sent County Councilmember Eric Olson (District 3), whose district includes University Park, a letter decrying Nine Pond’s impact on Wells Run. Olson forwarded the letter to Jeffrey DeHan, associate director of the Prince George’s County Department of the Environment (DOE) Stormwater Management Division.

On Oct. 16, 2023, DeHan sent Olson a detailed response to Biermann’s complaint. He wrote that the project, which started construction in 2022, has always been in compliance with its state

permit, stating among other things, “This permit did not require any turbidity monitoring.”

DeHan added that a new permit that went into effect on Sept. 30, 2023, does provide for turbidity monitoring, and caps discharge at 150 NTUs. DeHan noted that during an unusually hard rain on Sept. 23, Nine Pond did have a discharge that measured 56.2 NTUs. He added, “The high turbidity recorded by Dubayah during rain events on Sept. 23 (800 NTUs) is likely an indication of an alternate source of turbidity other than the Nine Pond site.”

In a recent interview, University Park’s attorney, Suellen Ferguson, explained that Wells Run receives trash and debris, but not sediment, as part of the stormwater runoff from the Mall at Prince George’s.

“My understanding is that the County now agrees the current turbidity is due to their project, but you would have to ask Mr. DeHan to confirm,” Ferguson said.

As of press time, DeHan has not responded to Streetcar Suburbs News’ request for comment, sent Feb. 7.

On Dec. 4, 2023, Olson held a community meeting in Riverdale Park to discuss Wells Run and invited the DOE and other government agencies. Activists argued that the runoff should be limited to the 50 NTUs required to protect the waterway. DeHan maintained that Nine Pond was meeting the 150 NTUs standard.

In a subsequent email to Olson on Jan. 7, DeHan also explained that under the permit language, a discharge higher than 150 NTUs did not automatically constitute an actual violation but simply required that site managers take corrective action. It would only be a violation if they didn’t act after being warned.

He also said, “Our contractors, inspectors and construction managers are at the site daily.

Our team will continue to be diligent and to comply.” He then added, “It may also be helpful to include other contributing active projects in the area with these

evaluations.”

This seems to repeat the earlier assertion in his Oct. 16, 2023, letter that the source of high turbidity might be another active project. In response, Brosch said, “That’s highly unlikely. But even if it is coming from another site, why isn’t that being investigated and solved?”

Since the meeting, the DOE provided Olson, in email, several measurements ranging from 98 to 143 NTUs. Once, on Dec. 19, 2023, the turbidity reached 163 NTU. The contractor was instructed to clean the sediment tank and replace the filter bag, which brought the next reading below 150.

“I find it completely unacceptable that we have a legal standard that is allowing Wells Run to be degraded,” Olson said.

WHAT COULD BE DONE? Tabori believes the long-term salvation of streams like Wells Run depends on the Maryland legislature or the federal government.

“We’ve got to have stricter regulations before and after construction that keep turbidity below 50 at all times, because the cumulative effects are terrible,” Tabori said. “The developers and site engineers all know that the technology exists to meet this standard. In some places, it will raise the price of construction, but it will reduce the cost of remediation someplace else.”

Brosch supports a lower limit but said that any standard is only as good as the way it’s measured and enforced. “I’ve seen good evidence that the sediment outflow from Nine Pond into Wells Run has often been much higher than 150 NTUs,” he said. “But the inspectors who are supposed to be testing and monitoring aren’t catching it or reporting it. Maybe there are too few of them, or they don’t have the training, or they just don’t care.”

This article has been edited for spatial constraints. A more complete version is available on our website, StreetcarSuburbs.News.

Page 8

College Park Here & Now | February 2024

Exhibit at College Park City Hall examines flight from slavery

By ADELIA MCGUIRE and PAUL RUFFINS Do you know what America’s two most famous runaway slaves had in common? The answer is that both Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman were from Maryland.

The state had a huge problem with Black people who wanted to self-liberate, partly because it had a lot of enslaved people and was much closer to a free territory than places in the Deep South.

An exhibit, “FLEE: Stories of Flight From Maryland in Black and White,” tells the stories of lesser-known people who tried to escape, tried to help or tried to get the fugitives back. It will be on display on the first floor of the College Park City Hall through the end of Black History Month.

The traveling exhibit was produced by the Maryland State Archives as part of a 10year project on the history of slavery in the state. Christopher Haley, who directed the project, said, “These panels put names and attributes to persons and events which some may want to dismiss as past and unimportant to anyone living today. This exhibit recognizes the positive efforts of abolitionists who fought to free enslaved people as well as [the impact of ] slave catchers and traders who did the opposite.”

The exhibit consists of five panels, which incorporate a variety of historical letters, newspaper clippings, government proclamations, maps

The exhibit, currently installed at College Park City Hall, 7401 Baltimore Avenue, is open to the public Monday through Friday between the hours 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the month of February.

A Black History Month exhibit is on display at city hall. PAUL RUFFINS

MARKERS FROM PAGE 3

Hill thought, “That’s all good, but I'm not trying to be Jackie Robinson. I just want to go to college and play football and have some fun. Go to school and drink beer and chase girls and do what students do. He looked at me, and he said, ‘Oh, I see. Say, you're afraid aren't you?’ That was the right button to push.”

“It’s hard to imagine the pressure on these young men to perform knowing that so many people were wishing them to fail,” wrote Nathan Dennies, a researcher for the trail. “Despite this, they both thrived.

Hill broke the ACC record for touchdown catches. Jones became team captain.”

Finally, there is Sis’s Tavern, in North Brentwood. Marie “Sis” Walls ran the tav-

ern after buying the building in 1966. According to Petrella Robinson, mayor of North Brentwood, Walls expanded the enterprise to include entertainment. “That place was a destination for Blacks who could not be in the sundown towns after dark, and it was an entertainment venue,” Robinson said.

“Sis’s is important as an example of Black entrepreneurship during segregation,” Dennies wrote in an email. “And to land acts like Duke Ellington and Pearl Bailey! White audiences would pay top dollar to see the Duke. And here he was traveling to this little club in North Brentwood to play for this local Black audience.

Very cool.”

For more information on the Prince George’s County Civil Rights Trail, go to pgccivilrights.org.

and individual case studies.

The introductory panel, titled “Flee,” provides some basic background. In 1850, Prince George’s County’s 11,000 slaves made up 52% of the population (in Carroll County, 59% of the people were enslaved). “Runaway slaves looked to friends, family and strangers for assistance,” the panel reads. “Slave owners and supporters of slavery worked to capture escapees for financial gain and to preserve their local system.”

The other panels are labeled Slaveholders, Fugitives, Accomplices and Toward Freedom. The section on slaveholders contains two stories that truly depart from stereotypical ideas of how slavery operated. The Rev. John Ashton, a Jesuit priest at the Sacred Heart Chapel (also called Whitemarsh Church) in Bowie, enslaved 82 people in 1790. In 1791, Edward Queen, an enslaved man, sued Ashton for assault, battery and false imprisonment, and he won in court. In May 1795, 12 men who had been enslaved on Ashton’s property, all members of Queen’s family, escaped. Other members

of the same family then sued successfully for their own freedom in Prince George’s County court.

The second story concerns Rickson Webb, who was a very rare case. In the 1840s, he was a free Black man who owned six slaves on his farm in Caroline County. The exhibit notes, “Ashton and Webb challenge the traditional portrait of slave owners. As a clergyman and a free Black man, respectively, they illustrate that slavery was an institution which sometimes outweighed moral and racial conventions.”

Maya Davis serves on the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconcilation Commission and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture.

“Every time we present Black History and Culture through exhibitions, programming or research resources, it allows people to reconnect with their lineage,” she wrote in an email.

Prior to being displayed at city hall, FLEE! was exhibited at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore and the Kennard African American Cultural Heritage Center in Centerville. After Black History Month, the exhibit will be housed at the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis.

The exhibit presents a lot of research, graphic design and storytelling. In addition, anyone can enjoy the online version, which offers many more details, by going to tinyurl. com/4vjvevec and selecting the individual panels.

The Jones-Hill House building on the University of Maryland College Park campus. AIESHA SOLOMON

February 2024 | College Park Here & Now

Page 9

A new brunch restaurant opened in the same building as The Hotel. JACOB HUNTING

Iron Rooster opens in College Park

By KAYLA NAZAIRE College Park no longer has to wait for the sweet spot between breakfast and lunch. Iron Rooster, best known for its allday breakfast menu, officially opened its doors on Jan 24. The restaurant is located in The Hotel at The University of Maryland, on Baltimore Avenue.

College Park is the newest of four locations for the Marylandbased restaurant chain. The chain also has eateries in Annapolis, Canton and Hunt Valley.

Christian Lund said that he enjoyed the food at Iron Rooster when he lived in Annapolis.

Now that he is a College Park resident, he’s glad to have one closer.

“We love dining out, and it’s nice to see College Park get some new options,” Lund said.

One of the restaurant's most popular dishes is chicken and

waffles. Iron Rooster’s twist on the classic includes a cornmeal waffle served with black pepper gravy and home fries.

For those looking for something more unusual, the menu features items like strawberry avocado toast and a salted caramel and candied bacon tart.

The restaurant also has a full bar, with a signature happy hour from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Joanna Contreras, a bartender and server at the Iron Rooster, said Thursdays through Sundays have been the busiest days.

She said that the crowd has ranged from university students to older, longtime city residents.

With only a few weeks under its belt, the Iron Rooster is looking for new hires. Several young people sat in booths filling out job applications.

Alia Parker, a server at the restaurant and student at Bowie State University, said that the

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development in College Park over the past few years has created more job opportunities for students.

“For a while, young people had to work at Bowlero, and that was it,” she said.

Ben Warren, who travels to College Park and stays at The Hotel twice a year, said that he’s happy to have a convenient, new restaurant.

Iron Rooster plans to soon offer a dinner menu that will be unique to its College Park location.

The bar area of the Iron Rooster COURTESY OF THE IRON ROOSTER

Page 10

College Park Here & Now | February 2024

Above: The dark tip of the tail and plain ears and stockings make this a gray fox. COURTESY OF V.J. ANDERSON/USFWS PACIFIC SOUTHWEST REGION Left: American red foxes have black ear tips and stockings, and their tail tip looks like it’s been dipped in white paint. COURTESY OF DENNIS JARVIS/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

FOX FROM PAGE 1

refers to. Our gray foxes would not have been put off so easily; unlike red foxes, they are agile climbers and would just have shimmied up the tree to get the grapes. Foxes though they both may be, red foxes and gray foxes are very different in many other ways, too.

Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are the foxes of our popular culture. They’re the foxes chased by hounds and horses, the sly hero of the animated 1973 Disney film “Robin Hood,” Scarface and Vix in Ernest Thompson Seton’s Wild Animals I Have Known and the subject of 2013’s viral music video, “The Fox,” by the Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis.

Red foxes are also the most likely to show up in local backyards. They are the largest fox

species in the world, weighing up to 15 pounds and stretching a little longer than three feet from nose tip to tail tip, although they often look bigger — their fluffy coat and tail can amplify their actual size.

Wild red foxes in our area have a base coat that is, indeed, bright red, with distinct black stockings and ear tips, and a white tip to the tail.

Red foxes are common and curious urban and suburban residents, and they easily adapt to living around people.

They spend most of the year roaming freely and sleeping rough; only during the breeding season do they regularly use earthen dens. They’re often seen napping during the day in sunny patches of lawn.

Gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), with their shorter legs and blunter muzzles, look smaller when you see them

side by side with red foxes.

But looks can be deceiving; in reality, they are only a little smaller, maxing out at about 13 pounds and just under three feet long. There’s a lot of overlap in size between small red foxes and large gray foxes.

The base color of gray foxes is grizzled gray or brown, although many gray foxes have considerable red or russet color highlights, especially around the face, neck and ears. The tip of the tail is always black, but the tip of their ear is light-colored, and their legs don’t have stockings — they’re brown or cream and match the belly and chest fur.

Gray foxes are more shy than red foxes and are less likely to be seen during the day. Surprisingly, you’ll often find them in trees— they have hooked claws that let them climb easily, and they

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may even have a den well up in a hollow tree. In the South, they’re commonly called cat foxes.

Both fox species will eat insects and most any small animal they can catch — especially mice, voles, and rabbits. Their hearing is so acute they can hear a mouse squeak 300 feet away (or even under snow) and leap 15 feet to catch it. But both foxes will also eat wild fruit, including fabled Aesop’s grapes; there’s even a species of wild grape in Maryland called fox grape (Vitis labrusca); it’s the wild parent of commercial Concord grapes.

Both red and gray foxes are native to the Americas. Gray foxes originated here, while red foxes first immigrated from Europe about 400,000 years ago over the Bering Sea land bridge during a period of low ocean levels and huge ice sheets. American red foxes have probably been isolated from European red foxes long enough to be a genetically different species, and the two do look a little different — American red foxes have a silkier, shinier coat than that of their European counterparts, and that coat cursed them into being trapped and shot for the fur trade. Some authorities differentiate European red foxes as Vulpes vulpes and American red foxes as Vulpes

fulva or Vulpes vulpes fulva.

When the Ylvis brothers ask in their song, “What does the fox say?” they’re almost certainly asking about red foxes, which are very noisy during late winter when they are looking for mates. I see a lot of questions on community listservs this time of year asking about dogs incessantly yapping in backyards at night, or screams from children left outside in the dark. Both are actually fox calls, part of their large repertoire of vocalizations. The fox bark is the most common sound; it’s harsher and higher pitched than domestic canine barking. Both male (dog) and female (vixen) foxes bark. The scream, on the other hand, is usually a vixen advertising for a mate. To listen to a sample of the wide range of fox calls you might hear in our neighborhood at night, visit tinyurl. com/2s7bnhe3.

Have questions for Rick about the world of nature in and around the city, or suggestions for future ”College Park Wild” columns?

Drop him a note at rborchelt@ gmail.com.

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

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.

February 2024 | College Park Here & Now

Page 11

A dangerous ice dam MATT MENKE

ON THE HOUSE

When snow isn’t cool

By MATT MENKE

F

rom a home inspector’s point of view, snow can be a double-edged sword.

A coating of snow can hide many of a home’s prettiest features but also some of its biggest flaws. It can make it hard to see problems with the roof and grading in the yard, and it may even prevent testing some windows that may be frozen shut or under snow. On the other hand, it can reveal problems the house will have in cold weather that would be difficult to spot in the summer. For example, when you see a row of houses with a few inches of snow on their roofs, and then one where it has mainly melted off, that’s a sign of poor insulation. Let’s take

a closer look at how snow can mess with your home.

Ice dams can be one of the most destructive wintertime problems. In freezing weather, snow on the roof melts because of bright sunlight or warmth finding its way up through the roof structure due to poor insulation. When the water runs down to the eave, which hangs out beyond the wall and isn't heated, the water refreezes. The ice can grow into a literal dam and trap more water behind it.

While slate and asphalt shingle roofs shed water, they aren't entirely waterproof if the water can't run off. That puddled water can work its way up underneath the roofing and find a path inside. The ice dams themselves can also become

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quite heavy, sliding down and tearing off gutters or crashing onto landscaping and walkways below.

Another issue is doors that are at the same level as the outside step, rather than being slightly raised with a sill or threshold. These at-grade entrances can be more convenient and sometimes safer, but snow or ice can build up against the door and barricade you inside.

And as the snow melts from the warmth of the door, the water can be trapped there and can

seep under the door and into the door jamb. Puddles, floods and rotten woodwork result.

The common theme with ice dams and leaks around doors is a shortage of insulation. Small gaps in roof or attic insulation allow warm air to rise and hit your cold roof in those spots.

Torn weatherstripping, worn thresholds and missing insulation in jambs allow warm drafts around doors to melt the snow just outside. Some inspectors offer thermal imaging that can pinpoint such problem areas for repair. Non-expanding spray foam is an easy solution to door issues, and an energy audit can offer solutions to energy leaks in attics or around

doors and windows.

Negative grades, ground that slopes toward rather than away from your home, are a problem throughout the year. A coating of snow can hide the grade as well as trap melted snow around your foundation. The warmth of foundation walls will melt the snow touching it, but that water has nowhere to run off when blocked by more snow. If the ground beneath is not also frozen, then all that water will settle into the soil around your foundation and seep inside. Sump pumps are not allowed to send water from your basement into sewer lines.

Those that discharge at ground level might get blocked by accumulated snow or ice. The solution is proper grading away from the foundation and discharging downspout and sump pump water at least eight feet away from the foundation. Get gravity working on your side in order to keep your home dry.

Of course, there is nothing better than a home that is warm and cozy when the weather is just the opposite. Storm windows on our older College Park homes’ windows can make a big difference, adding extra layers of attic insulation (modern standards run about 16 inches deep), and maintaining the weatherstripping around doors are all low-tech, old-fashioned improvements. Thermal imaging and energy assessments are more sophisticated methods to fine-tune our homes and find problem spots. But putting both methods together can save you big bucks, extend the life of your home and make it more comfortable all year long.

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

Page 12

CALENDAR FROM PAGE 5

Junior Needle Arts Club. Calling all young needle art crafters ages 6 and up!

Come and have fun with yarn, thread, hooks, needles and sewing machines (etc.). Bring your own craft (and a guardian). Feb. 23, 6 to 8 p.m. Old Parish House, 7611 Knox Road Afternoon Aviators at the College Park Aviation Museum. Explore a variety of STEM and aviation-themed sciences with a short lesson and hands-on activity designed for learners ages 8-12.

Free with museum admission: adults $5, seniors $4, children $2 (1 and under free). Feb. 24, 1 to 2 p.m. 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Dr. Corridor Conversations: The Long Civil Rights Movement in Prince George’s County. Hyattsville Aging in Place (HAP) hosts a virtual discussion with Dr. Dennis A. Doster, Black history program manager for the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission. Doster will lead participants in a conversation about the county’s civil rights trail. Feb. 24, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Register to receive the Zoom link at tinyurl. com/3vfnjjtc Assad at The Clarice. Vocalist and Grammy-Award nominated composer Clarice Assad performs original and

College Park Here & Now | February 2024

classical works, along with favorites by the Beatles, with the UMD Wind Orchestra. $25, students $10. Feb. 24, 8 p.m.

Livestreaming online and in-person at Dekelboum Concert Hall, 8270 Alumni Dr. For more information and tickets, go to tinyurl.com/3ws9n9e2 2nd Saturday Lecture: Talking About Methane. University Park resident and UMD professor Russell Dickerson discusses this potent greenhouse gas and how individuals can both press for more research and stricter controls as well as do more, themselves, such as through recycling and composting. March 9, 4 to 6 p.m. Church of the Brethren 4413 Tuckerman St., University Park College Park Community Library Book Club. The club will discuss Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, by Lisa See, on March 14, 7 to 8:30 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

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

Ballet Classes. Creative dance (ages 3-6), primary dance (ages 5-7), and 8+ children's classes as well as classes for adults. For class times, registration and fees, go to berwynballetschool.com 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 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.

Pickups after 2:30 p.m. at a central location. For more information, or to volunteer to deliver, call 301.864.5267

COLLEGE PARK CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS Berwyn District Civic Association.

The next meeting will be virtual only, on

Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, go to myberwyn.org Calvert Hills Citizens Association. For information about membership and meetings, email the board at calverthillscitizensassn@gmail.com College Park Estates Civic Association. For membership and meeting information, email Ray Ranker at rayranker@ gmail.com Lakeland Civic Association. For information about membership and meetings, email lakelandcivic@gmail.com North College Park Community Association. For information about membership, meetings and events, go to myncpca.org Old Town College Park Civic Association. For more information, email Kathy Bryant at kdbryant20740@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 Yarrow Civic Association. Membership is free. For more information, email Wendy Kelley at wendybird85@yahoo. com