02-2024 Hyattsville Life & Times

INSIDE DRISKELL PARK REDESIGN: Learn the project’s history and some concerns, P. 3

VOL. 21 NO. 2

HYATTSVILLE’S AWARD-WINNING COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

FEBRUARY 2024

DEAF ON THE JOB: ‘The Hy-Life’ profiles entrepreneur and Vigilante employee Daniella Reyna, P. 12

University Park activists claim Nine Pond project 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 affords a great view of the Nine Pond project. This 3-acre, 30-foot deep holding pond is being dug into a 17.3-acre horseshoe-shaped piece of land formed

by Adelphi, Toledo and Belcrest roads and is expected to hold millions of gallons of stormwater. Brosch compared the project to a doctor who is strangling the patient they were supposed to save.

“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 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 SEE WELLS RUN ON 7 

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. PAUL RUFFINS

County markers recognize Civil Rights Movement

By AIESHA SOLOMON Two sites in Laurel, one in College Park and one in North Brentwood are part of the Prince George’s County Civil Rights Trail, a public history project that focuses on the Civil Rights Movement, which took place from the late 1940s through the 1960s.

According to Meagan Baco, executive director of the Anacostia Trails Heritage Area, creating the trail was a lengthy process that involved extensive research, interviews with those connected with

each site, and locating historical photos. There are currently nine sites identified in the county, including others near Landover, Bowie and Upper Marlboro.

“An ad hoc group of people who are involved in history in the county were aware that we hadn’t been sharing stories of the Civil Rights Movement,” Baco said. “There was a lot to be shared.”

A National Park Service African American Civil Rights grant provided $45,100 for the project, with $40,000 from a Maryland Heritage Areas Authority grant, Baco wrote in an email.

The signs for each of five sites, including Sis’s Tavern in North Brentwood, St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Laurel, and Laurel Municipal Swimming Pool, were installed in April 2023. Each sign has photos, information about the site, and links to the county’s website, which has additional information about all the sites on the trail.

“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.

SEE TRAIL ON 11 

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

THE CITY OF HYATTSVILLE

The Hyattsville Reporter Issue 431| February 2024

while managing their of Public Works staff, who kept our roads clear A moment of appreciation for Hyattsville’s Department Thank you, team! regular duties during the January snowstorms. que mantuvo nuestras carreteras del Departamento de Obras Públicas de Hyattsville, Un momento de agradecimiento para el personal durante las tormentas de nieve de enero. ¡Gracias, equipo! despejadas mientras realizaba sus tareas regulares

Celebrate Black History Month!

February The City of Hyattsville is proud to recognize and honor the as Black History Month - A time to reflect Americans contributions and achievements of Black to connect, throughout history. Don’t miss the opportunity month! celebrate, and honor Black History this Archie Edwards The Blues in Black: Join the City and the 17 at 12:30 PM at Blues Heritage Foundation on February exploring 4501 Hamilton Street for moderated discussion African American the rich history of the blues tradition in session’ with local arts and culture, followed by a blues ‘jam provided. be will refreshments Light musicians! and friends Older Adults Adventures: Join your neighbors Wax Museum on a trip to the National Great Blacks in the Smithsonian on February 22 from 10 AM - 3 PM. and Culture on Museum of African American History & is limited.

February 29 from 10 AM - 3 PM. Space find more regional Register for the events listed above and Black History Month programs at hyattsville.org/bhm.

¡Celebra el Mes de la Historia Afroamericana! de reconocer febrero como La Ciudad de Hyattsville se enorgullece momento para reflexionar el Mes de la Historia Afroamericana, un los afroamericanos a lo y honrar las contribuciones y logros de de conectarte, largo de la historia. ¡No te pierdas la oportunidad este mes! celebrar y honrar la Historia Afroamericana y a la Archie Edwards The Blues in Black: Únase a la Ciudad a las 12:30 PM Blues Heritage Foundation el 17 de febrero moderada que en 4501 Hamilton Street para una discusión del blues en las artes y explora la rica historia de la tradición una de la música blues la cultura afroamericanas, seguida por refrigerios ligeros. con músicos locales. Se proporcionarán a sus vecinos Aventuras para Adultos Mayores: Únase de Afroamericanos y amigos a un viaje al Museo Nacional 10 AM a 3 PM y al Museo Históricos en Cera el 22 de febrero de el 29 de Smithsonian de Historia y Cultura Afroamericana limitado. febrero de 10 AM a 3 PM. El espacio es y encuentre más Regístrese para los eventos mencionados Afroamericana en programas regionales del Mes de la Historia hyattsville.org/bhm.

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Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2024

Page 2

The Northeast Boundary Water Tunnel was dug using a 25-ton, hydraulically powered underground boring machine. COURTESY OF LANE CONSTRUCTION

SCIENCE OF THE CITY

Chris, the underground boring machine that dug the NBWT

By PAUL RUFFINS

M

ost Prince George’s County residents don’t realize that they’ve recently become the beneficiaries of a huge, five-year, $580 million environmental upgrade that will keep 90 million gallons of raw sewage and stormwater out of the Anacostia River, Washington Harbor and Chesapeake Bay. The new Northeast Boundary Water Tunnel (NEBT), in operation this past fall, is part of a massive $2.7 billion Clean Rivers Project that will benefit the entire region.

But why did most people around the District miss seeing or hearing a giant construction project 5 miles long and 23 feet wide?

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Likely because the entire project is hidden 90 to 180 feet underground.

The NEBT was dug using a 25-ton, hydraulically powered underground boring machine with a rotating cutter face that is 23 feet in diameter. The tunnel runs 26,700 feet, from just south of Robert F. Kennedy Stadium to the intersection of Rhode Island Avenue NW and 6th Street NW. The machine started in September 2018 and slowly and steadily chewed its way across the city at a rate of about 28 feet per day.

The resulting circular hole was lined with 31,000 sections of waterproof reinforced concrete.

According to John Lisle, DC Water’s vice president for marManaging Editor Griffin Limerick

griffin@streetcarsuburbs.news

Business Manager Catie Currie catie@hyattsvillelife.com

Associate Editor Heather Wright

Advertising Sales Manager Miranda Goodson

heather@hyattsvillelife.com

Layout & Design Editors Ashley Perks, Valerie Morris Streetcar Suburbs Webmaster Jessica Burshtynskyy jessica@hyattsvillelife.com

Columnists

Imke Ahlf-Wien, Jessica Arends, Rick Borchelt, Victoria Boucher, Juliette Fradin, Paul Ruffins, Heather Marléne Zadig

Writers & Contributors Jacob Hunting, Sophie Gorman Oriani, Paul Ruffins, Aiesha Solomon, Heather Marléne Zadig

StreetcarSuburbs.News

keting and communication, “The completion of the NEBT and the entire Anacostia River Tunnel System is delivering on one of the major commitments of the 2005 consent decree signed with the District, EPA and the Justice Department. The combined sewer system (CSS) that serves about a third of the District dates back to the late 1800s, and the tunnel system will reduce combined sewer overflows to the Anacostia by 98% in an average year.”

The CleanRivers Project, arising out of that consent decree, has several major components.

These include the NEBT and the 2.4-mile Anacostia River Tunnel, which was completed in 2016 and connects the NEBT to the

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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, Kit Slack Circulation: Copies are distributed monthly

by U.S. mail to every address in Hyattsville.

Additional copies are distributed to libraries, selected businesses, community centers and churches in the city. Total circulation is 9,300.

HL&T is a member of the National Newspaper Association and the Institute for Nonprofit News.

Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant. There will also be the 5.8-mile $819 million Potomac River Water Tunnel, scheduled to be completed in 2030, which will capture the sewer overflows polluting the Potomac and Rock Creek on the west side of the District.

Like the NEBT, the Potomac River Tunnel will function as a giant underground storage tank, holding millions of gallons of sewage and stormwater and sending it to Blue Plains rather than into the Potomac River or Rock Creek. The NEBT will also help reduce local flooding due to undersized storm drains in Northeast D.C. The region’s water pollution problem is over 200 years old.

Around 1810, the swampy District of Columbia began to build culverts and ditches that drained into the nearest waterway. Because of its huge expansion during the Civil War and the increasing popularity of piped-in water for indoor plumbing, the city began constructing a combined sewer system that carried both untreated sewage and stormwater into approximately 19 outfalls along the Potomac and Anacostia rivers.

In 1890, a presidential commission linked the combined sewer system to a single outfall point at Blue Plains, the southernmost spot in D.C., where the tides wouldn’t carry the waste back upstream. There was no water treatment facility, but at least all new sewers built as D.C. expanded would have separate pipes to send sewage to Blue Plains and only divert stormwater into the rivers.

These are known as municipal separate storm sewer systems, or MS4s, and are now standard.

However, between 1890 and 1910, the rapid development of Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, both north of the District, created new problems.

Towns such as College Park and Hyattsville built water systems for

indoor plumbing and fire hydrants but also developed sanitary sewer systems that simply dumped untreated waste into the Potomac and Anacostia rivers and Rock Creek, which all flow south.

When the District threatened to sue Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, the resulting agreement created the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) in 1918. The WSSC took over all the local systems and piped most of their sewage to the outfall at Blue Plains, in southwest D.C., where an actual water treatment plant was built in 1937. (The WSSC also operates several smaller treatment plants.)

Today, DC Water’s Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant is one of the largest and most advanced water treatment facilities in the world, but it still can’t solve the area’s water problems by itself. Heavy rains often overwhelm the District’s old combined system, leading to raw sewage spills in both rivers. However, partly because the Anacostia is much slower moving than the Potomac, it remains more polluted. In 1971, fecal bacteria levels were so high that the District made it illegal to swim in the Anacostia. Few residents of Mount Rainier or Bladensburg risk swimming in the river, either.

The river is tidal and rises and falls about three feet at the Bladensburg Marina, which means sewage could possibly flow about 1,000 feet upstream. The Anacostia’s pollution problems also threaten the Chesapeake Bay. Maureen Mitchell, water quality project manager for Anacostia Riverkeeper, explained that the District’s combined sewer outflows aren’t the only problem. She wrote, “The MS4S of D.C. and the upper watershed in Montgomery and Prince George’s [counties] lead to continuous challenges from point and nonpoint pollution from roadways ( fuel/oil, byproducts from tires), lawns (excess nutrients from overfertilization and other treatments), construction projects (sedimentation and illicit dumping) and more.”

Nevertheless, the successful completion of the NEBT will eliminate 98% of the flow of fecal bacteria into the Anacostia, according to DC Water. It also means that much of the stormwater from Northeast D.C. will now be purified at Blue Plains rather than flowing untreated into Fort Washington, Washington Harbor and other Prince George’s County communities downstream.

Paul Ruffins is a citizen scientist and a professor of curiosity.

Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2024

Page 3

Long park closures, stormwater fears fuel Driskell Park redesign skepticism

By HEATHER MARLÉNE ZADIG The City of Hyattsville wrapped up its latest Driskell Park redesign public comments period last month, advancing the project to the final concept design development phase of the new master plan. This next phase is expected to last roughly six to 12 months, according to the city’s Hello Hyattsville website, and will involve more community input to further adapt the general concept to a final concept design.

According to Merrell Hambleton, Driskell Park project manager for the Neighborhood Design Center (NDC), the nonprofit will be hosting two upcoming community conversations, one focused on the theme of “Art in the Park” and one on “Belonging.”

City efforts to revamp the aging park go back to early 2017, when then-Mayor Candace Hollingsworth introduced the idea in a city council work session, as

reported by the Hyattsville Life & Times (HL&T). More than seven years later, many residents may have either long forgotten the initial reasons for exploring a redesign or weren’t yet residing in the city when it was proposed.

In a Jan. 5 through Jan. 6 discussion thread on the HOPE (Hyattsville Organization for a Positive Environment) listserv about the recent Driskell Park redesign survey, several residents questioned the reasons for updating the park at all. Hyattsville resident Patricia Weil, for instance, asked if anyone knew “what particular deficiencies this plan is designed to address.”

City Communications Manager Cindy Zork told the HL&T that “Driskell Park is our most used city park,” and is in need of increasingly frequent and expensive maintenance for standard wear and tear, with park elements “showing their age.”

Additionally, she said, there have long been concerns with parking lot safety, and “the city

programs hosted there have outgrown the space.” Zork added that leadership chose to develop a new master plan in 2018 “instead of addressing these problems ad hoc.”

Back in 2017, Hollingsworth made a motion to allocate $25,000 to engage the NDC for preliminary park redesign input at a January city council work session. In the meeting, Hollingsworth explained, “My personal opinion is that we could elevate the profile of the park, increase the amenities, and make it more consistent with the way that people are using parks now.”

She also expressed a desire to make the park more conducive to a generational experience — inclusive of both kids and older adults.

At the time, some councilmembers voiced concerns about the city’s ability to follow through with such a large project in a reasonable amount of time. “I’d want to have a sense that we have the will to move

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forward with the recommendations in short order,” said thenCouncilmember Shani Warner (District 2) at the meeting.

“What I could see happening is our authorizing this but then taking another three to four years to do something about it, at which point the determinations that we made a few years ago will have been a council or two past, and we won’t have the buy-in of the sitting council at that point.”

The council vice president at the time, Bart Lawrence (District 1), then raised the issue that “in order to park, you have to drive through the park, so when it’s soccer Saturday, and there’s 300 kids running around, you’re driving through the kids. Maybe it could be reconfigured in a way so that the parking is off to the side.” The current concept plan addresses that particular design concern, along with several others.

The latest concept map was chosen during previous rounds

of community engagement and places the vehicle entrance and parking off to one side of the park, rather than somewhat bisecting the park down the middle as it does now. Zork told the HL&T that the latest map is still just a concept plan and “not a final design, so the elements are still subject to change.” She indicated that work on the redesign was all but halted by the pandemic, as city resources pivoted to that crisis. Though some HOPE users questioned the survey’s seemingly low number of participants, Zork explained that “participants” only reflected people who had signed up for project updates through Hello Hyattsville; the responses to the survey numbered around 300.

Some residents expressed frustration at a perceived lack of both urgency and progress made on other city park updates, including Robert J. King Memorial Park, on Gallatin Street, and Nicholson Park, on 40th Avenue, where a new teen center is planned. The two parks have been fenced off since fall of 2022.

HOPE listserv member Donald Rooney referenced those extended park closures in his comments on the Driskell Park redesign: “Driskell is much larger, and the SEE DRISKELL ON 9 

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Page 4

SNOW DAY IN HYATTSVILLE

Hyattsville was blanketed in snow on Jan. 19, much to the delight of local sledders. JULIETTE FRADIN PHOTOGRAPHY

Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2024

Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2024

Page 5

LIFE & TIMES LOCAVORE

Preserve your winter veggies with lacto fermentation

By IMKE AHLF-WIEN

F

Shelli Widmer’s interest in gut health led her to lacto fermentation; the Hyattsville resident started making her own ferments last year. COURTESY OF SHELLI WIDMER

her interest in gut health led her to lacto fermentation. After listening to an interview with microbiologist Kaitlynn Fenley on the podcast “Homegrown,” Widmer started making her own ferments last summer, and has experimented with smaller and larger batches of different varieties of sauerkraut, including one with roasted jalapeños. She said she was surprised by how easy lacto fermentation is; however, Widmer described how, once, when opening the jar to let the gasses out, she realized she’d waited a little too long — and the content spattered all over her.

(Find Fenley’s easy-to-follow recipes at cultured.guru.)

If you don’t feel inclined to make

Simple Sauerkraut (makes 1 quart)

This is a basic recipe for making lacto-fermented vegetables at home, and it’s surprisingly easy. All you need is a wide-mouth, quart-size Mason jar and a pounder to pound the cabbage. The variations are endless. You could add carrots, onions, garlic and oregano for a simple version of curtido — or use red cabbage for more color. I’ve also had success adding a finely chopped apple or a finely shredded fennel bulb.

Ingredients 1 medium cabbage (preferably organic), cored and shredded 1 tablespoon caraway seeds 2 tablespoons sea salt Directions In a large bowl, mix cabbage with caraway seeds and sea salt. Pound with a wooden pounder or meat tenderizer for about 10 minutes to release juices. (You can then use your hands to further squeeze out the juices.) Pour all contents into a wide-mouth, quart-size Mason jar, and press down firmly with the pounder until juices come to the top of the cabbage. The top of the cabbage should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. You can add a glass weight, or dunker, to keep the cabbage submerged. Cover tightly, and keep at room temperature for about three days before transferring to the refrigerator. The sauerkraut may be eaten immediately afterwards, but it improves with age.

Recipe adapted from Sally Fallon and Mary Enig’s Nourishing Traditions, 1999.

Imke Ahlf-Wien is a nutrition educator with a passion for fresh, locally procured foods.

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F Sa or le

ebruary is the month when even hard-core farmers market enthusiasts can get impatient. At markets that are still open, you may still find apples or potatoes from storage or cucumbers and tomatoes from greenhouses.

But it will take another two to three months for the bright green leaves of spring lettuces to emerge from the ground, or the first tender stalks of asparagus to peek through the earth.

Have you ever wondered what people ate in winter before the arrival of refrigeration and shelf-stable products, even before canning became a thing? Last year, I wrote about root cellars — spaces that made it possible to store root vegetables, like potatoes and carrots, during the colder months. What you could also find in an oldfashioned root cellar was a pickle jar or, in my home country of Germany, a crock of lacto-fermented sauerkraut or cucumbers.

Lacto fermentation has been used to preserve food for thousands of years. In this process, the bacteria that are naturally present on the surface of all fruits and vegetables start producing lactic acid, “which inhibits harmful bacteria and acts as a preservative [and] gives fermented food its characteristic sour flavor,” according to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Extension (UIUC) website.

In his book Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-culture Foods, Sandor Ellis Katz explains that “the process of [lacto] fermentation makes food more digestible and nutritious.”

Unheated fermented food has increased levels of vitamins A and C, as well as several B vitamins, and carries beneficial bacteria into our digestive tract, where they aid digestion, according to the UIUC. Many cultures around the globe use lacto fermentation to preserve vegetables — and often the humble cabbage becomes the shining star: Think of sauerkraut from Europe, kimchi from Korea, or curtido from Central America.

I tapped into my vast Hyattsville networks to find someone who shared my passion for home lacto fermentation, and I was lucky.

I met fellow fermentista Shelli Widmer at Vigilante in January and questioned her about her fermenting endeavors. Widmer, who spent her childhood summers with her grandparents in Mexico, has lived in Hyattsville for 10 years;

your own, there are several options for buying Maryland-made lacto-fermented vegetables. DC Dills (dcdills.com), based in Sykesville, offers vinegar-brined pickles, as well as lacto-fermented cucumbers and krauts made from local ingredients. Their products can be found at several D.C. and Maryland farmers markets year-round and shipped to Prince George’s County.

Oksana Bocharova from Oksana’s Produce (oksanasproduce.com), in Chestertown, makes a variety of fermented veggies grown on her organic farm or on neighboring farms.

She also ferments mushrooms obtained from King Mushrooms (kingmushroomfarm.com) in Marydel. Bocharova ships to Prince George’s County — plus, she offers fermentation and cooking classes.

Finally, the Baltimore-based, award-winning company HEX Ferments (hexferments.com) makes traditional krauts and kimchi, as well as kombucha. You can find their products at several area grocery stores, including Whole Foods and Mom’s Organic Market, or order directly from their website.

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Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2024

Page 6

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

O

ur list of events sponsored by local nonprofits, arts organizations and performance venues, occurring between Feb. 14 and March 12, 2024; all information is current as of Feb. 9.

For events and meetings organized by the City of Hyattsville, see the Hyattsville Reporter in the newspaper’s centerfold.

Please send notices of events that will take place between March 13 and April 9 to managingeditor@hyattsvillelife. com by March 7.

RECURRING Busboys and Poets hosts an open mic for poets every Thursday. $5. 8 to 10 p.m. 5331 Baltimore Ave. 301.779.2787. busboysandpoets.com Weekly acoustic blues jams, in the Piedmont blues tradition.

Listeners welcome! Free. Saturdays 1 to 5 p.m. Archie Edwards Blues Foundation, 4502 Hamilton St. acousticblues.com Sharpen your drawing skills in a relaxed, informal setting at Hyattsville figure drawing group’s drop-in drawing sessions at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center.

Sessions consist of several short warm-up poses and a single sustained pose for the duration of the session. Bring your own art supplies; drawing boards and chairs provided. $20/session

or $75/5-session punch card or $15/session for Pyramid Atlantic members. Tuesdays, 6 to 9 p.m. 4218 Gallatin St. hyattsvillefiguredrawing@gmail.com Play with, or listen to, the Hyattsville Irish Session, featuring the O’McPub Band, on the second and fourth Sunday of each month. Free. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Maryland Meadworks, 4700 Rhode Island Ave., Suite Bee. 201.955.9644. marylandmeadworks.com

ONGOING View Pyramid Atlantic Art Center’s exhibit “Catalunya,” featuring works in colored pulp

by Lynn Sures. Through Feb. 18.

Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 4218 Gallatin St. pyramidatlanticartcenter.org.

301.608.9101 Come see “The Genesis Project: Volume 3,” featuring the collaborative work of Erwin Timmers and Ellyn Weiss. Free. Through March 9. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Brentwood Arts Exchange, 3901 Rhode Island Ave., Brentwood. 301.277.2863. brentwoodarts@pgparks.com

FEBRUARY 14 Listen to The Grapevine, a spoken word performance for adults and teens, celebrating the

timeless art of the story, hosted by storytellers Renée Brachfeld and Tim Livengood. Suggested donation $20. Register at fsgw. org/event-5431719 for this inperson and online event. 7:30 p.m. Busboys and Poets, 5331 Baltimore Ave. 301.779.2787. busboysandpoets.com

FEBRUARY 16 Gather at Archie’s for guitarist and songwriter Justin Golden’s release party for his new album, “Golden Country.” With an extremely diverse musical palette, Golden aims to bring some new ideas to traditional blues forms. Free.

8 p.m. Archie Edwards Blues Foundation, 4502 Hamilton St. acousticblues.com

FEBRUARY 17 Brentwood Arts Exchange is hosting a two-part artist and curator talk on the current exhibitions, “The Chosen Family” and “The Genesis Project: Volume 3.” Free. 2 to 4 p.m. 3901 Rhode Island Ave., Brentwood.

301.277.2863. brentwoodarts@ pgparks.com

FEBRUARY 17 & 18 Sweet Honey and the Rock, the iconic, Grammy-nominated, women-led African American vocal ensemble, performs at Publick Playhouse. $40. Purchase tickets at pgparksdirect. com. Saturday 8 to 9:30 p.m.

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FEBRUARY 18 Author Mark Opsasnick will have a book release party for Orange Brick in Warm Sun: Jim Morrison in DC. The talk and Q&A session will be followed by a reception and a performance

by Love Her Meadly, a Hyattsville-based Doors cover band, featuring Jim Groves, Adam Ortiz, Grant O’Brien and Kelly McKenna. Free. 1 p.m. Maryland Meadworks, 4700 Rhode Island Ave., Suite Bee. 201.955.9644. marylandmeadworks.com Join Ally Theatre Company as they unveil a compelling new play in development, “Cradle and All … ,” created by a collaborative team including actors, activists, individuals impacted by incarceration, improvisers, and director and playwright Sisi Reid of Soul Shine Theater Garden. $20. Purchase tickets at joesmovement. org. 3:30 p.m. Joe’s Movement Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Rd., Mt. Rainier. 301.699.1819

FEBRUARY 23 It’s Shimmy Time! with Sacred Hearts in Motion: Learn the basics of belly dance, drill some fun combos while focusing on technique, and move your hips to an eclectic and high energy playlist. $20. Register at joesmovement.org. 7 to 8 p.m.

Joe’s Movement Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Rd., Mt. Rainier.

301.699.1819 Gabby and Nick perform at Streetcar 82 Brewing Co. Free. 7 to 9:30 p.m. 4824 Rhode Island Ave. streetcar82brewing.com

FEBRUARY 24 Come to Black Ink: A Black Artist-centered Open House for this showcase of local Black artists and

creatives, particularly printmakers, through art demonstrations, a pop-up market and open studios. Free, although registration at pyramidatlanticartcenter.org is required. Noon to 6 p.m. Pyramid Atlantic, 4218 Gallatin St. 301.608.9101 As part of Route 1 Corridor Conversations, join us to discuss the history of the Civil Rights Movement in Prince George’s County with Dr. Dennis A. Doster, Black history program manager for the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission. Attendees can join via telephone or Zoom.

Free. 2 to 3:30 p.m. Register at hyattsvilleaginginplace.org.

MARCH 2 Come listen to The Snapshirts play at Maryland Meadworks. Free, although tipping the band is encouraged. 7 to 10 p.m. 4700 Rhode Island Ave., Suite Bee. 201.955.9644. marylandmeadworks.com

MARCH 8 Rhizome presents a doubleheader performance: multiinstrumentalist, composer/ performer and educator Jamal R. Moore and cellist, composer, arranger, bassist and singer Janel Leppin. $20. Buy tickets through pgparksdirect.com. 8 to 10 p.m. Brentwood Arts Exchange, 3901 Rhode Island Ave., Brentwood. 301.277.2863

MARCH 11 “Fashion Reimagined” (2022, 100 min.) chronicles fashion designer Amy Powney’s mission to create a sustainable collection from field to finished garment and transform the way we engage with fashion.

Free. Register at pgcmls.info/ events. 7 to 9 p.m. Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adelphi Rd. 240.455.5451

THE CITY OF HYATTSVILLE

The Hyattsville Reporter Issue 431| February 2024

A moment of appreciation for Hyattsville’s Department of Public Works staff, who kept our roads clear while managing their regular duties during the January snowstorms. Thank you, team!

Un momento de agradecimiento para el personal del Departamento de Obras Públicas de Hyattsville, que mantuvo nuestras carreteras despejadas mientras realizaba sus tareas regulares durante las tormentas de nieve de enero. ¡Gracias, equipo!

Celebrate Black History Month!

¡Celebra el Mes de la Historia Afroamericana!

The City of Hyattsville is proud to recognize February as Black History Month - A time to reflect and honor the contributions and achievements of Black Americans throughout history. Don’t miss the opportunity to connect, celebrate, and honor Black History this month!

La Ciudad de Hyattsville se enorgullece de reconocer febrero como el Mes de la Historia Afroamericana, un momento para reflexionar y honrar las contribuciones y logros de los afroamericanos a lo largo de la historia. ¡No te pierdas la oportunidad de conectarte, celebrar y honrar la Historia Afroamericana este mes!

The Blues in Black: Join the City and the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation on February 17 at 12:30 PM at 4501 Hamilton Street for moderated discussion exploring the rich history of the blues tradition in African American arts and culture, followed by a blues ‘jam session’ with local musicians! Light refreshments will be provided.

The Blues in Black: Únase a la Ciudad y a la Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation el 17 de febrero a las 12:30 PM en 4501 Hamilton Street para una discusión moderada que explora la rica historia de la tradición del blues en las artes y la cultura afroamericanas, seguida por una de la música blues con músicos locales. Se proporcionarán refrigerios ligeros.

Older Adults Adventures: Join your neighbors and friends on a trip to the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum on February 22 from 10 AM - 3 PM. and the Smithsonian Museum of African American History & Culture on February 29 from 10 AM - 3 PM. Space is limited.

Aventuras para Adultos Mayores: Únase a sus vecinos y amigos a un viaje al Museo Nacional de Afroamericanos Históricos en Cera el 22 de febrero de 10 AM a 3 PM y al Museo Smithsonian de Historia y Cultura Afroamericana el 29 de febrero de 10 AM a 3 PM. El espacio es limitado.

Register for the events listed above and find more regional Black History Month programs at hyattsville.org/bhm.

Regístrese para los eventos mencionados y encuentre más programas regionales del Mes de la Historia Afroamericana en hyattsville.org/bhm.

LOVE & SHOP LOCAL THIS VALENTINE’S DAY!

¡AMA Y COMPRA LOCAL EL DÍA DE SAN VALENTÍN!

Show your community some love this Valentine’s Day and Shop Hyattsville! If you have Valentine’s gifting or dining plans, explore all that Hyattsville’s small businesses have to offer. Find local business directories at hyattsville.org/visit.

¡Muéstrale a tu comunidad un poco de amor este Día de San Valentín y compra en Hyattsville! Si tiene planes para regalar o cenar para San Valentín, explore todo lo que las pequeñas empresas de Hyattsville tienen para ofrecer. Encuentre directorios negocios en hyattsville.org/visit.

The Hyattsville Reporter | February 2024 | Page 1

ANNOUNCEMENTS | BULK WASTE & APPLIANCE PICK-UPS

Residential bulk waste and appliance pick-up services are resuming February 21! You MUST request a pick-up for these services as any bulk waste left curbside without an appointment may result in a fine. Please note that no more than four pick-ups can be scheduled per household in a year; guidelines can be found at hyattsville.org/bulk-waste. To request a pickup, use the My Hyattsville App, hyattsville. org/request, or call (301) 985- 5032 during business hours.

HEALTHY AGING SURVEY EXTENDED!

The City is collecting additional responses to the 2024 Healthy Aging Programs survey! Complete the survey at hyattsville.org/seniors by February 23 to share your input and help develop expanded programming for older adults and caregivers. Paper versions of the survey are also available by request; contact seniors@hyattsville.org or call (301) 985-5000.

PARENT & CHILD DANCE

Join us for an evening of dancing under the starts on Saturday, February 24, 5 – 7 PM, at the Hyattsville City Building! We’ll have kid-friendly music, dancing, a fun photo booth, craft activities, light refreshments, and much more.

Tickets are $5 per person and children 2 & under are free!

Space is limited, and registration is required. Register and learn more at hyattsville.org/danceparty.

COMMUNITY CULTURAL CONVERSATION

Join us on February 29 from 6:30- 8:30 PM at the City Building for the first session of a series of facilitated discussions highlighting the diverse voices and perspectives that help to make the City of Hyattsville “home.” Light Refreshments will be provided. Register at hyattsville.org/calendar.

HAMILTON STREET/ROUTE 1 CLOSURES

Work on the 4300 block of Hamilton Street to connect the Canvas Apartment complex to underground utilities is expected to be completed in late-February. Work will then resume in the evenings on one lane of Southbound Route 1 between Jefferson and Hamilton Streets from 9 PM – 5 AM, Sunday – Thursday.

Please be advised that starting in early April, work will begin on the 4400 block of Jefferson Street, requiring closures of Jefferson from 9 AM – 3 PM, Monday - Friday. For more information visit hyattsville.org/canvas.

LICENSE RENTAL RENEWALS

A reminder that all single and multi-family rental properties in the City must apply for an updated license annually. This includes rooms, basements, or whole properties rented through platforms like Airbnb or VRBO. Check out our new bilingual Dwelling Unit Requirements Guide to help ensure your rental is in compliance! Find the guide and license application at hyattsville.org/rentals.

APPLY FOR A HIGHER EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP!

Applications for the City’s Educational Path Scholarship are now open! Hyattsville high school seniors and graduates pursuing post-secondary education are encouraged to apply for a scholarship of up to $3,500 to help with tuition, books, or other school materials. Learn more and find the application form at hyattsville.org/education. The application deadline is March 22.

Page 2 | February 2024 | The Hyattsville Reporter

ANUNCIOS

RECOGIDA DE DESECHOS GRANDES Y ELECTRODOMÉSTICOS

¡Los servicios residenciales de recolección de desechos grandes y electrodomésticos se reanudarán el 21 de febrero! DEBE solicitar para estos servicios, ya que cualquier desecho grande que se deje en la acera sin una cita puede resultar en una multa.

Tenga en cuenta que no se pueden programar más de cuatro recogidas por hogar en un año; Encuentre pautas en hyattsville. org/bulk-waste. Para solicitar una recolección, use la aplicación My Hyattsville, hyattsville.org/request o llame al (301) 985-5032 durante las horas comerciales.

¡ENCUESTA SOBRE ENVEJECIMIENTO SALUDABLE EXTENDIDA!

¡La Ciudad está recopilando respuestas adicionales a la encuesta de los Programas de Envejecimiento Saludable de 2024!

Complete la encuesta en hyattsville.org/seniors antes del 23 de febrero para compartir sus comentarios y ayudar a desarrollar programas ampliados para adultos mayores y cuidadores. Las versiones impresas de la encuesta también están disponibles a pedido; Comuníquese con seniors@hyattsville.org o llame al (301) 985-5000.

BAILE DE PADRES E HIJOS

¡Únase a nosotros para una noche de baile el sábado, 24 de febrero, de 5 - 7 PM, en el Edificio Municipal! Tendremos música para niños, baile, fotos divertidas, manualidades, refrigerios ligeros y mucho más. Los boletos cuestan $5 por persona y los niños menores de 2 años son gratis. El espacio es limitado y es necesario registrarse. Regístrese y obtenga más información en hyattsville.org/danceparty.

CONVERSACIÓN CULTURAL COMUNITARIA

Únase a nosotros el 29 de febrero de 6:30 - 8:30 PM en el Edificio Municipal para la primera sesión de una serie de discusiones facilitadas que destacan las diversas voces y perspectivas que ayudan a hacer de la Ciudad de Hyattsville su “hogar”. Se proporcionarán refrigerios ligeros. Regístrese en hyattsville. org/calendar.

CIERRES DE HAMILTON STREET/RUTA 1

Se espera que el trabajo en la cuadra 4300 de Hamilton Street para conectar el complejo de apartamentos Canvas a los servicios públicos subterráneos se complete a fines de febrero.

El trabajo se reanudará por las tardes en un carril de la Ruta 1 en dirección sur entre las calles Jefferson y Hamilton de 9 PM – 5 AM, de domingo a jueves.

Tenga en cuenta que, a partir de principios de abril, el trabajo comenzará en la cuadra 4400 de Jefferson Street, lo que requerirá el cierre de Jefferson de 9 AM - 3 PM, de lunes a viernes. Para más información, visite hyattsville.org/canvas

RENOVACIONES DE ALQUILER DE LICENCIAS

Un recordatorio de que todas las propiedades de alquiler en la Ciudad deben solicitar una licencia actualizada anualmente.

Esto incluye habitaciones, sótanos o propiedades enteras alquiladas a través de plataformas como Airbnb o VRBO. ¡Echa un vistazo a nuestra nueva Guía bilingüe de requisitos de unidades de vivienda para ayudar a garantizar que su alquiler cumpla con los requisitos! Encuentre la guía y la solicitud de licencia en hyattsville.org/rentals.

¡SOLICITA UNA BECA DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR!

¡Las solicitudes para la Beca de Educación de la Ciudad ya están abiertas! Se anima a los estudiantes de último año de la escuela secundaria y a los graduados de Hyattsville que buscan educación post-secundaria a solicitar para una beca de hasta $3,500 para ayudar con la matrícula, libros u otros materiales escolares. Obtenga más información y encuentre el formulario de solicitud en hyattsville.org/education. La fecha límite de solicitud es el 22 de marzo.

CALENDAR PRESIDENTS’ DAY

City offices are closed on February 19 for Presidents Day. No Monday yard waste or compost pick-ups will take for the week. Trash & County recycling routes remain the same.

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS

Stay active and join us at the City Building for Wellness Wednesdays! Our SeniorFit+ seated exercise classes are from 10 – 11 AM, followed

by Zumba from 4 – 5 PM. Classes are free and open to all! Learn more at hyattsville. org/wellness.

NARCAN TRAININGS

Free NARCAN community trainings at the City Building on February 15 at 6 PM and February 16 at 10 AM. Register at hyattsville.org/ calendar.

FIELD PERMITS MEETING

The City’s permitting meeting will be held February 15 at 7 PM, via Zoom. Organizations & teams interested in applying for permits to use Hyattsville’s fields this spring are required to attend. hyattsville.org/calendar.

FREE DIAPERS

A FREE diapers distribution is taking place February 16, at 10 AM, at the City Building. No registration is required, but (1) proof of the child’s date of birth is required. Details at hyattsville.org/calendar.

NIGHT OWLS

Enjoy a Friday night out on February 16 by dropping off your little one(s) at the Driskell Park Rec Center from 6 - 9 PM for a grand time! hyattsville.org/nightowls.

INVASIVE REMOVALS

Help remove invasive species from Melrose Park between 10 AM - 2 PM on February 17!

RVSP with environment@ hyattsville.org.

YOUTH SPRING PROGRAMMING

Registration for Hyattsville’s Youth Seasonal Camps & the Camp Coach in Training Program opens at 10 AM. on February 20! Learn more at hyattsville.org/youth.

FREE PRODUCE

Free monthly produce distribution on February 20 at First United Methodist Church, starting at noon.

Produce is first-come, firstserved.

BUDGET SESSIONS

Hyattsville City Council is meeting February 20 & 26 at 7 PM to discuss budget priorities for fiscal year 2025. hyattsville.org/budget.

CERT MEETING

The next Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) organization meeting is February 21, 6:30 - 8:30 PM, at the City Building.

Anyone is welcome. Register at hyattsville.org/cert.

NATIVE LANDSCAPE TRAINING

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CALENDARIO

LUNCH & LEARN

Join us on February 26, from 11 AM - 1 PM at the City Building for a free workshop about Medicare! Space is limited. Learn more at hyattsville.org/seniors.

MINICAMP DAY!

Schools are out – Hyattsville’s minicamp is in! Our day camp is March 4 from 9 AM – 3 PM at Driskell Park. Learn more at hyattsville.org/camp.

MIÉRCOLES DE BIENESTAR

¡Manténgase activo y únase a nosotros los miércoles en el Edificio Municipal para su bienestar! Nuestras clases de ejercicios sentados SeniorFit+ son de 10 a 11 AM, seguido por Zumba de 4 a 5 PM ¡Las clases son gratuitas y abiertas a todos! Más información en hyattsville.org/wellness.

ENTRENAMIENTOS SOBRE NARCAN

Entrenamientos gratis de NARCAN en el Edificio Municipal el 15 de febrero a las 6 PM y el 16 de febrero a las 10 AM. Regístrese en hyattsville.org/calendar.

REUNIÓN SOBRE USO DE CAMPOS

La reunión de permisos de la Ciudad es el 15 de febrero a las 7 PM, vía Zoom. Organizaciones y equipos interesados en solicitar permisos para usar los campos de Hyattsville esta primavera deben asistir. hyattsville.org/ calendar.

TREE CARE WORKSHOP

PAÑALES GRATIS

HEURICH PARK COMMUNITY GARDEN OPENING THIS SPRING!

Looking for a place to grow your own produce? Become a member of the new Heurich Park Community Garden Association! Garden plot applications are being accepted until March 29 for initial plot assignments. Applications received after the deadline will be added to a waitlist and assigned a plot based on availability. Learn more and apply for a plot at heurichparkcommunitygarden.com.

¡Disfrute de un viernes el 16 de febrero dejando a su(s) pequeño(s) en el Centro Recreativo Driskell Park de 6 - 9 PM para una noche divertida! hyattsville.org/ nightowls.

REMOVIMIENTO DE PLANTAS INVASORAS

¡Ayude a eliminar especies invasoras de Melrose Park de 10 AM - 2 PM el 17 de febrero! Reserve con environment@hyattsville.org.

DÍA DE PRESIDENTES

The Prince George’s County Audubon Society is offering a free 4-part training series on how to help others transform their yards into a wildlife-friendly space starting February 21. Learn more at hyattsville.org/enviroeducation.

Attend a tree care and green cleaning products workshop in Español on February 26, 6:30 - 8:30 PM, at Driskell Park! Register at hyattsville. org/enviro-education.

BÚHOS NOCTURNOS

La próxima distribución de pañales es el 16 de febrero, a las 10 AM, en el Edificio Municipal. No se requiere registro, pero se requiere (1) prueba de la fecha de nacimiento del menor.

Detalles en hyattsville.org/ calendar.

Las oficinas de la Ciudad están cerradas el 19 de febrero por el Día de los Presidentes. No se recogerán desechos de jardín ni compostaje esta semana. Las rutas de basura y reciclaje del Condado no cambiaran.

PROGRAMAS PARA MENORES

¡La inscripción para los campamentos juveniles de temporada de y el programa de entrenamiento de consejeros de campamento se abre a las 10 AM el 20 de febrero! hyattsville.org/youth.

ALIMENTOS GRATIS

Se llevará a cabo una distribución de productos agrícolas el 20 de febrero en la Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida Iglesia, a partir del mediodía.

Los productos se entregan por orden de llegada.

SESIONES DE PRESUPUESTO

El Concejo Municipal de Hyattsville se reunirá el 20 y 26 de febrero a las 7 PM para discutir las prioridades presupuestarias para el año fiscal 2025. hyattsville.org/ budget.

EQUIPO CERT

La próxima reunión de organización del Equipo de Respuesta a Emergencias Comunitarias es el 21 de febrero, 6:30 - 8:30 PM, en el Edificio Municipal.

Cualquiera puede asistir. hyattsville.org/cert.

ENTRENAMIENTO EN PAISAJISMO

A partir del 21 de febrero, la Sociedad Audubon del Condado Prince George’s ofrece una serie de entrenamientos gratuitos de 4 partes sobre cómo ayudar a otros a transformar sus patios en un espacio amigable con la vida silvestre. Más información en hyattsville.org/enviroeducation.

TALLER SOBRE ÁRBOLES

¡Asista a un taller sobre el cuidado de los árboles y los productos de limpieza ecológicos en español el 26 de febrero, de 6:30 8:30 PM, en Driskell Park!

Regístrese en hyattsville.org/ enviro-education.

ALMUERZO Y APRENDIZAJE

¡Únase a nosotros el 26 de febrero, de 11 AM a 1 PM en el Edificio Municipal para un taller gratuito sobre Medicare! El espacio es limitado. Más información en hyattsville.org/seniors.

MINICAMPAMENTO

Si las escuelas están cerradas, ¡el minicampamento de Hyattsville está aquí!

Nuestro campamento es el 4 de marzo de 9 AM a 3 PM en Driskell Park. Más información en hyattsville. org/camp.

¡JARDÍN COMUNITARIO DEL PARQUE HEURICH APERTURA ESTA PRIMAVERA!

¿Buscas un lugar para cultivar tus propios productos? ¡Conviértase en miembro de la nueva Asociación de Jardines Comunitarios de Heurich Park! Las solicitudes de parcelas de jardín se aceptan hasta el 29 de marzo para las asignaciones iniciales de parcelas. Las solicitudes recibidas después de la fecha límite se agregarán a una lista de espera y se les asignará una parcela según la disponibilidad.

Obtenga detalles y solicite en heurichparkcommunitygarden.

The Hyattsville Reporter | February 2024 | Page 3

HIGHLIGHTS | LO DESTACADO

SAVE YOUR TREES! Get free vine removal assistance on your property!

CANOPY CONSERVATION IN HYATTSVILLE The City of Hyattsville, in partnership with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, has been training volunteers to safely remove invasive vines from the City's trees. Invasive vines spread rapidly and can kill or damage trees if not removed.

LEARN MORE ABOUT VINE REMOVAL ASSISTANCE!

¡SALVA TUS ÁRBOLES! ¡Obtenga asistencia gratuita para la eliminación de vides en su propiedad!

CONSERVACIÓN DEL ARBOLADO EN HYATTSVILLE

La Ciudad de Hyattsville, en asociación con Chesapeake Climate Action Network, ha estado capacitando a voluntarios para eliminar de forma segura las vides invasoras de los árboles de la Ciudad. Las vides invasoras se propagan rápidamente y pueden matar o dañar árboles si no se eliminan.

¡APRENDA MÁS SOBRE LA ASISTENCIA PARA LA ELIMINACIÓN DE VIDES INVASORAS!

¡OBTENGA AYUDA CON SUS VIDES!

GET HELP WITH YOUR VINES!

If you need vines removed from the trees in your yard, our volunteers can help at no cost! Contact environment@hyattsville.org or call (301) 985-5032.

This service is only available until the end of March!

GET TREE CARE TIPS AND TREE REMOVAL PERMITS

Si necesita que se quiten las vides de los árboles de su patio, ¡nuestros voluntarios pueden ayudarlo sin costo alguno! Comuníquese con environment@hyattsville.org o llame al (301) 985-5032. ¡Este servicio sólo está disponible hasta finales de marzo!

CONSEJOS PARA EL CUIDADO DE ÁRBOLES Y PERMISOS PARA REMOVERLOS

¡SEA VOLUNTARIO!

VOLUNTEER!

The City hosts monthly invasive removals and cleanups in City parks. Find the next volunteer opportunity at hyattsville.org/calendar.

La Ciudad organiza remociones y limpiezas de vides invasoras cada mes en los parques de la Ciudad.

Encuentre la próxima oportunidad de voluntariado en hyattsville.org/calendar.

KEEP YOUR TREES HEALTHY!

¡MANTENGA SUS ÁRBOLES SANOS!

Visit hyattsville.org/trees for tree care advice! A reminder that the City requires a permit for the removal of large trees on private property. Visit hyattsville.org/trees for details.

NOW HIRING

SCHOOL CROSSING GUARDS

Visite hyattsville.org/trees para obtener consejos sobre el cuidado de los árboles. Le recordamos que la Ciudad exige un permiso para remover árboles de gran tamaño en propiedades privadas. Visite hyattsville.org/trees para más detalles.

ESTÁ CONTRATANDO

GUARDIAS DE CRUCE ESCOLAR

HELP KEEP OUR CHILDREN SAFE AYUDEN A MANTENER A NUESTROS NIÑOS SEGUROS Join our team!

HELP KEEP OUR CHILDREN SAFE

APPLICANTS CAN APPLY ONLINE

Police Department, School Crossing Guard Department https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/departments-offices/police/join-department/crossing-guards For more information call 301.780.8175 or email Police_Recruiting@co.pg.md.us Prince Georges County Police Department 8801 Police Plaza Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20772

Page 4 | February 2024 | The Hyattsville Reporter

Únanse a nuestro equipo!

AYUDEN A MANTENER A NUESTROS NIÑOS SEGUROS

LOS SOLICITANTES PUEDEN APLICAR EN LINEA

Departamento de Policía, Departamento de Guardias de Cruces Escolares https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/departments-offices/police/join-department/crossing-guards Para más información llamar al: 301-780-8175 o enviar correo electrónico a: Police_Recruiting@co.pg.md.us Departamento de Policía del Condado de Prince Georgeʼs 8801 Police Plaza Upper Marlboro, MD 20772

Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2024

WELLS RUN FROM PAGE 1

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 clear-cut 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 townhouse project — located just 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 University Park and Riverdale.

Protests from these towns delayed building permits. In a 2012 compromise, the 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 top-

soil 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 Environmental Protection Agency’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 (DOE) says in an FAQ updated in August 2023 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 of 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 NTUs daily standard. At the time the state rule was adopted, a reason given for not adopting the 50 NTUs 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

Page 7

into Wells Run and eroding its banks, but feels the recent construction runoff has been devastating. “Over the past few years, the silt build-up 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 midto late-September 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 Professor Dubayah during rain events on September 23rd (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 Prince George’s Mall. “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 River-

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

dale 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 sedi-

ment 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 destroyed,” 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 says 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 space. A more complete version is available on our website, StreetcarSuburbs.News.

Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2024

Page 8

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Outwitting the weather Dear Miss Floribunda,

Dear Unapologetic,

Although I was interested to find out in last month’s column that the Department of Agriculture has again changed our zone to a warmer one, I’m disgruntled to see it limited to the lowest frost date. While I see that we are in the same frostdate zone as Oklahoma and certain parts of New Mexico and Tennessee, I think it’s important to take into account that we certainly have more humidity than New Mexico and Oklahoma, and we have windier winters than most of Tennessee.

It seems odd to be lumped with them in the same zone.

Does any agency or organization have another way of zoning? Or at least, is there some site that includes such important information as when spring really comes in our region and when to expect the last frost?

What are the hottest temperatures we can expect? Also, what about these odd periods of drought and rain each year? Do they form a pattern in our region, and can they be predicted in any way?

I’m not looking for information about tidal waves and volcanic eruptions, just what I need to know as a home gardener in my own microclimate.

Don’t tell me I’m being self-centered because I think we home gardeners do a lot to combat climate change just by planting things that take carbon out of the air.

I share your frustration. I wish there were a nationwide map like California’s Sunset Climate Zones. This system, created by Sunset Magazine and the UC NAR (University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources), takes into account not only winter minimum temperatures, but also summer highs, lengths of growing seasons, and humidity and rainfall patterns.

Their maps are extremely useful to Californians. Although it’s a lot more work for non-Californians to do this, I tried to get some needed information piecemeal.

I found that The Farmer’s Almanac has an easy-to-use planting calendar (almanac.com/gardening/planting-calendar) that uses your zip code to let you know when it’s safe to plant different vegetables in spring and when to harvest in fall. However, based on my own experience, it didn’t seem quite accurate.

The USA National Phenology Network provides a First Leaf Index and First Flower Index. The Air Sports Net humidity map for Maryland is limited to seven-day estimates, and Weather Street’s drought monitor map does not extrapolate beyond seven days either. I found the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, map that is supposed to include annual high temperatures difficult to understand.

The Environmental Protection Agency EnviroAtlas Interactive Map is more concerned with the consequences of climate change on public health, rising sea levels, severe weather events and forest fires — along with some information on the changes of ecosystems relevant to the home gardener.

Although the U.S. Geological Survey site has many maps, they tend to be limited to such matters as volcanic activity, although the site also provides important information concerning the invasive species encouraged by climate change.

Feeling overwhelmed, I remembered the Chinese proverb: “A conversation with someone wise is worth 10 years of study.”

I appealed to Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener, for help.

Right off the bat, she sent me the site for the American Horticultural Society’s heat and humidity map, found at ahsgardening.org.

I also recalled that living only a few blocks away was Dr. Greenthumb, a climatology expert, and I asked her for help determining the last frost dates in our own little microclimate. The first

Unapologetic on Oliver Street

thing she did was to warn me to be wary of such popular but not rigorously scientific sites as The Farmer’s Almanac. A safer bet for Hyattsville gardeners, she said, is the University of Maryland Extension Service for our area (extension.umd.edu/resource/ vegetable-planting-calendar).

It is supported by the Cooperative Extension System under the aegis of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a partnership that provides research-based information to the public.

For regional climate change summaries, she also recommended the most recent National Climate Assessments (NCA4 and NCA5). The NCAs consider our area as part of the Northeast region and have summaries of our changing weather and conditions and most recent findings here: nca2018.globalchange. gov/chapter/18 and nca2023. globalchange.gov/chapter/21.

She also recommends the National Gardening’s Association’s online frost dates tool: garden. org/apps/frost-dates.

Dr. Greenthumb gave me her assessment of Hyattsville frost dates, based on her own experience gardening right here in Hyattsville, saying, “I consider April 9 as the 50% chance last frost date (32 F). April 24 is the average 50% chance of 36 F night weather.”

She is being exceedingly cautious and circumspect about this, and warns against sudden cold snaps and other weather vagaries, but I feel confident that it’s safe to set out cool-weather plants after April 9 and warm-weather ones after April 24 — soil temperature permitting. It is always good to get an inexpensive soil thermometer to check soil temperature, which is just as important as night-time low temperatures. Soil should be no cooler than 50 F for planting cool weather crops and 60 F for setting out tomato plants.

The Hyattsville Horticultural Society now posts local soil temperatures and gardening timing hints on its main web page, hyattsvillehorticulture.org. In addition, please come to our next meeting, which will take place at the Hyattsville Municipal Building on Saturday, March 16, at 10 a.m.

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

Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2024

DRISKELL FROM PAGE 3

redesign is a much larger project. They need to minimize [the] amount of time it’s closed.”

Zork told the HL&T that the long closure of King Park was both identified in advance and necessary, “due to required environmental remediation from an old underground oil heating tank.” She said that playground equipment has been purchased, landscape design is underway, and the city aims to reopen the park by the end of May 2024.

Residents have also raised concerns about stormwater management and the potential for polluted runoff entering nearby streams if the proposed new parking lot were to move next to the natural wetlands area known as Trumbule Trail, as pictured in the concept map.

Zork expressed more than once that the city was very committed to keeping valuable resources, like the wetland, appropriately protected.

Greg Smith, of the community nonprofit Sustainable Hyattsville, told the HL&T in a phone interview that he had faith in city agencies and decision-makers with respect to the Driskell Park redesign. “I hope and believe that the city will practice good oversight and listen to local residents and nonprofits,” Smith said. “By and large, we have a city government that works hard. Our council cares and our staff cares.”

As for the wetland trail — a community-led initiative begun in the 1990s on land owned by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission — Zork explained that the boardwalk was recently closed indefinitely due to the natural decay of boards and pilings.

Page 9

“State protections on wetlands have increased significantly in the years since it was laid,” Zork said. “It will take some time to work through the permitting and find a good repair solution that does not disturb the wetland.”

NDC project manager Hambleton told the HL&T, “It’s been very moving to see how deeply people love and care about Driskell Park.

We hear you, and we’re so excited to bring forward a final design that embodies that love and care.”

The public discussions seem to reflect that passion. In an email exchange with the HL&T, resident Weil wrote, “Brief stretches of our park near the stream appear (to the extent possible) to be natural and can give the passerby a sense of being in nature. I value that very highly and do hope that it doesn’t change. I treasure most the illusion of natural space.”

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Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2024

Page 10

Ernie’s Lock goes mobile

By SOPHIE GORMAN ORIANI A new year is often marked by a dramatic change, and this proved true for a Riverdale Park fixture — Ernie’s Lock Company. At the end of 2023, owner Eric Peratino announced the closure of the 4500 Queensbury Road retail store on the Ernie’s Lock Facebook page, with the company transitioning to a mobile-only business model.

Peratino is the fourth owner of Ernie’s Lock, which has changed ownership several times since its 1960 opening. The company is named after Ernest Boswell, who founded it with his wife, Elsa. Peratino started working for the company under Robert Smith, the prior owner; after Smith’s death nine years ago, Peratino bought the company from Smith’s estate.

Although the retail storefront is closing, the business will continue to serve both commercial and residential customers through a mobile model. Now, when someone needs the service of a locksmith, Peratino, or a contractor of his, will come out in a clearly labeled red van to address the need.

“Many people in the area will be

The Ernie’s Lock Company store in Riverdale Park has closed.

JACOB HUNTING

very disappointed,” Ernie’s Facebook post reads. “I hope they understand that this decision was a difficult one.” According to the announcement, the retail storefront has suffered a significant drop in walk-in business since 2020. In a phone interview, Peratino said that although 2019 was his business’ best year in 20 years, people’s shopping habits changed during the pandemic. He added that congestion in the area has gotten worse due to the construction of the Purple Line.

Ernie’s provided a variety of locksmith services — everything from copying keys and installing new lock systems to resolving lockouts and selling safes and vaults. Although, according to Peratino, travel costs of the mobile model preclude him from copying

individual keys, he still offers his other services. Peratino said that rekeying buildings is his most frequent service call.

For resolving lockouts, Peratino said the technique varies depending on the situation; a locksmith has multiple tools to pick a lock.

Many newer locks are pick-resistant — and need to be drilled out.

“There’s drilling, and then there’s drilling,” Peratino said, noting that he can drill out a lock without destroying it, and simply replace the cylinders to make the lock functional again.

Peratino, who was fixing a lock in his backyard as we spoke, said he is very happy with the new mobile model. Although he misses seeing his regular customers come to the store, he is enjoying doing more of the work himself and interacting with those same customers more often. Peratino said he has no plans to reopen a physical store, and has found a buyer for the retail location.

Visit Ernie’s at ernieslock.com or call 301.273.1610 for more information. Normal business hours are Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

VIGILANTE FROM PAGE 12

and try to engage, it is OK.” Reyna said she is grateful for managers who are willing to understand and learn the etiquette of communicating with deaf people and for staff who can sign a few words. She noted that she has a few customers who have learned enough American Sign Language since meeting Reyna that they can now hold a conversation with her.

According to Reyna, society needs to discard the harmful view of deafness as an undesired loss or deprivation. She sees her deafness as an integral part of her identity.

“I don’t say ‘I can’t hear.’ I say ‘I do not hear’ because I choose not to hear,” Reyna said.

As a child, Reyna wore cochlear implants, which allowed her to play in her school band, listen to music, and speak with her family. Eventually, she said, she decided to forgo them.

“The more immersed I became in the Deaf community, the more [the implants] felt worthless to me,” Reyna said.

“Now I choose to hear with my eyes because I value my identity as a deaf person.”

As far as how employers can

make adjustments for deaf employees, Reyna said, “It’s not rocket science. It’s just as simple as asking ‘What do you need?’ and meeting that need. Let us explain to you what we can or cannot do. From there it is easy finding common ground.”

Vigilante said he views Reyna as an asset to the business.

“She makes us a better team, and so many more people feel welcome here at Vigilante because of her,” he said.

“Being able to tap into these communities of talented people is how we grow, it’s how we elevate and strive for the next version of our company,” Vigilante said. “There’s a huge pool of talented individuals just waiting for a great opportunity.”

Reyna hopes that her interactions with customers at Streetcar 82 and Vigilante helps them expand their thinking around deafness.

“As deaf people, we’re kind of doing our little part in society by simply existing,” said Reyna.

“It is as simple as that.”

Jessica Arends is the arts, culture and lifestyle columnist for the Life & Times.

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Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2024

Page 11

“[Sis’s Tavern] was a destination for Blacks who could not be in the sundown towns after dark, and it was an entertainment venue.”

TRAIL FROM PAGE 1

“That place [Sis’s Tavern] was a destination for Blacks who could not be in the sundown towns after dark, and it was an entertainment venue,” Robinson said.

The tavern also had a barber shop on one side of the building.

“I was not privy of going into Sis’s Tavern because I was too young. And if I went into Sis’s Tavern, somebody would have told my mama by the time I got home … so that would have been the end of that, but it was an adult entertainment,” Robinson said.

“Duke Ellington, Billy Stewart, Pearl Bailey were regulars at Sis’s Tavern, so that is the trail that led us to where we could have fun as Blacks among each other.”

Ownership of the tavern transferred again, to Deloris R. Sprigs, in 1978. Sprigs renamed the establishment Baby Dee’s Guest Club. By 1996, the property was inactive, and the town of North Brentwood refurbished it as a community center. A mural inside features Walls, Pearl Bailey and Duke Ellington.

“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.”

“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.”

As described on the Prince George’s County Civil Rights Trail website, St. Mark’s actively supported the Civil Rights MovePetrella Robinson ment, including organizing busNorth Brentwood mayor es to take participants into the District for the 1963 March on Washington. The church’s orgavs. University of Kentucky game in nizing efforts made it a target of the Cole Field House.

The front entrance of Sis’s Tavern, with adjoining barbershop, in North the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), whose “I was very excited about Brentwood AIESHA SOLOMON members attempted unsuccessthem winning [Texas Western] fully to burn down the church because nobody expected them house three straight years, and and a nearby home.

Jones and Hill “both broke the to, and it was a monumental based on reputation and basJohnson participated in the color barriers of ACC basketball moment at the time,” Jones said. ketball, I think they felt that I March on Washington and reand football,” according to Nathan “They started five Blacks to go could play there,” Jones said in called her experience during a Dennies, a researcher and editor against five whites and they got a phone interview. phone interview. for the Prince George’s County it done. Let it be known that I Hill was already playing football “I was on that bus. My mother Civil Rights Trail project. was very happy about that.” for the Naval Academy, but “decidinsisted that her three children “It’s hard to imagine the presAnother site on the trail, Sis’s ed [he] did not want to be a naval be a part of it,” Johnson recalled. sure on these young men to Tavern in North Brentwood, had officer,” he recounted. When UMD “I think I was something like perform knowing that so many multiple owners, including Thomquarterbacks coach Lee Corso of13 years old and just looking people were wishing them to fail,” as Randall, who ran it as a grocery fered him a scholarship, Hill did around, just seeing people evDennies wrote in an email. “Black store, and Jeremiah Hawkins, not initially jump. erywhere and just the thought athletes also faced violence and who was the first mayor of North “That’s all good, but I’m not of, ‘Oh my gosh! What if I get intimidation. In a recent piece by Brentwood. trying to be Jackie Robinson. separated from my mom?’ That UMD about the scholarship, Jones Marie “Sis” Walls ran the tavern I just want to go to college and would be devastating, so I stayed talked about being treated like a after buying the building from play football and have some fun. very close to her that day.” second-class citizen. Despite this, Hawkins’ wife, Emma F. Quander Go to school and drink beer and Following the KKK’s attempts they both thrived. Hill broke the Hawkins, in 1966. Walls expanded chase girls and do what students to burn parts of the Grove — ACC record for touchdown catchthe enterprise to include enterdo,” Hill said. “He looked at me Laurel’s African American comes. Jones became team captain.” tainment, according to Petrella For more information on the Prince and he said, ‘Oh, I see. Say, you’re munity where St. Mark’s stands Jones was “right behind the KenRobinson, mayor of North BrentGeorge’s County Civil Rights Trail, visit afraid aren’t you?’ That was the — the community called upon tucky bench,” he said, when asked wood, and documentation shared pgccivilrights.org. right button to push.” the city’s mayor, Merrill Harriabout the historic Texas Western with Streetcar Suburbs News. son, for action.

“Nine days after the second attempt [to burn the church], Rev. John Evans and the Laurel Grove community leaders met with Mayor Harrison, mayor of Laurel, to request improvements to the Grove and the integration of the Laurel pool, and the Laurel pool was integrated Will the kids or in 1968,” Johnson said. The pool Making plans grandkids be Realtor®, ABR, SRS, RENE, AHWD had been privately owned and for the future? nearby? segregated up to that point.

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University of Kentucky during www.longandfoster.com/ANNBARRETT to or toward the the NCAA championship basketbeach? ball game in 1966. The Cole Field House was renamed in 2021 to Thinking about a commemorate Darryl Hill, the job change or major first Black football player in the life change?

Where do you Atlantic Coast Conference, and want to live Billy Jones, the first Black basand love? ketball player in the conference.

In interviews with Streetcar Proven Results: Suburbs News, Jones and Hill reTop-Producing Individual Agent, Long & Foster College Park 2009 - 2022! called being recruited as student athletes by UMD. Call, text or email Ann Barrett for a quick call or Top Listing Agent, Long & Foster Prince As a Towson High School stuGeorge’s County Southern Maryland Region, an in-depth discussion, via Zoom or in person.

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Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2024

Page 12

THE HY-LIFE

Listening in the workplace: Vigilante’s first Deaf-identifying employee

By JESSICA ARENDS

A

ccording to the Pew Research Center, the majority of U.S. workers say focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion at work is a good thing.

To meet this need, an increasing number of local and national businesses are bolstering their diversity training. Curious as to how our community supports those with diverse abilities, I sat down with entrepreneur and Gallaudet University graduate Daniella Reyna and interpreter Jacqueline Shelton to learn about Reyna’s experiences as Vigilante Coffee Company’s first deaf employee.

Originally from Uvalde, Texas, Reyna moved to the area to attend Gallaudet, where she majored in business administration and minored in entrepreneurship and management. While working at Streetcar 82 Brewing Co. during college, she saw how spent grains would often go to waste at the brewery.

“It was the Hispanic in me,” said Reyna.

“We were taught not to waste anything growing up.”

An entrepreneurial epiphany hit her: She’d use the grain to make and sell allnatural dog treats. In spring 2022, Reyna pitched her idea in Gallaudet’s “Shark Tank”-style business competition and won first place.

Daniella Reyna sells her all-natural dog treats at a small business pop-up market on Dec. 17, 2023, at Lost Generation Brewing Company. COURTESY OF BRANDY NICOLE HOLDER

Since launching Reyna’s Dog Treats, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. “People said, ‘You broke my dog! — He won’t eat anything else!’” Reyna noted.

Despite her strong entrepreneurial skills and customer service experience, Reyna had a hard time finding another job after graduating last May (she continues to work at Streetcar 82, which maintains an all-Deaf staff ).

“Deaf people struggle to find jobs not because of their deafness,” Reyna said, “but because society is unwilling to work with them and on their levels of understanding of deafness.”

Indeed, this challenge is reflected in

national employment rates. According to a recent analysis of U.S. Census Bureau information by the National Deaf Center of Postsecondary Outcomes, the employment rate for hearing individuals in the U.S. is 72%, whereas 48% of deaf individuals are employed.

Last August, Reyna started as a cashier at Vigilante, where she says the staff and managers are very supportive. Management provided a smaller menu customers can point to when ordering and a digital writing pad so Reyna can communicate with co-workers. She’s also found that people in Hyattsville are already educated about diverse abilities, which makes her job easier.

According to the coffee shop’s founder, Chris Vigilante, how to integrate accommodations and best communicate with Reyna started with a simple conversation. For her interview, he and Reyna decided together to meet in person and use text apps to talk back and forth.

The coffee shop already had the digital board for communicating with customers who are members of the Deaf community, Vigilante said, so it was easy to implement with Reyna.

There wasn’t much additional staff training, according to Vigilante. “Just making it clear to all of our team members that we’re an inclusive company and

As far as how employers can make adjustments for deaf employees, Reyna said, “It’s not rocket science.

It’s just as simple as asking ‘What do you need?’ and meeting that need.”

that it was all of our jobs to work together for best communication to succeed as a team,” he said.

But providing customer service can still be challenging, according to Reyna.

“So often I have to be brave,” she said.

“I have to wave you in and say, ‘Come in, I don’t bite!’”

Reyna added that sometimes people will ignore her and try to speak to a hearing staff member who is running the café.

“That hurts my heart, but that’s OK because they don’t know what to do,” Reyna said. “As long as they open their mind SEE VIGILANTE ON 10 