05-2024 College Park Here & Now

District

officials contend with lead in schools’ drinking

water

By SAM GAUNTT

As many as 150 of Prince George’s County’s 209 public schools have lead in at least some water faucets, pipes and hoses, according to school district officials.

The amount of lead varies among schools, according to Samuel Stefanelli, the school district’s director of building services, with some schools having only one or a few affected fixtures, like water fountains and faucets. Other schools are more seriously affected, with many contaminated fixtures.

“First and foremost, we’re making sure the kids are safe,” Stefanelli told College Park Here & Now. “That’s the No. 1 priority of ours, before we fix anything, before we do anything, is to test [the water] and make sure that it’s safe, but if it’s not safe, shut it off and provide another means.”

Stefanelli added that the district supplies bottled drinking water in schools that are seriously affected by lead. The school district has also installed at least one filteredwater bottle-filling station in each school in the county.

“Anywhere where we think we have an issue, we provide water for kids,” he said. “My job is to provide safe water for kids —

Calvert Hills stormwater project to begin soon, P.7

Berwyn community has bilingual newsletter, P.8

Kids plant pizza garden for VFW project, P.8

Star Wars-themed parade attracts crowd despite rain

By SAM GAUNTT

Despite a cold, rainy morning, hundreds of College Park residents, many wearing Star Wars-themed costumes, made their way to Rhode Island Avenue to watch and even march in the

Downtown businesses get creative to attract customers during summer

By ADELIA MCGUIRE and SHARON O’MALLEY

As the University of Maryland’s academic year draws to a close, downtown stores and restaurants are gearing up for the seasonal

downturn that kicks in when students leave for the summer.

Managers of businesses near the campus said they have to get creative to draw customers in after their regulars — tens of thousands of college students — temporar-

city’s third annual parade on May 4.

College Park Mayor Fazlul Kabir said he was pleased with the turnout, even with the rain.

“It’s wonderful,” Kabir said. “I’ve met

Marchers included several of the city’s neighborhood organizations, the Washington Commanders’ marching band and the Greater Kensington String Band, a Mummers group from Philadelphia. Mummers are performers who wear exuberant costumes and are known for their parades.

ily move away.

“In the summer, business gets really slow,” Abrina Gutierrez, general manager at Cava, said.

Gutierrez estimated that more than 85% of the casual Mediterranean eatery’s customers are college students. Marathon Deli, a late-night favorite of students, put that number closer to 95%, while Ledo Pizza estimates that half of the restaurant’s business comes from students.

“That’s just what it is,” Michael Chmar,

who works at The Board and Brew, said. “In the school year, it’s keep up if you can, and in the summer, it’s get ready for the fall.”

Chmar said the popular breakfast and lunch spot loses up to a quarter of its usual revenue during summer months and that up to 70% of its regulars are students. To make up for the loss of revenue from student purchases — up to $50,000 a month at Nando’s PERi PERi, according to store manager India Johnston — retailers

Musicians with the Greater Kensington String Band traveled from Philadelphia to participate in College Park’s annual parade. ZOE BRUNTON

Long-time Lakelander preserves history, shares stories of neighborhood

By KATELYNN WINEBRENNER

Maxine Gross’ father walked into their family’s Lakeland home one day in the 1960s and placed on the table a set of city plans depicting new homes, streets and sidewalks that matched the rest of College Park.

“It looked like nirvana,” Gross, who was in elementary school at the time, said. “It looked like paradise.”

“But then over time,” she said, “the plans changed, and ultimately something else was built. It was clear that it wasn’t for the people of Lakeland.”

As part of an urban renewal effort, the city destroyed 104 single-family homes, displacing families from their thriving community to make way for subsidized town houses and high-density apartments.

Since then, Gross, a fifth-generation Lakelander, has committed her time to documenting and preserving the history of Lakeland and sharing the stories of so many who called the community home.

“She’s a visionary,” Lakeland Civic Association Vice President Ruth Murphy said. “She is one of those people that automatically thinks outside the box.”

Gross, 64, is chairwoman of the Lakeland Community Heritage Project, whose website features historical photos and documents and a vision for Lakeland’s future. Featured photos show everyday life in Lakeland, starting in the early 1900s.

NEWS BRIEFS

VISIT STREETCARSUBURBS.NEWS FOR MORE

CORRECTION

The April edition of College Park Here & Now misidentified College Park City Manager Kenny Young with the wrong last name in multiple articles. The editors regret the error and sincerely apologize to the city manager and to our readers.

BEER PONG

The College Park City Council will consider an amendment to the city code that would prevent residents from storing tables used for drinking games in their front yards.

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

The proposal, endorsed by District 3 Councilmembers John Rigg and Stuart Adams, is in response to complaints from some residents who object when their neighbors play beer pong and other drinking games in their front yards and then leave the tables set up when not in use.

At an April council meeting, Adams called for his colleagues to ask the public for comments before taking action.

Rigg said he also has had complaints about residents who furnish their covered outdoor porches with indoor

Managing Editor Sharon O'Malley sharon@streetcarsuburbs.news

Associate Editor Nancy Welch nancy@streetcarsuburbs.news

Columnist Paul Ruffin

Contributors

Zoe Brunton, Sam Gauntt, Lillian Glaros, Katie V. Jones, Madison Korman, Jan Carlo Marin, Kayla Nazaire, Katelynn Winebrenner

Layout & Design Editors Ashley Perks, Valerie Morris

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advertising@streetcarsuburbs.news 301.531.5234

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The heritage organization came about at a meeting of the civic association, of which Gross was once president.

“We were talking about the fact that the community had changed drastically from the one we knew when we grew up,” Gross said, “and that the people around us no longer knew the stories of the community.”

Eventually, Gross requested that the civic association sepa-

rate from the Lakeland Community Heritage Project so the nonprofit could pursue more grant opportunities, which have funded the digital archive.

Lakeland Civic Association President Robert Thurston, who attended the meeting that separated the two organizations, said Gross was perhaps the only member at the time who foresaw the success of the project.

“Maxine [is] such an incredible gift,” Murphy said. “Not only to this community but to all of us because she takes the ego out of the work, and she is genuinely committed to the work itself.”

After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, College Park renounced systemic racism and issued a formal apology to the Lakeland community for the damage caused by the city’s urban renewal initiative.

“I would not have believed that the city would recognize that what they had done was wrong and that they would state that publicly,” Gross said.

sofas, which city code currently allows but which some say attracts rodents.

The council directed city attorney Stephanie Anderson to propose language for the council to consider at a future meeting.

RENT SUBSIDY

Up to 120 undergraduate and graduate students with qualifying off-campus rental leases will receive $1,250 grants starting this fall to help pay rent on homes in the city.

In April, the city council

Business Manager Catie Currie

Executive Director Kit Slack

Board of Directors

President: Stephanie Stullich

Vice President & General Counsel: Michael Walls

Treasurer: Joe Murchison

Secretary: Melanie Dzwonchyk Bette Dickerson, Nora Eidelman, Joseph Gigliotti, Maxine Gross, Merrill Hartson, Marta McLellan Ross, T. Carter Ross

Ex Officios: Katie V. Jones, Griffin Limerick, Sharon O'Malley, 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.

approved $150,000 to fund a needs-based student housing subsidy pilot program, which will give grants to up to 60 fulltime undergrads who qualify for federal Pell grants and up to 60 graduate students whose household income is less than 60% of the area median income.

The funding for the program will come from a 2024 tax rate increase of 3 cents per $100 of assessed value on commercial, apartment and industrial properties.

EXECUTIVE OFFICER

This year’s University of Maryland (UMD) deputy student liaison to the College Park City Council, Gannon Sprinkle, was elected as the executive vice president of UMD’s Student Government Association in April. Sprinkle, a sophomore government and politics major, ran on the college’s Reimagine Maryland ticket and will serve alongside new SGA President Reese Artero, a junior criminology and criminal justice major.

NAME CHANGE

The city has sent a letter to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) endorsing a proposal to change the name of

“Maxine was vocal,” Mayor Fazlul Kabir said. “She suggested that in order to implement what we stated in the resolution, there needs to be work, and that needs to happen through an organization or committee.”

Now, Gross is the chairwoman of that committee, the Restorative Justice Commission, which focuses on creating plans to address the damage caused by urban renewal.

“I think her passion as well as her understanding and her involvement in the community is unmatched,” College Park City Councilmember Llatetra Brown Esters (District 2) said.

Gross is also on the advisory board of the University of Maryland’s 1856 Project. She also sits on the board of directors of Streetcar Suburbs Publishing, the publisher of College Park Here & Now

“She is an institution,” Kabir said. “She has so much knowledge, especially about Lakeland and the history behind it.”

However, Gross, who was once a District 2 city councilmember, said she wanted something more concrete from the city.

Lake Artemesia Natural Area to the Lake Artemesia at Lakeland Natural Area.

The letter also encourages the M-NCPPC to rename the College Park Community Center the Lakeland College Park Community Center.

Representatives of the Lakeland neighborhood said the name changes will help preserve Lakeland’s legacy.

FULL HOUSE

The three-year-old University of Maryland-sponsored child development center on Calvert Road is underenrolled but might have a solution: decreasing the number of slots it holds for older children.

The center is managed by national chain Bright Horizons and has a capacity of 120, with designated spots for infants, toddlers and pre-kindergarteners. But with a waiting list of infants and toddlers and a number of empty seats for older children, the child care center’s enrollment is 107 and, according to Carlo Colella, UMD vice president and chief administrative officer, the center is operating at a financial deficit.

Colella said the space would have to be redesigned to accommodate a greater number of younger children.

Maxine Gross is a fifth-generation resident of Lakeland, a former member of the College Park City Council and chair of the city’s Restorative Justice Commission. KATELYNN WINEBRENNER

How 35 local investors helped pioneer community solar

By PAUL RUFFINS

An important innovation in solar energy was pioneered right here along the Route 1 Corridor.

In 2008, a group of several dozen local residents, including about a half dozen professors from the University of Maryland, met to form a corporate entity, the University Park Community Solar LLC (UPCS), that would enable investors to finance and own solar projects at remote locations and still receive the financial benefits, including tax rebates. They also laid plans to establish the nation’s first community-initiated solar power system at the University Park Church of the Brethren.

The term going solar usually brings to mind physical structures such as photovoltaic solar panels. Here in College Park, we have two city-installed solar arrays — one at the College Park Youth and Family Services Cen-

ter and a second on the roof of the garage at the Department of Public Works. Together, these two installations produce the equivalent of about six or eight residential systems.

On a residential level, most homeowners can only afford solar because of the regulatory and financial structures that make it financially feasible. While Prince George’s County’s clean

energy grant program does not cover solar at this time, there are other incentives, including the county’s $5,000/50% renewable energy tax credit, Maryland’s Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) and the 30% federal tax credit, which homeowners can leverage to make solar accessible.

Perhaps more importantly, Pepco, our local electricity util-

ity, implements net metering, which requires the utility to buy back the excess solar power a system generates.

And homeowners can lease solar systems and have them installed at no cost because SRECs and other incentives can be bought and sold. In Maryland, both of these developments were greatly boosted by the UPCS. The U.S. Department of Energy lists the corporation as one of the nation’s earliest and most successful community solar initiatives.

Community solar is important because only about 25% to 27% of American homes are good candidates for traditional solar panels. The rest have roofs that are the wrong size, face the wrong direction, or are shaded by trees or buildings. Community solar programs enable homeowners whose dwellings are not suitable for solar arrays to leverage the financial and environmental benefits of solar

power that is generated at another location.

The 35 members of UPCS invested $1,000 to $7,000 each, for a total of about $135,000, to purchase the 99 solar panels that the project called for. The array, which was installed in 2010, generated approximately 22.7 kWh of electricity. UPCS sold the electricity to the church at a slight profit, which was still less than what Pepco would have charged for standard electrical service.

One of UPCS’ greatest accomplishments was helping to reform Pepco’s net metering agreement. On bright summer days, the panels at the Church of the Brethren produced about 25% more electricity than the church used and the excess was fed back to Pepco for free.

Paul Ruffins is a citizen scientist and professor of curiosity.

The University Park Church of the Brethren was the nation’s first communityinitiated solar power system. PAUL RUFFINS

NEW RESTAURANTS

Bandit Taco

Dog Haus Biergarten

Eastern Gourmet

GrillMarx Steakhouse & Raw Bar

Iron Rooster

Little Blue Menu

Popeye’s Chicken

Roots Natural Kitchen

Smoothie King

Terrapin Station

NEW RETAIL & MORE

AllCare Primary and Immediate Care

Crunch Fitness

PNC Bank

Shop Made In Maryland

Third Eye Comics

Trader Joe’s

VCD Auto Repair

Wawa

COMING SOON

Chopt

Concentra Urgent Care

Green Turtle

PrimeTime at Cambria Hotel

Shake Shack

Taqueria Habanero

City-university group helps employees live close to work

By MADISON KORMAN

As one affordable housing program in the city is ending this year, another one is starting up.

An eight-year homeownership program sponsored by the College Park City-University Partnership ended in March after awarding $15,000 to each of 83 new homebuyers. The funding helped individuals cover down payments and closing costs on the homes of their choice.

Homeowners enrolled in the program are not required to repay the $15,000 as long as they live in their homes and work fulltime for the University of Maryland (UMD) or the City of College Park for at least 10 years. Those who move earlier must pay the money back, though with no interest due.

“At first we thought maybe we might need to rent for a while,” Rachel Romeo, who bought a house on Fordham Road, said. “But because [the funding] offers you substantial help with your down payment, it did make it possible for us to buy a house we might not otherwise have been able to.”

The program, funded by grants from the City of College Park, UMD and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, began in 2016 with the goals of supporting homeownership and creating a more stable neighborhood environment, Susan Slingluff Hartmann, the executive director of the College Park City-University Partnership, said.

“I really prioritize community engagement and really getting to know the communities that I work in and do research with,” Romeo, a UMD hearing and speech sciences professor, said.

“So it was kind of an extra bonus for me, to give me an opportunity to live in the community that I work in and do research with.”

In April, the partnership launched a second housing assistance program, Live + Work College Park.

The new program is designed to support prospective homebuyers working full-time for any employer in the city. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and have annual earnings of no more than 140% of the median area income. For a family of four, the maximum eligible household income would be approximately $200,000, Hartmann said.

Buyers can get a forgivable loan of $20,000 to help with a down payment and closing costs associated with purchasing a home

and do not have to repay the loan if they continue living and working in College Park for seven years, Hartmann said. Those who leave their jobs or homes before seven years must repay the loan, but with no interest due.

The programs are “able to offer a variety of housing solutions that I think benefit the College Park community and benefit our goals of supporting homeownership and neighborhood stabilization in our communities,” Hartmann said.

Neighborhood stabilization occurs when long-term homeownership in a neighborhood prevails over short-term rentals, and residents connect with each other and the larger community, she said.

Hartmann said the new pro-

The program, funded by grants from the City of College Park, UMD and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, began in 2016 with the goals of supporting homeownership and creating a more stable neighborhood environment.

gram will particularly benefit university faculty and employees of small businesses who want to cut down on the costs of commuting.

In 2023, the College Park CityUniversity Partnership introduced a third affordable housing program, the College Park Community Preservation Trust (CPCPT).

Funded by $15 million from the city, the federal government and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the trust buys houses in College Park and then sells them to homebuyers who qualify for a mortgage and earn between 65% and 140% of median area income.

Unlike the Live + Work College Park program, the trust does not require homebuyers to work in the city, Hartmann said.

The land trust allows the College Park City-University Partnership to buy homes at market value, and then sell them for below market value while retaining ownership of the land itself.

Hartmann said although the

trust retains ownership of the land, the property is the responsibility of the owner. If the owner chooses to sell the home, the CPCPT has the right of first refusal to buy the home back in order to increase the longevity of the program, Hartmann said.

“They own that home,” she said. “And they can build equity and wealth, and then own that home over time.”

So far, the trust has purchased five homes and sold two, with a focus on Calvert Hills, Lakeland and Old Town, all neighborhoods that are experiencing the highest inflation in the city and where investors are prone to renting out homes rather than living in them, Hartmann said.

”It’s about having great outcomes in the community, and I’m excited that we have a whole sort of toolkit of housing options that the partnership can offer to the community,” she added.

Reporter Jan Carlo Marin contributed to this article.

Learn to scull this spring!

• Excellent aerobic exercise

• All body strengthening

• Great for physical and mental health

On-Water Programs and Learn to Scull classes are starting

All activities are at Bladensburg Waterfront Park 4601 Annapolis Road, Bladensburg WashingtonRowingSchool.com 202-344-0886

Want to know more?

Call or email me for a free consultation and let me put my expertise and enthusiasm to work for you!

The city has purchased five local homes to resell to homebuyers at below market value as part of a series of affordable housing programs.

COURTESY OF COLLEGE PARK CITY-UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Please send notices of events taking place between June 5 and July 4 to nancy@streetcarsuburbs.news by May 28.

MAY 9

College Park Community Library Book Club. Join fellow readers to explore The Long Call, by Ann Cleeves. 7 p.m. 9704 Rhode Island Ave. For more information, email Carol Munn at donkinc@msn.com

“Phantom of the Opera” at e Clarice. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera,” the longest-running show on Broadway, with full orchestra and narration. Free. 8 to 10 p.m. 8270 Alumni Dr.

MAY 10

Live Concert: e Dead Flowers. Hosted by the city and the College Park Arts Exchange, the Friday Night LIVE! series brings rock ‘n’ roll with a heavy country influence to City Hall Plaza. Free concert; food and drinks available for purchase. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. 7401 Baltimore Ave.

Outdoor Movies at e Clarice. UMD’s performing arts center brings “Ferris Bueller’s

Day Off ” to the courtyard. Free, registration encouraged but not required. 8 p.m. 8270 Alumni Dr. For more information and to register, go to tinyurl.com/49s7jbxs

MAY 13

College Park Arts Exchange

Art Drop-in. Join local artist Eileen Cave and experiment with mixed media and household objects to create art inspired by nature. All ages welcome; children must be accompanied by an adult. Free. 1 to 2:30 p.m. Old Parish House, 4711 Knox Rd.

MAY 14 & 28

College Park Arts Exchange

Art Club. Bring your own art project, including all materials, and craft in the company of friendly neighbors. Each session starts with a group warmup to get the creative juices flowing. Adults only. 7:30 – 9 p.m. Old Parish House, 4711 Knox Rd. For more information, email Ann Rowe at annrowephd@gmail. com

MAY 17

College Park Arts Exchange Double Bass Recital. Marylander Andrew William Brown brings the music of Paul Hindemith and

Joaquín Turina to the Old Parish House in this free performance. 7 to 9 p.m. 4711 Knox Rd.

MAY 18

Public Works Cleanup Saturday. Bring your old electronics, bulky trash and recycling to the Public Works Department. 7:30 a.m. to noon. 9217 51st Ave. For more information and a list of acceptable discards, go to tinyurl.com/5n96phe5

College Park Aviation Museum: Girl Scout Aviation Day. Interactive workshops and badge opportunity for Scouts from second grade up. Families, friends welcome. Check-in 9:30; workshops from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Not a drop-in event; registration required. $25 for Scouts; $10 adults. For more information and to register, go to tinyurl.com/yvj4rddw

Restorative Action: What, When and How. Join members of the College Park Restorative Justice Commission in a town hall meeting to explore the history of and hope for the city’s Lakeland neighborhood. 4 to 6 p.m. Embry AME Church, 5101 Lakeland Rd.

MAY 19

Prince George’s Philharmonic Season Finale at e Clarice The philharmonic celebrates its 58th season with violinist Annelle K. Gregory. $10 - $30, under 18 free. Dekelboum Concert Hall, 8270 Alumni Dr. For tickets, go to tinyurl. com/2f2rkaw2

MAY 27

Memorial Day Observance

Join residents and city leaders in honoring the men and women who have served our country. Program includes music, speakers and a wreath-laying ceremony. 11 a.m. at the College Park Veterans Memorial, Route 1 and Greenbelt Rd.

ONGOING

UMD Art Gallery: 2024 MFA esis Exhibition. Original works by UMD’s MFA students, presented in association with the UMD Arts for All initiative. Free. Through May 24. Parren J. Mitchell Art-Sociology Building, 3834 Campus Dr.

David C. Driskell Center: Driskell and Friends. Exhibit celebrating Driskell’s commitment to connec-

tions and the arts showcases more than 70 artworks by 35 prominent African American artists and original archival materials. Through May 24. 1214 Cole Student Activities Building, 4095 Union Ln. For more information about Driskell, the gallery, and the exhibit, go to tinyurl. com/5n7pzx4p

RECURRING

Live Music Every Friday at e Hall CP. 7 to 10 p.m. 4656 Hotel Dr.

Punch & Brunch with Travel Train Teach at e Hall CP. Weekly multi-level boxing classes Saturdays from 9 to 11:15 a.m. 4656 Hotel Dr. For more information, go to tinyurl. com/bdevza97 and to sign up go to @travel.train.teach on Instagram.

Line Dancing with Jessie. The College Park Arts Exchange hosts Jessie Barnes, of Jessie’s Soul Line Dancers, for an upbeat, virtual dance session every Friday from 10 – 11 a.m. Free. For more information and to register for the Zoom workshop, email info@cpae.org

COLLEGE PARK POST

Neighborhood Nuisances: Trash

Let’s clean up our act this year by not becoming a neighborhood trash nuisance

Welcome to Neighborhood Nuisances, a series dedicated to addressing the issues that disturb the tranquility and well-being of our communities.

Avoid being a neighborhood nuisance by ensuring you properly dispose of trash, recyclables, and food waste. Let’s clean up our act this year by committing to:

DON’T DUMP, DONATE!

Whether you’re spring cleaning or moving out for the semester, donate items instead of throwing them away. There are several organizations with options to drop off or schedule pickups for

furniture, clothing, food, and item donation. Help keep reusable goods out of the landfill!

HAVE TRASH AND RECYCLING CARTS OUT ON TIME.

When you miss a collection day, the waste collects and creates a filthy environment. Have a plan to gather the trash and recyclables in your home in time to have your carts out at the curb by 7AM on your collection day, or the night before. Emptied carts need to be removed from the curb by midnight on collection days, and stored in the rear or side yard of your property.

RECYCLE.

Cardboard quantities too large to fit in the cart should be flattened, bundled with string, and placed next to the recycling cart. Recyclable materials should be placed loose in the recycling cart and not in plastic bags.

COMPOST FOOD SCRAPS.

Join the City’s Curbside Food Scrap Collection program to turn your food waste into compost! Simply register your household, purchase a container, and begin recycling your food scraps! A contractor will collect containers City-wide every Tuesday. Learn more at www. collegeparkmd.gov/foodscraps.

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT FOR SPECIAL TRASH COLLECTIONS.

Whether you’re moving out for the year or replacing big appliances, don’t leave bulky trash items at the curb without scheduling a collection appointment!

The City collects bulk trash, white goods and metals, electronics, and woody yard waste by appointment only.

Contact the Department of Public Works at 240.487.3590 or publicworks@collegeparkmd. gov to schedule a collection appointment.

Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month

Raising awareness about children’s mental health

May is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of mental health for our youngest community members. As parents, caregivers, educators, and community members, we play a vital role in supporting children’s emotional well-being.

In 2016, about half of the 7.7 million children with treatable mental health conditions did not receive adequate care, underscoring significant gaps in access to essential services. As the pandemic unfolded, support systems were disrupted and stressors rose, escalating the situation. Suspected suicide attempts surged in 2021, particularly among adolescent girls. Amidst these sobering trends lies an urgent call to action. It’s imperative that we not only recognize the magnitude of the mental health crisis among our youth but also redouble our efforts to prioritize and address their needs with compassion, urgency, and effective interventions.

During Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, observed from

May 5-11, communities across Maryland unite to amplify the importance of mental well-being for our youngest community members. The Children’s Mental Health Awareness Campaign’s online Resource Directory is a rich library full of curated toolkits, activity sheets, and information to support children of all ages and cover a variety of topics related to children’s mental health.

The City’s Department of Youth & Family Services uplifts the community through family and group counseling, outreach, and advocacy. All Prince George’s County youth and families are eligible for services; priority is given to City of College Park youth and their families, as well as suicidal youth.

Commit to learning about mental health and healthy coping skills, finding tools to support a child, and seeking support for your family or a family you know. When we invest in children’s mental health today, we’re investing in a brighter, healthier future for our community tomorrow.

Upcoming Events

More information: www.collegeparkmd.gov

MEMORIAL DAY

OBSERVANCE

MONDAY, MAY 27 AT 11AM COLLEGE PARK VETERANS MEMORIAL

The City of College Park will hold its annual Memorial Day Observance on Monday, May 27 at 11:00 a.m. at the College Park Veterans Memorial at the intersection of Rt. 1 and Greenbelt Rd.

The program will include music, speakers, and wreath laying in fitting tribute to the men and women who have served our country. Please bring pictures of your loved ones, veterans alive or passed to share on our Honors Table. Parking is available near Bowlero at 9021 Baltimore Ave.

provide proof of residence to obtain free services.

Register at www.collegeparkmd. gov/rabiesclinic24

BIKE TO WORK DAY

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 6:30-8:30AM CITY HALL PLAZA

Bike to Work Day Bike to Work Day is Friday, May 17, 2024. Join us at more than 100 pit stops in DC, MD, and VA for this FREE event for a fun and healthy way to start your day. The first 16,000 who register and attend at a pit stop receive a FREE T-shirt. Free giveaways, food, and beverages at participating locations, while supplies last.

Register at biketoworkmetrodc.org

This year’s speaker will be Major James A. Dula, a retired former Air Force Commander who currently serves as the Veterans Affairs Officer for the Office of the County Executive in Prince George’s County.

This event is sponsored by the City’s Veterans Memorial Committee.

RABIES

& MICROCHIP CLINIC

SUNDAY, MAY 12, 10AM-1PM DAVIS HALL

The City’s Animal Control is hosting a Rabies and Microchip Clinic for City pets on Sunday, May 12, 2024 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Rain date: May 19th.

Appointments are required - slots are individual, you can only register one animal per spot. Appointments are in 10 minute slots, and space is limited. All animals MUST be leashed or properly confined to a carrier. No walk-ins.

City residents must be able to

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

TOWN HALL: WHAT DOES REPAIR LOOK LIKE MAY 18 | 4:00 PM | EMBRY AME CHURCH 5101 LAKELAND RD

Residents of College Park and the wider community are invited to join the City of College Park’s Restorative Justice Commission for our spring series of events which will explore the past harms caused by public action and avenues for reparative action. These events will set the foundation for the coming months when we will examine the harms committed in Lakeland so we may arrive at proposals for restorative actions.

RSVP here.

To RSVP, visit linktr.ee/ rjcommission.

CITY OFFICES CLOSED FOR MEMORIAL DAY

All City Offices will be closed on Monday, May 27 in observance of Memorial Day. All collections shift forward one day day and bulk and special collections pickup will only be on that Friday (appointments required).

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

Nominate an outstanding City of College Park business that goes above and beyond to positively contribute to the community and serves as an example to others.

Nominate by August 31!

Visit www.collegeparkmd.gov/ businessaward24 to nominate or for more information.

QUARTERLY PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING

Monday, May 13, 2024 at 7:30pm via Zoom

The Department of Public Services will host virtual meetings on a quarterly basis to share helpful safety tips and hear from Public Safety officials serving the City.

Please use and share this link to join us: https://zoom.us/j/937406 49925?pwd=NGI4MXpvSkdJOTZL TEIzamx0WXhHdz09.

ADVISORY BOARD VOLUNTEERS WANTED

Are you interested in serving on a City advisory board? Serve your community, lend your talents, and meet your neighbors by serving on a City advisory board:

• Advisory Planning

City Announcements

More information: www.collegeparkmd.gov Commission

• Airport Authority

• Bee City USA Committee

• Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Board

• Board of Election Supervisors

• City Events Advisory Board

• Committee for a Better Environment

• Education Advisory Committee

• Ethics Commission

• Noise Control Board

• Seniors Advisory Committee

• Tree and Landscape Board

• Veterans Memorial Committee

Interested in volunteering?

Interested in volunteering?

Please complete and submit an application by Thursday, May 23, 2024 available at www. collegeparkmd.gov/boards. If you currently serve on an advisory board, and your term expires on June 30, 2024, you will need to complete and submit a new application.

The Mayor and Council will make appointments in June 2024 for three-year terms that will begin on July 1.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SUMMER READING CAMP

The Summer Reading Program provides reading instruction and tutoring to children who are experiencing difficulty with reading.

The program is for students in kindergarten through 7th grade in the 2023-2024 school year. Children attend the program from 9AM to 12PM on Monday through Friday from July 8 to July 25, 2024.

Register by June 1, 2024 at www.collegeparkmd.gov/ readingcamp24.

JACK PERRY AWARD

This Award recognizes a member of the community who emulates Councilman Jack Perry’s legacy of public service.

To be eligible for the non-monetary award, a person must be at least 18 years of age and a registered voter or legal resident of College Park.

The Jack Perry award will recognize a College Park resident who has participated to an extraordinary degree in neighborhood, civic,

or municipal affairs within the City in a manner that improves public spaces, fosters community cohesion, eradicates blight, informs discussion of public issues, provides leadership, and/ or furthers the best interests of the City as a whole.

From May 15 to July 15 each year, any resident, neighborhood association or organization in the City may submit a nomination for the Jack Perry Award. Nominations should be submitted in writing to the City Clerk for the City of College Park, 7401 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 201, College Park, MD, 20740, or by e-mail to cityclerkoffice@ collegeparkmd.gov.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING: ORDINANCE

24-O-02

Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at 7:30 pm

An Ordinance Of The Mayor And Council Of The City Of College Park To Adopt The Fiscal Year 2025 General Fund, ARPA Allocation Fund, Capital Projects Fund And Debt Service Fund Budgets Of The City Of College Park

Visit www.collegeparkmd.gov to view:

1. Revised FY2025 Proposed

General Fund Budget and summary of changes to the original General Fund Budget as published March 8, 2024, and presented at the budget Worksession March 23, 2024.

2. Copy of advertisement required by SDAT for proposed property tax rate increase.

3. FY2025 Proposed Budgets for the ARPA Allocation Fund, Debt Service Fund, and CIP/ Capital Projects Fund.

4. The Capital Improvement Program FY2025 – 2029.

5. Staff Report.

MOSQUITO CONTROL

The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) will begin applying mosquito larvicide control products to standing water in known breeding areas to prevent the development of larvae into biting adult mosquitoes.

The adult spray portion of MDAs program is scheduled to start in late May/early June and run through September to trap and control mosquito populations.

More information (including how to request an exemption) can be found on our website www. collegeparkmd.gov/mosquito.

Calvert Hills stormwater drainage project back on

By SHARON O’MALLEY

More than a dozen years after Prince George’s County approved a plan to ease flooding in College Park’s Calvert Hills neighborhood during heavy storms, contractor selection is underway and work could begin by mid-summer.

At the same time, the city has applied for funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to expand the scope of the project.

“It’s unfortunate that this project took this long, but I’m glad that we’re finally at the stage where it [went] to bid,”

Prince George’s County Councilmember Eric Olson (District 3) said. “The sooner we get construction started, the sooner it will finish.”

Bidding closed in mid-April. Olson, whose council district includes College Park, said the county put the project in the cue for its stormwater fund around 2010 but it has seen little movement since then.

The four-part project is expected to begin with the installation of a new underground system that would divert stormwater from Calvert Road south into an underground concrete vault at Calvert Park. That vault would collect and store runoff and then divert it away from the neighborhood over time.

By diverting runoff to the vault, the system is designed to prevent pooling on streets and lawns and in the basements of homes in the area around Calvert Park, including Fordham and Drexel roads and Dartmouth Avenue.

Over the past 15 years or so, the neighborhood has flooded when heavier-than-usual storms poured up to 4 feet of rain over brief periods, over-

whelming the community’s storm drains.

College Park City Councilmember John Rigg (District 3), who lives in the flood-prone area, recalled working in his basement in September 2020 when one of his children told him, “’Dad, the car’s floating down the street.’ It sure was.”

On two other occasions, Rigg said, several inches of water collected in his home’s basement, while sewer water bubbled up through drains, toilets and sinks. “You can imagine the damage that created” to his home and his neighbors’, he said.

Stuart Adams, a structural engineer who also represents District 3 on the city council, said rainstorms have become more extreme as the climate has heated up. But storm systems in older neighborhoods were not designed to accommodate increasingly intense weather, so they become overwhelmed during the heaviest downpours.

“We need to acknowledge that this is going to happen a lot more frequently than people want to believe,” Adams said, “to acknowledge that the risks are here today, but they continue to increase.”

In fact, Adams said, the project “is based on the data that’s currently available today. It’s going to bring us up to the current standard, but not up to current climate.”

Daniel Oates, president of the Calvert Hills Citizens Association, agreed.

“I’m happy to see [the project] moving forward,” he said, “and it will solve some of the flooding. But under extreme weather events … it’s not solving the problem, but it’s reducing it. There will still be flooding.”

A summary of the project issued by the county confirmed that it is “designed to reduce the frequency of significant flooding and to improve stormwater runoff conveyance; however, it is important to note that these do not constitute a solution to all flood events. The existing buildings and infrastructure limit the size of the system, and changing weather patterns make nuisance flooding incidents more prevalent.”

Adams explained that when the Calvert Hills and Old Town neighborhoods were built, the standards for stormwater drainage were different from today’s. He noted that the current construction boom in downtown College Park could actually ease flooding because building codes now require developers to include on-site stormwater retention.

“It’s just how infrastructure is built in the U.S.,” he said. “It’s costly to get to where today’s standard is.”

Rigg, who has witnessed three major storms since he moved into his neighborhood in 2007, said he is looking for-

ward to the improvements but noted, “I’ll believe it when I see it. I won’t believe it’s actually happening until the first shovel goes in the ground to actually make it happen. … It’s been a frustrating process for those of us in the community.”

Rainwater pooled as high as 4 feet in some Calvert Hills neighborhoods during a severe storm in 2020. COURTESY OF JOHN RIGG

Berwyn community offers its newsletter in English, Spanish

By KAYLA NAZAIRE

The College Park community of Berwyn has published a regular newsletter for the neighborhood’s 500 homes for 50 years. Two years ago, the Berwyn District Civic Association started translating the eightpage publication into Spanish.

“It always had been in English, and then we had enough of a Spanish-speaking population here” that offering the newsletter in two languages made sense, according to Kelly Jordan, the co-president.

“The Berwyn News” comes out online once a month and in print every quarter and contains information about upcoming meetings, events and announcements.

The city estimates that 15.34% of its 35,000 residents identify as Hispanic or Latino and that 13% speak Spanish as their primary language at home.

“You have to understand your audience and who makes up your audience,” Bob Catlin, who also serves as co-president of the association, said.

Jordan said she got the idea for translating the newsletter after seeing a bilingual parent liaison working at the local elementary school, which sends out printed

materials in both English and Spanish.

However, the small civic association needed help to pay a translator’s $150 to $250 monthly fee.

Catlin and Jordan appealed to the city for funding and were awarded a grant to pay for the service.

The association tapped Edward Najjar, who had already worked as the translator at the Prince George’s County courthouse, to do the work.

Jordan said Najjar does more than translate the words. He uses his expertise to rewrite the materials in the same voice as the English version, while considering multiple Spanish dialects.

Jordan and Catlin initially used Google Translate, which is free, but said the results were insufficient.

“We didn’t want to just use Google Translate,” Jordan said. “If we could ever get actual people to translate [the newsletter] … we always preferred that.”

The city’s proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2025 includes $7,500 that neighborhood associations would be able to tap to pay for translators for their newsletters.

The proposed budget also includes

$65,000 to add a full-time bilingual communications coordinator to the city staff.

College Park City Councilmember Jacob Hernandez (District 1) said he supports both proposed budget items.

“I’m all about getting folks who speak Spanish to be a part of the larger community,” Hernandez said during an April budget workshop.

Civic associations, Hernandez added, “are groups that act as hubs for our neighborhoods’ most engaged residents. This is such an incredible tool that will be available to the civic associations that allows them to conduct outreach to their community.”

Jordan said she is glad the city has proposed the grant as a budget item so other civic associations can also get translators.

“It’s been a valuable service to the residents, and translation is such a barrier that it’s hard for something like a small civic association to do on their own,” Jordan said.

Jordan said more Spanish-speaking residents are coming out to community events in Berwyn, like the association’s spring egg hunt.

She noted that she is trying to learn how to speak some Spanish so she can

connect with neighbors, even if they can’t have deep conversations.

Catlin, who also serves as the vice chair of the city’s housing authority, said that organization is translating newsletters into Korean and is also offering Koreanlanguage translators at live meetings.

Hernandez said offering translation services and translated materials, such as neighborhood association newsletters, brings neighbors together.

“By building a bridge that says, ‘Este soy yo, y soy tu vecino’ — this is me, and I’m your neighbor,” Hernandez said.

American Legion post plants pizza garden with local students

By KATIE V. JONES

Who doesn’t like pizza?

On April 10, Sean Phelan, second vice commander of American Legion Squadron 217, led seven kids, ranging in age from 5 to 15, in a culinary adventure. Working as a team at College Park’s American Legion Post 217, they created an enormous pizza — though they will have to wait until June, or maybe even July, to eat it.

As members of the post’s youth garden program, the group planted a pizza garden: a 6-footdiameter circular garden featuring slice-shaped plots filled with plants that will become pizza toppings, including peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and basil. The young gardeners also planted beds with salad fixings: lettuce, broccoli, corn, carrots, cucumbers and watermelon.

“This is my first youth garden,” Phelan said. He originally proposed planting a vegetable garden after seeding a successful flower garden at the post last year.

Joe Loham, detachment commander of Maryland, came up with the idea to involve the kids.

“I was talking with Joe about volunteers, and he said, ‘Get youth to help with the garden,’” Phelan explained. “He was really

excited. He helped me fine-tune the idea and [helped] with the paperwork.”

Loham, a member of American Legion Laurel Post 60, chairs the Sons of the American Legion Commission’s Children and Youth Committee. The committee’s work is integral to the third of four pillars on which the American Legion was founded. The four pillars are Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation; Americanism; Children & Youth; and National Security.

“How do you get kids more involved at the community level?” Loham asked. “You pick a project

you think works years down the road. Talking with Sean, growing a pizza garden is a way to get kids outside and aware.”

Loham and Phelan drew up a plan, and Loham presented it to the Sons of The American Legion National Advisory Committee at the organization’s headquarters in Indianapolis in October 2023.

“They accepted it, and I have been promoting the heck out of it ever since,” Loham said.

“We’ve been doing fundraisers and [securing] grants to deal with supplies.”

The pizza garden’s beds were paid for through a $2,580 grant

“How do you get kids more involved at the community level? You pick a project you think works years down the road. Growing a pizza garden is a way to get kids outside and aware.”

Joe Loham, detachment commander of Maryland

from the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Veterans Engagement Mini Grant Program. That funding also supplied fencing to keep out animals.

The post actively recruited kids to participate in the free program. The team meets monthly to tend the garden, though, as Phelan noted, they are encouraged to weed and water there more frequently. For its June meeting, the team is going on a field trip to the National Arboretum in the District.

“This youth garden program is geared toward kids’ curiosity and the outside,” Phelan said. “One of the kids was surprised there were edible flowers.”

Both Loham and Phelan said they would like to see the program grow.

“We’re hoping this concept expands to other posts, not just in Maryland, but everywhere,” Phelan said. “Everyone is optimistic.

Members at the legion liked seeing the kids around and playing in the dirt.”

“We’ve learned a lot and not only how to grow stuff,” Loham said.

“It’s a pilot program. Sean’s done a wonderful job working on it.” Loham underscored Phelan’s dedication with a story.

“There was one scare of a freeze one evening, and he ran to cover the plants up,” said Loham, laughing. “We need the kids to come back and not find everything dead.”

While Pelham said planting the garden in April might have been a bit risky, given how unpredictable spring weather can be, he hopes the team can start to harvest the garden’s produce soon.

“We’re all having fun,” Phelan said. “I’m looking forward to the next time me and the kids get together and get our hands in the dirt.”

The Berwyn neighborhood publishes a monthly online newsletter in two languages and distributes a print edition each quarter.

COURTESY OF KELLY JORDAN

As part of a day-long field trip, kids planted peppers, tomatoes and other typical pizza toppings in a garden plot divided into triangles like pizza slices.

COURTESY OF DANIELLE KELLY

City residents, alumni join students on campus for Maryland Day

By ADELIA MCGUIRE

The upbeat sound of music and the smell of Old Bay filled the air at McKeldin Mall as University of Maryland (UMD) students and alumni, along with city residents, celebrated Maryland Day on April 27.

Cloudy skies and intermittent drizzle did not get in the way of the 2024 celebration, which took place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The campus bustled with energy as attendees of all ages and backgrounds explored tents and tables featuring activities, food and information about the campus and surrounding community.

Event organizers split the campus into five learning neighborhoods with nearly 400 free events, including the iconic White vs. Red Maryland football game.

The City of College Park capitalized on Maryland Day to offer attendees information about local resources. According to College Park City Manager Kenny Young, the city has participated in Maryland Day for well over 20 years.

“I think it’s an important event just to showcase what the University of Maryland offers to the community,” Young said. “It gives people a chance to come in and really have an experience of the University of Maryland and its sense of community.”

The city set up a tent in the heart of the mall that was staffed by employees ready to engage with attendees. City staff distributed brochures,

stickers and other free materials and oversaw an array of lawn games, including life-size checkers and chess.

“We’re here to answer questions for a lot of our residents,” Young said. “We have everything from our animal control folks here, our communications team and event folks. We always try to provide something for the kids to do.”

Attendees also had an opportunity to meet the mayor and city councilmembers.

Carson Peters, a doctoral student at the UMD School of Public Health, volunteered to run one of the city’s tables, where families could pick up a free book, courtesy of the city’s Edu-

cation Advisory Committee.

“I think Maryland Day is a really good testament in terms of … academics, partnerships in the community [and] community engagement,” Peters said.

The city’s tabling tent was one of many located around the perimeter of McKeldin Mall. Live music energized the campus, with four student groups, including 32 Bars and the UMD School of Music’s jazz studies program, performing. Grammy Award-winning trombonist Mark Williams, director of the jazz studies program, was on hand to lead his students’ performances.

The UMD Office of Sustainability was one of the various

The University of Maryland campus bustled with energy as attendees of all ages and backgrounds explored tents and tables featuring activities, food and information about the campus and surrounding community.

groups representing the university in Maryland Day’s Terp Town Center, one of the five learning neighborhoods.

Megan Ravert represented the Sustainable Terps, acting as a liaison between attendees and the Office of Sustainability.

“We have a variety of activities and hands-on educational things to show what we’re doing in the office and then also encourage people to recognize

what they do sustainably,” Ravert said.

Activities at the SustainableUMD tent included creating air fresheners out of T-shirts and a seed-planting craft. “It’s cool to see all the clubs, activities and schools showcase what they’re doing,” Ravert said. There’s so many things you don’t think about, day to day, that walking the vicinity of the mall teaches you.”

Maryland Day draws thousands to the campus to learn about the university, the city and the state. ADELIA MCGUIRE

quite a few neighbors, and I’m very pleased that they came with their families.”

According to Ryna Quiñones, the city’s communications and events manager, College Park used to have an annual parade hosted by the College Park Boys & Girls Club, before it eventually fizzled out in the 1990s.

Three years ago, the city brought the parade back on July 4 but in 2023 moved the event to May, making it easier for students from the University of Maryland and local public schools to attend because classes are still in session, Quiñones said.

“This is a very fun and cool opportunity to try to maybe bring in another kind of sect of people to enjoy and participate in the parade,” Quiñones said.

College Park resident Betty Colonomos said when she saw the rain, she thought not many people would turn out but was pleased by the size of the crowd.

Colonomos marched in the parade with the College Park Senior Advisory Committee. She said events like the pa-

rade are important because they allow people to spend quality time with friends and neighbors, especially in stressful times.

“If you can’t stop and smell the roses, or whatever, once in a while, it gets really hard to keep going,” Colonomos said.

Quiñones said the parade — indeed, all of the city’s events — are good for community building.

“There’s something for everybody, for every age, and [our offerings are] very diverse,” Quiñones said. “And what we offer in the parade is just one more example of that.”

City resident Rigo Ayala said he had a great time at the parade.

“I’m actually from LA,” Ayala, who attended the event with his son, said. “We normally do a lot of parades over there.”

He said sometimes people get too busy with what’s going on in their lives that they forget to enjoy themselves and have a good time.

Many people in the crowd dressed as Star Wars characters, such as Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker, as a hat tip to the parade’s theme.

Elena Argueta, 2024 Miss College Park, marched in the

parade as Princess Leia.

“I feel like parades bring the community together,” she said. “I think it’s just enjoying the moment for as it is, right?”

Several members of the College Park City Council also celebrated the event in costume, including College Park City Councilmember Jacob Hernandez (District 1).

“I’ve got a lot of family members that are really into Star Wars,” resident Sue Kohn said. “I enjoyed [the theme], and it wasn’t too much.”

The city approved $31,000 to fund the parade..

Some councilmembers suggested eliminating next year’s parade to save money, as the proposed budget for the 2025 fiscal year would raise residential property taxes for the first time in 10 years.

After receiving more than a dozen emails from residents asking the council to reverse the decision, the council restored $33,000 to the proposed budget for next year’s parade.

“Thankfully, it was put back,” Kabir told College Park Here & Now at the parade.

And while next year’s budget hasn’t received final approval yet, Kabir said he hopes the funding for the parade will remain.

Psychiatrist revisits impact of urban renewal on Lakeland

By KAYLA NAZAIRE

The University of Maryland is the biggest looming threat to what is left of the Lakeland community, a renowned social psychiatrist said on April 17.

“They obviously need to grow,” Dr. Mindy Fullilove told community members at a town hall at Washington Brazilian Seventh-day Adventist Church, located where the old Lakeland School once sat. “Where are they going? They’re coming this way. They’re coming every way. They’re coming for the whole city.”

The city’s Restorative Justice Commission invited Fullilove, professor of urban policy and health at New York City’s The New School, to discuss her book, Root Shock: How Tearing Up City Neighborhoods Hurts America and What We Can Do About It, as a part of the commission’s series of events exploring restorative justice.

Fullilove said she began her research in 1986 in the San Francisco Bay Area, studying the AIDS epidemic. However, the community was also overrun by a crack epidemic, violence and post-traumatic stress as a result of that violence.

“And so we said to ourselves, why are so many epidemics happening?” Fullilove told the audience of more than 50. “And we knew that where they were happening were [in the] disinvested cities of the United States.”

Answering the question of how these once-thriving neighborhoods disintegrated over time became the focus of Fullilove’s work.

She showed old photos of Pittsburgh — images by photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris of community-organized parades and men playing checkers on the street — before urban renewal. She said they reminded her of old photos of Lakeland.

“This is a healthy community,” Fullilove said of historic Lakeland. “This is the true foundation of all health, all mental health, all physical health. … People are living together and helping each other.”

However, much like in Pittsburgh and Lakeland, urban renewal was carried out in 993 cities across America — all told, some 2,532 projects. Two-thirds of residents displaced by those projects were Black, and three-fourths were people of color, according to Fullilove. The result, she said, was “crippling.”

Urban renewal occurred largely between 1949 and 1974 as part of the federal government’s effort to modernize cities and update aging infrastructure.

From the 1960s through the 1980s, the city’s urban renewal efforts in Lakeland demolished 104 of the community’s 150 homes, displacing two-thirds of the families that lived there.

“We don’t take blows easily as human

beings; we’re hurt by them, and the hurt doesn’t go away. It goes into our bodies,” Fullilove said.

Today, Lakeland deals with the lingering effects of urban renewal, Fullilove said, and is now grappling with an abundance of high-priced student housing and few single-family homes. Fullilove

called student housing “a form of gentrification.”

Fullilove said Lakeland is unique because it was incorporated into a college town. Yet while the university can seem like a “rapacious growth machine,” as she noted, it also can be a resource for the community.

Fullilove, who once taught at Columbia University, shared how that university swallowed up neighboring familyowned businesses and replaced them with high-end facilities in the name of progress.

Fullilove cited four pillars of a healthy society that were evident in Lakeland before the city’s urban renewal initiative: connection to nature, care for the children, social spaces and lots of small, affordable houses.

College Park City Councilmember John Rigg (District 3) asked Fullilove how to restore Lakeland, which has no land available to rebuild the 104 displaced homes. Lake Artemesia now covers twothirds of historic Lakeland, Rigg said. The city does not own the lake, which is part of the Prince George’s County parks system.

“What if we understand Lakeland in another way?” Fullilove responded. “What if we understand Lakeland as the four pillars of a healthy urban habitat? And what if we said restoring Lakeland is lifting up what it taught us?”

Mindy Fullilove, professor at The New School and author of Root Shock COURTESY ALL AMERICAN ENTERTAINMENT

College Park’s May 4 parade featured community groups, musicians and dancers. ZOE BRUNTON

no matter how I get it to them. So until we can tell you your school is OK, they’re going to get some kind of supplemental water.”

The school district’s budget includes an annual allocation of $200,000 to address this issue. That amount is enough to change out the fixtures of four to five schools, Stefanelli said.

“It’s all about funding,” he said, noting that new schools are built to today’s standards and that , the problem will eventually subside as the district replaces older schools over time.

In addition to grappling with issues of funding, the school district faces the problem of relocating students when plumbing is shut off as a school undergoes renovations, Stefanelli said.

College Park students attend at least five schools testing positive for higher-than-allowed levels of lead, according to data published by Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS). The county places the limit at 5 parts lead per billion parts water, while the federal government’s limit is 15 parts per billion.

Paint Branch Elementary has 14 water sources that exceed the

SUMMER

and restaurateurs will launch time-limited promotions, offer freebies at local farmers markets, feature brunches and happy hours, and even close up shop earlier in the evening.

“It’s a lot slower, but there are more local sales,” Bobby Welch, a year-round employee of One Stop Shop, a convenience store on College Avenue, said.

Welch, who estimated that up to half of the store’s customers are students, said the shop relies on foot traffic from nearby shops, like the ever-popular Insomnia Cookies, to keep the business afloat off-season.

Amy Bo, a supervisor at Dog Haus Biergarten, which opened in February and will face its first off-season in College Park this summer, said the gourmet hot dog restaurant aims to attract locals by hosting regular happy hours and might introduce a trivia night.

“Happy hour is going to be a really big thing in the summer,” Bo said. “During the school year … we don’t really have it.”

Even with sparse evening crowds during summer, Bo said she expects daytime traffic to pick up as potential university students and their families will be in town.

Burtons Grill & Bar in Riverdale

county’s limit. Hollywood Elementary has eight water sources testing above that limit, and University Park Elementary has one, according to PGCPS data.

Stefanelli said if a water source tests above the county’s limit, it will be either shut off or removed completely. Some water sources that are necessary to keep a school operational, such as sinks in classrooms, are retained but have signs labeling them unsafe to drink from.

According to the county’s data, Berwyn Heights and Cherokee Lane elementary schools have no sources exceeding the county’s limit.

Parkdale and High Point high schools have eight and nine water sources, respectively, that exceed the county’s limit. Water testing results have not been published for Hyattsville Middle School, which is new, or for College Park Academy, a public charter school.

Jaclyn Bruner, president of the Hollywood Elementary PTA, said it’s been difficult to get information about the problem as a parent.

“I’m just kind of frustrated at the lack of information, and the differing amounts of information that we get when you try to inquire about this issue,” she said.

Park will promote its recently added Saturday brunches, Monday happy hours and Wine Wednesdays, when bottles are half price, General Manager Taneesha Johnson said.

“Once students leave campus, there’s typically a noticeable shift in our business,” Johnson said.

“There’s a seasonality to our business, and the summer gives us the opportunity to regroup as a team and focus on improving in any areas needed.”

Potbelly lures locals in with free samples during the summer but relies more heavily on its catering services to get it through the slow season, store manager James Taylor said.

Employees at national chains like &pizza, Cold Stone Creamery and Panda Express said their College Park stores will experiment with menu changes and schedule fewer employees during the summer.

The absence of the usual student crowds could dim the energy at some stores and restaurants, the managers said.

“During the school year, it’s pretty busy, which makes the time go by fast,” Leilani Blunt, an employee of Marathon Deli, said. “Over the summer, the pace relaxes. … It’s not a drastic change, but definitely slower than how it is during the school year.”

Some

Bruner said she would like to see the school district and families work cooperatively toward a more constructive approach to the issue.

“I’m hopeful … that can be the climate that PGCPS operates in, and that it’s not always this feeling like you’re on two sides,” she said.

College Park resident Christina Toy echoed Bruner’s position, saying she wants more transparency from the school district.

“I would like more organization and clarity of communication when it comes to the testing of the water,” Toy said.

Toy, who has two kids in county schools, said the district should reach out to parents when new testing results are published so more parents are aware of the situation.

The issue mostly affects schools built decades ago that have water fixtures cast in lead molds; Stefanelli said the casting process caused lead to leach into the fixtures.

Lori Murrow, a former member of the Maryland State Board of Education, said the issue will not be easy to resolve.

“Being able to change out all of the lead piping in these schools is a massive undertaking, and it’s just not likely to

during the summer rather than adding new incentives.

Ledo Pizza, for example, shuts down its bar and does not serve alcohol once campus empties. The home of the square pizza operates on a reduced schedule and hires fewer servers, Ethan Schmiel, the restaurant’s counter supervisor, said.

At Cava, Gutierrez keeps idle staff busy during quiet stretches by assigning them extra cleaning chores, while other places hire fewer workers, partly because of a

happen,” she said.

Murrow added it would be good for families to be informed at the beginning of the school year if lead has been detected in a school’s fixtures.

Stefanelli said the district will shut off drinking water for an entire building that has a severe lead problem. He added that schools with less severe issues are easier to deal with.

“Because we’ll find you have two or three in a school, but it doesn’t really affect the kids’ ability to drink if we just shut those off or remove them completely,” he said. “So that way that school is basically safe.”

College Park City Councilmember Susan Whitney (District 2) said fixing the problem should be a priority but acknowledged it is

lack of students applying for summer jobs.

Some managers view the thinner summer crowds and lighter traffic as an opportunity to reach out to locals who might avoid downtown College Park during the bustling school year.

Blunt said partnering with delivery services such as Uber Eats has boosted business from city residents who want to avoid Baltimore Avenue traffic, and she anticipates retaining those customers through the summer.

an “expensive proposition.”

“Our infrastructure is aging, and this is an unfortunate result of that,” Whitney said. “Would I like to see more lead pipe remediation in our schools? Absolutely. Do I understand what it is to have limits, dollar limits, of what you can do? I understand that, too.”

Whitney said she would like to see more than one filtered water fountain per school to ensure student access.

Whitney, whose daughter attends Eleanor Roosevelt High School, added that she would also like to see the district’s plan going forward for removing lead fixtures.

“I would love to see a lead pipe remediation plan on a district level,” Whitney said.

One store, Stripe 3 Adidas, typically loses fewer sales from June through August than its neighbors, manager Zach Lee said. Lee noted that the store relies more on orders during sports seasons than from student walk-ins during the school year. He said fewer than 10% of the store’s customers are university students.

As with Ledo Pizza and a number of other establishments in the city, the largely empty campus means fewer available hires for Stripe 3 Adidas.

Hollywood Elementary is one of up to 150 public schools in the county with lead in some water fixtures. SAM GAUNTT

Police charge suspect in Holiday Inn shooting

By LILLIAN GLAROS

Prince George’s County Police (PGPD) have charged a suspect with attempted murder in a shooting that occurred around 4 a.m. on March 12 at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites at 9020 Baltimore Avenue in College Park.

PGPD’s Gun Crimes Unit Commander Lt. Paul Gambardella said a woman was critically injured and taken to the hospital, but she has since been discharged. The victim knew her assailant and told police they had arrived at the hotel together, according to Gambardella.

Police took the male suspect into custody on March 14. Christina Cotterman, PGPD’s assistant manager for media relations, said the suspect faces charges of attempted first- and second-degree murder, assault in the first and second degree, and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Separately, a pair of shootings on April 11 and 15 at the Bowlero bowling alley, at 9021 Baltimore Avenue, remain under investigation, according to police. These shootings do not appear to be connected to each other or to the hotel incident, police said.

The April 11 shooting, which occurred around 10:30 p.m., left one male victim in critical condition (as of press time, he is

listed in stable condition). Police found the victim inside the bowling alley but said he was shot outside.

Police said the shooting resulted from a dispute between two adult men.

As of press time, a suspect had not been arrested.

The April 15 incident, which occurred shortly after midnight, resulted in no injuries. After receiving a call reporting gunfire, police located an adult male

who said he was shot at by an unknown assailant, Gambardella said. The suspect or suspects were riding in a black sedan, according to police. As of press time, no arrests had been made.

Anyone with information about the shootings should contact Prince George’s County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477), online at pgcrimesolvers.com or via the P3 Tips mobile app, available at the Apple and Google Play stores.

Council schedules hearing on budget

By SHARON O’MALLEY

College Park residents may weigh in on the city’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 at a public hearing scheduled for May 7 at 7:30 p.m. at city hall.

The city council will vote on the proposal at its regular Tuesday evening meeting on May 21. The council has scheduled a budget worksession for May 14, which it will conduct only if needed.

The new budget will take effect on July 1, the first day of the next fiscal year.

The proposed budget would increase the residential property tax rate by 13%, marking the city’s first residential rate hike in a decade. City officials have estimated that the proposed increase of 4 cents per $100 of a home’s assessed value would add $156 a year to the tax bill of an average-priced College Park home.

The new rate would reflect an increase in property taxes from 30.18 cents per $100 of assessed value to 34.18 cents.

Residents also may join the public hearing via Zoom.

Police have arrested a suspect in one of the three shootings that occurred in College Park between March 12 and April 14. ADOBE STOCK PHOTO