05-2024 Hyattsville Life & Times

Hyattsville’s FY 2025 budget in progress

By CLAIRE PANAK TOMBES

Hyattsville’s fiscal year 2025 budget proposes $27.5 million in revenue and $32.3 million in expenditures and transfers, a $4.9 million excess of expenditures over revenues. According to the current proposal, as of press time, the city expects to begin FY 2025 with $21.1 million in the general fund. When compared

How 35 local investors helped pioneer solar for the community

By PAUL RUFFINS

n important innovation in solar energy for producing both electricity and hot water 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 (UPCS) LLC, that would enable

Beer and American Sign Language build bridges for hearing community

By JESSICA ARENDS

On a warm April evening, about 10 people with freshly poured beers gathered hesitantly around a large wooden table at Streetcar 82 Brewing Co.

While the beer vats hummed and overhead fans ticked, instructor Allen Markel silently wrote “Rules” on a whiteboard and pointed to his first finger to indicate rule number one. Dragging an open palm with his thumb tucked in down his cheek, he signed and mouthed the word “beer” and adamantly shook a finger to say “No.” A few folks pulled their glasses closer to them and glanced at one another. Markel broke a smile, lifted his eyebrows and waved

an open palm: Just kidding. Laughter, a release of nervous jitters — our first American Sign Language lesson: the sign for “beer,” along with the encouraging message, Relax! We’re going to have fun learning how to sign.

To introduce himself, Markel made the sign for “deaf” by drawing a line with his index finger up his cheek to his ear and pointing to himself. Making a sad face, he shook his finger: “No.” Then he made the sign for “deaf” again, smiled and pointed to himself. His message: There’s no need to feel sad. I’m Deaf, and I am happy. For Markel, our attitude towards the Deaf community is just as important as learning how to sign. With no verbs to conjugate and an abundance of visual cues, ASL is easy to learn, right?

Not exactly. There are three different ways to sign the number 25. When signing the time, like 12 o’clock, you give your hand a shake to say “on the dot,” whereas signing the date, like April 12, is done with the fingers held still.

When asked how it felt to communicate without speaking for 90 minutes, Silver Spring resident Alexis White said, “It was uncomfortable, honestly. I had to keep reminding myself not to talk. But signing is more intuitive than I thought it would be.”

White said she first tried to learn ASL using an app, but there weren’t many to choose from, and she realized after the first Streetcar 82 class that what she learned from the

Allen Markel has been teaching the four-session American Sign Language class at Streetcar 82 Brewing Co. since 2022. JACOB HUNTING

Freeing tweens and teens from the hold of screens

By HEATHER WRIGHT

“When can I get a smartphone?” your child asks.

“Everyone else has one.” A modern question, followed by a timehonored rationale.

You’re leery of the addictive quality of smartphones and social media, and you’ve read the research — much of it consolidated and examined by Jonathan Haidt in The Anxious Generation — linking anxiety, depression, poor attention and sleep deprivation to their use. And then there’s the question of what early exposure to pornography and explicit violence does to the developing brain.

Haidt’s central claim in the book is that “two trends — overprotection in the real world and underprotection in the virtual world — are the major reasons why children born after 1995 became the anxious generation.” In a compelling vignette, he describes a mom whose 14-year-old daughter attended a six-week summer camp that didn’t allow phones or electronics. “Whenever we picked her up from camp, she was her normal self. But as soon as she started using her phone again, it was back to the same agitation and glumness,” she told Haidt. “Last year, I took her phone away for two months and gave her a flip phone, and she returned to her normal self.”

After reading the book, I be-

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came more curious about families in Hyattsville who had, for various reasons, decided to protect their children more in the virtual world — and what this might look like. I interviewed four Hyattsville moms of tweens and teens who have taken a lower-tech approach to parenting.

Shani Warner’s seventh grade daughter has never asked for a smartphone and seems fine without one, which Warner credits to her 12-year-old’s disposition. “My kid is very chill and kind of nerdy and bookish and a little introverted,” she said.

Warner points to a few other factors, too, including friends and activities within walking distance, a standing weekly playdate, and a laid back weekend schedule that allows dropin friend visits.

To avoid acting as their daughter’s social secretaries, Warner

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and her husband gave her a flip phone, which she rarely uses.

“It’s like a paperweight at home that is usually uncharged,” Warner explained. The 12-year-old doesn’t have a social media presence and only has access to YouTube when a parent is present. Warner half-jokingly said she wanted to delay her daughter’s smartphone ownership until college, but is willing to follow her daughter’s lead.

Anne Baum’s approach with her two daughters, grades seven and nine, has focused on proactive discussions and the parental controls available, especially on iPhones.

Baum said that she and her daughters have repeatedly discussed relevant topics like how social media can affect girls’ emotions and the ubiquity of online pornography. In describing her overall approach, Baum said, “I

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want to protect my kids, but then I also try to be aware that this is the world in which they live. So I want to try as best I can to expose them to those things they’re going to be exposed to while I can still have some influence over it.”

Baum’s younger daughter has a smartwatch, and her older one received an iPhone only after graduating from eighth grade. But the phone came with lots of limitations, including no social media apps and no use from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. After a successful first quarter of high school, her ninth grader negotiated successfully for 30 minutes a day on Instagram. Baum noted that she finds it much easier to limit and track internet use on a smartphone than on a laptop.

Lara Beaven said that she and her husband didn’t purposely set out on a lower-tech path, but as they learned more about the downfalls of social media and the darker side of the internet, they became more deliberate about limiting their children’s access. Neither child has a smartphone, and the schools they attend help support this choice. Their sixth grade son attends Takoma Academy Preparatory School, which strongly discourages smartphone use during the school day, according to Beaven. Their daughter is a freshman at a Virginia boarding school that, as of this school year, only allows Gabb phones, which have no internet browser or social media apps — and the school collects even these phones at night. The school has its own computer labs and doesn’t allow any personal digital devices, like laptops or tablets.

Jeanne Schindler and her husband are purposely creating a lower-tech ethos for their three children, grades six, eight and 10. About three years ago, when their older son, then age 12, faced pressure from peers to get a smartphone, the Schindlers sought out other like-minded families so that their son wouldn’t feel as left out. Twenty-four Hyattsville-area families, most of whom homeschool or send their kids to Catholic schools, attended two planning meetings — giving rise to their creating what they call the Postman Pledge, in fall 2021.

(The name pays alliterative homage to the work of media critic and education professor Neil Postman.) Consistent with the pledge, none of Schindler’s children have smartphones or access to social media.

Schindler emphasizes that the pledge’s tech restrictions are in service of something positive: celebrating culture, communities and friendships. To that end, the group, which has grown to 40 families, holds monthly events that incorporate some combination of community dancing, live music and singing, and games. “I want my children to be free to encounter the world as it is, not mediated through a screen,” Schindler said.

A number of strategies used by these local families are in line with Haidt’s recommendations for parents, including delaying giving kids smartphones until high school; delaying the opening of social media accounts until 16; using devices’ parental controls and content filters; setting up regular and structured screen-free family and communal activities; talking with children about online risks and listening to their thoughts; and focusing more on in-person activities and sleep than on total screen hours.

Most of the moms I interviewed said they experienced some challenges, including pushback, as they sought to limit their children’s exposure to technology. Both Baum and Beaven noted difficulties monitoring and restricting the use of non-phone devices, like schoolissued Chromebooks. Beaven’s and Schindler’s sons periodically complain and argue about their tech restrictions. Schindler added that her older son has a number of friends outside the pledge group who’ve mocked and criticized him for not having more digital access.

Still, they trust that their children understand (or will, eventually) their concerns about screens and social media.

Baum described an encouraging moment when she was driving her older daughter and some of her friends this past fall. One of her daughter’s friends explained that her parents limited her time on social media. After Baum’s daughter said that her parents did, too, the friend continued, “Yeah, but I’m kind of glad that my parents do that because it shows me how much they care about me.”

Heather Wright is the associate editor of the Life & Times

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Strange (bud) fellows

By RICK BORCHELT

One of nature’s most intriguing and complex pollinator-plant interactions is playing out in yucca plants all across North America over the next month or two — including in our local yards and gardens.

Most of us know yuccas on sight, even when they aren’t in bloom, by their stiff, pointed, swordlike leaves. They’re evergreen, so they stick out like a sore thumb, especially in winter (pun intended, since their sharp leaf tips can puncture skin easily). In summer, these spiky clumps throw up tall creamy spires of flowers, dozens on each stem, though they don’t all open at once.

A few weeks after bloom, you’ll see large round seed pods forming on the stalk. Clearly something helped pollinate the flowers so they could set seeds. But if you had been looking for hummingbirds or butterflies or bees to visit these flowers, you’d have struck out. Who was the mystery pollinator?

When yuccas are blooming, if you fold open a few of the flowers, the overwhelming odds are you’ll find small moths the same shade of white as the petal clinging to the inside of the blossom, near the base. These are one of several species of yucca moths. All yucca moths are in the same taxonomic family — Prodoxidae — and in our area, they will be either Tegeticula yuccasella, the typical yucca moth, or the bogus yucca moth, Prodoxus decipiens. Both have the same complicated life history.

A yucca moth’s life revolves entirely around yucca plants. Adult moths appear as soon as the plants start to bloom. The males hunt for females among the flowers, and mating almost always takes place on or in a flower. They’re short-lived moths, and they don’t feed as adults. That’s why entomologists were really puzzled when they noticed female yucca moths gathering pollen as they flew from one yucca flower to another.

Turns out, those females are

pollinating the yuccas, delivering pollen among the plants and fertilizing the flowers so they can produce seeds. What a kind, altruistic thing to do, one might think.

Except nature is seldom kind or altruistic. The female moth is simply ensuring that her caterpillars will have food waiting for them when her eggs hatch.

After she fertilizes the flower, the moth lays her eggs inside the blossom where the seeds will develop. As they grow, the caterpillars feed on the immature seeds. The female moth lays only a few eggs in each flower, ensuring both that her caterpillars have enough seeds to see them to pupation and that the yucca has enough seeds left over, after the caterpillars eat their fill, to perpetuate its own population for future generations of moths.

To be sure there aren’t so many caterpillars that they eat all the seeds, the female yucca moth scent-marks flowers on which she has laid eggs. Her scent warns other females that this pantry is already spoken

Top-ranked in the DC metro area Top-ranked in the DC metro area

Female

yucca moth, probably Tegeticula yuccasella COURTESY OF JUDY GALLAGHER

for: Go find another yucca flower for your caterpillars.

This finely tuned relationship between yuccas and both true and bogus yucca moths is called mutualism — both species depend on each other for existence. Wherever yuccas are planted, even well outside their normal southern and western ranges, yucca moths follow. I’ve even found them in a yucca plant in the middle of a salt marsh miles from any other yucca stand.

Yuccas and yucca moths

aren’t the only species sharing a relationship like this. If you’re fond of figs, you might be surprised that they, too, have pollinators that fertilize the flowers and lay their eggs inside maturing fig fruit.

Fig fruits are actually inverted flowers — what we know as a fig is really the fleshy stem around many tiny fruits packed together, all facing inward toward each other. Think of it as an inside-out strawberry, with all the seeds on the inside. The delicate crunch of figs comes from those tiny seeds. In their ancestral lands, wild figs require the services of a tiny wasp that crawls inside the multi-flower through a special narrow entrance and fertilizes all the tiny ovaries. Then, just like the yucca moth, she lays some eggs to feed on the developing seeds, though not so many eggs that the resulting caterpillars will eat all of them.

Fig wasps don’t even have a common name, but all of them are in the genus Pegoscapus. Each species of Pegoscapus fertilizes its own species of fig, and the fig flowers produce scents that only appeal to that species of wasp. A female wasp often breaks off her

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In a race to meet ARPA deadlines, Council reprioritizes programs

By JACOB HUNTING

At its April 15 meeting, the Hyattsville City Council moved to discontinue its mental health youth program and vandalism recovery prevention program, and to reallocate the funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) as the deadline for using those funds approaches.

The funds from the ARPA grant, which were distributed during the pandemic to help cities with public health and economic recovery, must be assigned to programs by the end of the 2024 calendar year, according to American Rescue Plan Program Manager Patrick Paschall, who spoke during the meeting and noted the importance of obligating the funds.

“If we don’t have any dollars legally obligated by the end of this calendar year, we will be legally required to return them to the federal government,” Paschall said.

Just over 35% of the funding that had not been obligated before the meeting was spread around to a multitude of programs, including rent stabilization programs, public Wi-Fi studies and government employee hires — including a grant writer.

Contracts for the remaining funding must be in place by the end of the year, and the money must be spent by the December 2026 deadline. Paschall noted

The funds from the ARPA grant, which were distributed during the pandemic to help cities with public health and economic recovery, must be assigned to programs by the end of the 2024 calendar year.

the extended timeline, with new bills having to go through committee and public debate before they can be passed. In his presentation, Paschall said he would “recommend against executing any new projects with ARPA funds.”

Councilmembers, including Joseph Solomon (Ward 5), discussed the complexities of moving the funds around and what programs that have been funded by ARPA would need to continue.

“If we did want to continue [the programs] outside of ARPA, they would either require a separate amendment to the bud-

get we’re working on now … or we include it in a future year’s budget,” Solomon said.

The mental health youth program was started by the Hyattsville City Council in collaboration with the Hope Center for Wellness to provide free mental health services to children and families. The project was funded by ARPA, and the council agreed to a one-year pilot program with the wellness center this March, with the program to run from May 2024 to June 2025.

The Hyattsville Crossing Business Improvement District (BID) is one of the programs receiving the reallocated funds.

The Hyattsville BID is an economic development that “allows for collective investment in services and activities to enhance the vitality of a targeted geographic area for businesses, residents, and visitors,” according to its website.

Solomon mentioned how important the BID is, stating that this district is one of the most important to the growth of the area.

“Hyattsville Crossing was determined to be a second downtown for Prince George’s County,” Solomon said, “part of the future economic growth for not just the City of Hyattsville but for Prince George’s County.”

During the meeting, funds from the ARPA grant were also reallocated to fund lights along the Alternate Route 1 Corridor for the 2024 holiday season. Councilmember Joanne Waszczak (Ward 1) said she hoped the new lighting would not only make residents feel safer because of increased visibility at night, but also provide a festive look in downtown Hyattsville and increased interest in the area’s shopping centers.

wings when she squeezes through the opening slit, but it doesn’t matter — she will die inside the fig after running around on all the fig flowers dropping pollen she brought with her from the fig that birthed her.

Male wasps are wingless and never leave the fig; they mate with fresh females, who then fly off to find a new fig. If a female wasp develops quickly enough to emerge before the fig gets eaten by a farmers market shopper, she gathers pollen from her birth fig and carries it off to pollinate another.

When we eat figs, we eat all of these things — the original female wasps, the dead males, and the developing grubs that haven’t yet made it to adulthood. For the squeamish, though, it may help to know that many cultivated figs are self-fertile and don’t rely on wasps to pollinate them.

Pollination can be as straightforward as a bee carrying pollen from one flower to another, or as complicated as the relationship between moths and yuccas or wasps and figs. The closer we look, the more we find that partnerships and enlightened selfinterest between plants and insects seem to be the rule rather than the exception — partnerships we’re still working to discover.

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

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My Dead Aunt’s Books remains Hyattsville Arts District staple

By JESS DANINHIRSCH

What comes to mind when you hear of a business with the word “dead” in its title? Some may find it amusing, some may be offended. It might even make some people nervous.

Bob Harper, owner of My Dead Aunt’s Books, has seen all sorts of reactions to the name of his independent secondhand bookstore. But one thing remains the same: The well-used bookshop is alive and kicking.

The store is named for Harper’s wife’s aunt, Gingie, who spent her life traveling the globe and collecting books, according to the store’s website.

Harper said Gingie and her husband, Freddie, traveled to Ireland nearly every summer and brought back books each time. They also frequented Cape May, N.J., where they would often pass through used bookstores. Mystery and horror were their favorite genres to collect.

When Aunt Gingie passed away, she left her collection of around 300 to 400 books to Harper’s wife, Sarah, who is not involved in the business, and to Sarah’s twin brother.

“They were the aunt and uncle that had no children, so my wife was sort of their [child]. We hung out with them quite often,” Harper explained in an interview. “The picture on the logo is actually a picture of Aunt Gingie from when she was young, hanging on the back of a boxcar in Baltimore.”

Harper said he is keeping Aunt Gingie’s memory alive by bringing old books back from the dead.

The whole business started online. Tasked with pricing Aunt Gingie’s books, Harper began by searching databases from other vendors to see the prices for which they sold similar titles.

“After I found some of those vendors, some of them tried to convince me that I should try to sell them myself rather than sell them to them,” Harper said. He decided to open his own online business through AbeBooks, an online marketplace for booksellers. When the books started to outgrow his house, Harper moved them to a brickand-mortar store, called Robert Harper Books, in Riverdale Park, in March 2016.

Since relocating to Hyattsville and opening My Dead Aunt’s Books in November 2018,

I've

Harper said that he has had over 150,000 books between Aunt Gingie’s collection and the books sold to him to resell. He has already sold 100,000 of those. Currently, he has about 50,000 left for sale, and between 20,000 and 30,000 left to enter into the database.

Harper archives the books that are not on the store’s

shelves in a warehouse along the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail, about a block away from the main store. He hopes to one day open the warehouse as a storefront itself so customers can shop there, as well. For now, however, there’s the colorful brick facade across from Franklin’s Restaurant at 5132 Baltimore Avenue. For five years, My Dead Aunt’s Books has been situated in the SoHy Arts Building, which houses numerous other businesses, including a tattoo shop and a recording studio.

My Dead Aunt’s Books shares the first floor with Suffragette City Vintage and Cheeky Vintage, two secondhand clothing and commodities stores. Customers can shop for books, records, clothing, jewelry, and even home decor, all in one stop.

Harper said he believes that this cohesive co-op setup helps all three of their businesses by allowing them to stay open longer, since only one person needs to man the cash register at a time.

Holli Mintzer, owner of Suffragette City Vintage, agreed with Harper, saying the job would be much harder if the owners did not share the space. “I think most people who try to hold down a brick-and-mortar [store] by themselves will find, ‘Oh, wait, either I’m here or we’re closed.’ Those are the only options,” Mintzer said in an interview. “And that’s a really, really good way to burn out.”

The building that houses My

Want

Bob Harper, owner of My Dead Aunt’s Books, stands by the fiction shelves at his store in the SoHy Arts Building, left, on Baltimore Avenue in March.

JESS DANINHIRSCH

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Our list of events sponsored by local nonprofits, arts organizations and performance venues, occurring between May 8 and June 11; all information is current as of May 3. 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 June 12 to July 9 to managingeditor@ hyattsvillelife.com by May 31.

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

Riverdale Park Farmers Market is open every

Thursday from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot near the Riverdale MARC Station, 4650 Queensbury Rd. Live music every week from roughly 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. (May 9: Spice Cake; May 23: Rodeo Motel; May 30: Band Brûlée; June 6: Mike Elosh) For more information, contact rpkfarmmkt@gmail.com.

ONGOING

Come view “ e Genesis Project: Volume 4,” featuring the collaborative work of Kay Lee and Becky McFall. Free. Through May 18. 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

“MashUp,” Pyramid Atlantic’s Fifth Annual Members Exhibition, will be on view from May 17 to June 23. Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, 4218 Gallatin St. pyramidatlanticartcenter.org. 301.608.9101

MAY 8

Engage in open and honest conversations about life, death and everything in between with Capital Caring Health. Death Cafe provides a safe space for discussing end-of-life topics, funeral planning, cultural beliefs and personal reflections on death. Free. Register at pgcmls.info/events. 2 to 3:30 p.m. Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adelphi Rd. 240.455.5451

MAY 10

Maryland Meadworks welcomes the Jay Byrd

Trio. Free. 7 to 10 p.m. 4700 Rhode Island Ave., Suite Bee. 201.955.9644. marylandmeadworks.com

Come listen to Stephen Wade and Dave Evans in concert. Grammy-nominated musician Wade is a banjoist, historian, storyteller and folk singer, and Evans is a blues singer and guitarist, who has made over 70 international tours to 23 countries. Free. 8 to 10 p.m. Archie Edwards Blues Foundation, 4502 Hamilton St. acousticblues.com

MAY 11

Unring the Bell plays at Streetcar 82 Brewing Co. Free. 7 to 9 p.m. 4824 Rhode Island Ave. streetcar82brewing.com

MAY 12

Mother’s Day tours of Riversdale: Hear about some of the mothers who lived and labored at Riversdale, and stop in the open-hearth kitchen where kitchen guild members prepare Mother’s

MAY 15

Spend an afternoon at the Hyattsville Branch Library for coffee and a screening of the 1938 classic screwball comedy “Bringing Up Baby” (102 min.). Free. Register at pgcmls. info/events. 1 to 3 p.m. 6530 Adelphi Rd. 240.455.5451

Day specialties. Free for mothers in celebration of Mother’s Day. Noon and 2 p.m. Riversdale House Museum, 4811 Riverdale Rd, Riverdale Park. 301.864.0420. riversdale@ pgparks.com

MAY 13

Create crochet botanicals for the spring at Craft and Create: Botanical Crochet. Free, for teens and adults. Register at pgcmls.info/events. 3 to 5 p.m. Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adelphi Rd. 240.455.5451

MAY 17

Brencore All Stars present a Phyllis Hyamn tribute show, including performances of “Betcha by Golly Wow,” “You Know How to Love Me” and more. $15. Purchase tickets through pgparksdirect.com. 11 a.m. to noon. Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Rd., Cheverly. 301.277.1710. publickplayhouse@pgparks.com

MAY 19

Presented by the Hyattsville Preservation Association, the 41st Historic Hyattsville House Tour is a self-guided tour featuring seven homes of various styles and periods. A city bus will continuously circle the tour route. Advance tickets (until May 18) $20; day-of-tour tickets $25 (available after 12:30 p.m. at the Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310

Gallatin St.) 1 to 5 p.m. 301. 699.0440. hpahyattsville.org

MAY 24

Jazz duo Peter Tavalin and Teresa Jiménez perform at Maryland Meadworks. Free. 7 to 10 p.m. 4700 Rhode Island Ave., Suite Bee. 201.955.9644. marylandmeadworks.com

MAY 25

No Favors in concert at Streetcar 82 Brewing Co. Free. 7 to 9 p.m. 4824 Rhode Island Ave. streetcar82brewing.com

JUNE 6 & 7

e Earth, Wind & Fire Tribute Band, a 14-member ensemble, will perform Earth, Wind & Fire’s most popular songs, including “Shining Star,” “September,” “Let’s Groove” and many more. $15. Purchase tickets through pgparksdirect. com. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, 8 to 9:30 p.m. Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Rd., Cheverly. 301.277.1710. publickplayhouse@pgparks.com

JUNE 7,8 & 9

“MANIFEST: Encore!” is an engaging — and evolving — dance exhibition by Marcus Isaiah that celebrates openness, honesty and authenticity in the human experience. General $35, VIP $55. Purchase tickets at joesmovement.org. Friday and Saturday, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Joe’s Movement Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Rd., Mt. Rainier. 301.699.1819

JUNE 8

As a part of the museum’s 30th anniversary tear, Riversdale House Museum will be hosting a Riversdale Descendents Reunion, featuring speakers, music, conversation circles and reinterpretation, in partnership with the Riversdale Historical Society and the Riversdale Descendants Network. Free. 10 a.m. to noon. 4811 Riverdale Rd, Riverdale Park. 301.864.0420. riversdale@ pgparks.com

The Hyattsville Reporter

New Wellness Programs!

The City of Hyattsville recognizes May as Mental Health Awareness Month. This month we are launching In Wellness We Thrive, a new bilingual mental health program for Hyattsville’s youth, in partnership with the Hope Center for Wellness.

The program provides free individual and family therapy, workshops for teens, and a community mental wellness education series. Learn more and pre-register at hyattsville.org/mental-healthprograms.

MAKE THE SWITCH! LEAF BLOWER TRADE-IN

The City’s next gas-powered leaf blower trade-in is on May 18, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., at the DPW Operations Center. Hyattsville residents and landscape contractors can trade in gas-powered blowers for a reimbursement of up to 25% (max $50) on the cost of an electric blower. Learn more at hyattsville.org/ leafblower.

A reminder that the City’s ban on gas powered leaf blowers will go into effect on July 1, 2024. Residents may be issued warning notices and subsequent fines for using gas powered blowers after that date. Property owners are responsible if their landscape contractors are using gas powered equipment.

¡Nuevos Programas de Bienestar!

La Ciudad de Hyattsville reconoce mayo como el Mes de la Concienciación sobre la Salud Mental. Este mes inauguramos Con Bienestar Prosperamos, un nuevo programa bilingüe de salud mental para los jóvenes de Hyattsville, en colaboración con el Hope Center for Wellness.

El programa ofrece terapia individual y familiar gratuita, talleres para adolescentes y una serie educativa comunitaria sobre bienestar mental. Más información e inscripción en hyattsville.org/mental-health-programs.

¡HAZ EL CAMBIO! INTERCAMBIA SOPLADORES DE HOJAS

El intercambio de sopladores de hojas de gas de la Ciudad será el 18 de mayo, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., en el Centro de Operaciones DPW. Los residentes de Hyattsville y los contratistas de jardinería pueden canjear sopladores de gas por un reembolso de hasta el 25% (máximo 50 $) del coste de un soplador eléctrico. Más información en hyattsville.org/leafblower.

Recordamos que la prohibición de los sopladores de hojas de gas entrará en vigor el 1 de julio de 2024. Los residentes pueden recibir avisos de advertencia y multas posteriores por el uso de sopladores de gas después de esa fecha. Los propietarios son responsables si sus contratistas de jardinería utilizan equipos de gas.

ANNOUNCEMENTS | ANUNCIOS

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE VANDALISM PREVENTION & RECOVERY GRANTS!

Hyattsville small businesses and non-profits can apply for the City’s Vandalism Recovery & Prevention Grants Program to receive reimbursements from recent vandalism incidents and/or make security upgrades. Qualifying applicants can receive up to $4,000 in funding. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until June 30, 2024, or funds are exhausted. Read eligibility requirements and apply at hyattsville.org/grants. Questions? Email smallbiz@ hyattsville.org or call (301) 985-5000.

COMMERCIAL FACADE IMPROVEMENT GRANTS AVAILABLE

Hyattsville small business owners seeking to make exterior property improvements are encouraged to apply for matching grants ranging from $5,000 to $35,000! Find examples of how previous businesses have used the grant and apply at hyattsville.org/biz-grants by June 7.

DID YOU KNOW? IT’S BUSINESS LICENSE RENEWAL SEASON!

This is a friendly reminder that all commercial businesses in the City of Hyattsville are required to renew their licenses by June 30 of each year. To renew your license, please fill out the application form available at hyattsville. org/permit and send it by email to permits@hyattsville. org.

MARYLAND’S PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY DAY

Maryland’s Presidential Primary is May 14! Contact the Prince George’s County Board of Elections at (301) 341-7300 or visit www.elections.state.md.us for more information and polling locations. You can also vote now via drop box or in-person at early voting locations throughout Prince George’s County from May 2-9. The nearest drop box is at the Prince George’s County Community Center, 6600 Adelphi Road.

THE HYATTSVILLE ZIP TRIP IS THIS MONTH!

Help us show-off Hyattsville and get a chance to be on TV!

The FOX 5 Morning Show will kick-off of their 2024 Zip Trip series on May 24 at the Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adelphi Road. The Zip Trips showcase municipalities around the DC metro area with live broadcasts featuring local businesses, restaurants, community groups, and more. You’re invited to come watch and cheer for your City!

MOSQUITO CONTROL

The State of Maryland will resume residential mosquito surveillance and spraying from May 31 - September 27. Sign up for spraying notifications, report problem areas, or request exemption from spraying services at hyattsville.org/ mosquito or by calling (410) 841-5870. Reduce the need for spraying by using natural methods of mosquito control like GAT traps, BTI dunks, and keeping your yard free from standing water. Visit hyattsville.org/mosquito for resources!

WE’RE HIRING!

Come work with us! The City currently has job opportunities in Communications, Community Services, Police, and Public Works. Work for a City you love and receive competitive benefits like tuition reimbursement, bonuses for bilingual speakers, and more. Find open positions and apply at hyattsville.org/jobs.

¡APROVECHE LAS SUBVENCIONES PARA LA PREVENCIÓN Y RECUPERACIÓN DEL VANDALISMO!

Los pequeños negocios y organizaciones sin fines de lucro de Hyattsville pueden solicitar el Programa de Subvenciones para la Prevención y Recuperación del Vandalismo de la Ciudad para recibir reembolsos por restauración de daños por vandalismo recientes y/o realizar mejoras de seguridad. Los solicitantes que cumplan los requisitos pueden recibir hasta $4.000 dólares de financiación. Las solicitudes se aceptarán hasta el 30 de junio del 2024 o hasta que se agoten los fondos. Lea los requisitos y presente su solicitud en hyattsville.org/grants. ¿Tiene preguntas? Envíe un correo electrónico a smallbiz@hyattsville. org o llame al (301) 985-5000.

SUBVENCIONES PARA LA MEJORA DE FACHADAS COMERCIALES

Se anima a los propietarios de pequeños negocios de Hyattsville que deseen realizar mejoras en el exterior de sus propiedades a que soliciten subvenciones de entre $5,000 y $35.000 dólares! En hyattsville.org/biz-grants encontrará ejemplos de cómo han utilizado las subvenciones empresas anteriores y como puede solicitarlas usted tambien antes del 7 de junio.

¿SABÍAS QUE? ¡ES TEMPORADA

DE RENOVACIÓN DE LICENCIAS COMERCIALES!

Este es un recordatorio amistoso de que todos los negocios comerciales en la Ciudad de Hyattsville están obligados a renovar sus licencias antes del 30 de junio de cada año. Para renovar su licencia, rellene el formulario de solicitud disponible en hyattsville.org/permit y envíelo por correo electrónico a permits@hyattsville.org.

DÍA DE LAS PRIMARIAS PRESIDENCIALES EN MARYLAND

Las primarias presidenciales de Maryland son el 14 de mayo! Contacte a la Junta Electoral del Condado de Prince George’s al (301) 341-7300 o visite www.elections.state.md.us para obtener más información y conocer los centros de votación. Puede votar ahora vía buzón o en persona en los centros de votación temprana del condado de Prince George’s del 2 - 9 de mayo. El buzón más cercano se encuentra en el Centro Comunitario del Condado de Prince George’s, 6600 Adelphi Road.

¡EL ZIP TRIP DE HYATTSVILLE ES ESTE MES!

¡Ayúdanos a mostrar Hyattsville y ten la oportunidad de estar en televisión! El programa matutino de FOX 5 iniciará su serie del 2024 Zip Trip el 24 de mayo en la biblioteca Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adelphi Road. Los Zip Trips muestran municipios de toda el área metropolitana de DC con emisiones en vivo que presentan negocios locales, restaurantes, grupos comunitarios y mucho más. Le invitamos a venir y animar a su ciudad!

CONTROL DE MOSQUITOS

El Estado de Maryland reanudará la vigilancia y fumigación de mosquitos residenciales del 31 de mayo al 27 de septiembre. Inscríbase para recibir notificaciones de fumigación, reportar zonas problemáticas o solicitar la exención de los servicios de fumigación en hyattsville.org/mosquito o llamando al (410) 841-5870. Reduzca la necesidad de fumigar utilizando métodos naturales de control de mosquitos como las trampas GAT, trampas BTI y manteniendo su jardín libre de agua estancada. Visite hyattsville.org/mosquito para obtener más información.

¡ESTAMOS CONTRATANDO!

¡Ven a trabajar con nosotros! La Ciudad actualmente tiene oportunidades de trabajo en Comunicaciones, Servicios Comunitarios, Policía y Obras Públicas. Trabaje para una ciudad que ama y reciba beneficios competitivos como reembolso de matrícula estudiantil, bonos para hablantes bilingües y más. Encuentre puestos vacantes y envíe su solicitud en hyattsville. org/jobs.

CALENDAR | CALENDARIO

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! Details at hyattsville.org/wellness

WARD COMMUNITY MEETINGS

Discuss local issues and City projects with Councilmembers at the next Ward 4 Check-In on May 7 from 6:30 – 8 PM at St Matthews Church, 5901 36th Ave.; and Ward 3 Check-In on May 11 from 12:30 - 1:30 PM, at the First United Methodist Church. Find more info at hyattsville.org/calendar.

NARCAN TRAININGS

Free NARCAN community trainings at the City Building on May 9 at 6 PM and May 10 at 10 AM. Register at hyattsville.org/ calendar.

CAREGIVER SUPPORT MEETING

Join us on May 10 & 24 from 9 - 10:30 AM at the City Building, for our caregiver support group meetings! hyattsville.org/seniors.

DRISKELL PARK

SCAVENGER HUNT

Join the Neighborhood Design Center on May 11, from 1-3 PM at Driskell Park, for a family-friendly scavenger hunt of items connected to David Driskell! hyattsville. org/calendar.

CAMP COACH IN TRAINING PROGRAM

Applications for the Camp Coach In Training Program 2024 summer session closes on May 15. Register at hyattsville.org/CCIT.

LOVE A TREE DAY

Join the Hyattsville Shade Tree Board on May 16 at Streetcar 82 Brewery from 5-7 PM and celebrate Love A Tree Day. Learn more at hyattsville.org/calendar.

BIKE TO WORK DAY

Pass by the Driskell Park pit stop from 6:30 – 8:30 AM on May 17 for refreshments and giveaways from local partners. Register at biketoworkmetrodc.org.

NIGHT OWLS

Drop off your little one(s) in grades K-5 at the Driskell Park Rec Center from 6 - 9 PM on May 17! Kids participate in fun activities while you get a night out! hyattsville.org/nightowls.

BIKE RODEO

Practice your bike skills at our Bike Rodeo on May 18 from 11 AM – 2 PM at Heurich Park! This is a family friendly event that includes helmet fittings, bike repair stations and more! Details at hyattsville.org/calendar.

INVASIVE REMOVALS

Help remove invasive plants from Driskell Park between 10 AM - 2 PM on May 18! RVSP to environment@ hyattsville.org.

HISTORIC HOUSE TOUR

The Historic House Tour hosted by the Hyattsville Preservation Association returns on May 19! Selfguided tours take place from 1 - 5 PM. Tickets required. Details at hpahyattsville.org

FREE PRODUCE

A produce distribution is taking place on May 21 at First United Methodist Church, starting at noon.

CERT MEETING

The next Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) organization meeting is on May 22, 6:30 - 8:30 PM, at the City Building. Register at hyattsville.org/cert.

SENIORS ON THE GO!

Enjoy a trip to the Smithsonian National Zoo on May 23 from 10 AM - 2 PM! Transportation is provided. Reserve by calling (301) 985-5000.

TREE WORKSHOP IN SPANISH

Attend a Tree Care & Community Science Training in Spanish on May 23, 6 – 7:30 PM at Driskell Park or June 1, 10 AM - 2 PM at Heurich Park. hyattsville.org/calendar.

MEMORIAL DAY SERVICE CHANGES

The City offices will be closed on May 27 in honor of Memorial Day. There will be no Mon. yard waste or compost pick-ups the week of May 27 – 31. Trash and recycling routes remain the same Tue.-Fri.

CULTURAL CONVERSATION

Join us on May 30 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM, at the City Building to talk about Gender Identity & Sexual Orientation. Register at hyattsville.org/calendar.

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 - 11 AM, seguido por Zumba de 4 - 5 PM ¡Las clases son gratuitas! Más información en hyattsville.org/wellness.

REUNIONES COMUNITARIAS

Hable de temas locales y proyectos de la ciudad con sus concejales en la próxima Reunión del Distrito 4, el 7 de mayo de 6:30 - 8 PM en St Matthews Church, 5901 36th Ave.; y la Reunión del Distrito 3, el 11 de mayo de 12:30 - 1:30 PM, en la Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida. Más información en hyattsville. org/calendar.

ENTRENAMIENTOS

SOBRE NARCAN

Entrenamientos gratuitos NARCAN en el Edificio Municipal el 9 de mayo a las 6 PM y el 10 de mayo a las 10 AM. Inscríbase en hyattsville. org/ calendar.

REUNIÓN DE APOYO PARA CUIDADORES

Reuniones de apoyo para cuidadores el 10 & 24 de mayo de 9 - 10:30 AM en el Edificio Municipal. Detalles en hyattsville.org/seniors.

BÚSQUEDA DEL TESORO EN EL PARQUE DRISKELL

Únete al Centro de Diseño de Vecindarios el 11 de mayo, de 1 - 3 PM, en el parque Driskell, para una búsqueda familiar de objetos relacionados con David Driskell! hyattsville. org/calendar.

ENTRENAMIENTO PARA LIDERES DE CAMPAMENTO

Las solicitudes para el Programa de Entrenamiento para Lideres de Campamento de verano del 2024 se cierran el 15 de mayo. Aplica en hyattsville. org/CCIT.

AMA A UN ÁRBOL

Únete a la Junta de Sombra de Árboles de Hyattsville el 16 de mayo en Streetcar 82 Brewery de 5 - 7 PM y celebra el Día de Amar a un Árbol. Más información en hyattsville.org/calendar.

RODEO EN BICI

Pase por la parada del Parque Driskell de 6:30 - 8:30 AM el 17 de mayo para disfrutar de comida ligera y premios de socios locales. Inscríbase en biketoworkmetrodc.org.

VIDES INVASORAS

¡Ayude a retirar vides invasoras del Parque Driskell, 10 AM - 2 PM el 18 de mayo! RVSP a environment@hyattsville.org.

TOUR DE CASAS HISTORICAS

El 19 de mayo, la Asociación para la Preservación de Hyattsville organizara un tour por casas históricas de 1 - 5 PM. Se requieren boletos. Más información en hpahyattsville.org

ALIMENTOS GRATIS

El 21 de mayo tendrá lugar una distribución de productos agrícolas en la Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida, a partir del mediodía.

REUNIÓN CERT

La próxima reunión de organización del Equipo Comunitario de Respuesta a Emergencias (CERT) es el 22 de mayo, de 6:30 - 8:30 PM, en el Edificio Municipal. Inscríbase en hyattsville.org/ cert.

PASEO PARA ADULTOS MAYORES

¡Disfrute de un viaje al Zoológico Nacional Smithsonian el 23 de mayo de 10 AM - 2 PM! Se proporciona transporte. Reserve llamando al (301) 985-5000.

TALLER DE ÁRBOLES EN ESPAÑOL

Asista a un taller en español sobre el cuidado de los árboles y ciencia comunitaria el 23 de mayo, de 6 - 7:30 PM, en el parque Driskell; O el 1 de junio, de 10 AM - 2 PM, en el parque Heurich. hyattsville.org/ calendar.

CAMBIOS DE SERVICIO POR EL DÍA DE LOS CAÍDOS

Las oficinas de la Ciudad estarán cerradas el 27 de mayo en honor al Día de los Caídos. No habrá recolección de desechos de jardín o compostaje el lunes de la semana del 27 - 31 de mayo. Las rutas de basura y reciclaje seguirán siendo las mismas de martes - viernes.

CONVERSACIÓN CULTURAL

Únete a nosotros el 30 de mayo de 6:30 - 8:30 PM, en el Edificio Municipal para hablar de Identidad de Género y Orientación Sexual. Inscríbete en hyattsville.org/calendar.

HIGHLIGHTS | LO DESTACADO

HVL Flag re:design

Hyattsville needs a new flag, and we need your help!

Draw what Hyattsville means to you! More details at the link.

Entries due by June 30, 2024

HVL Flag re:design

¡Hyattsville necesita una nueva bandera, y necesitamos su ayuda!

¡Dibuja lo que Hyattsville significa para ti! Más detalles en el enlace.

Se recibirán diseños hasta el 30 de junio del 2024

Hacks for in between blooms

Dear Miss Floribunda,

Is it too early to neaten up my garden? In past columns, you’ve advised not hacking down goldenrod, sunflowers, ironweed and other tall plants in autumn and waiting till warm weather and new vegetation has sprouted before taking away the dead stalks. The reason you gave was that native bees and other beneficial insects overwinter in these stalks, as well as under fallen leaves.

However, I hear that my nextdoor neighbors have been referring to my yard as “Gehenna Gardens,” and I have to agree it does look pretty bad. While the daffodils and tulips were in bloom, there was some distraction. But now, in my garden’s pre-iris and pre-peony stage, I have to admit it is an eyesore. Not only do the dead stalks stick out, but the leaves of the daffodils have flopped and are turning brown. I know that in order to have them bloom again next spring, I should not

cut them back, but they are seriously ugly. Can you give me some guidelines?

Flowerless and Frowsy on Farragut Street

Dear Flowerless and Frowsy,

Like children, gardens go through some awkward stages between periods of beautiful bloom. We shouldn’t care whether our neighbors think our children are still cute, and we should be able to put up with a little embarrassment when our gardens are taking a breather. As Emily Dickinson said so beautifully, “Nature, like Us, is sometimes caught Without her Diadem.” I congratulate you on providing a backyard refuge for those allimportant pollinating insects that rely on home gardens now that so much urban development has ousted them from their natural habitats. Your conscientious husbandry has effects reaching far beyond just the confines of your block.

It is hard to set exact dates for intensive garden cleanup because different larvae hatch and leave their stalky nurseries at different times — some as early as March, others in late May. Global warming and the various vagaries of weather further complicate matters.

This is where phenology, also known as “springcasting,” comes in. Just as we know whether to prune roses or plant different vegetables when certain trees or shrubs bloom, we can assume that when our native redbuds finish blooming, it is safe to cut down stalks, as well as compost or cover with soil those leaves you permitted to stay on the ground last fall. (Caveat: Rake up and bag leaves from plants to which you have applied pesticides, as well as diseased leaves like those of roses with black spot.) As it happens, redbuds are in bloom as I write, and may have finished blooming by the time this column appears in print. If your irises are blooming, then that

is a good sign, as well. Even if you feel compelled to cut the old stalks down before then, leave them on the ground so that pupae can continue to have a home till they develop wings with which to go out and benefit the world.

To placate your neighbors, you might consider planting winter-hardy pansies as a border along your flower beds.

The pansies will shrivel up and need to be replaced when the weather gets hot, but they are worth the purchase because they provide an indication that you have not irresponsibly abandoned your garden.

You might dot decorative kale and cabbages throughout your winter garden, as well, and then use them in imaginative recipes later. Decorative allium is a good interregnum flower between tulip-time and the advent of peonies, irises and roses. As for the dying foliage of the daffodils, it can be camouflaged with any number of colorful annuals. Petunias in sunny areas and impatiens in shady areas are effective.

These suggested plants are imports from other countries, so I paid a visit to Wendy Wildflower, who has a four-season

garden of mostly native plants. Among the late tulips, I saw various native asters of two genera, Symphyyotrichum and Eurybia, which will succeed each other in bloom from late spring to late fall. They are of varying heights and come in soft white, as well as shades of blue, rose and purple. Right now, Wendy’s breathtakingly beautiful Eastern blue star plants (Amsonia tabernaemontana) effectively cover withering daffodil foliage. The foliage will be long gone by the time the blue stars fade in midsummer. Then, interesting seed pods will replace the blue flowers to join her other versatile native plants as they segue into autumn.

For more ideas, please come to the next meeting of the Hyattsville Horticultural Society on Saturday, May 18. It will begin at 10 a.m. at the Hyattsville Municipal Center, 4310 Gallatin Street. I hope to see you there.

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

app was not accurate. “It’s really nice to come and learn from the experts!” she said. White also found this class to be much more affordable than a universitysponsored ASL class.

I discovered I don’t need to bob my head back and forth when spelling out my name or bend my knees when my hands move side to side to ask “What?” Most signs are gestured within the frame of one’s torso and face, as Markel showed us by drawing an imaginary rectangle in front of his body — no need to flail your arms out to the side when circling one index finger around the other to ask “Where?”

Brian Robinson, a recent transplant to Hyattsville, said he took the class to learn language skills outside of his usual mode as a speech writer.

“Language is the base software of how we interact with each other,” Robinson said. “What if you didn’t have spoken words? How do we figure that out? How do we communicate?”

For Robinson, learning ASL is also a way to become better acquainted with the local community. “It isn’t just an intellectual hobby,” he said. “With Gallaudet University right here and Streetcar — you could actually use this for an emergency or in everyday life.”

Indeed, for the lack of an ASL interpreter, Oklahoma City police did not contact the family of a deaf man who was stabbed and hospitalized this past March. The man’s mother didn’t know of his critical condition until after his release, when he was found wandering

“Language is the base software of how we interact with each other. What if you didn’t have spoken words? How do we figure that out? How do we communicate?”

Brian

his apartment building incoherent. When the mother asked the police for an explanation, they told her they didn’t have a sign language interpreter on duty, so they weren’t able to ask her son for family contact information.

Ever since she saw people signing on the Metro when she first moved to D.C. 10 years ago, Leslie Washington has been looking to learn ASL. “We ask people in the Deaf community to join our world,” Washington said. “I wanted to have an opportunity to be a part of their world.”

This is exactly what Markel hopes to achieve with his teaching. ASL is not just for those in the Deaf community, Markel said in an email, but also for those who identify as DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, Hard of Hearing and Late-Deafened, and for hearing people who want to

practice the language.

Markel earned a master’s in sign language teaching from Gallaudet University, in 2013, and has been teaching the foursession ASL class at Streetcar 82 since 2022. He lives in University Park, and comes from a large deaf family: Both parents, all four of his brothers and several cousins, nieces and nephews are members of the Deaf community. According to Streetcar 82 owner Mark Burke, their May ASL class sold out in two hours. Burke said he is proud to see this enthusiastic response and hopes that, through ASL, the connection between the Deaf community and hearing people will only get stronger.

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

Left: Hearing students practice ASL at an introductory class at Streetcar 82 Brewing Co., taught by Allen Markel, above.

JACOB HUNTING

Robinson Streetcar 82 ASL class attendee

IN MEMORIAM:

Jennifer

Axner, Hyattsville artist

By ALISON BECKWITH

Jennifer Axner, an energetic Hyattsville artist and official U.S. currency engraver, died on April 14. She was 44.

Axner was a journeymanlevel banknote engraver for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, designing the official portraits of Treasury secretaries Jack Lew and Steve Mnuchin, as well as President Joe Biden.

On Route 1, she was also known as an energetic member of the local arts community. In 2012, she won the City of Hyattsville’s art contest for the Route 1 Ride bus wraparound. Her design made the bus look like a piece of wood with a paint tube listing local towns.

“I wanted to refer to the artists … that have been attracted to the new Hyattsville Arts District — as to suggest that their creative processes are ‘splashing’ color all over the neighborhoods,” she said at the time.

She won another contest for a traffic box wrap with a design that made it look like a popcorn popper, served on the jury that helped select a mural for the West Hyattsville Metro station, and hosted pottery and fiber arts sales by local artists at her home.

In 2016, she organized the Hyattsville Figure Drawing group, which still meets regularly at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center.

As leader of the group, she promoted the traditional atelier method of teaching, in which students progress

through a series of tasks under the supervision of an instructor.

She was also regularly featured at Pyramid Atlantic shows, selling a graphiteon-paper portrait of rappers Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. You can also see some of her figure drawings on the group’s Instagram page, which is noted as “Artist: Jennifer.”

“Jenny showed many works of art with Pyramid, served on multiple nominating panels, volunteered at events, and was a joyful presence in Pyramid’s gallery, studios, and hearts,”

Pyramid Atlantic said in a statement. “We are a better organization for her involvement and grateful for the time she shared with us.”

Donations in her memory are suggested to be made to Pyramid Atlantic.

Alison Beckwith is the editor of The Hyattsville Wire, the premier online source for lifestyle news for the Route 1 Corridor, with a focus on dining, arts and culture, history and urban planning. hyattsvillewire.com.

BOOKS

Dead Aunt’s Books used to be a department store, and was later used as office space for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

In the early 2000s, while working at the University of Maryland (UMD), Harper was on the organizing committee for AFSCME, which advocates for civil service workers’ rights. Harper said he would come to the building to help campus workers, both professional and nonprofessional, get representation and organize. According to an article from The Diamondback, a student-run campus newspaper at UMD, state and university workers gained collective bargaining rights in the 1990s and 2000s, around the time Harper worked with the federation.

This spirit of activism is also intertwined with the other businesses in the shared storefront.

Mintzer explained the name Suffragette City Vintage honors the David Bowie song — and a unique bit of local history. In the early 1910s, around the time of the women’s suffrage movement, Hyattsville saw one of the largest suffragette rallies that had occurred up until that point, according to Mintzer.

“Women had been traveling all over the country collecting signatures for petitions; they had a rally here, and then convoyed into D.C. to present their petitions to Congress,” she said.

Nearly every shelf in the store is a nod to history, as nearly everything in all three businesses’ collections is secondhand.

Helping to keep local independent bookstores from dying out, My Dead Aunt’s Books remains steadfast on Baltimore Avenue, along with the businesses with

which it shares a space. They all work together cohesively to bring more art and culture, as well as activism and an awareness of history, into Hyattsville.

Charcoal figure drawing by Jennifer Axner COURTESY OF THE HYATTSVILLE WIRE

“It’s a synergy,” Harper said.

Jess Daninhirsch is an undergraduate journalism major at the University of Maryland.

Holli Mintzer, owner of Suffragette City Vintage, says she named the store not just for the David Bowie song, but also for a unique bit of local history.

JESS DANINHIRSCH

BUDGET

to the current FY 2024 budget, this would be an 11.8% increase in revenues (from $24.6 million) and a 7.7% increase in expenditures (from $30 million). The city plans to hold the real property tax rate steady at 63 cents per $100 of assessed value. Real property tax currently generates approximately two-thirds of the city’s revenue.

EXPENDITURES

Hyattsville’s charter requires the city to pass a budget where expenditures (money actually spent) do not exceed the sum of revenues (pure income) and carry-forward balances (unused funds) from prior year surpluses. Though the new budget proposes expenditures in excess of new revenues, Hyattsville will use leftover general funds to meet the charter requirements. Some other governments refer to the situation in which yearly spending exceeds yearly income as an “operating deficit.”

The term “deficit” has been controversial in city council meetings.

City Treasurer Ronald Brooks has repeatedly emphasized that the city is not proposing a “deficit” because, while proposed spending exceeds expected new income, it is still less than the total of new income and unused funds from prior years. Councilmember Sam Denes (Ward 1) proposed using the term “revenue shortfall” instead.

As in previous years, Hyattsville’s largest general fund depart-

ment expense is the police department, which has $12.6 million of proposed expenditures — an 8.4% increase over FY 2024 ($11.7 million). Across all departments, Hyattsville spends two-thirds of its expenditures on staffing costs — a proposed $21.4 million for FY 2025 on wages, overtime, fringe benefits and a proposed cost-ofliving adjustment. This represents a 4.9% increase in staffing-related expenses from FY 2024. According to the budget proposal, the city added 20 new staff roles in FY 2023 and FY 2024 and is requesting six new positions for FY 2025, including an additional accountant and a crime analyst.

Compared to the FY 2021 budget, the largest increase by department

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is in community development — the construction, operation, and support of housing — which has more than doubled its budget in this proposal. Expected FY 2025 revenues are 33% higher than budgeted FY 2021 revenues. Five departments — community development, general government, public works, police, and code compliance — have five-year budget increases greater than 33%.

The FY 2025 budget proposal reports actual spending for FY 2021 through FY 2023, and budget and partial-year amounts for FY 2024 — the current fiscal year. Due to intradepartmental reorganizations, apples-to-apples compari-

sons with prior budget books are difficult, but the proposed FY 2025 budget allows readers to compare proposed FY 2025 expenditures with actual expenditures from FY 2021 on a sub-department level. Seven sub-categories have more than doubled since FY 2021: Calla-bus (251% increase), police special services (210%), public works administration (158%), mayor (131%), community development (127%), recreation/teen center (123%) and human resources (100%).

The final budget ordinance, or resolution, will present budgets for all four funds — general, special revenue, capital projects,

and debt service — as in previous years. Though the bulk of the budget document is focused on the general fund, the city is also requesting $13.5 million in capital projects (high-cost, long-term projects to acquire, build or improve property, including infrastructure and vehicles) funding for FY 2025. The capital projects section does not detail prior year spending, but the recently reissued FY 2021 audit revealed that the city exceeded its FY 2021 capital projects budget by approximately $2 million.

REVENUES AND COMPARISONS

Hyattsville has gotten more affluent in recent years, with rising income and property wealth. From 2020 to 2022 (the most recent available data), Hyattsville’s average taxable income per tax return grew 19.5%, from $42,740 to $51,094, according to state records. The assessable real property tax base grew 33% between FY 2021 and the currently projected FY 2025, from $2.2 billion to $2.9 billion.

Because Hyattsville derives more than two-thirds of its revenue from property and income taxes, rising income and wealth will result in rising revenues if tax rates stay constant.

The city council plans to hold a first reading of the budget on May 20 and adopt it on June 3.

A version of this article originally appeared in Route One Finance

CLAIRE PANAK TOMBES

SOLAR

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 phrase “going solar” usually brings to mind physical structures like photovoltaic solar panels.

College Park has two city-installed solar arrays — one at the College Park Youth and Family Services Center and a second on the roof of the garage at the Department of Public Works — which, together, produce 62 kilowatt-hour (kWh), or the equivalent of about six or eight residential systems. Hyattsville is also installing solar lighting, both in Hyatt Park and in the 38th Avenue Park Fitness Court.

On a residential level, most homeowners can only afford solar because of the regulatory and financial structures that make it financially feasible. While the 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 utility, 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 take advantage of the financial and environmental benefits of solar power generated at another location. These programs can be set up by utility companies, private investors or nonprofit organizations.

UPCS’s founders put a lot of effort into deciding how to structure their organization. “At first, we considered forming a nonprofit because some of us were more concerned with promoting clean

much our only upfront cost.”

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.

energy than making money,” David Brosch, a local environmental activist who helped organize and lead the initiative, said. “But with the help of a grant and a lot of pro bono legal advice, we decided to form an LLC because it’s easier to raise money if investors can expect a reasonable return.”

Another advantage of forming an LLC, as opposed to a nonprofit, was that many of the incentives to install renewable energy systems came in the form of federal and local tax credits, which nonprofits can’t leverage. While the Church of the Brethren was an ideal candidate for rooftop solar panels, as a nonprofit, it could not have taken advantage of these incentives.

“Fortunately, our church has a large roof facing the right direction,” said Kim McDowell, pastor of the church back in 2008. “We had to invest some money in putting new shingles on the roof before the panels were installed, but that was pretty

UPCS also received 22.7 Maryland SRECs, which were worth about $350 per kWh, or $7,945, in 2010, along with a 30% federal rebate, which — through a special program — was paid in cash rather than as a tax credit. According to the Wilson Center, a nonprofit chartered by Congress, the UPCS’s structure, contracts and power purchase agreement have been replicated by many other groups across the country.

One of UPCS’s 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. With the help of thenstate Sen. Paul Pinsky, the group successfully lobbied the Maryland Legislature to amend the Maryland Public Service Commission’s rules to require Pepco to buy excess power back at a fair rate. In 2021, the LLC sold the system to the church on favorable terms. As McDowell said, “For the church,

this entire experience has been a wonderful blessing.”

Many of the same investors also proved the economic feasibility of installing solar hot water at a forprofit business, Franklin’s Restaurant. This worked because photovoltaic panels can convert about 24% of the solar radiation into electricity, but solar water systems can convert about 70% into heat. The installation was supervised by Albert Nunez, who explained that the system circulates a mixture of water and antifreeze through 11 large, black solar collectors on Franklin’s roof, and into four 125-gallon tanks that preheat the cold municipal water from about 45 F to about 90 F.

“The savings come because Franklin’s gas water heater only has to raise the water from 90 to 125 degrees,” Nunez said.

Owner Mike Franklin explained that the system is saving a little money and reducing the restaurant’s carbon footprint. However, the restaurant uses so much hot water that it might take a few dozen panels to substantially reduce its gas usage, and there just isn’t enough space on the roof.

“But the real value is more than financial,” Franklin said. “It’s been a true community effort that shows what’s possible.”

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

Solar panels on the roof of the University Park Church of the Brethren PAUL RUFFINS

NEWS BRIEFS

CITY COUNCIL IN VIOLATION OF OPEN MEETINGS ACT

In April, a state compliance board found that the Hyattsville City Council violated the Maryland Open Meetings Act during three recent meetings “by using the ‘chat’ feature on a virtual meeting platform to have substantive side conversations that the public could not see.”

The compliance board’s April 23 opinion notes that during the council’s Feb. 5, Feb. 20 and March 4 virtual meetings, public observers could see an icon indicating that messages were being sent via chat, but observers could not see the messages themselves.

According to the opinion, many of the messages between councilmembers related to technical issues (e.g., “Can you hear me?” “I think the slides are stuck,” etc.) or were purely social (e.g., “Good evening!” “Guess whose beard is back!!” etc.).

However, during each meet-

ing, other messages touched on the substantive issues before the council, such as whether the city should use an app to charge for street parking (e.g., “Who has coins”) or how to handle participation on city committees (e.g., “Also the distance, the further away from the city building the less participation”).

The state’s Open Meetings Act requires that local public bodies, like city councils, hold meetings in public, provide adequate notice of such meetings, and allow the public to inspect meeting minutes, according to the state attorney’s website. According to the act, “Whenever a public body meets in open session, the general public is entitled to attend.”

In its April 23 opinion, the board referenced a 2020 decision, in which “we concluded that a public body violates this duty when at least two of its members exchange electronic messages during a public meeting on business that the body is considering at the time.”

The Open Meetings Act

Compliance Board issues advisory opinions in response to written complaints; its three members are appointed by the governor.

The violation carries no fine but requires a public acknowledgment, which Mayor Robert Croslin will provide at the May 6 council meeting, according to Deputy City Administrator Laura Reams.

To ensure future compliance, the city has removed the online chat function from all future virtual city council and committee meetings, Reams said; the city will also continue to provide relevant training opportunities.

CITY SPENDING PROCESS TO CHANGE

On April 14, the city council unanimously approved a change to the way Hyattsville makes big purchases and gives out contracts.

Examples of these expenses include police cars, outdoor toilets, traffic studies and construction contracts.

The city charter, in a sec-

tion last updated in 2002, requires Hyattsville to advertise bidding opportunities for expenses over $10,000 in a local newspaper, and to send a written contract to the city council for approval. The charter says that the city council doesn’t have to use that process if there is only one provider available.

The city’s detailed procurement process, adopted in 2012, allows public notice of bidding opportunities to be made on the city website, on a state procurement website, or in the local newspaper. Bids for contracts over $25,000 must be advertised on eMaryland MarketPlace Advantage — the state procurement website.

The proposed process would remove the current requirements from the city charter and put new requirements in the city code. According to an April 1 presentation to council, the city council would approve contracts of $50,000 or more, instead of $10,000 or more — a change which is in line with current state

minimums. Some contracts of $30,000 or more would still require competitive bidding.

The new rules require two weeks of public notice for some bidding opportunities over $50,000, without specifying how that notice will be given.

The updated process adds a few new requirements: Staff would have to obtain three quotes for expenses of $3,500 or more. And, city staff would report to council twice every fiscal year, listing procurements between $30,000 and $50,000, as well as certain $10,000 contract expenses approved through an emergency process or multi-year contracts.

Removal of the requirements in the charter will be effective June 4, unless a petition for a referendum on the question is filed by May 25.

As first reported May 2 by Route One Finance, Hyattsville did not post bidding opportunities on eMaryland MarketPlace Advantage for three years, from August 2019 through June 2022.