STOUTS AND STEINS
MIDDLE SCHOOL MELODIES
IT’S A-LURE-ING
Local brewers and potters show their wares. PAGE 6
10th-anniversary gala for Center for Performing Arts highlights local talent in eight disciplines. PAGE 5
The annual trout stocking of the Northwest Branch lures anglers from throughout the region. PAGE 3
Gateway Arts District earns top state award by Woody Wilder
The Gateway Arts District received one of the state’s top two Arts & Entertainment District awards at a June 4 ceremony in Baltimore. Accepting the Maryland State Arts Council’s 2013 Award for Outstanding Achievement were the executive directors of the two Community Development Corporations that manage the district: Stuart Eisenberg, of the Hyattsville CDC, and Carole Bernard, of the Gateway CDC. The other district to win was Silver Spring’s. More than 300 sculptors, painters, musicians and other artists live in the Gateway Arts District, which became the first of its kind in 2001 under a program started by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. The area extends throughout the communities of Hyattsville, North Brentwood, Brentwood and Mount Rainier along Route 1 between Oglethorpe Street and Eastern Avenue, the D.C. border. The accolade “recognizes the collective growth of enhanced public facilities, new restaurants, incoming housing, and increasing tenancies along the Route 1 Corridor,”
Hyattsville Life&Times
Vol. 10 No. 6
Hyattsville’s Community Newspaper
St. Jerome alum headed to NBA by Chris McManes
ARTS continued on page 12
NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID EASTON MD PERMIT NO. 43
June 2013
MIKE MURRAY Victor Oladipo, certain to be a first-round NBA draft pick this month, will be the first St. Jerome alum to play professional basketball. He reunited with his middle-school teacher, Janice Volpini, at a May reception in his honor hosted by his high school alma mater, DeMatha.
When Victor Oladipo is among the first players chosen in the NBA Draft on June 27, don’t be surprised if a cheer or two erupts in Hyattsville. Oladipo graduated from St. Jerome and DeMatha Catholic High School before becoming a first-team AllAmerican at Indiana University. While the basketball star’s exploits at DeMatha and Indiana are well-chronicled, little has been written about his formative years at what is now St. Jerome Academy. “Without St. Jerome’s, I definitely wouldn’t be here in the position I am today. That’s where it all started,” Oladipo said during a recent visit to the area. Oladipo credits his St. Jerome varsity coach, Dick Brown, with helping him along the path to professional basketball. Brown mentored Oladipo from 2004 to 2006 before succumbing to cancer months after coaching his final game. “He was a great coach – one of the best I’ve ever had,” Oladipo said. “I know he’s looking down on me from heaven because he’s OLADIPO continued on page 13
Tough challenges ahead for city budget Hyattsville Life & Times PO Box 132 Hyattsville, MD 20781
by Rosanna Landis Weaver
The issues that challenge Hyattsville’s city budget are nearly universal: tax rates, retirement expenses and what to cut when there’s not enough money for everything. Some decisions have been made that create the framework and other questions need to be resolved before the council
can pass the budget for FY 2014, which begins July 1. The six new members, seated on May 20, have plunged in and joined the four incumbents in tackling difficult issues. Joseph Solomon (Ward 5) estimates that by early June, they had already logged 16 to 20 hours of formal meetings, most of it related to the issues discussed below.
Tax rate
First and foremost, in the May 20 meeting following the swearing-in ceremony, the new council voted by a narrow margin to keep the current real estate tax rate at .63 per $100 of assessed value. This will amount to a tax decrease for homeowners whose assessments have fallen. Councilmember Patrick Paschall (Ward
3) estimated at the June 6 meeting that the average Hyattsville resident will pay 10 to 13 percent less in taxes this year. Lower assessments translate into a loss of tax revenue of over $1 million for the city. In subsequent meetings, some on the council questioned the wisdom BUDGET continued on page 12
Included: The June 12, 2013 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter — See Center Section
Page 2
Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2013
FromThe (Former) Editor
What I found when I moved away... By Paula Minaert
After living in Hyattsville for more than 30 years, my husband and I moved to New London, New Hampshire, about six months ago. I’ve been thinking a lot about how it compares to Hyattsville. The climate is cooler and drier, of course (which we like). But now we are farther away from many things we took for granted; we can’t get to a national museum in half an hour. The Home Depot, and all the big-box stores, are several towns away. Our new town is smaller than Hyattsville: around 4,400 peo-
A community newspaper chronicling the life and times of Hyattsville Mailing address: PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781 Hyattsville Life & Times is published monthly by Hyattsville Community Newspaper, Inc., a 501c(3) nonprofit corporation. Interested reporters should send their e-mail addresses to the editor to be reminded of deadlines and receive internal news. Articles and news submitted may be edited. The deadline is the last week of the month for the following month’s issue. Letters to the editor and opinions are encouraged. For all e-mail correspondence with HL&T: news, features, tips, advertising and business write to hyattsvillelifeandtimes@gmail. com. To submit articles, letters to the editor, etc., e-mail susie@hyattsvillelife.com. Executive Editor Susie Currie susie@hyattsvillelife.com 301.633.9209 Managing Editor Rosanna Landis Weaver rosanna@hyattsvillelife.com 301.277.5939 Editorial Intern Scarlett Salem Production Ashley Perks Advertising advertising@hyattsvillelife.com 301.531.5234 Writers & Contributors Victoria Hille, Molly Parrish, Valerie Russell, Fred Seitz, Hugh Turley Board of Directors Joseph Gigliotti - President and General Counsel Chris Currie - Vice President Susie Currie - Secretary Peggy Dee, Karen J. Riley, Valerie Russell Rosanna Landis Weaver - Ex Officio Circulation: Copies are distributed monthly by U.S. Mail to every address in Hyattsville. Additional copies are distributed to libraries, selected businesses, community centers and churches in the city. Total circulation is 9,300. HL&T is a member of the National Newspaper Association.
ple rather than about 18,000, according to the 2010 census. And it is much less diverse. Fewer than 2 percent are African-American and the Hispanic population is 0.7 percent. That’s a big change from Hyattsville, where Hispanics account for nearly 40 percent of residents. I miss speaking Spanish. But like Hyattsville, people here are friendly. The day we moved in, four of our neighbors came over to welcome us. One brought cookies. The mail carrier stopped her car one morning and called to us, “How do you like Wilma’s house?” New London governs itself by a town meeting system, rather than Hyattsville’s city council. (The small size helps, I’m sure.) Major issues are decided by all el-
igible residents at an annual town meeting. I went to our meeting a few weeks ago and found the whole process fascinating. My husband and I had registered to vote the day before. We showed our licenses and a volunteer wrote our names in a ledger. But when we went to the meeting, the volunteers there couldn’t find our names. “They’re not in the computer,” one woman told us. We said we’d be happy to observe, even if we couldn’t vote. But another woman, who had seen us register the day before, was quite perturbed and spent time trying to find our names. She didn’t, but finally called us over and told us she was allowing us to vote and gave us our yellow voting tickets. Then she thanked
POSTCARDS FROM THE PAST
us for our patience! After the voting, city staff passed out Hershey’s Kisses to everyone. About 350 residents attended the meeting. Like Hyattsville, only a small core of committed people is involved in city matters. What’s different is that those 350 make up around 10 percent of the eligible voters. That’s a high proportion. One issue was controversial — allocating extra funds for the conservation committee — and people spoke passionately about it. But there wasn’t a high level of tension and everyone was polite. (Of course, I’m not involved enough yet to know what happens behind the scenes.) Something else I’ve noticed about New London: People over 50 comprise 48.4 percent of the thinkingofyou!hope you'redoingwellthi ! nkingofyou! hopeyou'redoingwel lthi ! nkingofyou!hope you'redoing wellthi ! nkingofyou!hope you'redoingwellthi ! nkingof you!hopeyou'redoi ngwellthi ! nkingofyou!hope you're doingwell!thinking ofyou!hopeyou'r edoingwell! thinkingofyou!hope you'redoingwellthi ! nkingofyou!
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Paula Minaert is the former executive editor of the Hyattsville Life & Times.
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... and when I arrived in Hyattsville 45 years ago by Peggy Dee
I moved to Hyattsville on June 26, 1968, making me a 45-year resident this month. I often daydream back to that mild summer day when the moving van unloaded my family and I to a duplex house on 41st Avenue. We moved out from northeast Washington and the home where I was raised. We were only here a grand total of two hours when all of the neighborhood children came to meet me, the newest 20-something on the block. They were happy to introduce themselves. I soon learned that half of the students attended Hyattsville Elementary School and the other half went to St. Jerome. St. Jerome’s school, at that time, had about 60 children in each class and a waiting list. As I was (and still am) a member of Ward 3, Robert Kling and Sylvan Deitz were my city council representatives, while Charles Armentrout was the mayor. Behind my house were dense, thick woods that had attracted me to the house, as I felt like I was moving to the country. In the early 1970s, the City cut down many of the large, old oak trees and designed a park. The park was named Deitz Park after the councilmember, who contributed so much to the city and to Ward 3. One of the most unforgettable characters I ever met was Dorothy Sousa, who was the first woman to serve on the City Council.
population here; in Hyattsville it’s 23.5 percent. That might help explain why so many people are involved in city affairs. Other things make us realize we’re in a new place. There are only two traffic lights in town, both blinking, and very few street lights or sidewalks. There’s more wildlife. I’ve only seen a fox, some deer and flocks of wild turkeys. But every time it snowed, animal tracks criss-crossed our yard, some right under our bedroom window. And something large knocked over our St. Francis statue. I’m still hoping to see bears and moose, which I’m pretty sure wouldn’t happen in Hyattsville.
COURTESY EARL C. HARGROVE COLLECTION Though long gone, the “Call Carl” auto repair chain was popular enough in the region to sponsor a float in the 1948 Washington Monument Centennial Celebration. Hyattsvilleʼs branch was in an Esso station on East-West Highway, where Giant is today.
She represented Ward 5 from 1957 through 1961. She coined the phrase, “Hyattsville: A Good Place to Live,” which was the city slogan before “A World Within Walking Distance” was adopted a few years ago. The city building was located in the 4300 block of Jefferson Street, where the Renaissance Square artist apartments are today. The police department and council chambers were located on the first floor of the old city building. I have such fond memories of attending meetings of the old Hyattsville Citizens’ Association and meetings to establish
a neighborhood crime watch. On Saturday mornings, a farmers’ market was held on the parking lot next to the building. The Mall at Prince George’s was known then as Prince George’s Plaza. It had been built as an open-air shopping center and I can remember Christmas shopping in the cold and snow. The popular G. C. Murphy Co. stood where Target is today. The large Grand Union Grocery Store anchored the other end of the Plaza. Across East-West Highway from the mall, where Giant is today, were a bowling alley and an Esso gas station, which had a Call Carl carrepair center. The Prince George’s Plaza Metro Station sits on what was once a completely wooded area. The West Hyattsville Metro Station is on land that used to belong to the old Palmer Ford Co. Queens Chapel Town Center had the popular Birk’s Bakery, which did a brisk business on Sunday mornings. Across Queens Chapel Road at Hamilton was the old Safeway grocery store. When Safeway wanted to close that store and build a larger new one at 3511 Hamilton, it was very controversial in the community. The area was then a large, gorgeous park, and some wanted to retain it, while others supported the new store. The council meetings were full during those discussions. Safeway did go on to build there, opening on February 3, 1982. It closed last year, the day after marking 30 years at that location. Bestway has taken its place there. Smaller neighborhood grocery stores, like the city’s July 4 fireworks and the trolley cars that once ran through here, are things that are a part of days gone by. But their memories will stay with me forever.
Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2013
Page 3
A HYATTSVILLE FISH STORY mark staley The author is caught stacking the deck in his quest for Hyattsville trout.
by Chris Currie
The fisherman is deep in reverie on a cool spring morning. Sunlight dapples on a fast-moving stream, tripping over small rapids and falls. Boughs of palegreen leaves form a canopy over the water. A profusion of river rocks and pebbles glimmer in the clear water, framing deeper holes that beckon to the angler. Then a piscine form rises from the depths. The fish, golden as the sun, is transfixed by an insect dancing on a branch just above the surface. The dazzling fish edges nearer to its prey on the branch above … closer, still closer ….
“Dad, I need help with this snag!” The spell is broken, and the dancing insect is revealed to be a Panther Martin #4 spinnerbait, cast by the fisherman’s 8-yearold son and now hooked on the overhanging branch. This is not a wilderness adventure, but a May morning on Hyattsville’s Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River. And the fish, tantalized by the commotion, is a golden rainbow trout, created by a breeding program in West Virginia and since stocked widely in mid-Atlantic states. Unbeknownst to most Hyattsvillagers, a mile-long stretch of
the Northwest Branch, between East-West Highway and Hyattsville’s northern border near University Boulevard, is a Maryland designated “put-and-take” trout stream. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources stocks the stream three times every spring with thousands of rainbow trout — mostly 10 to 12 inch fish, but also some “trophies” of 18 inches or more. The fish remain in the creek until they are caught or succumb to summer’s heat. Because they are raised in clean fish hatcheries, they are safe to eat even though they temporarily reside in the polluted Anacostia watershed. The fisherman discovered the stocking program by accident almost a decade ago, while fishing a man-made rapids in a section of the stream east of 38th Avenue. He cast a spinner into the roiling water, and was surprised when a wriggling rainbow trout came back on the end of the hook. Since that time, he and his children have caught the occasional trout that makes it downstream as far as the fish ladder at Rhode Island Avenue. This year the fisherman learned the date of the last 2013 Hyattsville stocking, and showed up at the appointed time at the location near University Hills Park. As he waited for the DNR fish truck to arrive, he learned that the event wasn’t as secret as he’d supposed. A veritable convoy of vehicles began to arrive, each carrying a man old enough to be his father. As it happens, this was the re-enactment of an annual ritual for these veteran anglers, most of whom live in other counties and meet together only in the spring to help DNR staff put the trout in the stream — and then to fish them back out again afterwards. fish continued on page 10
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Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2013
Dogs for the Arts lets pets paint by Scarlett Salem
Over 50 people turned up on a hot, sunny Saturday morning in Magruder Park to watch 16 local artists at work. But the spectators weren’t likely to get tips on technique; these artists were canines competing in the 17th Annual Dogs for the Arts. The June 1 event, put on by the Lively Arts in Hyattsville program, gave neighborhood dogs a chance to showcase their artistic pawpainting talents and also compete for prizes. Activities included a talent competition as well as contests for Dog and Owner Look-Alikes, Best Companion and Best Overall, with the winners getting PetSmart gift cards. The Lively Arts is run by longtime resident Gloria Felix Thompson, who is also the president of the Hyattsville Preservation Society. “It’s a fun thing to do. It’s fun for people to watch, and fun for people to participate. …I mean, we are a dog town. Every other house has a dog [or cat] in it,” Thompson noted. Cheri Everhart, the city’s rec-
scarlett salem Above: Alicia McNeill and top dog Lila, who won Best Overall in the 17th Annual Dogs for the Arts event, held June 1 at Magruder Park. Above right: Michael Horlick praises his paw-painting dog Bamboo, who seems to have found a new admirer.
reation events coordinator, was on hand to help set up and break down the event. “It’s a great opportunity for residents to bring their dogs out and socialize,” she said. The dogs, too, enjoyed the opportunity to socialize. Alicia McNeill, a Hyattsville resident, said that it was her dog Lila’s first social outing. And it
was a memorable one for both of them – Lila went home with the Best Overall in Hyattsville award, which earned her a “spa treatment” grooming donated by Chichie’s Pet Boutique in addition to the gift card. Alicia found Lila through her neighbor Libby Welch, who spotted Lila at the Washington
Animal Rescue League. “Lila is a great dog – very social and [she has] a lot of energy,” praised Welch, who kept a large water bowl filled throughout the event to keep the dogs hydrated on the hot day. New city councilmembers are often asked to judge the various competitions. “It’s a good op-
portunity to introduce [them] to the community in a lovable way,” commented Thompson. This year the three-judge panel consisted of two new councilmembers, Robert Croslin (Ward 2) and Joseph Solomon (Ward 5). The third judge was Marge Wolf, a former Hyattsville city administrator.
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Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2013
Page 5
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Hyattsville Middle School’s program for the arts turns 10 by Rosanna Landis Weaver
The Hyattsville Middle School’s Center for Performing Arts (CPA) celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and it has been a stellar year for the program, with high state adjudication scores and teachers honored by the Prince George’s County Board of Education. A special gala at University of Maryland’s Clarice Smith Center marked the occasion by showcasing all eight artistic disciplines of the CPA program. The sold-out gala on May 23 featured dance, music, readings of student poetry and a performance of selections from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Between performances, master of ceremonies and program coordinator Tracey Cutler introduced many CPA founders and supporters. Several gave short speeches. Hyattsville CPA alum honored at the event included 22-yearold Marcus Canty, an R&B soul singer who finished fourth place in the first season of The X Factor U.S. He spoke to the students about the need to keep focusing on dreams. The choir, band and orchestral performances highlighted the event, displaying the talent that won high scores in various competitions and adjudications this year.
Choir director Reuben Burrows believes HMS’s is the best middle school choir in Maryland. He notes that only 20 middle schools qualified to take part in the 2013 Maryland State Level Choral Adjudication, and the HMA CPA Choir was one of only two choirs to perform repertoire and sightread music at Level IV, which Burrows notes is “the most difficult level available for middle school.” At this challenging level, they still scored higher than all other choirs in the state as they earned straight “Superior” ratings from each judge. One gave them a perfect score in all categories, which Burrows describes as “an extremely rare feat.” Repertoire included a six-part harmonic a capella arrangement of the Irish folk song, “Danny Boy,” and an upbeat Latin piece entitled, “Cantate Domino.” The HMS CPA band, directed by Bradley Tatum, and the orchestra directed by Deborah Simmons also received “Superior” ratings at their respective state level adjudications. Burrows, Simmons and Bradley were all also honored in May at the annual Prince George’s County Board of Education Awards Night, which for the first time this year honored choral and instrumental educators.
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Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2013
Liquid assets: The Art and Craft of Beer by David J. Nolan
Back in the day, drinking homebrew was for the brave, the foolhardy or the home brewer. Judging from the talent on offer at Joe’s Movement Emporium on a warm evening at the beginning of June, the likely audience should widen considerably. The Art and Craft of Beer was an intriguing collaboration between two local mainstays. Joe’s, the pre-eminent community performing arts center in the area, and the Gateway Community Development Corporation (Gateway CDC), a key player in supporting economic development along Route 1. They came together to host an event that highlighted a great crew of local home brewers and potters, some from much further afield. The former challenged our taste buds; the latter piqued our artistic sensibilities with handcrafted receptacles. Both did a sensational job. “Creativity abounds in the Gateway Arts District,” said Gateway CDC Executive Director Carole Bernard. “We knew the number of [area] home brewers was growing, and we wanted to do a fun event that incorporated art with this trend ... as well as draw people [here].” And draw them they did; the place was packed.
Sadly, only the steins were for sale. The 10 innovative beers were just there to tease us with (very) small samples, not to purchase and take home. Despite the rationing, many brewers ran out, leading to urgent crosstown dashes to replenish supplies. The potters’ work was on sale but could only be used to slake future thirsts. No brewer I saw offered to fill even the smallest or most expensive purchase. Franklins, the local brewpub, supported the event with larger samples of what the professionals had to offer. The homebrewers were nothing if not accommodating. Having already forsaken prime brewing (and drinking) time for the competition, they all gamely explained the brewing process to the sipping hordes. The pride in their work was obvious. And they seemed to be as inventive in naming the beers as brewing them: HalfWit and Wisdom was a Witbier-style beer, while the Geri Halliwell, an excellent aromatic beer, was infused with ginger and spice, a nod to its namesake’s career in one of Britain’s most popular girl groups. The Hamilton Vampire Ale, adorned with pictures of George, featured the description a “well-tanned ale” and the slogan “sometimes you want a beer with bite.” The potters were no slouches either, dis-
carolE bernard Mount Rainier artist Laurel Lukaszewski’s handmade beer stein was the crowd favorite, so she got the Lichtenstein Award. Margaret Boozer, right, runs Red Dirt Studio; an artist there won the Fine Stein award.
playing several beautifully shaped steins of varying styles. The best were awarded such prizes as the Fine Stein, won by Sarah Nikitopoulos of Red Dirt Studio, and the Lichtenstein/People’s Choice, which went to the artist who won the POPular vote, Laurel Lukaszewski of Flux Studio. Those artists are based in Mount Rainier, but two others hailed from Northern Ireland: the Franken Stein winner, Andrew Cooke, and the Judges’ Choice pick, Inga Hamilton. Before winning the Judges’ Choice for beer, Mike Corigliano asserted that “the U.S. is still a colony” when it comes to beer and the making of it. Given that so many of the Founding Fathers (home) brewed, and many of their modern coun-
terparts have refined the process to produce wonderful craft beer, history may demur. Corigliano won the for an ESB, an English style, Extra Special Bitter, which may have colo(u)red his view. My favorite was also apparently the crowd’s favorite. Bill Updike and Krista Schyler won the People’s Choice for a black rye IPA that was professional grade and one I would pay good money for anytime. Many valiant runners-up deserve mention, including Janet McKinney who ferments her spare time with beer bread, beer pizza, margarita cookies and bourbon onion dip. Rick White and Marylee Haughmont’s lavender beer was perhaps the most esoteric, and certainly the most aromatic.
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Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2013
Page 7
COMMUNITY CALENDAR June 15 At today’s Anacostia River Cleanup, you can remove litter either on the banks or, paddling in a canoe, from the water. Reservations required and all ages are welcome. Free. 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Bladensburg Waterfront Park, 4601 Annapolis Road, Bladensburg. 301.779.0371. www.anacostiaws.org. There’s something for everyone at Greenbelt’s annual outdoor Crazy Quilt Music Festival. In addition to a display of colorful quilts, a full lineup of musicians will play tunes ranging from country to acoustic grunge to electronic chamber pop. After dark, the party will move inside the New Deal Cafe. Free. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. 113 Centerway (Roosevelt Center), Greenbelt. www.newdealcafe.com or call 301.474.5642. How time flies. Community Forklift opened 7.5 years ago today; to celebrate, a daylong HalfBirthday Party will feature a “half-themed” birthday cake
contest, workshops on carving watermelon and building chicken coops, live music and, yes, half-price sales. 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., 4671 Tanglewood Drive, Edmonston. 301.985.5180 or www.CommunityForklift.org.
June 16 Treat the father in your life to a Father’s Day Tour at historic Riversdale, which includes a free guided tour of the house with each paid admission; $3 ($2 for seniors, $1 for students). Today’s Seasonal Selections & Storytime theme is “A Roast For The Table,” with cooking demonstrations as well as 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. storytimes for children. Riversdale House Museum, 4811 Riverdale Road, Riverdale Park. 301.864.0420.
June 17 The Hyattsville library’s Spring Independent Film Series closes tonight with Paso Latinos: A Mambo-Mentary, a documentary by local filmmaker Miriam Machado-Luces. It traces the story of Latin dance
from Africa through the Caribbean to the Americas. The 80-minute film will be followed by a guided discussion and demonstrations of various Latin dances. Free. 6:45 p.m. Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adelphi Rd. 301.985.4690.
June 23 The University of Maryland School of Music’s 26th Annual National Orchestral Institute and Festival brings together talented young musicians at the beginning of their careers for a month of learning and performing. Today, they will perform Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf at 3 and 5 p.m. Free. Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park. 301.405.2787.
June 26 Outdoor concerts return to Riversdale tonight with Jazz on the Lawn, a summer series featuring local musicians. Bring a lawn chair or picnic blanket; if you forget the picnic, you can buy
dinner from the Calvert House which will have a booth on-site. Rain date June 27. Free. 7 to 8 p.m. Riversdale House Museum, 4811 Riverdale Road, Riverdale Park. 301.864.0420.
June 27 The College Park Aviation Museum Summer Outdoor Movie Series kicks off tonight with a screening of the 2011 film Captain America (PG-13). The evening will start with hands-on children’s activities. Free with regular museum admission of $4 for adults ($2 for children). 7 to 11 p.m. College Park Aviation Museum, 1985 Cpl. Frank Scott Drive, College Park. 301.864.6029.
July 4 Greenbelt will host its annual Independence Day Celebration with events including a community drum circle at 5:30 p.m., a performance by the Greenbelt Concert Band at 7:30 p.m., and fireworks around 9 p.m. Free. Buddy Attick Park, 555 Crescent
Road, Greenbelt. 301.397.2200 or 301.474.0646. Closer to home, the University of Maryland also has fireworks as part of a family friendly evening that includes live music, concession stands and, of course, pyrotechnics. Entertainment starts at 7 p.m.; fireworks, around 9 p.m. Rain date: July 5. Free. Campus Parking Lot 1 (just off Campus Drive), College Park. 301.864.8877.
Ongoing The Hyattsville Farmer’s Market has returned for the season to the parking lot of 3505 Hamilton Street, adjacent to Bestway and across from the Hyattsville Community Garden. Stop by to sample the bounty of Southern Maryland. Free. Tuesdays, 2 to 6 p.m. 301.985.5000. At the producers-only Riverdale Park Farmer’s Market, fruits and vegetables are only the beginning. Depending on the week, calendar continued on page 8
TRASH CHANGES Public Works Trash Collection Changes Summer Schedule for 2013
If your household is served by the Department of Public Works, there are several important schedule changes to note for the next few months. Questions? Please call 301/985-5032.
Senior Fitness Fridays
Independence Day
Ageless Grace is a fitness and wellness program that consists of 21 simple exercises designed to improve healthy longevity. The exercises are designed to be performed in a seated chair and almost anyone can do them, regardless of most physical conditions.
There will be no Yard Waste collection the week of July 1st due to the Independence Day holiday. In addition, if your household’s regular trash collection day is on Thursday, your trash will be collected on Monday during the holiday week. We will distribute fliers before the holiday, but mark your calendar now. If Thursday, July 4th IS your regular trash collection day, your trash will be picked up on Monday, July 1st.
LABOR DAY
There will be no Yard Waste collection the week of Monday, September 2nd due to the Labor Day holiday.
Questions? Please call the Department of Public Works at 301/985-5032.
Ageless Grace Exercise Class
Join us for our Summer Session! Fridays, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. June 7 through August 2, 2013 NEW LOCATION! 4310 Gallatin Street, First Floor Multi-Purpose Room
Only $2 per session! For more information or to register, please call Emily Stowers, Senior Services Coordinator at 301/985-5058 or estowers@hyattsville.org
Hyattsville Reporter Page HR1
Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2013
the
Hyattsville Life & Times | June
No. 266 • June 12, 2013
www.hyattsville.org • 301-985-5000
June is LGBT Pride Month in Hyattsville
WHEREAS, on November 7, 2012, Marylanders, including many Hyattsville residents, voted to uphold the state’s Civil Marriage Protection Act, allowing all couples to celebrate their commitments in the eyes of the law; and
There will be no Yard Waste collection the week of July 1st due to the Independence Day holiday. In addition, if your household’s regular trash collection day is on Thursday, your trash will be collected on Monday during the holiday week. We will distribute fliers before the holiday, but mark your calendar now: If Thursday, July 4th is your regular trash collection day, your trash will be picked up on Monday, July 1st. In addition, there will be no Yard Waste collection the week of Monday, September 2nd due to the Labor Day holiday. Questions? Call the Department of Public Works at 301/985-5032.
WHEREAS, the fabric of our community is strengthened by inclusion, justice, and love,
FY14 BUDGET IS UNDER DEVELOPMENT
On June 3, 2013, the Mayor and Council adopted the following proclamation in observance of LGBT Pride Month. This marks the first time the City has celebrated the occasion. Proclamation in Recognition of LGBT Pride Month June 1 through June 30, 2013 WHEREAS, the modern age has been one of expanding civil rights and protections; and WHEREAS, June 2013 marks the 44th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City, and the birth of an activist movement; and
THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED, for the first time in our history, that the City of Hyattsville recognizes June as LGBT Pride Month.
The Mayor and Council are expected adopt an FY14 City Budget Calendar later this month. Special Wednesday work sessions devoted to the
LGBT Pride Month Caribbean American Heritage Month
Wednesday, June 12
Ageless Grace Summer Session, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Outback Steakhouse Summer Jam, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Monday, June 17
Council Work Session/Budget Discussion Meeting, 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday, June 18
Planning Committee Meeting, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Wednesday, June 19
Council Work Session/Meeting Budget Discussion, 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Friday, June 21
Ageless Grace Summer Session, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Wednesday, June 26
Council Work Session/Meeting Budget Discussion, 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM A.G.E.S. Senior Monthly Workshop, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Topic: Fall Prevention & Home Safety
Friday, June 28
Ageless Grace Summer Session, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
June 14 - Cousin John Band July 12 - Uncle Jack Band August 9 - The Roustabouts September 13 - Just Us
INDEPENDENCE DAY TRASH COLLECTION CHANGES
June 1 - June 30
Friday, June 14
Thanks to everyone who attended our first Jam of the 2013 season! The series continues on Friday, June 14 with local favorites The Cousin John Band. Special thanks goes to Gregory Kithcart of Outback Steakhouse Hyattsville, located at 3500 East West Highway at the Mall at Prince George’s Plaza, for once again serving as our signature sponsor. The Outback Steakhouse Summer Jam Series has become a traditional Friday night event throughout the summer months. Held from 6:30 to 8:30 PM on the second Friday of the month, this event includes delicious food (burgers, chicken and hot dogs) provided and prepared by Outback Steakhouse of Hyattsville, a beer and wine garden, musical entertainment, the ever popular moon bounce and Mandy the Clown and her very talented face painter. Our thanks to McDonald Auto Body Towing Division for their sponsorship of Mandy’s performance! Join us at the City Municipal Building at 4310 Gallatin Street, rain or shine! We’re outside on Gallatin Street if the sun is shining. In the event of inclement weather, the Jam moves inside. Attendance is free and open to everyone. There is a charge for food and beverages.
Find out more at www.hyattsville.org/ summerjam or call Cheri Everhart, the City’s recreation events coordinator, at 301/985-5021.
June 2013
Council Work Session/Budget Discussion Meeting, 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
THE NEXT OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE SUMMER JAM IS JUNE 14
The next Ageless Grace Senior Exercise class session started Friday, June 7. It runs eight weeks, through Friday, August 2. (No class the week of July 4th!) This low-impact, seated exercise class is offered at 10:00 AM on Fridays at the City Municipal Building, First Floor Multi-Purpose Room. $2 per class. Ageless Grace is a proven technique to develop both body and mind, with an emphasis on healthy longevity. Join anytime. Intrigued? Learn more here: www.agelessgrace.com. Ready to register? Call Emily at 301/985-5058.
CALENDAR
Environmental Committee Meeting, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM
IN OTHER NEWS...
Ageless Grace Summer Session Opens June 7
Page HR2
Unless otherwise noted, all events take place at the City Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street.
budget are taking place during June. Documents related to the meeting are available at www.hyattsville.org/FY14 and included with regular Council Meeting materials, which can also be downloaded from our website.
UPDATES FROM WSSC – IS WORK PLANNED FOR YOUR STREET?
Looking for updates on WSSC projects in your neighborhood? Use their maps to see the status of current projects. Maps can be accessed on WSSC’s website: http://gisweb.wsscwater.com/InYourNeighborhood/
SAFE AT HOME WORKSHOP FOR SENIORS
The next A.G.E.S. (Aging Gracefully Educational Series) workshop takes place on Wednesday, June 26 at 10 AM at the City Municipal Building, in the First Floor Multi-Purpose Room. Our June topic is Fall Prevention and Home Safety. Questions? Contact Emily Stowers at 301/985-5058 or email estowers@hyattsville.org to learn more or RSVP.
NIXLE
The City is now using Nixle to send public safety alerts and information via both email and text message. This system replaces the SafeCity web-
site previously in use. Many of our neighboring jurisdictions also use Nixle to send out information. Please note that Nixle won’t report on every incident – typically alerts are sent when the HCPD needs to alert the public to a potentially dangerous situation, or when we are asking for your help solving a crime. In other cases, Nixle messages relate to road closures, power outages, etc. If you have a nixle.com account, there is no need to create a new one. Simply log in and add the City of Hyattsville to your wire. New to Nixle? Register at www.nixle.com or enroll using the widget online at http://www.hyattsville.org/stayinformed.
FIND US ON FACEBOOK
Are you on Facebook? You can now keep up with City events and happenings at www.facebook. com/cityofhyattsville. When you see Vainglorious, the silver metal bird sculpture at Centennial Park, you’ll know you’re in the right place. He is kind enough to serve as the City’s wall photo.
FOURTH ANNUAL HYATTSVILLE COMMUNITY MULTICULTURAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS FAIR
The First United Methodist Church of Hyattsville will host their fourth annual Multicultural Health and Wellness Fair on Saturday, September 21, 2013 from 10 AM to 4 PM. The event will take
place on the church’s campus, 6201 Belcrest Road. There is no charge to attend! More than 40 providers will be on hand to help residents to make better health choices. This year’s fair will emphasize the role of technology. Questions? Call 301/927-6133 or email Dorrett Carroll, carrolldm09@comcast.net or Dr. Mary Carter-Williams carterwilli@theisgrp.com. The church’s website is www.fumchy.org.
MISSED MONDAY’S MEETING? CATCH THE REBROADCAST
The City’s cable station is now rebroadcasting City Council Meetings at a variety of times. Tune in on Monday at 10 AM; Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 AM, 3 PM, and 10 PM; Wednesdays and Fridays at 7 AM and 9 PM; or Saturdays and Sundays at 12 NOON. We will broadcast the most recent Council Meeting. The City’s channel is 71 on Comcast and 12 on Verizon. Questions? Comments? Please talk to Jonathan Alexander, the City’s cable coordinator, at jalexander@hyattsville. org or 301/985-5028.
HYATT PARK COMMUNITY GARDEN
Looking for information on the Community Garden? The Hyatt Park Community Garden just keeps growing! They now have their own website. For information on the 2013 gardening season,
Page 8
Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2013
Gun violence forum draws large audience
calendar
continued from page 7
by Rosanna Landis Weaver
shoppers may find baked goods, wine, soap, herbs and more. Free. Thursdays, 3 to 7 p.m. Riverdale Park, 301.332.6258.
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Christian Science Church 8300 Adelphi Road, Hyattsville • 301-422-1822
Sunday church services — 10:30 a.m. Sunday school (youth up to 20) — 10:30 a.m. Wednesday evening testimony meetings — 7:30 p.m.
All are welcome • Free literature available Sunday Bible Lesson-Sermons: June 9th: God the only Cause and Creator June 16th: God the Preserver of Man June 23rd: Is the Universe, including Man, evolved by Atomic Force? June 30th: Christian Science
OLD DOMINION B
Spend your Sunday evenings broadening your musical horizons at the Summer Concert Series: Arts on the Waterfront, which will feature different music styles weekly. Through August 4. Free. 6 to 7:30 p.m. Bladensburg Waterfront Park, 4601 Annapolis Road, Bladensburg. 301.779.0371. Take advantage of having one of the county’s best turf fields in the neighborhood as the Xtreme Teens host Safe Summer DropIn Soccer. Come play 6-on-6 soccer under the lights on Tuesday nights from June 18 to August 13. Ages 12 to 17, 8 to 10 p.m.; ages 18 to 24, 10 p.m. to midnight. Heurich Turf Field, 2916 Nicholson Street. 301.446.6800. Community Calendar is a select listing of events happening in and around Hyattsville from the 15th of the issue month to the 15th of the following month. To submit an item for consideration, please e-mail susie@hyattsvillelife.com or mail to P.O. Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781. Deadline for July submissions is June 23.
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at Realco Guns in District Heights on Mondays from 4 to 5 p.m. During the discussion period that followed, members of the audience raised a number of issues. Among them was the way that guns permeate popular culture, particularly song lyrics. “It seems to me that today they sing the gun,” said Hyattsville resident J.D. Hawkins. Hawkins called for community programs helping “teenagers to sing something else, like a hymn maybe.”
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Hyattsville Police Chief Douglas Holland said the department strives to create “a safe, small-town atmosphere in a rapidly growing urban environment”
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A crowd of more than 80 people gathered at Busboys and Poets on May 22 for a Community Forum on Gun Violence sponsored by the Anabaptist Peace Center. The first panelist, Hyattsville Police Chief Douglas Holland, began the evening by asking the audience to estimate the number of gun homicides in the city in the past two years. He then reassured them that the actual number was zero, lower than almost every estimate. Holland notes that the department strives to create “a safe small town atmosphere in a rapidly growing urban environment,” but that the problems of violence are not something “the police can arrest their way out of.” The next speaker, Reverend Grayland Hagler of Plymouth Congregational Church in DC spoke of the larger context describing guns as “a tool of destruction, brought into a place where there is already anger.” Hagler said that as a man of faith, “Even when I’m afraid I need to step forth.” The final speaker on the panel was James Atwood, the chair of Heeding God’s Call, a group that
is working to try to stop “easy access to guns” by focusing on a particular gun shop that Atwood describes as one of the 10 most egregious in North America. The group holds regular prayer vigils
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Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2013
Page 9
THE LITTLEST LIBRARY
MissFloribunda Dear Miss Floribunda, I too have an eccentric family. A cousin of mine, no longer content with giving me gazing balls, ceramic gnomes, and bird and butterfly houses for my garden, has now actually given me a bat house. I asked “Cousin Batsy” why on earth I would want to draw bloodsuckers anywhere near my home and in a snit she told me any ecologist could explain. Well, you are the closest thing to an ecologist that I know of. Please explain what she means. Will Not Go to Bat on Buchanan Street Dear Will Not Go to Bat, You are probably influenced by some of the folklore surrounding the bat that make it an omen of evil and bad luck. That isn’t true in all cultures. The Chinese consider the bat good luck and a stylized image of a bat is a common motif in Chinese carpets, textiles and ceramics. The comic book and movie hero Batman seems to have fostered a better perception of the bat as a nocturnal protector. Yet the fact that three species of tropical bats drink the blood of some small vertebrates in South America has forged a probably permanent link with the Dracula legend. This leaves us with around 1,200 other species of perfectly harmless and abstemious bats, who consume not blood but immense quantities of harmful insects. In fact, the bats in our area are probably
our best means of mosquito control. Hyattsville’s Bat Man, Fred Seitz, writes the HL&T’s “Nature Nearby” column and is something of an expert on these much-maligned night flyers. He assures me that far more blood has been sucked by mosquitoes than by bats. Bats also eat those pesky moths that lay eggs in your winter clothes, as well as cutworms, stink bugs, leafhoppers and other pests that come out after dark. They can eat as many as 600 insects in an hour, making them a boon to the gardener and the farmer. Right now, bats are becoming an endangered species, their numbers decimated by a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome. So put up that bat house, maybe on a pole. Plant night-blooming flowers that attract them, such as evening primrose, four o’clocks, nicotiana and moonflower, although you should be aware that the moonflower, like its cousin the morning glory, can be invasive. Should you see bats flitting about in the dusk, please remember that they have no interest in you and won’t fly in your hair. Nor should you fear them as carriers of rabies: Statistics show that bats are responsible for fewer than 10 cases of it in the past 50 years. To discuss this and other gardening concerns, you are welcome to attend the next meeting of the Hyattsville Horticultural Society at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 15, at the home of Jean and Millard Smith on 3600 Longfellow Street. Please send further questions to floribundav@gmail.com.
T. CARTER ROSS Hyattsville Elementary students gather at the dedication of Little Free Library #6305 in front of their school on 43rd Avenue. The library, as well as a small brick plaza and a bench, were built by PTA volunteers in honor of reading specialist Stephanie Chapman who passed away in December 2011. This Little Free Library, as well as similar ones throughout the city, are watertight boxes designed for book exchange. Created for use by anyone and everyone, they are built in the hope of promoting literacy and community. This particular library was stocked by HES families and staff with elementary school age-appropriate books, who ask for any books swapped in to be the same. According to PTA President Bart Lawrence this is the first little free library at a school in Maryland, and more than 400 books were borrowed the first week.
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MountRainierBusiness.com • 301.358.5111
Page 10
Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2013
fishing
continued from page 3
chris currie A Maryland DNR employee transfers rainbow trout from a tank truck to buckets that are hand-carried by volunteers to the stream.
“Would it not have been more efficient to just transfer the fish to their freezers instead of the river?� the fisherman’s cynical brother asked later. He doesn’t understand the thrill of the chase. The fisherman is introduced to the dean of the Northwest Branch trout patrol, Charley Koiner, age 92. Koiner describes himself as “the last farmer in Silver Spring,� and when he is not chasing trout, he is cultivating his 1.5 acre spread or selling his produce at the Silver Spring Farmers Market. He says that the day be-
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fore, he transplanted 1,000 lettuce sprouts – and offers the fisherman a free head of it if he visits at the end of May. DNR fisheries biologist Mark Staley supervises the transfer operation of 1,400 hatchery-raised fish. They arrive in the hold of a tank truck, then netsful of thrashing, splashing rainbow trout are dumped into water buckets and hauled off by the volunteers to their favorite nearby fishing holes. “I see a lot of the same guys every year,� said Staley. “They volunteer with the stocking, and then fish.� Staley confides that the best methods for catching the trout include floating trout pellets downstream on a small hook and casting lures such as Roostertails and other spinners. Some of the assembled anglers swear by corn kernels as bait. They start early in the morning, when light is low, and look for the deep holes that harbor fish. The truck moves on to the next stocking site, north of University Boulevard. The fisherman is delighted to have a chance to participate in the bucket brigade. He walks his cargo to a pool below a riffle near a trail bridge. Hiking up his jeans, he walks out to the middle of the rill and deposits a couple dozen frisky fish into the fast-moving water. They immediately spread out through the pool, their multi-colored forms creating a tableau worthy of an Impressionist painting. The next morning, after having purchased his Maryland 2013 fishing license and Trout Stamp online, the fisherman continues his research into the Northwest Branch stocking program, with the assistance of his son George. After helping extricate his son’s snag, he watches the boy cast the spinnerbait back into the pool and begin his retrieve. The golden fish swims up, and takes a small nibble. Not
enough to set the hook. They work the stream for almost an hour, but the only thing they have to show for it is the thrill of seeing a rainbow put on a brief aerial display after being hooked, before throwing off its snare during its leap above the water. Later in the day, the fisherman returns to the stream and notices that yesterday’s volunteers are today’s fishermen. He meets several as he moves downstream through University Hills, and also encounters quite a number of yesterday’s fish. The golden rainbows are the easiest to spot, and he spies at least a dozen in a stretch of a hundred yards. Perhaps aware that they are bred to be living beacons to fishermen, they also have learned to compensate by being extremely finicky in their eating habits. None so much as turns a head at his lure. As he stares, bewitched, at a pair of large golden trout in the middle of a pool, he hears a rustle from the other side, and sees an octogenarian angler teetering on the steep bank, trying to make his way down to the edge of the water. The fisherman wonders: Is this a glimpse into his own future? Will he be here again, 30 springs from now, stumbling down a stream bank in north Hyattsville for another chance at a rainbow trout? For a moment, the fisherman considers wading across the stream to assist the elderly sportsman, but then regains his senses: That would spook the fish. The man eventually finds a safe perch near the water and resumes his quest for the golden treasure. So, together, they fish on, lures against the current, borne back ceaselessly after each cast. Chris Currie is vice president of Hyattsville Community Newspaper Inc. and an aficionado of Wild Hyattsville.
Crazy Quilt Music Festival Saturday, June 15 12 - 11pm Outdoors in Roosevelt Center!
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Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2013
Page 11
HomoConstruction, Habilis LLC*
AuntieDiluviana
Local delivery options Ever have days when you don’t want to leave the house? Perhaps it’s raining or too hot or you just don’t feel up to it. All of us feel that way sometimes, but some of us just cannot easily leave the house due to disabilities. Fortunately, there are several options in Hyattsville for bringing things right to our door. First, let’s talk groceries. Top Banana, which has been delivering groceries to seniors since 1982, delivers to seniors in Hyattsville and elsewhere in Prince George’s County. Chief executive Jean Guiffre began Top Banana when her mother was unable to leave her high-rise apartment to buy groceries. The nonprofit serves persons with disabilities as well as seniors. Customers call each week that they want groceries on a designated call-in day (Monday for Prince George’s County), and groceries are delivered on Wednesday. There is a small delivery fee based on the customer’s ability to pay. According to Top Banana, its delivery folks will bring your groceries and put them right on the counter or in the cabinets, refrigerator or freezer. To get started, call 301.372.3663. Two major grocery chains – Giant and Safeway – also deliver in Hyattsville. Ordering for both is done online. Safeway orders are taken at www.safeway.com and the Giant delivery system, known as Peapod, is at www.peapod.com. Need milk? The South Mountain Creamery in Middletown, Md. will deliver to your front door for a $4.99
fee. In addition to milk and milk products, the Creamery sells eggs, beef, pork, turkey and chicken. To get on a regular route, call 301.371.8565 or visit www.southmountaincreamery.com. Lawson’s Pharmacy on Hamilton Street also delivers. The number there is 301.864.4043. The pharmacy charges a minimal fee of approximately $3 for delivery. It is recommended that customers visit in person the first time if possible. The Meals on Wheels program is available for those who need prepared food delivered. The local program is sponsored by the First United Methodist Church of Hyattsville and nationally by the Meals on Wheels Association of America. There is a modest fee. Call 301.927.5615 for more information; at press time, federal funding cuts had made this program’s future uncertain. The Prince George’s County Memorial Library System will deliver books to folks who are unable to visit the library themselves because of physical limitations. Those receiving homebound services must first qualify for the program; call 301.336.4253 for details. Folks at the library tell me they could use some more volunteers for the homebound program. Volunteers pick up the books at the branch library and then take them to their readers. The library is Auntie’s favorite public institution and she volunteers at the Hyattsville branch twice a week. In these times of tight budgets, we should all try to pitch in
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where we can. To volunteer for the homebound program, call 301.985.4690. Hyattsville Aging in Place (HAP) will also come to your home. Since early February, the all-volunteer nonprofit has given rides to doctor’s appointments and run errands, such as picking up prescription drugs from the pharmacies, for seniors. The organization is in need of more volunteers who can drive during daytime hours. To volunteer or register for services call HAP at 301.887.3101.
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oday.homohabilis @gmail.com
*Ho-mo hab-i-lis, n. (Handy Man, Skillful-Man) A species of humans considered to be an ancestor of modern humans and the earliest hominid to make tools. This species existed between 1.5 and 2.0 million years ago.
Auntie Diluviana is compiled by Molly Parrish, one of the founding members of Hyattsville Aging in Place.
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Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2013
BUDGET
ARTS
continued from page 1
continued from page 1
according to a statement issued by the two CDC directors. “This award can be attributed to many years of commitment, collaboration and hard work,” said Bernard, adding that it was “a testament to the amazing people, businesses and programs that make the Gateway Arts District a unique and creative place to be, while also ensuring a sense of place for all four towns.” Eisenberg considers the the Gateway Arts District an invaluable part of the greater Hyattsville area because it “attracts new businesses and retains talented people in our community.” Another benefit, he says, is that area residents are exposed to a wide variety of the arts. And, he says, such districts “make it easier for artists to make a living,” in part by offering affordable housing for qualifying artists. Then, when these residents create and sell their collections in the designated district, they may be eligible for tax incentives. The culmination of these opportunities eases the financial burden many artists face, allowing Hyatts-
of keeping the tax rate at the same level it’s been for nearly a decade. That rate, which is lower than some nearby municipalities, may be adjusted next year.
Obligations on retiree benefits
PHOTO BY GATEWAY ARTS Artist Alan Binstockʼs “Pilgrimʼs Quandary” is one of many public artworks dotting the award-winning Gateway Arts District.
ville and the surrounding areas to help maintain artistic stability. This stability benefits the area, Eisenberg says, simply because “people are attracted to an area with a lot of art.” And that means area restaurants such as Busboys and Poets reap business gains. Other retail spaces, too, benefit from having more potential customers in the area.
In addition to falling revenue, the current council faces the ongoing issue of expensive retiree health benefits, (or Other Post-Employment Benefits, OPEB) which are costly to the city and higher than those of similar communities. The city is behind in its savings for liabilities it is currently facing and liabilities continue to grow. At its June 3 meeting it appeared that the council was coalescing around two potential solutions either of which would cut the annual cost from $972,000 to less than $500,000. As councilmember Shani Warner (Ward 2) noted in the June 3 meeting, “Either one would be very much a compromise.” The proposals (variations of which were described in the March HL&T), all envision reducing the level of benefits for future retirees, but deal differently
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with when employees would become eligible, whether spouses are covered, and which employees are grandfathered into the old plan. Paschall articulated a sentiment many councilmembers expressed when he said, “What I’d like best is grandfathering everyone in, but I don’t like how much it costs.” Even when other specifics are settled, the question remains of how quickly to pay down current obligations that have accumulated over the past several years as the city has failed to fund its liabilities. Mayor Marc Tartaro has been seeking movement on this thorny issue since he took office in 2011. He has advocated paying these liabilities over five years, though the budget he proposed has it being paid over eight years. The council is looking at budget implications of spreading the payback out over 10 years. Says councilmember Tim Hunt (Ward 3), “Making a decision on how we’re paying back past liability has to go hand in hand with our current situation.”
What may be cut
In any scenario, however, expenses across the city will need to be cut. “This year we’re looking at a difficult situation,” noted Paschall at the June 3 meeting, “We’re looking at a significant shortfall.” As the impending deadline approaches, city directors will be presenting the council with proposed cuts in their departments at meetings throughout the month. Discussion on one such item, relatively small in terms of the overall budget, illustrates the complexity behind the compromises. Department of Community Services Director Abby Sandel identified the cost of a traditional International Festival as one item
to consider removing from the budget at the May 22 meeting. The West Hyattsville event (which was not held in 2011 and replaced by a poorly attended Handmade on Hamilton festival in 2012) was expensive for the city because its typical Saturday date meant the city was required to pay overtime for both police and public-works employees. The initial suggestion to replace the event with a series of three lesscostly outdoor film screenings met some opposition from that area’s representatives and some residents. A new compromise was introduced by Sandel at the June 7 meeting: to host the National Night Out Against Crime to Hamilton Street rather than at Magruder Park. Because this event is held in August cold won’t be a factor, and the established event with sponsors would save money for the city. Sandel also noted that by closing the streets on a Tuesday rather than Saturday, it would require lower overtime costs for staff and less impact on the businesses there. Councilmembers generally seemed supportive of this compromise, but like many other budget decisions, the final verdict is not in. Solomon and fellow new member Eduoard Haba (Ward 4) voiced strong opposition to losing the identity of the International Festival, and suggested combining the best elements of both events rather than replacing one with the other. The outlook is hopeful for the resolution of these issues. “We are a group with a positive working relationship outside the council chambers,” notes Solomon, adding that the respect the members holds for each other is also important. “This makes it extremely easy to share and readily understand each others’ perspective.”
Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2013
OLADIPO
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definitely there. I know he’s praying for me, and he’s definitely with me.” Oladipo will be the first St. Jerome graduate to play in the NBA. “Dick always wanted a player of his to make it to the NBA,” said Joe Sego, Brown’s successor and a St. Jerome assistant coach in 200506. “So it’s kind of fortuitous that a player from his last team would be the first to make it.” In addition to becoming one of the nation’s finest shooting guards at Indiana, Oladipo earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology with an emphasis on broadcast sports communication. He graduated in May after just three years. “I actually took 19 credit hours this past semester, which is unheard of, and I still finished with a 3.1 [grade-point average],” he said. “It was tough – a lot of classes, but I grinded it out and came out on top.” Oladipo brings the same determination to the court. He averaged 13.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals last season, while shooting 59.9 percent. The National Association of Basketball Coaches named him national Co-Defensive Player of the Year. His high-flying acrobatics, exceptional quickness and 42-inch vertical leap have NBA scouts salivating. “I saw him play for DeMatha and remember thinking he would become a very good college player because he had so much potential,” said Mike Lonergan, George Washington University’s head men’s basketball coach. “Seeing him become an All-American and NBA player has been a pleasant surprise.” As a DeMatha senior under Coach Mike Jones in 2009-10, Oladipo averaged 11.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.6 blocks. The Stags (32-4) won the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and D.C. City Title Game, and The Washington Post named Oladipo first-team
Page 13
the good times far outweighed the bad. “I had a great time at St. Jerome’s – a lot of memories,” Oladipo said. “My whole life was there when I was a little boy. I still remember Sister Joyce, Miss Volpini, Sister Geri and Ms. Donoghue always telling me not to dribble the ball in the hallway. My love of the game started at St. Jerome’s.” The title game loss was the last game Brown would ever coach; he died on July 6, 2006, after 40 years at Hyattsville’s Catholic primary school. “He would go to chemo and still come back and want to teach us and coach us,” Oladipo said. “I could tell it was wearing and tearing on his body.” mike murray Brown, who also taught reOladipo with the author, Chris McManes (left), and Charley Grau, ligion and seventh-grade director of St. Jerome’s Coach Brown Memorial Basketball Camp. The American history, left a lasting camp is named for longtime coach Dick Brown, whom Oladipo credits impression on the 6-foot-3¼with helping him along the path towards professional basketball. inch, 214-pound Oladipo. He can still remember the moment All-Met. Next season will be Oladipo’s final game at St. he heard about Brown’s death: the 38th consecutive year that Jerome – for the 2006 CYO he was “sitting at home during a DeMatha graduate will be championship at Catholic Uni- the summertime and Victoria playing in the NBA. versity – ended in defeat. But [got] a call from one of her DeMatha hosted a reception May 7 to recognize Oladipo being chosen The Sporting News Player of the Year. The next night, the Archdiocese of Washington’s Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) honored him with its Outstanding Athlete Award. “He was a tenacious defender and a great athlete,” said Sego, who nominated him for the CYO honor. “He always played defense against the other team’s best player. He was a prime player for us.” First 2 classes FREE Oladipo, a native of Upper Tues., Wed., Thurs. classes Marlboro, played basketball at St. Jerome from the time he and University Park Church of the Brethren his twin sister, Victoria, entered 4413 Tuckerman Street University Park, MD 20784 kindergarten. Brown coached (near University of MD, College Park) his seventh- and eighth-grade Class Size is Limited teams. (Quinn Cook, Duke so Enroll Today! University’s starting point www.DancingInSilence.com guard, was a teammate.) Call 301-466-5894 “Victor was Coach Brown’s favorite player,” Sego said. “He wasn’t necessarily the best player, but Dick loved him. He played with such hustle and intensity.”
friends” with the news. Both were stunned, and Victoria began crying. “He fought until he couldn’t fight anymore,” Oladipo recalled. “For him to do that just made me realize that I’m going to have to fight in life no matter what the circumstances are – just keep fighting. I got a part of my work ethic from just watching him. He was never really down; he always had a smile on his face. He was always really energetic, ready to go. I’ll never forget that about him.” More so than his God-given ability, Oladipo’s daily training habits have him poised to join the finest basketball players on earth. “I’m happy to see him fulfill his dreams because he is such a nice young man and has been a first-class representative of St. Jerome, DeMatha and Indiana,” Lonergan said. “His hard work has really paid off.” Chris McManes coaches baseball and basketball at St. Jerome Academy.
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Hyattsville Life & Times | June 2013
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