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Gazette-Star SERVING SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY COMMUNITIES
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Thursday, August 1, 2013
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‘There needs to be more volunteers’ n
Fire chief hopes recruiter will help staffing BY
AMBER LARKINS STAFF WRITER
Finding enough volunteers for the Prince George’s County Fire/ EMS Department has become so difficult, officials are hoping to hire a full-time volunteer firefighter recruiter. “We’ve got to get to a point where as chief I can guarantee service to the cities,” Fire Chief Marc Bashoor said. Mark Brady, spokesman for the department, said there are between 1,500 and 2,000 volunteers in the county. Brady said it was difficult to put an exact number to what was needed because volunteers don’t BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
TAKING THE LEAD
Both sites offer strong advantages, officials say
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American Legion Post 275 gets its first female commander Bowie woman wants to expand Glenarden group’s membership, increase volunteer efforts
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AMBER LARKINS STAFF WRITER
rden post’s executive committee in 2011, when she became the post’s service officer. The 50-year-old organization is dedicated to volunteering in the community and helping veterans, said Seeney, who lives in Washington, D.C. Belfield said she plans to meet with the executive committee before deciding exactly what needs to be changed, but she said she will continue focusing on increasing membership to the nearly 1,000 member post and organize volunteer events to help the community and
See RECRUITER, Page A-6
Largo and Landover battle for new hospital
Cassandra Belfield (left) of Bowie, the incoming commander for American Legion Post 275, greets current Commander Stanley Shaw (center) of Greenbelt, Vice Commander of Department of Maryland Patricia McCoy of St. Leonard, and Prince George’s Commander George Schaab of Laurel before the installation ceremony in Lanham on Sunday.
Chante Brown, 42, remembers when she first realized her then stay-athome mother, Cassandra Belfield, was ambitious. “I was 8 or 9,” said Brown of Capitol Heights. “She just said to me one day, ‘I’m going to join the Army’.” On Sunday, Cassandra Belfield, 65, of Bowie, became the first woman to be sworn in as commander at Maryland American Legion Post 275 in Glenarden. She has been a member of the post since 2009. John McGee, a member of the American Legion Post for 25 years, said there are no requirements regarding how long someone must be a member before they can run for office. But, he said, “it’s usually people that’s been there awhile.” Nadine Seeney, the post’s historian, said she was the first woman ever elected to an office within the Glena-
have a specific amount of time they have to volunteer. The county has about 740 firefighters currently and the county has 45 fire stations, which responded to a total of 135,000 calls for service last year, Brady said. “It would probably take about 2,000 career staff the way we’d like to see it,” Brady said. “At some point in the future we may realize that as the volunteer numbers continue to dwindle ... and it becomes necessary to hire career staff to fill in those needs.” Brady said it would be physically impossible at this point to have an all-career department, but he sees it happening in the far future. “The combination we have here works the majority of the time,” he said. “There needs to be more volun-
BY JAMIE
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
veterans. She said she ran for the position because she wanted to help the community and other veterans, and thought her strengths were in her ability to lead. Four other women were sworn into officer positions for the nine-member executive committee after May 31 elections, Seeney said. Three women served on the executive committee for the 2012 to 2013 year. “It’s a good change for the post because women have a tendency to be more focused multi-taskers,” Seeney said. “[Belfield] is a strong woman, I think she’ll be a good commander.” Belfield served in the Army from 1978 to 1982 and is a federal government retiree and is a mother of two, a grandmother of 10 and a great grandmother of two. In addition to her Post
Landover Mall and a site near Largo Town Center are the two properties left in the running for a new $645 million hospital, according to the Dimensions Healthcare System Board of Directors. The site selection for the new 280-bed hospital is expected to be made by the end of August, with construction expected to begin in 2017, said Dimensions Healthcare System spokeswoman Erika Murray. Prince George’s County officials have long sought a new medical center as older facilities suffered from outdated equipment and financial challenges caused by a large number of uninsured patients. Dimensions currently operates Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, Laurel Regional Hospital, the Bowie Health Campus and Glenridge Medical
See COMMANDER, Page A-6
Center. The Largo site consists of 70 acres of land owned by Oak Brook, Ill.-based Retail Properties of America Inc., and several adjoining properties under private ownership, and is adjacent to the Boulevard at Capitol Centre shopping center and the Largo Metro station. The Landover Mall property consists of 80 acres, owned by Rockville-based Lerner Enterprises. The mall closed in 2002 and demolition was completed in 2007, although retailer Sears continues to operate at the site. The Landover site was under consideration for a new hospital in 2005, but funding was not available at that time, according to media reports. Both sites are within short access to Interstate 495. The Landover site is approximately two miles away from the Largo Metrorail station. There is bus service at the Landover site, but no direct service from the site to the Largo Metro station.
See HOSPITAL, Page A-7
Proposal for Bowie film production industry may end up on cutting room floor Idea of moviemakers coming to city has captured imaginations, but may not be practical n
BY
AMBER LARKINS STAFF WRITER
Bowie officials say a committee’s suggestion to create a film industry in the city could have great economic benefits — but caution that the likelihood of its success isn’t good. The Bowie Economic Development
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Committee plans to vote Sept. 3 on whether to ask Bowie leaders to consider efforts to attract filmmakers to the city. “I think it would be great as far as an economic development driver. It’s not just a standard guy in front of the camera. You get carpenters and electricians along with that,” said Mike Ahearn, chairman of the city’s economic development committee. Committee members Lisa Ransom and Joan Pitkin will give a presentation on the suggestion before the vote. Pitkin, a former state delegate, said
she envisions the Bowie effort working in conjunction and coordination with the Prince George’s County Film Office, which was established in February to draw filmmakers and jobs to the county. “It could enhance their agendas,” Pitkin said. “My vision is a satellite facility.” The Maryland film industry provided 6,893 jobs in 2011, which yielded $592.4 million in wages, according to the Bowie EDC. Pitkin said the film industry would help bring more jobs to Bowie and
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may help independent movie-makers because they could film in a place that was cheaper than Washington, D.C., or Baltimore. Ahearn said the city has a great location being between Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington, D.C., but the process of creating the industry is still in its beginning stages. “I think it’s really early right now to say we’re going to get the film industry,” Ahearn said. “I think right now it’s just a desire. [Bowie] does have a lot to offer.” While worth researching, City Councilman Dennis Brady said luring
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the film industry to Bowie may be impractical because of the lack of city filming locations. “The harsh reality is most sets are looking for themes,” Brady said. “Unless you’re doing a film about Bowie, I don’t know what we have to offer that would be unique.” Some of the possible filming locations proposed by the Bowie EDC are Allen Pond, White Marsh Park, both libraries and City Hall. City Manager David Deutsch said
See FILM, Page A-6
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