FAMILY WELLNESS Care center to offer health resources in Colmar Manor. A-5
NEWS: Laurel Elementary reading specialist set to retire after 41 years in county schools. A-3
The Gazette
SPORTS: Flowers boys finish second, girls place third at state track meet. B-1
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNT Y DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Thursday, May 28, 2015
25 cents
Apartments could replace some stores Police Residents say city needs more affordable housing at Laurel Shopping Center n
BY
KIRSTEN PETERSEN STAFF WRITER
Three vacant storefronts, including the old movie theater at the Laurel Shopping Center, could be razed and replaced with a new apartment complex, but Laurel residents say this proposal still may not address the city’s need for affordable housing. Officials from Federal Realty Investment Trust, which owns the Laurel Shopping Center on Fairlawn Avenue, have proposed tearing down 52,000 square feet
of unoccupied retail space and building 180 multifamily rental units in its place, said attorney Ed Gibbs, who represents Federal Realty. “We’re hoping that we can create some vibrancy out there with a substantial investment and just make sure the center continues to be viable,” Gibbs said. Gibbs said his client is also considering developing an additional 50,000 square feet toward the front of the complex based on market demand. Some residents said housing would be a better use for the space than vacant commercial buildings. “This place is booming,” said Ronald Ganoe, 45, of Laurel. “People are going to need a place to live.” But many said the apartments would oversaturate the market and not serve enough low-income resi-
dents. The development would be subject to the city’s Affordable Housing Program because the complex would have 50 or more dwelling units. As part of the program, the complex must offer three percent of its units as work force housing and three percent as moderate priced housing for individuals with reduced or fixed incomes, said Christian Pulley, the city’s senior planner. “There are a lot of apartment buildings around this area,” said Laurel resident Barbara Williams, 79 “Who do they think is going to live there?” Williams said if there is more residential development in Laurel, she would rather see detached homes than apartments, which she called “transient houses.”
See APARTMENTS, Page A-8
chief charged Edmonston residents worried about transparency n
BY
KIRSTEN PETERSEN STAFF WRITER
Edmonston’s police chief was charged Monday with two counts of official misconduct, a move that emphasizes resident and council member concerns about government accountability in the small town. A summons was issued Monday for Police Chief Stephen Walker for two counts of malfeasance in office, or official misconduct. Walker declined to comment on the charges, but town Mayor Tracy Gant said she believed any allegations against the chief would be proven false. “I have an honest chief. I
See CHIEF, Page A-8
Group backs ill students’ parents Approximately 600 students receive home and hospital instruction n
TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
Friends of Dueling Creek take a nature walk Saturday through Colmar Manor Park. The creek is a tributary of the Anacostia River, which passes through the park. Fran Toler (right) of Mount Rainier shares information with hikers as they stand where the creek meets the river.
County residents rally for healthier waterways Dueling Creek part of original Anacostia River
n
BY
KIRSTEN PETERSEN STAFF WRITER
Denise Hamler of Cottage City has made it a habit to clean up trash where Dueling Creek borders her backyard, but she said that doesn’t mean the whole Anacostia River tributary is getting the help it needs. “It feels like to me each section has been addressed separately, but not as one huge situation,” Hamler said. “I can clean out all the bottles and trash I want,
but unless we address it in a larger, systemic way, the trash will just keep appearing.” Now, Hamler and other like-minded neighbors are formally advocating for the health of the entire waterway as members of the Friends of Dueling Creek. “It’s people on the ground who are actually monitoring, looking out and weighing in when there is a problem and rallying their neighbors to help with clean-ups,” said Dan Smith, advocacy director for Bladensburg-based Anacostia Watershed Society. Dueling Creek flows through Mount Rainier, Cottage City and Colmar Manor, where it enters Colmar Manor Park. Dueling Creek was once known as “The Dark and Bloody Grounds,” as it was the site of more
City offers tips, bins for local composting
BY JAMIE
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
The old nursery rhyme “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary” asks the question, “How does your garden grow?” For some Green-
INDEX Automotive Calendar Classified Entertainment Opinion Sports
belt residents, the answer may be “not very well,” due to hard clay topsoil, but that may change thanks to city efforts to encourage composting. Residents LeeAnn Irwin and Melvin Black said they began composting to help their vegetable garden, because the soil on their property was hard and clay-like. “The clay doesn’t have many nutrients. We’ve been having a vegetable garden for
than 50 duels in the early 19th century, according to the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation. While the Friends are still forming their goals, Fran Toler, founder of the Friends of Dueling Creek, said she is interested in organizing targeted invasive plant removal and reducing littering by groups using Colmar Manor Park. Currently, the group meets monthly and organizes nature walks. Toler, who founded the Friends in March, said she had been thinking about forming a group for 10 years and was encouraged to get the ball rolling after speaking with
See WATERWAYS, Page A-8
See ILL, Page A-8
a few years, but it isn’t as fruitful as we’d like,” Irwin said. A talk hosted by Greenbelt’s Department of Public Works on May 20 aimed to share tips and advice on composting with residents. The Department of Public Works also has a limited number of compost bins for
See DIRTY, Page A-8
NEWS B-8 A-2 B-6 B-3 A-9 B-1
TWICE AS NICE Students receive high school diplomas, college degrees on the same day through dual enrollment school. A-7
RECYCLE
Greenbelt recycling director Luisa Robles shows an example of vermicomposting — the use of earthworms to encourage decomposition — on May 20. JAMIE ANFENSONCOMEAU/THE GAZETTE
SPRING CLEANING, DOWNSIZING, SIMPLIFYING?
Volume 18, No. 22, Two sections, 20 Pages Copyright © 2015 The Gazette Please
STAFF WRITER
Beth McCracken-Harness of Cheverly said that the three years her son spent in and out of school while being treated for a major illness were some of the most difficult experiences in her life. “There was a time when I couldn’t go to the doctor right across the street without getting a call that my son’s heart monitor was going off,” McCrackenHarness recalled. “It was very isolating. Thank God for the Home and Hospitals teachers
It’s a dirty job, but good for the garden n
BY JAMIE ANFENSON-COMEAU
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