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THE ROAD TO UTOPIA
The Gazette
Subjects arrive from around the world for Greenbelt film festival. B-1
SERVING NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY COMMUNITIES
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Thursday, October 17, 2013
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High Point parents: New school needed Long list of inventory challenges hinders replacement n
BY JAMIE ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
Principal Sandra Jiminez has a vision for High Point High School in Beltsville as a state-of-the-art facility. Unfortunately, she said, her dream is clashing with the reality of leaking pipes, faulty air conditioning and a decaying 59-year-old building. “It’s just plain old worn out,” Jiminez said. Parents and students at the school agree. About 100 attended a meeting with school officials Oct. 8 asking that a new school be built rather than having ongoing repairs. “The amount of money they are going to spend on more and more renovations is not going to be worth the benefits,” said Abraham Ajenifuja,
PHOTOS BY GEORGE P. SMITH/FOR THE GAZETTE
Evan Drake, 3, of Hyattsville “helps” volunteer firefighter Trevor Wortman of Mattawan, Mich., put out a pretend fire during the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department’s celebration of 125 years of continuous service and the groundbreaking ceremony for its new firehouse.
Hundreds gather for groundbreaking of $12M Hyattsville facility BY
ERIC GOLDWEIN STAFF WRITER
Mike Crotts, who volunteers at Fire Station 10 in Laurel, travels the state as Hector the Fire Safety Clown, helping instill a fire safety and fire prevention message.
While the more than 400 people at the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department were there for a groundbreaking on a new $12 million facility, most in attendance described the event as more of a family reunion. “As soon as I walked in, I felt back at home,” said Jeff Shaw of Rochester, N.Y., a livein from 1995 to 2000. Shaw was one of several alumni from 20 states returning to the station at 6200 Belcrest Road. The station, built in 1959, will be torn down by mid-2014
See SCHOOL, Page A-8
College Park council gets 40 percent raise
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president of the High Point Parent Teacher Student Association and a parent of a junior at the school. Sarah Woodhead, director of the Prince George’s County Public Schools Capital Improvement Program, said the school system is doing a feasibility study to determine High Point’s needs and whether they can be accommodated in the current building. “At this point, a major renovation or replacement of High Point isn’t in our capital improvements budget,” Woodhead said. “The community here feels that it should be, and when we walk around the school, we can see why. There are significant structural issues.” Completed in 1954, High Point is the second-oldest high school still in use in Prince George’s County — a few years behind Suitland High
and replaced with a multipurpose facility shared by the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department, the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department and the American Red Cross. Construction of the new building is set to be completed in 2016 and the station will temporarily relocate to the American Red Cross building on 6206 Belcrest Road in the interim. A strong live-in program and a supportive alumni group have helped the department grow, said Donald Moltrup, the chief from 1970 to 2005. “It gives us a pipeline for new local members,” said Moltrup, who lives in Florida, but adds he visits the Hyattsville department every couple
Outgoing councilman says he hopes hike will increase interest in serving
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BY JAMIE
ANFENSON-COMEAU STAFF WRITER
Starting Jan. 1, serving on the College Park City Council will be a little more rewarding. The City Council voted 5-2 on Oct. 8 to increase council members’ pay from $5,000 annually to $7,000 with the mayor’s pay rising from $7,500 to $10,500. Council members last voted to increase their salary by $600 in 2007. Councilman Robert Catlin (Dist. 2), who is not seeking re-election, proposed the salary increase. Catlin said he would have retired from the council in 2011, but no one was willing to take his place, and he did not wish to leave his ward with
See STATION, Page A-8
only one representative. College Park’s four districts have two council members each. “We do have two contested ward races, but neither one is contested by long-term residents. They’ve both contested by student candidates,” Catlin said. “I believe we need to do something to encourage more people to run, or if they’re already in office, to stay in office.” Councilman Marcus Afzali (Dist. 4), who is also not seeking re-election agreed on the difficulties of securing candidates. “Oftentimes the city has had to literally beg people to run for council,” he said. Councilman Fazlul Kabir (Dist. 3) proposed an amendment to Catlin’s resolution that would have reduced the increase to 10 percent, but his amendment was rejected by a 5-2 vote.
See RAISE, Page A-8
Three years of missed audits put Hyattsville’s state funding at risk Staff turnover, failed communication led to delinquency, officials say n
BY
ERIC GOLDWEIN STAFF WRITER
In danger of losing state funding, Hyattsville is scrambling to complete three years of audits — a problem officials are blaming on high administrative turnover and a lack of communication between leaders. “When you’re not getting an audit done ... it is, in my opinion, a symptom
NEWS
FURTHERING LATINO OUTREACH County Executive Rushern L. Baker III has appointed his first full-time Latino liaison.
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of other organizational dysfunction,” said Council President Candace Hollingsworth (Ward 1). All municipalities are required by the state to complete annual financial audits, according to Abby Sandel, Hyattsville’s community services director. City Administrator Jerry Schiro said failure to complete audits could damage the city’s bond rating and result in losses of state funding, but his biggest worry “is that the city doesn’t have an understanding of where they are as far as their financials are concerned.” Schiro said Hyattsville is using an accounting firm to assist with the au-
dits and that his goal would be for the fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012 audits to be completed by the end of December. The deadline for the fiscal 2013 audit is Nov. 1. City officials blamed the delays in part on high turnover in city offices. Four people have served in the city administrator position since Elaine Murphy completed her 11-year tenure in 2011. City Treasurer Elaine Stookey, who announced her resignation Sept. 20 after working for the city for three years, served as treasurer and interim city administrator from April 2012 until Schiro was hired in May.
SPORTS
A STRONG START
Laurel quarterback second in the county in yards passing.
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Stookey could not be reached for comment, and officials declined to discuss why she resigned. Employee turnover could have contributed to Hyattsville’s audit delinquency, said Jim Peck, director of research and information management for the Maryland Municipal League. “That can certainly make it difficult because new individuals have to take their place,” Peck said, adding that the state has the authority to revoke charters from municipalities that fail to complete audits, but that has not happened since 1964. Council members said they were
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RECYCLE
aware the city was behind in filing audits, but were not informed of the severity of the situation until August. The city has not met a fiscal audit deadline since 2007, according to information from the Maryland Department of Legislative Services, Office of Legislative Audits, and the city has received multiple letters warning of the ramifications of failing to complete the audits. Mayor Marc Tartaro said it is not the mayor’s responsibility to share such letters with the council. “Prior years, [they] were not shared
See HYATTSVILLE, Page A-8
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