November 2013 Hyattsville Life & Times

by Max Bennett

Prince George’s County Police have released a sketch of the man suspected in a recent series of

sexual assaults and robberies in the woods behind Northwestern High School. � e pair of Oct. 29 a� acks le� two women sexually assaulted and robbed at gunpoint

with three men robbed as well.At about 1:15 p.m., a man ap-

proached two females on the 6700 block of Belcrest Road in Hya� sville, police said.

� e man pulled a handgun out and forced the women into a

nearby wooded area where he robbed both and sexually assault-ed one of the women, police said. � e suspect ran away a� er appar-ently becoming startled.

$25,000 reward is o� ered

Included: The November 13, 2013 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter — See Center Section

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HyattsvilleNovember 2013Hyattsville’s Community NewspaperVol. 10 No. 11

Life&Times

TRAIL continued on page 12

MAKING VEGGIES GO DOWN SMOOTHLYBicycle powered blender among attractions at ECO City Farm Celebration. PAGE 11

BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTYCity police raise money for Special Olympics, join � re� ghters to support Sonny Frazier Toy Drive. PAGES 3 AND 4

CITY COUNCIL OPPOSES CAR WASHZoning prohibits it, but the District Council could grant an exception to add it to gas station. PAGE 6

by Susan Hines

Despite the sudden chill in the air, the mood at the October 23 groundbreaking for the long awaited Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail was one of warmth and mutual triumph. Converting a former streetcar right-of-way that extends from the District to Laurel into a paved pedestrian and bicycle path had become something of a Holy Grail for many in the crowd — citizens, agents of Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Com-mission (M-NCPPC), and elect-ed o� cials alike.

A segment of the paved bicycle and pedestrian path from Albion Street to Greenbelt Road has ex-isted in College Park for several years. Bike lanes have been add-ed to Rhode Island Ave. in Col-lege Park providing access from Route 193 to Lackawanna Street.

Until recently, Hya� sville and Riverdale Park were unable to take advantage of the former trol-ley right-of-way. � at changed when Arts District developers paved a quarter-mile section of trail behind the Pale� e Apart-ments.

Funded by M-NCPPC, this project will extend that trail

Trolley Trail will connect Hya� sville, Riverdale Park

Armed robber counts three students among his victims

CRIME continued on page 13

by Rosanna Landis Weaver

By Nov. 8, the day Brian Knox came to pick up his herd of ap-proximately 30 goats, the plot of land o� Nicholson Street could have been used to illustrate the word “denuded” in the diction-ary. True to their billing, the goats had cleared all the invasive species, earning their title as “en-vironmentally friendly vegeta-tion control.”

� e goats, hired by the Anacos-tia Watershed Society, had ar-rived Nov. 1 to clear a total of 1.5 acres of kudzu and other invasive weeds o� an area by the North-west Branch of the Anacostia river, not far from Ager Road.

As is true at every job managed by Knox, supervising forester for Eco Goats, a security guard was hired to keep watch over the � ock by night. Knox says when calling security � rms to get quotes the job he o� en has a hard time explaining what will be in-volved. While the use of goats to address vegetation has become

Eco goats clear ground, spread cheer

GOATS continued on page 12ROSANNA LANDIS WEAVER

Local kids do good work.

Page 2 Hyattsville Life & Times | November 2013

A community newspaper chronicling the

life and times of Hyattsville

Mailing address: PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781

http://issuu.com/hyattsvillelifeandtimes

http://facebook.com/HyattsvilleLife

http://twitter.com/HvilleTimes

Hyattsville Life & Times is published monthly by Hyattsville Community

Newspaper, Inc., a 501c(3) nonpro� t cor-poration. Editors welcome reader input, tips, articles, letters, opinion pieces and photographs, which may be submitted using the mailing address above or the

email addresses below.

Executive Editor Susie Currie

[email protected]

Managing EditorRosanna Landis Weaver

[email protected]

Editorial InternScarlett Salem

ProductionAshley PerksAdvertising

[email protected]

Writers & ContributorsVictoria Hille, Molly Parrish,

Valerie Russell, Fred Seitz, Hugh Turley

Board of Directors Joseph Gigliotti - President and

General Counsel Chris Currie - Vice President

Susie Currie - SecretaryPeggy Dee, Karen J. Riley,

Valerie Russell Gretchen Brodtman, Debra Franklin, T. Carter Ross

Rosanna Landis Weaver - Ex O� cio

Circulation: Copies are distributed monthly by U.S. Mail to every address

in Hyattsville. Additional copies are dis-tributed 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.

FromTheEditor

by Rosanna Landis Weaver

It comes as news to no one that the world of journalism has changed. When we essentially lost Hya� sville Patch last month, it wasn’t major news the way the closing of a newspaper once may have been. No printing presses stopped running, no typese� ers were laid o� . Patch existed pure-ly online, part of a conglomerate owned by AOL. (Technically, it still exists, but as a shadow of its former self.)

What happened when AOL moved money away from the Hya� sville Patch was that the city lost a commi� ed journalist.

Small-town journalism in 2013 en father to the hospital, and spending the next few hours in the ER. Luckily, the injuries that could have been so tragic were not nearly as bad as we initially feared. � e ROTC students do their drills behind barriers now.

I suppose if I’d been working for a for-pro� t paper that stepping away from covering the story might have go� en me in trouble with my boss. But of course that wasn’t the case for HL&T. It was the right choice.

I’m convinced that the most im-portant part of community jour-nalism is the community part. When one knows the mayor and city council members — hav-ing seen them coach baseball, organize soccer or shop at the farmers market — it is easier to accept their human foibles. Knowing each other, acknowl-edging strengths, seeking solu-tions to overcome weaknesses, all of these build community.

While there is much to be said for online forums and the shar-ing of ideas, there is still a place, I believe, for newspapers such as this one.

by Max Bennett

When Dr. Mark Sugar hung up his lab coat at the end of October a� er practicing on Bel-crest Road for nearly four decades, it marked the � rst time in about 70 years there will be no Dr. Sugar in the Hya� sville area.

� e streak began with his father, Dr. Sam Sugar, a general practitioner who opened his o� ce in 1945 at the corner of Eastern Avenue and Queens Chapel Road. As a teen, recalled the son recently, “I used to go from high school, take a bus, go to his o� ce, and work.”

� ere, he learned the basics of medical prac-tice. Back then a general practitioner did nearly everything that specialists do today: lab work, x-ray exams, deliver babies, and of course the idyllic house calls. “He taught me how to draw blood, he taught me how to do cardiograms,” said Sugar.

Two of his uncles were doctors, too. But it was Dr. Herbert Rothfeld, a podiatrist in his father’s medical building, who became Sug-ar’s mentor. A� er graduating from Temple University’s podiatry program, Sugar worked for Rothfeld for a year. � en, a� er an inten-sive surgical residency in Detroit, he worked out of his father’s o� ce until he found the lo-cation just two miles down Queens Chapel Road where he has practiced for 38 years.

Sugar and his wife, longtime residents of Rockville, have three adult children and four grandchildren, with a � � h on the way. For now, the couple plans on spending a lot of time at their Florida home enjoying golf weather.

“It feels good out there,” he said, referring to the chilly late-October morning, “but a steady diet of [cold] is not my cup of tea any-more.”

Sugar considers himself an old-fashioned doctor, acknowledging that his o� ce has been somewhat limited in new technological advancements in podiatry. � at is one reason he was pleased to hand his practice to Dr. Johny J. Motran on November 1.

“I’ve got big shoes to � ll,” says Motran, who had his own practice in Gaithersburg for three years before agreeing to take over Sug-ar’s practice. He said he plans to keep many of the more traditional elements of the practice,

particularly regarding the patients. “He’s very compassionate, and I think we are similar in that respect,” said Motran.

� e practice will continue to o� er the many of the current services, while Motran adds new techniques and procedures such as laser treatment and ultrasound.

“He’s going to make this a state-of-the-art practice,” said Sugar.

Motran is a graduate of University of Mary-land and Temple University, where he stud-ied podiatry. He went to Baltimore for a three-year residency then worked for a doc-tor in Hagerstown for � ve years before open-ing his Gaithersburg practice.

New podiatrist ‘has big shoes to � ll’

We’re happy to know that Mi-chael � eis is now the digital edi-tor of the Austin Business Jour-nal, but their gain is our loss.

� is seems like a good opportu-nity to remind our readers about how we exist: the Hya� sville Life & Times, now approaching 10 years in service, is a nonpro� t. � is might be the only way for print journalism to survive in this day and age. � e city of Hy-a� sville pays us some money be-cause we design and publish the Hya� sville Reporter, and deliver to all addresses in the city. We also rely on revenue from adver-tising (hint, hint).

Based on some inquiries, we are exploring a new potential form of revenue: paid subscriptions for former Hya� sville residents or those who live outside the city limits but would like to support and follow us. If you have interest in this contact: rosanna@hya� s-villelife.com

� e major reason we can still

exist as an actual print newspa-per is that the stipends the small sta� receives are fairly negligible. I joke that if I did the calculations I expect I am paid less per hour for this job than I did for high school jobs. It is considerably lower than the job I le� in 2012, which did not o� er the � exibility I needed as a parent, but I love it. Last week, for example, I spent a wonderful morning taking pho-tos of goats (who do very poorly in accepting directions, but are just so darned cute).

But I’ve come to realize that the best part of small-town journalism is that it enables me to connect more fully into our community. I enjoy being both journalist and community mem-ber, but when these roles over-lap, sometimes I have to choose between them.

� is was highlighted a few weeks ago when there was an accident at Northwestern High School: Eight students had been

hit by a car. I took my daughter, who is a student there, and head-ed to the school to � nd out more. My intent was to cover the story, but when we got there we discov-ered that one of the ROTC mem-bers hit by the car was a good friend of my daughter’s.

His father, who I’d met sev-eral times, is an immigrant from Vietnam with li� le English. As I stood with him, my daugh-ter and another friend who had witnessed the accident and had blood on her scarf from early at-tempts at � rst aid, I was no lon-ger a journalist.

One of our Hya� sville police force members said, “Are you here for the newspaper? Because then you need to stand up there with the TV news crews and re-porters.”

I told him that I wasn’t anymore, and even o� ered him my note-book and camera. “I’m here as a parent and a friend now,” I said.

We ended up driving the shak-

MAX BENNETTDr. Mark Sugar retired at the end of October after nearly 40 years of practice.

Hyattsville Life & Times | November 2013 Page 3

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by Mike Persley

On the last weekend of October, police officers from several ju-risdictions traded shifts on top of a building in Queens Chapel Town Center. But they weren’t on a stakeout; they were raising money for a good cause.

From 6 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, to noon on Sunday, Oct. 27, members of the Hyattsville City Police Department (HCPD) and fellow officers from nearby ju-risdictions sat atop the Dunkin’ Donuts at 3030 Queens Chapel Rd. in the annual “Cops on Roof-tops” charity event. It was one of many done by police statewide to raise money for the Maryland Special Olympics, which serves 6,500 athletes who compete year round.

“It’s a great way to not just raise funding, but to show what kind of great athletes we have,” said HCPD Chief Douglas Holland. He also chairs the Law Enforce-ment Torch Run, a series of fund-raising runs done by police offi-cers in the lead-up to the Special Olympics.

Holland sees the event as a way to show the community the light-er side of being a police officer.

“It’s a great way to have our offi-cers seen in a different light,” said Holland. “It helps break down barriers between police officers and folks, makes our officers more approachable to young people.”

While occupying the popular doughnut franchise, the police sold hats and T-shirts, greeted customers inside the restaurant,

waved to friendly passersby, and most importantly, braved the cold.

“We just bundle up, wear lots of clothing,” said Michelle Dunklee, Holland’s assistant.

The idea began back in 2009 when a group of law enforce-ment officers in Illinois took to the rooftops of 94 Dunkin’ Do-nuts across the state and raised $182,000 for Special Olympics. The idea quickly spread across the country, finally coming to Maryland in 2011.

In 2012, Cops on Rooftops in Maryland raised over $40,000 at seven locations. This year, the Hyattsville event, which raised

$4,400, was one of four held in the state. The first, on Aug. 17 in College Park, raised $5,500.

On Sept. 19, Westminster police raised $8,500. The final one, in Laurel on Nov. 2, netted $5,200.

From doughnuts to dollars In addition to law enforcement officials, athletes who benefit from the fundraisers are also on hand at the doughnut shops.

“Our athletes are obviously our best advocates for their pro-gram,” said Betsy Jiron, senior director of special events for Spe-cial Olympics Maryland, “and it’s nice to get them out there.”

Among the athletes at the Hy-attsville location were Desiree Holland, the police chief ’s daugh-ter, who competes statewide in swimming and cycling and partic-ipated in the 2006 Special Olym-pics in Beijing. Joining her there was Michael Heup, the Law En-forcement Athlete Ambassador, who participates in sports ranging from soccer, floor hockey, track, powerlifting and cycling.

“I practice every day,” said Heup. “It takes a lot of practice and hard work.”

According to Jiron, Maryland law enforcement is number one for Special Olympics fundraising in the world, a feat which includes police forces in 43 countries.

In 2012, police raised over $3 million through events like Cops on Rooftops, the 5K Fort McHenry Tunnel Run, and the New Year’s Day Polar Bear Plunge.

MIKE PERSLEYOfficer Bernard Jones, of the Cheverly Police Department, fishes for donations to Special Olympics from the roof of Dunkin’ Donuts at an annual fundraiser, held the last weekend of October.

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by Mike Persley

On Saturday, Nov. 9, members of the Hyattsville police and fire de-partment squared off in the much anticipated 2013 Heroes’ Bowl, the annual flag-football game played as a fundraiser to collect toys for underprivileged children for Christmas.

The police, after two years of

futility, finally took home the Heroes’ Bowl trophy with a re-sounding 25-6 victory.

“I was hoping we would win this thing,” said police officer Jerry McCauley, “I mean, we designed the trophy, but we’ve never been able to take it home with us.”

The Bowl began in 2010, when a group of Hyattsville police of-ficers and firefighters had an idea.

“I can’t tell you who it was, and it’s probably something that everybody would have an idea about,” said Andrew Davis, pres-ident of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #119.

The two groups, recognizing their natural but friendly rivalry, wanted to play a football game against each other. But they didn’t want to play just for bragging rights.

“It was one of those things of ‘Let’s see who’s the best, and let’s do it in the form of football,’ ” Davis explained, “‘but let’s make this a charity event.’”

And so the group searched for a charity, finally deciding on the

City police win the 2013 Heroes’ Bowl

Sonny Frazier Toy Drive, a non-profit organization, run by former Ward 5 city councilmember Ruth Ann Frazier that collects toys for underprivileged children.

“When the police approached me and asked if I’d be interest-ed, I said ‘Of course we would be,” said Frazier. “Suddenly there were ten women in charge of putting on a sporting event.”

The first one, in 2011, was a suc-cess, collecting over $1,200 in donations and even more in toys. In 2012 the event earned around the same or slightly more. As in past years, the 2013 Bowl was held at Magruder Park, although the fundraising tally was not available at press time.

This year’s bowl, which took place in Magruder Park, came with high expectations. At stake was the pride of the police, who made up The Finest team. In the first two years, the Hyattsville Vol-unteer Fire Department, whose

team was The Bravest, turned out far more players and easily out-manned their opponents.

“I don’t remember the exact scores, “ said Davis, “but I know it’s not been close.”

But the police had a strong showing this year, fielding 23 players as opposed to 15 to 17 in the years past.

“We finally have some ability to move players around,” said Davis.

The Fire Department was equal-ly motivated to defend their title.

“We’re hoping to retain that championship this year,” said Tom Falcone, president of the Hyattsville Fire Department, be-

fore the game.From the beginning, the speed

of the police was too quick for the fire department to handle, as they scored on their first drive and intercepted passes from the fire department on their first two possessions. In the end, The Fin-est never looked back.

Most importantly, of course, were the toys and money that were collected.

“All of the spectators bring stuff,” explained Falcone. Admission to the game was either a new, un-wrapped toy or a monetary do-nation, and all money from food or drinks supported the toy drive as well. The city even offered to match the first $1,000 collected.

“When the parents are as happy as the kids then you know you’re doing something right,” said Fra-zier. “People are so generous. It’s really unbelievable.”

mike persleyHyattsville police officers and firefighters regroup during the 2013 Heroes’ Bowl, which netted gifts and other donations for the Sonny Frazier Toy Drive.

“I was hoping we would win this thing. I mean, we designed the trophy, but we’ve never been able to take it home with us.”

— Jerry McCauleypolice officer

Dr. Mark H. Sugar at the Belcrest Surgery Center

6505 Belcrest Road, Suite One Hyattsville, 301-699-5900

AN OPEN LETTER TO MY PATIENTS AND COLLEAGUES

On November 1, 2013 I will be retiring from private practice in Podiatry and Podiatric Surgery. Since 1974 it has been my honor and pleasure to provide the highest quality of foot care to my patients in both my office and the Belcrest Surgery Center. I am humbled by the loyalty and praise that many of you have bestowed upon me and can only say thank you to all. I have been blessed to meet so many wonderful people and consider all of you as friends and family.

On November 1st, I am happy to introduce Dr. Johny Motran who will be taking my place as owner and director of my practice and Surgery Center. Dr. Motran is an extremely well-qualified Podiatrist who is Board Certified and has had exemplary training and experience. After an extensive search, I have found him to be dedicated, hard working and com-passionate. I am confidant this transition will be smooth and uneventful.

Contact information will remain the same (phone and address) and if there are any needs or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely, Dr. Mark H. Sugar


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by Chris McManes

If you’ve been coming to the Turkey Shootout in Hyattsville since it started in the mid-1990s, you’ve seen some players who have developed into premier athletes. Another crop of rising stars is set to compete when the action gets underway the day af-ter Thanksgiving (Nov. 29), con-cluding on Sunday, Dec. 1.

Tournament director Joe Sego has once again assembled a strong field of local Catholic Youth Or-ganization (CYO) boys and girls teams. What’s different this year is the name: The Coach Dick Brown Memorial Turkey Shootout will honor the former St. Jerome and DeMatha Catholic High School coach who died in 2006.

“Dick Brown spent his entire life coaching at St. Jerome and DeMatha,” said Sego, who suc-ceeded Brown as St. Jerome boys varsity basketball coach seven years ago. “So what bet-ter way to honor him than with a huge tournament in Hyattsville?”

Usually, both schools host the event. But be-cause St. Jerome Academy’s gym floor sustained severe water dam-age in September, all the games are at DeMatha this year. The Stags began co-hosting in 2007.

Brown coached at St. Jerome from 1966 to 2006, guiding the Jaguars to two CYO city championships. He was also a DeMatha football assistant coach for 36 seasons, and was the Stags’ head junior varsity coach at the time of his death. Tom Ponton, director of DeMatha’s Development Office, played on Brown’s first title-winning team.

Mike Jones, who’s entering his 12th year as DeMatha’s head

basketball coach, thinks adding Brown’s name to the tourna-ment is a fitting tribute.

“For somebody who has had a very strong impact on a lot of young men and is already re-membered in many ways,” Jones said, “this is just another way to honor him and his legacy.”

Sego is expecting more than 40 JV (12 and under) and var-sity (14 and under) teams to participate. Each is guaranteed to play at least two games. Par-ishes pay a $240 entry fee per team; after scorekeepers and

referees are paid, DeMatha and St. Jerome share the proceeds. St. Jerome’s por-tion helps to fund other parish sports, such as soccer, track and baseball. Under Armour donated the tournament T-shirts.

The Turkey Shootout began at St. Mark the Evangelist School in Hyattsville in 1996 and brings about 1,000 people into the city. Unlike many CYO tourna-ments, admission is free.

“It’s Thanks-giving time,” Sego said. “This is the tourna-ment where you bring grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, friends, neighbors. This is the one you can invite every-body and not have to worry about [paying to get in]. I have to warn my parents that some tour-naments charge $6 or $7 at the door.

“We charge a team fee and

that’s it. We’re not going to nick-el-and-dime you. And that way we get a good crowd here.”

Jones, who also works in the DeMatha Admissions Office as director of recruitment, likes see-ing so many area students come to the school.

“From an admissions stand-point, it’s a great opportunity for

Thanksgiving basketball tournament renamed to honor coach Dick Brown

us, just to have those guys in our facility and on our campus,” he said.

Past Turkey Shootouts have showcased players such as Roy Hibbert, starting center for the Indiana Pacers; and DeMatha grad Cameron Wake, an All-Pro defensive end for the Miami Dolphins.

St. Jerome alumni include Vic-tor Oladipo, selected second overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2013 NBA Draft; Douglas Dutch, who played football at Michigan and was on the Wash-ington Redskins practice squad;

Marcus Derrickson, a Paul VI High School junior who has oral-ly committed to Georgetown; and Quinn Cook, Duke’s starting point guard. Cook and Oladipo later starred at DeMatha.

Sego, a 1994 DeMatha grad, has built a highly successful program at St. Jerome. His club won the CYO city title in 2008 and 2011, and was runner-up last year. He was named 2010 CYO Coach of the Year.

“He pretty much has a different team every year,” said Jones, “and for him to consistently have them in the discussion to be the best team in the city, that’s impressive

and shouldn’t be overlooked.”Sego begins working on the

event in earnest in early October. He was asked how he handles his administrative and coaching du-ties on game days.

“I never schedule my team to play the first game on any given day,” he said. “I run around crazy that first hour worrying about if my scorekeepers and referees are going to show up. Once they do, I can take a deep breath and say, ‘OK, we’re good to go.’”

Chris McManes has two children at St. Jerome Academy.

robert mayer, usa today sports

Howard smitH, usa today sports

getty imagesPlayers in previous years include (from top) Cameron Wake, now a Miami Dolphin; Quinn Cook, a rising star in Duke basketball; and Victor Oladipo, now in his first sea-son with the Orlando Magic.


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MissFloribundaDear Miss Floribunda,

My wife is � om Vermont and she thinks that the autumns in the Washington area are not compara-ble in beauty to those in New Eng-land because there aren’t enough sugar maples. A� er a drive through Rock Creek Park, she suggested we buy some sugar maple seedlings and plant them there, but I am not willing to risk arrest. She suggested another guerrilla gardening tactic and wants to make green grenades containing these and seeds of other plants she fancies and toss them around area woodlands. Do you think this is a good idea?

Ji� ery on Je� erson Street

Dear Ji� ery,

� e law that you should prob-ably be most ji� ery about is the law of unintended consequences. When I was growing up in Loui-siana the waterways were choked by the gorgeous but � sh-smoth-ering water hyacinth. � ey were introduced by bayou beauti� ers a� er the Brazilian blooms were given away as mementos at an international exhibition in New Orleans. It took the Army Corps of Engineers many years and mil-lions of dollars to control them.

Examples closer to home in-clude the once-popular Brad-ford pear, no longer the o� cial tree of Prince George’s County, which has become recognized as

a pest. Developed from Chinese ancestors, it was thought to be sterile — yet it has become dan-gerously invasive. And of course all of us who do not own pandas � nd bamboo uncontrollable. Al-though the sugar maple is native to the northern U.S. and Canada, I would consider it prudent to plant it on your own property where you can admire it with im-punity.

For an expert answer on all mat-ters legal and ecological, you can question the guest speaker at the next program of the Hya� s-ville Horticulture Society: Marc Imlay, conservation biologist and Non-native Invasive Plant-control Coordinator of the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. He and his volunteers, the Friends of Magruder Park, have been working hard all year to weed out bush honeysuckle, English ivy, and other invasive plants from our parks. Birds are probably the guerrilla gardeners dropping seed bombs in Magruder Park, so even planting certain non-na-tive plants in our home gardens provides them with the seeds to spread.

Our responsibility to the rest of the environment is great.

� e Q&A program with Mr. Im-lay will take place at the Hya� sville Municipal Building at 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 16. Light re-� eshments will be served.

by Susie Currie

The Hyattsville City Coun-cil has voted to go on record against a car wash being added to the Zip-In gas station at the corner of Belcrest Road and East-West Highway. But the ul-timate decision rests with the county, and Hyattsville’s re-quest may or may not influence the decision.

County o� cials already ap-proved the car wash back in 1989, as part of the then-owner’s site plan. But it was never built. Since then, the area has been designated a Transit District Overlay Zone (TDOZ), which has requirements encouraging transit-oriented development. Gas stations are prohibited in the TDOZ, but this pre-existing one got an exception.

In 2011, Sajid Chaudhry bought the station, located at 3599 East-West Highway. And he wants to ful� ll the original plan.

“Customers tell me they want a car wash,” he explained during one of two appearances before the Hya� sville Planning Com-mi� ee.

He had wanted to add the car wash based on the original ap-proval of the site plan, now 24 years old. But since it’s not per-mi� ed in the TDOZ, he needs an exception granted from the county. He has submi� ed a new detailed site plan to county zon-ing authorities, including the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) and the District Coun-cil.

Meanwhile, Chaudhry and his lawyer, land-use attorney Mi-

chele La Rocca, began present-ing the new plan to Hyattsville groups. They appeared before the Hyattsville Planning Com-mittee in March 2012, and then again in July 2013, when the committee voted unanimously to support the project with two minor conditions.

When it came before the Hy-attsville City Council in Octo-ber, several more conditions were proposed, including lim-iting hours of operation, add-ing stop signs at both exits and landscaping with native plants only. Presentations and dis-cussion took up part of three meetings, finally resulting in a vote at the Nov. 4 meeting.

After much discussion, amendments and substitute motions, the council voted 7-3 to send a letter to the county planning board opposing the car wash, “as [it] is inconsistent with the pedestrian- and tran-sit-oriented intent” of the new zoning.

Voting against the motion were Council President Can-dace Hollingsworth (Ward 1) and councilmembers Tim Hunt (Ward 3) and Clayton Williams (Ward 5). Mayor Marc Tartaro was absent.

Before it came to a vote, how-ever, a spirited conversation on local listservs had highlighed op-position to the car wash on ev-erything from environmental to aesthetic grounds. Some coun-cilmembers questioned the rel-evancy of the online discussion.

“[It] devolved into ‘What would be the coolest thing [to have on that site]?’ ... which is not the question before us,” said Pat-

rick Paschall (Ward 3). � ough he ultimately voted against the car wash, he called it a “di� cult decision.”

Williams, who had opposed several of the conditions of-fered by his colleagues, said that “we don’t govern by listserv,” and added that residents he had heard from all supported the car wash.

� is was in part a response to Eduoard Haba (Ward 4), who said that feedback he had go� en about the proposal was entirely negative and that he couldn’t support “an exception on top of an exception.”

“I want the city to adhere to the regulations we have in place,” he added.

According to an internal memo dated October 28, the Prince George’s County Planning De-partment, a branch of the M-NCPPC, found that that the car wash “poses issues with ... the general goals of the TDO Zone, and is not consistent with excel-lent TOD, not appropriate for the location, and should be elim-inated from the plan.”

� e ma� er is scheduled to come before the M-NCPPC at a hearing on Dec. 5. A� erwards, it will be heard by the Prince George’s County Council, which sits as the District Council when making planning and zoning de-cisions.

That is where the fate of the car wash will be decided. In making development deci-sions, the District Council is not obligated to accept the rec-ommendations of either the county planning board or the affected municipality.

City council votes to scrub plans for car wash


COMMUNITY CALENDAR

The City of Hyattsville

Department of Community Services Presents

Claus Applause Holiday Decorating Contest

Contest Rules

Contest open to addresses within the City of Hyattsville only.

Nominations will be accepted beginning at 12:00 Noon on Monday,

November 25, 2013.

Entries must be received by the Department of Community Services by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 13, 2013.

Entries will be accepted by online form or mail only. Telephone entries

will not be accepted.

Judging will be held on Wednesday, December 18, 2013 beginning at 6:00 p.m. Holiday lights and decorations must be turned on prior to the start of

judging.

Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place in each of the City’s five Wards. Additional prizes will include the Mayor’s Choice award and the Green award which will be awarded to the home with the best use of

environmentally friendly decorations.

Winning homes will be notified by phone on Friday, December 20.

Photos of winning homes will be posted on the City’s website and Cable Channel 71 / Channel 12.

Prizes will be awarded at the City Council Meeting scheduled for Monday,

January 6, 2014.

The City of Hyattsville

Department of Community Services Presents

Claus Applause Holiday Decorating Contest

Entry Form

Name: ______________________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Phone: Preferred ____________________________________________ Alternate ____________________________________________ E-Mail: ______________________________________________________________ Green Award Yes No If yes, please describe what makes your decorations green: ________________________________________________________________________________ Please send completed entry forms to: City of Hyattsville Claus Applause Holiday Decorating Contest 4310 Gallatin Street Hyattsville, MD 20781 Online registration is available at http://www.hyattsville.org/applause. Entry forms must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 13. Questions? Please call the Department Community Services at 301-985-5021.

November 16All are welcome to join the discussion of Jacqueline Kelly’s book The Evolu-tion of Calpurnia Tate, the story of an 11-year-old naturalist at the turn of the 20th century. 3 p.m. Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adelphi Road. 301.985.4690.

November 16 and 17Arachne Aerial Arts and collaborating guests perform We Fly, an evening of aerial dance, theater, circus arts, music and poetry in Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. $20; discounts for children and seniors. Joe’s Movement Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Road, Mount Rainier. 301.699.1819. For tick-ets, visit www.joesmovement.org. November 18Closing out the fall Independent Film Series at the Hyattsville Library is The Lesser Blessed, centering on the lives of aboriginal Canadian teens. Free. Doors open at 6:45 for the screening of the 90-minute film, followed by a discussion of it. 6530 Adelphi Road. 301.985.4690. November 23Connect the Dots Dance Company, a local group that performs for chil-dren in schools and hospitals, brings a

dance workshop for the under-8 set to College Park Arts Exchange. Free; do-nations appreciated. 4 p.m. Old Parish House, 4711 Knox Road, College Park. 301.927.3013 or info@ cpae.org. November 29Don’t want to mob-shop on Black Friday? Opening to-day is the 27th Annual Winter Festival of Lights, the popular holiday display featur-ing over a mil-lion twinkling lights. Please bring a canned good to do-nate. Admission per car or van is $5 for a single visit or $10 for a three-visit pass. Open daily from 5 to 9:30 p.m. until January 2. Watkins Re-gional Park. 301 Watkins Park Drive, Upper Marlboro. 301.699.2456. November 30The bricks come out for LEGO® Time, a program for children ages 3 to 13 and their families. (Parents must accompany children 8 and younger.) Free. 2 p.m. Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adel-phi Road. 301.985.4690. December 6 and 7 The city marks the season with two an-

nual events this weekend. The Christ-mas Tree Lighting is set for Friday at 7 p.m. in Magruder Park. Then, on Saturday, the Municipal Building hosts two seatings of Dining with Santa: a continental breakfast from 9 to 10:30,

and lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m. The tree-light-

ing is free. Both Sat-urday events have an admission charge and require registration. 301.985.5021 or www.hyattsville.org.

December 7

A history-themed gathering with the Christmas icon hap-pens the same morning at Breakfast With Sint Niklaas, children ages 3 to 10 will meet the Flemish forerunner of Santa Claus and hear about the

origin of traditions like hang-ing stockings by the fireplace.

A Belgian-inspired menu will be presented at two seatings, 9 and 11 a.m. and reservations are required as walk-ins will be turned away. Adults, $7; chil-dren, $10. Riversdale House Museum. 4811 Riverdale Road, Riverdale Park. 301.864.0420.

A longtime neighborhood tradition con-

tinues today with the St. Jerome Acad-emy Craft Fair and White Elephant Sale. Looking for great deals on books, toys, household items and more? Head to the cafeteria for the White Elephant sale. Then head to the Gold Room to browse handmade crafts, fiber art and more. Free. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 5205 43rd Avenue. 301.277.4568. Browse jewelry, purses, toys, fragrant soaps, holiday ornaments and more from dozens of local artists at the Mount Rainier Craft Fair. Free, but vendors accept cash or checks only. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Joe’s Movement Empo-rium, 3309 Bunker Hill Road, Mt. Rain-ier. 301.655.5274.

Reindeer are old school; nowadays, the man in red uses more advanced trans-portation. During today’s Santa Fly-In, children can watch him land via heli-copter at the historic College Park Air-port and take a picture with him. Crafts and other children’s activities round out the afternoon. Noon to 4 p.m. Free with regular museum admission of $4, with discounts for children and seniors. College Park Aviation Museum, 1985 Cpl. Frank Scott Drive, College Park. 301.864.6029.

CALENDAR continued on page 8

Hyattsville Reporterthe

No. 276 • November 13, 2013www.hyattsville.org • 301-985-5000

Page HR1 Hyattsville Life & Times | November 2013 Hyattsville Life & Times | November 2013 Page HR2

IN OTHER NEWS...

NOVEMBER 2013

CALENDAR

Wednesday, November 13Environmental Committee Meeting, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Thursday, November 14MD-500 Informational Workshop, 6 to 8 PMBuilding Bridges Book Club Meeting, 7:30 PM

Friday, November 15Ageless Grace senior exercise class, 10 to 11 AMMagruder Park Recreation Center, lower room (Enter rough blue door in Courtyard)

Saturday, November 16Volunteer Opportunity: Non-native Invasive Removal, 9 AM to 1 PMMagruder Woods, 3911 Hamilton Street

Monday, November 18Council Meeting, 8 PM - 10 PM

Wednesday, November 20Hyattsville Environmental Committee meeting, 7:30 PM

Friday, November 22Ageless Grace senior exercise class, 10 to 11 AMMagruder Park Recreation Center, lower room (Enter rough blue door in Courtyard)

November 25 - 29Trash collection changes for Thanksgiving week, City-wideSee information in this newsletter

Tuesday, November 26Planning Committee Meeting, 7:30 PM

Thursday, November 28HOLIDAY - Thanksgiving Day, City administrative offices closed

Friday, November 29HOLIDAY – City administrative offices closed

MD-500 INFORMATIONAL WORKSHOPThe Maryland State Highway Administration will host a workshop on their MD-500 project on Thursday, November 14 from 6 to 8 PM at the City Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street.

BUILDING BRIDGES BOOK CLUBThe Building Bridges Book Club will meet in the City Municipal Building on Thursday, November 14 at 7:30 PM to continue their discussion of The New Jim Crow. Participation is free and open to the public. Questions? Please call Council Member Robert Croslin at 240/460-1827.

WINTER BREAK CAMP AT MAGRUDER – REGISTRATION IS OPENThe Department of Community Services will offer two single-day Winter Break Camp programs for kids currently enrolled in grades kindergarten through fifth grade. The dates for 2013 are Thursday, December 26 and Friday, December 27.Camp opens at 9 AM and ends at 4:30 PM. After care is available

from 4:30 to 6 PM for an additional fee. Register for one day or both. The cost for regular day is $30 per Camper, per day. After care is an additional $5 per Camper, per day. Payment in full is due by December 13.Activities will include crafts and games. If the weather is mild, we

will have outdoor play time. In the event of inclement weather, we will screen age-appropriate movies. Snacks are provided. Campers bring their own lunches. Refrigeration is available.Register online at www.hyattsville.org/camps. After registering, you

will receive an invoice for the amount due.

SENATOR PINSKY TO HOST TOWN HALL MEETING ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14Maryland State Senator Paul G. Pinsky will host a Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, December 14 from 9:30 to 11 AM at Lamont Elementary School, 7101 Good Luck Road in New Carrollton. Senator Pinsky will share a legislative update. Prince George’s County Public Schools CEO Dr. Kevin Maxwell will discuss his plans.Time will be set aside to hear from you! For more information, call

240-391-8154 or email [email protected].

SONNY FRAZIER TOY DRIVE COLLECTION IS UNDERWAYThe Sonny Frazier Toy Drive has provided a happy holiday to area chil-dren for the past ten years. This year’s drive is accepting donations of new, unwrapped toys at:

• Lawson’s Pharmacy, 3415 Hamilton Street• Bestway, 3511 Hamilton Street• City Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street

Financial contributions can be mailed to The Sonny Frazier Toy Drive, 5013 37th Avenue, Hyattsville, MD 20782. Please make checks payable to Sonny Frazier Toy Drive. Many thanks for your thoughtful and generous support!

THANKSGIVING TRASH PICK-UP SCHEDULE CHANGESThis year, the Thanksgiving holiday falls on Thursday, November 28. There are changes to the trash collection schedule for the entire week.There will be no Yard Waste collection, City-wide, the week of No-

vember 25. In addition:If your regularly scheduled collection day is Tuesday, your trash will

be collected one day early, on Monday, November 25.If your regularly scheduled collection day is Wednesday, your trash

will be collected one day early, on Tuesday, November 26.If your regularly scheduled collection day is Thursday, your trash will

be collected one day early, on Wednesday, November 27.

If your regularly scheduled collection day is Friday, your trash will be collected two days early, on Wednesday, November 28.The City is closed on Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November

29 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

CHRISTMAS TRASH PICK-UP SCHEDULE CHANGESNo Yard Waste will be collected on Monday, December 23. If your regularly scheduled collection day is Tuesday, your trash will

be collected one day early, on Monday, December 26.If your regularly scheduled collection day is Wednesday, your trash

will be collected one day early, on Tuesday, December 26.There are no changes to the Thursday or Friday collection schedules.

RECYCLING UPDATES FROM PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTYPrince George’s County does not collect recycling on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, or New Year’s Day, but will operate on all other days.

AGELESS GRACE CLASSES NEW SEMESTER BEGINS ON JANUARY 3, 2014Ageless Grace is a low impact exercise program for mind and body at consists of 21 simple exercises designed to improve healthy longev-ity. The exercises are designed to be performed in a chair and almost anyone can benefit from them, regardless of most physical conditions. And did we mention? It’s also great fun! Classes meet on Fridays at the Magruder Park Recreation Center, 3911 Hamilton Street and cost just $2 per class. The Fall Semester ends on November 22nd, and the new year kicks off with a 12-week session beginning January 3, 2014. For more information or to register, please call 301/985-5058 or email Emily Stowers at [email protected].

PARENT & CHILD PROGRAM AT MAGRUDER PARK CONTINUES ROUGH DECEMBER 19The City’s best play date is back at Magruder Park is Fall. The Par-ent & Child Program allows parents and other caregivers to bring preschoolers to the Magruder Park Recreation Center, 3911 Hamilton Street, for playtime and crafts. The program features both free play and structured activities. Children must be accompanied by an adult. The program meets Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during the school year, from 9 AM to 12 noon. For Fall 2013, we’ve rolled back

our tuition to just $50/semester. Register after the mid-point of the se-mester, and pay just $30. For more information, visit www.hyattsville.org/pcprogram or call 301/985-5021.

CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS – NEW WAYS TO WATCHThe community is always welcome to attend City Council meetings in person, at 4310 Gallatin Street. City residents can also watch the meet-ings from home on Comcast (Channel 71) or Verizon (Channel 12), either live or on rebroadcast. The rebroadcast schedule is as follows: 7 AM, 1 PM, and 8 PM seven days a week, including weekends and holidays. We typically rebroadcast the most recent Council Meeting. Meetings can also be streamed live at www.hyattsville.org/meetings.Questions? Comments? Please talk to Jonaan Alexander, the City’s

cable coordinator, at [email protected] or 301/985-5028.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED FOR MAGRUDER WOOD RESTORATIONJoin us for non-native invasive removals in Magruder Woods on the third Saturday of every month, year-round, from 9 AM to 1 PM. Work is led by Dr. Marc Imlay, Maryland-National Capital Park and Plan-ning. Upcoming dates include Saturday, November 16 and Saturday, December 20. Please dress for the elements – long-sleeves, long pants and sturdy boots or shoes. Questions? Contact Colleen Aistis, [email protected] or 301/985-5057. Participation helps to satisfy State of Maryland Student Service Learning requirements.

UPDATES FROM WSSC – IS WORK PLANNED FOR YOUR STREET?Looking for updates on WSSC projects in your neighborhood? Use eir maps to see the status of current projects. Maps can be accessed on WSSC’s website: http://gisweb.wsscwater.com/InYourNeighborhood/

CAR SEAT SAFETY CHECKSGot kids? Then you’ve got car seats!Maryland law requires all children under the age of eight to ride in

an appropriate safety seat. But the seat alone is not enough - proper installation is the key to keeping our littlest passengers safe. Despite our best efforts, estimates suggest at as many as seven out of ten kids are not buckled in properly.

Leaf vacuuming tips!

The City of Hyattsville’s Police Department can help. To schedule a safety seat check, please contact Officer Christine Fekete at 301/985-5060 or via email to [email protected]. She’ll be happy to help parents install a new seat or improve the fit of your current equip-ment.Car Seat Safety Checks aren’t just for new parents, either. Consider

calling when your child transitions from an infant to a toddler seat, or when you buy a new vehicle and transfer your seats from your old car.Checks are free of charge for any City of Hyattsville resident.

NIXLEThe City is now using Nixle to send public safety alerts and infor-mation via both email and text message. This system replaces the SafeCity website previously in use. Many of our neighboring juris-dictions also use Nixle to send out information. Please note at 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 on-line at http://www.hyattsville.org/stayinformed.

FIND US ON FACEBOOKAre 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.

The City will light the Magruder Park tree on Friday, December 6 at 7 PM at Magruder Park, 3911 Hamilton Street. Please join us for holiday music and a visit from Santa. Re-freshments will be served. Free and open to everyone!Santa sticks around for two events on Sat-

urday, December 7: Breakfast and Lunch with Santa at the City Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street. Join us for a conti-nental breakfast from 9 to 10:30 AM or a light lunch from 12 to 1:30 PM. Space is limited, and reservations are suggested. $5 per person. Kids 2 and under free. Pic-tures are available - $3 for a print from us,

or no charge to take your own. To make a reservation, visit www.hyattsville.org/breakfast or call 301/985-5021.Deck the halls! Nominations for the

Claus Applause holiday decorating contest open on Monday, November 25 at noon. Nominate your friend, neighbor, or that

great house around the corner! Use the nomination form in this paper, or online at www.hyattsville.org/applause.More interested in oohing and aahing?

The City is also recruiting judges. Judg-ing takes place on Wednesday, December 18 beginning at 6 PM. Use the form at www.hyattsville.org/ap-

plause or call 301/985-5021. Judges hop on the City’s bus or van at the City Mu-nicipal Building. It takes between two and three hours to complete the judging pro-cess.Seniors, we’d love to see your smiling faces

at the Senior Holiday Social on Thursday, December 19 from 6 to 8 PM in the City Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street.For further information on any of our

seasonal events, please contact Cheri Everhart, Recreation Events Coordinator, in the Department of Community Services by email to [email protected] or phone at 301-985-5021.

Join us for Happy Hyattsville Holidays in December!Households served by the Depart-

ment of Public Works will receive leaf vacuuming services beginning the week of Monday, November 4. The schedule is unchanged from previous years, and can be viewed at www.hyattsville.org/leaves. Res-idents may also check their collec-tion date by calling 301/985-5032.Help us help residents remove as

many leaves as possible by:Rake your leaves to the grassy

area between the sidewalk and curb, not on to the street. If this is not possible on your property, please rake them to the curbline.Have your leaf piles in place by

7 AM the morning of collection. Times of collection will vary and we cannot return to an address.

Avoid parking in front of leaf piles on collection day, or rake your leaves to a place at will not be used for parking. The leaf vacuum hose does not reach around cars.Please do not mix in limbs,

branches or other debris. These items will damage the leaf vacuum hose and equipment, and can pre-vent us from completing a route.For residents of the 3100 block of

Rosemary Lane: In order for our vacuum equipment to enter your block and safely collect leaves, we are requesting at no vehicles park on the 3100 block of Rosemary Lane on Fridays during the leaf col-lection season from 8 AM – 9 AM If vehicles are parked on the 3100 block of Rosemary Lane when our

equipment arrives to collect leaves, DPW staff will be unable to collect leaves and will attempt to collect them on the following Friday. For residents of the 5800 block

of 30 Avenue (odd side): In order for our vacuum equipment to en-ter your block and safely collect leaves, we are requesting at no vehicles park on the odd side of the 5800 block of 30 Avenue on Mondays during the leaf collec-tion season from 8 AM – 9 AM. If vehicles are parked on the odd side of the 5800 block of 30 Ave-nue when our equipment arrives to collect leaves, DPW staff will be unable to collect leaves and will attempt to collect them on the following Monday.

For residents in the 5900 block of 34 Avenue: In order for our vacu-um equipment to enter your block and safely collect leaves, we are re-questing at no vehicles park on the 5900 block of 34 Avenue on Mon-days during the leaf collection sea-son from 8 AM – 9 AM. If vehicles are parked on the 5900 block of 34 Avenue when our equipment ar-rives to collect leaves, DPW staff will be unable to collect leaves and will attempt to collect them on the following Monday. If you miss your leaf vacuum

day, you may also bag your leaves and put them out for collection as yard waste on Mondays. The City will collect up to ten bags of leaves from each address.


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Sugar Coated!15% off seasonal clothing for your little sugar!Be ready for any weather! We have a variety of styles and sizes in stock. Good through 11/30/13.

December 7 and 8 For a one-of-a-kind gift, why not make a glass ornament? This weekend, DC Glassworks will match you with an instruc-tor who will help you through the process. One-hour slots from 1 to 4 p.m. are available each day; choose one when you register at www.dcglassworks.com. $45. 5346 46th Avenue, Edmonston. 301.927.8271.

December 8Hya� sville Mennonite Church invites community members to join them for their annual Mes-siah Sing-a long. While there will be some copies of the music available, bring your own scores if you have them. Also feel free to bring Christmas goodies to share a� er the singing. Free. 7 p.m. 4217 East West Highway.

OngoingLocal couple Milton and Lin-da McGehee have distributed thousands of care packages to wounded soldiers over the years and still deliver regularly to the local veteran’s hospital. They welcome donations of new items,including dispos-able cameras, toiletries, puzzle books, playing cards, DVDs, and, especially, new towels and washcloths. Call 301.559.0864 to donate or volunteer.

Through March, naturalists will lead a guided hike around Lake Artemesia and the Lu-ther Goldman Birding Trail on the first and third Thursdays of the month. Lake Artemesia, 8200 55th Avenue, Berwyn Heights. Free. 3 to 4:30 p.m. 301.627.7755.

The Hyattsville library offers a variety of storytimes. Space is limited; free tickets available at the children’s desk. Ages 9-23 months: Mondays, 10:15 a.m. Ages 2-3: Mondays, 11 a.m. Ages 3-5: Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. Ages 3-6: Wednesdays, 7 p.m. English-Spanish Story-time for ages 3-6: Saturdays, 11 a.m. 6530 Adelphi Road. 301.985.4690.

Rise + Rhyme kicks off the week for the 5-and-under set with storytelling, performances and more. Suggested donation, $5. Monday mornings from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Zinn Room, Busboys & Poets, 5331 Balti-more Avenue. 301.779.2787.

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 [email protected] or mail to P.O. Box 132, Hyatts-ville, MD 20781. Deadline for December submissions is Novem-ber 23.

by Fred Seitz

A casual walk along the bike path or around Magruder Park might provide a view of a large shadow soaring overhead. Initial inclina-tion might prompt the viewer to remark about the “dirty, disease-carrying” buzzard. � is unfor-tunate and incorrect stigma is sometimes applied to some com-mon large birds in our area, who don’t deserve the disdain.

� e turkey vulture and black vul-ture are two of six species of New World Vultures. Turkey vultures are a fairly common sight over Magruder Park (I o� en see them contemplating groundhog and oth-er carcasses). I have only seen black vultures near Paint Branch Park and Lake Artemesia. In both of these other locations, the turkey vultures appear to be more common.

� e turkey vulture is easily rec-ognized due to its bright red, bald head, which resembles a wild turkey’s, and its large size. By contrast, the black vulture is a bit smaller with a grayish-white head. Its wingspan is about 5 feet, about a foot smaller than the turkey vulture’s. In � ight, the turkey vulture displays a V-shape with its wings; the black vulture’s wings will be � a� er.

Since both use thermals (ris-ing warm air masses) to � y, they are less likely to be seen on rainy days, as the thermals do not de-velop in the cooler, overcast days. Neither bird is a “buzzard” as this name was mistakenly carried over from large hawks called “bu-

teos” and referred to as buzzards in Europe.

Both types of vulture are carrion connoisseurs and use their excep-tional senses of smell and eyesight to � nd dead animals in wooded areas and along roadsides. � eir a� raction to roadkill makes auto-mobiles one of the major sources of their premature demise. In addition, horned owls and some hawks may occasionally a� ack and kill the adult vultures, though it is more common for the vulture chicks to be taken.

If spared the ravages of autos and owls, turkey vultures may live for up to 14 years. Both types of vultures are federally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty of 1918.

Part of the rationale for pro-tection of both species is their important role in carrion dis-posal. � eir “clean-up” of dead animals may help reduce the spread of dangerous bacteria that may reside in the carcasses. � e vultures’ hearty digestive tracts destroy the bacteria. Walking through the carcasses exposes

the birds’ feet to the bacteria, but they urinate on their toes. Not only does this sterilize their feet, it also cools them on hot days.

Among their other endearing characteristics, the vultures are limited to a repertoire of hisses and grunts rather than serenad-ing passersby, as songbirds do. Also, if alarmed, they will vomit at the perceived threat.

Despite their challenging man-ners, both vultures are fairly gre-garious and may share roosts on bare limbs in wooded areas. � ey do not build obvious nests, but may simply scratch a space on the ground to lay one or two eggs. Both Mom and Dad share incuba-tion and feeding of the chicks.

Both vultures are quite pictur-esque when circling in the sky and are commonly seen dur-ing migration in late September and October. Both Washing-ton Monument State Park, near Boonsboro, and Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania are excellent lo-cations for watching vultures and hawks during spring and fall mi-grations.

NatureNearbyDark shadows overhead

CALENDARcontinued from page 7

FRED SEITZContemplating the carrion: A turkey vulture at Magruder Park.


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by Clarice Silber

Residents and local officials came together for Bike Mary-land’s community and busi-ness workshop at the Hyatts-ville Branch Library on Oct. 29.

Bike Maryland is a nonprofit that promotes bicycling and safety for riders. The work-shop provided a forum to dis-cuss ways to make Hyattsville a better place to ride.

“The main goal for us is to be a voice of all the bicyclists in Maryland and that’s a big chal-lenge,” said Carol Silldorff, ex-ecutive director of Bike Mary-land. According to Silldorff, the organization works to cre-ate changes on both a state and local legislative level.

The evening workshop in-

cluded informative presen-tations, remarks from local officials, and interactive dis-cussions between local resi-dents that attended.

The event sparked a discus-sion on educating cyclists and drivers alike. “Driver educa-tion, I can’t say it enough,” said Kevin Ware, an Upper Marl-boro resident and member of both Bike Maryland and the League of American Bicyclists. Ware complained that drivers on the road are inconsiderate of biking commuters and often fully occupy lanes.

Tiffany Williams-Jennings, an employee of the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission, be-lieves that cyclists themselves need to be more educated as well. She explained that many

cyclists ride against traffic and are unaware they should be cy-cling with the flow of traffic.

She is also a co-chair of the Pedestrian Safety Work Group, which works to decrease the number of pedestrian and cy-clist injuries and fatalities in Prince George’s County.

“I was born and raised in Prince George’s County, so I’m really passionate about trying to improve pedestrian and cy-clists education in the county,” said Williams-Jennings.

Proper funding and infra-structure were among the challenges raised by, among other attendees, Hyattsville Assistant City Administrator Jim Chandler. According to Chandler, most places do not emphasize the importance of bike riding.

“There are certain areas that prioritize bikes, but predomi-nantly [they’re] prioritizing cars, and that’s pretty clear in 90 to 95 percent of the coun-ty,” Chandler noted. He also explained that although Hy-attsville does not directly fit into this mold, with two Metro stations for pedestrians and committed funds towards bike riding initiatives, it too some-

times struggles. Katie Lupo, the Bike Mary-

land Program Coordinator, said the organization chose to hold the workshop in Hyatts-ville because of the boom in the biking culture.

“In comparison to a lot of towns, the public [here] is very involved.” Lupo said. But, she added, “there always can be more involvement.”

Bike Maryland comes to Hyattsville


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by Peggy Dee

I recently had the pleasure of meeting a delightful 88-years-young gentleman, John Small, who grew up in Hya� sville. Al-though he now resides in Mont-gomery County, his heart re-mains here.

As he was born in 1925, John saw the e� ects of the Great De-pression. His father was out of work for several years, so the family moved several times in our city before � nally se� ling on Arundel Avenue (now 42nd Av-enue). John a� ended the Hya� s-ville Elementary School and the old Hya� sville High School.

While he was in high school, World War II began. John en-listed in the Navy and did not graduate with his class in 1943. He returned three years later and became a resident of Nichol-son Street. He received his high school diploma from McKinley Tech High School in Northeast Washington. He has such fond memories of taking the old Po-tomac Park/Branchville streetcar into school each day.

In 1947, he began working at an insurance company in Washing-ton. He met his future wife, Be� y Jean, on his � rst day there. � ey were married in 1948 in the old Hya� sville Presbyterian Church located on Farragut Street at 42nd Avenue.

John took me on a delightful trip down Memory Lane as he discussed his happy childhood days here in Hya� sville. He took his � rst date to the opening night of the Hya� sville movie theater

on Baltimore Avenue, in Novem-ber 1939. And before this theater opened, John spent many a fun-� lled Saturday a� ernoon at the old Arcade theater on Gallatin Street. � is building was pur-chased by our city a few years ago.

Neighborhood kids arrived at noon each Saturday, where they saw two � lms and a cartoon for a mere 25 cents. In between the � lms, the children were invited on stage to perform. Each child was given a free gi� . � e popu-lar Dave Ginsburg was always the master of ceremonies. In the basement of the theatre was a pool room and a bowling alley.

Spending summer days at ac-tivities in Magruder Park is also a vivid memory for John. � ere was a full-time a� endant at the park each day and the kids par-ticipated in so� ball, shu� e-board and badminton. When it snowed, the City blocked o� Jef-ferson Street from 40th to 42nd so the children could sled down

the hill. To get warm a� erwards, the kids headed down to Balti-more Avenue, where they en-joyed treats at the Federal Diner or Tony George’s Confection-ary Store. � e old Woolworth’s Five and Dime Store was also a popular spot. John worked part-time there when he was just 14 — which, In those days, was the minimum age for employment. Seeing so many friends and neighbors coming in for holiday shopping, delighted John.

In addition to the old Branch-ville/Potomac Park streetcar line, the Greyhound Bus trav-eled along Route 1, with service to Washington and Baltimore. Dudrow’s Drug Store, which was in the 5300 block of Baltimore Avenue, was the o� cial Grey-hound stop for Hya� tsville for points heading north. Tickets could be purchased at Dudrow’s. Peoples Drug Store, directly across the street, was the stop for points heading south or into Washington.

COURTESY OF PEGGY DEEAn undated photo of the Hyattsville movie theater, which opened on Baltimore Avenue in November 1939.

New friends with old memories � e Maryland National Guard

Armory on Route 1 at Je� erson, was the scene of many social activities. � e residents par-ticipated in roller skating and dances. A� er Pearl Harbor was a� acked in 1941, the Armory was the scene of a large civil-de-fense rally, which also included a visit from Maryland governor Herbert R. O’Conor. A� er the

happenings at the Armory, the participants walked across the street to the old Hot Shoppes restaurant where they warmly completed their evening.

I enjoyed so much my a� er-noon with John Small and hear-ing how life was lived here in our dear city in days gone by. He had many pictures to show and stories to tell. Even though they did not have computers, many cars on the roads, or televisions, life seemed ful� lling in so many other ways.

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Questions? Please call the Department of Public Works at 301/985-5032.

Public Works Trash Collection ChangesFall & Winter Schedule for 2013If 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.

THANKSGIVINGNo Yard Waste will be collected on Monday, November 25 If your ordinary pick-up day is: Your pick-up will be on:Tuesday, November 26Wednesday, November 27 Thursday, November 28 Friday, November 29

CHRISTMASNo Yard Waste will be collected on Monday, December 23.

If your ordinary pick-up day is: Your pick-up will be on:Tuesday, December 24Wednesday, December 25Thursday, December 26Friday, December 27

TRASH CHANGES

Monday, November 25Tuesday, November 26Wednesday, November 27Wednesday, November 27

Monday, December 23Tuesday, December 24no changeno change

Save the Dates!Happy Hyattsville HolidaysTree Lighting at Magruder Park - Friday, December 6thBreakfast and Lunch with Santa - Saturday, December 7thClaus Applause Annual Holiday Decorating contest - Wednesday, December 18thSenior Services Holiday Social - Thursday, December 19thWinter Break Camp - Thursday, December 26th and Friday, December 27th

Department of Community Services www.hyattsville.org/december301/985-5021

by Scarlett Salem

On a windy yet sunny afternoon, about 300 people visited ECO City Farms for a Food Day Festi-val. Held on October 26, the free event included a farm tour, face painting, music, cooking dem-onstrations, hula hooping and ECO’s famous smoothie bike, fea-turing a bicycle-powered blender.

“For us, it’s like a harvest festival[,] a celebration of what the earth gives us and what we give each other,” explained Margaret Morgan-Hub-bard, founder of the nonprofit ur-ban farm in Edmonston.

It was one of an estimated 4,000 events held nationwide on or near Food Day (October 24), an initiative started three years ago by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). The Washington, D.C.-based CSPI is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization focusing on food safety and nutrition. Executive Director Michael Jacobson saw a national Food Day as a way of promoting “healthy, affordable and sustainably produced food and a grassroots campaign for better food policies,” according to the CSPI website.

That was a natural fit for ECO

City Farms, which has been rap-idly diversifying its plot of land, just over acre along the North-west Branch of the Anacostia Riv-er, since breaking ground in early 2010. One of the farm’s primary goals is agricultural education, which is evident in the permacul-ture (ecology-based gardening), vermiculture (using worms to compost), hoop houses (a type of

greenhouse) — even the process-ing kitchen, which is made from a new shipping container.

ECO is primarily grant-funded and pulled off the Food Day event with a $5,000 grant from the Port Towns Community Health Partnership.

Morgan-Hubbard says that many areas in the Port Towns — Bladensburg, Edmonston,

Farm celebrates Food Day Cottage City and Colmar Manor — are considered food deserts, which the USDA defines as ur-ban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy, affordable food.

“Seventy percent of Prince George’s County [residents are] overweight and obese,” she said, in part because “mostly fast food is available. We want to show peo-ple that food can be fast and good as opposed to fast and greasy.”

The festival food reflected that philosophy, with chai tea, home-made pumpkin pies, and other healthy snacks on the menu instead of typical fair food like soda, cotton candy and hot dogs.

On the late October afternoon, small groups gathered for vege-table-cooking demonstrations while about 60 people toured the farm with its manager, Christian Melendez, who highlighted all the various agricultural activities.

Still other attendees browsed information booths that tied into the theme of the day. The Prince George’s County Health Depart-ment booth featured giveaways promoting its new website, www.mypgchealthyrevolution.org, aimed at helping residents get and stay healthy. At the Riverdale Farmers Market booth, Market Coordinator Jim Coleman wanted to get the word out that the market now accepts SNAP and WIC. “We

can help [people] have access to foods they can’t get at the grocery store,” stated Coleman.

Among those foods: produce from ECO City Farms, which is regularly available at the weekly market.

“It is important to reach out as much as we can to the people who live, work and study here and show them what is possible,” said Morgan-Hubbard.

For more information on ECO City Farms, visit www.ecoffshoots.org.

scarlett salemECO City Farms’ smoothie bike, with its pedal-powered blender, was a hit at the Food Day Festival on Oct. 24.


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in both directions, north to Queensbury Road in Riverdale Park and south to Farragut Street in Hyattsville. While no formal connection is planned, from Far-ragut Street it is a quick spin or stroll to Armentrout Drive which provides convenient access to various destinations along the Anacostia Tributary Trail Sys-tem.

Phase Two will further extend the trail from Queensbury to Tuckerman in Riverdale Park, allowing residents to avoid the busy intersection of Route 1 and East-West Highway. Hyattsville and Riverdale Park have jointly committed to monitoring and maintaining the trail.

The ceremony took place in Riverdale Park near the old trolley depot that houses the Archie Edwards Blues Founda-tion. Guests included all of Hy-attsville’s state representatives, including Sen. Paul Pinsky and delegates Anne Healey, Tawanna Gaines and Alonzo Washington. Also among the “Honorables” were county councilmembers Eric Olson (District 3) and Will Campos (District 2) as well as mayors Vernon Archer (River-dale Park) and Marc Tartaro (Hyattsville). Presiding over the event was Prince George’s Coun-ty Planning Board Chair Eliza-beth Hewlett, who made sure that supporters were acknowl-edged whether they were speak-ing from the podium or not.

Interrupted by the roar of in-

more common, it continues to be rare in an urban environment.

The security guard at the Nich-olson Street job earned his pay when a driver under the influ-ence “of something” spun off the road at 3 a.m. Sunday morning, Nov. 3, taking down a portion of the electrified fence that keeps the goats inside the area and the people out. By the time Knox arrived, the vehicle was being towed, and the fence was quickly repaired. No goats were injured.

A few hours later, he was called again by a resident who reported that one of the goats had just given birth to twins. Knox imme-diately came to pick up the kids, now named Ashton and Mary, and their mother Princess and take them back to Garden Farms of Davidsonville, Md. In all like-lihood the kids would have been fine where they were, but Knox notes newborn kids move quickly from toddling to scampering, and at even a few days old are more difficult to corral into the truck.

This is not the case for the oth-

er approximately 30 members of the herd, who were ready to go home and knew the routine. While the tallest goat, Larry, stood on his hind legs, munch-ing on the last green vine in sight, some 8 feet up in a tree, others had a forlorn and hungry look. Some appeared to gaze longingly at the stunning amount of green kudzu vine just a few feet on the other side of the fence. Others looked idly at the empty bottles of Bacardi and Corona on the ground: not evidence of a goat party but of the kind of pollution under the greenery that the Wa-tershed Society now has a bet-ter chance of keeping out of the river.

When Knox opened the truck, which had feed inside, the goats practically trampled each oth-er in their eagerness to get on board. The goats will be back in the spring to clear two additional acres on the other side of the creek. The herd may be larger: according to neighborhood ob-servers in addition to the kids who were born it appears that others may have been conceived in Hyattsville.

coming and outgoing com-muter and freight trains, the speakers universally hailed high level of collaboration between multiple agencies and jurisdic-tions necessary for the project to move forward. Acknowledging the slow pace of development, Olson called the groundbreaking “an incredible day, one that many thought would never come.”

Archer reminded those in atten-dance that the idea for a trolley trail surfaced in Riverdale Park in the late 1990s. At that time, the concept received a surpris-ing amount of negative pushback from residents. The mayor her-alded the changed atmosphere along the now-booming Route 1 corridor as one of “warmth and neighborliness,” and a grow-ing recognition that the various

rosanna landis weaver

susan hinesSeveral elected officials from the city, state and county gathered to break ground on a trail that will connect Hyattsville to Riverdale Park.

trail continued from page 1

goats continued from page 1

municipalities are “tied together.” The local cycling community

was also out in force. Hyatts-ville’s own Chris Militello, co-owner of Arrow Bicycle, was there, along with Mount Rainier resident Phil Koopman, propri-etor of D.C.’s BicycleSPACE, and representatives of the Mount Rainier Bike Co-op. For Militel-lo, who toured the proposed and fully funded site with officials six years ago, the slow speed of prog-ress has been frustrating.

Reflecting on the speechifying, he said, “Everybody mentioned the health and community ben-efits of the trail. Nothing was said about the economic impact. Yet, it is clear when you enter or exit Franklins on a Friday night that the ability to bike or walk to local businesses can be an economic

driver. This trail is going to open up these opportunities even more.”

Ultimately, the Riverdale Park section will connect to the Col-lege Park trail creating a contigu-ous 3.9 mile route. However, completion of a key portion along the Cafritz property is de-pendent upon the developers for construction. A recent County Council vote moves Calvin Cafritz Enterprises’ efforts for-ward, along with hopes for faster completion of the trolley trail. Completion of the Cafritz sec-tion would allow Hyattsville and Riverdale residents to take advantage of the new upgraded bike and pedestrian crosswalk on Paint Branch Parkway that connects to trails leading to Lake Artemesia.


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Shortly thereafter, near an-other area of the same woods, he confronted two males and one female on the 3600 block of Dean Drive in Chillum, po-lice said.

He pulled the gun out again and demanded they give him their property, police said. He also sexually assaulted the female and ran away, police said.

All three victims are students at Northwestern High School to which the wooded area is con-nected. School parents received a letter informing them of the crimes on the students, said Max Pugh, acting communications of-ficer for Prince George’s County Public Schools.

Prince George’s County Police

are handling the investigation and used helicopters and several K9 units in the search for the sus-pect.

Police distributed flyers that described the suspect as a slim, Hispanic male with a medium to dark complexion, standing be-

tween 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 10 inches.

The flyer said he was last seen in camouflage pants, a dark long-sleeved shirt, a red baseball hat with a black or blue brim, Nike ten-nis shoes, with stubble on his face.

On Nov. 8, police handed out sketches of the suspect to the surrounding neighborhoods. They had previously canvassed nearby apartment complexes at least twice, leaving flyers on cars and handing them to people they encountered.

“Residents were shocked” to learn of the crimes, said Prince George’s County Police Officer First Class Nicole Hubbard, who helped with the canvassing effort.

Since the investigation is ongo-ing, Hubbard divulged few other details. But she confirmed that one female victim was an adult while the other was a teenager.

Police are urging anyone

with information regarding the suspect to contact them at 301.772.4908 or 800.866.4111 (TIPS). A cash reward of up to $25,000 is offered to anyone who provides information that could lead to the arrest and indictment of the suspect.

Since the crimes happened out-side city limits, Hyattsville police aren’t handling the case. But Lt. Chris Purvis, a longtime Hyatts-ville officer with a background in community policing and investi-gation, is familiar with patterns of crime in the city.

Describing the area near the Mall at Prince George’s, he said, “a lot of the crimes in that area are theft.”

Especially in recent years, he added, the area “doesn’t have much going on” in terms of seri-ous crimes.

Purvis did say the wooded area in which the suspect took the female victims is a minor issue for police, property owners, and the North-western High School staff.

“Kids cut through there and [sometimes] skip school in there,” Purvis said.

He said property owners, stake-holders and the school board are trying to come up with a plan to address the issues with the wooded area.

Pugh said officials always tell students to walk on well-lit, and well-established pathways no matter where they are.

“We are always looking ... to provide a safe environment for students,” Pugh said.

crime continued from page 1

BUSINESSES OFFER DISCOUNTS DURING FURLOUGH

Sixteen percent of Prince George’s County residents are federal em-ployees, according to a statement from County Executive Rushern L. Baker, III. While no similar statistic is available on the city level, there is no question that many residents were affected by the government shutdown that took place from October 1 to 16.

As residents worried about their finances, some local businesses stepped forward to offer discounts including The Big Bad Woof, Franklins and Elevation Burger.

In addition to taking advan-tage of such offerings, many fur-loughed residents used the time spent away from the office to clean out their home and work on long-neglected projects.

Despite the extra home im-provement projects, the DPW did not see more trash than usu-al, said Director of Public Works Lesley Riddle.

— Amanda Eisenberg

BOOKSTORE HOURS CUT

Hyattsville is one of seven branch-es of the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGC-MLS) with a Novel Ending Book Store, which sells books that are either donated or culled from the library collection.

Until recently, it was open during most of the regular li-brary hours, across from the lower-level circulation desk.

But now the door is locked, with a sign that says it’s closed until further notice. Circulation staff say they can still accept book donations at the desk, although they could offer no insight into the change in hours and messag-es left with the directors weren’t returned.

The change happened at about the same time PGCMLS decided to stop accepting cash at all but five locations. (Three of these, including Hyattsville, are locations with book stores.)

For now, the Friends of the Hyattsville Branch will operate the store for a few hours on the first Saturday of the month, fol-lowing their regular meeting.

But a compromise is on the way: The Friends have ordered a lock box so that the store can remain open on the honor sys-tem. (Take a book, drop the money in the box).

— Susie Currie

NEWS BRIEFS

“We are always looking to provide a safe environment for students.”

— Max PughPrince George’s County

Public Schools


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November 2013 Hyattsville Life & Times