Council Tackles DEI Audit; Shares Community Feedback
The Greenbelt City Council gathering on December 18 began with a worksession with representatives from Tribesy Consulting who presented their overview of their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) audit of the city. This was built upon a Phase I internal audit conducted under the city’s DEI Department, headed by Tyra Smith, who was also present. […]
Consultant Presents Draft Traffic Calming Study to City Council
Consultant Greenman-Pederson, Inc. (GPI) presented the Greenbelt City Council with the current draft of a traffic calming study of Greenbelt Center at the worksession on November 20. Two of GPI’s representatives, Angie Strevig and Alan Wang, shared the draft. Also present were Terri Hruby and Jaime Fearer, director and assistant director of Planning and Community […]
Buddy Attick Park Master Plan Draft is Reviewed by Council
The latest draft of the Buddy Attick Park Master Plan was presented for council review at the worksession on October 16. It was developed by consultant Mahan Rykiel Associates and represented by two of its landscape designers, Scott Scarphone and Anthony Dye. Also on hand at the meeting were Greenbelt Recreation Department Director Greg Varda […]
Greenbelt City Council Meets With School Board Member
District 2 Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Board of Education member Jonathan Briggs met with the Greenbelt City Council in a September 25 worksession to give a summary of the current operations, concerns and policies for Greenbelt schools in this new school year. Stephenie Arcido from the Advisory Committee on Education (ACE) was also […]
Council Considers Non-Citizen Voting in Greenbelt Elections
On August 7, Greenbelt City Council convened a worksession with the city’s Board of Elections (BOE) on the possibility of introducing amendments to the City Charter and City Code that would allow non-citizens to vote in municipal elections. In 2023, around two-thirds of the city’s registered voters supported the idea in a non-binding question. At […]
Greenbelt Park: A History
Greenbelt Park provides an urban oasis, a 1,100-acre green space that local residents, along with visitors and guests from the nation’s 50 states and many foreign countries have enjoyed. Situated 13 miles from Washington, D.C., and bisected by the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, the park offers a campground and nine miles of trails, where guests can enjoy […]
Recovering from the Pandemic, Beltway Plaza Looks to the Future
Beltway Plaza continues to make a recovery from the pandemic, while facing its ongoing challenges. At the Greenbelt City Council worksession on September 7, Mayor Emmett Jordan said that Beltway Plaza, which began phased construction 57 years ago, is the city’s “strongest corporate partner.” Marc “Kap” Kapistan, from Quantum Companies, the entity that handles managing […]
Major Repairs to City Pool May Require ARPA Readjustments
At the September 14 worksession, the Greenbelt City Council continued in its efforts to prioritize how the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds will finally be spent. An urgent new addition to the list was the needed infrastructure repairs to the city’s outdoor pool, built in 1937. A recent inspection at the mechanics area, separate […]
New Police Crisis Intervention Team Off to Successful Start
The Greenbelt Police Department (GPD) has begun implementing its new Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) with counselor Rachel Tobin. According to Tobin, “CIT will assist with welfare checks, domestic abuse, geriatric and juvenile issues with behavioral health concerns, victim support, critical incidents, emergency petitions and repeat callers to 911 who are identified with behavioral health concerns.” […]
Council Prepares for New Small Cell Infrastructure
The growing demand for increasing the coverage, data capacity and durability of wireless infrastructure is of high interest to the city, considering that cellphones are now many residents’ main, if not sole, avenue for communication. This fact was brought to the fore by the recent storm that debilitated city wireless accessibility for days in some […]