Council Approves Much of Reform Language in Police General Orders
After months of deliberation and debate, the Greenbelt City Council passed a 22-item police reform resolution on January 10. This resolution would modify various General Orders of the Greenbelt Police Department which dictate its day-to-day operations. With the impetus being Councilmember Colin Byrd’s Greenbelt Fair and Just Policing Act, proposed in 2020, a thorough review […]
City to Consult on Priorities For Rescue Funds Allocation
The city has commenced its community engagement program on the use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, with the goal of soliciting ideas from all the city’s residents and groups in an effort to use the funds in the most strategic and necessary ways. On December 20, 2021, city staff and Michelle Ferguson, vice […]
Accolades Follow Decades Of Service as Sterling Retires
Director of Public Works Jim Sterling has retired after 37-and-a-half years as an essential part of the City of Greenbelt. During that time, he has played many roles and applied his expertise in myriad ways especially in the areas of construction, planning and code enforcement. Sterling characterized his career as “a good ride” and was […]
Police Discuss Recent Spike In Violent Crimes, Offer Tips
Members of the Greenbelt Police Department (GPD) held a community forum on December 1 at the Springhill Lake Recreation Center to disseminate information on the recent spike in carjackings, robberies and violent incidents. Present were Chief Richard Bowers, Captain and Patrol Division Commander Jermaine Gulledge and Captain and Administrative Services Division Commander Tim White. Tips […]
Police Reform Vote Delayed: Council Seeks Unanimous Vote
Voting on police reform measures by the Greenbelt City Council stalled on Monday, November 22 due to issues with the resolution’s wording. The wording was developed by Greenbelt Police Chief Richard Bowers and Assistant City Manager Timothy George, based on the language agreed upon at the November 15 worksession. Bowers explained that the intent was […]
City Council Prepares to Vote On Proposed Police Reform
On Monday, November 15, the Greenbelt City Council produced a working list of police reforms to be voted upon at the November 22 council meeting. This list was based upon a concurrence of the following sources: Councilmember Colin Byrd’s October 10 police reform proposal (itself derived from Byrd’s Fair and Just Policing Act proposal from […]
Council, PSAC, Police Argue Next Steps for Police Reform
The Greenbelt City Council continues to grapple with the best way forward on the issue of reform in the city’s Police Department, spurred by Mayor Colin Byrd’s revised Fair and Just Policing Act proposal and by the subsequent review of its first iteration by the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC). While both the council and […]
County’s Draft NCOZ Plans Meet with Mixed Reviews
According to Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) Master Planner Chad Williams, Greenbelt’s Neighborhood Conservation Overlay Zone (NCOZ) is “almost near the end of a long, not so strange road.” At a Greenbelt City Council worksession on September 20, Williams and Director of Planning and Community Development Terri Hruby, gave a summary of the […]
Council Approves Community Gardens Phased Action Plan
The action plan, proposed by the Forest Preserve Advisory Board (FPAB) and the Greenbelt Community Garden Club (GCGC) to address the problem of shading at the community gardens, was approved by the Greenbelt City Council with an amendment proposed by Councilmember Judith Davis to move forward in a phased approach. The vote took place at […]
Springhill Lake Elementary Gets “Community School” Designation
Springhill Lake Elementary School students race into class, learn to keep their masks on, eat breakfast and lunch in school and are getting on with the business of going to school in the middle of a pandemic. They are also part of a Community School, one of the tenets of the state legislation’s Blueprint for […]