The Greenbelt City Council meeting of September 14 covered a lot of ground. Extended in two increments of 30 and 5 minutes, respectively, it was still mercifully shorter than many past meetings.
An article in the News Review issue of September 24 covered the topic of unionization of Public Works staff that was raised at the meeting, particularly during the public comment period. A forthcoming article includes additional considerations on city processes, while this article deals mostly with the city manager’s report.
City Manager Josué Salmerón welcomed new City Treasurer Mayesha Williams, formerly with the City of New Carrollton. He also reported that the Labor Day Festival set records for attendance with compliments from the public on programming and safety. Attendees were impressed by the new carnival vendor.
Fire and Ambulance
The fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) support hearing went well in appellate court with the city presentation delivered without contradiction (the county did not attend). Salmerón wants the county and the community to be in a partnership, but that’s not happening so far. Salmerón praised the News Review for exceptional reporting of this issue. The News Review obtained response time data via a public information act request (see reporting in the September 10 and September 17 issues) and was in Annapolis for the court hearing (see the September 17 issue).
Salmerón explained that the county is proposing to move away from 24/7 EMS support to Greenbelt, instead proposing a six-person daily team here with four firefighters and two EMS staff, Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The current 24/7 EMS unit is proposed to move to Calverton. Salmerón has requested it stay in Greenbelt, and if not, in West Lanham, which is closer than Calverton. He advocates that the EMS coverage should be located in Greenbelt 24/7 because the majority of calls here are for medical assistance.
Since the meeting, the county has altered the staffing plan to extend staffing at Greenbelt until 5 p.m. (see update on this page).
Roosevelt Center Work
Salmerón described plans, since completed, for replacing the inner square of the plaza, using heavy equipment to pull out the slabs, a process designed to produce less dust than alternative approaches. It was funded by shifting other project funding and was completed in time for the Blues Festival.
State Road Services
Mayor Emmett Jordan commented that the city looked great for Labor Day but that the median on Greenbelt Road is messy. Salmerón replied that the State Highway Administration was mowing adequately, but not weed-whacking around obstacles or edges.
With a Greek chorus of council chuckling quietly in the background, Councilmember Jenni Pompi chimed in to suggest the city do it and bill the state. “I’m sincere,” she said, grinning mischievously. Salmerón replied that he doubted the state would pay (even if he knew how to bill them) and to smiles, Pompi allowed as how she didn’t want to do it if the city wouldn’t be paid back. Councilmember Silke Pope remembered that a similar strategy had failed before — and Salmerón added that the city routinely clears state road bus stops of snow for resident safety without getting recompense from the state.
Indian Creek Master Plan
Director of Planning and Community Development Jaime Fearer asked council for formal acceptance of the conceptual master plan for the new park at Greenbelt Station. Acceptance allows staff to prepare materials for review by the county’s Department of Permitting, Inspection and Enforcement (DPIE). The conceptual plan remained as discussed in February.
The park site is located just to the east of the Greenbelt Station development and is partly on a flood plain. There are four use zones and an entrance area. The plan includes a dog park, a recreational flex zone, a multisport zone, community garden, fitness equipment and benches. One potential hitch is that a compensatory stormwater facility will be mandated by DPIE, but Fearer was cautiously optimistic this could be avoided.
Councilmember Danielle McKinney, after thanking Fearer for the report, requested a timeline with respect to getting a DPIE response. Fearer said that once the documents go to DPIE (a date not yet specified), response is typically 90 days. McKinney also suggested a comparison with the new park recently completed in the Hollywood area of College Park, which also crams a lot of recreational uses into a restricted space. Fearer agreed it would be “a good field trip.” McKinney raised concerns about risks associated with the fitness equipment if the area actually floods.
Councilmember Kristen Weaver wanted to make sure suggestions by the Advisory Planning Board were taken into consideration. Fearer noted that these were detailed questions of which she continued to be aware and which will come to the fore in the planning phase.
Indian Creek Facilities
Jordan requested that bike facilities be included in park plans. Resident Michael Hartman requested that all table seating should accommodate wheelchairs and that the bleachers should include a shady area for wheelchairs. He noted that preplanning for people with disabilities was more effective and less costly than retroactive action. In response to these questions, Fearer assured both Jordan and Hartman that their requests were on the drawing board and confirmed there was no plan for using artificial turf.
Annexation
Ten acres in a corner at Good Luck Road, the Beltway and Trinity Assembly of God were unanimously annexed to the city. Jordan observed that this was a logical extension of the city’s boundary. It now includes in the city a parcel of green space that abuts the Beltway. (See map on p. 1.)
Bike Share
Councilmember Frankie Fritz reported that the first new bike share station in several years was installed last year at the Metro station and has seen a lot of use, especially in trips to the west side of the city. The proposed new station is by Eleanor Roosevelt High School and is the first such facility on the eastern side of the city. Installation is expected within the next year.
The current GPS-based range of coverage for the bikes cuts off abruptly in some locations around the city. This map causes the bikes to be disabled if they stray from these zones. Until a recent request by Fritz, the map did not include the Spellman overpass of the Parkway — meaning that the bikes wouldn’t function in that area and couldn’t use the safest route to the east section of the city.
Fritz worked with the bike share organization to include the overpass and other city dead spots so that users could ride more safely around the city.
Fritz told council that those who can demonstrate low income or eligibility for federal programs can qualify for free standard bike access or a $40 credit on e-bike usage per month.
