Friends, 

 

I hope you will join me on Thursday, February 19, from 5:00 p.m. -7:00 p.m., at the Riverdale Park "indoor" Farmers Market, for Experience, Expand, Explore District 3, my first in a series of events throughout the District. Come on out and enjoy some local, fresh food, drink and conversation and support the effort to bring retail activity to a vacant storefront. Meet my staff and other District 3 residents. Share your thoughts and ideas with me and pick up information. And, of course, enjoy all that the Riverdale Park "indoor" Farmers Market has to offer including fresh, organic vegetables, meats, and dairy as well as jewelry, music, activities for kids, and local  prepared food vendors.  Prince George's Department of the Environment Director, Adam Ortiz, will join us to share great information on programs you can take advantage of such as rain barrels, the Rain Check Program as well as other projects the department is working on.   


This Wednesday, I
 was proud to stand with County Executive Rushern Baker III and Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett as well as business leaders and advocates from across the region to promote the Purple Line. The leaders of Prince George's and  Montgomery Counties are working together with the business community and other stakeholders to actively support the Purple Line in Annapolis. Please make your voice heard by reaching out to Governor Hogan to let him know the Purple Line is important to you and our community.  

 

One of the reasons our County continues to lag behind in the economic recovery is that neighboring jurisdictions have a dramatically higher commercial base. It is my top priority to ensure that businesses in Prince George's County stay in Prince George's County and that we continue to attract world class investment in our County.   

 

In District 3, this includes focusing on delivering development at our metro stations and reinvestment - new businesses, retail, young professionals and empty nesters, as well as harnessing the energy of entrepreneurs along our key corridors such as Route 1, Kenilworth Avenue, Rt. 450 and Lanham Severn Rd.  The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and the County are working closely to move forward on the first phase of development at the New Carrollton Metro Station and the latest update on projects moving forward in the College Park area can be found here.    

 

Over the next few weeks, the County Council, in conjunction with Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker III, will be making extremely difficult budget decisions to close a Fiscal Year 2015 short fall.  I also look forward to your feedback and suggestions throughout the Fiscal Year 2016 budget process. Please email me anytime at dmglaros@co.pg.md.us. The County Executive will present his budget to the County Council in March and there are several upcoming opportunities to make your voice heard in the budget process; I've included those dates on the right. 

 
Two important teen opportunities are happening in February. I hope you will encourage the young people in your life, ages 13-21, to attend the free Teen Dating Violence Summit 
on Thursday, February 12th, from 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. at the Newton White Mansion in Mitchellville. Also, there will be a free college tour of Howard University provided on February 13th when Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) is closed. Find out more about how to register and about transportation here. 

 

I mentioned in the last newsletter how important the Zoning Rewrite is to the future of District 3 and our county. The community forum closest to our area was postponed due to inclement weather. It has been rescheduled.  Click here for details. Please plan to attend. 

 

This month is also Black History Month and there are a multitude of events throughout the county. Recently, my daughter researched for her school project one of my heroes from when I was in elementary school - Harriet Tubman.  As a child, I was always amazed by her strength and courage. In the midst of researching her, we found this quote of hers, "Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." I hope you will find the courage to reach for the stars this month. 

 

As always, feel free to reach out to me and our District 3 team if we can help you in any way. 

 

Together Strengthening Our Community, 

 

According to the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department, cold temperatures increase the risk of exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) due to use of heating equipment.  Fire/EMS encourages the installation of a 10-year tamper proof with hush feature smoke alarm and CO detector on each level of your home and near sleeping areas.  Click this link for information on new County CO regulations.  Click this link for more do's and don'ts.  

The Prince George's County Fire Department also offers free smoke alarms and fire safety advisory inspections.  Click here for details.
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Helpful Links
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Budget Updates

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PGCPS Board of Education  Budget Public Hearings 

Tuesday, February 10, 7:00pm 
Sasscer Administration Building, Board Room 
14201 School Lane, 

Upper Marlboro  

 

County Executive's Budget Public Hearings 

Thursday, February 12, 7:00 pm 
Laurel High School 
Spartan Hall 
8000 Cherry Ln, Laurel 

District 3 Progress

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Parks and Recreation has almost completed its renovation of the Wells-Linson Ice Rink and outdoor pool complex.  The ice skating season is now late Sept. - early April.  The new pool will open again Memorial Day weekend. 

 

Improvements are coming to Riverdale Recreation Park (5400 Haig Dr).  In the spring, the new dog park will begin construction and the soccer field will be renovated by Parks and Recreation. Additional parking will also be added.  Click here to take a look at the plan for the dog park.    

 

Phase 2 of the trolley trail connection (a bike route parallel to Rt 1) is almost completed.  The next step will be the connection between Armentrout Road and the trail as well as through the Cafritz property late 2015/2016. 

 

The New Carrollton Library will begin its renovation later this year.  Click here to take a look at the design for this project. 


The "Old Knox Boxes" are under construction near UMD. Target express & new student housing will arrive in 2016.
Contact Info
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Aimee Olivo, 

Chief of Staff:

aeolivo@co.pg.md.us 

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Wanda Brooks, 
Citizen Services Specialist:
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Angel Dureke,
Scheduler and Administrative Assistant:
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Thomas Mayah, 
Citizen Services Assistant:
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Alina Smith, 
Hispanic Liaison:

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Youto Togoe, Intern:

ystogoe@co.pg.md.us



If you have received this e-news from someone other than my office, and are interested in receiving this update directly, please email Thomas Mayah at the District 3 Council Office at tsmayah@co.pg.md.us or call (301) 952-3060.