On August 25, my children joined nearly 129,000 other Prince George's County Public School (PGCPS) students for the first day of the 2015-2016 school year. After nearly a decade of declining enrollment, PGCPS enrollment has grown again this year. I hope this is a great school year for the students in your family and your neighborhood.
Just a few days before school started, I hosted the Director of the PGCPS Capital Improvement Program Office, Sarah Woodhead, at William Wirt Middle School to give a community update on the
Master Plan Support Project. Thank you to the nearly 100 people who joined me that evening! Through the MPSP, PGCPS consultants evaluated every school building in the County in three critical areas: mission, condition and function.
The Board of Education will use the results to prioritize school construction, renovation, boundary changes, school closures and more. The MPSP is incredibly important because it provides the Board of Education with extensive and conclusive data to use in their decision making.
You can view the full reports under the "documents" section
here. Note that the PGCPS staff recommendations can be found the bottom link, Volume
4a.
The Board of Education will hold a public hearing on the Capital Improvement Program on Thursday, September 10, at 6:00 p.m. at the Sasser Administration Building, 14201 School Lane, Upper Marlboro, MD, 20772. To speak at this meeting (max. 3 minutes), you must register by calling 301-952-6115 before 3:30 p.m. on September 10.
As you may know, earlier this year the Maryland General Assembly passed
legislation which allows liquor stores in Prince George's County to apply for Special Sunday Off-Sale Permits, essentially a permit that allows liquor stores to sell beer, wine and liquor on Sundays.
Numerous establishments throughout the County have applied for these permits and the Board of License Commissioners is holding public hearings almost every Tuesday this month. Testimony can be made in person or via letter. The hearings will take place at 9200 Basil Court, Room 410, Largo, MD 20774 and testimony can be mailed to Board of License Commissioners, Liquor Control Board at the same address or faxed to 301-583-9978. Written testimony must be received prior to the hearing date. Below are the hearings scheduled for establishments located in District 3. For additional information contact the Board's office at 301-583-9980.
- September 15, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. - 9200 Basil Court, Room 410, Largo, MD 20774
Big Daddy's Barbeque & Discount Liquors, LLC
9340 Annapolis Road, Lanham, 20706
Bill's Wine & Liquor
Drashti, LLC
7431 Annapolis Road, Hyattsville, 20784
College Park Liquors
8141 Baltimore Avenue Corporation
8147 Baltimore Avenue, Unit E & F, College Park, 20740
East Pines Liquors
Othi Corporation
6801 Riverdale Road, Riverdale Park, 20737
- September 15, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. - 9200 Basil Court, Room 410, Largo, MD 20774
New Carrollton Liquors
Halishor, LLC
8433 Annapolis Road, New Carrollton, 20784
Parkway Liquors
Parkway Liquors, Inc.
6017 Greenbelt Road, College Park, 20740
- September 22, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. - 9200 Basil Court, Room 410, Largo, MD 20774
Kenilworth Liquors
Jatinder Gosal, Inc.
55401 Kenilworth Avenue, Riverdale Park, 20737
Riverdale Plaza Liquors
Riverdale Plaza Beverages, Inc.
5729 Riverdale Road, Riverdale Park, 20737
Town Hall Restaurant
J & G, Inc.
8135 Baltimore Blvd., College Park, 20740
Our
Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation offers hundreds of incredible programs each year. I'm very pleased to be a sponsor of
Active Aging Week 2015: Live Your Adventure. From September 28 through October 3, residents ages 60 and better can enjoy free activities throughout the County. You can register today
here.

During Active Aging Week, District 3 residents can stay close to home on Monday, September 28, for activities at Lake Artemesia or explore the County by attending "Sing for Your Supper" on Tuesday, September 29 at Harmony Hall Regional Center in Ft. Washington. With more than 30 free activities throughout the week, there's certainly something for you or a senior in your life to enjoy. Space is limited for some activities so be sure to register today!
On
Tuesday, October 13, from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m., I'm sponsoring a College & Career Fair at
Parkdale High School. This is a free event and everyone is welcome to attend. While College & Career Fairs are often attended by High School Juniors and Seniors, I strongly encourage Freshmen and Sophomores to join us as well. It's never too early for students to think about your next step after high school.
In addition to representatives from colleges, career certification programs and employers, we will also offer several 30 minute workshops including topics such as Financial Aid 101, Getting Prepared for College, Smooth Transitions for Special Education Students, Polish Your Resume and Prep for Interviews, and more.
I need your help to make this College & Career Fair a success!
1. Encourage the high school students you know to attend. For now, please save the date. Watch for an invitation flyer with workshop details in mid-September.
2. Encourage your alma mater to send an admissions representative or your employer to send an HR representative.
3. Let me know if you have expertise to share on any of the workshop topics listed above or other important topics that may be missing.
Simply reply to this email to let me know how you can help in these ways or others. I appreciate it!
Each year the Prince George's County Council appropriates funds to support non-profit organizations throughout the County in the form of Special Appropriation Grants. Each Council Member has their own process for distributing grant funding. 
To distribute grants from my office, I have formed a Citizen Advisory Committee to review grant applications and make funding recommendations. This is a competitive process as each year funding requests far exceed available funds. Applications are available now and are due by September 25, 2015 for non-profit organizations serving residents of District 3 and by October 1, 2015 for District 3 public schools. Links to the application materials and additional details can be found here.
During the FY2016 budget process, I joined with my colleagues to establish a Blue Ribbon Commission on Addressing Prince George's County's Structural Deficit. The Commission will convene for the first time on September 14 at 10:00 a.m. I am particularly pleased that John Tabori, former Mayor of University Park, will join six other Prince George's County residents in serving on the 17-member Commission. John brings extensive experience as a local official and political economist to the Commission.
My team and I fanned out across District 3 on August 4 for National Night Out. Collectively we visited more than a dozen community events. Check out more photos of the evening on the right.
I'm proud to be a sponsor of the 2015 WE3 Women's Empowerment Conference on Saturday, September 19. You can register online at www.we3-wlc.com. The WE3 Conference was created to inspire action and encourage collaboration among women and women's organizations throughout the County. That morning I'll also join Delegate Alonzo Washington at his Table Talk Tour from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. at Town Center Market in Riverdale Park. Please bring your questions, concerns and ideas and join us on September 19.
As always, never hesitate to reach out to me at CouncilDistrict3@co.pg.md.us or 301-952-3060 or a member of my staff via the same phone number or their email address on the right. I share news and updates daily on social media so please like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter if you use social media, too.