June - Berwyn District Civic Association

Volume 21, Issue 6
www.myberwyn.org
Berwyn District Civic Association:
Membership Meeting
Date: Thursday, June 20 at 8 PM
Location: Fealy Hall- 49th Ave & Berwyn Rd
Topic:
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Annual Election of BDCA Officer
2013 Maryland General Assembly
Report with Senator Jim Rosapepe,
Delegates Pena-Melnyk and Barbara
Frush
Please note the BDCA does not meet in July or
August. The board of directors continues to meet
throughout the summer. If you have any questions
or concerns, please contract any board member.
See you in September! Have a wonderful and safe
summer!
As many of you know Russell is a big
contributor to keeping our neighborhood
clean. We would like to express our
condolences to him and the Robinette family
on the passing of Russell’s mother
Mrs. Marion Robinette.
Berwyn
Play Group
President’s Corner
Kevin Young
We have a busy agenda for our upcoming BDCA
meeting in June. Senator Rosapepe and Delegates,
Pena-Melnyk and Barbara Frush will be our guest
speakers at our June meeting. A report on the
2013 Maryland General Assembly session will be
delivered. In addition, our June meeting will be
election of our officers for the next term of the
BDCA which will run from June 2013 through June
2014. The following slate of officers will be put
forth by the nomination committee:
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President – Kevin Young
First Vice President – Harry Pitt
Second Vice President – Richard Morrison
Treasurer – Lori Young
Corresponding Secretary – Tim Tripplet
Recording Secretary – Leisl Koch
Newsletter Editor – Elizabeth Kuligowski
Neighborhood Watch – Kevin Carter
Director – Dan Blasberg
June, 2013
Berwyn Play Group meets Wednesdays, 10 am at
Berwyn Neighborhood Park. In case of rain, Fealy Hall
Councilman’s Views & Comments
Bob Catlin
301-345-0742 or [email protected]
Greetings neighbors. This is the last newsletter
until early September. This is a City election year.
The November elections will include an election for
Mayor and Council. Mayor Fellows has announced
he will run for a third term. All of the council
positions are also up for election. We elect two
representatives for each of the four districts.
Continued on page 2
Councilman Catlin........
Continued from page 1
Council positions are occasionally contested, though
many candidates run unopposed, even when a
candidate is seeking a council seat that is being
vacated.
I have served 8 terms (16 years) on the Council,
which is longer than all but a handful of people have
served on the Council in the City’s almost 70-year
history. When I first ran in 1989, I never would
have guessed that I still would be serving in 2013.
I urge anyone thinking of running for elective office
to talk to me about the position this summer.
Council is a “paid position”; it currently pays $5,000
a year. It has been a great experience for me, but
as I approach 60, I am prepared to transition into a
new phase of my life.
This summer I would like to tackle the 48th Avenue
problem. This street between Berwyn Road and
Pontiac Street is characterized by excessive cars
parked on the street. It can also be one of the
heavier traffic streets in the neighborhood, too. I
would like to have the City carve out three “no
parking” areas to permit a better flow of traffic on
the street. This change would not require permit
parking to be instituted there. Rather, let’s
experiment and see where the displaced cars go
next fall. We won’t know until we try.
While it was announced last year that the City and
the University had been awarded a grant to
establish Capital Bikeshare in the fall, the County
has recently authorized an additional $250,000 to
establish Capital Bikeshare to the south (Riverdale
Park and Hyattsville) in the Route 1 corridor. The
City would initially administer the funds, as it has
the necessary experience with bikeshare to
implement an expanded program.
Rob Spector, the University’s Chief Administrative
Officer and Chief Financial Officer, abruptly resigned
earlier this month. After a week, an interim
replacement was named, Carlo Colella, the Facilities
Management Vice President, but it will likely be well
into 2014 before his permanent replacement is
hired. Given the variety of ways that the University
is attempting to work to make the City a more
attractive place to live and work, I hope this change
will not stall the progress which has been made in
the past couple of years.
The University would like to have in place an
expanded zone of concurrent police jurisdiction by
mid-August. With concurrent jurisdiction the
University wants additional cameras in such
neighborhoods. We have not budgeted funds for
additional cameras in our just adopted FY2014
budget, but we will need to spend the coming
months investigating the locations for additional
cameras and a way to pay for their installation and
operation in 2014/2015.
I hope to see you at Thursday’s BDCA meeting at
Fealy Hall.
Your Yard Deserves A
Professional Spring Clean Up!
Call Bob’s Lawn & ETC
240.593.1746
Your outdoor specialist for
Landscaping, Lawn Care, Tree Service
Serving Berwyn for over 10 years
Monroe Dennis
Until now I had not taken the opportunity to submit
a news article. Isn’t it surprising how time slips by?
I’ve recently come to realize that it was
“summertime”, and about this time in 2011 when I
was considering running for the position of
Councilmember to represent you in Berwyn as well
as other constituents of District 2. Thanks to all of
you who voted me into office; thanks again for your
confidence and support during this term.
Guess what. That 2 year term is about to expire.
So, in this article I’d just like to alert you that this
year, 2013, is an election year for the offices of
Mayor and eight district Council Members, two from
each of the four Council districts of the City of
College Park.
Ever consider running and therefore representing
your District? Here is a summary of candidacy
requirements: At the time of taking office, the
Mayor shall have attained the age of 25 years, and
each member of the Council shall have attained the
age of 21 years. Each elective officer must be a
citizen of the United States, a resident of the State
of Maryland and a registered voter of College Park.
Each elective officer of the City of College Park shall
have continuously resided in the City for at least
one year immediately preceding the date of
election, been a registered voter in the City for at
least one year immediately preceding the date of
election, and shall continuously reside in the City
during the term of office; each district Council
member must reside in the district from which
elected;
Continued on page 3
Berwyn News 2
Councilman Dennis.....
Continued from page 2
and each officer shall retain, throughout respective
term of office, all the qualifications necessary for
election, and failure to retain all of such
qualifications shall cause forfeiture of office.
In addition to these candidacy requirements, there
are also voter registration requirements, of course.
Please feel free to approach either Councilmember
Catlin, or me, with any questions about voter
registration, of about officer positions. We’d be glad
to help in any way possible.
The full details regarding the election date, voter
registration deadlines, candidate application
packages, and submission deadlines can be
obtained off the HOME page of the City website:
www.collegeparkmd.gov
Further information can be obtained via contact with
the City Clerk’s Office, Monday through Friday, 8:00
a.m. through 5:00 p.m. at 240-487-3501.
BERWYN DISTRICT CIVIC ASSOCIATION
Annual Membership Dues
Membership dues are $10 per person or $15 per
family, collected once a year. Your dues support
publication of this newsletter, community events,
advocacy for Berwyn issues, and much more. Make
checks payable to “Berwyn District Civic Association,
Inc.” Please Print Clearly!
Send payment, family name, and street address to:
Berwyn District Civic Association
PO Box 535
College Park, MD 20740
Any individuals or businesses who contribute $25 or more
will be acknowledged on the BDCA website sponsorship
page. If you want to contribute but prefer not to be
acknowledged, please let us know with your payment. For
those contributing $50 or more, you may provide us with a
link to your business or personal website which we’ll add to
the BDCA site. --- Thank you!
Senatorial Scholarship
Our district offers scholarships up to $400/yr for
students (including college). If you would like to
be considered for a scholarship for the coming
school year, please complete the online application
at www.SenatorJimRosapepe.com no later
than Friday, July 12, 2013.
Please visit the Maryland Higher Education
Commission’s website at www.mhec.state.md.us for
helpful financial aid information.
Questions: please call Carolyn at 301-858-3141or
email at [email protected].
What If Series: Part 3
By Marina Dullnig
Dear Neighbors,
Do you have HOUSEHOLD HAZARDS in your home?
I do. You do, too! Let’s take a look at them. If we
can locate, reduce or even eliminate them, we are
better off compared to where we were yesterday.
These Fire and Utility Hazards usually fall into three
categories.
Here are some examples of common ELECTRICAL
HAZARDS and how they can be reduced/eliminated:
 Avoid the “electrical octopus.” Eliminate tangles
of electrical cords. Don’t overload electrical
outlets. Don’t plug power strips into other power
strips.
 Don’t run electrical cords under carpets and
rugs.
 Check for and replace broken or frayed cords
immediately.
 Maintain electrical appliances properly; repair or
replace malfunctioning ones.
Electrical emergencies sometimes occur despite our
best efforts. Please make sure your family knows
where the circuit breakers are and how to shut off
the power. Unscrew individual fuses or switch off
smaller breakers first, then pull the main switch or
breaker. When turning the power back on, turn on
the main switch/breaker first, then screw in the
fuses or switch on the smaller breakers, one at a
time. NEVER enter a flooded basement or standing
water to shut off power because water conducts
electricity.
Continued on page 4
Berwyn News 3
What If.........
Continued from page 3
NATURAL GAS presents two types of hazards: 1) it
robs the body of oxygen and 2) it can easily ignite.
To monitor the natural gas in your home:
 Install natural gas detectors near your furnace,
clothes dryer and stove, and test them monthly.
Smoke alarms do not replace those detectors.
 Install carbon monoxide detectors near the
sleeping areas. Do not place them closer than
15 feet of heating or cooking appliances or in or
near very humid areas such as bathrooms.
 Locate and label the gas shut off valve(s).
(There may be multiple valves inside a home in
addition to the main shutoff.) Know how to shut
off the gas and have the proper non-sparking
tool for shutting off the gas. Do not use a lit
candle or matches to go find a shut-off valve in
the dark. Oops.
 If your gas meter is located inside your home,
you should only shut off gas flow when
instructed by the authorities. If you smell gas,
or the detector shows its presence in the air
even if the appliances are off, evacuate and call
911. Do not attempt to shut off the gas from
inside the building if gas may be in the air.
 You should turn off the meter from the outside
the building if you smell gas or you see dials on
the meter showing gas is flowing even though
appliances are turned off.
 REMEMBER: if the gas has been shut off, NEVER
turn it back on yourself. Let a professional do it.
 NEVER enter the structure that is on fire to turn
off any utility.
Household LIQUIDS and CHEMICALS that we store
in the house can be poisonous, flammable or
combustible by itself or in combination with one
another should a leak occur.
 Read labels to identify potential hazards.
 Store the items properly, using L.I.E.S method
(Limit, Isolate, Eliminate, Separate). You
should extinguish a fire caused by flammable
liquids only with a fire extinguisher rated for
Class B fires. I will talk about fire extinguishers
later.
To follow the recent Oklahoma tornado and stories
about rescued pets, I will write about pet safety in
the next two issues of the Berwyn Newsletter. Have
a wonderful summer!
BDCA 2012-2013 Officers
President
Kevin Young
1st Vice President
Harry Pitt
2nd Vice President
Gene Baur
Corresponding Secretary
Recording Secretary
Treasurer
Board of Directors
Neighborhood Watch Director
Berwyn News Editor
Timothy Triplett
Liesl Koch
Lori Young
Dan Blasberg
Michele Garnes
Kevin Carter
Elizabeth Kuligowski
Your Ad Here?
Contact
[email protected]
Community Opportunities!
It takes a community chipping in together be a
community. Here are some opportunities to serve
your neighbors and build our community. Please
contact the Kevin Young if you’re interested in any
of these opportunities at [email protected]
or 301-474-3577
Berwyn News Distribution Manager:
Duties: Separate newsletters into bundles by route
and deliver bundles to the homes of the 14
newsletter carriers. Occasionally, a special event
flyer may also be distributed.
Berwyn News Carrier/ Branchville
Neighborhood: This job takes about ½ hour a
month 10 times a year.
BDCA Sign Manager: Duties: Put up and take
down our meeting notice signs.
Membership Committee Members: Help the
BDCA recruit and renew members.
Website Committee: This committee will be
charged with exploring improvements to our
website (myberwyn.org) and report their findings
and recommendations to the membership. We
expect that this would involve no more than
attending 3 or 4 evening or weekend meetings. If
interested please send send an email to
[email protected].
Welcoming Committee: The committee's primary
goal is to welcome people moving into our
neighborhood as well as provide them with
information about Berwyn.
Berwyn News 4
Standard Operating Procedure:
Publication of the Berwyn District Civic
Association (BDCA) Newsletter
The Board of Directors for the BDCA meets on the 1st
Thursday of each month. Board members are
requested to submit an e-mail copy of articles for
publication to the newsletter editor not later than the
following Tuesday. A reminder e-mail will be sent.
The newsletter is submitted to the BDCA President
for final approval. The final, approved newsletter is
e-mailed to the printer not later than the 2nd
Thursday of the month.
THE BERWYN NEWS ADVERTISING AGREEMENT
AD SIZE
1/8
1/4
1/2
1/2
Full
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Page (Biz Card)
Page
Page (Horizontal)
Page (Vertical)
Page
ONE ISSUE
$25
$35
$50
$50
$75
10 ISSUES
$200
$275
$350
$350
$500
Send your payment, business name, mailing
address, phone, email, and contact person to:
Berwyn District Civic Association, PO Box 535
College Park, MD, 20740
Checks payable to: “Berwyn District Civic
Association, Inc.”
Ad files, ad size, and number of dates to run
should be sent via email to the editor at
[email protected].
We prefer picture files (jpg, gif, etc), but can
work with text or pdf files (some formatting
changes may be necessary).
Ads will not run until payment is received!
On the 1st of every month the general membership is
invited to submit articles, and 1 accompanying
photograph for publication. All articles must adhere
to the following conditions for publication:
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Articles should be in MS Word format and not
exceed 1 pages, single spaced, in Verdana font,
with a font size of 9.5.
Articles capturing the history of our Berwyn
neighborhood, community affairs, human
interest, family recipes and traditions will be
considered.
Articles and photographs expressing a political,
religious or social philosophy will not be
accepted.
The Editor reserves the right to decline articles,
and or photographs, for any reason.
Unsolicited articles are due the 1st of each month and
may be submitted to Elizabeth Kuligowski at:
[email protected]
Thank you for supporting our community!!!
Farmer's Markets
Nearby farmer market's within 20 min
drive
Beltsville/ USDA
5601 Sunnyside Ave., Parking Lot B,
Beltsville
Thursday: 10am – 2pm; April 25- Oct 31
Cheverly Community Market
6401 Forest Rd, Cheverly
Alternating Saturdays: 8am– 12pm; May
4– Oct 26
College Park- City Hall
4500 Knox Road, College Park
Sunday: 9am – 2pm; April 14 – Nov 17
College Park- UMD
UMD Cole Fieldhouse; 1115 Eppley
Recreation Center
Wednesdays: 11am – 3pm; April 17Nov 20
College Park- Paint Branch
5211 Paint Branch Pkwy, College Park
Saturday: 7am – 12pm; year round
College Park- REI
REI parking
Saturday mornings
Frank and Gail’s- Laurel
378 Main Street, Laurel
Thursday: 9am – 2pm; June 6-Oct 24
Greenbelt
Greenbelt Aquatic center; 101 Centerway
Sundays 10am – 2pm;l May 12- Nov 24
Hyattsville
3505 Hamilton St, Hyatsville
Tuesdays 2pm – 6pm; mid-June - Oct
29
Mount Rainier- City Hall
1 Municipal Place, Mount Rainier
Saturdays 10am– 2pm
Riverdale Park
MARC Rail Station Parking Lot, 4650
Queensbury Rd
Thursday: 3pm – 7pm; April 4 – Nov
21
Silver Spring Fresh Farm Market
Ellsworth Drive between Fenton and
Georgia
Saturdays: 9am – 1pm; April – Dec
Takoma Park
Laurel Avenue- historic old Takoma
Sundays: 10am – 2pm; year round
M-Square Research Park- Riverdale
5825 University Research Ct, Riverdale
Tuesdays 11am – 2pm
Berwyn News 5
Neighborhood Homes
Information Provided by Bob Catlin
Berwyn/ Branchville Real Estate (May Sales/June For Sale or Rent)
Properties Sold in May
4709 Tecumseh St., 101
2 beds, 2 baths
$109,000
condo & short sale
4902 Quebec Street
4 beds, 2.5 baths
$359,000
from listing to sale in 5 weeks
Properties Currently for Sale
No properties are currently for sale in Berwyn/Branchville
Properties Under Contract (asking price, sales price unknown yet)
8907 48th Avenue
2 beds, 1 baths
$150,000
short sale (Branchville)
4808 Osage Street
2 beds, 1 bath
$131,000
short sale
5010 Quebec Street
3 beds, 2 baths
$325,000
under contract in 1 day
5002 Roanoke Place
5 beds, 2 baths
$160,000
short sale, under contract in 1 day
4911 Quebec Street
6 beds, 3.5 baths
$210,000
short sale, under contract in 21 days
Properties for Rent
5104 Roanoke Place
4900 Osage Street
8403 Potomac Avenue
5024 Berwyn Road
5033 Berwyn Road
8411 Potomac Avenue
4807 Osage Street
8400 Potomac Avenue
3 beds, 1 bath
2 beds, 1 bath
3 beds, 2 baths
7 beds, 3.5 baths
5 beds, 2.5 baths
5 beds, 2 baths
5 beds, 2 baths
7 beds, 3 baths
$1,900
$1,825
$2,350
$2,500
$2,700
$2,800
$2,900
$2,900
new property owner in April
just listed, new construction
townhouse
renovated in 2012
Berwyn News 6