On July 27, a Greenbelt City Council worksession focused on capital projects, many of which have been deferred due to the pandemic. There was also a debate about the refinancing of two bonds with the aid of Davenport & Company, the city’s financial consultant, represented at the meeting by First Vice President Jennifer Diercksen and Senior Vice President Joseph Mason.
The city response to COVID-19 commenced the meeting, centering on Roosevelt Center businesses, specifically the New Deal Café (NDC) and DC Vegan (DCV), both of whom are developing outdoor seating. According to Director of Planning and Community Development Terri Hruby, both have the necessary county and city approvals and are “greenlit to go when ready.”
On July 17, the city signed a memorandum of understanding with NDC and DCV stipulating a 2-foot extension limit from the respective businesses onto city property, complete maintenance of outdoor dining area by businesses, alcohol use only on business property and an adherence to federal, county and city safety precautions among other legal procedures.
Projects
Director of Public Works Jim Sterling laid out current and ongoing capital projects. Construction has been completed at the dam at the Lake, including the installation of weeps in the spillway and the repairing of cracks; removal of sediment erosion is next. Sterling told council that water quality will gradually improve once the forebays and adjoining streams are restored.
Sidewalk and concrete repairs have ended along Breezewood Drive and Cherrywood Lane, with the help of a Community Development Block Grant, obtained through a cooperation agreement from the county. Highway User Funds (HUF) are in process but have not been received as yet. Sterling looks to a staff meeting in September or October where they will assess available revenues, saying it “makes sense” that most of such money would be spent on road improvement. Assistant City Manager David Moran stated that HUF funds can be used for a variety of general operating costs around streets.
Asbestos removal from windows is underway at the Community Center, to be followed by new glass, re-glazing and painting. Once complete, restoration work will be done on the bas‑reliefs and the Mother and Child statue at Roosevelt Center, for which staff and Arts Supervisor Nicole DeWald are reviewing proposals. Sterling said he was anticipating a 6- to 8-week job.
CARES projects include installing sneeze guards and access control in all public buildings, a renovation of the Police Department’s roll-call room with social distancing, and storefront safety improvements at the Youth Center.
New city signage is in process, with three vendors each, for pole-mounted signs and the Southway Gateway sign in consideration.
In regard to the redesign and regreening of the parking lot at Buddy Attick Park, the city has already received a Prince George’s County Stormwater Stewardship Grant for $187,700, which is managed by the Chesapeake Bay Trust. Said Hruby in a separate interview, “The city recently received its final approvals from the county and is preparing to release a request for proposals within the next week or so.”
Hruby went on to say that a lot was accomplished on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) trail that would link the Greenbelt Station development to the Greenbelt Metro station, even though the process has undergone a setback of a few months due to the pandemic. Some of these achievements are a submitted electrical design to Pepco, a resubmitted stormwater management plan to the county and a preliminary photographic lane study to WMATA. To date, $250,000 has been spent on engineering services. Estimated construction costs are $2.4 million.
The Dog Park is on the verge of reopening as soon as council agrees on a new set of safety rules.
Council discussed reopening the Greenbrook trails project, which would connect Greenbrook Village and Estates to Schrom Hills Park. Councilmember Ed Putens said that project has languished for nearly 20 years. Moran said that this project was yet another one deferred due to the pandemic.
Councilmember Judith Davis expressed grave concern about the most recent plan for construction of the proposed maglev train path. It would end up impinging greatly on the Forest Preserve and the nearby Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. All involved were upset that neither council nor staff was privy to these discussions. Legal assistance was suggested to counter it, with Davis sure that such aid would not be free and would require funds, and Councilmember Rodney Roberts sure that legal aid is likely in some manner. City attorney Todd Pounds was eager to assist as well, feeling that there may be ways to protect the Preserve. Davis and Roberts were strongly in favor of working to prevent the train path from being built, with Councilmember Leta Mach stressing that it posed a security threat due to its proximity to the National Security Agency (NSA) up near MD-32. (see article, page 1)
The meeting concluded with an update from Davenport on their efforts to secure refinancing of two for the city’s existing debt bonds, from 2011 and 2013, respectively, with the firm soliciting bids from banks. That topic, and the council’s August 3 meeting to make a final decision, will be covered in a separate article in a later paper.