Career Firefighters Pulled; Response Time Will Double
Prince George’s County plans to remove career fire and rescue personnel from Greenbelt, Berwyn Heights, Bowie and Bunker Hill, starting on June 30. Impact Currently, Greenbelt has 24 career firefighters working shifts Monday through Friday and “there’s no way to fill the gap” with volunteers, of which Greenbelt currently has 15 available, said City Manager […]
City Council Approves Budget, Hears Closed Session, Personnel Questions
Greenbelt City Council met on June 3, with two primary issues raised during Petitions and Requests. One was council’s previous decision to grant Assistant City Manager Tim George a bonus for his outstanding service performed as interim city manager during Covid and until council chose Josué Salmerón to assume the position permanently. Whereas Mayor Emmett […]
New English Learners Excel In DKFI’s ESOL Program
Excited and proud students, parents, faculty and staff gathered at Dora Kennedy French Immersion School (DKFI) on Friday, June 7 to celebrate eight students exiting the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program and receiving Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) ESOL medals, and four students showing substantial ESOL growth. The 2023-2024 program had […]
Police Requests for Equipment Dominate City Council Meeting
In its meeting on May 29, the Greenbelt City Council made two proclamations and conducted the last public hearing on the Fiscal Year 2025 proposed budget, but a large part of the meeting concerned awarding purchases, with two for the Greenbelt Police Department creating much discussion by council. The purchase of two trucks for Public […]
New Deal Café Negotiations With New Vendor Startle Co-op
The New Deal Café is currently in talks with a new vendor, which came as a surprise to their current vendor, the Greenbelt Co-op Supermarket. Around April last year, as the Co-op continued to lose money as the Café’s vendor, they recommended the Café look for alternate vendors, which they began to do, explained outgoing […]
Greenbelt Raises Pride Flag At Municipal Building for June
The City of Greenbelt held its third Annual Pride Flag Raising at the Municipal Building on Friday afternoon, May 31. “This flag is a powerful symbol of our commitment to diversity and inclusion and the ongoing support for equality in the LGBTQIA+ community in Greenbelt,” said Mayor Emmett Jordan to a crowd of about 50 […]
Charlestowne North Apartments See Slow, Steady Improvement
Three months after the Prince George’s County Circuit Court appointed a receiver for the Charlestowne North apartment building, the City of Greenbelt will issue a regular rental license to Tarantino Properties for the remainder of the fiscal year through August 2024. City officials and residents have reported that there have been some steps taken toward […]
Greenbelt Pride Festival Continues Without Ric Gordon to Take Charge
On Saturday, June 15, the third annual Greenbelt Emerald City Pride Parade and Festival will take place for the first time without Councilmember Ric Gordon at the helm. His unexpected death on November 26, 2023, left an indelible mark on Greenbelt. A prolific community organizer, Gordon participated in and often spearheaded many community initiatives. Nothing […]
Memorial Day at American Legion Honors Those Who Defended Country
American Legion Post 136 held Memorial Day services at its post, rather than at Greenbelt’s War Memorial Park this year, to avoid predicted inclement weather. Even with the change in venue, Post 136 Commander Greg Gigliotti greeted more than 100 local participants coming to honor fallen veterans who gave the last full measure of devotion […]
Multiple Concerns Expressed In Worksession on Standpipe
The entire Greenbelt City Council met with representatives of WSSC on May 20 in a second worksession concerning updates to the WSSC Standpipe Rehabilitation Project. Safety and environmental concerns dominated the discussion. The first worksession about the project took place on October 30, 2023 (see the November 16, 2023, issue). The standpipe, commonly called a […]