The meeting began at 7:30.  City Councilman Patrick Wojahn and Councilman elect Fazlul Kabir joined after the City Council meeting.

President Mark Shroder introduced Thomas Fryer, an engineer for Washington Gas.  He was invited to speak about the work that was being done near the intersection of Rhode Island and University Boulevard.  He stated a pressure reducing station was being built.  He described it as a distribution system that would link the larger network at 250 to 300 pounds pressure to the local network at 20 to 50 pounds pressure.  He stated this station would bring more supply to the area by allowing the build up of pressure, could be controlled remotely and would increase reliability and safety.  He stated that Washington Gas had started installing these stations about seven to ten years ago and this particular station would be complete in another ten days.  He said the facility would be fenced and there would be no building, only two 20 inch pipes.  He also stated that this had no relation to another project nearby which he assumed was a WSSC project.  After he finished, Dominique Branch, public relations and marketing for Washington Gas described some brochures that she had brought with her and left them for people to take.

Mr. Shroder introduced Zari Malsawma, steering committee member in Neighborhood Watch, which she described as a grass roots organization dedicated to personal safety, security and protection of the community.  She stated there are currently six neighborhood watch groups in College Park, but none in North College Park.  She stated that Christine Nagle, a former block captain, and Robert Boone had expressed interest in starting one again for North College Park.  She described various aspects and projects of the Neighborhood Watch organization.  She described the block captain’s role as a link between the program and the residents and a liaison to the police.  She stated that a good way to get a local neighborhood watch group going is to hold a block party.  Robert Boone was then introduced and he talked about starting up the North College Park group again and organizing a social to start it off in the next week or two.

The minutes from the previous meeting were handed out and a small change was suggested.  Bob Seward made a motion to accept the minutes with the change, Bill Robertson seconded and the motion was unanimously carried.

Larry Bleau delivered the Treasurer’s report for December with $20 collected in dues, $15.17 spent for the website and $21.74 for printing.  For 2011, starting balance was $1388.65, collected $580 in dues, total expenses $657.12 (postage $308.08, printing $296.19, supplies $28.51, web site $24.34), for a net outflow of $77.12.  The checking balance at the end of the year was $1311.53.

Stephen Jascourt from the College Park variance committee made a report.  He stated that there had been no activity in the previous month.  He stated the number of variance requests were decreased from previous years, probably due to the slow economy.

Under new business, Bob Seward suggested a standing committee to keep track of progress on the properties on the Northeast and Southeast corners of Edgewood at Rte 1.  Margaret Wood stated she could follow the developments and Larry Bleau expressed interest.  Motion to establish a committee headed by Bob Seward was made by Margaret Wood and seconded by Leslie Booth.  Motion was carried with one nay vote from Larry Bleau.

Stephen Jascourt suggested that NCPCA should have outreach to hispanic neighbors.  He noted that many hispanic families consisted of both husband and wife being workers with children.  He stated that, along with language and cultural barriers, this made it difficult for them to attend NCPCA meetings when one is working and the other is looking after the children.  Judy Blumenthal stated that she has similar restrictions and was interested in helping.  Motion was made by Bill Robertson to form a committee headed by Stephen Jascourt to work on outreach to neighbors who had trouble coming to regular meetings and work between meetings.  Motion was seconded by Judy Blumenthal and carried with one nay from Larry Bleau.

Donna Weene suggested a committee to deal with traffic and pedestrian safety.  Issues such as sidewalks and shrubbery trimming were discussed.  Mark Shroder stated that there are three levels of government involved in this topic:  city, county and state.  Robert Boone, Stephen Jascourt, Larry Bleau, and Philip Aronson were interested in this committee.  Motion to form the committee headed by Donna Weene was made by Larry Bleau, seconded by Bob Seward and carried unanimously.

Mark Shroder asked for members to be named to assist officers in monitoring various issues.  He stated CSX is looking to build a giant truck – rail transfer station with four possible sites in mind, including the Beltsville wetland.  There had been no decision made as of yet by the state.  Margaret Wood agreed to monitor this.  Duval Field was discussed, stating that there is a possibility to build a track, a Boys/Girls Club snack bar or a restroom and to buy 3 houses with open space funds and expand the field.  John Krouse was named to monitor the Greenbelt Metro development.  Edgewood and Rhode Island intersection developments will be reported on by Bill Robertson and Larry Bleau.  The state has allocated engineering money for Rte 1 south of Greenbelt Rd, not for right of way purchase and construction.  Motion to appoint Margaret Wood to follow this was made by Leslie Booth, seconded by Donna Ween and carried unanimously.  Bob Seward reported that the AT&T tower project was dead due to lack of approval form the city.  Margaret Wood asked about developments on a skateboard park at Sunnyside Park.  Donna Weene stated that there had been problems with permits, design and maintenance, but construction had been delayed to February due to other business and the weather.

Margaret Wood and Donna Weene stated that there have been problems with mail delivery.  Patrick Wojahn said complaints should be directed to postmaster Tanya White at Tanya.A.White@usps.gov with a copy sent to Toni.V.Fossett@usps.gov.  Mark Shroder stated it might be a good idea to invite Representative Stenny Hoyer next month to speak on this subject, as well representatives of CSX.

Patrick Wojahn and Fazlul Kabir gave their report on the City Council meeting.  There will be a survey conducted on traffic congestion and accident locations on I 295, I 495, the Greenbelt exits and Rte 193 to assess levels of service for intersections and roads.  The Greenbelt Sector Plan will be posted in June.  There is a townhall meeting with Mary Lehman scheduled for February 16 at 6:30 PM at Hollywood Elementary School.  The developer for the site at Rte 1 and Cherokee is bankrupt so there will be no further work for the time being; the detailed site plan is about to expire but will probably be extended.

Motion was made at 9:12 by Larry Bleau to adjourn the meeting, seconded by a person missed by the secretary and carried unanimously.

The meeting began at 7:32.  City Councilman Patrick Wojahn and Councilman-elect Fazlul Kabir were present.

Michael Stiefvater, Economic Development Coordinator for the City, presented some recent developments.  He started with a brief update on the Route 1 Plan, then went on to streetscape enhancements planned for the Edgewood Rd / Rhode Island intersection for 2012.  He went on to describe the citywide Merchant Association that he is trying to establish in conjunction with councilmembers.  He stated that there is a new shop at the Hollywood Shopping Center, Joe’s Take Out, and a Rotisserie Shop planning on moving in.  He described a neighborhood business alliance for local neighborhoods that would have free membership and be an association of businesses for marketing purposes.  He described a funds matching grant program from the city for business signs.  He finished up by fielding questions, mostly about the traffic lights going up at Edgewood and Rhode Island.

President Mark Schroder then introduced Tanweer K. Ahmed as candidate for the secretary position vacated by Conuncilman-elect Kabir.  Motion was made Betty Colonomas, seconded by David Turley, to elect Tanweer Ahmed as Secretary.  The motion was unanimously approved.

Motion by Betty Colonomas, seconded by David Turley, to accept minutes of previous meeting was approved unanimously.

President Mark Shroder, in the absence of the Treasurer, reported an open balance of $1318.44 with a $10 membership dues deposit for that night.

Councilman Wojahn announced that there would be an open house for the new 911 facility on Friday, December 16 from 7:30 to 9:30 PM.

Councilman-elect Kabir announced the annual winter clothing drive.

Motion to adjourn at 8:30 by Betty Colonomas, seconded by David Turley, was unanimously approved.

Prince George’s County’s newly appointed Community Liaison Officer for north College Park Erol Lobin introduced himself to the members. He said that there will be community forum called “Tea Time” at the North Point Hotel in New Carrolton on December 8 at 7pm, to discuss public safety situation with the residents. He said the forum will be an opportunity for residents who cannot attend the weekly Coffee Club meetings, which occur in the morning. He said the residents should call the Police about any non emergency related matters at (301) 352 – 1200. He said in the past couple of months, a number of B&Es have been reported, with some arrests,

Sid Saab spoke about the zoning changes in the property at the north east corner of Rhode Island Ave, / Edgewood Road. The property is currently owned by his father-in-law Randy Sahaban, who currently lives overseas. The parcel includes a dry cleaner and a grassy area behind it. He said On June 18, 2010, the M-NCPPC sent a letter to them informing that their property was zoned as Open Space. The property had been zoned as commercial (C-S-C) before. He expressed surprise on singling out their property as a target for down zoning, whereas every other property around the four corner area remains as fully commercial zoned (C-S-C). He said under the new Open Space zoning, the options to use the property is limited; it can only be used as a barn, a contractor lot or the space must be left open. The property can only have the use it had before it was down zoned (a dry cleaner) for only six months. Moved by Bob Seward / Bill Robertson, “Have NCPCA support up zoning the property back to C-S-C, should the issue come before City council again”. Motion was approved.

Elected District 1 council candidates Patrick Wojahn and Fazlul Kabir spoke briefly to members. They thanked residents for giving them the opportunity to serve them and said they look forward to working with NCPCA during their tenures in the next two years.

Treasurer Larry Bleau reported starting balance of $1475.24, $10 in dues collected, $166.80 in expenses (copying and postage), with ending balance of $1318.44. He also said NCPCA currently has 68 members, of which 52 receive by postal mail and 16 by email only; it only generate 32 labels, however, so that is the number of households who receive by postal mail. Adding the 16 email only members gives us 48 members at different addresses. Mr. Bleau also reported an estimated effect of recent membership change on dues. NCPCA currently has 16 members who already receive by email who would continue in that manner ($5 ea, or $80); an estimated 1/4 of those who receive by postal (8) would probably switch from postal to email delivery only ($40); the remaining 24 who receive by postal would continue that way ($10 ea, or $240); and in the last group an estimated 3 seniors who do not have email whom we would give a credit (subtract $15). This leaves a difference of 20 are those households that have multiple members; This would give an estimated dues revenue of $345, or $135 less than before the change, assuming no change in membership (Without the change, if everyone renewed, NCPCA would have 48 households, which would generate $480 in dues). Costs would go down by the number who receive by postal and would switch to email. An estimate of the annual printing and mailing costs per year, assuming 10 mailings, is $6.60, giving a savings of about $53. The estimated effect of the membership change is therefore a net decrease of $82 in revenues.

Moved by Larry Bleau / Leslie Booth, October 2011 minutes was approved.

Variance committee member Stephen Jascourt reported that four variance requests came up from summer through fall. Two were on the 9500 block of 49th Place. One of the properties requested setback waivers for a small front porch (4×6 foot) and for a 13×20 ft attached garage. The porch was granted but the garage was not, on the basis that detached garages are common among nearby houses and one could be constructed a sufficient distance from the property edge so no variance would be required. The other property involved constructing a new building on a site where a house built in 1949 was razed in 2009. The property owner was denied a variance to have total lot coverage of 50%, exceeding the maximum allowed of 30%. The proposed house was 1447 sq ft and including the attached garage, 1854 square feet, as well as a driveway that looks to be over 100 feet long in the plans. On the 9700 block of 51st Place, a setback variance was allowed for a 4×6 ft porch, actually a cover over an existing stoop. Finally, on the 9600 block of 53rd Avenue, a 1×8 foot addition was allowed for a property which is zoned open space even though an existing house sits on the lot. Five properties near the corner of 53rd Ave and Kenesaw St were rezoned open space by the County in 1990.

President Mark Shroder spoke about Route 1 visioning session at the City Hall on November 18 (9am – 12pm). Patrick Wojahn announced a recycling Sculpture contest at Davis Hall on Nov 12 from 10 am-4pm. Fazlul Kabir announced a forum organized by the Neighborhood Watch Steering committee at the City Hall on November 17 (at 7pm) on how the 911 and Non-Emergency call dispatch system works! Bill Robertson announced an event organized by American Legion commemorating Veteran’s day.

Moved by Bill Robertson and seconded by David Turley, Adjourn the meeting.  Motion passed, and the meeting adjourned at 8:57pm.

Respectfully submitted by Fazlul Kabir, Secretary.

The meeting started with Candidate Forum, which was moderated by NCPCA President Mark Shroder. The candidates present in the forum were: Fazlul Kabir, Christine Nagle and Patrick Wojahn from District 1; Bob Catlin from District 2 and Marcus Afzali from District 4. The uncontested Mayoral candidate Andy Fellows was also present. Each candidate was first asked three questions. This was followed by additional questions from members present at the meeting. The forum took approximately 55 minutes.

President Mark Shroder asked members if they would like to volunteer to place NCPCA meeting signs prior to NCPCA’s monthly meetings.

Moved by Bill Robertson and Joe Smith, members adopted September 2011 minutes, with the following corrections – add “Mayor joined later” to the end of paragraph 1 and add “(4) retain eastern alignment for access road” to the end of paragraph 8.

Treasurer’s Larry Bleau reported an ending balance of $1475.24. $70 has been deposited towards renewal, $35.20 was spent on stamps and $58.06 was spent for copy.

Larry Bleau presented the amendment to the “Article IV : Membership” of NCPCA Bylaws. The proposed amendment defines a member as a person who is 18+ years old and is a resident of North College Park and has paid the NCPCA annual dues. Moved by Larry Bleau / John Krouse, the motion passed by 12-2 votes. A follow –up motion by Larry Bleau / John Krouse to make the basic membership fees to $5 and an additional $5 for printing per member was amended by Marcia Booth / Fazlul Kabir “Waive the printing fee for members without any internet access”. The original motion with the amendment passed.

Member Joe Smith announced a food collection drive and asked members to donate books for a community library.

Patrick Wojahn announced the upcoming College Park Day (Oct 22) and encouraged members to join.

Member John Krouse said that another public forum on Greenbelt sector plan is expected to happen in a month time.

Moved by Larry Bleau and seconded by David Turley, Adjourn the meeting. Motion passed, and the meeting adjourned at 9:35pm.

Respectfully submitted by Fazlul Kabir, Secretary

The meeting started with a briefing from Maryland State’s 21st Delegation on the latest legislative session. Senator Rosapepe said a proposed federal cost cutting measures may hurt the area with more job loss. The losses may include those in local federal facilities such as agricultural facility at Beltsville and at NASA operations at Greenbelt. He said he MD Senate has worked with Gov. O’Malley to support President Obama’s efforts to preserve jobs and “put people back to work in Maryland”. Part of that effort includes restoring state funds to keep teachers in local schools and police in the neighborhoods. He said the State has invested state funds to create construction jobs, including building schools, repairing roads and boosting energy conservation and pollution control. To help those who have lost jobs and income, Rosapepe said the MD Senate supported Gov. O’Malley’s policies to cap college tuition hikes for local students at the University of Maryland and the other state Colleges. It also has protected medical insurance for those who have lost their jobs and extended unemployment insurance benefits to those who have exhausted 73 weeks of State and Federal benefits between January 2, 2010 and December 31, 201.

Maureen Cissel and project Manager Dwight Joseph of the Prince George’s county’s Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPWT) presented the traffic signal project at the Rhode Island / Edgewood road intersection. Ms. Cissel said managing utility lines around the project area has been a challenge. Mr. Joseph said the project started in late July this year and is anticipated to be finished by next spring with the street pavement completed in late April. He said in order to prepare for the construction work, traffic barriers have been put up and lanes have been shifted. The pathway to Hollywood school has also been relocated in conjunction with extreme coordination with the school Principal. There will be some green spaces built along sidewalks.

Treasurer Larry Bleau reported that the NCPCA had a total of $310 deposit towards dues and $109.17 expenses towards printing, postage, supplies and website. The ending balance as of August 31 is $1463.30.

President Mark Shroder thanked board member Donna Weene for school supply drive and said officers are planning to organize a candidate forum at the October meeting.

Members discussed proposed neighborhood signs in Hollywood neighborhoods in Daniel Park, Hollywood and Sunnyside area. A motion by Larry Bleau ”Ask the City representative to consider neighborhood signs in north college park” failed due to lack of support.

Larry Bleau / John Krouse introduced an amendment to the “Article IV : Membership” of NCPCA Bylaws. The proposed amendment defines a member as a person who is 18+ years old and is a resident of North College Park and has paid the NCPCA annual dues. An amendment by Donna Weene / John Krouse to the motion: Make proposed dues structure effective since June 1st, was adopted by 8-1 votes . The original amendment motion was then passed unanimously.

President Mark Shroder announced a Greenbelt Sector Plan meeting on Sept 22 at the Greenbelt Middle School. Moved by Arthur Eaton / Larry Bleau, members adopted a motion asking Park and Planning to pursue the followings (1) Building heights and setback in north core must reflect in the sector plan (2) State’s purchase of the park plan should be reflected in the zoning, (3) City’s agreement concerning the drainage in the south core developer is reflected in the sector plan.

Moved by Arthur Eaton / Larry motion Extend the meeting beyond 9:30. Motion approved.

County Council member Mary Lehman said the 2011 Redistricting Commission released a plan that leaves north College Park in District 1. She also announced a redistricting forum on Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Beltsville. Council member Patrick Wojahn announced a meeting of College Park Foundation on September 14. He also said that the PGPD has appointed Ofc. Erol Lobin as the new community liaison officer for District 1.

Moved by Larry Bleau / David Turley – Adjourn the meeting. Motion passed, and the meeting was adjourned at 9:45pm.

Respectfully submitted by Fazlul Kabir, Secretary.

Prince George’s Police department’s community liaison officer Mr. Jaron Black briefed members about the crime related incidents in north College Park. Report is down. 8^th to 15^th : There has been 1 robbery on Cherry Hill road during this period. The victim identified positively the suspect, who was later apprehended and arrested. There have also been two breakings and entering around Milestone way near IKEA. There have been 3 thefts from Auto, one in 9300 block of Cherry Hill Road, where a car radio was stolen. Another was in the 9700 block of Baltimore Avenue, where a catalytic converter was taken. The 3^rd theft occurred at the 9500 block of 52^nd Avenue, where a tag was stolen. There has been 1 stolen auto on the 9100 block of Baltimore avenue. He invited members to attend bi-weekly coffee club, where many residents of College Park regularly attend and discuss public safety matters with members from local law enforcement authority. He said a Neighborhood Watch steering committee has been formed recently and met at the City Hall in late May. Three community members have been appointed to the committee. Members suggested to have more police patrols and Walk-and-Talk programs throughout north college Park. He also said Operations ID stops theft of expensive items. Mr. Black said the police department is having some trouble in publishing crime statistics online recently. He suggested members to go to crimereports.com to get crime statistics until the computer problem is fixed. Moved by Joe Smith and seconded by Fazlul Kabir, Have the IT department of the Prince George’s Police help Ofc Black in sending out crime reports, so that he can properly execute his job. Motion passed unanimously.

Recently appointed Neighborhood Watch steering committee members Robert Boone and Zari Malsawma introduced themselves to NCPCA members. Committee members Mr. Boone, Ms. Malsawma and Aaron Bourne met early June to discuss revitalizing City’s Neighborhood Watch program. Mr. Boone said neighbors can help build a sense of trust among themselves and help keep their neighborhood safe. Ms. Malsawma said, there will always be a component of community building in the neighborhood Watch program. She has also worked on building a neighborhood directory for Woods community. The NW committee is planning to organize the yearly national night out on August 2^nd and looking for ideas to make the event a success.

In the President’s report, Mark Shroder said he attended a City Council meeting to oppose purchase of #1 Liquor as part of City’s 2011 budget. He also said he has received a letter from the PG Parks and Planning stating that it has denied a request from the Greenbelt Metro sector plan developers who requested that adequate public service for red light intersections in the area be defined  level of service E, not D.  He also said that the June 1^st public meeting on Greenbelt sector plan did not discuss the Greenbelt metro station or the former Smith gravel pit. MNCPPC said it would not take the matter until late September. He also said he has been contacted by the UMd who is seeking residents of the age between 22 to 50 for a paid memory – testing program called ‘Training Cognition’. He asked interested members to contact him. He also announced two town hall meetings by District 1 and 3 county council members in the following week. Mr. Shroder also said he is planning to invite State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks and host a City council candidate forum after the summer recess.

Donna Weene conducted the officers’ election for the year 2011-2012. David Turley and Syed Ridwan assisted her in the election. The candidates were Mark Shroder for President; Bob Seward for Vice President; Fazlul Kabir for Secretary; J Peter Lakeland / Seth Weene nominated Larry Bleau for Treasurer. All candidates were elected to their respective offices. President Shroder thanked former Treasurer Joe Smith and Vice President Bill Robertson for their services in the previous year.

Members also discussed NCPCA due structures to reflect family size and the cost of mailings. President Shroder said the issue of family size is somewhat overblown; at present there are only three families who have more than 2 members per family. He said none of them have abused their voting powers per his knowledge. Larry Bleau said the current due structure is based on household, whereas the voting system  is based on individual. He commented both systems should be consistent. Moved by Larry Bleau / Donna Weene, Have NCPCA ask officers to draft languages in Bylaws to make its due structure based on individuals. Motion passed by 11-2 votes.

Treasurer Joe Smith reported the NCPCA had a total of $180 deposit and $53.29 expenses (postage and mailing labels), with total ending balance of $1333.07. He also said that he submitted the NCPCA’s yearly tax document.

Prince George’s Property Association (PGPOA) board member board member Bill Chicca and District 4 council member Marcus Afzali spoke for and against petition, which may place two initiatives in the upcoming November ballots, if they get signatures of more than 20% of registered voters. Mr. Chicca said his organization opposes the rent control program because of its basic premise of preventing the conversion of single family homes into rental properties, which he thinks is unique in the country. He thinks the program is also not equitable since it only affects single family homes and does not affect the high rises. He said the initiative on placing a cap on the property tax rates was intended to lessen the burden of rising property taxes on residents. In his opposition remarks, Mr. Afzali said PGPOA has been dishonest from the beginning of the petition drive; there has not been any intent of discrimination as the petition tries to allege against the City on rent control. He said the petition initiative was motivated by financial gains, since majority of the PGPOA members do not live in the city and not even in the county. He also said, members of 21^st Delegation, county council members and all living Mayors of College Park have opposed the petition. He said the City won’t be able to reap the tax benefit if a cap on the property tax rates is enacted. Moved by Mark Shroder, seconded by Dave Turley , Have NCPCA consider the petition initiatives as dishonest and deceitful. Motion passed (13-1)

Moved Ann Riley / Bill Robertson – Have NCPCA a discussion in its September meeting on City’s recent redistricting decision. Motion passed.

Moved by Peter Lakeland / David Turley, May 2011 minutes was approved.

Moved by Betty Rodenhausen / Donna Weene, Have NCPCA host its 2011 summer picnic, authorizing to spend no more than $200.

Moved by Leslie Booth / Valerie Bleau – Adjourn the meeting. Motion passed, and the meeting was adjourned at 9:30pm.

Respectfully submitted by Fazlul Kabir, Secretary.

Sharon A. Daboin , CSX Resident Vice President and Bradley M. Smith, MDOT’s project manager made a presentation about the proposed intermodal facility in Beltsville near Sunnyside Ave. / Edmonston Rd. They said double stacking is important for increasing the capacity of the CSX rail corridor, which is important to the Maryland economy, and that a new intermodal facility is required to support double stacking. Beltsville location is one of the four proposed sites CSX/MDOT are considering in the area. The other 3 sites are located at Hanover, Jessup and Montevideo. County council woman Mary Lehamn’s (Dist 1) representative Matt Dernoga was at the meeting to read a letter from Ms. Lehman opposing the construction of the facility. Two Beltsville residents present at the meeting also said they are opposed to the project. Moved by Anne Riley / Bill Robertson, “Have NCPCA oppose the construction of CSX Intermodal facility at the proposed Beltsville location”. Motion passed. During discussion period, members said the project would cause significant impacts on traffic in the area, especially on Route 1, Sunnyside avenue, Rt 201.Other concerns about the project include damage to the Indian Creek watersheds and the surrounding wetlands, truck pollution, change of area’s zoning from residential open space (R-O-S) to open space (O-S).

Dave Johnson, a north College Park resident and the Chief Customer Communications Officer for MARC made a presentation on the MARC Camden Line train service that operates between Washington and Baltimore on the CSX Transportation mainline.  MARC has stations adjacent to both Metro stations (College Park and Greenbelt). MARC now stops two additional trains in College Park that used to be express trains to handle the increased ridership. MARC has recently completed a platform expansion at the College Park station and will be doing more work in the near future to raise the platform slightly higher so that the step box will not be necessary. There will be a new Public address system and LED information signs.  MARC plans to improve the condition of the Greenbelt station is with new, clearer signage. MARC has also introduced two new locomotives. The MP-36 model locomotive is more fuel efficient and has a smaller gas tank. Mr. Johnson said the Camden Line is a great way to take a day trip to Baltimore; fares are $6 each way ($3 for senior citizens).  Tickets can be purchased from the conductor on the train (conductors accept cash only).

Charlie Scott and John D. Thomas of WMATA made a presentation on the proposed Metro test tracks between Greenbelt and College Park Metro rail stations and the commissioning facility at the Greenbelt rail track. They said WMATA has recently placed an order for 428 new rail cars. A test track would cut in half the time required to place the new rail cars into revenue service. They said of 106 miles of rail corridor owned by WMATA, 46.3 miles are at-grade. For practical purposes the test track needs to be built at grade. They said only Green line between College Park and Greenbelt station meets the criteria for the test track. Environmental analyses of each facility are being conducted in accordance with FTA criteria. Construction to begin in the Spring of 2012. Test tracks are scheduled for completion by late summer of 2013 and commissioning facility to be completed in early CY14. The total budget for the project is estimated as $88.3 million.

Moved by Bill Robertson / Peter Lakeland, April 2011 minutes was approved.

Treasurer Joe Smith reported the NCPCA had a total of $70 deposit and $29.48 expenses (copying flyers and domain renewals), with total ending balance of $1205.46.

Nominating committee Chair Donna Weene reported that Mark Shroder and Fazlul Kabir will re-run for President and Secretary respectively. Bob Seward agreed to run for Vice President and Treasurer simultaneously.

Moved by Larry Blue / Donna Weene, extend the meeting beyond 9:30 and adjourn the meeting after announcements are made. Motion passed.

President Mark Shroder said he wrote to the Council expressing members’ opposition against City’s decision to purchase #1 Liquor. He also said he wrote a blog post in College Park Patch about May NCPCA meeting.

Council member Patrick Wojahn announced the second College Park Day on October 22, 2011. Fazlul Kabir announced Hollywood neighborhood cleanup on June 4 (10am to 1pm). Council member Christine Nagle announced that the College Park Recreation Board will hold a bowling event at the AMF College Park Lanes next Saturday (May 21, 9am – 12pm) for City’s senior citizens. Bill Robertson announced that there will be a Memorial Day service at College Park Veterans Memorial on June 30 at 11am. Former Mayor Steve Braymen will be there as the keynote speaker.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:40 pm.

Respectfully submitted by  Fazlul Kabir, Secretary

City’s Finance Director Steve Groh and Planning Director Terry Schum outlined the key development projects in the proposed FY2012 budget. The projects will be financed by the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), which receives grants from various local and Federal sources. The key development projects in north College Park  include Hollywood Gateway Park development, Duvall Field improvements, Hollywood commercial district / intersection  improvements, Neighborhood access improvement near Rt 1 and Hollywood Rd / Mazza GrandMarc (traffic lights etc), Improvements of Public Works facility at Davis Hall (new HVAC system, improved acoustics etc), Safe to school project around Hollywood Elementary school, Sunnyside skateboard park project and various street improvement projects.

AT&T’s attorney Gregory Rapisarda made a presentation about AT&T’s plan to install a monopole (cell phone tower) at the vacant lot at the end of the Odessa Road in Sunnyside neighborhood. Mr. Rapisarda said the proposed telecommunications facility will consist of a 125′ tall monopole with a 3′ lightning rod, inside of a 50′ x 50′ equipment compound that will be surrounded by an 8′ tall wooden board on board fence, which will be landscaped to the north and west (which are the sides “facing” the residential areas).  The proposed monopole will ultimately provide wireless services to AT&T customers and it will also provide space for two additional wireless service providers as well.  Mr. Rapisarda said AT&T identified and evaluated several potential co-location opportunities, including (1) the US Department of Agriculture building, (2) the 300 State Police tower that is approximately 1/2 mile away, (3) a 155′ Verizon tower approximately 1/2 away, and (4) a rooftop at the Sterling Building.  He said in each case, either the radio frequency engineers concluded that those locations would create significant overlap with existing coverage and would not allow AT&T to meet its coverage objectives or the landowner was unwilling or unable to lease space. Council member Patrick Wojahn said AT&T offered the City $1200/month to use the facility, although that amount is open to negotiation. He also said AT&T will conduct a third balloon test

Moved by Leslie Booth / Peter Lakeland, March 2011 Minutes was approved

President Mark Shroder appointed Donna Weene and Betty Rodenhausen to the 2011-2012 nominating committee.

Council member Patrick Wojahn said, the City council has recently sent a letter to Prince George’s County Planning Board on the concepts and policies for North College Park and the Core Area contained in the 2001 Greenbelt Metro sector plan These policies include the following: retaining the existing low density residential character in North College Park; preserving the environmental envelope including the state-owned property as open space; minimizing stormwater-related problems due to new development; and utilizing a height transition zone to a maximum of 12 stories in the north core of Greenbelt Station.

Moved by Leslie Booth / Peter Lakeland, extend the meeting beyond 9:30pm motion passed.

Treasurer Joe Smith was not present at the meeting, however in his absence, President Mark Shoder said the ending balance of 1192.24 in the bank account. He also said that Mr. Smith sent in NCPCA’s MD tax documents and will be sending the federal tax forms in June (with no penalty for late filing).

Moved by Larry Bleau / Leslie Booth – Remove #1 Liquor item from the Capital Improvement Project (C.I.P.) of the FY2012 budget. Motion passed.

Nine competing Gateway Park designs were on display at the meeting for public comments. Members also gave their feedback on the designs. Moved by Anne Riley / Bob Seward – NCPCA appreciates UMd students’ contribution in the Gateway Park design projects.

President Mark Shroder said he was contacted by a CSX representative to build a  new facility in Beltsville that will allow the transfer of freight trailers and containers between trains and trucks. Maryland Department of Transportation and the CSX Transportation, Inc will hold a public informational workshop on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 Beltsville Academy.

Council member Chris Nagle announced that there will be town hall meeting on the proposed FY2012 budget on May 7, Saturday at 10am at Davis Hall.

Fazlul Kabir said there will be an Earth Day event at Duvall Field on April 23. Volunteers will fix two rain gardens there.

Moved by Donna Weene and seconded by Larry Bleau, Adjourn the meeting.  Motion passed, and the meeting was adjourned at 10:05pm.

Respectfully submitted by Fazlul Kabir, Secretary

Peggy Higgins, the Prince George’s County’s school board representative (District 2) spoke about the proposed school budget. She said the county’s school system is facing a $85 million gap in its $155 million proposed budget. The cuts may result in the increase in class sizes. Groups such as RTOC, librarians will take a hit. The central office will take 31% of the cut. There will be  a reduction in number of custodians (from 1 in 1500 sq ft to 1 in 1700 sq ft of school space). Reading recovery and media specialist teacher will also be reduced. 12 schools councilor will be reduced from a total of 350 councilors.  Program Camp Schmidt will also face the cut. She said the school board has passed the budget and it will now go to the County Executive who will submit it to the county council for its review and final approval in May.

Chad Williams-NCPPC’s community planning department spoke about the new Greenbelt sector plan covering Greenbelt Metro station and MD 193 corridor. Part of this area was studied before in 2001; State mandate also says such sector plans must be reviewed every six years. The 2001 plan included a large portion of north College Park, BARC property and the train yard, which may not be included in the new plan. The major focus of the plan will be on a corridor on either side of MD.193, ranging from CSX track on the west to Hannover parkway on the east. This plan’s boundary will include Beltway Plaza, Greenway Center, Capital office Park, Golden Triangle, Greenbelt Station, Springhill Lake and University Sq. Apartment. It will also focus on Grenbelt Metroland issues, including Indian Creek and Narragansett Run. He said the Park and Planning will keep everyone in north College Park informed; the City will also be notified as the plan develops. He said the first community meeting on the new sector plan was attended by some 52 people at Greenbelt community center. The attendees discussed a guiding document focusing on potential impact of environment, noise, shadow etc. He said residents can find more about the plan by visiting www.pgplanning.org/greenbelt.htm and www.pgatlas.com. The formal planning process will begin in late May and the planned conclusion would be in October 2012. Members can contact him at Chad.williams@ppd.mncppc.org or 301-952-3171

The new District 1 police chief Major Hector Velez introduced himself to the members. He served as the assistance District 1 commander from 2007-2010 under major Davis and will replace Major Liberati. He served 16 years in the PGPD. He said District 1 has top notch officers and introduced Assistant District Commander Capt Marc S. Alexander and Investigative Commander Lt. Charles “Bud” Duelley. Mr. Duelley said the Police recently caught someone who was suspected of committing a number of break-ins around the area.

Treasurer Joe Smith reported that he has not made any transaction with the bank account, thus the information remains the same since last minutes. However, he said there was an error in February report; the total balance should read $1,348.65, instead of $1,448.65. He also said he will be filing the annual tax document soon.

Residents discussed the impact of the proposed relocation of the Greenbelt stream on the Narragansett Run water upstream in north College Park. Moved by Peter Lakeland / Fazlul Kabir, members adopted a motion: Have NCPCA write a follow-up letter to MDE expressing environmental concern, motion passed.

Hollywood Gateway Park Design committee Chair Larry Bleau said three competing designs will be on display at April’s NCPCA meeting for public comment. The City has also sponsored a design competition among UMd landscape architecture students. There will also be presentations on the designs on Wednesday, April 13th at 7:00 PM at Davis Hall. Moved by John Krouse / Marcia Booth – Have President to appoint a Jury to the Park design presentation panel.

Moved by Larry Bleau, seconded Joe,  Members adopted “Have NCPCA approve the draft language of the proposed Bylaws amendment to Article X: Dissolution of NCPCA’s By-laws”. Motion passed unanimously.

Moved by Larry Bleau and seconded by Bill Robertson, members adopted February, 2011 minutes with the following correction: the 3^rd paragraph from bottom should read 11:30am instead of 11:30pm.

Moved by John Krouse, extend the meeting beyond 9:30pm. Motion passed. Mr. Krouse also announced a town hall meeting on March 31, 2011 at Davis Hall on Greenbelt sector plan.  Moved by John Krouse / Stephen Jascourt, have NCPCA support and publicize the March 31^st the meeting. Marcia Booth announced a community dinner to raise funds for Meals and Wheels on March 12 from 4-7pm, at the United Methodist Church..

Council member Patrick Wojahn announced a town Hall meeting on City’s action plan on  March 19, 1 pm and another public hearing on City’s proposed zoning ordinances on March 24 at 7pm, both at Davis Hall. He also said the City will hire a contractor to replace the HVAC system at Davis Hall; a new drop ceilings will also be installed to improve acoustics.

Mark Shroder said that he has invited City manager Joe Nagro to come to NCPCA’s April meeting to present City manager’s version of Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Mr. Nagro has accepted the invitation.

Moved by Leslie Booth / Valerie Bleau: Adjourn the meeting.  Motion passed, and the meeting adjourned at 9:45pm.

Respectfully submitted by Fazlul Kabir, Secretary.

Moved by Adrian Bradford and seconded by David Turley, January 2011 minutes was approved.

Treasurer Joe Smith reported that $60 has been deposited to the bank, with ending balance of 1448.65. In last month, $23.32 was spent on office supplies.

In the president’s report, Mark Shroder said NCPCA has recently received a letter from Haitham Hijazi of County’s Public Works on NCPCA’s request to install chokers on the shoulders of Rhode Island Avenue at the pedestrian crosswalks between Sunnyside Avenue and MD 193. Based on their study, the DPW&T has determined that the area is generally not suitable for choker usage. Mr. Shroder also reported one NCPCA mail to a member with valid address was returned by the post office. He said he received a letter on Greenbelt Metro Area sector plan and sectional map amendment.

Hollywood Gateway Park committee Chair Larry Bleau presented a conceptual preliminary design of the proposed park at the corner of Route 1 and Edgewood Road in North College Park. Committee members met at the proposed site and later brainstormed the design of the park. Moved by John Krouse / Bill Robertson, Have NCPCA park design committee continues working with City’s planning department with the proposed ideas. Motion passed.

Dist. 1 County Council member Mary Lehman, spoke to members about the proposed county budget and the ethics bill. She said the county council recently had budget hearing at the Laurel High School. The hearing was attended by about 20-25 people. The county is facing a projected $77 million budget shortfall in 2012, The PG school system is facing somewhere between $85 million to $100 million deficit. The new budget will affect the school system with larger class sizes and eliminating Pre-K classes. The school system is also looking into possibilities of restricting school transportation to students going to out of local school districts. She also said she objected to two proposed ethics bills in the MD House of Delegates, one by Co. Exec Rushern Baker and another by the Del. Frush. She said both bills will take away county council’s ability to review Detailed Site Plans, and will leave up to the citizens to request call-up to district council on any future site plans. A public hearing had been scheduled on the bills on February 12 at the PG Community College. She said she is committed to working on the traffic lights at the intersection of Rhode Island and Edgewood and the proposed north College Park Community Center.

Members also discussed the impact of the Greenbelt Metro development on the Narragansett Run stream in north College Park. A permit to make massive alterations to the portion of Narragansett Run across the railroad tracks from north College Park was applied for in 2008, put to rest, and then revived again last month and the comment open period has been extended to March 14. This could well affect water upstream in north College Park, and issues relating to storm water runoff and water quality and environment habitat. The Park and Planning will be hosting an Information gathering session and community meeting on March 2, 7-8:30pm at the Greenbelt community center. Moved by Ann Riley / Larry Bleau, a motion “Have NCPCA authorize the president form a committee on Greenbelt development “ was later amended by Larry /Ann “Have the committee speak on behalf of the NCPCA” Motion passed. President appointed John Krouse and Stephen Jascourt. Sarah Jazs and himself.

Moved by Leslie Booth and seconded by Adrianne Bradford, members adopted a motion “Have NCPCA approve the draft language of the proposed Bylaws amendment to Article X: Dissolution of NCPCA’s By-laws”. The proposed By-laws amendment seeks to clarify reasons for association’s dissolution and distribution of assets in case such dissolution happens. Moved by Larry Bleau / Stephen Jascourt, an amendment to the motion “Add the following text to the end of section 4 ‘Any distribution of assets must comply with the restriction in Article 2″ was approved by members. (Full text of the amendment appears elsewhere in this notice.)

Mark Shroder and Larry Belau gave an overview of City’s proposed ordinance in last week to assume more controls over zoning. Titled “Additional zoning authority pursuant to CB-16-2010″, the proposed ordinance would give the City the ability to take on a couple of additional powers. The proposed changes may affect the current way of zoning process which is nearly exclusively administered by the county’s planning department. Moved by John Krouse / Bill Robertson, a motion “Director of Planning should never have the power to waive the posting” was approved (5-2-0).

Moved by Peter Lakeland / Fazlul Kabir, meeting was extended beyond 9:30pm.

Councilmember Catlin said the new census figure has put the city’s population to over 30,000 and 17% of houses in the city are listed as unoccupied. Council member Nagle said a new bill is being introduced at the MD legislature that would stop gun sales at the pawn shops. Council member Patrick Wojahn announced a neighborhood cleanup by Pickup America on February 27 at 11:30 am. Mark Shroder said number of house sales in north college park has doubled, whereas prices fell 14% in the year 2010.

Moved by Bill Robertson / Joe Smith: Adjourn the meeting.  Motion passed, and the meeting adjourned at 9:47pm.

Respectfully submitted by Fazlul Kabir, Secretary