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NEWS ARCHIVES FOR ACCOKEEK, MD
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This message is being distributed locally referring to a county program.: If you have old thermometers with mercury, this is a good way to get rid of it. "The County Department of Environmental Resources will replace mercury fever thermometers with new digital thermometers at no charge. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every Sunday, for as long as the supply lasts, at the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site at the Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill, 3500 Brown Station Road in Upper Marlboro. (Use the 11611 White House Road entrance.) For information, call 301-883-5045." - Received 1/7/04 Here is information about why they are concerned. This link also has symptoms of poisoning. Here is a quote from one federal government article: "Mercury fever thermometers are a significant source of mercury to the environment, and if a broken mercury thermometer isn't cleaned up properly, the mercury can get into the air and pose a health risk in the user's home." The first link above also tells of a worker who died of mercury poinsoning, though not from a thermometer. But another page says, "... entire families have been poisoned when the spill was not cleaned up properly or not at all." If you go, please let us know about the present availability via Accokeek-chat. For those who choose to continue to use their mercury thermometers, here's some information that might be helpful.: What To Do If Mercury Spills * Try to contain the spill without contaminating hands or clothes (e.g. place disposable cup over it) * Ask everyone to leave the area. * Open windows and doors in the area of the spill to ventilate the area during cleanup. * Do not use a vacuum cleaner to clean up a mercury spill. A vacuum cleaner will spread the mercury vapors into the air. * Never allow people who are wearing mercury-contaminated shoes or clothing to walk around the house.This will help prevent the spread of spilled mercury. * Never use a broom to clean up mercury; it will break the mercury into smaller drops and spread it around more. The small droplets evaporate faster and are more difficult to clean up. * Contact the local poison control center, fire department, or public health board for advice on cleanup. For future information, this message will be posted on the Accokeek and Brandywine sites news area (both sites are searchable). |
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LEGAL WIN FOR ANCIENT
GRAVES STALLS DEVELOPER
Destruction of a possible slave cemetery on the Potomac River was forestalled this week when Prince George's Chief Zoning Hearings Examiner urged County leaders to take a second, more careful look at numerous historic features on a 23.6-acre river property in Fort Washington, Maryland. Her decision was a blow to the subdivision plans of a local developer. The site, Tent Landing, gained national media attention during the early morning hours of June 14th, when a huge backhoe operated by Land and Commercial Inc., dug into five of the historic graves. The hurried excavation scarred a family cemetery, and local television broadcasts of the grim proceedings sparked widespread calls to halt the subdivision. On February 25, Prince George's hearings judge Maurene Epps Webb issued a landmark decision signaling the first time a community's challenge to save a multi-ethnic historic resource was successfully used to derail a developer. Webb urged the County Council to remand the issue to the Historic Preservation Commission, and urged that Commission to rethink its December 2001 ruling in which it okayed eliminating the property's historic resource status, clearing the way for subdivsion. She noted that the Commission failed to consider Indian and African American heritage, as well as the site's colonial history. Suburban Maryland Developers Association representative William Shipp, who was chosen to head the Preservation Commission during the tenure of former County Executive Wayne Curry, was cited as having said "the large number of retrieved Native American artifacts is not a factor in the evaluation decision..." Examiner Webb noted that the panel's mission, according to County Code, includes identifying and preserving sites of archaeological value. African American heritage spokespersons and the leaders of the area's Piscataway Conoy Indian Tribe have criticized to a number of failures in the process that Shipp's panel used. "Native Americans care deeply about this property, which we call Tessamatuck," says Tribe Chairperson Mervin Savoy. "We want it preserved because we believe it is Tessamtuck, the name explorer John Smith recorded for the Conoy village he saw at Tent Landing in 1608. The word Tessamatuck means "place free of briars," a safe and comfortable locale," she says, "and it was one of the Potomac River's most important Indian trade centers prior to European settlement." In 1969, the site was included in Prince George's first historic listing because, "Indian artifacts have been found in this relatively undisturbed area." Although the Washington area isn't famed for Revolutionary War activity, historian Phyllis Cox testified during the hearing that Tent Landing was the location of an extremely rare skirmish between British sailors and Maryland patriots. "The British raiding party was proceeding upriver from Mount Vernon on April 12, 1781," says Cox, "but during a raid on the fields of the Landing farm they were halted by Col. Henry Lyles and his local militia. Eleven prisoners were captured and there were erstwhile negotiations at this location," she says. "Tent Landing has to be considered a small victory for the Prince Georgians, as the British promised to leave and not come back." "Tent Landing is on the crest of a political wave," says community leader Dawn Davit of Fort Washington. "If a place as significant as Tent Landing can be subdivided," she said," then historic preservation rules have become a meaningless shield for saving our diverse heritage." Davit points out that new County Executive Jack Johnson has "a different take" on historic resources. "He is one of several key political leaders who have stepped forward to support local communities that want to salvage their heritage," she says. For copies of the County ruling call the Hearings Examiner Office at (301) 952-3644. For more information about saving Tent Landing, call Potomac Valley Citizens Association at (301) 292-4198. |
| From Linda Saffell of Prince Georges Feral Friends, Inc.: I need your help. A friend with a big heart is helping a woman who lives in Accokeek. The Accokeek resident has allowed a small number of stray cats (and several dogs, too) to breed uncontrolled. My friend is doing all that she can to help, but she has been paying for the expense of this out of her own pocket. She has been providing all transportation and all of the manpower (if you will) to care for the many animals in this case. And my friend is doing this while holding down a full-time job at the Pentagon. If you or your organization has an interest in learning to rescue cats (using humane live traps), or if you can make a donation toward Accokeek rescues, or if you would like to help as an individual, please contact PGFF today. PGFF has been in existence only two years, but we have been able to help one Accokeek resident get control of the stray cats in her neighborhood. We would like to help more, and my friend has been doing her part. However, we would like to have more people in the area who want a more humane community who can lend a hand. Our approach leads to healthier lives for stray cats, and to a downward trend in their population over time. Cats don't belong outdoors, but outdoor cats don't deserve capital punishment! Please help PGFF help your neighborhood! |
| Part-Time Volunteer Coordinator/Program Assistant: Local private, non-profit social service agency in Brandywine. 10-15 hrs/wk. Need excellent communication & organizational skills, computer literacy. Degree in human services or experience. Car necessary. Resumes: Fax - (301) 372-1569, Email - CSS1995@aol.com. |
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At the South County Coalition meeting Wed. night, we had two guest speakers that gave us a wealth of information about our Prince George's County school system. Donna Hathaway-Beck, who's attended every board meeting in the last seven years, and Linda Owens are both Moms who care about more than just their own kids' schools, but are not running for office, so they have nothing to lose by being honest. They have successfully collected enough signatures on a referendum for CB 40, a bill that was supposed to give developers incentives to pay to build in areas that have over-crowded schools, but it's not working.
CB 40 may have had good intentions - to limit builders from developing in an area with over-crowded schools unless they pay a fee which will help raise money for building more schools. Unfortunately, the three year wait is not enough to give them incentive and no money has been raised so far, but they can build in over-crowded areas. So who will pay for the schools there? We just don't have enough money. The present projection for our high schools is an increase from 3,200 students to 9,000 over the next four years with only the students presently in the system. This could mean 39 to 49 temporary buildings at our high schools since there are no plans or funds to build until at least 2007. What Donna and Linda, who are working with county officials and other legislators and activists, propose is to amend CB 40 to increase the number of years builder have to wait to build in areas where schools are over-crowded, have a more stringent test for determining if the area is over-crowded, and have a higher fee that will actually raise enough money to build new schools. You are urged to call your county council representatives to tell them to accept amendments to CB 40 that will increase the wait to at least 5 yrs. and collect sufficient funds to build more schools and prevent increasing over-crowded conditions. The representative in Accokeek, District 9, is council member Jim Estepp, who is also a candidate for county executive. You can email him or call him at 301-952-3820. The new school board is ready to work hard to make our public school system a better place for our children, but the first job they have to do is cut $52 million from the budget. Most of our classes already have at least 30 kids and our teachers are paid about 15% less than neighboring counties. They'll be looking at a report from a Management oversight team, which should be on their web site soon. Though tests scores have improved and some reports from some of our schools look good, we have to keep it from turning down and help to lift them up. To learn more about the issues surrounding CB 40 and more information about our schools, see the CB40referendum.com. |
Greater Baden Aquasco Citizens Association (GBACA)* presents:
HISTORIC TOUR
Saturday, May 18, 2002
10:00 AM-3:00 PM
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| On the gravel mine fight Carmen says, "THIS IS OUR LAST CHANCE TO STOP THE LOSS OF HUNDREDS OF ACRES OF FOREST, A THREAT TO OUR WATER SUPPLY AND 560 TRUCKS A DAY (some 18-wheelers!) ON OUR ROADS, so please make every effort to get people out. The hearing is on: MONDAY, MAY 2O at 1:30 pm. at the COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, Upper Marlboro, 1st floor-main hearing room." |
| Carmen wrote this informative note: " In three different bills, the Prince George's County state legislative
delegation is attempting to UNDERMINE TRIM and allow ADDITIONAL PROPERTY
TAXES to be collected over and above your current amounts to provide more
funding for the school system.
Two of the bills, HB-987 and HB-957, which are "Emergency Bills" for expedited processing, provide for a partly elected, partly appointed School Board plus taxing authority. A third bill, HB-989 is entirely a "Taxing Authority," which mandates that 88.27% of the entire county property tax now collected go to the schools, leaving only 12% for everything else. Then they could levy additional tax on top of that. All three provide that the change would have to go to referendum for voter approval and the additional taxes raised would go to the schools. It is still a shell game that removes any control over how much is raised and spent in the entire budget. HB-989 appears to cause a SPECIAL ELECTION TO BE HELD EVERY YEAR that they want to exceed TRIM. That alone would cost scads of money. Right now, the only control on your tax is the RATE applied to your assessed value so your taxes still go up whenever your assessment increases. Taxes have about doubled since TRIM went into effect, higher than neighboring jurisdictions including Montgomery County. If you care about this raid on your wallet, spending out of control, please call your Delegates and urge them to vote AGAINST HB-957, HB-987 and HB-989. For most of southern Prince George's, they are: Del. Joseph Vallario, Jr., 301-858-3488 and Del. Jim Proctor, 301-858-3083 (no toll) For Delegates Kerry, Obie Patterson and David Valderama it is 301-858-3012. For the whole Prince George's Delegation, call 301-858-3074." |
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Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation says, "NOW IS THE TIME TO PLAN AN EXCITING SPRING EXCURSION!" There are spring bus trips to a 100-acre Victorian country estate and another to the Azalea Garden Festival. These are just a few of the day trips planned for early spring and summer by the M-NCPPC Southern Area Office. Buses leave from the Harmony Hall Regional Center in Fort Washington and Allentown Road Fitness Center in Oxon Hill. Pre-registration is required, as well as payment in full at time of registration. Spaces are limited. Visit http://www.pgparks.com or call 301-203-6000; TTY 301-699-2544.
Other activities throughout the year are available from the parks that require advanced registration. See the Brandywine calendar (http://www.localendar.com/public/Brandywine) for some of those events, including Maryland Boating Safety Course on numerous dates, The Basket Bunch (basket making), Winter Ecology Walk, Wildlife Detectives, and Birding the Patuxent during this and next months, and more in March - May. |
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The hearing on the special zoning exception to permit a sand and gravel mine at the intersection of Accokeek and McKendree Rds. took place yesterday and I was in attendance from ~3:30 PM until 11:00 when it finally ended. There was a lot of interesting testimony and I believe I learned a lot - about zoning hearings, the history of our area, our sensitive environment, and the caring and committed residents here.
Rev. Kent of Asbury United Methodist Church was the first I heard, though there were several whom I missed before him. Many of his congregants are concerned about the increased traffic that 560 trucks per day will bring. There was some long testimony from locals who were accepted as expert witnesses - one on traffic engineering and one on geology. The concern about the narrow, winding Accokeek Rd. with little to no shoulder in many places was pointed out repeatedly. There is another mine in the same area referred to as the "Meinhardt mine" which has a potential of also bringing 400 trucks up and down that same area. There was objection to any increase in heavy truck traffic due to the condition of the road. There was testimony from Waldorf (Prince George's County) residents, living just south of the proposed mine, and from Accokeek residents, including representation from the Moyaone Reserve Association. Their biggest concern was about the water that would be used by the proposed washer. Suggestions were made that the washer could either be located elsewhere or an alternative source for water could be used, such as purchasing waste water that might otherwise be dumped into the river, as has been done elsewhere in the area. Many people testified about the loss of the forest and wildlife, which is the reason they moved to the area - a quiet, rural setting. The geologist pointed out how the rocks, water, plant life, and wildlife are all intertwined in that area and how this proposed mine will destroy the present ecosystem and reforestation will not be able to duplicate the environment that is able to provide habitat for many animal species. There was also concern by the Friends of Mattawoman Creek that the tributary there would be destroyed and a great deal of silt would filter down into the creek. The creek has been reported to have 40 times as many anadromous fish (those going out to the sea and coming back to spawn) than others surveyed in Maryland. Several reported concerns for the loss of hunting land, especially the loss of the wild turkey which were at one time rare and have now been allowed to be hunted for only six years. Since the survey by the county of the proposed site only lasted one day, many suspect there are far more species than were listed, especially birds that could be considered rare or of special state concern. Laurie Verge, director of Surratts House, reported that the site was once part of Fort Adams and may be of historic significance, possibly with artifacts there. She remembers seeing logs which were remnants of the old fort when she was young. Others also spoke of the history of the area. The traffic of heavy trucks and the possibility of road improvements in front of the McKendree cemetery cause concern about the possible loss or further destruction of the magnificently carved tombstone which was partly constructed of Egyptian marble. Carmen Anderson, who's put a great deal of work into making these hearings possible, gave lengthy testimony, presenting many documents highlighted to point out specific areas that apply to this case, including the Commission 2000 Report. The next hearing will be Thurs., Jan. 17, 9:30 AM at the County Administration Building in the County Council Conference Room, #2161 on the second floor. For more information, call Carmen at 301-372-6949. |
| From Joe Brice of the South County Coalition: We have designed a Zoning and Planning Class in conjunction with Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC). This class is free and will occur this coming Saturday, January 26, 2002. It will be held at Harmony Hall in Fort Washington at 10 am. The class will be facilitated by Mr. Jimi Jones. The reason for this class is that most of us are not aware of the procedures necessary to become involved in the zoning and planning process. We don't know how to be notified about zoning changes planned for our areas, nor are most of us knowledgeable about becoming parties of record or how to enter testimony into the official record. Many of us do not understand how it is that we end up on the outside of debates and appeals or hear about changes that affect us only after a decision has been made. This class is to introduce us to the mysterious hearing process. To insure that information that we the people need to know and will be able to use, the class agenda was reviewed Carmen Anderson, a veteran of many zoning and planning hearings in Upper Marlboro [see more about Carmen in the hearing article below]. MNCPPC modified the presentation based on her suggestions. The ultimate purpose of this class is to strengthen our voices in the south county. An added value will be the attendance of Mr. Craig Rovelstadt. Craig is the community planner for south county and a person each association interested in what is being planned for their community ought to know. Craig has asked me if there are any corridors that questions may arise about. In this case, corridors mean areas like 210, 301, Branch Ave, around the Metro station, etc. Please do two things. Spread the word about this class and give me a call if you intend to attend. We would like to have a minimum of 25 people there and the class will be held in the auditorium. My numbers are: (D) 202-606-4656; (E) 301-372-8862. You can also return e-mail me through JEBRICE@AOL.COM or JEBRICE@OPM.GOV. Our regular South County Coalition meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month on the second floor of the Clinton Fire Station at 7:30. I look forward to seeing you at either or both. |
| Carmen E. Anderson announces, "The last hearing before the Hearing Examiner on the huge gravel mine and wet washer proposed on Accokeek Road will be next Wednesday, Jan. 9, starting at 2 pm going all evening until our witnesses finish. This means if people can get there by 5 or 6 pm., it would still make an impact. I am simply looking for CHAIR FILLERS, not necessarily testimony unless people want to. The hearing will be at the County Administration Building in the County Council Conference Room, #2027 on the second floor, as currently planned. We must get as many more Parties of Record on board by next week as we can." For more information, call Carmen at 301-372-6949. If you travel on Accokeek Rd. or have friends or family that do, this would put an average of one truck per minute going back and forth over that narrow, winding, shoulder-less road Mon.-Sat. for 20 yrs. |
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A local shopkeeper experienced a hate attack. There are many ways in which we can respond to these tragedies in a positive way. See the page I set up for responding to this national tragedy which contains more information about the attack and links to other sites.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tues., Sept. 11, 2001 Our hearts go out to the victims and their families during this national tragedy. Many events and meetings have been cancelled, so you may wish to check before going to any tonight. Even the Democratic National Convention has cancelled their fall meeting September 13 through September 15 in Miami, so you may want to check on future events also. Now is the time for us to be with our family, friends, and neighbors to support each other. If you would like to and are able to give blood, check this link for emergency blood donation locations. Unfortunately, we have none in southern Prince George's County. The closest is Waldorf, but maybe you can find one near your work. Reactions to these events and checking in with your neighbors are just some of the things that can be discussed on the Accokeek-chat email list. Announcements and news, such as what is on this page, will be posted once-only weekly on Accokeek-news. Click this link to join our email lists. |
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