Jimmy's Ward Report - Saturday, November 14, 2009

Council Considers Acquiring Properties in Downtown Area - The Council voted to enter into negotiations to acquire the former funeral home on the corner of Eastern and Rhode Island Avenue and also to acquire the Eastern Star building which is adjacent to City Hall (just NE of the municipal building). Both transactions are dependent on obtaining the properties at a good price and after a public meeting at which time the community can comment before there is a final vote.



The reasoning behind the decision to purchase the funeral home is to combine the property with the former Bass property that is already owned by the city. Combining the two parcels (33,000 square feet) would give the city control over what is done at this key location which is the entryway into Mount Rainier and Prince Georges County. The City does not have the resources to build something itself but we hope to sell the property to a developer or partner with a developer in a way that would be consistent with the character of our city.



The Eastern Star property is located next to City Hall and it would be a great building for the city to expand its offices, which are cramped in the present location.



I voted to enter negotiations to purchase the former funeral home but abstained on the vote to enter into negotiations to purchase the Eastern Star property. I do think that real estate values are at a low point and this is a good time to get site control of key properties in the downtown area, but I also believe we need a better financial analysis as to whether the city can afford to purchase both properties. The city does have a considerable reserve fund (over $1 million) but that fund will start to be depleted in 3-5 years if we do not find a developer who is willing to build on the Bass Property-Funeral Home site.



It is important for us to kick-start the development in our downtown area and this is probably a good time to purchase properties but we also have to do all of this consistent with the revenue projections and maintaining our core services (police, public works, code enforcement).



There will be a public meeting before any sale is finalized.



Housing Group Receives $1.3 million In Government Funds to Develop the Singer Building – The Housing Initiative Project (HIP), one of the leading nonprofit community-oriented housing organizations in the country, received a grant of $1.3 million to acquire and begin possible renovation of the Singer building at 33rd and Rhode Island Avenue. (It was named for a Singer sewing machine store that used to be located there.) We have good experience with HIP: they renovated the low and moderate-income artist housing project at 33rd and Perry streets. HIP plans to build 11 or 12 rental units in the building and have space on the ground floor for retail stores.



This is only the beginning of the process. The actual project will cost a lot more than the $1.3 million. The Singer building has to be purchased from the current owner and then financing has to be found to renovate the building, which is in very bad shape. The City Council voted to work with HIP to help develop the site. It is great that there is now over a million dollars in government funds to develop a building in our downtown area and we want to make sure this project gets done.



Rainier Manor Project Gets Money – It was also announced that a developer, Stavrou Associates, received $1 million for the complete renovation of the facility located on Queens Chapel Road. There have been numerous complaints from tenants about the facility and we have found out that there are serious structural flaws with the building. It will take a lot of money to renovate the building and deal with the problems. This is only the beginning of the process.



Mount Rainier is celebrating Arbor Day 2009 on Sunday Nov. 15



The Anacostia Watershed Society has provided trees that will be installed at various places around the city.

If you would like to help, join the volunteers at Thomas Stone Elementary School at 1 pm on Sunday.



Community Craft Sale – December 5th from 10 AM to 4 PM – This is the 15th year of the sale of crafts from local artists. It will be held at Joe’s Movement Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Road.



New Banners on Rhode Island - Has everyone seen the new banners on Rhode Island Ave? The banners are part of a project of the Anacostia Trails Heritage. Each community has put up banners “intended to enhance the image of ATHA communities.” Personally I like the Mt. Rainier banners the best but it’s fun to see what the banners look like in the neighboring communities.



Speed Cameras are Coming to Mt. Rainier: The Chief reported to the Council that they will be installed starting in December. For the first thirty days people will be receiving warnings instead of tickets.



Recycle Bins are Available: The city purchased over 100 new recycle bins. If you need one let public works know or send me an e-mail and I’ll forward it to them.



New Parks: I went to the grand opening of the new dog park at Ager and Nicholson Roads. I was very impressed with the design of the park and how many people and dogs were using the facility. You should go by and check it out. It is about ½ mile past the West Hyattsville Metro stop. I also heard that there will be a new skate park in Hyattsville (near Rhode Island and the NW Branch of the Anacostia). We hope that when the new park opens it will ease the traffic at the Mount Rainier skate park.



Raising Chickens: One of our residents asked that the Council encourage the County to pass an ordinance to allow people to keep chickens. Right now the County does not allow this. What do you think? Remember we are talking about chickens and not roosters



Centennial Celebration to Kick Off Saturday January 23rd - We are planning on having a kick-off ceremony on January 23rd for the city’s 100th birthday celebration. Invitations are going out to dignitaries to attend and we hope to have banners and flags unveiled on that day. We plan to sell miniature flags and porch size flags for those residents who want them. More information to follow.



City Web site - New and Improved: Check out our web site: www.mountrainiermd.org . Councilman Knedler worked very hard with Assistant City Manager Michael Jackson to correct some of the problems with the site.



Free Wine Tasting at Party Time Liquors – The store will be having another wine tasting on Saturday, November 21st from 2-5pm. Please stop in and sample some of our fine wines from around the world. The cost is free and there is no obligation to buy. I think it is important to encourage this kind of activity and business at Party Time and hopefully they will eliminate their single sales business some time soon. (Let them know how you feel about this if you go.)

Crime Prevention Tips from the Mount Rainier Police Dept.:

Burglary Prevention Tips and Strategies

In the United States over five million homes are burglarized each year. Ninety percent of burglaries can be prevented by taking a few simple steps to make your home less appealing to would- be burglars. Light, Time and Noise are some of the best tools in burglary prevention.

Light:

•Make sure that exterior lights are mounted out of reach, so that burglars can't easily unscrew bulbs

•Consider buying motion-sensitive lights, which are now available at relatively low prices (Note: lights burning 24 hours a day are a sign of an empty house)

•Use a variable light timer to activate lights inside your home

•Trim trees and shrubs near doors and windows so burglars can't hide in the shadows

Time:

Make it time-consuming for a burglar to break into your home by:

•Installing deadbolt locks on all exterior doors.

•Installing double key locks in doors which contain glass. This will keep a burglar from being able to open the door simply by breaking the glass and reaching through.(Note: so that everyone in the house can get out in the event of a fire, be sure to keep the key in designated place).

•Placing additional locks on all windows and patio doors.

Noise:

•Install an audio burglar alarm system. (note alarm systems will also notify the police)

•Place a TV or radio on a timer; the key is to have it appear that someone is home.

In the Unfortunate Event:

Sometimes, all your efforts won't stop a determined burglar. It's wise to take some precautions that will help you get your property back should a criminal successfully break into your home:

•Make a list of your belongings (be sure to keep receipts, especially for expensive items like stereos and computers). Be sure to update this list periodically.

•Keep copies of your inventory list and receipts in a safe deposit box or with a friend. (This is also important in the event of a house fire.)

•Photographing and/or videotaping your possessions is a convenient way to keep a record of what you own.

•Engrave your valuables with an identification or mark to deter burglary and to prove ownership should the article be stolen and recovered by the police.

•Be sure you have the right insurance coverage. You may need to purchase additional coverage to protect special items like expensive jewelry or rare antiques.

•If you don't own your home, seriously consider buying a renter's policy. Your landlord will generally not be responsible for your possessions. Rental coverage is available at competitive rates and these policies also offer important protection against liability and losses due to fire or storm damage.

Question, Comments or like to schedule a free home inspection please contact:

Cpl Eddie Murphy
301-985-6580