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Indian Creek Earth Day Celebration

April 18 – Indian Creek in Beltsville got a nice make-over on April 18th as part of the greater Anacostia Watershed clean-up. The site on Powder Mill Road down from the railroad bridge was the site of the clean-up sponsored by Citizens to Conserve and Restore Indian Creek (and their partners, Konterra). My staff (Laura Moore, Judy Thacher and Alex Hirtle) and I and my daughter Danielle pitched in and helped with the clean-up. We were also joined by Mary Lehman (aide to Delegate Joseline Pena-Melnyk) and by Karen Coakley (President of the Beltsville Citizens Association).

In all, about 80 people volunteered, and we picked up 97 full bags of trash, 84 tires and over 40 large items such as a bicycle, a TV, a computer monitor, a sink, a huge corrugated pipe, 2 car bumpers, 2 gas tanks and a part of a garage door. A large dumpster provided by Sun Services, (a local materials recycling company) was filled to the brim and a Prince George's County trash truck showed up and picked up additional items. Approximately 500 yards of stream and floodplain were cleaned.

Many thanks to everybody who pitched in to dig out trash. Special thanks go to Konterra for organizing the tent setup and the food, to the Anacostia Watershed Society for providing bags and gloves and for organizing the trash pickup, to ATK Space Systems for allowing use of their parking lot, and to Sun Services.

Riderwood Scholarship Award Presentation

April 18 – On March 30th, I had the privilege of attending the Scholarship Award Presentation at Riderwood scholarships of $6,000 were awarded to 50 Prince George’s and Montgomery County high school seniors. We were joined by Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett and County Council President Phil Andrews.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this event was that 22 of the students awarded scholarships were High Point High School students, including some Student Government leaders that I know: Bana Amare and Imelda Maliza. All of the students participated in a program that employed them in various capacities on the Riderwood campus. Since the inception of the program, over $1,000,000 in scholarship funds have been donated by the residents to support this program. In order to qualify for the program, students must maintain an overall cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above and must have worked a minimum of 1000 hours at Riderwood between June 2007 and May 2009. This program embodies the Beltsville community’s commitment to their mission of “sharing our gifts to create a community that celebrates life”. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate my High Point friends and say how very proud I am of you. And I want to congratulate the residents of Riderwood for their wonderful support for our youth.

Beltsville Laurel Senior Activity Center

April 18 – On April 17th, the long awaited groundbreaking ceremony for the Beltsville Laurel Senior Activity Center took place on the Laurel Regional Hospital grounds. A large crowd of senior citizens attended to see this project finally break ground and move toward its expected opening next summer. Well-deserved praise was given to Delegate Barbara Frush for getting the final approvals from the Hospital Authority. In addition, recognition was given to the efforts of Senator James Rosapepe, and Delegates Joseline Pena-Melnyk and Ben Barnes, to our former representatives Senators Art Dorman and John Giannetti and Delegates Brian Moe and Pauline Menes, and to the City of Laurel and to MNCPPC Chairman Sam Parker.

This project has been talked about for at least 20 years and was supported by the umbrella senior group “ATLAS” that is comprised on Beltsville Young at Hearts, NARFE, AARP and the Laurel Senior Friendship Club. Curt Curtis, President of ATLAS, gave poignant remarks about the long path that the local senior groups have taken to make this project a reality. I was sure to give thanks to my long-time aides, Andy Epplemann (who also served as aide to Councilman Walter Maloney) and Faith Calhoun (former Laurel City Councilwoman and leader of local senior groups). I could not have done my part without their assistance.

Later, everyone enjoyed light refreshments prepared by ATLAS members. I would like to say to the ATLAS members, thank you for your patience; now we can all look forward to watching our “house” be built.

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