An Active Senior Is a Healthy Senior!

June Meetings & Events of Interest

How to Choose an Assisted Living Community

(Click on the image for the Washington Consumers'Checkbook article)

• Once you’ve identified a handful of prospective communities, call them and ask a lot of questions. There’s much at stake, so you need to choose smartly. Some require buy-in options, sizeable financial commitments that are typically difficult or impossible to back out of. Even if you choose a residence that charges only monthly rent, there are usually a lot of upfront moving costs and a minimum one-year lease. “In many ways, it’s like buying a car—there’s the sticker price, but when you finally sign on the dotted line, it has nothing to do with the final amount you’ll pay,”
• The advice is free to all, but you need to be a subscriber to see their online ratings of 202 assisted living communities in the area. Prince George's County Memorial Libraries have hard copies. It's worth seeing the ratings just to see how much assisted living costs.

Around 1/3 of the bills introduced this session of the MD General Assembly were passed

(Click on the image for Daniel Oyefusi and Jake Gluck's Capital News Service Report)

A total of 2,497 pieces of legislation were introduced in the 2019 Maryland General Assembly. About 45 percent, 1,124, made it to a final floor vote in at least one of the chambers. About 77 percent of these, 866, were passed into law. In total, 35 percent of the bills introduced this session became law. This data includes joint resolutions.

Va. hospitals rank 2nd in nation in patient safety; Md. lags, DC near bottom

(Click on the image for Neal Augenstein's WTOP report)

"Virginia hospitals rank second in the country in patient safety, but patients in Maryland and the District hospitals are far more likely to encounter problems during their stays, according to a not-for-profit hospital watchdog group.

The “Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade” ratings are based on publicly reported data on the hospital’s rates of infections, complications and deaths from surgery, patient falls and injuries, bed sores and other situations that affect a patient’s stay.

All of the Northern Virginia hospitals in the WTOP listening area scored As or Bs, according to the study.

Maryland ranked 30th in the study, with a wide discrepancy of safety scores, from As to Ds, even within the Capital Beltway, in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties."

• Fort Washington Medical Center, Fort Washington: C
• MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center, Clinton: C

Take Metro to MGM? Maybe. WMATA to study a Wilson Bridge extension.

(Click on the image for Jonathan Capriel's Washington Business Journal report)

• [T]he Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is planning a study to figure out the logistics of moving its trains between Alexandria and National Harbor using the 12-lane bridge. 
• The study is supposed to forecast ridership to a National Harbor station, estimate the operating and capital costs of the extension, and examine the feasibility of putting Metro tracks on the drawbridge, which opens a few dozen times a year for maintenance and to allow particularly tall ships to pass. Maryland, which will fund the study, mandated it as part of a 2018 law that provided WMATA with a dedicated funding stream. 
• Regarding the study, WMATA has already "started that effort," Paul Wiedefeld, WMATA general manager, said during an interview with WBJ reporters and editors. He did not get into specifics on how the study would proceed, how much it will cost or if a bid process was underway.

Tantallon Residents Are Considerate Neighbors

(An out of control party)

Dear Neighbors,

It's the time of year when we look ahead to enjoying ourselves outside so it's also a good time for a nudge on being good to each other:

Considerate neighbors keep their parties, equipment, and music under control so they don't disturb others.

Notice our law no longer mentions a time when noise is or is not an issue. We are all entitled to peace, quiet and comfort 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Noise Control (link to County Code). Note there are significant fines associated with noise citations.

"The County Council for Prince George's County, Maryland, hereby declares it to be the public policy of the County that every resident of the County is entitled to noise levels that are not detrimental to health, safety, or welfare and the use, enjoyment and protection of property; and the general intent of this Division is to control noise levels throughout the County so as to promote public health, safety, welfare, the peace and quiet of the inhabitants of the County.

A person may not create noise or allow noise to be created that disturbs the peace, quiet, and comfort of a residential area and includes residences in all areas."

Social media make it all too easy for strangers and uninvited guests to crash a party - sometimes with tragic results. If you are concerned about this, give Officer Green (TDGreen1@co.pg.md.us, 301-292-5300) a several day heads up to alert our police.

Please call the police to complain about a noisy or out of control party. Use the non-emergency number (301-352-1200) or 911 depending on the situation.

A couple uprooted a 180-year-old oak. A judge ordered them to pay nearly $600,000

(Click on the image for Allyson Chiu's Washington Post report)

• This happened in California but it makes the point that environmental agreements are serious.
• Tantallon properties in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area (CBCA) are subject to a Conservation Plan and Agreement. You should review your agreement before you cut or move a tree.
• You can see the CBCA on PGAtlas.com by clicking on the CBCA Overlay layer under the Administrative layer drop-down.

Tantallon Mosquito Spray Night Notification

Dear Tantallon Neighbors,

This is to notify you that your scheduled spray night is MONDAY. Spray season begins on May 29th and is anticipated to end on September 17th. Spraying will begin after dark and may continue until midnight or later. We do not conduct spray activity during daylight hours. If you see a truck in your community spraying during the day, it is not the State of Maryland. 
Spraying will commence as soon as it is dark. As a precaution, we advise residents to stay inside their homes and close their windows while the spray truck is in the vicinity, bring in any pets, and remain in the home for 20-30 minutes after the spray truck has passed by. If there are people outside when the truck passes by, no spray will be released, and the truck will not make another pass down that street.
The spray schedule will rotate every 3 weeks. This means that your community may or may not be sprayed each week. The frequency will be determined by surveillance data collected, and complaints received.
In order to determine if your community will be sprayed on its scheduled spray night, please contact our office on Monday's between 2-4 p.m. to find out if we are spraying your community that night. We do not know any further in advance if you will be sprayed on any particular Monday night. You may call or email. See below.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Stormy
Ms. Stormy Keyes, Office Secretary III, Department of Agriculture, Mosquito Control
301-422-5080, stormy.keyes@maryland.gov

Keep Your Grill Away from Your Home!

(Click on the image for the News Toronto report)

• Fire Chief Barksdale at the May 8th South County Community Roundtable warned that grills and vinyl siding are a dangerous combination. Siding fire travels up to your attic and destroys your home. Fire sprinklers, if you have them. can not save your home.
• As the video mentions, the fumes from the burning vinyl can be toxic.
• No matter what kind of siding you home has, keep your grill as far away from you home as you can and keep it under supervision!

Want a Trader Joe's in Fort Washington?

(Click on the image to ask Trader Joe's to trade in Fort Washington)

There are many posts on NextDoor from people who have already filled out their request.

Should You Spray Your Yard for Mosquitoes and Ticks?

(Click on the image for Jeneen Interlandi's article in Consumer Reports)

If you’re considering spraying your yard to ward off mosquitoes and ticks, you’ll have no shortage of companies to choose from. As the list of mosquito- and tick-borne diseases grows (thanks in part to the 2016 Zika outbreak), the insect-control business is booming.
“There’s been a proliferation of companies that are doing mosquito control,” says Stanton Cope, former president of the American Mosquito Control Association. “But some of them are much more professional than others.” Some companies may spray without proper licensing, experience, or equipment.

Prince George's executive hopes to see NFL team stay in the county, but isn't a fan of Oxon Cove site

(Click on the image for Alex Koma's Washington Business Journal report)

• Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks is optimistic Washington’s NFL team won’t be leaving her county anytime soon — but she’s less confident about the team’s prospects for staying put in FedEx Field for the long term.
• In a recent interview with the WBJ, Alsobrooks reiterated her desire to see Dan Snyder’s team stick around somewhere in Prince George’s, rather than fleeing back to its original home in the District when 2027 rolls around and the team's lease on FedEx expires
• But Alsobrooks, a Democrat, cautioned that her desire to see the team stay local does “not necessarily” mean she favors the Oxon Cove site once pitched by Gov. Larry Hogan. 
• The Republican pitched a complex plan in December to acquire a 300-acre parcel adjacent to the MGM National Harbor resort for the stadium, converting federal park land into space for a 60,000-seat venue in the process. But that move irked state and local officials alike, and he publicly cut off negotiations with Snyder in February.
• Some earlier reporting suggested that Alsobrooks and other county officials would then take the lead in brokering a deal with the team instead to keep hopes at Oxon Cove alive. Yet Alsobrooks firmly threw cold water on the idea that the county is looking to pick up where Hogan left off.
• “That land doesn’t even belong to us yet,” Alsobrooks said. “That land is federally held, so there will be lots of things left to happen at this point. The community would have to decide if Oxon Cove is a place where they’d be interested in adding that use or some other use. It’s very valuable land, it’s a beautiful location and we would not make that decision without significant public input on how that land is used.”

May 19th is Prince George's County Family and Friends Day!

(Click on the image to register)

Join us for the biggest free community event of the year!  May 19th is Prince George’s County Family and Friends Day. This annual countywide festival and showcase of our local business community will be guest hosted by talented WPGC 95.5 Radio Host DJ Flexx and feature a Battle of the High School Bands, a special tribute to Prince George’s County veterans, over 100 local businesses, nonprofits, and public agencies, and local R&B sensation Nasim Siddeeq.

Keeping Prince George's Environment Clean

(Click on the image for Pat Lawson Muse's interview with Joe Gill)

County Executive Angela Alsobrooks's Beautification Effort is changing people's behavior.

Donuts not Volcanoes

(Click on the image for the reason)

Tick-Proof Your Yard Without Spraying

(Click on the image for the Consumer Reports article)

• Keep Your Grass Short
• Make a Mulch Moat
• Trim Tall Grass and Weeds
• Eliminate Tick Habitat
• Consider a Targeted Approach
• Tickproof Yourself

Prince George’s County wants you to know what’s coming to the neighborhood

(Click on the image for  Bryan Barnett-Woods' article in Greater Greater Washington)

• At planning board hearings, it’s common to hear outrage from citizens about how the first they’re learning about a development is at the hearing to approve or deny it. In these cases, much of the opposition (not necessarily all of it though) stems not from the project itself, but from the process. To some it seems like decisions that affect the neighborhood are made in a black box, but a new provision in the county's ongoing zoning update could help address this.
• In Prince George’s County, if a development project is on the Planning Board agenda, the builder is required to send a mailed notice to adjacent property owners, civic associations, and people of record. (A person of record is given notice of upcoming meetings, of actions and decisions at certain stages of the zoning application process, and of relevant appeals procedures.)
• Developers must also publicize the notice in the local newspaper of record and post a sign on the property with contact information. The public can also sign up for an automated message to inform them if a development project near them will be heard at the Planning Board.

Community conversations aim to broaden visitor experience at Piscataway Park

(Click on the image for Whitney Pipkin's Bay Journal report)

• In the heavily wooded acres of Piscataway Park, on Maryland’s shore of the Potomac River, is a popular collection of cattle, sheep, hogs and plants — with breeds and varieties commonly found on local farms in the 1700s. Along with costumed interpreters, they bring to life a recreated colonial farm established there in 1958, complete with a farmhouse and tobacco barn.
• “We want to listen to the rhythm of the land and the river and listen to the various stories of the land,” said Gene Roberts, one of the nonprofit’s board members, during a conversation the foundation hosted on March 31.
• The discussion about the “complicated story” of conservation was the first of three this spring that aim to incorporate a diversity of perspectives into the site’s interpretation.
• “This series,” explained Shemika Berry, Accokeek’s interpretation coordinator, “is designed to honor the voices of those who were here on this land before us, and those who still live here.”
• The Piscataway people inhabited the riverside area for thousands of years before the English explorer John Smith encountered them in the early 1600s. Their communities suffered violence and disruption as colonists came to control the landscape. Farms and plantations grew, — depending greatly on the work of enslaved people — and changed over time. In the 1700s, George Washington lived in the Mount Vernon mansion directly across the river. The land at Piscataway Park was preserved from development in the 1950s to protect the tree-lined view from that estate.

Accokeek’s Land and River Series continues with two more sessions this spring. Both take place in the visitor’s center at 3400 Bryan Point Road, Accokeek, MD.

• “Reciprocity: Humans and the Environment” from 2 to 4 p.m. on April 28
• “Interconnectedness: Heritage, Traditions, and History” from 2 to 4 p.m. on May 5

Officer Green, Our New COPS Officer

Officer Green is our new Community Oriented Policing Services officer. A COPS officer is the modern-day cop on the beat, the one you know and the one who knows you. Officer Green's goal is to solve community problems before they spiral into crime.
Officer Green is also keeping us safe on MD 210 by stopping the speeders and shoulder drivers. Give him a smile as you go by at 55 MPH!
Contact Officer Green at TDGreen1@co.pg.md.us or at the District VII Station at 301-292-5300.