The 2019 Maryland General Assembly Session has arrived, accompanied by the anticipation of major opportunities for state investment and legislative progress. If properly realized, these opportunities will positively impact the lives of over 900,000 residents who proudly call Prince George’s County home.
Education
Prince George’s County Public Schools system is the second largest in the state. We have a diverse population and many challenges we must address. Sixty-one percent of students receive Free and Reduce Meals; 20% of students have special needs and 10% of students are English Language Learners (ELLs). As the General Assembly begins deliberations on implementing the recommendations of the Kirwan Commission, it is important that the unique needs of our student population are taken into account. I hope that any initial implementation of Kirwan will focus on an expansion of Pre-K, work to address the needs of schools with high concentrations of at-risk students and provide additional support for our teachers.
We must also work to improve the state of our school facilities. Too many of our buildings are outdated and overcrowded and do not deliver the quality educational experience that our students deserve. The state plays a key role in funding new facilities as well as renovating existing school facilities and the Alsobrooks Administration will advocate for increased state aid, particularly for schools that are built more efficiently. We also must consider innovative ways to build, operate and maintain education facilities.
We will also focus on expanding programs that support college and career readiness. This will include supporting an expansion of programs that support first generation college students as well as dual enrollment and college readiness and expanding career and technical educational (CTE) programs in our schools. Currently, 23% of state wide students graduate with an independently approved or CTE credential; Prince George’s rate is 10%, the second lowest in the state.
Youth Development
Youth sports can introduce children to the virtues of hard work, dedication, team work, practice and a healthy lifestyle. As an initial first step in what will be a multi-phase effort, I will be submitting legislation to specifically expand the mission statement of the Department of Parks and Recreation to include youth sports as a direct responsibility. This will pave the way for them to play an increased and coordinated role in the provision of youth sports in the County.
County Beautification
I want to instill a greater sense of pride in our beautiful county among our residents. That means addressing the issues that confront us, celebrating our successes and working to improve the physical curb appeal of the county. Many of the elements of our beautification plan will not involve state legislation, such as, improving bulky trash collection, launching a comprehensive litter education program, deploying more trash cans in the county and utilizing cameras to catch illegal dumpers. With illegal dumping, we are seeking legislation to increase and streamline the penalties. In addition, as part of our beautification efforts, I am proposing legislation to mandate that the state publish its schedule for maintaining the medians on state roads as well as the timing of any litter pickups on the same. This will allow us to coordinate our efforts and also create transparency on how frequent these services are provided.
Transportation
Our priorities will include: Arena Drive - Designed to be an outlet valve for game day traffic but now serves as the front door for one of our premiere areas, and soon be to the home of the new Regional Medical Center, downtown Largo. The current configuration of that intersection is impeding future growth in that area and must be addressed. Route One - The front door to the state’s flagship University, which also happens to be one of the primary economic drivers in the county, this reconstruction must be accelerated and put back on track to its original schedule. Route 210 (Indian Head Highway) - As many of you know, we recently suffered another fatality on 210. As the County collects funds that must be spent on 210, we are looking to partner with the state on a more fundamental and comprehensive approach to bring needed change to that roadway to improve safety and to lessen congestion.
Additional Priorities
- Substance abuse treatment
- Providing better access to mental health services
- Addressing the over-abundance of vacant and abandoned homes
- Investment in our Inner Beltway communities
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded the Prince George’s County Health Department a $12 million, five-year cooperative agreement to improve access to chronic disease care for an estimated 1.2 million residents in Prince George’s, Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties. The cooperative agreement will fund strategies that establish or strengthen the integration of clinical practice with evidence-based public health programs to improve treatment resources, prevention programs and overall health outcomes for patients at high-risk for diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
“This is a tremendous step in the right direction to help our residents become healthier and live more productive lives,” said County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks. “Access to high-quality, affordable health care services for everyone in Prince George’s County is one of my top priorities. I’m extremely proud of our Health Department for securing a grant that will build a stronger bridge connecting patients to the world-class care they need.”
Diabetes, heart disease and stroke continue to be among the leading causes of death statewide. Heart disease caused over 2,000 deaths in 2017 in the four-county area; stroke and diabetes caused over 850 deaths. Unmanaged chronic disease contributes substantially to health care costs; approximately 10 percent of people living with chronic disease in this region of southern Maryland are responsible for 80 percent of the region’s chronic disease health care costs. Some of the common barriers to care for patients in this region include transportation, health literacy, lack of finances or health insurance coverage, and lack of emotional or social support.
“Working with nearly two dozen leading public and private health care and medical organizations across the state, the Prince George’s County Health Department will harness this opportunity from the CDC and lead an ambitious effort to boost the health care infrastructure for underserved patients who need more help fighting or avoiding these debilitating and deadly diseases,” said Prince George’s County Deputy Health Officer Ernest L. Carter. “We plan to prioritize patients who are high-utilizers of health systems due to frequent hospitalizations and who live in more rural areas where access to care is limited compared to other areas of the state.”
Some of the strategies include innovative uses of technology, such as establishing a bi-directional patient referral system between health care systems and CDC-recognized public health programs, and adopting telehealth programs to tackle barriers to participation and retention in these programs. The project also involves implementing tailored messaging to reach underserved communities with the goal of increasing awareness of chronic diseases and the benefits of lifestyle change programs.
Keep the green going by recycling your live Christmas tree in the Prince George’s County annual Christmas Tree Recycling Program. Beginning December 31, 2018, residents can place their live Christmas tree free from all decorations, including the stand, hooks, garland, tinsel, and lights at the curb on the Monday regularly scheduled yard trim collection day before 6:30 a.m. Trees should not be placed in a bag or trash toter but left loose for pickup.
Trees collected will be chipped into mulch and made available to the public during the County’s annual spring Mulch Madness giveaway. Last year, more than 9,000 trees were collected in the program. Other undecorated holiday greenery such as wreaths, garlands, swags and roping may also be placed at the curb for recycling.
“Recycling your live Christmas tree helps create a valuable resource that will enhance your garden, our communities, and neighborhoods when composted to mulch,” says DoE Acting Director Joseph Gill. “It is also an eco-friendly way to reduce the amount of yard debris sent to our landfill.”
Residents are also encouraged to recycle their old, broken or unwanted holiday lights. Holiday lights that have burnt out, become too tangled for use may be dropped off at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility, located at 11611 White House Road, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774. Lights may be dropped off through February 2, 2019, during regular business hours, Thursday through Saturday from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. The lights are shredded into tiny bits which are sorted into various components that make up the lights such as copper, glass, and PVC. The individual components are then recycled for future use.
For more information on the Christmas Tree and other recycling programs, contact CountyClick 3-1-1 Call Center at www.countyclick311.com.
Over the past few years, the Prince George’s County Department of Housing and Community Development has been actively responding to the call for more affordable senior housing in the County. The Belnor is the latest addition to new construction senior housing, located in the Suitland.
Leasing is underway at the recently completed Belnor Senior Residences, a 122-unit new construction apartment building for low and moderate income seniors age 62 and over in Suitland, MD. Conveniently located at 3800 St. Barnabas Road, the complex features a two-story community room, a game room, business center, fitness room, rose garden, and putting green, as well granite countertops and energy efficient appliances in the units. Financing for the $27 million project included $750,000 in HOME funds from the Prince George’s County Department of Housing and Community Development, as well as a PILOT approved by the County Council. Since opening in mid-December, over 50% of the units have already been leased, demonstrating the desire for high quality affordable senior housing in the County.
The Redevelopment Authority of Prince George’s County (RDA) has $1.7 million in available funding for its Commercial Property Improvement Program (CPIP) and is now accepting applications for funding. The CPIP was established to assist owners of shopping centers and main street retail space with exterior façade, place making, lighting and major building systems improvements that enhance retail competitiveness and viability.
The CPIP will require a 50% applicant match for all program funding awarded to approved shopping centers and retail space for eligible improvements. Therefore, applicants must be able to pay for half of the total project cost in order to apply for the CPIP funding. The minimum grant is $50,000 for $100,000 in total project cost and the maximum grant is $350,000 for $700,000 or more in total project costs. The application for funding is due on February 15, 2019. For questions, please e-mail Roz Clemens at: rbclemens@co.pg.md.us
|
