Greetings District 8 Residents,
We have so much to be thankful for. Though the pandemic remains a part of our reality, many of us are still here and preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday. In this newsletter, we share Thanksgiving Holiday closures, service schedules, useful tips and other D-8 information.
Thursday, November 25, 2021
Prince George’s County government offices will be closed on Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26, 2021, in observance of Thanksgiving Day
Closed
- Animal Services Facility (3750 Brown Station Road)
- Electronics Recycling Acceptance Site (Located at the Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill)
- Household Hazardous Waste Acceptance Site (Located at the Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill)
Regular Collection/Service
- Residential Organics and Yard Trim Collections (Regular collections occur Monday, November 22)
- Trash Collection in County-Contracted Areas (Regular collections occur Tuesday, November 22, and Wednesday, November 23)
- Curbside Recycling Collection (Regular collections occur Tuesday, November 22, and Wednesday, November 23)
No Collection/Rescheduled Service
- Bulky Trash Collection (By appointment only), Collections resume November 29
- Trash Collection in County-Contracted Areas (Regular Thursday, November 25 collections move to Friday, November 26; Regular Friday, November 26 collections move to Saturday, November 27)
- Curbside Recycling Collection (Regular Thursday, November 25 collections move to Friday, November 26; Regular Friday, November 26 collections move to Saturday, November 27)
TheBus, a public transit service operated by the Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPWT), will not operate on Thursday, November 25, 2021. Regular COVID-operated service of TheBus will resume on Friday, November 26, 2021, except for Route 51X serving County government buildings. Regular COVID-operated service on Route 51X will resume on Monday, November 29, 2021.
The County’s Call-A-Bus service, including the PGC Link and Orange Circulator, will not operate on Thursday, November 25, or Friday, November 26, 2021. Regular COVID-operations services will resume on Monday, November 29, 2021.
The Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement will be closed on Thursday, November 25, and Friday, November 26, 2021. Regular business hours will resume on Monday, November 29, 2021. Also, PGC311 will be closed on Thursday, November 25, and Friday, November 26, 2021, and will return to regular operations on Monday, November 29, 2021, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. However, residents can still submit service/issue requests online at www.countyclick311.com/
Can The Grease: Prevent Sewer Backups and Plumber Visits the Day After Thanksgiving
99 Percent of Grease-related Pipe Blockages Come From Residential Neighborhoods
Contact:
Luis Maya
luis.maya@wsscwater.com
301-206-8100
Laurel, Md. – November 23, 2021 – The day after Thanksgiving may be a big boon for retailers, but it’s one of the busiest days for plumbers, too. Black Friday has turned into Brown Friday due to plumbing emergencies caused by clogged sewage lines in homes. Don’t make Brown Friday part of your Thanksgiving holiday ritual. WSSC Water has the perfect recipe to help keep raw sewage, and plumbers, from entering your home: Can the Grease!
If you pour grease or food scraps, poultry skin, dressing or vegetable peels down the drain, it all will harden and gel together, clogging your sewer pipes and creating a nasty and expensive sewage backup in your home! Always throw food scraps in the trash and follow these easy steps to take care of the leftover grease:
- CAN IT: pour grease into an empty soup can;
- COOL IT: put the can in the freezer or refrigerator until it hardens (WSSC Water will send customers a special lid that fits most cans); and
- TOSS IT: once the can is full, throw it in the trash (save the lid for next time).
About 75 percent of all sewer overflows in WSSC Water’s system are due to blockages created by grease! And 99 percent of those can be traced back to residential homes, townhomes and apartment buildings.
WSSC Water’s Fats, Oils and Grease inspection program, targeted at restaurants to ensure proper disposal, has been a huge success in preventing grease from entering the sewer system. However, more grease-related overflows and basement backups occur in residential neighborhoods.
Think pouring water down the drain will help prevent a blockage? Think again! The water may push the grease further inside the pipe, but, eventually, the grease will harden, causing a sewage overflow inside a home or from a manhole – resulting in an environmental hazard with wastewater spilling into creeks, streams and, ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay.
WSSC Water customers can get more information, including a free Can the Grease lid, by visiting https://www.wsscwater.com/canthegrease
Process in Place to Fill District 8 Vacancy
The Prince George’s County Council, on Monday, November 15, 2021, adopted
CR-135-2021, declaring a vacancy on the County Council created by the November 8, 2021, resignation of District 8 Council Member Monique Anderson-Walker.
CR-135-2021 establishes dates for conducting the Special Primary Election and the Special Election to fill the Council vacancy and sets the Certification of Candidacy deadline.
The Special Primary Election has been scheduled for
Tuesday, January 4, 2022.
The Special Election will be held on
Tuesday, February 1,2022.
Certificate of Candidacy must be filed with the Board of Elections by Tuesday, December 7, 2021.
Pursuant to County Charter Section 309, a Special Election must be held to fill a vacancy on the Council, in this case, defined as the resignation of a Council Member, occurring within the first three years of a term. Section 2-104 of the County Code provides that when there is a vacancy in the office of a Council Member during the first three years of a term, the Council, within seven days, shall adopt a Resolution directing that a special primary election and a special election by the registered voters of the Council District concerned, be held to fill the vacancy.
Please visit the Prince George's County Board of Elections online or call
301-341-7300, for additional election details, including voting location, and early voting information.
District 8 includes the constituent areas of Andrews Air Force Base, Camp Springs, Clinton, Forest Heights, Fort Washington, Glass Manor, Marlow Heights, Oxon Hill, and Temple Hills.
The District 8 Council Office remains responsive to the needs of District 8 residents.
For assistance, District 8 residents can call 301-952-3860 or email: Councildistrict8@co.pg.md.us
CONGRATULATIONS to DISTRICT 8's own, Jahmal "Hard Rock" Harvey! Jahmal is an Oxon Hill Native, who won the first Team USA's boxing title for men in more than a decade. A fierce competitor in 2019 (pic below) with such promise. We are delighted with Jahmal's first world title and Team USA's first in fourteen years. His featherweight gold championship at the AIBA International Boxing Association was in Belgrade and he claimed the title by unanimous decision. Jahmal plans are to get ready to compete in the 2024 Olympics. To see the full story of our District 8 champion, CLICK HERE
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, November is also the month of the National Family Caregiving Month. District 8 celebrates and honors caregivers who are instrumental in providing essential care and compassion to those in need. Caregiving, often requires personal sacrifice that, is demanding on one's physical and emotional countenance.
If you know a caregiver, it could be a grandparent raising their grandchildren or someone taking care of a parent, spouse, family member, friend, or a person caring for someone's loved one, know that they need and can use a break sometimes. There are ways that you can show them that you care all year round. Here are some suggestions for you to support and lift the caregiver's spirit:
- Call to check on them and listen patiently to what they have to say.
- Ask what they need.
- Offer the gift of your time.
- Bring food to their house.
- Offer to take the caregiver out and help arrange respite care.
- Let them know how special they are for extending their caregiving.
- Send a special relaxing or fun gift that they can enjoy at the caregiving location.
- Share the care.
- Offer to run errands for them.
Thank You Caregivers, we are grateful for your selfless service for others!
Pet ownership had a significant growth, approximately 7%, in the 2019-2020 pandemic years. The desire to add the companionship of a furry family member has continued. If you are interested in adopting a pet, contact the Prince George's County Animal Services Facility and Adoption Center at 301.780.7201.
The Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE) has transitioned to Momentum, a new online system. All Prince George's County Health Permits and Business and Rental Licenses are now processed in Momentum. The new system allows customers to submit applications, upload documentation and make payments online. When the applications have been reviewed and approved, customers will be able to print their licenses at work or at home.
All Prince George's County environmental and food health permits and licenses are now processed in Momentum, the online system. The new process allows customers to submit applications, upload documentation and make payments online. Although the previous online system has been disabled, your licenses will be available and visible on the Momentum platform. Paper applications are no longer accepted for health permits and licenses. When the applications have been reviewed and approved, customers will be able to print their licenses at work or at home. For more information, visit the DPIE main page at dpie.mypgc.us
or the Momentum page
.
- For more information about Momentum, registration, step-by-step instructions, and "how to" videos, click Momentum information
- To go straight to the application, click the Momentum portal
The following Health permit and license applications must be submitted in the new Momentum system:
- Food service facility permits/farmers market/mobile unit/temporary food service/vending machine
- Food service manager certification and training
- Percolation testing (innovative and alternative)
- Percolation testing contractor
- Public swimming pool/spa licenses
- Pool operator licenses
- Scavenger company and vehicle licenses
- Agricultural well certifications
- Open land burning permits
- Sewage contractor
- Bay Restoration Funds applications
- Plat review
Prince George's County Health Connect Enrollment Program has open Enrollment for private coverage with huge discounts starting on Nov 1, 2021 thru Jan 15, 2022 for plan year 2022.
Click Here for full information
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The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) recently launched a hotline for residents who have applied for financial assistance through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).
If you have questions about your ERAP application, you can contact the new hotline at 301-883-6504 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. For more information about the ERAP on the DHCD website Click Here
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As the County continues its efforts in preventing the spread of COVID-19, the Department of Public Works & Transportation, the Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE) and the Department of the Environment (DoE) have decided to conduct the annual Winter Community Partners’ Meeting virtually via the Zoom online platform on Thursday, December 9, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Using the virtual platform has proven successful in the past and provides accessibility to a larger audience. Please join these partnering agencies, as they share pertinent information for the months ahead.
Registration is required to attend the REGISTER HERE
Have a safe and joyful holiday! Your DISTRICT 8 Team is here for you!
Email: Councildistrict8@co.pg.md.us or
Call 301-952-3860
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