Prince George's Proud:
An Update From County Executive Alsobrooks
Dear Prince Georgians:
It has been a busy couple of weeks. On Monday, we welcomed Good Food Markets to Prince George's County with their soon-to-be newest location at Addison Plaza located in Seat Pleasant. This area, along with so many others, has been designated by the USDA as "low access," or what we all know as a food desert because residents have to travel more than one mile to access fresh meats, produce and healthy food options.
We have also been hard at work in Annapolis as we approach "Sine die" next Monday, which marks the last day of the Maryland General Assembly for this year. We have had a very productive session and we plan to hold a press conference the day after the session ends to discuss the resources we have secured for our citizens.
But even as the legislative session draws to a close, we are still working to secure the resources all of our citizens deserve. Later this month, we will travel to New York City for our annual meeting with the financial agencies that determine our bond rating. As many of you are aware, a bond rating is a grade given to a bond that indicates its credit quality.
Private independent rating services provide these evaluations of a bond issuer’s financial strength or its ability to pay a bond's principal and interest in a timely fashion. Currently, the County has a AAA Bond Rating which indicates an exceptional degree of creditworthiness because we are able to meet our financial commitments. I am proud to affirm we are a fiscally prudent government and look forward to presenting the County’s financial portfolio.
While it may still be cold in New York, we are beginning to enjoy the warmer weather here, so it is a great time to invite you to join me for the Inaugural Growing Green With Pride Day on May 8th. This county-wide planting and clean-up day will be the culmination of the launch of our beautification campaign. After the work has been completed, we will host a free appreciation picnic to celebrate the efforts of all the hardworking volunteers helping to keep our County Clean and Green. Please remember that registration is required for this event. I encourage you to please sign up your Growing Green With Pride Crew. More information can be found below.
Community Connections is designed to keep you abreast of the latest news and events happening in the county government. To better assist and serve you, please know your feedback, input and suggestions are always welcomed.
Yours in service,
Angela Alsobrooks
Prince George’s County Executive
The Office of Veterans Affairs is Open and Ready to Serve
Veterans Affairs Officer Dr. James Dula (Center) The National Association of Black Veterans partnered with the Department of Commerce to educate veterans on the Federal Veteran Employment Initiative.
60,000 veterans and their families call Prince George’s County home. Additionally, the County has the largest contingency of veterans in the State of Maryland.
Prior to being elected, County Executive Alsobrooks received valuable feedback regarding how the County’s veterans services had a long way to go. Many veterans shared profound circumstances that they were dealing with as well as how the County could improve upon their service delivery, especially in the areas of supporting families whose loved ones are on an extended tour of duty, benefits and post-military employment.
We are proud to announce this will no longer be the case because a newly created Veterans Affairs Office is now open for business Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM that is ready to serve you.
We are fortunate to have Dr. James Dula heading up this office in the capacity of Veterans Affairs Officer. Dr. Dula is retired from the United States Air Force, where he honorably served our country.
In addition, he has an extensive leadership and professional background in Health and Human Services and has been working around the clock to connect our County to relevant services and resources.
We also heard your comments about the added layer of stress, frustrations and numerous people to call without getting results. Our goal is to collapse the many silos and provide a one-stop shop for resources and services, as well as keep you abreast of events that are relevant to veterans and their families.
The Office of Veterans Affairs is underway with establishing partnerships with the military, non-profits and the faith-based community to aid in outreach efforts.
The County Executive charged Dr. Dula with moving the Office of Veterans Affairs forward. Dr. Dula heeded the charge and coined the mission of the office as Operation Forward March, with the sole priority of always being accessible and of service to veterans and their families.
The goal of the Veterans Affairs Office is to provide stellar services, evolve with the unique needs of veterans and receive a high ranking of approval from the veterans being served. Please call 301-780-8260 or 301-780-8267, or email jadula@co.pg.md.us with your concerns or ideas. Please feel free to stop by the office located at: 14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive, Suite L-023, Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20772.
Growing Green with Pride Day
 We will be holding our Inaugural “Growing Green with Pride Day” event on Saturday, May 4, 2019 from 8:00 AM until 12:00 PM. Following our clean-up efforts, all participants are invited to join us for a free celebration with food, prizes and entertainment at Watkins Regional Park.
In order to participate everyone must register their Growing Green With Pride Crew by going on-line to the county’s website. You may register your ORGANIZATION or register as an INDIVIDUAL. Individuals will be assigned to assist an organization as close to your address as possible. The deadline is Friday, April 19th. Early, online registration is encouraged.
Thank you for working with us to keep our county green and clean. Please help spread the word by sharing this information with your neighbors, friends, organizations, schools and the community-at-large. If additional information is required, please contact Stacy Howard at 301-499-8523 or sdhoward@co.pg.md.us.
We look forward to you joining us for the Inaugural Growing Green with Pride Day!
FY2020 Budget Public Hearings
 Over the next two months, the Prince George’s County Council will hold several public hearings on our FY2020 proposed budget. We believe our proposed budget makes strong investments in core areas that will allow our County to continue being a leader in the region and state. A copy of the proposed budget can be found online here.
Our County government is committed to an open and transparent budget process, so we encourage everyone interested to attend the County Council public hearings. There will be five hearings total, and every hearing will be held at the County Administration Building, 14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive, Upper Marlboro, Maryland. More information about the public budget hearings and the budget process can be found on the County Council’s website.
IN THE NEWS: Good Food Markets Opening in Seat Pleasant
County Executive Alsobrooks, joined by County Councilman Rodney Streeter and Seat Pleasant Mayor Eugene Grant, announced that Good Food Markets is officially opening in Addison Plaza in Seat Pleasant. This will provide fresh produce and healthy food options to an area classified by the USDA as a food desert. Check out the story that made the news on WJLA/ABC7!
First Annual Meet and Greet with the Commission on Common Ownership Communities (CCOC)
Office of Community Relations Director Euniesha Davis speaks to residents who are attending the meet and greet.
The Office of Community Relations’ Common Ownership Communities Division hosted the first annual Meet and Greet in conjunction with the Commission on Common Ownership Communities (CCOC) at the Prince George’s Community College Student Center. Constituents were given information on the history and functions of Prince George’s CCOC and were encouraged to share their thoughts and concerns with the commissioners and staff.
Approximately 100 residents were in attendance. Prior to the event, Program Manager Daria Bailey joined Timothy Smith (Chair) and Nicole Williams (Vice Chair) on “The Daily Drum” with Harold Fisher on WHUR to discuss the event and invite the public to attend. The Commissioners and staff members took questions from listeners all over the Washington Metropolitan Area.
For additional information and upcoming events, please contact the Office of Community Relations at 301-952-4729.
Building Justice in Our Communities – A Faith Perspective
Event attendees engage in a small group conversation.
Nearly sixty people engaged in small group conversations following panel presentations at the interfaith discussion “Building Justice in Our Communities – a Faith Perspective” held at the Laurel Library on March 28th. The event, co-hosted by the Prince George’s County Human Relations Commission and the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, featured Mehmet Saracoglu as the moderator and Rabbi Miriam Liebman, Reverend Maurice Battle, Nadia Hassan, Matthew Regan, and Sri Atul Rawat as panelists. This event was the first in a series of Community Conversations hosted by the Prince George’s County Human Relations Commission. To be added to an e-mail list and kept abreast of future events, please contact Kyla Hanington at 301-883-6170 or HRCStaff@co.pg.md.us.
Suitland Community Gets New Senior Residence
The Belnor, Suitland’s newest senior residence, will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, April 12th. This beautiful, new construction, multi-unit building has 122 units, 96-one bedroom and 26-two-bedroom. The ground-breaking ceremony was held two years ago and from that time, over 600 people were added to the waiting list to move in to this independent-living residence. Within 3 months, The Belnor was 95% leased. Leasing a 122 unit building so quickly speaks to the vital need for senior housing in Prince George’s County and the Suitland community.
Located at 3800 St. Barnabas Road, Suitland, MD, the Belnor has countless amenities for its residents, such as: a cyber-café, game room, library, 2-level community room, putting green, rose garden, greenhouse, patio and gazebo, walking paths, on-site parking and monthly activities promoting a healthy lifestyle.
The Belnor is developed by Mission First Housing Group, a local, non-profit real estate developer, along with L.A. Bolden Company, a minority and woman-owned business enterprise, and Henson Development Group, a minority-owned business. Financing included funding from the HOME Partnership Program, administered by the Prince George’s County Department of Housing and Community Development. In the coming months, this development team will be breaking ground on another senior project, the Senior Residences at Suitland Towne Square.
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Home Buyer Receives $37,000 for New Home
An excited Alanna Cooper went to closing last week and received $37,000 toward the purchase of her first home, thanks to two first time home buyer assistance programs that she was eligible to use to buy her home. A single mom working for the Prince George’s County Public School System, Ms. Cooper and her 17-year-old son will be moving into their single-family home this month.
“We looked at condos and townhouses, but they just didn’t lend themselves to our lifestyle. My son is a musician and he plays the drums and keyboards. We really needed a single-family home to accommodate his practice schedule,” said Ms. Cooper.
Before starting her search for a new home, Ms. Cooper worked with a county-based housing counselor that helped her with her budget, price range and provided information on the home buyer assistance programs. Ms. Cooper found that she was eligible for two home buyer assistance programs, the Prince George’s County Purchase Assistance Program and Wells Fargo’s Neighborhood LIFT.
The Prince George’s County Purchase Assistance Program provides up to $15,000 toward the down payment and closing costs of the home buyer’s first home, or if the home buyer has not owned a home in 3 years. The Neighborhood LIFT program provides up to $20,000 for eligible Prince George’s County residents to purchase their first home. Ms. Cooper also qualified to receive an additional $2,000 from a third program called Operation HOPE.
“I was very aggressive in my search for a new home. And, when it came time to complete the paperwork to apply for the down payment and closing cost assistance, I had all my paperwork in order,” says Ms. Cooper. “It was a very smooth process. I love the fact that I am walking into a home with equity.”
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CVB "NEWS&NOTES" EARNS ALL STAR AWARD TWO YEARS STRAIGHT
For the second year in a row, the Conference and Visitor’s Bureau Tourism “News&Notes” e-newsletter has been honored with the coveted ALL STAR AWARD from Constant Contact.
As well as being an ALL STAR the last two years, “News&Notes” was recognized in 2017 with the "Best Use of Social Media" Award by the Maryland Tourism Coalition.
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Human Trafficking Community Symposium
 The Prince George’s County Human Trafficking Task Force, in partnership with the Prince George’s County Department of Family Services and the Prince George’s County Police Department, is hosting a community symposium on Saturday, April 6th, on the intersection of human trafficking and domestic violence. The event will include survivors’ stories, adult and youth break-out sessions, and more. If you would like to attend, please register here.
Innovation Station Presents: What Every Business Owner, President, CEO and Leader Needs to Know About Sales
The Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation is excited to partner with the nationally recognized and certified Sandler Trainer, David Wendkos as he presents everything YOU need to know about sales.
"Our business is really unique." It's something most of us have thought and even said at some point or another. The majority of the time, it's absolutely true. But, there is one way each of our businesses are exactly the same. No matter what service or product your organization sells, whether it's B2B or B2C, long selling cycle or short, tangible or intangible, necessity or discretionary, commodity or unique to the market, every sale comes down to people making buying decisions. And whether it's a ream of printer paper or a multi-year contract regarding cutting edge technology, some critical human psychological processes follow the same pattern every time when making buying decisions.
Join us as David Wendkos discusses these psychological principles and how better understanding them can help your company’s long-term success.
- Thursday, April 11, 2019
- 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
- Innovation Station: 1801 McCormick Drive, Suite 450, Largo, MD 20774
- Space is limited. Please RSVP today!
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