Hyattsville Life & Times February 2009

Included: The February 11, 2009 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter—See Center Section

Hyattsville Life &

Times

PO Box 132

Hyattsville, M

D 20781

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HyattsvilleLife&Times

by Dan Coogan

Despite being a beer drinker, I feel detached from the increasingly sophisticated world of beer. While con-noisseurs compare the delicacy of the India Pale Ale

(IPA) and the Oatmeal Stout, I select a 30-pack of Bud because of price, not palate. Seeking to learn the fi ner points of the pale ale, the session beer, and the stout, I created a research team consisting of two friends, Andy Bradley (taster #1) and Justin Smith (taster #2), and myself (taster #3) to judge the merits of Franklin’s microbrewed beers.

I chose Andy and Justin, drinking partners for more than a decade, because they also share my ignorance – an ignorance that precludes us from praising the “temperament of the malts,” “the effusiveness of the barley,” or “a hoppiness that conjures PHOTO BY DAN COOGAN

(L-R) Andrew Bradley, Dan Coogan and Justin Smith check out Rubber Chicken Red, the newest brew at Franklin’s Restaurant.

No tears in these beers

raising CainResidents, authorities dispute over Hamilton Street house addition

by Paula Minaert & Sarah Nemeth

In what has become a multi-juris-dictional torrent of he-said, she-said, Gerard and Makenda St.

Michel continue to fi nd themselves embroiled in a seven-year dispute over the construction of an addition to their Hamilton Street house.

And it is likely that even if county offi cials grant them an exception for their addition – which does not com-ply with county code – the couple will still fi nd themselves in a jumble that has city, county and regional offi cials scratching their heads.

Adding to the diffi culty, the St. Mi-chels – who have four children living at home – must untangle the process while living in a small apartment out-side Hyattsville. In February of 2008 the city declared their house at 4002 Hamilton unfi t for human habitation and they had to move.

Makenda St. Michel, who has been doing most of the construction her-self, quit her job to fi nish the work. Gerard, who was laid off from his job, recently found other work but at half the salary, he said.

“This has been a real hardship, be-cause we’re paying both the rent [at the apartment] and the mortgage,” Makenda said. “And now they want us to pay for all these changes.”

On Feb. 4, the Prince George’s County Board of Zoning Appeals de-layed a decision on granting the vari-ance.

The hearing was the latest in a long series of permit applications, permit revisions, inspections, complaints, phone calls and meetings about the

SNOW DAY

PHOTOS BY SARAH NeMeTHResidents shovel snow after an ice/snow storm hit the city last month.

“this has been a real hardship because we’re paying both the rent [at the apartment] and the mortgage.”

— Makenda St. Michelhomeowner

inside:

earLY votINGEarly voting ballot counting not likely in city due to cost. PAGE 3

mINIvaN maNColumnist Tim Hunt loses all credibility by buying a minivan. PAGE 4

ParKING WarsRt. 1 is in need a facelift - and better parking for visitors.PAGE 3

HouSe continued on page 10

Beer continued on page

February 2009Hyattsville’s Community NewspaperVol. 6 No. 2

Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2009

FromTheEditor

A community newspaper chronicling the

life and times of Hyattsville

Mailing address: Po Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781

Hyattsville Life & Times is pub-lished monthly by Hyattsville Community Newspaper, Inc., a 501c(3) nonprofi t corporation. In-terested reporters should send their e-mail addresses to the editor to be reminded of deadlines and re-ceive internal news. Articles and news submitted may be edited. The deadline is the last week of the month for the following month’s issue. Letters to the editor and opinions are encouraged. For all e-mail correspondence with HL&T: news, features, tips, advertising and business write to [email protected]. To submit ar-ticles, letters to the editor, etc. , e-mail [email protected]. For inquiries re advertising rates or to submit ad copy please email to [email protected].

Sarah nemeth: executive editor 240.354.4832

[email protected]

Production: electronic ink

Writers & Contribtors:Colleen AistisJohn Aquilino

Keith BlackburnSteve Clements

Michael MartucciHugh Turley

Board of Directors:Christopher Currie Matthew McKnight

Tim Hunt Bert Kapinus

Sarah Nemeth

Circulation: Copies are distributed monthly by U.S. Mail to every address in Hyattsville. Additional copies are dis-tributed to libraries, selected business-es, community centers and churches in the city. Total circulation is 7,500.

HL&t is a member of the national newspaper Association.

by Sarah Nemeth

I attended the inauguration of President Barack Obama on Jan. 20 and took mental notes

just for you, our readers, in case you decide to attend an inauguration four years from now.

tHe WeeK BeFore: I planned. Plotted my route from home to the National Mall via the Metro. Got invited to an “anti-Inauguration party,” complete with comfort food (I didn’t vote for the guy); sent my roommate and her friends to Du-Pont Circle for a “sage burning” where people were also gathered to pitch their shoes at an infl ated George W. Bush doll.

tHe morNiNG oF: Left my house at 9:15 a.m., parked at the

How to attend a presidential inaugurationWest Hyattsville Metro station, bought ticket and waited in cold for train. Wondered how far I would have to walk since some train sta-tions were closed because 68-year-old woman had fallen onto the tracks at Gallery Place/Chinatown station (She’s OK BTW).

aN HoUr BeFore: Got a pam-phlet with facts about inaugurations from a member of Jews for Jesus/McLean Bible Church at the Fed-eral Triangle station. Got picture taken with street preacher wearing a shirt saying, “Trust Jesus”; giggled at the fanatics screaming into bull horns, calling for Obama to “repent”; shoe-horned myself onto a tee-ny slice of the Mall amidst millions of folk.

momeNts BeFore:Talked to people from Georgia and Colorado, who became the newest contributors of DNA to my body; got press pass and digital camera ready; Decided was much warmer inside human bounce house than on the fringes; and should stay crushed inside it so I could watch the happenings on Jumbotron.

riVeted to tHe sCreeN:Shifted body weight at least 12 doz-en times during the processional

alone. Grew genu-inely tired when fi -nally Diane Feinstein, the emcee, stepped to microphone and introduced Rev. Rick Warren to pray over the new president. People around me, mostly with bowed heads, giggled as War-ren over-emphasized names of Obama’s children “ma-LEEE-ah, and “sssssssss-SAH-sha.”And I was

probably lone Bush supporter in crowd, and while in-spired by Obama’s inau-guration speech, was also a bit disheartened at the disrespect he piled onto a man sitting less than fi ve feet away from him. I decided to keep quiet, genuinely worried for my safety just because I

didn’t whoop and holler as Michelle Obama appeared from the Capital (great outfi t, wasn’t it?), so wasn’t about to take chances by cheering for Bush. Besides, time to move on, time to support new guy. Time to hope he succeeds and, vicariously through him, that America succeeds. And folk seemed happy ...dancing in the streets happy.

Head ‘em UP, Herd ‘em oUt: Understandably, National Mall was cordoned off with desig-nated ingress and egress. But after Obama’s speech, many of the open-ings that had been there before the ceremony were blocked off. Took an hour just to get off the Mall. I walked up and down Jefferson, up Independence, all over L’Enfant Plaza, back down Jefferson, across the Mall, and fi nally a police offi cer said we had to walk down two miles before we could exit the Mall on the west side. It was like the Twilight Zone, a nightmare, or maybe 1984. I fi nally made it to 18th Street and walked another couple miles to Far-ragut West station. It took about 30 minutes for the crowd to just

get downstairs. Some cried after a fi ght over the elevator broke out. Some smelled. Some shouted.

aLmost Home: My “night-mare” didn’t end when I got to West Hyattsville station. Lost driver’s license and bank card and could not purchase my way out of parking lot (signs said you had to use a Smart Card and no cash was accepted). Couldn’t bear the thought of walking all the way down Hamilton just to get home and didn’t have any money for a taxi. Prayed. Metro guy told me the price to park was only $4 that day, and that if I hadn’t paid on my way in, I didn’t have to pay upon leaving. Joy!

PHOTO BY SARAH NeMeTHAmerican flags wave as Barack Obama is sworn in.

COMMENTARY AND OPINION ON HISTORY & POLITICS

Hugh’sNews

by Hugh Turley

The inauguration of Presi-dent Obama was called Martin Luther King’s

dream fulfi lled, and images of the two men appeared on souvenir posters and shirts. David Gergen compared Obama’s speaking abil-ity to King’s.

Television footage showed fa-miliar images of King’s struggle for desegregation in Birmingham, Ala., voting rights in Selma, Ala. the march on Washington, D.C. in 1963, and fi nally at the motel where King was assassinated in 1968.

But we hear nothing from the

Time to break the silencelast years of King’s life, from 1965 to 1968. His speeches during that time were as unacceptable then as they are today.

By 1967 King was an opponent of American militarism, and he supported “an all-embracing and unconditional love for all men.” On April 4, 1967, exactly one year before his assassination, he deliv-ered a speech, “A Time to Break Silence,” at New York’s Riverside Church, where he said that those who questioned his opposition to war did not really know him.

“I could never raise my voice against the violence of the op-pressed in the ghettos without having fi rst spoken clearly to the

greatest purveyor of violence in the world today – my own govern-ment,” King said. “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”

King preached that the good news of Jesus Christ was for all men, and he spoke for those des-ignated as our enemies. “We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation and those it calls ene-my, for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers,” said King who quoted from the fi rst epistle of St. John. “Let us love one another;

for God is love and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God … If we love one another God dwelleth in us, and his love is per-fected in us.”

Time magazine called the speech “demagogic slander.” The Wash-ington Post said, “Many who have listened to him with respect will never again accord him the same confi dence. He has diminished his usefulness to his cause, to his country, and to his people.”

The NAACP decried King’s stand against the war, adopting a resolution declaring that it was not a peace organization but a

HugH’S neWS continued on page 11


by Sarah Nemeth

State election law now pro-vides for early voting, but the Hyattsville City Council does

not think that option would be best for the registered voters within the municipality.

In October, the state General As-sembly passed a proposed amend-ment to the Maryland Constitution removing legal barriers to early vot-ing. The measure became law after the November general election, when 72 % of Maryland voters cast ballots in favor of it. According to the state Board of Elections, there were 1,574,480 yes votes and 623,220 votes against early voting.

But for Hyattsville, with a popu-lation of 14,733 – according to the 2000 U.S. Census – the measure likely would be cost-prohibitive.

Offering an early day for residents

Election policies, ballot counting discussed for muncipal elections

to vote at polling places would cost about $4,000, said Lisa Pineda, supervisor of Hyattsville’s Board of Election Supervisors.

Here’s the breakdown of that amount, according to Pineda:

• Machines and the company pro-viding them – $2,810

• Judges – $600 • Dinners for poll workers on the

designated early voting day – $200

At a Jan. 12 public hearing, the council also discussed election pro-cedures, including a new state pro-vision that no longer requires voters to provide a reason for submitting absentee ballots.

Elections Supervisor Anna Fran-kle said there were many absentee ballots presented at the November general election.

“Our thinking is if we advertise

[absentee ballots] even more clearly this time around that would [take care of the need] for early voting,” she said. Prince George’s County election officials have to be on hand at city votes because there are ques-tions that the local election judges do

“If we advertise [absentee ballots] even more clearly this time around, that would [take care of the need] for early voting.”

— Anna FrankleElections Supervisor

by Sharmina Mandahar

Every morning before he opens Arrow Bicycle shop on Baltimore Avenue, Chris Militello goes out with a broom and bucket and sweeps out-

side his store. He sweeps outside a vacant lot next door and picks up empty soda cans, pieces of food and plastic bags. Militello then pays a private company to take the trash away.

“Ever since I co-opened my store last May, I haven’t seen a city sweeper cleaning the streets in the area,” Mi-litello said.

He also said that when he informally spoke to Hyatts-ville city officials about the issue, he found out that since U.S. Route 1 is a state highway, the State Highway Ad-ministration, not the city, is responsible for Route 1. Militello has however never called the city to officially complain.

“I know it’s not the city’s fault, but we as a whole need to do more on this part of Hyattsville,” Militello said. “We need to make this area look more appealing and give people a reason to come down here.”

Militello’s thoughts are shared by Shante Robinson, owner of Runway Studios Salon and Boutique at 5106 Baltimore Ave.

“This area is known as the gateway to Arts District Hyattsville,” Robinson said. “It would be nice to keep the area clean and have benches and flowers to make it more beautiful.”

According to Hyattsville City Administrator Elaine Murphy, even though the city is not responsible for Route 1, it can still help resolve the issues.

“Identification of the issues that are causing concerns and sharing that information with the city would be the best place to start,” Murphy said. “We work with many levels of county and state government and have devel-oped good working relationships.”

Another concern of some local business owners is the lack of parking for customers. SHA spokesperson Kim-berly Frum said that the administration has worked in the past with the city to allow parking for businesses dur-ing non-peak travel hours.

PHOTO BY SHARMINA MANDAHARA city parking lot adjacent to Franklin’s Restaurant on Baltimore Avenue offers free parking for patrons of local restaurants and shops.

Route 1 in need of a facelift

route 1 continued on page 11

voting continued on page 11


MissFloribundadear miss Floribunda,

My yard is a mess because I was informed that it was against city regulations to let my sump pump empty into the alley. With icy con-ditions now, I can understand this and I certainly wouldn’t want any

of the dog walkers who go by to slip and fall. I was glad to comply and diverted the water to my own lawn. However, it is disheartening to look out my window now and see either a skating rink or a bog. My yard isn’t big enough for a dry well.

Can you think of any solution to my problem?

Discouraged on Decatur Street

dear discouraged,

I have good news for you. A rain garden is your solution and an ac-knowledged expert on this topic will be giving a special presentation on “Rainscaping” at 7:30 p.m. tonight at City Hall, 4310 Gallatin St. We expect a good turnout because rain gardens and bioretention are hot topics in our environmentally pro-gressive community. Our inspiring speaker’s name is Zora Lathan and she is the executive director of the Chesapeake Ecology Center. I met her when I attended a workshop she gave at the U.S. Botanical Gardens last summer. To get a preliminary idea of what rain gardens involve and the many benefi ts they offer visit www.chesapeakeecologycenter.org.

By improving soil tilth, following the natural contours of the land, se-lecting grasses, shrubs and fl owers with different moisture needs (to plant wherever these contours pro-vide appropriate moisture) you can achieve a beautiful and very easily maintained garden. In addition, you will also be doing the environment a great favor, most especially Mary-land’s own endangered Chesapeake Bay. Rain gardens keep rain in the soil where it is benefi cial, rather than allowing runoff contaminated by chemical fertilizers, pesticides and road paving to fl ood into our wa-terways and the bay. If you wish to learn more about rainscaping as well as other fascinating aspects of Biore-tention – green roofs, permeable paving, rainwater-collecting barrels and irrigation – be sure to come hear Lathan speak tonight. You are also invited to the next meeting of the Hyattsville Horticultural Soci-ety at 10 a.m. on Feb. 21. It will take place at 5300 42nd Ave, the home of Dr. Pacifi cus Carro-Antiguo.

Miss Floribunda is the col-lected wisdom of the Hyatts-ville Horticultural Soci-ety compiled and edited by Victoria Hille.

FromTheHills

by Tim Hunt

“Mr. Hunt, I don’t know where you are getting your

numbers from. The only thing I know is that you are a hard work-ing man who is trying to get your wife this van so that she can drive around the kids. That’s why I’m working for her.”

The fi rst time the sales manager said that, I dared not even look at Karen as I tried to maintain my stern negotiating face. By the third or fourth iteration of that remark, I almost felt compelled to set the record straight. Though he is someone whose livelihood de-pends on pop-psychoanalysis in order to squeeze the most money out of customers, he was playing the wrong game. The truth of the matter is that the minivan was mostly going to be for me to drive the kids around.

After negotiations ran their

U Hills man buys minivan, loses all credibility

course and stalled, Karen and I left and laughed the whole way home. Since fate and fi nancial sensibil-ity allowed me a career with my kids, I had not yet attained super dad nirvana. But with this very signifi cant purchase, that goal drew closer. My old, used Hon-da Civic, which had carried me through 11 formative years, had fi nally made her last journey days before and she, rest her soul, was the farthest thing from my mind. Halfway through my second beer that night, I could barely contain myself.

The next evening, after a dif-fi cult afternoon of negotiating, the Divine intervened as I spoke to the sales manager of another dealership over the phone.

“Sir, you are truly blessed to live in this area,” he said. The proxim-ity of many dealerships allowed me the good fortune to negotiate

Ross meets with U Hills residentssCHooL sitUatioN

State Delegate Justin Ross at-tended the University Hills Area Civic Association meeting on January 28th to offer his sup-port of the desire of University Hills residents to remain with University Park Elementary School.

During a Ward 3 meeting in September, representatives – including Council members Krista Atteberry and Anthony Patterson (Ward 3), state Sena-tor Paul Pinsky, Ross and Mayor William Gardiner – were asked if they would support residents of University Hills in their desire to remain with University Park Elementary as opposed to the proposed 800-student school adjacent to Nicolas Orem Mid-

roSS continued on page 11MinivAn continued on page 11


LifeNotesTO HELP YOU NOURISH A TRANQUIL LIFE

Zesting loveby Cassandra Johnson

Once a month I look forward to a dinner date with my husband. It’s a fun ritual and there’s always a magical side to it. Date night might take us to a

new restaurant or to a familiar favorite where they know us well. If we’re joined by friends and family we welcome it, but most of the time it’s just the two of us — getting reacquainted.

I remember a hilarious Chris Rock routine poking fun at new couples: “During the fi rst three months of the re-lationship, my representative is talking to your represen-tative.” Of course time eventually reveals us – warts and all – in high-defi nition. The question is whether or not a couple can survive the revelations. Like most veteran couples, we’ve found exposure to one another challeng-ing at times. We’ve been lucky, though. For us love has remained strong and steady. Now “strong” and “steady” are very comfortable words. But they don’t have a whiff of romance to them and there’s absolutely no way to say them passionately.

That’s what’s so great about date night. It can’t rival the intensity of dates 20 years ago. But when we walk to the restaurant door hand-in-hand, it’s a sweet reminder of the bond we share. And during dinner conversation, when I’m listening to my husband’s always unique and often very funny take on the subject at hand, I think of how magnetic this side of his nature was and still is to me. It’s not far from there to other “that’s why he swept

me off my feet” moments. Date night is a chance to look at my husband like I did

when love and his name fi rst became one thought. The things that make him special to me can get lost in daily work, responsibilities and the occasional argument. But on a delightful Friday evening, when we’re absolutely caught up in each other, I think to myself that this is what a happy union looks like. And that’s what I call magic.

Some other ideas to give zest to the relationship:• “Ooh Baby, Baby!” Write terms of endearment. Post

your loving thoughts around the house or in your hon-ey’s briefcase, tote or pocket.

• It’s “Just Because” Day. Surprise your one and only with a special gift uniquely suited to him or her.

• Time to get away. Have a just-the-two-of–us week-end getaway. Plan B: If not a weekend, an overnight stay in a hotel or bed and breakfast.

• Salsa, anyone? Channel your inner Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers and go dancing.

• Dora the Explorer (grownup style). Learn something new together — gourmet cooking, a foreign language or dance lessons if you don’t know how to channel Fred and Ginger. Explore whatever sounds like fabulous fun.

• “I do. I do.” Renew your marriage vows and tell your spouse that after all the up close and personal years, you wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

Cassie Johnson is a Reiki Master/Teacher. Contact her at [email protected].

AroundTheCity

by Paula Minaert

I spend a lot of time walking around the city. The Dog Whis-perer says dogs need the exer-

cise, and I know I do, too. I see all kinds of objects lying in the roads and on the sidewalks and, just to amuse myself, started an inven-tory of them. The inventory makes for a sampling of what Hyattsville residents and visitors throw away or lose. It’s an unscientifi c sampling, because I haven’t covered all the city’s streets and I haven’t gone at all hours of the day and night. But it’s interesting all the same.

Mostly, I see food containers. Snack food boxes and wrappers: BreakfastBreaks, Snickers bars, Lays’ potato chips, animal crackers. Fast food bags and cups – A & W, McDonald’s, Starbucks. I don’t see much healthy food detritus, unless you call a Fisherman’s Net Maine Sardines can healthy. Or juice and water bottles. Oh, wait — I did fi nd one tea bag wrapper, Bigelow’s green tea. That’s health food.

I also see a lot of alcohol contain-

ers. The great majority are beer bot-tles and cans. Some are still in their brown paper bags. Some bottles are green, some brown. Most are un-broken. And most of them lie in the grassy area above the stream right at the northeastern intersection of Hamilton St. and Queen Chapel’s Road. Wine bottles rarely show up — I wonder if that means anything? Hard liquor doesn’t put in an ap-pearance often, either, just a lone vodka bottle and two of those tiny bottles, Gordon’s Dry Gin.

Tobacco and its accessories show up, too. As well as the obvious — cigarette butts — I see cigar bands, disposable lighters and used Little Trees, those scented green card-board pine trees that hang from car rear-view windows.

I found some other, more individ-ual items. An ID card from Hyatts-ville Middle School (since returned). Two pieces of costume jewelry (a charm and a necklace; if you’ve lost anything and can tell me what it is, I’ll give it back). I saw a child’s coat hung on a railing, many gloves, and one hat. I also saw a pair of boxers,

large, hanging from a fence. A story there? Yet another story, to me a sad one, lies in the empty condom wrap-per I saw next to Magruder park.

I saw evidence of other activities. I found receipts from ATM machines (Chevy Chase Bank), a phone card, and an airline luggage ticket.

I wonder what archeologists hun-dreds of years in the future would make of all this?

What would archeologists think?

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Hyattsville Life & Times | February 2009 Page 7

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2009: A year for-givingby John Aquilino

This year, 2009, is cloaked in chaos at virtually every level – fi nancial, political, mili-

tary. But most questions focus on self, family and the means to make it through the next day, week and month.

Tightened school district bud-gets are a real cause for concern. Another, virtually ignored, is the plight of private schools. Most par-ents of children in public schools could care less about non-public schools of every stripe. That’s un-derstandable, yet the future of pri-

vate schools can and may affect the public school system in a way par-ents and politicians alike have not considered.

According to Maryland Depart-ment of Education statistics, Mont-gomery County leads the state in educational dollars spent per indi-vidual student with $13,536. Prince George’s County comes in 7th at $11,189 per student. That’s $23 be-low the state average of $11,212.

Montgomery County is wealthier than Prince George’s, but interest-ingly it also has a greater number of non-public than public schools (205 public vs. 259 non-public). Prince George’s is just the opposite, with 215 public and 174 non-public schools.

Certainly the formula dictating the dollars spent per student per jurisdiction is complex. But a plau-sible argument can be made that private schools provide at least a modicum of stress relief for public schools and may free up consider-able cash that then provides ad-ditional funds for the local public schools.

In today’s uncertain economic

climate, private schools, and Cath-olic parish schools in particular, are experiencing a marked decline in enrollment. That does not bode well for area public schools. Stu-dents leaving private schools mi-grate to overcrowded classes in the public system. One area school, St. Jerome School, is determined to stay the course without asking for state aid, but through the support and generosity of its parents and parishioners.

Kelly Ivey, a St. Jerome School Advisory Board member from Greenbelt, offered a simple way for parents of children in non-public

schools to help keep these schools open. It’s what he preaches to his chil-dren when they ask how much to put into the Sunday col-lection basket.

“It’s simple,” he says. “You just set

aside one hour when you’re work-ing for God. I guarantee it will be the best, most productive hour you’ll work. Whatever your pay rate per hour is what you give.”

Starting with the New Year, St. Jerome School parents and parish-ioners will be asked to pledge “an hour for God (and the children)” per month for a year. That brings us to the “forgiving” part of this ar-ticle.

Change comes in many forms. One change is to stop promoting negative feelings towards those who disagree or are disagreeable. In state and national politics, hos-tile words, thoughts and relation-ships fester simply because parties disagree.

Rev. James Stack, St. Jerome’s pastor, cast a somewhat startling solution to the problem after a penitent burdened with a relation-ship problem sought his counsel. Fr. Stack’s advice was to pray for 40 days for forgiveness.

For Catholics, 40 days of forgive-ness just might entail yet another devotional tradition that could make 2009 a year of real change.

Change comes in many forms. One change is to stop promoting negative feelings towards those who disagree

or are disagreeable.

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Get Cozy with Yarn Hours: Tuesday–Friday 11–7, Saturday 11–6, Sunday 1–5

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301-779-33995200 Baltimore Ave. (Rte. 1), Hyattsville, MD 20781Across from Franklin’s, entrance on Gallatin Street

www.atangledskein.com

by Sharmina Manandhar

With a belief that in times of change, good art and artists speak the loudest

and clearest to society, Hyattsville resident Erica Riggio teamed up with her former professor Nancy Evans to open the doors of a new art gallery on Route 1.

The Design Studio Art Gallery, located at 5702 Baltimore Ave., in Arts District in Hyattsville, celebrat-ed its grand opening last month by showcasing the creativity of six local artists including Demont “Peekaso” Pinder, a young artist who paints while Grammy-nominated R&B artist Raheem DeVaughn performs on stage.

“Even though art is the last thing people buy during economic down-turn, it can be the most important thing,” Riggio said. “In times when everything needs to be examined carefully, good art illustrates what’s happening in the community.”

The concept of art depicting life was well portrayed in the gallery with Pinder’s “The Vision,” a fabric paint and acrylic on canvas depiction of Presidents Barack Obama and John F. Kennedy, Edward Underwood’s “Yes We Can,” a photograph of a por-tion of the Wall of Hope erected in front of the Lincoln Memorial after Obama won the election. The gallery also hosted a book signing with Tray Chaney of HBO’s hit series “The Wire” for his newly released auto-biography “The Truth You Can’t Be Tray.” According to Riggio, the gal-lery strives to promote and facilitate original thought provoking local art that makes a statement.

The gallery is dedicating the en-tire month of February to celebrate

Pinder’s flair for art and creativity as part of Black History Month with the artist’s first solo exhibit – “Thou-sands of Words.” Pinder will dis-cuss his work and answer questions about his art, inspiration and moti-vation from 7-11 p.m. tonight at the gallery.

“His work is vibrant, but unique-ly captures subject matter that is personal, political, and of the time,” states a press release from the gal-lery. “He marks history with his paint and coins himself as a ‘mo-ment catcher.’ The environment where he paints is where he draws his energy.”

According to Riggio, Pinder, who came across the gallery as he was walking along U.S. Route 1 in

PHOTO BY SHARMINA MANANDHARErica Riggio, owner of Design Studio, a new installment in Arts District Hyattsville, adjusts a painting displayed in her art gallery.

A colorful splash

Hyattsville, came in to introduce himself to Riggio, who then invited him to be a part of the mix-show at the gallery.

“Pinder painted live in the open-ing reception of the gallery and added a unique effect to the gallery with his energy,” Riggio said.

Riggio, who had a love for arts and literature from a young age, says that co-owning an art gallery is the best of both worlds, with an opportunity to make a living and be creative at the same time. Nervous at first about the idea of opening a gallery, Riggio believes that every-thing is a cycle and “if you help oth-ers, you will be helped.”

“There’s no clear bulleted plan for the gallery,” Riggio said. “We are open to new ideas and hope that our artists get the exposure.”

Riggio holds a master’s degree in architectural and interior design from George Washington Univer-sity and owns Riggio Design Con-sultants.

Another chance happening at the gallery was Brian Newell of Col-lege Park. Newell was driving along Route 1 with his friend on their way to Franklin’s Restaurant, and decid-ed to stop by the gallery when they noticed a crowd there.

“We enjoyed seeing the wonder-ful local art and meeting the artists as well as the very friendly owners, Nancy and Erica, so much that we never even made it to Franklin’s,” Newell said.

The gallery has a great aesthetic value and he looked forward to see-ing more pieces there, he said.

“In these economically difficult times, it is hard to put aside money for such ‘extras’ as art, however all of the art featured was reasonably priced and unique, and I could see how a collector could easily rack up a treasure trove of pieces,” Newell said.


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8 WEE-FILE!

‘Hystory’: the past fi ve years2008The City Council approved the appropriation of $30,000 for the installation of parking me-ters at University Town Center.

2007Chad Williams-Bey, a stu-dent from Howard University in Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit with the Hyattsville City Police Department af-ter he was hit several times with a Taser while police were breaking up a party on Jan. 21 in the Towers at University Town Center.

Williams-Bey was charged, jailed and presented to a District court commissioner.

He was released with a May 7 court date.

2006Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) presented the City of Hyatts-ville and the Housing Initiative Partnership, Inc. with $250,000 to build affordable housing for the artistic community. Renaissance Square is now open on Jefferson Street.

2005Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., Lt. Gov. Michael Steele and Victor l. Hosk-ins, state secretary for the Legacy Award, presented checks to city initiatives. A $410,000 check was given to the City of Hyattsville and

a $15,000 check was given to the Hyattsville Community Develop-ment Corporation.

2004The City Council held a public hearing on Feb. 17 to discuss the creation of a special taxing district, to be known as the “University Town Center Special Taxing Dis-trict.”

The HL&T is taking sugges-tions for a name for our new-est feature. The winner will receive a gift certificate to a restaurant in Arts District Hyattsville. Please send sub-missions to [email protected]

memories of Prague” (in fact, I need Google to fi nd Prague on a map, and I think Justin believes Prague is the name of a Klingon in Star Trek).

Now, you could ask, “Why taste if you have so little experience?” Because, like so many beer drink-ers, my research team knows the watery base of Coors Light and the dry aftertaste of Budweiser, but has neither the time nor interest to examine the robustness of more cosmopolitan beers, like an Altbier or a Saison. With this in mind, I conducted a beer drinker’s beer tasting.

As the fi rst NFL playoff game began, we chose three stools in the corner of Franklin’s bar. We or-dered the “taster”— a collection of the house microbrews served on a wooden tray with numbers desig-nating each beer. To meet testing criteria, I required that each of us sip water between beers to cleanse the palate. And, I prohibited taster #2 from ordering whiskey during the evaluation. As the moderator, I feared Maker’s Mark might dilute his taste.

The fi rst beer, Rubber Chicken Red, was — as the name suggests — red, and praised by taster #2 for “its appropriate heaviness.” We se-lected it as a top beer. Next, tast-ers #1 and #2 compared the smoky golden “Bombshell Blonde,” the lightest beer on the menu, to a Hefeweizen (a German wheat beer). Tasters #1 and #3 praised beer three, the “Twisted Turtle,” for smoothness and a subtle fruity aftertaste. Taster #2 dissented: “It’s a beer for rookies.” Then came “Anarchy Ale.” Taster #2 approved of “its thick and hardy nature” and its strong aftertaste. After four beers I was pleased with our prog-ress. Tester #2 had yet to request a mid-tasting whiskey, and the sluggish offenses of the Baltimore

Ravens and Tennessee Titans kept attention on beer, not football.

We applauded the strong and slightly bitter taste of beer fi ve, the golden brown “Sierra Madre Pale Ale.” Next, the “Private I.P.A.” fea-tured the strongest aftertaste and taster #2 commended it for “[hit-ting] me a little bit. It’s a punch in the face.” All tasters approved of its strength, noting that it contained the highest alcohol by volume of Franklin’s pale ales. In contrast, beer seven, “Mission Impossible,” our fi rst session beer (a beer with lower ABV, like Bud Light or Miller Light) was a disappointment. Tast-er #1 moaned: “It felt like someone poured wine in my beer.”

Not ones to sulk over this (we, of course, drank all of it) we then forged on to beer eight, “Impe-rial Stout.” True to stout beer (e.g., Guinness), it was viscous, coffee-dark, and tasted nutty and chocolaty. Taster #2, the most me-dieval of our team, appreciated the “throwback to a dark and strong mead.” We approved of beer nine, “Wrecked Sleigh,” which combined smoothness with a high ABV. Our fi nal beer (beer #6) was the “Pri-vate I.P.A.” poured through Frank-lin’s nitrogen system. It was excep-tionally smooth. Unfortunately, the tasters felt it lacked something. Taster #1 lamented, “It starts off great but there’s no fi nish.”

Pleased with having completed the tasting, and in recognition of

the limited potency of beer, I im-mediately lifted the prohibition against whiskey. However, com-mitted to our work, we remained on our bar stools tasting and re-tasting to confi rm our verdicts. We agreed that “Rubber Chicken Red” was best, and that “Mission Impos-sible” was to be avoided. Debates ensued over what was second-best. Was it the “Bombshell Blonde”? Or the “Private I.P.A.”? What about the “Twisted Turtle”? Unable to compromise, we considered more research. But with Saturday night upon us, and comfortable in drink, we abandoned our bar stools to taste new beers elsewhere.

Beer continued from page 1

PHOTO BY DAN COOGANAndrew Bradley (L) and Justin Smith try out some beers at Frank-lin’s Restaurant


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addition. “My most recent tax assessment

went down after a visit [to her house],” said Margot Nassau, of 4000 Hamil-

ton St. “The [St. Michels’] house has long been an embarrassment to the city and county.”

Nassau said homeowners should be able to make improvements to their house as long as they are within building code.

And even if the BZA grants the variance, a series of inspections still would be needed in order for the addition to stand, said William Soper, of the county’s Licenses and Inspections Division. It is still pos-sible that the addition would have to be razed.

The whole process began in 2002 and still is not over. It involves, among other offices, the county’s Department of Environmental Resources, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Com-mission, Hyattsville’s Office of Code Enforcement and the City Council.

The city received complaints about the cleanliness of the site and the duration of the project, Gardin-er said, adding that the city asked the county to inspect the property.

Gerard St. Michel said he and his wife got the necessary permits and county inspectors checked on the project at every stage of the pro-cess.

“Someone has something con-fused,” he said.

The framing, drywall and insula-tion in the walls can’t be inspected now because the walls are closed, Soper told the City Council. But Makenda St. Michel said a coun-ty inspector told her to close the walls and that she has a signed document to prove it. Soper said that no one from his office would have signed off on such a clo-sure.

Even if a mistake is made by planners, the requestor is respon-sible for bringing the structure to code, not M-NCPPC or the coun-ty, according to Soper. And Jerry Hampton, director of the city’s Office of Code Enforcement, said that the builder is responsible for getting all needed permits and required inspections.

The City Council voted Feb. 2nd to send a letter to the BZA stating that it does not support the variance request. It added that if the variance is denied and the family must tear down the addition, then the county and/or M-NCPPC should pay to bring the house back to code.

Soper declined comment im-mediately after the BZA meeting.

house continued from page 1

PHOTO BY SARAH NeMeTHMakenda St. Michel describes her plans for the house at 4002 Ham-ilton St., onto which she and her husband Gerard have been building since 2002. The addition does not fall within Prince George’s County code regulations nor the City of Hyattsville’s variance request specifica-tions.

Fast Facts in HyattsvilleSingle Family Residential HomesSingle Family Rental Homes% of SF Residences to SF HomesKnown Vacant HomesSFR Homes posted unfitNumber of BusinessesMulti-family PropertiesCondemned Buildings

3,4192768%37

5464

480

“These people have taken advan-tage of this,” she said at a January City Council meeting.

Other residents declined to com-ment, some for fear of retribution.

The major problem facing the St. Michels is that the county determined in 2008 that current construction does not conform to the initial plans the couple submitted.

About the same time the county realized that M-NCPPC – which re-viewed the plans – previously had failed to notice a lot coverage viola-tion, which would require a variance, said Mayor William Gardiner.

St. Michel said the county initially told him to remove a garage and re-place it with a patio to hand the lot coverage problem.

“At that point if they said no, we wouldn’t have done it,” he said.

The BZA said at its Feb. 4 meeting that it needed “technical assistance”

— specifically a history of inspections at the site — to help with their delib-erations.


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not have answers to, Frankle said.County election officials could not

immediately provide the number of registered voters in the city nor the number of absentee ballots cast in November’s general election.

According to City Clerk Douglass Barber, county officials will not be available for early voting on the Sat-urday before the general election date – which was the day the council considered.

In a draft update to the city char-ter, City Attorney Richard Colaresi

“Although Route 1 is a main thor-oughfare, SHA must balance the need for maintaining traffic opera-tions, motorist/pedestrian safety, and serving the needs of the sur-rounding community and adjacent businesses,” Frum said. “However, if traffic volumes are too heavy along a state roadway, unfortunately SHA has to restrict all parking at all times, which leaves parking along side streets.”

According to Murphy, the city is looking into structured parking and is considering several pos-sible locations and financing op-tions. There are parking spaces available in a structured lot be-low the County Court Building, on Gallatin Street across from City Hall, at the bridge lot next to Franklin’s Restaurant at 5121 Baltimore Ave., on-street parking on several side streets adjacent to Route 1 and on Route 1 during off-peak hours.

But lack of proper signage point-ing toward the bridge lot, which was recently resurfaced and re-striped by the city, is confusing customers in the area.

“My customers have told me that they thought that it was Franklin’s private parking lot,” Militello said.

civil rights organization. On April 30, 1967, King said,

“There’s something strangely in-consistent about a nation and a press that will praise you when you say, ‘Be non-violent toward [Selma’s segregationist sheriff] Jim Clark,’ but will curse and damn you when you say, ‘Be non-

violent toward little brown Viet-namese children.’ There’s some-thing wrong with that press!”

There is something wrong with a nation and a press that will use King to elevate President Obama, but time and again will suppress the truth about the nonviolent man of peace. If King were alive today, would he support send-ing troops into Afghanistan and bombing Pakistan?

huGh's NeWs continued from page 2

dle. With the exception of Pat-terson, who stated his support, the others did not commit.

Homestead tax Credit

Because of legislation passed in 2007 – starting with proper-ty assessments mailed to resi-dents of one-third of the Prince George’s County on Dec. 30 – homeowners will have to apply for the Homestead Tax Credit – which places a limit as to how much property taxes can increase on one’s principal residence in any given year.

Until now, the credit was automatically given unless the property owner indicated that the home was not their prima-ry residence. The legislation was changed because a large number of residents neglected to do this which resulted in a loss of legitimate revenue.

Once an application is filed the credit will be given auto-matically in subsequent years. Although applications will be mailed to residents with their next property assessment, Ross recommended filing the application with the state early. The University Hills Area Civic Association block captains will distribute the form and an ex-planation to all area residents this month.

a good price for a minivan, he said. Needless to say, the deal was done the next day.

A few years ago, when the first of our good friends to have a family of four gave in and bought a minivan, good humor was plentiful. I can’t remember if I ever said I’d “never” get a minivan, but the sentiment was certainly there. Today, I look back to when I was stifling giggles as my friend explained the virtues of large compartments, cup holders

and the fact that everything was de-signed to be exactly where it needed to be. Now I recognize that he was on to something.

While driving to the MVA to re-turn the tags from my old car, it seemed that every other car on the road was a minivan. Had all these people suffered the same identity crisis my wife and I faced? After all, we could have gotten an SUV. Did they also acquiesce as easily as we did? It’s hard to say. The only thing I know is that Karen loves driving the kids around in it. That is, when she can pry the keys from my hands.

mINIvaN continued from page 4

ross continued from page 4

Murphy said that the city is will-ing to work with SHA to identify and consider locations for signage to en-courage the use of the bridge lot.

“The size and placement of sig-nage impacts visibility of shops and restaurants,” Murphy said. “We will need to assure that all parties par-ticipate in such discussions.”

According to Frum, no local busi-ness has contacted SHA about in-stalling signs to point drivers to local parking.

“In this case they would nor-mally make the request by working through the City of Hyattsville, espe-cially when it involves public park-ing off of a state roadway onto a side street,” Frum said.

route 1 continued from page 3

removed a provision for emergency absentee ballots due to the change requiring voters not to give a reason for voting in absentia, he said.

Resident James Groves – who ran for a Ward 2 seat on the council in 2006 – said he does not see the need for early voting if residents no longer must give a reason for casting an ab-sentee ballot.

But paving the way for more ab-sentee ballots could cause hiccups in the transparency and timeliness of the vote counting process, Colaresi said.

With a limited number of persons counting the ballots – which cannot be opened until 8 p.m. the day of an election – officials would have to be available longer and results likely

would be published later than usual, said Councilmember Krista Atteber-ry (Ward 3).

Starting the process earlier could also make the process more opaque, since not all personnel would be available to observe counting.

“Once you begin counting one thing, the election can be controlled, even if only by a rumor,” Colaresi said.

votING continued from page 3

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Hyattsville Life & Times February 2009

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