Notes from PG Civic Federation

Meeting Notes posted on this site are NOT OFFICIAL MINUTES, but can give you different perspectives of what is happening in the county. More meeting notes can be found here. Newspaper reports about meetings can often be found in Newsletter archives - a brief description and a link to the story are in weekly e-newsletters.

Jan. 7 - Lanham High School

Death on Wheels article copies available (Washington Post Dec. 7, '03) concerning toxic chemicals on train though DC. - Rick Hind for Greenpeace

Treasury report - $3,100+ balance for 2003 - 12 orgs & several ind.'s

4 committees (no reports)

Thomas Graham from PEPCO visiting - economic dev.; community advisory board - 3 chamber of commerce, 3 civic orgs & fed., + gov officials - tree trimming issues, reliability of service issues / electrical power, fuses - just PEPCO, not SMECO which has better record
Underground wiring = $3M / mi. - community would pay + svc restoration time
$42M cost from Isabel for 14 miles replaced wiring - not billed to community due to gov. restrictions
PEPCO sold generation & now just distributes.
Starting study in Hyattsville - contacting communities initially & reporting after.
Reort will be on website - www.pepco.com

Sierra Club initiatve against casino
Gambling will cost $3 in social costs for every $1 tax revenue.

Oxon Hill Manor had fire w/ $1M worth of damage - been closed a yr. for restoration

Open door forum Dist 23 - Jan. 10 (hand-out)

Rt. 450 is undergoing construction to widen certain areas.

CB 73 - capital improvement/plans (CIP) would require permits to expire in 8 yrs. if not used - council passed, but Johnson vetoed - council didn't override bcause they say they didn't initially have enough information

Road widening plans on 301, Brandywine, Oxon Hill - not needed in residential communities

Master plan mtg on Tues. Dist 8

Proper signage on beltway needed & other roads, too.

6 Flags forum w/ Livable Communities/Dist 6 & 7
MLK school committee for Mitchellville, Largo & Kettering - mtg Jan 13

Assessments going up = taxes going up; increase over period of time.
Bill to repeal TRIM coming; concerns about how money would be spent; apartments taxed differently - not fair

Thermometer exchange at landfill

Another class 3 landfill on Dowerhouse

PRISON Proposal - Sarbanes fighting it - Cheltenham - fire training would have to go; Cedarville near state park & 301 - not good transprt from DC.; behind Arrowhead school & class 3 landfiill - dead property - could increase size would cost in utilities, water & light polution. Could include holdng facility including terrorists. Prisoners escape most often during transport. Suggesting to build on fed. facility - may have rally.

Flight patterns are changing.

PGCCF rec'd application from business/church - bylaws would have to be changed, so sending suggestion to join local civic assoc.

Other hand-outs included:

"A Citizens Guide to Transportation Decision Making in the Washington Metropolitan Region" by the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board

Announcement about Presidential Candidates' Forum and Straw Vote at the Glenn Dale Fire House on MD 193 at 7:00 PM Jan. 15 ($5 donation suggested)

Information about the Advocates for Children and Youth campaign for Thornton funding for the public school system

- submitted by Joyce Dowling

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