City Council Worksession Preview: April 5

The College Park City council will convene for it's twice-monthly worksession Tuesday at 8 p.m. Meetings and worksessions are held in the Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall, located at 4500 Knox Rd.

Presentation by WMATA about College Park - Greenbelt Test Track

WMATA has determined that the stretch of track between College Park and Greenbelt Metro stations is the ideal location to build a third "test" track, which will be used to test new and rehabilitated rail cars. Construction on the track will begin in spring of 2012 and be completed by late summer 2013. WMATA will present their plans to the council tonight.

FY 2011 Public School Education and Fire Department Grant

The city's budget includes funds for non-competitive grants for College Park's two public elementary schools, as well as grants for the fire departments that act as first responders to the area.

The city budgeted $10,000 for grants to be split among Paint Branch Elementary and Hollywood Elementary School, and budgeted $30,000 to be split among the area's three local fire departments: Branchville VFD, College Park VFD and Berwyn Heights VFD. The money will go toward helping to pay for new equipment -- ambulances, in the case of the College Park and Branchville stations, and a new ladder truck for Berwyn Heights.

Approval of a Neighborhood Watch Resolution

The city is currently recruiting new leadership for its Neighborhood Watch program, and the council will discuss a resolution to create a formal steering committee. The steering committee will consist of three people, and will be charged with recruiting Neighborhood Coordinators around the city, training new leadership, disseminating information about criminal activity and acting as liaisons between the police and residents. Appointments to the steering committee will be in two-year terms, and will provide yearly reports to the Council about the status of crime prevention efforts in the city.

Greenbelt Metro Area and MD-193 Corridor Sector Plan

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is initiating a new Greenbelt Metro Area and MD-193 Corridor Sector Plan and Sectional Map Amendment (SMA) process, to begin in May 2011. Since the development will affect residents in north College Park, the council will discuss sending a letter to M-NCPPC asking that College Park be given equal input as Berwyn Heights and Greenbelt in developing the sector plan.