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Dear Friends,
It has been a busy spring on the County Council as we
have been working on the County's $2.6 billion budget the past few
months. We passed the budget on Thursday, May 27th. While
we are still in lean economic times, I believe we put together a good
budget under the circumstances and we avoided some of the cuts that
were made last year.
We were able to ensure that County employees are not
going to be furloughed this year. The previous two years,
County employees had to forgo ten days of work and ten days of pay,
which affected all employees including police, fire, and other public
safety employees. This budget ensures that those employees will
be on the payroll doing their jobs every work day. We funded
the Education budget at $18 million more than last year, and
exceeded the Maintenance of Effort level by $6 million. We
included 70 EMS/Firefighters in the budget, which will help
offset losses of Fire/EMS positions due to attrition. As a
result of the recommendations of the Youth and Gang Violence
Prevention Task Force I chaired, I was able to include more than
$400,000 in funds for established non-profits who have a strong,
proven track record of reaching young people who are at-risk for gang
involvement. I am a strong believer in programs that provide
mentoring, good values, and avenues for building young people's
confidence and sense of responsibility. It is far better to
invest in youth before they are involved in gangs or other activities
than after the fact. I will continue to advocate for investing
in our young people throughout the year and especially at budget
time.
Take care and please call my office with any questions
or concerns.
Sincerely,
Eric
Olson
Council Member, District 3
(301) 952-3060
ITEMS OF INTEREST
HISTORIC
PRINCE GEORGE’S
Please
visit the new Historic Prince George’s website and find out more
about your county www.HistoricPrinceGeorges.com for further information.
THE COLLEGE PARK ARTS EXCHANGE (CPAE)
The College Park Arts Exchange is sponsoring a host of
events this month including a hands-on art project for children on
June 6, 2010 from 2:00pm-4:00pm. The College Park Arts Exchange
is located at the Old Parish House, 4711 Knox Road in College Park.
For more information please call (301) 927-3013 or visit their
website at www.cpae.org.
ENVISION PRINCE GEORGE’S
Envision Prince George’s will host their Annual Economic
Outlook forum on Friday, June 11, 2010 at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni
Center on the University of Maryland campus from 9:00am-1:00pm.
For more information please visit Envision
or call at (301) 952-3594.
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY HOMEOWNERSHIP FAIR
The Prince George’s County Association of Realtors will
host the Prince George’s County Homeownership Fair on Saturday, June
12, 2010 from 9:00am-3:00pm at the Sports & Learning Complex
(6001 Sheriff Road in Landover). Find out more about purchasing
a home in Prince George’s County and programs that are available for
first-time homebuyers. For more information please visit PGCAR here.
UNIVERSITY PARK MAY FAIR
University Park Elementary School (4315 Underwood Street
in University Park) will host their May Fair on June 12 from
11:00am-3:00pm. Come enjoy food and games. For more
information please call (301) 985-1898
JUNIOR PARK RANGER PROGRAM
The Maryland National Capital Park & Planning
Commission will host a FREE Junior Ranger program on Saturday June 12th
featuring educational activities. The program starts at 11:00am
at the Riverdale Neighborhood Playground (6401 47th Ave in
Riverdale Park). For more information please contact Mary Ann
Brownlow at (301) 864-2264.
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SUMMER
JAZZ ON THE LAWN
In collaboration
with the Maryland State Arts Council, Riversdale will offer free
summer jazz concerts. These performances are scheduled for
Thursday, June 17th, July 15th, and August 19th
at 7:00pm on the front lawn of Riversdale Mansion. For
more information on these concerts or other events, please visit this website.
The Riversdale House Museum is located at 4811 Riverdale Road in
Riverdale Park.
CHESAPEAKE
URBAN FARMING SUMMIT
The
Engaged Community Offshoots, Inc will present an urban farming summit
on June 18th, 2010 at the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville
Agricultural Research Center (10300 Baltimore Ave in Beltsville). The summit will share information on urban
farming techniques and showcase successful farming projects.
Please visit this website for more information.
KINGSWOOD
YARD SALE
The
Kingswood Civic Association will host their annual yard sale on
Saturday June 19, 2010 in the parking lot of Lamont Elementary School
(7101 Good Luck Road in New Carrollton). For more
information please call Sheila Reid at (301) 552-5383.
JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated
commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
The Prince George’s County Department of Parks & Recreation will
host a celebration on June 19,2010 from 12:00noon-2:00pm at Walker
Mill Regional Park (301 Watkins Park Drive in Upper Marlboro).
For more information please visit http://pgcm.aahgs.org/juneteenth.htm.
MARYLAND APPLIANCE REBATE PROGRAM
BGE and PEPCO are now offering rebates for certain
appliances, including refrigerators, air conditioners, and water
heaters. This mail-in rebate applies to newly purchased
appliances and must be processed through your power company.
For more information please contact your utility (PEPCO,
BGE).
Programs do vary by utility.
RIVERDALE
PARK FARMERS MARKET
The
Riverdale Park Farmers Market, located at the Riverdale MARC station
on Queensbury Road, is now open every Thursday until November.
Initial market produce will include early crops, bedding plants,
strawberries, flowers, baked goods, eggs, jams, and honey.
Please visit their website for more information at http://www.rpfarmersmarket.org/.
COLLEGE PARK AVIATION MUSEUM
The College Park Aviation Museum is
located on the grounds of the world’s oldest continuously operating
airport in College Park; founded in 1909. The museum is hosting
a long list of events in June. It is located at 1985 Cpl. Frank
Scott Drive in College Park. For a list of events please call
(301) 864-6029 or visit them at www.collegeparkaviationmuseum.com.
SCHOOL BOARD & POLLING PLACE MAP AMENDMENTS
The School Board/Polling Place map
has been adjusted for the upcoming Primary and General election.
School Board Map
List of Schools By School Board District
PEPSI REFRESH PROJECT
How inspired are you? Do you
have an idea that can help your community? This idea can deal
with business, youth outreach, park & recreation, etc. If
you do, Pepsi is willing to help you fund this idea. Groups,
businesses, and individuals can apply for these grants. Cash is
distributed at 4 levels, maxing at $250,000. For more
information please visit this website.
FORECLOSURE
PREVENTION WORKSHOP
Sowing
Empowerment & Economic Development, Inc. (SEED) will host a
foreclosure workshop on Saturday, June 26,
2010 from 10:00am-12:00pm.
This event will be held at Refreshing Spring Church (6200 Riverdale
Road in Riverdale) in English and Spanish. Please direct all inquires to SEED
at (301) 458-9808.
CENSUS 2010
The Census
launched on April 1, 2010 and your participation is needed.
Please fill out the information sent to your home and encourage your
neighbors as well. The information provided is critical for
federal funding as well as for guiding political boundaries.
For more information please call (301) 952-4502 or visit the Census
Bureau website at http://www.census.gov/.
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