WEEKLY BULLETIN | November 4, 2022

One Warm Coat Drive

November 16 - December 6

The City of College Park, with One Warm Coat, a national non-profit organization, will once again hold our annual One Warm Coat Drive from November 16 through December 6.

Please donate either new or like-new coats and cold-weather items. Children's coats, hats, and gloves for ages 4-11 are particularly in need.

Help fellow College Park residents in need by donating your clean, new, or like-new coats, hats, and gloves during the City's annual warm coat drive. All donated coats will be distributed to designated local elementary schools for children and families in need.

2022 Gubernatorial Election

The 2022 Gubernatorial General Election Day is Tuesday, November 8. Polls are opens from 7am to 8pm.

Click here if you have questions about your polling location or early voting centers.

Click here if you have questions about which county, state, or congressional district you are in after Maryland redistricting.

Redistricting 2022

On October 25, 2022 the Mayor and Council introduced two ordinances on redistricting.

Ordinance 22-O-09 would use the October Plan 1 map for the new district boundaries, and Ordinance 22-O-10 would use Plan 3A for the new district boundaries. There will be a public hearing on these ordinances during the Council Meeting on November 15th. The Council could vote to adopt one of the ordinances at that meeting after the public hearing or could vote at a later meeting.

You can view the two maps at https://www.collegeparkmd.gov/186/Boards-Commissions#RDC and send comments to RedistrictingCommission2022@collegeparkmd.gov. 

Additional information about the redistricting process is at www.collegeparkmdredistricting2022.com. The interactive maps are updated with the October Plan 1 map and Map 3A.  

Curbside Food Scrap Collection

Great news! The curbside collection of food scraps will begin Tuesday, November 15^th.

This new voluntary program will divert organic materials, that are not waste, out of our landfill and will reduce harmful greenhouse gases emitted from organic decomposition in landfills, which contributes to climate change. 

Residents can sign up on a rolling basis – join and purchase containers at www.collegeparkmd.gov/curbsidecollectionapp.

• The collection day is Tuesday throughout the city.
• If you haven’t picked up your containers, stop by Public Works, Monday – Friday 7:30am – 4:00pm.
• Please don’t start collecting food scraps until November 9.
• If you have questions please check www.collegeparkmd.gov/foodscraps or call Public Works 240-487-3590.  

Municipal Government Works Month

November is Municipal Government Works Month, where cities all across the state showcase how municipalities (or local governments) work for their communities. Check the City's social media accounts throughout November for #MGWMonth posts.

Resident Guide Fall / Winter Edition

The latest edition of the City of College Park Resident Guide is now available! Check out news, announcements, and upcoming events for the fall and winter here.

SHA Project Activity Notice

From Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA): Water line work near Berwyn House Road begins

November 7, 2022, weather permitting. Additional work times may be needed to expedite work. All other work remains 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Work is on Baltimore Avenue (Route 1) from Lakeland Road to Quebect Street.

Additional information available at https://mdot-sha-us1-college-ave-to-md193-pg6242116-maryland.hub.arcgis.com/.

Tower Crane Will Be Erected

Please be advised that the tower crane erection at 4206 Knox Road has been rescheduled for Saturday, November 5. Knox Road will be closed at 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning and will reopen at noon Sunday, November 6. Flaggers will direct traffic and pedestrians during the entire process. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Veteran's Day

November 11 | 11am | Veterans Memorial

Intersection of Greenbelt Road and Route 1

The City of College Park will honor all veterans who have served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard, both in times of war and peace.

Celebrate Veterans Day with us at the Veterans Memorial in College Park to honor the brave men and women for their commitment to our nation.

Free parking is available at AMF College Park Bowling Lanes.

Rabies & Microchip Clinic

November 13 | 10am - 1pm | Davis Hall

Due to inclement weather on the October date, the Rabies & Microchip clinic has been rescheduled to November 13. Appointments are required - slots are individual, and you can only register one animal per spot.



Appointments are in 10-minute slots, and space is limited. All animals MUST be leashed or properly confined to a carrier. No walk-ins.

City residents must be able to provide proof of residence to obtain free services. Register your pet here.

Winter Wonderland

December 10 | 4-8pm | City Hall Plaza

Celebrate the Holiday Season with us at City Hall! Mark your calendars for the City's holiday event featuring hot cocoa and coffee, fun events for the kids, music, carolers, presentation of awards to our Gingerbread House Competition winners, and a visit from the man himself, Santa Claus!

Gingerbread House Competition

December 1 - 31

Do you enjoy making cookies and are also a secret architect? Have you always wanted to build that dream home out of confections?



Join this year's City of College Park Gingerbread House Competition! Enter as a single individual or a group. Follow the rules and get to baking! When your creation is complete, fill out this form entirely.

We will announce winners on December 10th at the City's Winter Wonderland event. We want your creative, wacky, whimsical, and best designs. All City of College Park residents are encouraged to participate in the competition; anyone can attend the event.

Top entries will be displayed at City Hall over the holiday season!

Tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 2023

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is a time set aside each year, where we as a country, work together, serving others, to make our communities more equitable. We annually observe this day each year on the third Monday in January. As the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service, MLK Day encourages all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.

The theme for the City of College Park’s 2023 Tribute to Dr. King is the Urgency of Now: One Community, One Love.



The City of College Park is providing multiple ways our residents can honor Dr. King's legacy on January 16th and throughout the entire month. For more information about activities celebrating Dr. King, visit our website.

Please note that by participating in City events, you acknowledge and assume all risks and liabilities including possible exposure to illnesses, including but not limited to COVID-19. Masks and social distancing are strongly encouraged.

DEPARTMENT UPDATES

SmartLeaf Compost and Wood Mulch

Compost is $28.00 per cubic yard, and wood mulch is $12.00 per cubic yard. Material may be picked up Mon.-Fri. between 8:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Deliveries are finished for the season, but material is available year-round (while supplies last) at the Department of Public Works, 9217 51st Avenue, College Park, MD 20740.

For more information on compost click here, or wood mulch click here. For further questions, please call 240-487-3593.

For more information about purchasing Compost or Wood Mulch please visit www.collegeparkmd.gov/gardens.

City Tree Programs

Trees provide many benefits such as reduction of cooling and heating costs, interception of rainwater, increasing property values and improving air quality. The City offers a few ways to help. More information is available at www.collegeparkmd.gov/trees. Fall street tree planning is happening now, send in your requests! 

REQUESTS FOR STREET TREES: The City has a program that pays for and provides street tree planting in the right-of-way area, which includes the grass strip between the curb and sidewalk. College Park residents interested in requesting a tree can contact Brenda Alexander at 240-487-3590 or horticulturist@collegeparkmd.gov. The location will be inspected to determine if it is suitable.

TREE CANOPY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM (TCEP): City of College Park property owners can apply for reimbursement of up to $150.00 annually, for approved tree(s) planted on their residential lot. The completed application should be sent to horticulturist@collegeparkmd.gov for review and approval. Click here for a link to the guidelines and application.

TREE MAINTENANCE The City is responsible for tree maintenance in the rights-of-way, City maintained buildings and parks, and on public property. Trees on private property are the responsibility of the property owner.

Urban Tree Protection: Ordinance 21-O-09

This Ordinance requires an application to be submitted for approval to obtain a permit to remove or prune a tree on residential land.

Beginning July 1, 2022, trees on residential property within the City of College Park, greater than 36 inches in circumference measured at 4.5 feet above ground level, on which the property owner wants to remove or prune live branches or wood more than 20% will need to submit an application to the Department of Public Works for a tree removal/pruning permit and receive approval prior to beginning planned tree work. A requirement of the tree removal/pruning permit is that urban tree(s) approved for removal are replaced.

You can find the permit application at www.collegeparkmd.gov/TreeRemovalApp

For more information, click here.

Pumpkin Composting

If you have pumpkins to dispose of, please consider bringing them to one of the drop-off food scrap locations to be turned back into a useful product.

Curbside Leaf Collection

Curbside leaf vacuuming begins next week in the following areas: SA7 the North End/Sunnyside, SA1 Calvert Hills, SA2 Old Town/West Knox, SA8 CP Woods, Crystal Springs Acredale & Patricia Ct., SA6 Rhode island Ave East.

Click here for November’s calendar.

During Curbside Leaf Collection, signs are posted in your neighborhood in advance of the scheduled collection dates. The collection calendar will be updated as the schedule changes. Look for signs posted in your neighborhood. Click here for the City’s leaf plan and calendar.

TIPS – THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF LEAF COLLECTION!

• Bagging is not necessary during leaf collection with vacuums. Grass can be included in your leaf piles, but no sticks, branches, vines, or woody materials (as these items require a special collection).

• Rake leaves to the curb but do not put them in the street. Pile leaves away from cars and storm drains as the leaf vacuum cannot reach around cars.

• Remove tree limbs, rocks, trash, and other debris from leaves to be collected. These items damage the equipment and cause delays.

• Noise and dust may be noticeable as dry conditions generate more dust. We apologize for any inconvenience.

• When signs are posted, rake leaves to the curb. To ensure collection, put leaves out by the first day listed. Calendar may show two days in an area, but we only collect once per street per collection cycle.

Yard Waste Preparation Requirements

Soft yard waste and woody brush are processed independently into two different end products; therefore, these materials should be prepared separately for collection and further processing.

• Soft yard waste (grass, leaves, flowers, weeds and soft clippings that are less than ½” in diameter) is picked up year-round on your regularly scheduled collection day.
• Woody yard waste (branches, shrubs, brush, and small logs) is collected year-round on Thursday and Friday by appointment only. Please email publicworks@collegeparkmd.gov or call 240-487-3590 to schedule a collection.

• No loose brush, branches or yard waste.
• Preparation: bundle and tie with biodegradable material, use paper yard waste bags, the beige yard waste cart, or personal reusable containers* for either type of source-separated material. *Personal containers must have a yellow City yard waste sticker; free stickers are available at DPW
• Separate soft material from woody material. Place each type of source-separated material in a separate container.
• Bundles of woody material must be no more than 4 feet long and comprised of individual branches up to 4 inches in diameter.
• Individual bundles must not exceed 2 feet in diameter or weigh more than 50 pounds and must be tied with biodegradable material.
• Logs must be cut into 12-inch sections and no more than 12 inches in diameter. A maximum of 25 logs will be collected at a scheduled pick-up.
• Do not use plastic bags, or city-issued refuse or recycling carts
• Do not mix lumber, trash, dirt, rocks, or other unacceptable items with yard waste.
• Place at the curb by 7:00 am
• Material that is oversized and requires the use of a crane will be charged at a cost of $100 per collection, per hour
• Material improperly set out for collection will not be collected. A door hanger error notice will be left informing you of the problem.

Department of Public Services

Weekly Highlights of Contract Police Activity

October 21 - October 27

10/21 Contract officer conducted a traffic assignment (Stop Sign Enforcement) 49^th Avenue and Berwyn Road. 8 warning citations and 1 SERO were issued

10/21 Contract officer observed a pedestrian failed to wait for the pedestrian crosswalk signal at Baltimore Avenue and College Avenue. 4 citations were issued.

10/22 Contract officers assisted Holy Redeemer School with their “Monster Bash” event.

10/22 Contract Officers responded to the 4500 block of  Knox Road for an individual that was struck from a projectile from an airsoft weapon. Warrants/charges are pending.

10/22 Contract officer conducted a traffic stop for loud exhaust at Baltimore Avenue/ College Avenue. The driver was issued 7 citations and 5 equipment repair orders. 

10/25 Contract officer conducted a traffic stop at Baltimore Avene and Hollywood Road for a minor traffic violation. The driver was issued 7 citations and 3 warnings and was placed under arrest for 2 open warrants.

Oct 24, 2022 to Oct 30, 2022

There were 3 municipal infractions issued for one violation of the Noise Ordinance, and none for Article I, 141-1 Danger to Public Safety/Health or Article II, 141-13 Unruly Social Gatherings.

Statistical Data and issued

(916-9/22):

MD State Citations: 73

Warnings: 126

Equipment Repair Orders: 11

Distracted Driving Citations: 0

Parking Citations: 0

Field Observation Report: 1

Youth Field Observation Report: 0

Citations in Lieu of Arrest: 0

Civil Citation: 0

Criminal Arrests: 0

DWS Arrest: 0

DWI Arrest: 0

Warrant Arrest: 2

Premise Checks: 8

Referral Student Code of Conduct: 0

Zone 1/Downtown Area Pedestrian Warnings: 7

Zone 1/Downtown Area Pedestrian Citations: 5

Zone 2/Berwyn-Lakeland Pedestrian Warnings: 0

Zone 2/ Berwyn-Lakeland Pedestrian Citations: 0

Zone 3/North College Park Pedestrian Warnings: 0

Zone 3/North College Park Pedestrian Citations: 0

Loud Exhaust Enforcement Stats:

Citations: 7

Warnings: 0

SERO's: 5

Year to date Statistics (starting 4/19/21):

Citations: 543

Warnings: 145

SERO's: 125

Monthly Public Safety Maps



For monthly Prince George's County Police public safety maps and statistical data for the City of College Park, visit www.collegeparkmd.gov/publicsafety.

Community Meetings

Note: These are not City meetings but have City staff or Contract Police as a host.