City-GHI Stakeholder Meeting Tackles Tax Assessments, Power Outages and Crime Trends

In this economically challenging time, areas of common fiscal concern -- routine and controversial -- dominated the Greenbelt City Council’s joint work session with representatives of the 1,600-unit housing cooperative, Greenbelt Homes, Inc. (GHI), at Monday night’s city-GHI stakeholder meeting.

Seated around a large conference table, Mayor Judith “J” Davis, Mayor Pro Tem Emmett Jordan and other City Council members engaged in an exchange with six of the nine members of the GHI Board of Directors and GHI general manager Gretchen Overdurff, who discussed topics as diverse as walkway lighting, the city’s 75th anniversary celebration, crime, right of ways, snow, water meters and piping.

Lighting

Several GHI board members expressed concern that the well-used inner walkway between 11 Court and 13 Court of Ridge Road that directly connects it to Crescent, near the community center, is poorly lit at night. While GHI normally responds directly to member requests for lighting improvements, the oval strip of land along the pathway is city property.

Overdurff stressed that GHI would share the results of assistant general manager Eldon Ralph’s consultations with a contractor and that GHI would consider helping to pay for improved lighting. Mayor Davis said that the City Council would study walkway usage; replacement of, repairs, or additions to existing lighting infrastructure; as well as survey neighbor opinions about lights.

75th Anniversary Celebration

Mayor Davis briefly listed events planned for the 75th anniversary of the founding of Greenbelt, including a three-day symposium, house and garden tours and a gala dinner. Anniversary committee member and GHI board member, Irv Wartell, reminded everyone about plans to sell commemorative T-shirts and hats.

Mayor Davis noted that the committee selected events from more than 500 suggestions, but she invited other Greenbelters to plan and staff events as well as come up with creative ideas, since volunteers are “what makes Greenbelt, Greenbelt," she said. The mayor also reminded council and GHI that the anniversary celebrates the entire city, not just GHI pioneers and the founding of historic Old Greenbelt, and that the events should include and involve all parts of the city.

GHI president Tokey Boswell stressed the need for volunteer-driven shuttles and parking enforcement during the celebration period to minimize the impact on the center of town.

Crime Trends

Greenbelt police officer Carl H. Schinner reported on the city crime statistics for GHI and Old Greenbelt. He praised the new crime mapping system for spotting trends and stated that this year, so far, there were only six burglaries and eight robberies, including the armed robbery at the Greenbelt Credit Union, which he suggested were relatively low figures compared to the rest of Prince George’s County.