Announcements
Jack Perry Award
Metro's Yellow Line Service Extended
Community Newspaper
Free Summer Parking Returns!
Mosquito Control
Business Recognition Program
Food Scrap Drop-Off Program
Items Available for Purchase at DPW
Jack Perry Award
In February 2013, the College Park City Council established an award in recognition of Councilman John Edward “Jack” Perry.
Councilman Perry served on the College Park City Council from 1979 to 1983 and from 1989 to 2011, for a total of 26 years. From the time he moved to College Park’s Berwyn neighborhood in 1969, until his death in 2012, Jack was deeply committed to serving his community, which he demonstrated by spending many hours working to improve the quality of life for all who lived and worked in College Park. Through the years, he volunteered on numerous associations, boards, coalitions, task forces and committees at the neighborhood, city, county and state levels. This Award will recognize a member of the community who emulates Councilman Jack Perry’s legacy of public service.
Eligibility: To be eligible for the award, a person must be at least 18 years of age and a registered voter or legal resident of College Park.
Criteria: The Jack Perry award will recognize a College Park resident who has participated to an extraordinary degree in neighborhood, civic, or municipal affairs within the City in a manner that improves public spaces, fosters community cohesion, eradicates blight, informs discussion of public issues, provides leadership, and/or furthers the best interests of the City as a whole.
Nominations: From May 15 to July 15 each year, any resident, neighborhood association or organization in the City may submit a nomination for the Jack Perry Award. Nominations may be submitted in writing to: City of College Park, City Clerk, 4500 Knox Road, College Park, MD, 20740, or by e-mail to jsmiller@collegeparkmd.gov. All nominations will be reviewed by a Committee that includes a member of the Perry family. This non-monetary award will be presented by the City Council in the Fall.
Metro's Yellow Line Service Extended to Greenbelt
Beginning Saturday, May 25, all WMATA Metro Yellow Line trains will run to the Greenbelt Station.
The Platform Improvement Project will close six Yellow and Blue line stations south of Reagan National Airport. By adding the Yellow Line Service to some of the Green line stations, Metro hopes that it will provide a more reliable service between the airport station, downtown DC and points north during the summer shutdown.
Nine stations from Greenbelt to Shaw-Howard U will see rush-hour service levels double as a result of the change.
For more information about the extended service, click here.
Interested in a Community Newspaper?
Hey College Park residents: would you want a community newspaper mailed to your home every month?
A local community newspaper is interested in creating a brand new paper focused on College Park news and events.
We need input from you! Fill out this survey surveymonkey.com/r/CPnewspaper and tell us what you'd want to see in a local newspaper by June 7, 2019.
Free Summer Parking Returns!
Once again, parking in the Downtown Garage and City Hall lot on weekday nights and weekends will be free for the summer. Beginning May 25 through August 18, 2019, the Downtown Garage and City Hall lot will have free parking after 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and all-day on weekends. Be sure check out a restaurant or local business during this summer!
Mosquito Control
The City of College Park cooperates with the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) to identify and control mosquito populations. Larviciding treatments are made by MDA personnel to known areas of standing water to control mosquito larva by preventing development into adult mosquitos. Spraying to control adult mosquitoes has begun and will run through September. Wednesday is the designated night when spraying for adult mosquitoes may occur in College Park. MDA doesn’t spray individual properties; they treat neighborhoods that meet established thresholds.
MDA has initiated a new mosquito complaint procedure; click here to provide your information.
Request for Exemption from Adult Mosquito Control Services:
Any resident who wishes to have the frontage of their property excluded from adult mosquito control pesticide applications, by truck-mounted ultra-low volume (ULV) sprayers must fill out this form annually. Click here for the application.
For permanent areas of standing water (ponds, rain barrels, etc.), mosquito "torpedos" can be used to target and control mosquito larvae. You can stop by the City's Department Public Works to obtain a mosquito torpedo.
Here are some tips to remove mosquito breeding sites:
- Clean rain gutters to allow water to flow freely.
- Turn over or store wading pools, pots and plastic containers.
- Dispose of all empty beverage containers, plastic wrappers, discarded toys, etc.
- Check for trapped water in plastic or canvas tarps. Arrange the tarp so water drains away.
- Replace water in bird baths at least twice a week.
- Remove pet food and water dishes that are not being used.
- Flush water in the bottom of plant holders twice a week.
- Repair exterior water faucets that drip.
- Turn wheelbarrows upside down when stored outside.
- Check ornamental ponds, tree holes, and low areas that hold water for mosquito larvae. Mosquito Torpedos are available at Public Works to treat these areas.
- If ditches do not flow and contain stagnant water for one week or longer, they can produce large numbers of mosquitoes. Report such conditions to a Mosquito Control Office. Do not attempt to clear these ditches because they may be protected by wetlands.
Contact the Mosquito Control Section of the Maryland Department of Agriculture for additional assistance and advice. For more information click here to visit their website or call them at 410-841-5870.
Business of the Year Recognition Program
College Park’s growing and vibrant business community is full of unsung heroes who provide well-paying jobs for our residents, develop creative solutions to everyday problems, and take care of the community that they call home.
To show our appreciation for these outstanding businesses and their positive impacts on our community, the City has recently developed a Business of the Year recognition program. The program is designed to highlight the contributions of one particularly outstanding business each year.
Residents and business owners are encouraged to nominate their favorite businesses for the reward. The winning business will be announced in October and will receive a plaque to place in their establishment.
Nominations are accepted via the online web form on our website now through August 31, 2019. For details or to nominate a business, visit www.collegeparkmd.gov/econdev.
Food Scrap Drop-Off
The City's new Food Scrap Drop-off Program is off to a great start! Since April 1, we have diverted 1.3 tons of food scraps from the landfill!
Collecting food scraps and food soiled paper products is easy. When preparing meals, separate food scraps from other garbage to divert this organic material from the landfill to a composting facility. Please make sure to only use BPI certified compostable bags, as regular plastic bags could contaminate the entire cart resulting in it being taken to the landfill instead of composted.
Drop off your collected food scraps at the City's Department of Public Works or at the Hollywood and Downtown Farmers Markets (Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Sundays 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. respectively).
For more information about how to collect or drop-off food scraps, please visit www.collegeparkmd.gov/foodscraps or check out the video below for a how-to and details.
Items Available for Purchase at the Department of Public Works
Rain Barrels $72.00
Rain barrels are a great way to keep runoff from leaving your home. Outdoor watering accounts for a large percentage of water consumption. By having a rain barrel and storing rainfall, you’ll have water for outdoor irrigation. Size is 50-gallon.
Once installed, Prince George’s County residents can apply for a Rain Check Rebate, off-setting most of the cost!
Rain barrels come with lid, overflow cap, pre-installed screen and ring, flex overflow hose, ball valve - spigot, re-usable zip ties, hose clamp and rubber washer. Diverter kit is not included.
Backyard Compost Bin $20 City residents/$40 non-residents
Composting is a great way to dispose of your household food waste and yard waste diverting them from the landfill.
Size: 33” high x 31” wide, large capacity – 11 cubic feet with convenient 12”x16” offset, front access door.
Yard Waste Carts $25 for City residents
The beige yard waste cart can be used for either “soft yard waste” or “woody yard waste.” The two products are collected on separate days and processed into different products.
This sturdy cart has wheels and a lift-bar for easy collection. Using the yard waste cart can save time and money – single use paper lawn bags become expensive over time and can tear or fall apart when wet.
SMARTLEAF® Compost & Wood Mulch
SMARTLEAF® compost is $28.00 per cubic yard, and wood mulch is $12.00 per cubic yard. Delivery is available for a fee. Material may also be picked up at the Department of Public Works.
Bring your open-bed pickup truck or trailer and material can be loaded in your vehicle for you. Trucks with a 4’ bed can hold ½ a cubic yard, a 6’ bed can hold 1 cubic yard, and an 8’ bed can hold 2 cubic yards.
Don't have a truck? Bring a shovel and your own containers (bins, buckets, bags, etc.) and be prepared to load your containers yourself. We sell in 1/4 cubic yard increments.
- ½ cubic yard is approximately 20 five-gallon buckets
- ¼ cubic yard is approximately 10 five-gallon buckets; or 3 paper yard waste bags filled half full
For more information click here to visit our web page, or call us at 240-487-3590 or email publicworks@collegeparkmd.gov.