The Town of Landover Hills "National Night Out" held on Tuesday, August 5, 2003, around the Town of Landover Hills Town Hall and adjourning park area was a great success. One of the young Town residents who attended the Landover Hills "National Night Out" asked, "What is the National Night Out all about". I responded by saying that the "National Night Out" is a time that has been set aside across our nation; when local governments, citizen associations and other types of community organizations join with persons in the law enforcement community, to send a message to individuals who engage in criminal activities, that crime will not be tolerated. I continued by saying that the "National Night Out" is also a time when citizens come out to meet and greet their neighbors in a show of solidarity against crime.
 

I would like to thank all of the Town residents who participated; also Delegate Victor Ramirez, one of the three delegates who represent us in our 47^th Legislative District, in the Maryland House of Delegates. Members of the Town of Landover Hills Town Council, Vice Mayor Jeannette Ripley, Councilmember Mike Thompson (who took care of the hot dog and soft drink table), Councilmembers Roderick Kennedy, Richard Shipp, Gary Rowe, Terry Wilson and former council member Bill Kley. Also the Prince George's County Police, MNCPPC Park Police, Police Chief Henry Norris, Town Manager Kathleen Tavel and the principal organizer of the event, Landover Hills Police Department Administrative Assistant Juanita Hood. Also a big thanks to Public Works employees Leo Benjamin and James Ford for cooking the hotdogs and helping to set up and clean up after the event. Many thanks to all of the organizations that participated, and to everyone who came out.
 

There will be another important event that will take place in the Town of Landover Hills this month. On August 21, 2003 at 11 a.m.; this event was also mentioned in last month's Chronicle newsletter. The event is the Town of Landover Hills Neighborhood Playground Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Everyone is invited to come out and join us for this very special event.
 

A few words about helping to keep our Town clean and beautiful. All town residents are requested to observe trash collection days, and put out trash in closed containers to discourage attracting animals or creating an environment for unwanted pests. Your complete cooperation can make the difference.
 

The next Town Meeting will be held on Monday, August 18, 2003 at 7:30 p.m. Support your Town through your active participation.
 

Mayor Lee. P. Walker

*Note: Meeting day has been changed to Tuesday due to the Labor Day holiday.

Congratulations to the following game winners at National Night Out!
 

Jamie Rowe- Pass the Pie Contest
 

Kendra & Angel Barbour- Balloon Toss
 
 

Sunset Boat Tour,Friday, August 22, 6-8 pm. Enjoy a scenic cruise aboard a pontoon boat along the Patuxent River. Refreshments will be served. Reservations required. Ages 6 & up. Fee: $3. Patuxent River Park, 16000 Croom Airport Road, Upper Marlboro. Info: 301-627-6074.
 

Summer Marketplace, Saturday, August 23, 8am- 3 pm. Do you enjoy outdoor shopping? Come to this community event and purchase quality crafts, flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables, baked goods, unique jewelry, apparel, art, prints, home goods and more. Vendors wanted-301-583-2582. All ages welcome. FREE admission. Prince George's Sports & Learning Complex, 8001 Sheriff Road, Landover. Info: 301-583-2530.
 

Summer Music on the Portico Series, Wednesday, August 27, 7-8 pm. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy a FREE concert featuring Project Natale. Grilled dinners will be available for sale prior to the show. Riversdale House Museum, 4811 Riverdale Road, Riverdale Park. Info: 301-864-0420.

New to the area and looking for a group to join? Having a personal problem and need some help? Ready to volunteer your time to a worthy cause? Prince George's County has it all, and now you can access this information on your computer at: www.marylandshare.org
 

Prince George's County Memorial Library System maintains a database- the Community Information File (CIF). As part fo the Department of Education's Maryland Share website, CIF provides a listing of non-profit service agencies, organizations, associations and clubs. Hotlines. Crisis intervention. Want to be or need a mentor? Interested in art or sports? Looking for the nearest Lions Club or VFW? Name of contact, phone numbers and addresses, purposes of the organizations, hours of operation or club meeting times and places are available with a click of your "mouse"!
 

If you are a member of an organization and wonder if your group is listed, visit the website. If your organization is not listed or the information needs updating, give the Community Information File desk a call at 301-699-3500, ext. 245 and let them know.

Check it out at www.marylandshare.org
 
 

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Tuesdays:

PG County recycling collections.

Town Household waste collection
 

Wednesdays: Yard Waste Pick-up and Bulk Trash pick-up
 

Fridays:

Town Household waste collection
 

Re-cycling

Any questions or concerns regarding recycling pick-ups in Town should be directed to 301-952-7630.

Tuesdays and Fridays are regular household trash pick-up days. What this means is that only trash generated in the kitchen or household waste paper baskets will be picked up. EVERYTHING else is picked up on Wednesdays. The new trash company considers everything other than household trash to be bulk trash. This includes small household objects such as irons, cardboard boxes, furniture items, etc. This reason for this is that the County Land fill has areas for different types of trash. What is picked up on Tuesdays and Fridays must be, for the most part, biodegradable. That is garbage or trash that will decompose over time. Objects that are made of heavy wood, metal and the like are considered bulk trash because they are dumped in a different part of the landfill and need to be collected separately.
 

There are some items that homeowners are responsible for getting rid of. These are hazardous wastes (e.g. paints, insecticides and other household chemicals) and building supplies such as roofing shingles, large quantities of wood or sheet rock, bricks, cement, cinder blocks etc. The county landfill, on Brown Station Road is open to residents free of charge every Sunday. They will direct you to the proper place to drop off your special items. No commercial or lettered vehicles are permitted.

• To get rid of rats, remove food, water, and shelter and seal entryways.

 
• Keep garbage, trash and garden debris in receptacles with tight-fitting lids.

 
• Remove weeds and debris near buildings and in yards; don't give rats a place to hide.

 
• Sweep up food remains, litter and trash inside and outside your home.

 
• Seal all cracks and openings in the house's foundation that are larger than 1/4 inch.

 
• Make sure doors, windows, and screens fit tightly.

 
• Don't provide hiding places for rodents; store materials such as lumber and boxes on a rack with a clean, open area underneath. Get rid of unused materials and junk!!

 

All rodent baits (rat poison) are toxic to pets and children!!

April 24, 2004 will mark the 16^th year of the Christmas in April program. Thousands of volunteers will provide home repair services to elderly and physically challenged Prince George's County homeowners on this date.
 

All the work is done of the last Saturday in April. The scope of work ranges from yard work to interior painting to replacing old appliances and installing smoke detectors. Over the past 15 years, 1387 homes have been repaired at no cost to the homeowner.
 

Applicants must be elderly or disabled, of low to moderate income and own and live in the home to be repaired. Applications are available at the Landover Hills Town Hall or by calling 301-868-0937. Applications must be received by Christmas in April by November 1, 2003 to be considered for the 2004 program.

I would like to thank all of the residents that came out for National Night Out on Tuesday, August 5, 2003. If you missed it, make sure you mark your calendars for the first Tuesday in August next year so that you can come out and join us.
 

The Town of Landover Hills will be hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony on August 21, at 11:00 am for the Landover Hills Neighborhood Playground. There has been many children enjoying the playground but, we also have people vandalizing the playground by writing graffiti on the equipment. Fortunately, most of the graffiti has been removed but now someone is using an object to scratch into the plastic. If you are with your children at the playground or if your older children see someone doing this, please report it to our department. This is your playground for your enjoyment. DON'T let anyone spoil it ...
 

If you own a bicycle, keep it in a secure location, not left in the yard where it

can be stolen. You also want to register your bicycles with the police department and remember keep all paperwork that shows the make, model and serial number of your bike. Parents, if your child shows up with a bike that you did not purchase, look into this a little closer. Where did the bike come from, who gave it to them, etc. Once you have talked with your child, please call our department to see if the bike has been reported stolen. We currently have eight bicycles in our property room that have been found by residents in the Town. If your bike is missing or was stolen, please give us a call at 301-773-6400.
 

One of the nice things about living in a small community is that we can watch out for each other and we are aware when there are people or vehicles around that are not usually in the community. Recently, we received a couple of calls concerning several males that were working on a house in the Town. The men were repeatedly yelling at girls , making them feel uncomfortable about their surroundings. We all make an effort to tell our children at an early age to stay away from strangers but as they get older, we don't always reinforce what they should do if they are in a situation involving a stranger and it makes them uncomfortable. First of all, if they are home, they should go into the house and lock the door, then they should call the police and report a suspicious person so that they can be checked out. If possible, they should get a tag number and a description of the person or persons and their vehicle description., but only if this does not put them in danger. I would like to ask all residents to report suspicious activity when it happens, not two or three days later. We want you to feel safe in your community.
 

Our department has been impounding numerous vehicles that are considered abandoned and I would like to explain to you what an abandoned vehicle means. An abandoned vehicle as classified by the State,County, and Landover Hills, is one that is either unlicensed, unregistered, partially dismantled or in an inoperative condition. (If your vehicle is parked on the street with a flat tire for awhile) this is classified as an abandoned vehicle. Another example is if you recently purchased a used vehicle from a lot or from an auction house and the person placed a tag on it or sold it with a tag, chances are it is not a valid tag. You must apply for tags with the Motor Vehicle Administration and you will receive a temporary tag with a temporary registration. Some dealers do have the authority to issue a temporary tag. If this is the case, you will receive a temporary registration card that shows the correct vehicle identification number. The State of Maryland issues one temporary tag, the District of Columbia and the State of Virginia issue two temporary tags for the front and rear of the vehicle. Our department has mobile computers in all of the police cars which allows us to check tag numbers on the scene. If we see a vehicle that is not familiar or it has a problem with the tag that is on the vehicle,we will check to see if it is a valid tag. If it is not we will impound the vehicle immediately. We may at times place an impound sticker on the vehicle. If you ever get a vehicle impound sticker on one of your cars, please call our station to find out what the problem is. If you do not call or you remove the

sticker, you will find your car has been impounded by the next day at the latest if not sooner. If your vehicle is impounded for being an abandoned vehicle, you will have to pay a $25.00 administrative fee and a parking violation fine of $100.00 before you can get a release for your vehicle.
 

One last reminder, if you need one of our officers, call 301-333-4000. This is the number for Prince Georges' County Police Communications. Our police department receives their calls over the County radio system If there isn't a Landover Hills Officer, a Prince Georges' County Officer would be sent to answer your call or complaint. If you call 301-773-6400 there may not be anyone in the office to answer the call. Our officers are usually only in the station at the beginning and ending of their shift.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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