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Comments are by Councilmembers Llatetra Brown Esters and Susan Whitney and are not approved or sanctioned by the City of College Park.
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City Manager’s Report    

Mr. Young did not have anything to report but reminded Mayor and Council that the agenda should be re-ordered to accommodate for invited guests on the agenda who will be late due to an event honoring County Councilmember Glaros. 

Discussion of City Events – Ryna Quiñones, Communications and Events Manager 

Ms. Quiñones indicated the past two years have been busy with events.  She said that since Kevin Blackerby started a year ago, we have added a number of events including the Friday Night Live series, we brought back College Park Day, and held a parade for Fourth of July. They would like to discuss what we would like to see in the events moving forward.  

Mayor Wojahn talked about how great events have been and how he has heard good things from many folks about family-oriented events.  

Councilmember Esters thanked Ms. Quiñones and Mr. Blackerby for their work.  She mentioned just having heard from a resident on Friday while talking to Mr. Blackerby during an event at Duvall field who indicated her appreciation for the family-oriented events. She expressed her understanding of the amount of work that goes into holding events whether there are 20 or 200 in attendance.  She shared her appreciation for events such as the Friday Night Live series that bring people together.  

Councilmember Whitney recognized the work for events and spoke of her enthusiasm about the return of College Park Day.  She mentioned the July Fourth parade and believes that gathering volunteers should be easier moving forward.  She added that it may be helpful to do a pared-down fireworks display in conjunction with the University of Maryland.  

Mr. Blackerby mentioned staff response to input from the community about offering family-oriented events. They are working to create events that appeal across the age spectrum. 

Councilmember Mitchell thanked staff for their work and understood where we came from and where we are now.  She acknowledged staff for coming to College Park Woods to hold events.  She asked about staff involvement in the planning of the Veterans Day event.  She knows that many veterans look forward to this memorial for Veterans Day.  Ms. Quiñones said they work with the Veterans Memorial Committee (VMC) to coordinate the event held at the memorial.  

Councilmember Kabir thanked staff for their work.  He acknowledged both comments about the parade that many residents looked forward to and the challenge in getting volunteers. He mentioned the possibility of offering paid volunteer opportunities like other cities.  He agreed it would be challenging to pull off two events on July 4. He added that two major upcoming projects, including Duvall Field and Hollywood Streetscape, would have parklets and asked for events to be held in these spaces.  He also asked for a general event for immigrants as they are a large part of our community.  He mentioned an international food festival and shared that as a possibility.  Suggested decorating City Hall with international flags. Kevin Blackerby mentioned that volunteers are often nurtured and feels that we are at the base level of asking people to participate.  He explained that we are getting volunteers from high schools and the University, but not too many residents.  He added that volunteers participate via word of mouth. They have a strategy they will be working on to increase volunteers.  Councilmember Kabir mentioned the possibility of having a pool of volunteers.  

Councilmember Adams offered thanks and recognized the success of events within the City.  He mentioned the return on investments on the events and having heard positive things from many about the events that are occurring and how they bring folks together.  In particular, he mentioned Friday Night Live, saying they set the bar high.  He suggested we can extend what we do by blocking off Knox Road near city hall to hold smaller events.  He mentioned intermittent events throughout the year and activities to recognize unique experiences that obtain national recognition.  

Mr. Young shared that he is working with the businesses that will be in city hall to host events on both Fridays and Saturdays, including Shop Made in Maryland. 

Mr. Blackerby spoke of resources and seeking opportunities for cost savings.  As they look at 2023, they will consider ways to obtain items that will increase efficiency.

Ms. Quiñones mentioned the upcoming Winter Wonderland event to include a Christmas market at City Hall on December 10. 

Mayor Wojahn recognized Cub Scout Troop 740 that joined the meeting in person to learn more about city government.  

Councilmember Rigg said he, too, was enthusiastic about events that have activated City Hall Plaza and bring folks together. He mentioned the possibility of work with Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC) and Panhellenic Society to host events.  He went on to share his understanding of challenges associated with getting volunteers and mentioned his interest in more staff involvement with VMC and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Committee events to sustain them over time.  He indicated his disappointment that we were unable to have fireworks on July 4th because people look forward to it and expressed his belief the fireworks would be a better return on investment versus the parade.  He said he would support steady growth of the events budget moving forward to help increase events.  

Councilmember Kennedy stated that the most impressive thing about the events team is their analytical abilities and expressed trust in their work and insight.  She asked about committees and staff recommendations being at odds and suggested that there be an off-the-record discussion to learn more.  She said there can often be an emotional attachment to activities and mentioned staff having the support from the council to do their work. She suggested that the parade be held at a time other than July 4th and shared her thoughts about the parade being more unique.  She said she would be happy to give money to the university and have them do the fireworks.  She asked that marketing be used to obtain more volunteers and for more turn-key resources that will assist in getting volunteers.  She suggested it would be good to bring back the volunteer appreciation dinner we used to hold and expressed interest in data about College Park residents attending events, perhaps at the events as they occur.  She said she’s curious about what brings non-residents to College Park and how we might get them to move here.  Ms. Quiñones said we do have data for some events, especially those that were ticketed through Eventbrite.  It is hard to capture data for larger events, such as College Park Day. However, they know there are people who come from other areas, such as Bethesda and Silver Spring.  They’re working to fine-tune events such as College Park Day.  

Councilmember Mackie asked if there would be questions about events in the resident survey.  She indicated she is pro-parade; you cannot interact with people during fireworks.  She thinks food at events is a great thing. 

Councilmember Whitney suggested that older volunteers be given access handicap parking and said having a prize raffle for volunteers might get people excited.

Councilmember Esters mentioned Mayor Wojahn’s highlights of restaurants throughout the city and suggested the city host a Taste of College Park event to give exposure to the various restaurants in the city.

Councilmember Mitchell mentioned an event done by her sorority that gives men the chance to show off their cooking skills and suggested the City consider holding such an event.   

Mayor Wojahn suggested that the staff are doing many things and are stretched thin. Kevin mentioned that they appreciate the ideas and will work to incorporate them into what they’re already doing.  

Mayor Wojahn mentioned the MLK event at the Clarice Center for the Performing Arts and the Dream Team Basketball Classic held pre-pandemic. He said a nationally-prominent shot coach and former Lakeland resident reached out before the pandemic about potentially holding a local event, saying UMD’s Office of Community Engagement might be interested in following up on that.  

Mr. Young said the University has been a great partner and that we’d need to look at our budget and coordinate with the University to determine how fireworks will be done moving forward.  

Discussion of 2023 Legislative Session and City Priorities – City lobbyists Len Lucchi and Stephanie Anderson and Sen. Rosapepe – Bill Gardiner, Assistant City Manager 

Mr. Gardiner introduced the item and talked about what normally occurs and asked the lobbyist to discuss what they anticipate being the most prevalent issues during the upcoming session. 

Mr. Lucchi said 2023 will be a year of change with a new Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Comptroller. The legislative leadership will be new. The City is well positioned, as the two new committee chairs for appropriations and health live in College Park (Delegate Ben Barnes will chair the Appropriations Committee and Delegate Joselyn Peña-Melnyk will chair the Health Committee). He also recognized Senator Rosapepe, who also lives in College Park, as the third most senior senator. 

Mr. Lucchi went on to say that the Legislature will need to deal with Governor Hogan’s budget. For the first time in 100 years legislators can add and change the budget when in the past they could only cut.  Paid family medical leave, the Climate Solutions Now Act and, if Question 4 passes, the legalization of Cannabis will be considerations during the upcoming session.  

He went on to discuss the City’s legislative agenda, saying he’s heard discussion about giving municipalities more authority in monitoring noise.  Mr. Lucchi mentioned that the Prince George’s delegation normally starts taking submissions from municipalities now for State bond bills (one-time expenses for local initiatives).  He expressed his belief that the City is in a good space with Senator Rosapepe and Ben Barnes in bond-related leadership positions.  

Senator Rosapepe began his remarks by saying the state has a $1 billion surplus for this year and a similar surplus is anticipated for next year, which is a big difference from past years.  He said everyone is surprised by the outcome of the growing economy. He added that the stock market has gone way down while inflation is up, and there is talk of a recession over the next 18 months. He said the State wants to take advantage of what they want to do, but is also putting money in the rainy-day fund. His advocacy was to go heavy on rainy day fund contributions, saying that during past recessions, taxes were raised and services were cut, and he’d rather be conservative now so those difficult decisions don’t have to be made.  He said we’ve had 8 years of stable government and described Governor Hogan as rather hands-off except for those things that were important to him.  That has been the culture of the Hogan administration.  He anticipates it will be very different with a democratic governor.  Senator Rosapepe said Wes Moore has not held office before, he is bright, and it’s hard to predict how aggressive he will be with his agenda. 

Senator Rosapepe advised the City to pick priorities that are reasonable and doable.  Graduate Student housing will be a priority. He wants to go back and get more of the $50 million requested for graduate student housing. Thus far, only $5 million of that has been appropriated.   

Mayor Wojahn thanked the lobbyists and the Senator for their advocacy.  He specifically thanked Senator Rosapepe mentioning money for graduate housing.  Mayor Wojahn said the priorities of city including affordable housing, Attick Towers, noise ordinances, a community center in North College Park, stormwater management, Route 1 reconstruction project (phases 2 and 3), making the city more walkable, working with UMD to make Campus Drive more walkable & bikable, andwith Greenbelt to make Greenbelt Road more walkable & bikable.  

Councilmember Kennedy thanked the 21^st Delegation for securing almost $8 million for the Community Preservation Trust (CPT) and mentioned that it was Day 1 for CPT’s next executive director.

Councilmember Mitchell asked Senator Rosapepe for support for MML’s push for local police reform and accountability boards. She underscored the importance of stormwater management.  She also mentioned asked that the State consider restoring unemployment funding for caregivers, saying those benefits were taken away 10-15 years ago, and the pandemic underscored their importance.  

Councilmember Whitney mentioned the increase of incidents of investors buying properties and single-family homes and its impacts on neighborhoods within the City.  She said mitigating that was one of the goals of the Community Preservation Trust (CPT), but she thinks we might need more than the CPT to address it.  She mentioned an initiative in Ohio to place a 45-day hold on investor purchases to stall the process and give purchasing preference to individuals who want to live and stay in the city or to a nonprofit affordable housing group.  Senator Rosapepe thought it was a good idea and suggested the city come up with the actions the city can take on their own, what the county can do, and what the State can do.  He suggested coordinating with other entities like the City of Baltimore and Montgomery County to build a coalition. He also mentioned the Council talking about tougher enforcement of county prohibitions on more than five unrelated persons living in a home.  

Councilmember Kabir highlighted the ask for a bond bill for a North College Park Community Center. He said Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) has come up with a site selection and the next focus will be on design. He also thanked the Senator for funds provided to Meals on Wheels and the 21^st  Delegation for their work on the modified muffler legislation. Councilmember Kabir mentioned a recent meeting with Hollywood Elementary School about school overcrowding.  He said they need more classrooms and could use some trailers. He then asked about the possibility of helping with bond bills for that. Senator Rosapepe said that bond bills cannot be used for school build outs.  However, he has worked for increased funds to go to the County for schools. The new school board representative and Eric Olson will play an important role. He suggested talking to Valerie Woodhall if there were ideas about College Park Academy.    

Councilmember Adams expressed his support for graduate student housing and senior housing and spoke of the importance of plans to increase walkability.  He also mentioned the possibility of the flat fare for Washington Metropolitan Transportation Authority (WMATA) and said that sometimes it is cheaper to drive and pay for parking than to take the metro into DC.  He went on to mention stormwater management; advocate for changes to the Resilient Maryland Revolving Loan Fund (RMRLF) that would provide additional state and local government channels for receiving and distributing funds, would enable the Fund to access money from FEMA, and would enable some low-income property owners to be relieved of the burden of full loan repayment; and undergrounding electric poles. He said the reliance on electrical poles is different now and asked about the possibility of supplemental funding. The Senator explained he has been working on this issue for years and Pepco continues to fight undergrounding. He said undergrounding of power lines will create jobs. He said the involvement of the Maryland Municipal League (MML), Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) and environmentalists would help to make a difference. The challenge is putting together the coalition to make this happen.  

Councilmember Rigg mentioned concern about County redistricting and zoning and talked about providing land use authority to the City. The Council has been pretty successful in helping to work with the State in planning for the City, but we can only do so much if we can’t shape our own destiny.  The Senator said he has been working on this for a while. There is land use in authority in Laurel where developers and residents are happier.  Senator Rosapepe suggested that the City work to get UMD on board. He does not know how it is that a County government that is so slow and inefficient would not allow the City to take on more of the burden.  

Mayor Wojahn mentioned the work that is being done to help us take on more permitting authority.  Mr. Lucchi said that of the 27 municipalities in Prince George’s County only Laurel has land use authority.   

Councilmember Esters reiterated the need to address senior housing, but specifically mentioned transitional housing for those seeking to stay in the city but who are not in need of subsidized housing. Senator Rosapepe mentioned his knowledge of individuals in similar situations and said that it is a city planning issue that will require local leadership. He added that the city will need to identify locations and solicit developers.  

Councilmember Mackie mentioned her concern about infrastructure in Maryland, saying we don’t want College Park to be mentioned like Jackson, MS, where residents have to boil water. She also wanted the state to focus on emergency preparedness, saying major weather events are no longer just a Florida problem, they happen here, too. 

Councilmember Mitchell said she hopes that state legislators in Annapolis understand what municipalities do on a day-to-day basis and engage with them, saying not all municipalities have the benefit of a close working relationship with their representatives like College Park has.

Councilmember Kabir asked about Route 1 reconstruction and what needs to happen to get the next phases funded. Senator Rosapepe said Phase 1 of the project is to be completed soon and added that funding for transportation is not currently in great shape.  He said the goal is to make improvements during the upcoming session. He mentioned there is federal funding for infrastructure projects such as the Route 1 reconstruction. He said the City will need to get the county to put other phases on their priority listing ASAP.  

Senator Rosapepe thanked us for what we do and said he likes working with us.  He indicated he worked to greet everyone who enter College Park Day and suggests that Mayor and Council do the same.  

Discussion of additional use of ARPA funds for the hospitality industry: $300,000 to The Hotel/Southern Management Companies –  Michael Williams, Economic Development Manager 

Discussion of additional use of ARPA funds for the hospitality industry: $150,000 to Cambria Hotel/Southern Management –  Michael Williams, Economic Development Manager 

Discussion of additional use of ARPA funds for the hospitality industry: $350,000 to GrillMarx UMD Restaurant in the amount of $350,000 allocated through Loss Revenue provisions of the ARPA program – Michael Williams, Economic Development Manager

Mr. Williams introduced the items associated with the request of ARPA funds.  He shared that the City has helped residents, non-profit groups, most of the City’s small businesses. He explained that the next phase is hospitality, tourism and travel. He said The Hotel and The Cambria have shown the negative impact of COVID.  He mentioned that during COVID the National Guard were housed in the Cambria.  

Mr. Young indicated we broke the items up to ensure transparency.  

Councilmember Whitney indicated that she would need to recuse herself from the discussion matter related to the Hotel and GrillMarx due to her employment.

Councilmember Mitchell asked on behalf of the residents whether we were using City money.  Mr. Young indicated we were not using City budget funds but would be using ARPA funding. 

Councilmember Kabir asked how much is left in ARPA dollars after what we have already given. Mr. Young did not have an exact number but indicated he would follow up to provide that information to Council. He added that we have until December 2024 to allocate and 2026 to spend.  

Councilmember Rigg asked how staff identified these three businesses as uniquely qualified to obtain these funds. Mr. Williams explained these weren’t the only applicants, but these 3 properties had their paperwork in line and seemed ready to use the funding and meet the reporting requirements. Mr. Young mentioned the spinoff benefits of identifying these businesses; one space houses a convention center, while GrillMarx will contribute jobs to the city and spur development in the area. Councilmember Rigg asked to clarify whether the businesses were strategically identified. Mr. Young mentioned the benefit of knowing what will be developed near these sites. Mr. Williams indicated there was an application process and that a few more businesses are being considered.  

Councilmember Rigg asked about how recommendation for funding were determined. Mr. Williams talked about the consideration of proportionality. Everyone asked for the maximum amount, and the City understood not everyone could not receive that. They had to consider the negative impact of the pandemic as outlined in the Federal guidelines.  

Councilmember Adams said residents want to know what material change they should expect to see at The Hotel and The Cambria as a result of these dollars.  Mr. Williams talked about working with the hotels to get more conventions in the city and said that residents will walk into The Hotel and get a four- or five-star experience.

Mr. Williams explained that GrillMarx is going into the space that was the Old Maryland Grill. At one point, Chef Geoff was slated to go into the space, but COVID hit and that fell through. GrillMarx now wants to come into the city.  

Councilmember Adams asked why the funding would not go to The Hotel to help with the build out. Mr. Young explained it was much better and much cleaner to go to directly to the entity if knew it was going to pass through a third party.  Councilmember Adams expressed his belief that we are setting precedent for other restaurants to feel like they can receive such a large amount of money.  

Ms. Ferguson, City Attorney, said it’s fairly clear that funding that is not for lost revenue has to be clearly for ARPA-approved uses. And basically, you can’t do something indirectly that you can’t do directly. 

Councilmember Mitchell thanked Mr. Adams for his comments but shared that for many years, the City sought opportunities to help build beneficial economic infrastructure.  She added that sometimes in order to move forward we have to take a risk.  

Councilmember Mackie asked about money that may be available for other places that may come to the City. Mr. Williams said the City is definitely keeping in mind restaurants already here that might need help but doesn’t see funds remaining to attract additional restaurants with ARPA dollars. He said 4 -5 additional hotel applications being considered.  One concern she has mentioned is affordable eats in the city and she would like the city to address this issue. Mr. Williams mentioned that Trader Joe’s at College park will be one of headquarter points for the Neighborhood Shares Program.  

Councilmember Kabir asked about ARPA qualifications for what is a new business.  Ms. Ferguson indicated that the first $10 million dollars is considered loss to the City and can be used in the way deemed by the city. Anything beyond that would need to meet specific requirements.  

Mr. Williams indicated GrillMarx is not a new business, they have other successful locations in the State.  College Park is a new location.  

Requests for/Status of Future Agenda 

Councilmember Rigg mentioned a request to discuss/update regulation of short-term rentals.  

Councilmember Whitney mentioned a request for a traffic calming study for Roanoke Place.  

Mayor and Councilmember Comments 

Councilmember Adams thanked the Calvert Hills neighborhood for their recent event.

Councilmember Mackie thanked the DEA and UMD for hosting the recent Drug Dropoff event. 

Councilmember Whitney congratulated the Berwyn District Civic Association (BDCA) for a successful Bonfire event.  

Mayor Wojahn acknowledged the reception for County Councilmember Danielle Glaros and suggested that the City do something in honor of her service.  

City Manager’s Comments 

No comments from Mr. Young

Meeting  Adjourned  

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