[RP TownTalk] A view from the Ravenswood nest

[Sarah Wayland]

> There was a time when council members were elected by the
> various wards within this community with the intent to represent
> the collective opinion of the people from their respective wards.
>
> When issues concerning the town came up, the council
> members would inform and discuss these issues with the
> people within their wards and then report to the town council
> the findings of these discussions.
>
> That was then and where are we today?
>
> From issues such as the Purple Line, art murals to 4+ story
> apartment buildings being approved within the historic district
> of Riverdale Park, are being discussed amongst the council
> members without any discussion amongst the wards in this
> town.
>
> No local ward meetings, discussions, comments or opinions requested.

That's just not true! Maybe there were not local ward meetings, but
there are council meetings twice a month at which any citizen is
welcome (nay, encouraged!) to attend. Public comments are welcomed,
and there is time for them as each issue is discussed.

These meetings are the first and last Monday of each month at 8 pm in
Town Hall (5008 Queensbury Road.) The last Monday of the month is a
Work Session where the topics to be covered at the regular legislative
session (held on the first Monday of the month) are discussed. It's a
great time to come and discuss those issues that concern you, and also
to find out what the council is working on.

Furthermore, there are countless committee meetings that all citizens
are welcome to attend.

You can learn about these meetings by signing up for the Town Announce
e-mail list (I'm attaching the latest schedule at the bottom of this
message.) Here's a list of all the e-mail lists you can sign up for:

http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo

One reason TownTalk was created was so that citizens could discuss
these issues by e-mail. It's difficult for people to come to the
meetings, so the mayor and council created this list to allow for the
free flow of discussion in an electronic forum. No other town in the
area has a government-sponsored forum like this - the other towns have
forums run by non-goverment groups in the town (e.g., HOPE in
Hyattsville, or the University Park Association in UP.) Riverdale Park
does not have an alternative forum.

-----

Regarding the Mixed Use Town Center guidelines (found at:
http://www.mncppc.org/cpd/riverdaleplan.htm), these were developed by
a group of citizens, elected officials, and business community members
in collaboration over many months. Hashing out these guidelines was a
long and arduous process, and the viewpoints of all involved were
taken into account.

>From the introduction to the guidelines: "To undertake this project, a
Town Center Committee was formed from a group of volunteers
representing residents, business and property owners, and town
officials. Numerous meetings were held beginning in June 2002 with a
community-wide workshop, which focused on development along US 1. The
committee was invaluable in providing guidance and support to staff in
the development of design standards, determination of boundaries, and
the creation of the development plan."

A similar process has been underway for the Kenilworth Corridor for
the last few months. Announcements for these meetings have been sent
out. You can read the schedule and learn more here:
http://www.mncppc.org/cpd/CKAR/CommunityWorkshops.cfm

-----

Finally, a project that was completely citizen-driven was the Town
Vision Statement. This set forth a view for the future of Riverdale
Park before the turn of the century. I'm still amazed at the relevance
it has today.

You can read it here.
http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us/AboutRiverdalePark/TownVision/default.html
I don't think it's even on the new website (makes me sad), so perhaps
it's due for an update!

-----

If you want to be involved with the town government, please, get
involved! The more citizens talk and know about the issues, the more
easily the town government can implement the vision of the people.

-Sarah

-----


Town of Riverdale Park
Schedule of Meetings & Events

  Legislative Meeting: May 4, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
       Work Session: April 27, 2009, 8:00 p.m.

Other Meetings:
   Traffic Study Meeting:
    May 5, 2009, 7:00 p.m.

    MUTC Meeting:
    May 6, 2009, 7:00 p.m.

     Economic Development Committee Meeting:
      April 13, 2009, 7:00 p.m.

     Madison Hill Homeowners Association:
     April 11, 2009, 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
      Meeting held at Town Hall

     Riverdale Park Business Association:
      May 13, 2009, 5:30 p.m.

     Public Works Committee Meeting:
     April 20, 2009, 7:15 p.m.

    Apartment Managers Meeting:
     April 29, 2009, 11:00a.m
      Meeting held at Town Hall

Town Events:

  Farmers Market
  April 9, 2009 thru November 19, 2009
  Held at Town Center next to MARC station
  3:00p.m. - 7:00p.m.

  Town –Wide, Spring Clean-up Day Saturday, April 18th from 8 a.m. – 2p.m.
  The following items will not be picked up-
  Oil, chemicals, paint, any remodeling/construction materials,
  Flammables.

  Riverdale Park Arts Council
  There will be an Arts Festival on Sunday, May 3, 2009.
  This event will be held at Town Center next to the MARC station.
  11a.m.-6p.m. Come out and enjoy!


Dated April 1, 2009
Updated April 9, 2009