[RP TownTalk] Riverdale Park Taj Mahal and Community Youth Center

[James D. Holmes]

Melissa ******** Hold that Thought!


Did you hear, the Mayor and Town Council Adopted—Resolution 2013-R-08 to 
support the preferred alternative design for the Youth and Community 
Wing project (Two-story design). This will add approximately 7,000 sf to 
the existing building for a total of 13,000 sf.

The mention of a Community Youth Center is misleading to the residents. 
The addition of two classrooms and a open multipurpose room do not make 
a Community Youth Center. A full time recreation staff is needed to 
provide supervision and security. There was mention of a daycare center 
in the proposal, are we now going to compete with the existing daycare 
centers in the Town. The residents of Riverdale Park have numerous 
recreation facilities located within the Town, or just outside of the 
Town. Take a look at the Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers (MMYC), 
located at the former Riverdale Hills Elementary School located at 6200 
Sheridan Avenue.

This is a project supported and funded by the University of Maryland and 
the Maryland Multicultural Youth Center that created a community-based 
organization that fosters academic enrichment, parenting support, adult 
education, recreational and cultural programs for the benefit of the 
surrounding community of Riverdale.

Other nearby facilities that our residents can use:

Bladensburg Community Center

College Park Community Center and Youth Soccer Complex

Prince George's Plaza Community Center

Herbert Wells Ice Rink/Ellen Linson Swimming Pool


So why does the Mayor and Town Council want to double the size of the 
Town Hall? In 2008-2009, the Town added a 730 foot addition to the Town 
Hall. The cost of the new 7,000 sf two story addition will run between 3 
to 5 million dollars.

How will the new addition be paid for?

Ward Two Council Member Alan Thompson (Finance Chairman) reported in the 
March Town Crier

"A few people have contacted me about the new tax assessments on their 
houses, which were lower than they had been during the last assessment 
cycle. The Town recently received the updated “assessable base,” which 
is the sum total of all taxable real estate in town, and fortunately 
that number (which includes both residential and commercial properties) 
is actually a little bit higher than last year. This is good news for 
the Town’s finances, and means our tax rates will not need to change 
much to maintain the current level of revenue. "

The current level of revenue/services does not include a new 7,000 sf 
two story addition that will add between 3 to 5 million dollars to our 
existing debt of $3,000,000.00.

I am very surprised that our own Economic Development Committee did not 
recommend to the Mayor and Council that the Town support our commercial 
business partners in the Town. The Douglas Development Corporation has 
several thousands square feet of open space at the Town Center that 
could be utilized for the expansion of the Town Offices. There is plenty 
of parking at the Town Center and this would be a WIN WIN solution for 
the Town and our business partners.

It's time to take control our unnecessary expenditures and pay down our 
existing debt.



James D. Holmes






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