Festival Flush With Tips On Living the Green Life

Prince George's residents interested in installing solar panels on their homes -- or in checking out a water-saving urinal -- can stop by the county's first Fall GreenFest, on Saturday at Vansville Elementary School in Beltsville.

The event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature a variety of businesses that offer products that can help residents make their homes and lives "green."

Local environmental groups will talk about regional efforts to clean up the community. County agencies will explain ways in which government officials have been trying to save energy and talk about a new tax credit for homeowners who install green technology.

And school officials will show off Vansville Elementary, which has been certified as a green school. A state-of-the art geothermal system uses ground energy to heat the school, which is built from recycled materials and has urinals designed to save water.

"It's a great opportunity for our citizens to learn about how they can help save the environment and save money at the same time," said County Council member Thomas E. Dernoga (D-Laurel), who spearheaded the event after learning of such fairs in other counties. "Since we're going green as a county, we wanted to provide all the information we're learning to our citizens, too."

A local resident who has built an electric car will show off the vehicle, and a tree will be given away as a door prize.

Vansville Elementary School is at 6813 Ammendale Rd.

Johnson Addresses Real Estate Dealings

Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) issued a statement last week regarding his real estate dealings after The Washington Post published a story about the items seized by the FBI during a raid of developer Patrick Ricker's office in Upper Marlboro.

"All of Mr. Johnson's purchases are disclosed publicly in his financial disclosure statements and real estate records," said Jim Keary, a spokesman for Johnson.

The items taken from Ricker's office appeared to refer to Johnson at least twice.

One is listed by the FBI as "DOCS FROM TOP OF RICKER'S DESK RELATED TO 5 LOTS SOLD TO J. JOHNSON." The other is listed as "JT VENTURE AG - STAVROU, COLTON, RICKER DEVE GRP, LLC; DRAFT LTR FROM JACK JOHNSON RE: GB SENIOR HOUSING," which might refer to senior citizen housing in Greenbelt.

Johnson has said that the county is cooperating with the federal investigation, which appears to be centered in part on a major development in Greenbelt and the relationship among a former council member, a developer and a county employee. FBI agents also seized documents from the home of former council member Thomas R. Hendershot (D-New Carrollton) and the office and home of Karl L. Granzow Jr., a senior official in the Prince George's fire department. Hendershot, Ricker and Granzow are longtime friends.