Thursday, January 8, 2009

Public Invited to Comment On Anacostia Watershed Plan

A draft of the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Plan is available for public review and comment at http://www.anacostia.net. The plan outlines a 10-year effort to restore the Anacostia River and its tributaries.

Research for the plan is scheduled to be completed this year. Governments and agencies involved include Prince George's and Montgomery counties, the District, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

The study is to define conditions, identify problems and recommend action to improve the ecological health of the watershed and its tributaries. Comments can be made and questions asked to David Robbins at 410-962-0685, david.w.robbins@usace.army.milor USACE, Baltimore District, 10 South Howard St., Baltimore, Md. 21201.

Bruce R. "Rick" Grindrod was named chief executive of Erickson Retirement Communities, company chairman John Erickson announced last month.

Erickson Retirement Communities, headquartered near Baltimore, has built a network of 19 communities that offer retirees a maintenance-free active lifestyle with many amenities, social activities and wellness and medical centers. One of those is the Riderwood community in Silver Spring, between Prince George's and Montgomery counties.

Grindrod served most recently as president of Erickson Developing Enterprises, where he led new business opportunities that included the Erickson School at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, as well as philanthropic initiatives at the Erickson Foundation.

Dozens of public safety officials from the Bunker Hill Fire Station in Brentwood gathered Dec. 15 to distribute 2,000 food baskets to families in need during the 24th annual Christmas food basket campaign.

County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) and County Council member Ingrid Turner (D-Bowie) spoke at the event and were joined by Bowie Baysox mascot Louie, students from the Men of Tomorrow mentoring program at Longfields Elementary School and members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

The Public Safety Assistance Program is a nonprofit agency that includes the Prince George's County Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, Police Department, Department of Corrections, Office of the Sheriff and Office of Homeland Security. The public safety agencies joined Louie's Holiday Help Project in Bowie and the Stuff-a-Truck Program in Hyattsville and accepted donations for Toys for Tots.

Giant Food's sixth annual Stuff-a-Truck food drive, held last month at four Giant sites, collected 51,839 pounds of food and $103,933 in donations. Food donations surpassed the 2007 total by 10 percent and were given to the Capital Area Food Bank, along with all money collected.

At Prince George's Plaza in Hyattsville, 10,763 pounds of food and $2,354 in donations were collected, and at Montrose Crossing in Rockville, 19,779 pounds of food and $3,139 in donations were collected.

Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) and Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) announced recently that the national board of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program allocated $470,208 in federal funds to feed and shelter hungry and homeless residents of Prince George's County. Maryland received a total of $2,397,663.

The program is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to supplement and expand efforts in more than 2,500 cities and counties across the country to provide shelter, food and support services for the nation's hungry and homeless and people in economic crisis. Funds are awarded on the basis of a formula involving population, poverty and unemployment data.

The program's board includes representatives from the American Red Cross; Catholic Charities USA; United Jewish Communities; the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA; the Salvation Army; and the United Way of America.

-- Compiled by AKEYA DICKSON