From the Desk of Former Mayor Malinda Miles

It has been two years since I decided to remove myself from the political scene in Mount Rainier, MD, Prince George's County, and the State of Maryland. Holding the lofty position of Mayor was such a great honor, but as the years flew by, I realized that it was time to do something else -- get a life.! I did, and still continue to provide resources to the residents through The Front Porch Ministries (TFPM). Real people pass through The Front Porch Ministries weekly. LIFE is good.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Report from Councilmember Jesse Christopherson

[This is a report from Councilman Jesse Christopherson. There will be a Council meeting this Tuesday where this will be discussed.]

Over the next two years the county will remove about 200 trees from the Arundel Canal area, stretching from 30th St. to 34th St., northeastward behind the Queenstown Apartments, and ending at the 7-11 on Chillum Rd. At the city council work session on Tuesday, November 19 at 7 p.m. the county's Department of Environmental Resources (DER) will update Mount Rainier residents on the tree removal and other aspects of their Allison Street Levee Project.

The project will rehabilitate the pumping station in Brentwood, raise levee walls and berms, and replace the 34th St./Chillum Rd. bridge over the canal. Upon completion and certification, the project will provide superior flood protection and allow residents to purchase flood insurance. It will also provide sidewalks on both sides of the bridge.

Unfortunately, certification requires vegetation removal within 15 feet of the bases of the levees and berms. That includes the oak and plane trees that line Arundel Rd., most of the trees in Richardson Park on 31st St., and woody areas around the Nature Center on Arundel Rd. and behind Standard Pressing Machine Co. on Queens Chapel Rd.

Mount Rainier's Mayor and City Council, Green Team, and Tree Commission have been actively engaged with the DER in order to reduce the number of removed trees, ensure wall and fence aesthetic standards, obtain replacement trees to be planted around the affected areas, advise on traffic patterns and detour options, and ensure public awareness and input about the project.

The City has obtained a commitment from the DER to replace trees at a 2:1 ratio and to turn Arundel Rd. into a "green street" that improves storm water drainage and includes a bike/hike lane, trees, and other improvements.

We are in the process of verifying the tree impact indicated on the engineering contractor's plans, which have proven incomplete. We are creating a list of each tree to be removed in order to ensure full compensation for the project's environmental impact. We are also supplying DER with an updated list of vacant tree spaces, which has taken many hours to verify and compile.

At a recent stakeholders' meeting at DER's offices, the City Council invited DER to make an additional summary presentation and take questions at our work session this Tuesday. Please come to learn more about the project, including design options for the green street project, and express your concerns. To see the latest public information about the project online, click here. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0te3I9dkmYyODRaMDJVZ3hKZWs/edit?usp=sharing)

Mayor Malinda Miles

As a long-time resident of Mount Rainier and a homeowner, it is important to me that municipal government be inclusive of all of its residents. It is equally important that information be communicated through all possible channel so that residents can get involved. It is also important for residents to volunteer and serve on committees, commissions, boards and task forces. I truly believe that municipal government is the government closes to the people, and as such should be easily accessible. This BLOG is another effort to reach out to the residents of Mount Rainier.