Committee for a Better Environment
Regular MeetingCollege Park, MD · May 29, 2024
Minutes
Committee for a Better Environment
Via Teleconferencing through Zoom
May 29, 2024 – 7:00 PM
Staff Present Absent
Janet McCaslin X
Susan Whitney, Councilmember X
Members Term Expires Present Absent
Alexa Bely 6/30/2025 X
Frank Cifaldi 6/30/2026 X
Wentao Guo 6/30/2025 X
Brendan Hall 6/30/2027 X
Michael Hottinger 6/30/2026 X
Todd Larsen 6/30/2026 X
Nikki Pancho (a 7:48pm) 6/30/2025 X
Shyamala Rajan 6/30/2026 X
William “Donnie” Scally 6/30/2026 X
Nicole Sieck 6/30/2026 X
Stacy Teng 6/30/2025 X
Caroline Wick 6/30/2026 X
Janice Wallace 6/30/2026 X
Also Present: Students from UMD: Wendy Portillo, Jesus Torres; Janet Wagner; Sheryl
DeWalt, Contract Secretary
The meeting began at 7:06pm by Alexa Bely, acting chair.
1. Ms. Bely motioned to accept the agenda, and Mr. Hottinger seconded.
Motion carries 8-0-0.
2. The April 2024 minutes were reviewed. Ms. Bely motioned to accept, and Mr. Hall
seconded to accept the minutes. Motion carries 8-0-0.
3. City activities:
a. The remaining budget is $2,757.33. The magnets were purchased.
b. There are 45 rebates for the electric lawn care equipment totaling $5,170.00.
c. The end of the fiscal year is June 30.
4. Janet Wagner was presented her green award. Vincent McDonald was not available to
be presented his green award. Ms. McCaslin will reach out to him. Reviewed the
nomination for Erik Lauridsen. Ms. Bely made a motion to grant a Green Award. Mr.
Hottinger seconded. Motion carries 9-0-0.
5. Green Events. The proposed environmental film for the green event, Rancher, Farmer,
Fisherman, is available to stream from the Discovery Channel; permission may have to
be given. Notification will be sent out via email, the Municipal Scene and the City
website. The swap meet is on hold. Trying to schedule the Town Hall meeting the week
of September 15 at City Hall.
6. Stormwater drains. The girl scouts are painting their drain in Hollywood this week. Mr.
Hall volunteered to seal the painting. The NASA group will be doing their painting,
more likely in Berwyn, on June 18.
7. Climate Action Plan. The letter to Mayor and Council was revised by Mr. Guo with
assistance from Mr. Larsen, Ms. Teng, and Ms. Bely. Ms. Rajan made a motion to accept
the letter and send it to the Mayor and Council. Ms. Wallace seconded.
Motion carries 9-0-0.
8. Ms. Bely will be labeling trees in the Berwyn area of the Trolley Trail this weekend.
9. Municipal Scene - July – Rain Barrels. Ms. Sieck volunteered to do the article. We will
look for August and September article ideas at the June CBE meeting.
10. Bee City update:
a. The committee will be at the Hollywood Farmers Market on June 22, in honor of
National Pollinator Week, giving out native plants.
b. They will have two more bee hotels installed in the City.
c. Discussed sending a letter to Mayor and Council to have a pollinator garden at
Davis Field Garden.
d. Still waiting to plan a volunteer day with MNCPPC at Lake Artemesia.
e. Still volunteering at the Bee Lab weekly.
11. TLB Update:
a. There is an intern from UMD mapping the trees around the City.
b. Working on an Urban Forest master plan.
c. Discussed concerns regarding home insurance policies and how hard they can be
to obtain with large trees on a property.
d. Working on revising the brochure for the control of bamboo.
12. Congratulations to Mr. Hall. His wife and he will welcome their first child in late June.
Mr. Hall will be taking paternity leave from the committee.
13. The discussion on purchasing CBE T-shirts was tabled and will be discussed at the June
meeting.
14. Ms. Bely presented a letter to send to Mayor and Council on environmental impacts.
This letter was conceived by TLB. A few committee members suggested some changes
to it. Ms. Bely and Ms. Rajan will work on a re-draft and will submit it to CBE members
to review for the June meeting.
The next CBE meeting will be June 24 at 7:00pm.
Ms. Wallace motioned, and Mr. Hottinger seconded to adjourn the meeting.
Motion carries 9-0-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:40pm.
Respectfully submitted by Sheryl DeWalt, contract secretary.
Agenda
DRAFT AGENDA
College Park Committee for a Better Environment
Wednesday, May 27, 2024
7 pm
Location: Online meeting – Zoom (see instructions)
Amendments to and/or approval of this agenda
Review and approve April 2024 minutes
Report on City activities and CBE budget – Janet McCaslin
.
Ongoing Business
Green Awards presentation
Update on electric/manual lawn equipment incentive program
Green events – ideas and planning
Stormwater drain art/medallions
Climate Action Plan – working draft of letter to review – finalize and submit?-
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z9gy26EgAYI1_YVKAz8CWd9TcivvJp7Jvz3ubZ0HR2M/e
dit?usp=sharing
Sustainability Survey – next steps
Labeling trees on the trolley trail
Tips of the month for coming months – July?
Report out on Bee City activities
Tree and Landscape Board report
New Business:
Nomination for Green Award --- Erik Lauridsen—see attached
CBE t-shirts
Next Meeting: June 24, 2024
Green Award Grantees – approved at the March 2024 meeting
Vincent McDonald
Vince lives in the Yarrow section of College Park and over the years has taken it upon himself to work
with the City to redesign the entrance signs and plantings at the entrances of College Park Estates and
the Yarrow neighborhoods.
Vince not only worked with the city on the redesign, but purchased, prepared the soil, and planted all
the plants. He did this because he is proud of his community and wants to keep it looking good. Vince
continues to upkeep the area, he adds compost and mulch as needed, and keeps the area free of litter.
- Submitted by Janet McCaslin, CBE Liaison and Resident of College Park.
Janet Wagner, a resident of Calvert Hills, for the CBE Green Award. Janet and her late husband, Richard,
are a great demonstration that one can promote connections with nature through careful ornamental
landscaping, which promotes diversity while sustaining our green spaces. Janet is an example of
responsible and conscious care of our tree canopy: they take extreme care of the trees on their property,
regularly having them checked by expert arborists and trimmed if needed. Aligned with this, her yard is
carefully maintained, with an ornamental backyard that features several levels of vegetation, promoting
larger and medium trees, as well as shrubs and herbaceous plants. These plants do not only provide a
complex backyard, but are also incredibly beautiful, with flowers present throughout the year, and
currently displaying stunning dogwood flowers and incredible azalea bushes. Further, probably because
of their structural complexity and health, her yard also welcomes native volunteers, such as the trout lilies
which have recently started to establish. Although I feel we usually tend to recognize people who promote
natives, I feel that their conscious and careful care of their spaces with ornamentals provides beauty that
makes neighbors and trail visitors pause to observe, connect with, and value nature.
- Submitted by Anahi
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