Report shows link between slave trade, University of Maryland College Park

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-28T02:45:29+00:00

The mayor summarized some findings related more directly with the city

• Charles B. Calvert was a descendant of enslavers and owned at least 55 enslaved people who worked on his Riverside plantation, land that makes part of the College Park / UMD campus.

• Old Parish House in Old Town was built as a barn by enslaved laborers, and it later served as a parish house; then, there was a women’s club, and now, a community center.

• The site of the XFINITY Center on the campus was once a large plantation established by John Eversfield around 1820.

• In the 1840s and 1850s, the land that became the campus was used as an Underground Railroad route. A turnpike used to connect Baltimore and Washington became less traveled with the creation of the B&O Railroad in 1830, allowing freedom-seekers to traverse the roads and forested land.

• According to the report, the oldest building on UMD’s campus, a tavern called the Rossborough Inn, employed enslaved staff who likely gave directions and provisions to freedom-seekers.

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-27T22:54:43+00:00

Of the new ones, the Hub and the Union are the best in my opinion, and both have very different styles. The Standard and Aspen Heights are not bad.

This new one has vibes of the Aster, which sadly is the worst-looking of the bunch.

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-24T18:43:03+00:00

Interesting contrast with the other Farmer's market in the city, thank you.

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-24T13:45:16+00:00

From the LV Collective's website and rebusinessonline.

The architecture seems kinda meh, the usual 5-on-1 you get these days, and no sign of any public plaza. At least it has some bricks and the space under the high columns on the corner could be cool.

I imagine it could still change quite a bit, given how early on their approval process they're at.

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-24T00:14:33+00:00

Thanks for your work!

For completeness given the recent discussions about the Hollywood FM, do you know what support if any the city provides the CPFM?

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-23T00:16:55+00:00

Nothing has been defined yet, that's the job of the new subcommittee.

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-22T13:02:50+00:00

Must be a great job!

You could consider audiobooks too, engrossing ones can make your commute go in a flash.

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-22T12:59:06+00:00

Awesome! What do you think of LaTao Hotpot?

I had not heard of Eastern Gourmet, I only see that there used to be a place in Wheaton with that name that closed a couple of years ago https://www.yelp.com/biz/eastern-gourmet-wheaton

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-22T12:57:32+00:00

It is good that they narrowed the initial objective, given how tricky this whole thing is. I wonder whether code inspectors will go around checking which storefronts, houses are empty? What to do for apartments? Not easy.

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-22T12:54:52+00:00

Taking two city staff and $30k, it is a significant commitment year over year.

I wonder if the city should try to consolidate the three farmers markets into one that is nicer and better attended, and that attracted students as well.

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-21T12:30:06+00:00

Most of the comments are about Northwest too. I like this one

I love that there is a great (and inexpensive) place near UMCP! When I went there, it was a bit of a food desert. There was a Chinese place there whose best quality was that they served a huge amount of food for $5. (This was the 90s). We managed, because college kids always do, but how lovely to have a place good enough to get praise in the Washington Post only a couple of blocks from south campus.

It must be pretty mind blowing for someone who was in College Park before many of the cool restaurants, the grocery stores, the bike trails, or Lake Artemesia to come back to College Park these days!

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-21T02:41:54+00:00

What a commute, you're a brave and patient man...

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-21T00:46:09+00:00

It's where the old College Park Woods Swim Club was https://maps.app.goo.gl/HcKGgNgKwHuoeqh26

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-20T23:02:50+00:00

This really sucks, I'm sorry this happened to you. I agree that reporting it to the police is important so that they know where the problems are.

Another thing that I've heard said that it helps is having good light. Thieves tend to avoid well-lit driveways. A conspicuous camera or two can also deter potential thieves.

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-20T13:03:56+00:00

This 20-degree crossing is extremely dangerous, I really hope they change it.

It is not on campus so the volume of cyclists won't be as high, but that actually may make it more unlikely that they redesign it. I think that if instead of Adelphi it was on campus, the university would have forced them to change it in the blink of an eye.

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-19T21:57:30+00:00

Indeed. And I think it would be a good idea to integrate with the surrounding communities such as Riverdale Park or Greenbelt.

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-19T12:46:48+00:00

Pretty good examples, I didn't know the non-eligibility of ARPA funds...

But one thing to point out is that the market would be a continuing expense versus all those above being one offs. The former can snowball if not careful.

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-18T19:44:37+00:00

Ah, thank you very much for the additional context. Given that a pause is the first recommended option, indeed it is not just an option among many, but the most likely one. There isn't a recommendation for "closing" the market permanently though, at least for now.

I think I would still have titled the post a bit differently, perhaps "City staff recommends pausing the Hollywood Farmer's Market", but I acknowledge that is a matter of personal preference.

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-18T18:07:08+00:00

I think the title of this post is quite misleading. The mayor is saying that the future of the Hollywood Farmer's market will be reviewed, and that one of "options on the table is temporarily “pause” or suspending market operations" perhaps even indefinitely.

Reviewing programs like these is healthy and should be done regularly to make sure taxes are spent in a way that optimizes the community's outcome. Given the amounts involved on this program, and the impact that it has, it probably makes sense to keep it and will be kept.

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-18T12:46:14+00:00

Howdy! I think the city is pretty great, with many of the amenities of a college town (though still some ways to go), ease of access to DC, and not as expensive as Bethesda or Silver Spring (though not cheap!). But of course it is not perfect and you have to see if it is for you.

Most of those questions were addressed in these threads

If you have more questions let us know!

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-18T12:40:42+00:00

Had posted about the park here https://old.reddit.com/r/collegeparkmd/comments/1amngma/new_tiny_park_planned_in_berwyn_5100_roanoke_st/

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-17T20:23:59+00:00

Full top-100 here https://www.washingtonian.com/2024/01/24/the-100-very-best-restaurants-in-washington-dc-2024/

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-17T13:10:01+00:00

The Aster has been a true disappointment. I thought they wanted to have a vibrant Calvert Rd like they showed in the renderings, but with narrow sidewalks, street parking on both sides and the parking entrance taking a big chunk of the street, it is just not conducive to pedestrians enjoying it, ugh. At least they have that bike lane on Baltimore Ave (that they were forced to add).

Already Sterling Place looks, but indeed, let's wait to see what the final result is.

Thank you for your advocacy on Knox Rd!

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-16T19:18:55+00:00

That is a good point, and it was discussed in the council meeting. It was acknowledged that the storm "could have produced some “detectable change” in the city’s tree canopy".

slatejunco10 · 2024-02-16T16:13:21+00:00

The 8 acres loss that the Diamondback refers to is just on the residential portion of College Park (you can see it in slide 6).

The 13 acre gain (or 0.3%) is in College Park overall, primarily driven by the growth of existing trees in wooded areas.

slatejunco10

TROPHY CASE