Edmonston residents had become used to floods, as high waters blocked streets and submerged basements on an annual basis for four years with the worst incident in 2006, flooding 56 homes. Town officials worked to address the problem, taking an environmental approach that earned them national recognition last week and a trip to the White House for being Champions of Change.

Adam Ortiz, who served as mayor from 2005 to 2011, and the town were honored Feb. 15 for innovative infrastructure in combating a problem in a manner that is now being looked at as an example throughout Prince George’s County.

“It was tremendously humbling and inspiring in that this small project in this tiny town could be recognized by the White House,” Ortiz said of the town, which according to the 2010 census had a population of nearly 1,500 and is about 1.4 square miles. “It’s something we would never have dreamed of happening.”

Champions of Change was created as a part of President Barack Obama’s Winning the Future Across America initiative, which seeks to tap into the creativity and innovation of individuals and organizations, according to the White House website. While the town did not receive a plaque or certificate, Ortiz said the national recognition was awarding in itself.

To eliminate storm water runoff, which helped overwhelm the town’s waterways, town officials had rain garden filtration systems and permeable pavement installed along Decatur Street, Edmonston’s main road. Bike lanes and low-energy street lamps were also added to what became known as the town’s “green street” project. In 2009, the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funded the $1.4 million project, the first such effort in the state as of its November 2010 debut.

“All the flooding came from parking lot and developments, not from the Anacostia River, so that taught us that what we do as a community matters because everything is connected,” Ortiz said. “We decided to build and do everything we can in the town as responsibly and sustainable as possible.”

U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-District 4) toured the town in December and cited the green street success as reason for her Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act bill, which calls for $350 million to be used between 2013 and 2016 in planning and implementing grants for green streets and similar projects nationally.

“To be honored by President Obama and the White House as a model of best practices for environmental sustainability is an amazing accomplishment and testament to the work the Town achieved,” said Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) in a statement.

Baker said the county is utilizing Ortiz’s expertise as the manager of CountyStat, an accountability program that focuses on innovation and performance, to expand the efforts throughout the county in a $17 million endeavor.

Mayor Robert Kerns, who was a member of the Town Council during Ortiz’s tenure, said he was very proud of what the town has accomplished in going “green” and being recognized by the White House.

“We’ve really come a long way. We’re a little town, and if we can do this, then College Park, Riverdale Park, University Park and other towns with larger budgets than us can do a lot more than we can in terms of enhancing the environment,” Kerns said.

Town officials are currently working on other environmentally friendly measures such as installing rain gardens along Kenilworth Avenue from Windom to Edmonston roads, and Pepco has approved the installation of solar panels at Town Hall, Kerns said.

A kiosk will be set up in Town Hall within the next week where elementary, middle and high school students can learn about the various ways they can be more environmentally friendly, Kerns said.

“The cleaner you have a town, you’re making it safer, and it attracts businesses that want to come and stay,” Kerns said. “It raises property values, and we’ve had homes on Decatur Street that have seen their values go up.”

While he didn’t get to meet Obama, Ortiz said he did get a nice tour of the White House.

“The most important accomplishment is that all of us can and must make an impact and that there are bunches of things we can do on every level to protect our environment,” Ortiz said.

jlyles@gazette.net