Metro receives $4M grant for alternate command center

Thursday, July 27, 2006

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority learned last week it will receive $4 million in federal homeland security funding to relocate its command center, and Prince George’s County is where they intend to put it.

‘‘The project is going forward,” Metro spokeswoman Candace Smith said, adding that the project still needs some more money.

‘‘It’s our top security priority,” she said.

Metro wants to move its command center, which monitors and controls its Metro trains, from the District to property it already owns between the New Carrollton and Landover Metro stations. Metro would keep the current center in Northwest D.C. as a backup.

The $29 million relocation project has been a priority for Metro ever since the Sept. 11 attacks, out of concern that an emergency downtown could cripple the transit system.

County leaders, meanwhile, hope the move will spur some needed development around the stations.

Giannetti chosento lead India roundtable

Sen. John Giannetti (D-Dist. 21) of Laurel does more than just dislodge food and throw great parties on game day.

Globetrotting Giannetti was named last week as the president of the newly formed Maryland-India Business Roundtable, a group started last summer that fosters trade between the two.

‘‘It happened by pure luck,” Giannetti said. His involvement started when he got to know the many Indian owners of businesses along Route 1 in his district. Then he started attending the roundtable meetings. And then he started traveling as part of the group.

Since November 2005, the senator has visited India three times, and he is scheduled to visit again in September.

‘‘It’s a nation on the move, and ... it’s really exciting to just really have a part to understand how to build international cooperation between the countries,” he said. ‘‘It’s almost too big to get your hands around.”

Giannetti becomes the first president of the organization, which consists of more than 50 local businesses.

Baker seeks to adddirector of education job

County exec candidate Rushern Baker proposed another notch in the public schools hierarchy on Monday, when he called for the appointment of a county director of education as part of his education platform.

Baker said the director would draft the schools budget, lobby in Annapolis for funding and ensure that every aspect of government is involved with the school system.

The post would be in addition to the nine-member school board and the appointed schools CEO.

Michael Herman, chief of staff for County Executive Jack B. Johnson, said his boss has already appointed a schools liaison, and that Baker’s idea is not particularly novel.

‘‘This is coming from a person whose answer to education was to take away the people’s right to elect their school board,” he added, referring to Baker’s time in the House of Delegates.

Baker floated the idea in a room lined with cleaning supplies, at the DAYCON cleaning and maintenance supplies facility in Upper Marlboro. The education connection was a stretch, but it was there — DAYCON does outreach at the schools and also supplies them.

The plan also called for more funding, year-round instruction at troubled schools, tax credits for teachers and administrators who live in the county, and retention bonuses for teachers at the beginning of their fourth and seventh years to prevent them from fleeing to higher-paying jurisdictions.

‘‘If we don’t see improvements,” Baker said, ‘‘don’t hold the CEO accountable, don’t hold the [chairperson] of the school board accountable. Hold the county executive ... that is my commitment.”

Election judges wanted

The county Board of Elections needs election judges to staff the polls during the primaries Sept. 12 and general elections Nov. 7.

Judges receive $125 for the job, which is a daylong affair from 6 a.m. until the results are transmitted. Chief judges receive $200.

Judges also receive $25 to attend a required two- to three-hour training session.

Residents interested in applying can call the Prince George’s County Board of Elections at 301-430-8020 or visit www.princegeorgescountymd.gov to receive an application.

Residents must be U.S. citizens, registered Maryland voters and at least 18 years old to serve as election judges.

Permitting servicesmove to the Web

Permit status information from the Prince George’s Department of Environmental Resources is now available online.

The site will allow residents to view their permit and inspection history, view their permit status, conduct a permit search, and schedule or cancel an inspection.

The site can be found at http:⁄⁄egov.goprincegeorgescounty.com⁄eplats⁄site⁄public⁄citizens⁄permitdefault.aspx