Photo by Nancy Royden. Rochelle Andrews of Upper Marlboro speaks during a group discussion portion of the town hall meeting.

Published on: Wednesday, March 24, 2010

By Nancy Royden

Hundreds of people convened Saturday inside the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover to offer opinions and plan for the future of the county during the Envision Prince George’s 21st Century Town Meeting.

“The Envision Prince George’s community forum was very enjoyable. I really liked that we had the opportunity to voice our concerns about the state of the county, and what our vision for a better Prince George’s would look like.

“We walked into an environment where our ideas were finally being heard and taken seriously.  As you looked across the room you could see an outpouring of teens, senior citizens, families and elected officials coming together for a unified purpose,” said Ola Odunola Ojewumi, a student at the University of Maryland.

Photo by Nancy Royden. Over a thousand people gathered Saturday in Landover at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex for the Envision Prince George’s 21st Century Town Meeting, sponsored by The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, in collaboration with the nonprofit organization AmericaSpeaks.

Kicked off by The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission in collaboration with the nonprofit organization AmericaSpeaks, Envision Prince George’s is designed to develop and implement a vision for the county’s future. Already, there have been several Envision-related meetings, but Saturday’s boasted the most attendees.

Preliminary priority goal results gathered during the meeting were posted on the Envision Prince George’s blog. They are the top long-term goals participants think the county should pursue in the next five to 10 years, and include six different categories.

The “live” category includes high levels of safety, diversity of shopping, restaurants, entertainment and having a healthy environment where the county’s residents live.

The “work” category includes a prosperous small business sector, a federal jobs hub and robust workforce training.

Priorities in the “learn” category were a top-notch school system, parents and communities involvement in schools, and career and technical training.

Recreation, health and wellness, entertainment, shopping, dining amenities and vibrant arts are included in the “enjoy” category.

Topping the “serve” category are responsive government, excellence in public safety and high levels of public engagement.

Priorities in the “sustain” category are: local jobs, businesses and amenities; the will, capacity and resources to sustain the vision; mixed-use communities; excellence in public transportation and locally grown food.

Ojewumi said she enjoyed the event because it included people of varying ages – including high school students and young people in college.

“I loved the portion of the event where the student from Eleanor Roosevelt High School spoke about her vision of Prince George’s County. I think it was great that they included the next generation of the county. We rarely get the opportunity to see the student perspective, and this event included every perspective, young or old,” she said.

“There were so many great moments throughout what was truly an historic day,” said Crystal Prater, public affairs specialist for the Prince George’s Planning Department. “As I think about it, I would have to say one of my favorites was hearing the roar of approval from the participants, when during one of the report outs, a new idea emerged around multi-lingual education.

“Everyone was not only energized by the concept and its importance, but by how the process of individual table discussions worked, resulting in the new ideas genuinely being considered by everyone. It was truly democracy in action,” she said.

Prater said event coordinators were very pleased by the number of people in attendance in the large room in the complex. Despite the gorgeous first day of spring, she said hundreds of people chose to come to the event.

“To have more than 1,100 people gathered, and really the majority of them get there early, as well as stay for the entire meeting, is a testament to the commitment of the great people of Prince George’s County,” she said.

Prater said decision-makers in the county would be able to refer to information compiled during the event when they plan for the future and consider how its citizens and others connected to the county think about critical issues.

On Saturday, people had the opportunity to join a community action team to help implement the goals, and Prater said the first CAT meeting would be April 10. There are still some spots open on CATs, but participants are encouraged to call 301-952-3594 to join prior to April 10.

Prater said Envision Prince George’s was important because it included input from so many people, and it was the culmination of more than a year of work.  However, it is not the end of the undertaking and the ideas and information transformed into reality.

“So many people had a hand in making Saturday not just possible, but successful. Envision Prince George’s is about including all of the voices of our community, and because so many got up and gave up their time on a Saturday morning, we had a truly diverse mix of viewpoints and ideas,” Prater said.

Ojewumi said just because ideas were gathered during several Envision Prince George’s meetings, they must be followed through.

“I’m hoping the ideas and concerns of the citizens will be taken into deep consideration. Envision Prince George’s promotes a new vision of our county. However, we really need real action as opposed to just a vision. It is truly time for an end to the vision, but rather a call to action,” she said.