Photo by Nancy Royden. Samuel J. Parker Jr., chairman of the Prince George's County Planning Board and vice chairman of the M-NCPPC.

Published on: Wednesday, March 17, 2010

By Nancy Royden

More than 1,000 people are expected to come Saturday to the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex in Landover to offer opinions and vote on ways to shape the county's future.

From 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., the Envision Prince George's 21st Century Town Meeting is expected to ultimately help guide the county to create more jobs, improve schools, protect natural resources and make communities safer, among other issues. There is no charge to attend the event, but space is limited, so registration is necessary.

According to meeting coordinators, there will be small group discussions designed for everyone's opinions to be heard, wireless computers on every table to record ideas and hand-held polling devices that let everyone vote and see results instantly. They also said during a March 11 media briefing that the meeting is expected to be results oriented.

Samuel J. Parker Jr., chairman of the Prince George's County Planning Board and vice chairman of The Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission, said Envision Prince George's is being conducted in collaboration with the nonprofit organization AmericaSpeaks.

"This is a ground-breaking movement to engage all of us in Prince George's County to make our community better," he said. "Think of the difference we can make by sharing our dreams, speaking with a collective voice, and truly experiencing and living the democratic process that the town meeting will provide."

Those who spoke during the media briefing included Parker; Steve Brigham, chief operating officer of AmericaSpeaks; Kim Sescoe, senior program associate of AmericaSpeaks and Thomas Cannady, Prince George's County resident and ambassador for Envision Prince George's.

Envision Prince George's started with a series of six community forums last fall. Nearly 700 residents participated in the forums and offered more than 3,800 ideas, said Crystal Prater, spokeswoman for M-NCPPC.

Parker said during the media briefing that those involved with Envision Prince George's have had heart-to-heart discussions with participants, and the topics have been extremely varied. He said coordinators are working to create a blueprint for government agencies, churches, civic groups and other entities.

"We need to have a new kind of dialogue. We need to have a dialogue that people need to think they are being heard. Not only the vision, but how do we get there?" he said.

Brigham, a resident of Prince George's County, said it has been a great experience to work with other residents of the county. He also said he plans to remain in the area for the "next couple of decades."

"The key to any project is finding common ground," he said.

Brigham also said the project is not a one-time thing; it is a long-term initiative. He said checks will be done throughout the process and he asked that people keep in mind where they would like to see the county 20 years from now, not just in the immediate future.

Some of the things participants have said they like about the county include its location, parks and recreation offerings, the diverse geography that still has some genuine rural areas, and transportation assets.

Sescoe said the young people of the county are encouraged to participate in the planning process and the town meeting will feature facilitated table discussions.

"They want to make sure everyone at the table is being heard," she said.

Cannady said as an ambassador for Envision Prince George's, he has gone out to speak to members of different types of groups, and he is excited about being a volunteer.

"We're talking about diversity and we are a very diverse team," he said.

People who would like to attend the meeting may register online at www.envisionprincegeorges.org. Completed registration forms may also be faxed to 301-567-9553.

Meeting coordinators said they want as many people as possible to participate Saturday. If anyone needs Spanish translation services, sign language services, large print materials or transportation assistance, he or she may indicate requests during registration. Childcare will be available, but the number of children and their ages must be made known during registration.

Parker said all the work going into the meetings and planning will be worth it.

"People will know in a real sense if we are making progress. It is going to be much more than a land use plan," he said. "For every problem, there is a solution."