piscataway hills community association newsletter spring 2012

Spring 2012 Piscataway Hills News 1

Piscataway Hills News Newsletter of the Piscataway Hills Citizens Association Spring 2012

Volunteers clean up Piscataway Creek shoreline Thirty-nine volunteers

picked up 44 bags worth of bot-

tles, cans, and other unsightly

trash along the Piscataway

Creek shoreline April 14 as part

of the annual Potomac River

Watershed Cleanup.

Piscataway Hills resi-

dents and a few environmentally minded vol-

unteers from nearby areas enjoyed a perfect

spring day for the cleanup. Among the more

unusual items hauled out this year were a file

cabinet, a wheelbarrow, a broken wooden

bench, and two propane tanks. Only eight tires

were found, which was far fewer than in previ-

ous years.

“Everyone agrees that there was far

less trash this year—we must be making a dif-

ference,” said Debbie Kutzleb, who organized

the Piscataway Hills shoreline cleanup along

with PHCA Vice President Dave Lishin.

The Piscataway Hills

cleanup crew picked up trash

from Lot 39 Waterfront Park

and the adjacent National Park

Service land. Crews in boats

also cleaned up the island

across from the Lot 39 boat

ramp and upstream along Pis-

cataway Creek to the Indian

Head Highway bridge. All the trash was taken to a spe-

cial dumpster at Fort Washington Marina to be hauled

away.

Doughnuts and cookies gave the volunteers an

energy boost before they started work at 9 a.m., and

they were rewarded with hot dogs, beer, and other cold

drinks after the cleanup ended around noon.

Piscataway Hills was one of 392 registered sites

in this year’s Potomac Cleanup, which is sponsored by

the Alice Ferguson Foundation. Altogether, 7,532 vol-

unteers picked up 118 tons of trash, including 1,178

tires, 126,500 recyclable beverage containers, 25,571

plastic bags, and 24,616 cigarette butts.

Above left: Jeff Myers and Diane Cope enjoy their reward for a hard

morning’s work. Above: President Gwynn Roberson and Co-Organizer

Debbie Kutzleb chat with Myles and Cherie Cullen.


Plans for Tanger Outlet Aired at March Meeting The planned Tanger outlet mall on Oxon Hill

Road will open with more than 80 stores around La-

bor Day of next year, Piscataway Hills residents were

told March 27.

Andre Gingles and Steven Green of the Peter-

son Companies, the mall’s developer, told the PHCA

spring quarterly meeting that the project would in-

clude a small, inexpensive hotel and create 500-600

permanent jobs. About a third of the employees are

expected to be Prince George’s County residents, ac-

cording to the Peterson representatives.

The outlet mall is to be constructed on the

largely wooded Salubria Plantation

site between Oxon Hill Road and

Indian Head Highway (MD 210),

across from National Harbor.

The buildings at the Tanger

mall will resemble a large city

block arranged in a “race track de-

sign,” according to Gingles. There

will be a small food area and a res-

taurant, but no grocery store, he

said.

Much of the discussion at the meeting in-

volved the additional road congestion that might be

created by the Tanger project. Gingles and Green said

that most traffic would come from the Beltway

through National Harbor. The intersection of Har-

borview Boulevard and Oxon Hill Road is to be en-

larged to accommodate the additional 1,200 vehicles

per hour that are expected during peak times. They

said it was possible that a direct ramp from the mall to

southbound MD 210 would also be built.

The Peterson representatives told the meeting

participants that the stores at the mall would not open

until after the morning rush hour and so would have

little impact on morning traffic. They also noted that

much of the mall’s peak activity would be on week-

ends, which would not affect rush hour traffic.

Piscataway Hills residents

are mourning the loss of longtime

friend and neighbor Deanna M.

“Dee” Satterthwaite, who passed

away April 11 at her home after a

four-year battle with endometrial

cancer.

Dee, age 67, was the wife of

PHCA Board Member George Sat-

terthwaite. Many Piscataway Hills

residents went immediately from

the Potomac Cleanup Day on April

14 to pay their respects at her funer-

al that afternoon.

A Kansas native, she grew

up with 3 siblings, sister Fran and

brothers Dennis and Larry. She

married at 17 to the first love of her

life, John Peter Kelliher, or “Pete,”

who succumbed to skin cancer at

age 34. She had three beautiful chil-

dren with Pete: Kathie, Jody, and

Mike. She overcame this monumen-

tal loss with strength and poise. In

1982, she was lucky enough to meet

George, the second love of her life,

and they had a daughter, Kelley.

She became a wonderful stepmother

to Patti, Tony, and Frank. She was a

loving “Nana” to 15 grandchildren

and one great grandson.

Over her 40 years in the

banking business, she was a dedi-

cated branch manager at First Na-

tional Bank of Southern Maryland,

a mortgage lender at First National

Bank of Maryland, Washington

Federal Savings and Loan Associa-

tion, and the State Department Fed-

eral Credit Union, and rose to be-

come the Senior Risk Analyst at the

National Institutes of Health Credit

Union.

Obituary: Longtime Piscataway Hills Resident Dee Satterthwaite


Plans for a Piscataway Hills

neighborhood watch, a possible se-

curity camera, and a proposal for a

playground at Lot 39 Waterfront

Park sparked lively discussions at

the PHCA spring quarterly meeting

on March 27.

PHCA Board Member Neil

Ayers, who is organizing the neigh-

borhood watch, told the meeting

that no serious crimes had occurred

within the past 90 days but that rims

had been stolen from four or five

cars in one night. He described sev-

eral situations in which he had seen

suspicious activity in the neighbor-

hood and called the police, who re-

sponded quickly and in one case

apprehended thieves who were

stealing snow shovels.

Ayers called for volunteers

and block captains to help organize

the neighborhood watch. It had not

yet been determined how detailed

or formal the program would be, he

said.

Another possible deterrent

to crime could be a surveillance

camera near the entrance to Pisca-

taway Hills, Ayers said. Because

there is only one way in and out of

the neighborhood, a camera could

potentially record all vehicles in-

volved in crimes, he noted. By a

show of hands, participants at the

meeting strongly supported further

investigation of the idea, including

its potential cost.

Several parents of young

children proposed that a playground

be constructed at Lot 39 Waterfront

Park. The cost is now estimated at

between $3,000 and $4,000. Some

participants at the meeting raised

concerns about accident liability,

and further investigation was rec-

ommended. A playground proposal

might be prepared for a vote at the

next quarterly meeting.

Neighborhood watch, security camera, Lot 39 playground proposed

New recreation facilities getting ready to open

A regional recreation complex with two full-size

gyms, an elevated indoor track, a climbing wall, a fit-

ness center, an internet cafe, and a computer lab is

scheduled to open this summer.

Don Herring of the Maryland-National Capital Park

and Planning Commission, which is building the facil-

ity, told the PHCA winter quarterly meeting on Janu-

ary 24 that the new facility would be “very pleasing to

the eye, both indoors and outdoors.”

The 37,000-square-foot Southern Regional Technology

and Recreation Complex, at 7007 Bock Road, will

have an environmentally friendly “green roof” and be

accessible from the Henson Creek hiker-biker trail,

Herring said. A new Bock Road bridge over Henson

Creek will allow the trail to pass under the road with

enough room even for equestrians, he added.

When asked at the meeting why the new facility had

no pool, Herring said, “I think I get asked that question

more than anything.” He replied that planners decided

to include a second gym instead of a pool but said the

15-acre site had enough room for a pool to be added in

the future.

Herring also discussed a long-delayed community cen-

ter being constructed at Fort Washington Forest Ele-

mentary School. Construction of the 22,000-square-

foot facility was halted several years ago when it was

60% complete, Herring said, but a new contractor is

expected to finish the job before the next school year

starts this fall. The facility, which includes a gym and

meeting rooms, will be used by the school during the

day and the community in the evening, he said. The

drawn-out construction process had been “very painful

for me to watch,” he said. “I have to apologize to the

community.”

Southern Regional Technology and Recreation Complex on Bock Road


From the President

Residents respond to call for new ideas Since our previous

newsletter last fall, we have

been very busy in the Hills. In

February 2012, I attended

County Executive Rushern

Baker’s Public Budget Hearing

at Harmony Hall and spoke on

behalf of PHCA to the panel

on the benefits of restoring the leaf vacuum program.

We’ve held two quarterly association meeting already

this year, and discussed a plethora of topics including,

but not limited to, security measures within the neigh-

borhood, and Neighborhood Watch; the opening of the

Tucker Road Sport & Learning Complex and the Na-

tional Harbor Tanger Outlet; and upcoming volunteer

opportunities within the neighborhood.

As I mentioned in my last column, my focus is

getting more input from the community on what issues

are important and of interest to you, and you responded

loud and clear!! The hottest topic at our last quarterly

meeting was the construction of a community play-

ground at the Waterfront Park. Although our commu-

nity is uniquely different from other traditional neigh-

borhoods, and we haven’t had a lot of small children in

the neighborhood for many years, we should still offer

standard amenities available in all other neighbor-

hoods, and that includes a nearby playground for our

families to utilize without driving out of Piscataway

Hills. A committee of families in the neighborhood has

been formed to create a design of the playground for

board approval, and it will be voted on during our next

quarterly meeting (June 26). Please contact Maureen

Bartee [[email protected]] if you are interest-

ed in participating in the design and fundraising efforts

for the waterfront playground.

Speaking of our waterfront park, and as we

move into warmer months for water activities, we

would ask that anyone who has a kayak or canoe stored

at the waterfront park kayak rack and hasn’t used their

boat for the last couple of summers, please consider

storing your boat at home to free up rack spots for oth-

ers in the neighborhood that kayak and/or canoe more

frequently. We will also be discussing at our next

meeting the possibility of building additional kayak/

canoe racks to accommodate increased water activities

and population in the neighborhood.

With so many outdoor activities to do, I look

forward to seeing each and every one of you at upcom-

ing events, out on the water, or just walking through

the neighborhood. If I don’t see you between now and

the end of the summer, here’s wishing each of you and

your family happy travels during summer vacation and

safe Memorial Day and Fourth of July holidays.

Peace & Blessings,

Gwynn Roberson

PHCA President

Join PHCA Help make Piscataway Hills a stronger community by becom-ing a member of PHCA. PHCA organizes neighborhood clean-ups, maintains Lot 39 Waterfront Park, works for neigh-borhood improvements, repre-

sents the community on local issues, and sponsors social events to bring residents togeth-er. Dues are $40 a year, or $30 for residents over age 65 (and free for first-year residents). Send dues to Piscataway Hills Citizens Association, P.O. Box 441581, Fort Washington, MD 20744.

Piscataway Hills News is pub-

lished by the Piscataway Hills Citizens Association. Send com-ments, suggestions, news tips, pictures, or articles for publica-tion to Mark Holt, Editor, 13413 Kris Ran Court, Fort Washington, MD, 20744, 301-292-0852, [email protected].


Years of com-

plaints from area resi-

dents about frequent

power outages—

seemingly during almost

every storm—may have

finally brought results.

Pepco crews

rolled into Piscataway

Hills late last year to

perform long-needed

maintenance work. Bob Hainey, Pepco media relations

manager, said the project was intended “to upgrade the

reliability on the power lines” in Piscataway Hills “in

order to lower the frequency and duration of outages.”

“We completed the work on some of the lines

in December 2011, which involved the replacement of

19,524 feet of primary wire,

8,637 feet of secondary

wire, 7,888 feet of neutral

wire, 25 poles, 8 transform-

ers and tree trimming,”

Hainey wrote in a message

to Piscataway Hills News.

“We also replaced

underground cable in two

subdivisions recently; Pis-

cataway Estates and Warburton Manor,” Hainey add-

ed.

He also noted that “our tree policy has not

changed. Our assessment of trees that are hazards may

not be the same as a homeowner's assessment. We

have always worked with communities regarding trees;

alive, dying or dead.”

Pepco replaces power lines and poles in Piscataway Hills

Guys and Dolls: gamblers, cho-rus girls, and saving souls

Nicely Nicely, Nathan Detroit, and the other

colorful gamblers of the classic Broadway musical

Guys and Dolls will be com-

ing to Harmony Hall for

eight performances starting

Memorial Day weekend.

And when the gamblers

meet a gaggle of squeaky-

voiced chorus girls and the

Salvation Army tries to save

all their souls, the results are

not quite what everyone was

expecting.

The excellent cast of

this Tantallon Community

Players production includes

Piscataway Hills’ own Valerie Holt as Sarah Brown,

the prim Salvation Army sergeant who takes an ill-

advised trip to Havana with bad-boy Sky Masterson.

Husband and wife Zadoc-Lee and Leslie Kekeuwa,

fresh from TCP's Smokey Joe's Cafe last fall, also star

as ace gambler Sky Masterson and Brooklyn-voiced

Miss Adelaide, the 14-year fiancee of won't-commit

gambler Nathan Detroit (Rich Amada).

This musical is truly a show for the entire fami-

ly: a fond memory for longtime theater fans and a

wonderful way to introduce young people to live musi-

cal theater at a bargain price—

still just $15, and $12 for seniors

and students. And on opening

night, May 25, tickets are two for

one!

Performances will be at

Harmony Hall Regional Center,

10701 Livingston Rd., Ft. Wash-

ington, MD 20744. Shows will be

Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.,

May 25-26, June 1-2, and June 8-

9, with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m.

on June 3 and June 10. There's no

matinee on May 27.

Tickets can be purchased:

Online at TantallonStage.com, or by calling the

Harmony Hall box office at 301-203-6070.

Sarah Brown (Valerie Holt) is charmed by Sky

Masterson (Zadoc-Lee Kekeuwa), as her kindly

grandfather (Art Greene) gives advice.


Joining Together: Community Groups That Include Your Neighbors

Looking to get involved? This regular feature of Piscataway Hills News is all about nonprofit groups in our

community in which Piscataway Hills residents are active participants. Your neighbors who are already in-

volved in these groups will be glad to tell you more about them.

If you are a member of a community group that you would like to have featured in Piscataway Hills News, con-

tact editor Mark Holt at 301-292-0852 or [email protected].

Oxon Hill Bicycle and Trail Club, ohbike.org

If you like to ride your bicycle but aren’t sure exactly where to go, the Oxon Hill Bicycle & Trail Club has been

finding great places to ride in southern Prince George’s County and nearby areas since 1972. Regular rides by

club members include the new Indian Head Rail Trail between Indian Head and White Plains and the “Tour de

Accokeek” from the Accokeek fire station to Marshall Hall. Rides are available for people of all ages and skill

levels. Each ride is led by an experienced rider to make sure everyone finishes safely. To find out more, contact

Mark Holt at the number and email above. (And hopefully in the next issue, we’ll have a group not associated

with the Holt family!)

Potomac Watershed Cleanup Day, 2012

Above: Cleanup co

-organizer Debbie

Kutzleb is ready for

deep mud.

Left, PHCA President Gwynn

Roberson takes a break with

Diane Lishin and Ivan Raphael. Above: Don Benedict and Rob-

ert Reilly (sitting at the table)

and other cleanup workers en-

joy a well-deserved picnic.

piscataway hills community association newsletter spring 2012

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