5/6/24 Meeting Agenda

6:30 pm Zoom

Updates (6:30 - 6:40 pm):

  • May 18th events (Holly)

    • Sturgis Moore park metamorphosis mural dedication and neighborhood clean-up

  • L4P sends letter of support (Brian)

  • June 3 meeting (Jess)

    • Presentation by Jennifer Greiner, Director USFW Patuxent Refuge, and Dan Murphy, USFW Manager Division of Habitat Conservation and Restoration about proposed refuge

  • L4P formerly joins coalition (Brian)

    • 36 conservation organizations to protect the threatened American horseshoe crab

  • L4P member talks (Jess)

    • Jimmy Rogers’ presentation to Laurel Historical Society:Reimagining the Museum Garden with Native Plants

    • Brian sits on a panel at DC environmental film fest screenings featuring the Patuxent river.


Planning and Discussion (6:40 - 7:30 pm):

  • Next Steps - Opposition to proposed Corridor Center Development in Ward II

    • On the agenda for the May 14 planning commission meeting

      • Who can go?

      • Points to emphasis:

        • Destruction of habitat and loss of green space

        • Increased traffic, pollution, noise and overcrowding

        • Not affordable housing 

        • Violates Master Plan (15 acres of green space per thousand people)

        • Not zoned properly

        • Overburdened DPW, emergency services, and PGCPS schools

      • Look information on our website and from Kate Wright’s presentation

  • National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant to National Wildlife Foundation, L4P and other groups

    • Laurel residents will be invited to apply to have a small portion of their lawn transformed to a native garden.  5 will be selected for free gardens and other applicants will receive the opportunity for native garden consultation.

    • Selection goals are: highly visible location, committed land stewards, diverse representation, and to inspire replication across Laurel.

    • Application period May 11 - June 10.

    • Advertise at Main St. Festival, on our website, social media, flyers around town.

  • Main St. Festival

    • Coordinate and finalize details for this weekend!

5/6/24 Meeting Minutes

Attending the meeting – Jess Bolz, Brian Coyle, Mike McLaughlin, Holly Hoglund, Pauline Apling, Mike Maxwell, Dave Everett, Heidi Hess-Webber, Stosh Comisiak, Ruth Walls, Jock Haight, Georgena Ifill.

Updates

May 18th events (Cheryl, Holly) –  At noon there will be a dedication of the Sturgis Moore Park mural and pollinator garden at the pavilion at McCullough Field.  Light refreshments will be served.  Following the dedication there will be a neighborhood cleanup.  We will provide clean-up supplies and folks will spread out into the neighborhood to pick up trash.

Southern Maryland Woodlands Wildlife Refuge (Brian) - Laurel for the Patuxent has sent a letter of support for the proposed 40,000 acre Southern Maryland Woodlands Wildlife Refuge  

Horseshoe crab coalition (Brian) -  Laurel for the Patuxent has formally joined the coalition to protect the horseshoe crab.  Maryland has the worst record of allowing overharvesting of the horseshoe crab to use as bait. Our logo will appear on the website of the coalition.  We need tech support to make our logo high resolution for that purpose.


Laurel for the Patuxent presentations (Jess) - Shout out to two L4P members who have done community outreach recently.  Jimmy did a presentation at the Laurel Historical Society entitled “Reimagining the Museum Garden with Native Plants”.  Brian sat on a panel at the DC Environmental Filmfest for a screening that featured the Patuxent River.


June 3rd meeting (Jess) - At our June meeting, we will have a presentation by Jennifer Greiner, Director of US Fish and Wildlife at the Patuxent Refuge, and Dan Murphy, US Fish and Wildlife Manager of the Division of Habitat Conservation and Restoration.  The presentation will discuss the proposed 40,000 acre wildlife refuge. 


Planning and Discussion


Next Steps - Opposition to proposed Corridor Center Development in Ward II (Brian) -  The next planning commission meeting is scheduled for May 14th.  Those who are interested in testifying will need to register in advance.  Who will be able to attend?  Mike McLaughlin thinks that Corridor Center is a done deal, regardless of our opposition.  Heidi has heard that if the project can be stalled until July, new state laws will go into effect that may provide more support for retaining the forest.  

Dave wants the commission to consider Pulte’s plan for runoff and for increased traffic.  What is the plan to mitigate potential runoff for city residents who live downstream.  Are there retention ponds planned?  Dave is also concerned that Pulte is not developing the area that is currently a junkyard and parking lot.  Mike Maxwell responds that there’s a backset along the stream.  Jock says that backset is a requirement.  


Mike Maxwell asks what we can offer as an alternative to the current plan.  James Kole has indicated that the developed property is expected worth $40 million.  The city can’t afford to purchase the land from Pulte.  Brian says that there are entities that would buy the whole property to maintain it as greenspace.  Mike Maxwell would like to see it turned into a park.   Jock suggests that another alternative would be to maintain part as greenspace with less dense housing on the remainder.  National Fish and Wildlife, Nature Conservancy and Audobon all provide grants for greenspace preservation.  Mike Maxwell asks if we can contact grant organizations before the meeting so that we can say that we’re working on the issue.  One strategy would be to ask for a delay in vote in order to do more research.  Perhaps we could also bring consultants in.  Also, we can contact county and state officials regarding our concerns about Corridor Center.  Mike McLaughlin will talk to Mary Lehman.  Brian will look up contacts at various organizations.  Brian says it could be a PR win if Pulte gave us the land.


Pulte has called Corridor Center a smart development.  It’s not.  Mike Maxwell says that there are signs at the development site that say “Forest Retention area”.  Georgena says that the mayor wants the development because 1) it will bring money into the city and, 2) more housing is needed to handle a deficit.  302 homes were originally proposed for the development.  Tiny houses would still be bringing in money and would be more affordable.  Stosh says they would still require sewers, roads and utilities.  Dave says that documentation to show revenue vs. costs should be available.  


National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant to National Wildlife Federation, L4P and other groups (Jess, Brian) - We are the recipients of a grant from the National Wildlife Federation through which Laurel residents will be invited to apply to have a small portion of their lawn transformed to a native garden.  Five homes will be selected to receive free gardens and other applicants will receive the opportunity for native garden consultation through Laurel for the Patuxent.  The selection criteria will be that the garden is in a highly visible location, that the homeowners are committed land stewards, the recipients include diverse representation, and that the gardens inspire replication across Laurel.  The application period is May 11th through June 10th.  The project will be advertised at the Main Street Festival, on our website, through social media and on flyers around town.  The grant includes money to pay people to do the garden installation.

Main Street Festival (Jess) - The Main Street Festival is this weekend.  We don’t know our location yet.  Jess will communicate when she hears.  Jock and Stosh will help the morning crew with transporting supplies for our booth on Saturday morning.  Ruth will provide some native plants for giving away (donations requested) at the booth.