Berwyn Heights

Area A – Community Engagement

The Town of Berwyn Heights developed its first Strategic Plan in 2016, with one of the action items to increase the Town’s engagement and outreach with its residents and businesses. The Town is fortunate to have tremendous diversity in terms and age and race. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the median resident age is 34.9, with 35% of the population over the age of 45. 56% of the population is White, 27% is Hispanic, 15% is African-American, 8% is Asian, and 14% identified as two or more races.

The Town maintains an updated website and social media presence and mails a monthly 28-page newsletter to every household and business. The following three projects can be taken separately by students, faculty or other interested University groups or individuals, but also can potentially be combined to develop leadership and engage residents of all ages and races to enhance the community’s connectivity.

1. Improved Berwyn Heights Residential Engagement

The Town of Berwyn Heights and the University of Maryland will explore strategies and innovative ideas to improve the effective engagement of the residents of Berwyn Heights, using appropriate communications tools. Metrics can be developed to measure the current rate of engagement, and set short term and longer-term goals. The effort will seek to improve residential awareness of Town events or initiatives.

2. Improved Berwyn Heights Business Engagement

The Town of Berwyn Heights and the University of Maryland will explore strategies and innovative ideas to improve the effective engagement of the businesses of Berwyn Heights, using appropriate communications tools. Metrics can be developed to measure the current rate of engagement, and set short term and longer-term goals. The effort will seek to improve commercial awareness of Town events or initiatives.

3. Increased Volunteerism in Berwyn Heights

One measure of increased engagement in volunteerism, but this project can be undertaken as a separate collaboration, and/or related to the Sustainability efforts listed below. Developing the goals can be done in conjunction with, or separate from other goals. With any of the Town’s active clubs and organizations such as a Senior Center, Boys & Girls Club, Recreation Council, Green Team, and Historical Committee, the goal will be to expand the volunteer base to a larger pool of residents.

Area B – Municipal Sustainability Implementation Efforts

The Town of Berwyn Heights has received designation as a “Sustainable Maryland Certified” community from the University of Maryland for several years. The Town approaches sustainability in a broad-based sense to include the environment, economy, transportation, housing, quality of life, and land use. Previous efforts have resulted in a well-developed list of sustainability strategies; the next step is to find ways to implement sustainability efforts. On each of the following goals, collaborative exploration can include an assessment of the funding needed to achieve the objectives, financing strategies, working with private property owners to demonstrate the value of sustainability projects, connecting with existing regional partnerships and non-governmental organizations, and coordinating with the Community Engagement projects with Berwyn Heights residents and businesses.

4. Towards Zero Waste

The Town of Berwyn Heights and the University of Maryland will seek to implement an increase of the Town’s waste diversion rate and reducing the percentage of refuse sent to a landfill through improved recycling and the exploration of a regional food waste collection. An assessment of the current diversion rate, and appropriate goals, will be conducted with the Town’s Green Team.

5. Reduced Flooding

The current flood experience and risk in Berwyn Heights will likely increase without action. Mitigating of flooding can be achieved by residential and business actions on their properties; a more comprehensive water management strategy might be developed to reduce the quantity and intensity of flood events. If not comprehensive, exploration of efforts aimed at the hardest-hit areas of town could be examined.

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As its part of the cleanup of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and the Chesapeake Bay, the Town of Berwyn Heights seeks to reduce polluted water run-off and improving water quality in local tributaries. Almost all of Berwyn Heights is in the Indian Creek Watershed, and the stream flows as an attractive western edge of the community. Stream and community clean-ups will decrease litter in Indian Creek, and help meet the Trash Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) limit set by the State of Maryland for the Anacostia. This project is best combined with the previous goal of reducing flooding, but the two projects can be undertaken separately.

7. Historic Homes Preservation

The Town of Berwyn Heights has historic homes in its community, and efforts to enhance their preservation can be explored, perhaps led by faculty and students in the School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.

8. Removing Invasive Species

As part of the Town’s landscape management that accompanies its flood protection and Indian Creek stewardship, the removal of invasive species will help native plants and animals survive and thrive, and assist in bio habitat. Invasive species removal is labor-intensive but can be part of good volunteer recruitment.

9. Collaborating with Berwyn Heights Elementary School and Green Team on Enhancing Environmental Literacy

Developing thriving public schools is a goal for every community, and the Town of Berwyn Heights has a centrally located elementary school that can serve as an engagement tool for volunteer recruitment, leadership development, improved academic performance and engagement of the students’ families. The University and the Town will seek ways to collaborate with Prince George’s County Public Schools to maximize opportunities to achieve collaborative goals with the community’s public school.

10. Increasing the Town’s tree canopy (currently 59%)

The Town is a well-arbored community but has suffered tree loss through recent storms and PEPCO tree management efforts to reduce future power outages. The University and Town can look at what an appropriate goal for tree canopy might be, and develop a plan to reach that goal using an appropriate variety of tree species.