Porchia Lavender nervously took her place at a podium in front of the Prince George’s County Council and spoke about the conditions at Croom Vocational High School.
“We sometimes find spiders and roaches in our food — like 10 times every month,” the 17-year-old Suitland resident and Croom junior told the council, calmly reading through a list of concerns. “It’s frustrating to try and do our work when the tables keep wobbling.”
Lavender and more than two dozen Prince George’s County residents each claimed a three-minute audience with council members Tuesday night as part of a final public hearing on the proposed 2007 budget. The council will vote on the $2.3 billion plan May 25.
For about 90 minutes, residents spoke of concerns and asked if the council could allot money to study traffic patterns, return dance lessons to their original location, fix buckled pavement or maintain beleaguered high-school baseball fields. Some wondered when the neighborhood school they had been promised would be built, while others questioned the wisdom of building schools without dedicated gymnasiums.
“They end up watching videos in their rooms with their heads on their desks,” said Todd Reitzel, of Beltsville, father of a kindergarten student at Montpelier Elementary School in Laurel, where recess and physical education compete with lunch periods for rainy-day use of the school’s multipurpose room. “I think the lack of physical activity is the wrong message to send our children.”
Tom Dernoga, council chairman and District 1 representative, thanked the crowd at several points during the evening for bringing their issues to the council. Dernoga also encouraged residents to return for future meetings.
“We appreciate your attention and participation,” Dernoga said.
