Civil Municipal - June 2024

Mayor Cynthia Miller touts, “I always say that we’re like a boutique-type city because we have qualities and ways that make us feel warm and fuzzy.” District Heights’ City Manager David Street adds, “We are a very quiet, safe pocket, within the bustling and active Washington DC beltway.We are within 15 minutes of major metro stations, but we have maintained that quiet residential character that is attractive to both people who live here and prospective residents as well.” ENHANCING THE COMMUNITY Street outlines a series of recent infrastructure developments that underscore District Heights’ commitment to improving the quality of life for its residents. These initiatives include the construction of several new public playgrounds in the community, as well as the introduction of a senior center. “That’s going to be a hub of services for the 55- plus population, but also a hub for active aging and intergenerational programming in the city,” he shares. Also underway is the expansion of the City’s community garden, “Fiesta Garden,” which will include educational opportunities to learn about nutrition and gardening. Street says, “That is a $325,000 project that is also underway. It gets the name Fiesta Garden, because it is on land that the city owns that at one point in time was supposed to be the continuation of a street - Fiesta Place. So, it’s kind of fun to reuse public property back into recreational and public benefit.” The recent completion of a $700,000 repaving project saw improvements to a number of the main thoroughfares in the community, and Street notes that a biannual paving project will be discussed as part of the proposed 2025 budget. “Investing in infrastructure and preserving our capital assets has been a big focus of this particular commission,” he maintains. In addition, the city has purchased a one-and-a- half-acre lot on Marlboro Pike, the main commercial thoroughfare, which will eventually be the site of a Community Services Center. “We thought it was important that we move to a main street. We want to have a great presence 129 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 06 DISTRICT HEIGHTS, MD