The City of Mt. Rainier Community Service Memorial
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The City of Mount Rainier is a historic gateway community into Prince George’s County from Washington DC north along the Route 1 corridor.  Historically, the citizens of Mount Rainier have been extremely active in their community, including groups like the Boys and Girls Club and Friends of the Library.  To honor the many people who have volunteered to make the city better, a memorial was created at the corner of Rhode Island Avenue and Perry Street.  Unfortunately, the existing memorial has become deteriorated and overgrown with invasive plants.  Additionally, the plaque on the memorial did not allow for additional community members names to be added.  To improve these conditions, the City Mayor and Council Members requested assistance from NDC's Prince George’s County office to develop a design that would include a seating area and better selection of plants.

The design for the new Community Service Memorial would replace the existing memorial stone with a monument in the form of a curved stone seat wall.  Lettering would be affixed onto the front of the seat wall and LED lights installed in the wall to illuminate the lettering at night.  Pavers surrounding the seat wall would be engraved with the names of community members and could be easily installed, updated, and maintained as additional individuals are recognized.  The existing flag pole would remain and fitted with the City of Mount Rainier flag.  The design also incorporates an outdoor seating area, which would provide visitors to sit and linger with a cup of coffee at the cafe that will be located next to the new memorial.


The proposed design will also eliminate the non-native plants on the site.  Two large existing Pin Oaks in good condition will remain to provide ample shade for the memorial and outdoor seating area.  The new planting plan consists of native plants that are low-maintenance and will provide year round interest.

The conceptual design was approved bythe Mayor and Council Members in mid-January 2009, and will be used by the City of Mt. Rainier to assist in their funding efforts.

Project Completion: January 2009
Project Location: corner of Rhode Island Avenue and Perry Street, Mt. Rainier, MD 20712
Design completed by NDC staff member Sara Chadwick.