Greenbelt Access Television seeks city help to expand animation and media classes at Spring Hill Lake Elementary

Greenbelt Access Television (GATE) asked the Greenbelt City Council work session for a grant to help expand its education programming in Prince George's County public schools, including a planned literacy-fair partnership with Spring Hill Lake Elementary.

Why it matters: GATE told council that federal and contractual franchise revenues (PEG fees) that historically supported public, educational and government access have declined with reduced cable subscriptions. Staff said modest city funding would allow GATE to offer scholarships and outreach that it could not otherwise sustain.

What GATE proposed: Frank [last name on file] and other GATE representatives described a project to provide animation, cellphone filmmaking and editing instruction in local schools and to support a county literacy fair. GATE said the budget for the Spring Hill Lake project totals about $5,000 in expenses, with potential additional grant requests to the Greenbelt Community Foundation. "We are not getting any funding or not as much as we used to in cable revenue," GATE representative said, describing a steady decline in PEG fees and the resulting budgetary pressure.

Review panel recommendation: Recreation staff said the review panel scored GATE in the "very good" range and recommended funding at 80% of the panel's target, which the panel quantified as $2,600 for the Spring Hill Lake project.

Council response and next steps: Council members praised a recent animation showcase for children and encouraged GATE to coordinate budget and program details with Spring Hill Lake's principal, Trina Wilson. Several council members suggested GATE pursue matching support from the school system and philanthropic grants, and one council member reiterated interest in state- or federal-level remedies to declining franchise revenues from streaming services.

Ending: Staff will include the review panel's recommended award in the draft budget spreadsheet for council consideration; no formal award was made at the session.