COMMUNITY FORUM : A BIG SCORE FOR PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY

County residents and officials owe the Prince George's Black Chamber of Commerce a big round of applause. Thanks to the efforts of this organization, FedEx Field in Landover will host a football classic game - a major event estimated to bring more than $15 million to the county and region. So far, Howard University in the District and Grambling State University in New Orleans have been invited to take part in the "Prince George's Classic," as it is being called so far. The deal was signed between the chamber and the Redskins organization on Christmas Eve.

" It was a great Christmas present," chamber President Hubert "Petey" Green told The Gazette. Even better, it is a great way for the county to start the new year- with a solid plan to make some money.
Chamber organizers were wise to plan a three-day event starting Sept. 15 with step shows and battle-of-the-band competitions and ending with the actual football game September 18. This will keep attendees flowing into the county on a daily basis for scheduled events.

Now that the chamber has laid the foundation to make Prince George's a primary destination this year, we need to ensure we fully capitalize on this opportunity. Now is the best time for the county's Economic Development Corp, to start extensively marketing Prince George's.

For example, it's a given that event attendees will spend a good portion of time and money in the District. The beautiful malls in Virginia and shopping in downtown D.C. are already well-known. It's time for Prince George's to hype up the nearby Boulevard at Capital Center mall ( all the stores should be open by then) and the Bowie Town Center. Now that Prince George's has these shopping gems, they need to be publicized beyond our borders.

Business leaders must work on getting the nearby Inglewood Restaurant Park in Largo up to par. Aside from eating at the malls, there are few nearby options to visiting patrons.

It would benefit the county to move forward on bringing in more restaurants than the few currently in the park. Discovering a great eating place while attending this event may help to bring in visitors long after the classic.

Organizers need to work out the kinks in and around the stadium to make sure the ongoing gripes about parking are eliminated.
If diehard Washington Redskins fans complain about the lack of parking at the stadium, surely visitors will be turned off by the chaos.

Finally, county officials have work to do as well. Eliminating the county's title of car-theft capital of the region would go a long way toward making visitors (and residents) feel more comfortable.

Officials also should work to ease transportation around the stadium and to county malls, and make sure security is not an issue. After all, if visitors leave with a good impression of the county after enjoying a great affair, it may lay the groundwork for future classic football games or other major, money-generating events.