Council calls for hearing on National Harbor funds

State officials had said most of project’s jobs for residents are entry-level

‘‘This is ridiculous,” said Councilman Tony Knotts (D-Dist. 8) of Temple Hills, who criticized the Prince George’s Community Foundation’s grant selections, which included $81,000 for groups based outside the county.

Allocation of the money sparked outrage in 2007, when it was revealed that money was given to county organizations that did not apply and, in some cases, was distributed by county officials during campaign season. The furor resulted in the disbanding of the National Harbor Community Outreach Committee, and the Prince George’s Community Foundation was put in charge of distribution of funds.

Foundation officials said they were looking for organizations’ performance in the county, not office location when selecting recipients.

‘‘The application review was rigorous,” Desiree Griffin-Moore, executive director of the foundation, said in a statement.

But council members said they are concerned that the distribution violates the spirit of the original deal where National Harbor developers agreed to give $350,000 per year in community grants to mitigate the impact the massive project would have in Prince George’s.

‘‘It’s inconsistent with what the memorandum of understanding is all about,” Knotts said. ‘‘We didn’t talk about this money going to Baltimore, to the District.”

Grants were given to about 30 organizations; more than 223 groups applied. About 25 percent of the funding went to groups based outside the county.

The council agreed to hold a hearing with the foundation to discuss concerns about grant distribution. No date had been set as of press time.

The call for a hearing came days after state legislators complained to the county executive at a meeting Jan. 11 that promises to hire residents to run the complex’s hotels and stores have so far only earned listings for janitors and cooks.

‘‘How many of these executive vice presidents are coming from Prince George’s County?” asked Del. Carolyn J.B. Howard (D-Dist. 24) of Mitchellville. ‘‘Right now, they are offering $25,000 to $30,000 as a salary. Is anyone going to monitor the types of jobs?”

Johnson has boasted that National Harbor — which will include more than 4,000 hotel rooms, a 470,000-square-foot convention center, 1 million square feet of retail and restaurants, office buildings and 2,500 luxury condominiums along the Potomac River in Oxon Hill — would provide a major boost to the local economy by bringing jobs and thousands of visitors.

But other lawmakers worry the high-end development is only bringing entry-level work for residents.

‘‘We want to make sure that Prince George’s is getting their share,” said state Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Dist. 26) of Fort Washington. ‘‘We want to be able to tell our colleagues that we have our eyes on the prize.”

Muse and others said the only positions they have seen advertised so far are for hourly workers, not the more lucrative mid-level managers and other skilled positions.

A search of the company’s job Web site www.gaylordcareers.com this week showed more than 160 job listings, including many in management.

‘‘We still have more than half our management-level positions that still need be filled,” said Amie Gorrell, spokeswoman for Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center.

Gorrell would not give a salary range for the positions, but said it is competitive within the industry.

Johnson pleaded with lawmakers for patience, pointing to a massive job fair scheduled from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 at the complex.

Johnson said he was ‘‘confident” that Gaylord and other companies at the site would hire residents for jobs at all levels.

‘‘There are going to be lucrative, well-paying jobs,” he said.

Applications are being taken in advance for the job fair, which will only be for positions at the Gaylord facility.

Company officials say more than 15,000 applications have been made online. The company plans to fill 1,600 jobs by the April 25 opening day.

Economic officials say Gaylord’s jobs will likely account for about 50 percent of the jobs at National Harbor. Other hotels, restaurants and stores will hire in batches through the next few years.

E-mail Daniel Valentine at dvalentine@gazette.net.

National Harborhiring

What: Gaylord NationalJob Fair

How: To apply, visit www.gaylordcareers.com.

When: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 (Interviews Jan. 30 through Feb. 1 are for registered applicants only)

Where: Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at National Harbor. Parking available with bus service at Rosecroft Raceway.