Update from Councilmember Valerie Ervin on the Piney Branch Pool’s Repair and Operation
June 3, 2008 4:39 PM
I am pleased to report that on May 22 the County Council approved the fiscal year 2009 operating budget. As part of the approved budget the Montgomery County Public Schools will match the City of Takoma Park’s $50,000 to repair the Piney Branch Pool. Once an analysis and estimate of the pools’ needs have been completed, repairs will commence so that this important community resource can be re-opened as soon as possible. To operate and program the pool during non-school hours the Council allocated $206,750 to Adventist Community Services and $21,700 to the Department of Recreation to manage the Piney Branch Pool Pool Pak Service Contract. I want to thank the community, the City of Takoma Park, fellow Councilmembers George Leventhal and Marc Elrich, MCPS, the Department of Recreation, and Adventist Community Services for their hard work, advocacy, and dedication to ensuring that the Piney Branch Pool remains open and operational. I will be in touch as more information on the timeline for repairs becomes available.
The County Department of Permitting Services now requires a letter from the City of Takoma Park for any exterior development project. If you need a letter please contact (301) 891-7119. Click here for development review information.
Citizen Survey Sent to Residents
9/10/2007
The City of Takoma Park is interested in your opinions about City services and activities. If you received a postcard during the week of September 10th, you will also receive a survey in the upcoming weeks. Please assist the City's efforts in improving services and activities offered to you by completing the survey and returning it as soon as possible! The survey is in English and in Spanish; however, there are staff available who are fluent in French and in Amharic to assist residents upon request.
The survey is being conducted by the National Research Center (NRC), based in Boulder, Colorado. The company is also conducting a survey for the Montgomery County. In the last five years, the company has conducted more than 300 resident surveys for cities and counties ranging in size from 4,000 to over one million residents, including the City of Rockville.
For more information, please contact the following staff members:
English & Spanish: Venita-Enola George @ 301-891-7266
French: Nick Fontem @ 301-891-7263
Amharic: Kiros Alemseged @ 301-891-7211
On September 7, 2007, invoices were mailed to property owner for the fiscal year 2008 stormwater fees that cover the fiscal year that began July 1, 2007. The City Finance Department was able to mail these invoices earlier this fiscal year than previously, when bills went out in the Spring. The earlier billing of stormwater fees will ensure that funds are available to complete the stormwater projects that were included in the Fiscal Year 2008 budget. For more information, please see Stormwater FAQs.
Impeachment Resolution
7/24/2007
On Monday, July 23, the City Council adopted a resolution to impeach President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney.
At the direction of the City Council, the City of Takoma Park has released a legal analysis concerning the City's immigrant sanctuary law, which went into effect in 1985. In a memorandum dated July 17, 2007, City Attorney Susan Silber and Assistant City Attorney Kenneth Sigman advised the Takoma Park City Council that "...the sanctuary law is a valid law that is not superceded by state or federal statute and that it broadly prohibits cooperating with or assisting federal immigration officials with the investigation or arrest of persons accused of immigration violations." Chief Ronald A. Ricucci, who assumed leadership of the Takoma Park Police Department in February 2007, requested the legal analysis. His request was prompted by the inclusion of criminal or civil deportation orders in the National Crime Information Center database, which began in December 2001. Ricucci inquired about the applicability and the legality of the City's immigration sanctuary law. A copy of the July 17, 2007 memorandum from the City Attorney's Office, as well as a news release concerning it, may be found on the City's website, www.takomaparkmd.gov. (City Manager)
The market - located at 7676 New Hampshire Avenue - will be open every Wednesday through November 14 from 3:00 to 7:00 pm and offers a variety of locally grown vegetables, fruit, herbs, flowers, fresh baked goods and ethnic foods. For more information, please visit: www.crossroadsfarmersmarket.org
The City Council adopted a resolution declaring Friday, May 27, 2005,
as Rachel Carson Day in Takoma Park.
12/29/2005
Ms. Carson was the author of the landmark 1962 book, Silent Spring, which warned of the dangers of pesticides. On May 27, residents are urged to focus their attention on the potentially serious hazards associated with chemical pesticides and to refrain from using them. More information on the life and work of Rachel Carson can be found at the Rachel Carson Council's web page . For information on responsible use of pesticides and alternatives to their use, residents might like to review an article written by Catherine Tunis of the Committee on the Environment.
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