Join Mary Travaglini, Sustainable Landscapes Manager for the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, to learn about healthy soils and tips for maintaining your lawn without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.

The event is free and open to all. 

Register here

Date: Monday, March 16, 2020
Time: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Location
7500 Maple Avenue
Azalea Room 2nd Floor
Takoma Park, MD 20912

You are invited to join the City of Takoma Park for the annual Arbor Day celebration and tree seedling give-a-way on Saturday, April 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Takoma Park Library grounds.

The City’s Arbor Day event and seedling give away will take place on Saturday, April 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (weather permitting) near the main entrance of the Takoma Park Library at 101 Philadelphia Ave.

If you have a story about a mature tree that grew from a Takoma Park Arbor Day seedling, please share it with the City’s Urban Forest Manager at janvz@ takomaparkmd.gov

We hope to see you there!

There will be a Little Free Library Public Art Project Reception before the City Council meeting. The five new Little Free Library boxes feature portraits of groundbreaking female authors and activists painted by local artists, Samantha Contrino and Katie Macyshyn. The boxes will be installed in various areas of Takoma Park.

Reception for Little Free Library Public Art Project

Location: Takoma Park Community Center
Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Time: 6:00pm

The City of Takoma Park is seeking a qualified organization or individual to provide the City’s youth, 1st through 12th grade, with a six-week summer enrichment and meals program.

The purpose of the summer meals and enrichment program is to provide summer academic enrichment opportunities for underserved Takoma Park youth that assists with meeting local and state academic standards in core content areas, such as reading and mathematics.

The program may also provide activities for youth development, drug and violence prevention, art, music, character education, counseling, and recreation to enhance the program’s academic components. The program should also include a summer meals component.

The focus of the summer meals and enrichment program should include, but not be limited to, serving approximately 175, 1st through 12th-grade students:

• Implement the summer youth meals and enrichment program on the following days/hours: (holidays not included)
  – Monday thru Friday 10 am – 3 pm (6-weeks)
  – Breakfast: Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 10 am
  – Lunch: Monday – Friday 12 pm – 1 pm

• Ability to provide transportation from designated locations to program
• Provide a safe and easily accessible facility for program implementation, including the computer lab
  Maintain a student-staff ratio of 13:1 or less
  Provide program “low to no costs” for parents
• Ability to implement and have access to programs, activities, and curriculum focused on the following: Education, Character & Leadership, Technology, Health & Life Skills, Arts, Fitness & Recreation
• Provide summer meals (breakfast and lunch)
  Provide in-kind support in areas of facilities, programs, supplies, staff and volunteers, transportation, insurance, media, and training

Review the entire RFP

Timeline:

Open Date:
February 3, 2020

Closing Date:
February 21, 2020
Time: 12:00 PM

For technical information, please contact:

Gregory Clark
City of Takoma Park
7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912
Phone: 301-891-7290
E-mail: GregoryC@takomaparkmd.gov

Why is 2020 Census so important?

• The census provides critical data that lawmakers, business owners, teachers, and many others use to provide daily services, products, and support for you and your community. Every year, billions of dollars in federal funding go to hospitals, fire departments, schools, roads, and other resources based on census data.
• The results of the census also determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives, and they are used to draw congressional and state legislative districts.
• For every person not counted, the State of Maryland loses $18,200 over ten years.

Timeline

• March 12 – 20: Households will begin receiving official Census Bureau mail with detailed information on how to respond to the 2020 Census online, by phone, or by mail.
• March 30 – April 1: The Census Bureau will count people who are experiencing homelessness over these three days. As part of this process, the Census Bureau counts people in shelters, at soup kitchens and mobile food vans, on the streets, and at non-sheltered, outdoor locations such as tent encampments.
• April 1: Census Day is observed nationwide. By this date, every home will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census.
• In mid-March, homes across the country will begin receiving invitations to complete the 2020 Census. Once the invitation arrives, you should respond for your home in one of three ways:
• online,
• by phone,
• or by mail.

Who Should I Count?

The Census counts EVERY PERSON in EVERY HOUSEHOLD in the US  including citizens, non-citizen legal residents, non-citizen long-term visitors, and undocumented immigrants.

Only one person in each household needs to complete the form.

A household consists of:

• All the people who occupy a housing unit;
• A house, an apartment or other groups of rooms, or a single room, is regarded as a housing unit when it is occupied.
• The person completing the census form should include every person (adults, children including newborns) in the household on the form.
• The census counts everyone where they live and sleep most of the time, even if the living arrangement is temporary or the parents of the child do not live there.
• The person filling out the form must count all children, including nonrelatives and those only living at the address temporarily on April 1, 2020.

Your Census Responses are safe and secure.

Your privacy matters.
The law is clear – no personal information can be shared.

The Census Bureau is required by law to protect any personal information and keep it strictly confidential. The law states that the information collected may be used for statistical purposes and no other purpose.

The Law is clear – no personal information can be shared. Under Title 13 of the U.S. Code, the Census Bureau cannot release any identifiable information about individuals, households, or businesses, even to law enforcement agencies.

By law, your census responses cannot be used against you by any government agency or court in any way—not by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), not by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) not by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and not by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Before publishing any 2020 statistics, the Census Bureau verifies that they meet strict confidentiality standards.

All Census Bureau employees who have access to your data have sworn a lifetime oath to protect your personal information. Any violation comes with a penalty of up to $250,000 and/or up to five (5) years in prison.

The 2020 Census is Accessible for Everyone: How can I complete it?

By April 1, 2020, every home will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census. You will have three options for responding:

• Online.
• By phone.
• By mail.

What resources are available to help me complete my census?

Online: – the Census Bureau will have a video – in English or in 12 additional languages.

Sign Language: available to guide your online response.

Phone: – you can respond in English or in 12 additional languages.

Device for the Deaf: (TDD) at 844-467-2020.

Mail – Braille and large print guides are available online to assist you with completing the paper questionnaire if you want to respond by mail.

Paper – you can request a paper questionnaire.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:

The City of Takoma Park will engage a firm to implement a robust community engagement process for the redevelopment of the Takoma Park Recreation Center. The primary objective of this effort  is to begin an equitable community engagement process that educates the residents of Takoma Park on the development process and captures the informed needs and preferences for the redevelopment project so that the City can implement a collaborative process as this site is redeveloped. It is imperative that the process is inclusive and values the diversity of input from all City residents, especially residents living within close proximity of the future redevelopment site.

Read the Solicitation in its entirety:  Solicitation for Community Engagement Process for Redevelopment

TIMELINE:

The City anticipates the selected firm will execute the community engagement process and a final report before the end of the 2019/2020 fiscal year on June 30, 2020.

• RFP Open: Friday, December 20, 2019
• Informational Conference Call: Wednesday, January 8, 2020, 10:30am – Dial: 301-891-7650
• UPDATE: 2nd Informational Conference Call: Wednesday, January 22, 2020, 10:00am – Dial: 301-891-7650
• RFP Close: 11:59 PM EST on Friday, January 31, 2020

SUBMISSION INFORMATION AND DEADLINE

The deadline for submission of the proposal is 11:59 PM EST on Friday, January 31, 2020.

Proposals must be submitted electronically to SamiraCG@takomaparkmd.gov. The email subject line must read “RFP #HCD 2019-12-20” with the submission attached as a single PDF, not more than 10 pages in length, excluding required certifications. All submittals received after the closing date and time will not be entered into the review and selection process.

CONTACT

For Solicitation questions:

Grace Yixian Zhou, Economic Development Division
Email: yixianz@takomaparkmd.gov

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GOALS

The City is seeking to identify a Community Engagement Partner who will work collaboratively with City staff to accomplish the following goals:

• Educate residents about the development process and therefore empower them to participate in the community engagement process.
• Create and execute an inclusive community engagement process that responds to the communication styles and languages of the residents.  The prevailing languages in the City are English, Spanish, Amharic, and French.
• Include engaging and innovative vehicles for education and feedback that go beyond or enhance the effectiveness of traditional community meetings.
• Introduce concepts of civic engagement and resident empowerment through education and knowledge sharing while seeking opportunities, when possible, to bolster residents’ long-term engagement with the City beyond this project
• Develop a comprehensive report of community needs and preferences for the Recreation Center site.

Takoma Park, MD – City of Takoma Park is honored to receive one of the 19 Community Change Grants awarded by America Walks for use in 2020. The program, now in its fifth year and supported by organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control, Lyft, the National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability (NCHPAD), Oregon Walks, and WalkBoston, provides funds that support grassroots efforts aimed at creating safe, accessible, and enjoyable places to walk and move.  Read the entire Press Release here.

Vision

Takoma Park Safe Routes to School envisions a one mile themed sensory/fitness route titled “Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes.” The route intersects with two elementary schools and one middle school, Takoma Park Community Center and Library and Takoma-Piney Branch Local Park. Students, teachers, and parents can begin the route at any point to enjoy a 15-30 minute walk enhanced with fitness activities and themed exercises. Pavement markings will be stenciled with paint or pre-made decals.

The proposed messaging will relate to inclusion, mindfulness, and kindness while the fitness prompts to engage the walkers in bursts of activity.

• For example, users may be prompted to do five jumping jacks and with each one say something kind about someone.

Students today, especially in Takoma Park, have the advantage of growing up in an era marked with;

• increased tolerance,
• acceptance, and
• understanding of differences in race, gender, or ability.

However, we still struggle as a nation to address equity. The themed-route, “Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes,” provides a safe space for dialogue and exploration of these issues. Using the route together as a class, family, or group of friends gives walkers a break from the routine and a time to move forward, both physically and emotionally. The planned route is ADA compliant.

I have served the City of Takoma Park as Deputy City Manager since the summer of 2015, when I decided to uproot my family in North Carolina and head a bit north for an excellent career opportunity in a city I had heard so many good things about. That was an easy decision for me.

The one I made more recently, to say farewell to Takoma Park for a change of scenery in Colorado, was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made.

When I assumed my role with the city, it did not take me long to realize just how special of a place Takoma Park is. The city is wonderfully diverse, the tree canopy is the envy of other jurisdictions in the region, the restaurants and farmers markets are among the best around, the parks and Sligo Creek are beautiful at any time of year, and the sense of community is simply amazing. In Takoma Park, residents and community leaders don’t simply talk about their values, they live them every day…and it shows.

The organization is also very special. The Takoma Park city staff are some of the most hard-working and dedicated public servants I have had the privilege to call my colleagues. They are professional, customer-oriented, responsive, and highly ethical. The staff not only understands the values of the community, but they also share and promote those values. In short, the city is in great hands!

I know that people often wonder what the job of deputy city manager actually entails. In addition to overseeing the IT and Communications Departments, as well as the Finance and Human Resources Departments more recently, I have overseen all of the city’s purchasing and procurement processes, managed countless special projects and contacts, provided assistance and support to the City Manager and Councilmembers in just about anything they needed assistance with, and written, written, written (agenda items for Council meetings, legislative testimony, content for the city’s many communications channels, responses to Councilmember and resident inquiries, etc.). During my time with the city, I have developed and implemented a number of regulations, processes, and procedures designed to improve internal operations (especially those related to planning for capital expenditures and technology); created the city’s first online, “living” project directory (a one-stop shop for up-to-date information about the dozens of ongoing projects across the city); helped facilitate the ongoing racial equity work of the city; overseen the Police Department during a time of transition and uncertainty, including working with Council to develop an inclusive process for hiring the new Chief (we got a good one!); created and administered an internal working group of project managers from across the organization which meets regularly (which we call the “Information Network”) to break down silos, cultivate cross-departmental relationships, and improve internal communication; and created and regularly convened a working group of area non-profit leaders (the Takoma Park Providers Council) to facilitate collaboration and share information, ideas, and resources.

While I am very proud of the work I have done in Takoma Park, none of these accomplishments could have happened without such an extraordinary team in place!

Needless to say, I will truly miss the professional relationships – and the friendships – I have made with so many residents, Councilmembers, and staff. I am grateful to all the city staff who have been fantastic to work with and from whom I’ve learned a lot. I am grateful to the City Council for their trust and confidence in me as I have worked hard (and often tirelessly!) to support them in meeting their goals and objectives. And I want to give a special thanks to City Manager Suzanne Ludlow for giving me the chance to progress in my career, for affording me tremendous professional development opportunities, for empowering me to make decisions and providing me with the right amount of autonomy to do so and, most importantly, for being a truly good person and friend. With Suzanne at the helm of an excellent staff with countless opportunities on the horizon, I know the city will only get better and better as a place to live, work, shop, dine, and play.

All my best wishes to Takoma Park in the New Year and the future!