All posts by Gerald Allen

News, Public Notices

Takoma Park Youth Council Winter Clothes Drive

The Takoma Park Youth Council, in partnership with Adventist Community Services, is sponsoring a Winter Clothes Drive.

Donations of coats, gloves, hats, sweaters and other winter clothes can be dropped off at the Recreation Center, Police Department, and Community Center lobbies. Please give what you can to help work towards a Takoma Park where everyone has the clothes they need to thrive during every season.

Drive Duration

Start: January 19, 2022
End: March 6, 2022

Drop-Off Locations

7500 Maple Avenue
Takoma Park, MD 20912

 

OR

 

7315 New Hampshire Ave
Takoma Park, MD 20912

 

Give warmth to those in need this winter! Thank you for your generosity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Public Notices

RSVP/AARP FREE TAX-AIDE PROGRAM

Free tax preparation assistance by trained volunteers for low-to-moderate-income taxpayers with special attention to seniors age plus (for the 2021 tax year). See Tax-Aide Program details, including how to make an appointment, what to bring to your appointment, and more.

Where:

Takoma Park Community Center
7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912

When:

Wednesdays, beginning February 16, 2022
10:00 am – 2:30 pm, Azalea Room

Saturdays, beginning February 19, 2022
11:00 am – 3:00 pm, Lilac Room

 

 

You must contact the Montgomery County Tax Aide scheduling center using the online website or phone number listed above for appointments. 

News, Public Notices

The Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund is now open for application

 

Are you struggling to keep up with your mortgage payments or other housing costs due to financial hardships?

Don’t Wait.

Contact a HUD-approved Housing Counseling Agency for assistance.

  • Call the Housing Initiatives Partnership (HIP) at 301-699-3835 or visit their website at https://hiphomes.org/.

A HUD-certified housing counselor will review all mortgage relief options based on your specific circumstances and can assist you with finding a solution that works best for you. Counselors will additionally help you understand whether you are eligible for the Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) program and assist with the application process. Learn more about the Homeowner Assistance Fund.

If you are outside Montgomery County, you can also call 1-877-462-7555 to find a state-approved nonprofit agency that can provide individual guidance to homeowners facing foreclosure.

Getting help early can mean saving your home and losing it to foreclosure.

News Alert, Public Notices

City of Takoma Park enacts vaccine policy in compliance with OSHA ETS

 

With the emergence of the highly contagious Omicron variant, COVID-19 continues to pose a very serious health risk, especially to those individuals who are not fully vaccinated. The City’s COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Policy (the “Policy”) is in the best interest of the City and all employees in order to most effectively address the pandemic.

The City of Takoma Park, in compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (OSHA ETS), and to promote the health and safety of the City workforce, residents, and visitors, adopts a COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Policy (the “Policy”).

The Policy requires that all City employees, independent contractors, interns, and temporary workers be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to approved accommodations, including receipt of any additional doses of a COVID-19 vaccine (i.e., booster) in a manner and schedule consistent with this Policy as informed by CDC guidelines.

Vaccination & Booster Requirement

All City employees, independent contractors, interns, and temporary workers must be fully vaccinated
against COVID-19 no later than February 9, 2022.

To be fully vaccinated by February 9, 2022, an employee or other covered person must:

  • Obtain the first dose of a two-dose vaccine no later than January 19, 2022 (Pfizer) or January 12, 2022 (Moderna); and the second dose no later than February 9, 2022; or
  • Obtain one dose of a single dose vaccine no later than February 9, 2022.

In addition, covered individuals who are eligible to receive a booster must obtain the booster as follows:

  • If currently eligible for an approved COVID-19 booster, you must obtain the booster by February 9, 2022; and
  • If not currently eligible for an approved COVID-19 booster, you must obtain the booster within 30 days of becoming eligible for a booster per CDC guidance.
Other Items to Note

Time to Receive Vaccination
Employees may take up to four (4) hours of work time during the workday per dose to receive vaccination and a booster.

Time to Recover from Vaccine Side Effects
Employees may utilize up to two (2) workdays of sick leave, if needed, because of side effects from the COVID-19 vaccination/booster that prevent them from working.

City of Takoma Park Vaccination Policy

Purpose
Vaccination is a vital tool to reduce the presence and severity of COVID-19 cases in the workplace, in communities, and in the nation as a whole. The City has adopted this Policy to comply with OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard on Vaccination and Testing, which encourages full vaccination of the workforce against COVID-19, and to promote the safety and wellbeing of others.

Read the full policy here.

FAQs

Who is required to be vaccinated by the Policy and when is the Policy effective?
The Policy requires that all City employees, independent contractors, interns, and temporary workers be fully vaccinated against COVID-19

Where can I obtain testing?
There are multiple testing locations. Some options for free testing can be found at:

To see the full list, visit our FAQs page.

 

News

New Year, New Takoma Park Silver Spring Community Kitchen!

The Story of TPSS Community Kitchen

 

The Takoma Park Silver Spring (TTPS) Community Kitchen recently underwent an expansion project to create more storage and workspace on the second floor. The timing could not be more perfect since the increased space will allow the kitchen to accommodate more food businesses while also promoting culinary justice through its community-based programming.

Most small-scale food business entrepreneurs lack the capital to invest in their own production facilities, and rental costs at commercial kitchens in the DC area are prohibitive. So Crossroads worked with the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church to transform an existing kitchen space into a shared-use, commercial kitchen to help meet the needs of local small-scale food entrepreneurs. Since August 2017, the focus of the community kitchen has been to be a resource and facility for community members to develop economic independence while sharing cultural experiences. Many entrepreneurs create products and meals with recipes passed down from generations or ingredients native to their home country.

Most business owners based at the TPSS Community Kitchen aspire to own restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, food trucks, or household brands that started locally. The kitchen allows these entrepreneurs to take fundamental steps to learn the basics of starting and operating a business and scale up strategically to attain their goals. In collaboration with Crossroads Farmers Market, there are opportunities for businesses to operate as pop-up vendors to make sales, receive consumer feedback, and learn essential factors necessary to improve their business.

The kitchen is also a hub for community activity. Recently a group of gardeners supported by Community CHEER made meals together from fresh produce they’d grown and harvested in local garden plots. Crossroads is also thrilled to resume its partnership with the City of Takoma Park Recreation Department. Beginning in February, middle school students again will have the opportunity to cook in the kitchen with Crossroads’ Healthy Eating Program staff. Students can  register now through the City of Takoma Park. There are two different time slots for this class, with a maximum of 6 students per session.

It is an exciting time for the community kitchen. Crossroads looks forward to another year of supporting financial self-sufficiency, increasing local economic growth, and facilitating cultural expression and community connection—all necessary components of an equitable and robust local food system.

News Alert, Public Notices

Takoma Park One Of 95 Global Cities Named as Climate Leaders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release

 

Takoma Park One of 95 Global Cities Named as Climate Leaders

The City of Takoma Park has been recognized by Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) as one of the top 95 cities out of 1,100 cities across the globe, taking bold leadership on environmental action and transparency, despite the continued pressures of tackling the coronavirus pandemic on local and national economies and societies.

Designed to encourage and support cities to ramp up their climate action and ambition, CDP’s Cities A List is based on environmental data disclosed by cities to the CDP-ICLEI Unified Reporting System. A clear momentum in city climate disclosure and action is building – for the first time, over 1,000 cities are reporting their environmental impact through CDP in 2021. Meanwhile, 965 cities received a rating for their climate action from CDP in 2021, a substantial rise on the 591 cities scored in 2020.

“In Takoma Park, we have taken the impact and threat of climate change seriously and have treated climate change as an urgent issue. In 2019, the City declared a Climate Emergency,” Takoma Park Mayor Kate Stewart said. “We’ve made a very public statement by declaring a Climate Emergency to pursue the necessary steps to address the global challenges, and we are willing to do our part.”

To score an A, a city must disclose publicly and have a city-wide emissions inventory, have set an emissions reduction target and a renewable energy target for the future, and have published a climate action plan. It must also complete a climate risk and vulnerability assessment and have a climate adaptation plan to demonstrate how it will tackle climate hazards. Many A List cities are also taking various other leadership actions, including political commitment from a city’s Mayor to tackle climate change.

“By dedicating ourselves to aggressive actions regarding climate adaption and resilience. We recognize the devastating consequences of inaction. The City will serve as a leader, and we hope to inspire others to do the same,” Stewart said.

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Contact: 
Gina Mathias
Sustainability Manager
ginam@takomaparkmd.gov
301-891-7623

News Alert, Public Notices

City of Takoma Park Releases Data Explorer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release

 

City of Takoma Park Releases Data Explorer

The City of Takoma Park is pleased to announce the release of the Takoma Park Data Explorer, a one-stop-shop for members of the public to learn more about the City and its residents through data. The Data Explorer provides summary text and visualizations of selected Census American Community Survey data for 2015-2019, including the City’s demographics, racial and economic inequalities, and access to broadband internet among residents.

All visualizations are interactive, letting interested residents go further in exploring Census data. The Data Explorer also compares results for Takoma Park to Montgomery County and Maryland, identifying statistically significant differences in results for the City compared to the state and county.

The Data Explorer is organized into tabs and sub-tabs that users can move between. An “Overall” tab provides a summary of data analyzed throughout the Explorer. The “Methodology” tab includes methodological information and instructions on how to use the explorer. Each other tab is subject-based: Demographics; Race and Ethnicity; Housing; Poverty, employment, and income; and Education, health insurance, and computer-access, with summaries and sub-tabs allowing further exploration. The City webpage announcing the Explorer includes a PDF and a video explaining how to use the Explorer is coming soon!

Each year, the Explorer will be updated with the most recent 5-year American Community Survey data, allowing residents continued access to up-to-date information about their City. Over time, the City may add other visualizations or text to the Explorer, documented in the “Updates and citations” section of the “Methodology” tab. The code used to produce the Explorer can be found on the City’s GitHub page.

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Contact:
Daniel Powers
Public Administration Specialist
danielp@takomaparkmd.gov
301-891-7232

News, News Alert, Public Notices

COVID-19 vaccines are now available for children ages 5-11

 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have approved the first COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11. Beginning this week, limited doses will be available through Montgomery County clinics and private providers, with more doses available each week. Doses are allocated to local governments and private providers by the State of Maryland, based on our State’s allocation from the federal government.

More Resources: