A small storm will be hitting our area late tonight and through the day on Tuesday. While it’s nothing like receiving 18+ inches of snow, we all know that even a small event can cause transportation havoc.
We will have crews treating the roadways tonight. Trash, recycling and food waste collection may begin earlier than usual Tuesday morning and, depending on Wednesday’s weather, may or may not take place on Wednesday. Please check the City’s website for updates on the collection schedule.
If there is an accumulation of snow, our Code Enforcement staff will be inspecting sidewalks for adherence to the City’s sidewalk clearing regulations. Please be a good neighbor and clear snow from your sidewalks promptly. For more info visit the Snow Removal Information page.
Have a laundry list of energy-efficiency improvements? Not sure what improvements are worth the investment? Bring your energy audit reports, contractor proposals, and toughest energy efficiency questions for a second opinion without the sales pressure. Takoma Park Sustainability Manager, Gina Mathias, will be available from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm to review contractor recommendations and answer questions. Resource lists will be available for questions about contractors, rebates, appliances, and more. Gina can also help with your Green Home Certification applications and rebate applications. The Neighborhood Energy Challenge ends in March and rebate money is quickly being claimed, so now is the time to plan what energy efficiency improvements you will make! RSVP is not necessary, but very helpful: GinaM@takomaparkmd.gov; If you think your audit report/question/proposal may require research please email Gina ahead of the event.
Come and join local lawn care expert Zack Kline from A.I.R. Lawn Care and get tips on transitioning from traditional lawn care to organic methods. Homeowners attending the event will receive a free soil test and an opportunity to receive a free lawn care consultation from A.I.R. Lawn Care!
Ten homeowners will be selected from the pool of applications for a free lawn care consultation. Applicants demonstrating serious lawn care issues will be selected.
This morning, following the lead of the Federal Government, the City of Takoma Park opened on time. Exactly one week ago, we were preparing for the blizzard and administrative staff were heading out at noon to be sure they could get home before the snow started making travel difficult.
Over the week, our Public Works crews, Police officers, Dispatch staff, Emergency Manager, and Communications staff did their jobs well. Snow Angels, Councilmembers, volunteers and neighbors pulled together to help each other and the community. We are tired, a little sore from shoveling, but mostly pleased with the result of handling the storm well.
There’s still some shoveling to do. If you can clear out around a bus stop or shovel a snow pile from the road onto an adjacent lawn, it will really help. And, you can report properties where the snow wasn’t shoveled off the sidewalks through our My TKPK reporting system (http://takomaparkmd.gov/services/my-tkpk/). If the shoveling and melting continue, we’ll put the snow behind us quickly!
In the next couple of weeks, we will do an after action assessment of how we handled the storm to see what we can do better next time. We will also begin assembling the documentation for the 75% reimbursement from the federal government of the extra expenses that were required to address the storm, because the storm likely qualifies for the funds.
Please send me an email, with the subject line “Storm Response Comment,” to let me know what you think we did well, what you think we did not do well, and any suggestions you may have. We will look at these comments when doing our storm response assessment.
Now, we return our attention to all of the other work we do every day. There are major issues and big opportunities facing Takoma Park in the coming year. Two that I would like to see a lot of resident involvement in over the few weeks are the Library Renovation/Expansion proposal and the Community Conversation on Affordable Housing.
On the Library, the Council wants to use the next two months to learn more, and hear from the community more, on if and how library renovation and expansion should occur. We will be gathering more information to share with the public so that you can weigh in on this important issue. Stay tuned!
The Community Conversation on Affordable Housing scheduled for Saturday, February 6, is the first of several “conversations” to take place over the coming year. Check the information on the website to learn more. Agendas and background materials will be added soon. You can even send in your comments in advance. Go to http://takomaparkmd.gov/initiatives/community-conversations/ As we return to normalcy, please continue to contact me with your questions, concerns or comments about City services. Your emails help me learn what is working and what we can improve upon, and they help me get to know you.
I drove around Takoma Park this morning and saw tremendous progress in getting Takoma Park back to normal. Thanks to all of you who have helped clear snow from sidewalks, from between cars, from bus stops and from sidewalk ramps. We have more to do, but those areas yet to be done are obvious and countable.
I stopped by Public Works today and the employees are very tired – many have worked for ten straight days so far – but they also feel good about the progress that has been made. They really appreciate the nice things people have said to them while they’ve been out clearing roads and sidewalks.
During the day today, please try to continue to clear sidewalks. A good amount of melting is going on, which is helping, but there will be a hard freeze tonight, some freezing Thursday night, and a hard freeze on Friday night. Ice will be a problem in the mornings. Do not use rock salt on sidewalks, use sand or sidewalk-safe de-icer instead.
Tomorrow we begin trash/recycling/food waste collection and enforcement of the City’s sidewalk clearing laws. Thanks to everyone for your patience as we get back to normal!
Updated Storm Recovery Information
Regular collection of trash, recycling and food waste of Thursday routes will be attempted on Thursday, January 28, starting a little later in the morning than normal. Crews will attempt collection, but not all streets may be accessible and not all containers may be able to be collected. Residents are advised to use caution when placing their containers near the curbside. Given the limited space, please keep them out of the street. Where possible place them in a driveway opening or tree lawn areas that have been shoveled down and are level. The same information applies to the collection of Friday’s route on Friday.
Traffic restrictions put in place for the duration of the storm will continue through Sunday, January 3.
No payment is needed at the City’s Takoma Junction parking lot on Carroll Avenue or at parking meters through Sunday, January 31.
Enforcement WILL take place regarding non-monetary parking restrictions such as residential permit parking, handicap parking, no parking in loading areas etc.
Enforcement of the City’s sidewalk clearing laws begins on Thursday for sidewalks along commercial, institutional and multi-family properties. Enforcement begins on Friday for sidewalks along single-family residential property. For more information, see www.takomaparkmd.gov/snow . Enforcement officers will be lenient with properties that had snow plowed onto sidewalks from street crews.
Takoma Park Rocks!
Suzanne Ludlow City Manager Email: SuzanneL@takomaparkmd.gov Phone: 301-891-7229
Regular collection of trash, recycling and food waste of Thursday routes will be attempted on Thursday, January 28, starting a little later in the morning than normal. Crews will attempt collection, but not all streets may be accessible and not all containers may be able to be collected. Residents are advised to use caution when placing their containers near the curbside. Given the limited space, please keep them out of the street. Where possible place them in a driveway opening or tree lawn areas that have been shoveled down and are level. The same information applies to the collection of Friday’s route on Friday.
Traffic restrictions put in place for the duration of the storm will continue through Sunday, January 31.
No payment is needed at the City’s Takoma Junction parking lot on Carroll Avenue or at parking meters through Sunday, January 31.
Enforcement WILL take place regarding non-monetary parking restrictions such as residential permit parking, handicap parking, no parking in loading areas etc.
Enforcement of the City’s sidewalk clearing laws begins on Thursday for sidewalks along commercial, institutional and multi-family properties. Enforcement begins on Friday for sidewalks along single-family residential property. For more information, see www.takomaparkmd.gov/snow . Enforcement officers will be lenient with properties that had snow plowed onto sidewalks from street crews.
I had hoped to put my Winter Storm Messages to rest, but so many have asked for additional information, that I agree it makes sense to send out a few more. I’ve changed the name to Storm Recovery Message to try to make it seem different!
It’s time to begin enforcement of our Takoma Park sidewalk clearing laws. The big effort now must be on making the community safe for pedestrians. Please shovel sidewalks in front of your home if you haven’t already. Since this storm had a snow fall that was the fourth deepest on record for this region, we suspended enforcement of our rules requiring sidewalks to be cleaned by noon after a night snowfall and by 9 pm after snowfall during the day (see www.takomaparkmd.gov/snow for more information). The rules go back into effect this week:
We will begin issuing citations for uncleared sidewalks in front of businesses, institutions, and apartment/multi-family buildings on Thursday and for sidewalks in front of single-family homes on Friday.
If you are one of the folks whose sidewalks received a big dump of snow due to snowplowing, we will not be citing you – at least certainly not at first. It is pretty obvious to our inspectors if the sidewalk has had snow plowed onto it, but feel free to send me your address if you are affected. In certain cases, we may be able to coordinate efforts to remove the snow.
We need to make the walking paths to schools safe for our young people. Ride On buses began limited service today and we need to clear the way to and around bus stops. We will be trying to widen the travel lanes on streets with Ride On and school bus routes by clearing out the piles of snow left between cars. We are urging residents who are willing and able to assist clearing snow from bus stops, from roads between parked cars (snow will need to be placed on adjacent lawns, not in the street), and from sidewalk ramps at intersections. Of course, we have crews out doing the same, but the more people and shovels we have out working, the quicker the walkways and bus routes will be cleared.
Speaking of helping out, a HUGE cheer to the Snow Angels that cleared the sidewalks, driveways and paths from over 70 houses in Takoma Park! I have received the nicest notes from the recipients of this volunteer effort of our community’s young people and a number of adults. Takoma Park is great!
Looking ahead, our goal is to have streets cleared from curb to curb and have all sidewalks shoveled as soon as possible. I’m not sure how long it will take to get there, but I would like to have it done before Montgomery County Public Schools open. Even with the sidewalks cleared, it is difficult to see around snow piles, so walking and driving are both very dangerous.
Sometimes, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to help. This morning I saw a man with a cane trying to step through a section that had been walked on but not shoveled. I was so afraid he would fall. He was sick of eating the food in his apartment and wanted to go to the store for something different. Fortunately, he was able to make it. I cleared the path so he could come back safely. It was only about ten feet of shoveling and now a whole pedestrian connection is made. If you are able, take a few minutes to look around to see where the hazards are and see if you can help make things a little bit safer.
So, today’s message is – help get the sidewalks cleared throughout our community!
And, be safe.
Best,
Suzanne Ludlow City Manager Email: SuzanneL@takomaparkmd.gov Phone: 301-891-7229
The Celebration of Takoma Park Elders event that was happening tomorrow has been rescheduled for Tuesday, February 23. The City Calendar has been updated.
The Switching to Organic Lawn Care Methods: Safe Grow Lawn Care event scheduled for Thursday, January 28 has been postponed due to weahter. We are in the process of rescheduling this event and will provide information regarding the new date as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please contact Nima Upadhyay at 301-891-7621 or nimau@takomaparkmd.gov.
Another sunny day and more snow clearing to be done!
The Police and Public Works employees that have been trading off beds in a hotel are now able to go home to their families and sleep after their 12-hour shifts. They are tired, but have done a terrific job for the residents of Takoma Park. I have a special shout-out for Public Works Daryl Braithwaite who has been spending long hours coordinating the work. I am so proud to be associated with these wonderful City staff!
Similarly, hats off to our Councilmembers! They have been out and about, checking on conditions, reporting problems, pitching in on shoveling, and cheering on the Snow Angels, neighbors helping neighbors and our City employees. It’s a great team effort!
We are continuing around the clock snow clearing of roads, with sidewalk clearing being done during daylight hours. Every street should have had at least one pass by a snowplow, but many roads still only have an 8-foot wide cleared path. We will continue to work on widening the travel lanes.
Trash, recycling and food waste collection will not take place on Tuesday or Wednesday, and may not take place at all this week. Collections not done this week will have to wait for the regular day next week. Please check the website for updated collection information.
There are several reasons we are not able to collect the trash, recycling and food waste. First, the County’s transfer station is still closed. Second, some of the same employees that clear snow do the collections and we have more clearing to do. Third, there isn’t room for trash cans to be put out and trucks to get down some of the streets until more snow clearing is done. And, fourth, it is unsafe to be lifting heavy cans over mounds of snow.
We don’t know if the City offices will be open tomorrow yet. We will wait to see what progress is made on transportation options and whether or not the Federal Government will be open. I anticipate we’ll be getting back to normal soon, however.
Finally, I intend this to be my last Winter Storm Update, for this storm at least. I will still be getting out announcements about trash collection and whether or not the City offices are open, of course. Please feel free to continue contacting me with your questions and comments – I love to hear from you!
Our snowplowing crews are still working around the clock on 12-hour shifts. Today they were joined by other staff and contractors to clear smaller roads and begin clearing sidewalks along public property, crosswalks and sidewalk ramps. Those efforts will continue tomorrow and for several days.
People all across the city were out clearing sidewalks and driveways. I give a HUGE thanks to the Snow Angels and other volunteers who helped those who were not able to do their own shoveling. What a wonderful service to the community!
As our snowplows continue to work to clear the entire width of the streets, we will continue to block in driveways – a real sore point to people who are already sore from shoveling. However, with the amount of snow we received, and our narrow streets and densely built community, this will continue to occur. It’s the only way we will get the roads safe to travel on again. So, if your road is not yet cleared from curb to curb, expect more road clearing and more snow in front of driveways.
City Offices Closed Monday
Like other area jurisdictions, our offices and facilities will remain closed on Monday because of the difficulty with regional transportation.
Trash & Recycling Collection
There will be no yard waste collection on Monday. On Tuesday, we may not have trash, recycling and food waste collection. Please check the City’s website late Monday if your normal collection day is Tuesday. The County’s transfer station is closed and we don’t know if it will be open on Tuesday.
Sidewalk Clearing Laws
The City’s laws requiring clearing of sidewalks remain suspended for several more days. I’ll give at least 48 hours notice via the website and social media before we begin enforcement. In the meantime, please try to do what you can to clear sidewalks in front of your property. It is obvious when snowplows have deposited snow on sidewalks and we will take that into consideration when we do finally begin enforcing the sidewalk clearing law.
I am hoping that only one more “Winter Storm Message from the City Manager” will be required, and I can return to the rest of my job. Thanks to the many messages you have been sending. Please feel free to contact me even when there isn’t a storm!
