City Offices and Facilities will be closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday November 23-26, 2017.
There will be no trash collection or leaf collection on Thursday, November 23 or Friday, November 24. Thursday trash will be collected on Wednesday, and Friday trash will be collected on Saturday.
Leaf collection will resume on Saturday, November 25th for posted streets on Carroll, Ethan Allen and Philadelphia Ave.
Thank you for your understanding.
We are thankful for our amazing residents and wish all those who are celebrating a wonderful Thanksgiving.
On November 15th we start the next chapter in our City’s history. We have three new Councilmembers, and for only the second time in the history of our City, we have a majority of women serving — Cindy Dyballa for Ward 2, Kacy Kostiuk for Ward 3, Talisha Searcy for Ward 6, and myself. The City will also benefit from the experience of returning Councilmembers Kovar, Smith, and Seamens.
This City Council will be in office for three years. The timing of the city elections was changed to be in synch with state and federal elections. Our next election will be in 2020. At that time, Councilmembers’ terms will return to two-year terms.
The next three years will be an exciting time in our City. The new Council will face both challenges and opportunities. We have the arrival of the Purple line, increased growth in population in the region, and the need to continue to provide affordable and quality housing. The next Council will need to decide what policies to establish to mitigate some of the impacts on residents and current businesses while also ensuring the City and residents benefit from the changes.
The incoming Council will build on the work of past Councils and immediately get to work on the library renovation, the Housing and Economic Development Strategic Plan, Takoma Junction redevelopment, as well as implementing our racial equity framework. Many of us, along with City staff, will be attending an all day racial equity training on December 1st as we continue to look for ways to develop policies, practices, and create investments in our community to reverse racial disparities.
Given what is happening at the national level, we will continue to stand up for our values and resist those focused on spreading hate and bigotry and dismantling protections to our environment, health, and safety. We will defend our status as a Sanctuary City and continue to be a welcoming and inclusive community for all residents. We will remain committed to environmental sustainability and uphold the Paris Climate Agreement #WeAreStillIn.
Our City has a long-track record of protecting our most vulnerable and assisting those in need. We will continue to build upon that foundation to ensure that all residents have the opportunity to succeed and live with dignity.
When people are empowered, our community thrives. This means ensuring a range of safe, quality, and stable housing options for residents of varying incomes and making sure youth and family programing needs are met, especially for our more vulnerable residents.
The hiring of a new police chief in the upcoming months presents an opportunity to evaluate policing in our community, enhance police and community relations, look for new and innovative ways to police, and build on the Unity in the Community initiative.
I am very fortunate to serve our City and excited about starting the work with my colleagues. We have an amazing community of engaged residents, dedicated and hardworking staff, and many opportunities to improve our community for all residents.
This fall we had very active campaigns across the City. I want to thank everyone who ran for election this year: Thank you for being brave enough to step forward, to put yourselves and your families out there for our City, for helping energize members of our community and stimulate discussion of issues and concerns.
Now, together, as a Council and a community, we turn to the work at hand. Our first substantive Council meeting is November 29, where we dive right into hearing from the City’s auditor and actuary. But first, the inauguration of the incoming Council and thanks to the outgoing Councilmembers is this Wednesday at 7:30 pm, with a reception following. Please join us!
Residents aged 16 and older can vote for Mayor and City Council. Visit the Community Center (7500 Maple Avenue) between 7:00 AM and 8:00 PM to vote in this year’s election.
There will be a number of projects beginning later this week that will impact the flow of traffic and parking at and around the Community Center. The first event is milling the back parking lot (near Philadelphia Avenue), as well as on Grant Avenue between the Community Center and the school. This work is scheduled to begin on November 3 and will take about 10 days. Once the milling is complete, paving will begin in these same areas. We expect that will occur the week of November 13.
In order to cause as little disruption as possible during high traffic times, it is our intention to have the contractors stop major work at 3pm, before school lets out. In addition to this work, much of the back parking lot will be closed during the day on November 9, as contractors will be installing two new HVAC rooftop units, which requires the use of a large crane.
We appreciate your understanding and patience for the duration of these projects.
The Takoma Park City Council is seeking an adult volunteer to serve as the Advisor to the Takoma Park Youth Council. The Youth Council Advisor will work directly with the Youth Council to plan and coordinate meetings, guide and help prepare the Youth Council in its activities, encourage and empower Youth Council members in building their communication and leadership skills, and to facilitate their decision-making processes without controlling their decisions. The Youth Council Advisor will attend all meetings of the Youth Council.
We are in the process of preparing a strategic plan for Takoma Park to determine how the City can help provide a range of housing options for residents of varying incomes and respond to future economic development opportunities. We’d like to learn what you think!
We invite residents to attend the following forums to learn more about candidate on the 2017 Takoma Park ballot.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20 – Ward 2 Candidate Debate, 7:00 PM (Takoma Park Fire Station Lower Level)
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22 – Ward 2 Youth Election Forum, 7:00 PM (Takoma Park Fire Station Lower Level)
MONDAY, OCTOBER 23 – Takoma Voice and Takoma Radio City-Wide Election (Candidate) Forum, 7:00 PM (Community Center Auditorium) – View the video of the October 23 forum.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25 – SOSCA Candidate Forum for Wards 2 and 6, 7:00 PM (Community Center Azalea Room)
The Takoma Park Police Department is now accepting applications for its Community Police Academy. The Community Police Academy will start on Tuesday, January 9, 2018.
The Community Police Academy is a 12-week long program consisting of one class a week on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm. The classes cover topics such as patrol, traffic enforcement, use of force, criminal investigations, etc. The presentations are slide show/lecture style and will be given by officers, detectives and civilians of the Takoma Park Police Department. There will also be multiple opportunities for hands-on learning through equipment demonstrations, practical scenarios, field trips and ride-alongs with patrol officers.
The Takoma Park Police Department believes that educating the community will result in gaining their understanding and support. Through implementation of the Community Police Academy, the community will gain new insight into how law enforcement officers perform their duties. The success of any law enforcement agency depends largely upon the amount of cooperation and support it receives from the community it serves.
The Community Police Academy is free to the public. Seats are limited to the first 25 students and will be filled based on a first come/first serve basis. The Takoma Park Police Department encourages all applicants to be able to commit to the full 12 weeks to get the most out of the program.
If you are interested in learning about the Takoma Park Police Department and local government, you are 18 years of age or older, and live or work in Takoma Park, you may apply. The applicants may not have any serious misdemeanor or any felony offenses.
Applications for the Community Police Academy are available at the Takoma Park Police Department located at 7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, Maryland 20912. You may also click the following link, fill out the application and submit it electronically to Cathy Plevy: https://takomapark.seamlessdocs.com/f/kb2evbr4rbj7.
The deadline to turn in a completed application is Friday, December 1, 2017.
Any questions about the Community Police Academy can be directed to the Public Information Officer, Cathy Plevy, at 301-891-7142 or cathyp@takomaparkmd.gov
