All posts by Ryan Kelly

News, Public Notices

Join Us on Monday, November 18, at 7:30pm for the Final Meeting of the Current City Council and Swearing In of the New City Council

2 Comments
Final Meeting of the Current City Council

The final meeting of the current City Council will take place on Monday, November 18, 7:30 PM.

Swearing In of the New City Council

At 8 PM, the newly elected Mayor and City Council will take the oath of office in the Community Center Auditorium (7500 Maple Ave).

Brief Meeting of the New City Council

The new City Council will hold a brief organizational meeting.

Dessert Reception in the Atrium Lobby

After the meeting, join the City Manager and staff for cake and light refreshments in the Atrium Lobby to welcome the new City Council and say farewell to departing City Councilmembers.

Parking Notice

Due to construction, there is limited parking available at the Community Center (7500 Maple Ave). Additional parking has been made available for tonight’s ceremony at Piney Branch Elementary School (7510 Maple Ave).

News Alert, Takoma Park Newsletter

Behind the Badge: Cpl. Cindia Torres

For Takoma Park’s Cpl. Cindia Torres, one of the most important tools for a police officer when responding to a call is empathy.

“My approach to the job is encountering people with a perspective on what’s going on in their lives and being open-minded,” says Torres, who has been with Takoma Park’s police department for more than three years. “The community shouldn’t be afraid to reach out to our officers.”

Torres joined the Takoma Park police department after working as a police officer in neighboring Prince George’s County. She says she saw more potential in Takoma Park when she decided to apply for a job with the department.

“I was looking forward to an agency that had more growth and Takoma Park definitely had more growth,” she says. “I was also looking forward to working with other officers. In Prince George’s County, I was working alone. Maybe I’d work with another officer but most of the time I was out alone.”

In addition to working as a police officer, Torres also serves as the department’s LGBTQ+ community liaison officer, fostering understanding, trust, and cooperation between law enforcement and the LGBTQ+ community.

“My responsibility is to facilitate support with the LGBTQ community and increase engagement with officers,” she says. “I’m a
point of contact between the community and department. I’ve attended some organization meetings and had the opportunity to attend the Pride parade this year. I had a great time!”

In her role, which was created by the city earlier this year, Torres also works with victims of reported hate crimes and offers assistance and resources as they navigate the criminal justice system.

A bilingual Spanish speaker, Torres also serves as an interpreter when helping Takoma Park’s growing Latino community.

“It’s extremely helpful that I am bilingual and speak Spanish,” she says. “There’s a level of comfort to report a crime, especially in the Latino community due to language barrier or trust. Everyone in the department wants to assist those in need; whether it’s the Latino community or LGBTQ+ community, we’re always there to help.”

Torres says that when she isn’t working she’s studying for a degree in business administration with a focus on human resources.

“Usually, when I’m off I’m either working on my own student assignments or doing errands since I’m a parent.”

The Takoma Park newsletter is doing profiles on some of the city’s front line police officers over the next months. If you have a story you’d like to share about how a city police officer helped you, email seang@takomaparkmd.gov.

This article appeared in the November Edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. Check out this article and more on the City webpage.

News Alert, Public Notices

TKPK Community Budget Forum: Catch up on the Details from the Nov. 12 Meeting

Community participation in the budget process is a high priority for the City administration, staff, and the Mayor and City Council. Engage with us and participate in the crucial dialogue for our budget process at the Community Budget Forum!

Event Details:

Looking for more ways to engage in the FY2026 Budget Process, complete the Takoma Park Budget Community Survey to share any ideas and innovations you think the City should consider as part of its upcoming fiscal year budget development.

Learn more about the Community Survey on the City blog.

News, News Alert, Public Notices

Be Heard this Budget Season with the TKPK FY2026 Budget Community Survey

 

Takoma Park City Manager Rob DiSpirito, Mayor Searcy, and City Council, invite you, our residents, to offer us your ideas and suggestions regarding next year’s city budget, which is now under development. The Takoma Park Community Budget Survey is one way to share any ideas and innovations you think the city should consider as part of its upcoming fiscal year budget development.

Survey Details:

  • This survey should take about ten minutes to complete. Thank you for your input.
  • Complete the budget survey here: https://bit.ly/FY2026
  • The survey will be open until 12pm on December 2, 2024.

Please note that all survey information provided in connection with the survey will be included as part of the public record for the FY 2026 budget, ensuring complete transparency and your active involvement in the process.

News, Public Notices

Upcoming Virtual Landlord Roundtable: Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 7:00pm

City of Takoma Park Landlords, you’re invited to a virtual roundtable to hear information and provide feedback to City Staff on current policies and programs. The roundtable is planned for Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 7:00pm. We plan to cover a number of topics, including:

  • Upgrading the City’s Rental Licensing Platform to a new online platform beginning with this year’s rental license renewals in December (Landlords up for renewal will receive more information later this month).
  • Potential Funding Sources for Building Improvements
  • Information about the Fair Return Petition

Also, we’d like to reserve time to hear from you on potential policies and programs you would be interested in seeing the City pursue.

We encourage you to register for the roundtable here (link).

If you have any questions, please reach out to us. Looking forward to speaking with you all on the 20th !

News, Public Notices, Takoma Park Newsletter

Fall Leaf Collection Program to Start November 18

This year’s vacuum leaf collection program will take place between November 18 and December 20. Every household will receive a leaf collection notice in the mail and more information can be found on the City’s webpage. 

Loose leaves raked to the curb are collected via vacuum trucks. These leaves are taken to the Public Works yard, where they are ground into small pieces. This leaf mulch is then available for residents for pick-up or by delivery for a fee.

While the city does provide collection for leaves, we strongly encourage residents to consider alternatives including mulching or composting all or most of the leaves and keeping them in their yards. Information on the best ways to do this can be found on the Leaf Collection Webpage. Leaves can also be bagged in paper bags and collected throughout the year in Monday yard waste collection.

This year’s fall leaf collection, like previous years, will divide the city into five zones, with one leaf collection crew per zone. City streets will receive collection throughout the collection period as crews pass through their zones. The program will cover every street at least twice during the collection period and usually more often.

Collection Routes with Assigned Collection Dates

There are five streets that receive collection on scheduled dates due to heavy traffic:

  • Saturday, November 23 and Monday, December 16: Carroll Avenue (7000 to 7800 blocks), Ethan Allen Avenue, and Philadelphia Avenue
  •  Friday, November 15 and Saturday, December 14: Piney Branch Road and Flower Avenue (7900 to 8600 blocks)
Important Guidelines for Leaf Collection
  • Place leaves into a pile just behind the curb.
  • Do not rake leaves into the street as the leaves can create traffic hazards.
  • Do not include branches, brush, vines, rocks, or debris. These items can damage equipment and delay collection.
  • Do not pile leaves near storm drain inlets. Leaves can block the drains and cause fl ooding.
  • Do not park your car in front of a leaf pile during the work day.
Leaf Collection Hotline

The Leaf Collection Hotline, 301 891-7626, will be available for residents to report when their leaf pile is at the curb. It is not necessary to report when your leaves are ready, but it is an option.

This article appeared in the November Edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. Check out this article and more on the City webpage.

News Alert, Public Notices, Takoma Park Newsletter

Weigh in on the Budget! We Want to Hear from You!

Takoma Park City Manager Rob DiSpirito, and the mayor and council, invite you, our residents, to offer us your ideas and suggestions regarding next year’s city budget, which is now under development.

We want to solicit your insights in two new ways:

1) through a public budget forum on November 12 and
2) through a community-wide budget survey.

These opportunities will be in addition to the city’s traditional community budget engagement, which includes public hearings, public comment during council meetings, and conversations, emails, listservs, etc., with your elected mayor, councilmember, and city staff.

The Fiscal Year 2026 Budget, which will be adopted next May by the mayor and council, will formally begin July 1, 2025. Between now and next May, the budget is created by city staff, proposed by the city manager, reviewed and modified and then adopted by the mayor and council. This next city budget will be an especially challenging one financially, so your ideas and feedback are welcomed and necessary as we all contribute to this blueprint for Takoma Park.

1. Come to the Public Budget Forum!
Tuesday, November 12, 7–8:30 p.m.
Takoma Park Community Center
7500 Maple Ave.

Engage and participate in the crucial dialogue for our budget process. This is a chance for you to share your thoughts about priorities for the next city budget.

 

2. Complete the Budget Community Survey
Due by December 2 at noon.

Community participation in the budget process is a high priority for the city administration, staff, and the mayor and city council. The Takoma Park Community Budget Survey is one way to share any ideas and innovations you think the city should consider as part of its upcoming fiscal year budget development.

The survey should take about ten minutes to complete.

Complete the Budget Community Survey here.

Please be aware that all information provided in connection with the survey will be included as part of the public record for the FY 2026 budget, ensuring complete transparency and your active involvement in the process.

This article appeared in the November Edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. Check out this article and more on the City webpage.

News, Public Notices

Message From Code Enforcement: Too Much Noise!

 

Fall leaf season is upon us, and so are yard care contractors with their noisy gasoline-powered leaf blowers! Takoma Park has passed a law that bans the sale of gasoline-powered leaf blowers in the City. On July 1st of next year, the use of these blowers will be banned. Homeowners can request their lawn care contractors to use battery-powered or electric leaf blowers instead of gasoline. Why wait for July?

A lack of noise is offensive to no one, and in addition to the noise, the gasoline-powered blowers contribute to our air pollution issues. Please use your power as a consumer and help eliminate gasoline-powered leaf blowers in Takoma Park.

Learn more about Noise Control in the City of Takoma Park on the Code Enforcement webpage.

News Alert, Public Notices

Announcing the FY25 TKPK Food Insecurity Reduction Grant Recipients!

Congratulations to the following organizations to whom the City awarded Food Insecurity Reduction grants:

  • Adventist Community Services
  • Crossroads Community Food Network
  • Community Food Forest Collective
  • CHEER
  • EduCare Support Services
  • Enterprise Community Development
  • Meals on Wheels
  • Small Things Matter
  • So What Else

These organizations will be funded to execute a range of projects that work to reduce and eliminate food insecurity among Takoma Park residents. Some awarded projects distribute food directly to individuals and families through schools and apartment buildings, to the home-bound, to expectant and new mothers, and through building connections between communities in need and small groceries providing culturally-appropriate food. Others work to build sustainable community-based sources of food and to empower residents to start and grow their own food businesses. The proposed programs exemplified the range of creativity and of tools that can be used to address this growing issue right here at home, and the City looks forward to sharing stories of the good work to be accomplished by the new grantees.

Learn more about the Food Insecurity Reduction Grant program on the City webpage.

News, Public Notices

Sustainability Interns Take a Deep Dive into Recycling

 

On September 17th, the City Sustainability Office team joined forces with the Recreation Department to take a group of seniors for an insightful tour of the Prince George’s County Materials Recycling Facility (MRF). Our two interns, Joy Togo and Emma Spencer, offered their perspectives from the experience:

[EMMA] Our tour of the facility started with a brief presentation on the facility and the different recycling rules that apply. It was interesting to visit with such an inquisitive group, and we all learned a lot about what we are actually able to recycle. MRF is a single-stream facility, meaning that consumers don’t have to separate their recyclable materials. Instead, everything can just be placed in the same bin and there is technology at MRF that can separate paper from plastic from cardboard. In Takoma Park, our recycling gets sent to Prince George’s facility because it is a single stream. Thus, these recycling rules apply to Takoma Park residents whose recycling gets collected by the city.

Here are the top tips I took away from our trip:

  • Do not bag your recyclables in a plastic bag! MRF does not accept plastic #4, which is what most plastic bags are made of. If your recycling is in a trash bag and it gets picked up, it will be just thrown in the trash. Instead, you can use an unlined trash can or bin to hold your recyclables. On the topic of plastics, MRF also does not recycle plastic #6. MRF does accept plastics 1,2, 3, 5, and 7.
  • Don’t recycle anything smaller than a sticky note (3 inches by 3 inches). These small items jam up the machinery needed for sorting recyclables, so it’s better to reuse them when possible, upcycle them, or as a last resort, throw them out.
  • Lids are a particularly tricky small item. If your bottles and cans have different material lids, separate them! If the lid is smaller than a sticky note, toss it in the trash OR place it inside a container made of the same material. You can then crush the container so it will keep the lid inside it. That way, the lid can still be recycled and not cause issues for the machines. For bottles and cans that have the same material lids, you can leave those lids on.
  • Don’t recycle soiled materials or wet paper! However, as long as you rinse out plastic bottles and aluminum cans you can recycle them. Your recyclables should be rinsed and clean, but it’s okay they all aren’t super squeaky clean.

Touring the facility also allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the recycling process. We got to watch the process and see the machinery in action. After recyclables are collected through curbside pickup, they are brought to MRF. There, they are dumped onto what is called the ‘tipping floor’. The tipping floor is essentially a massive empty warehouse where the recycles are all piled. From there, they are placed in a large conveyor belt that brings them back to where they will be sorted. The sorting process is complex, with machines and workers working together. First, individuals pull out hazards like large objects and plastic bags. The rest of the materials travel down a conveyor to star screens which separate flat material (paper, cardboard) from other materials (cans, plastics). The containers are then sent to the combination screen which separates any paper that made it through the star screens from the containers.

Containers continue on their journey to a large magnet that picks out the metal containers and then a machine that breaks and removes any glass containers. What’s left is mostly aluminum cans and plastic containers. They are sent to a magnetic field that uses an eddy current to separate the aluminum from plastic. The last step for the remaining plastic containers is to pass through a high-tech machine that uses optical sorting to identify what is acceptable. After being sorted, each material gets baled. Those bales are then sent to manufacturers. There, your household materials are transformed into items like carpets, clothes, and even stuffed animals that can be made with the fibers that are produced from recycled materials.

[JOY] Seeing firsthand how single-stream recycling works—where paper, plastics, glass, and metals are collected together and later separated—was eye-opening. The tour showcased the intricate process, from conveyor belts and manual sorting to advanced machinery that identifies and categorizes items based on size, shape, and type. It gave me a deeper appreciation of the complex work involved in recycling.

A key takeaway was the importance of reducing contamination to improve recycling efficiency. Facility experts emphasized that small actions—like keeping non-recyclables, such as plastic bags, out of bins and rinsing out containers—can prevent disruptions and keep recyclables from being sent to landfills. The tour left me with a renewed sense of responsibility for managing recyclables at home, showing that recycling requires more than just tossing items in the right bin; it demands thoughtful choices to ensure the system functions effectively. For anyone interested in sustainability, I highly recommend visiting a facility like this—it provides valuable insight into the recycling process and inspires us to become more mindful recyclers.

Still have questions about recycling? Learn more on the City webpage.

If you are interested in scheduling your own tour, please reach out to the staff at the MRF at 301-324-4760.