By Gina Mathias

If you live in Takoma Park, chances are your house could be considered small, or even tiny, by most standards. From May 31 – June 3, we were treated to a big dose of perspective when a real tiny home on wheels stopped in Takoma Park for a week of tours and workshops. The stop was part of a year-long tour for Corbett and Grace Lunsford’s Proof is Possible. Takoma Park coordinated with the Lunsford’s and their tour sponsor ecobeco, to give them a safe place to park and live at the City parking lot next to the TPSS Co-op.

The purpose of the Proof is Possible tiny home tour is to promote high-efficiency homes, which goes a few steps beyond energy efficiency to include air quality, building materials and overall home performance. While the purpose was to show residents how they can achieve a high-performance home where they live now, the presence of the tiny home sparked interesting conversations about much more, including zoning, density, netzero energy homes, affordable housing and downsizing clutter.

Several City Council members and Mayor Stewart were spotted touring the tiny home, which was open from 5 – 6 p.m. each evening. There were also several workshops, one geared specifically for home owners. Corbett Lunsford also held two special trainings at the Community Center on advanced diagnostic testing, so our local stock of energy efficiency professionals will be better equipped to help homeowners create high performance homes.

The tour was a last-minute opportunity that ecobeco President Brian Toll offered to the City when they ran into trouble finding a place for the Lunsford’s to park for the week. The City jumped at the chance to bring something trendy and interesting to the community that also helps with the City’s efforts to win the Georgetown University Energy Prize. Attracting people to the Tiny Home for tours offered a unique opportunity to inspire others to save energy at home and to get advice from an expert. Fifty local contractors also were inspired to use the advanced diagnostics they learned to help residents who have had energy audits and want to air-seal, insulate and optimize their home’s performance.

If you missed the tiny home tour, you can watch the Lunsford’s quirky, educational videos on Corbett and Grace’s YouTube channel, “Home Performance” at www.youtube.com/ user/GreenDreamGroup. And you can catch their new TV series on PBS in early 2017, “Home Diagnosis,” which Corbett describes as “This Old House” meets “CSI.”

This article appeared in the July 2016 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

By Sebastian Goldberg

Editor’s Note: Takoma Park is one of 50 communities competing in the Georgetown University Energy Prize Competition. Sebastian’s project, named “Project Porch Light,” helps Takoma Park’s entry in the contest because the goal is to have the most energy savings, and replacing light bulbs with more efficient ones will save a lot of energy.

On a Sunday April 17, teams of boy scouts from Troop 33, based in Takoma Park, fanned out across Takoma Park on a mission to replace light bulbs of Takoma Park residents with more efficient LED bulbs. They were working with me on my Eagle Scout project. I wanted to find a project that helped out the City, and I have always enjoyed doing things for the environment.

I read about Georgetown University Energy Prize Competition the newspaper, so I asked Takoma Park Sustainability Manager Gina Mathias if there was anything I could do to help. She suggested the project because she was looking for someone to replace porch lights. People often leave them on all night, which wastes energy, so by switching to LED bulbs, lots of energy can be saved.

To identify houses that needed LED bulbs, initially I signed people up at the Takoma Park farmers market until I had almost all of the houses needed to complete project. However, I did not get all of the participants at the farmer’s market, so we had to go door-to-door to recruit more participants.

LED bulbs are the most efficient commercial light bulbs and are 40 percent more efficient than compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs and use about a sixth of the energy of traditional incandescent bulbs. In addition to being more efficient, LED bulbs last much longer. While a CFL bulb might last 10,000 hours, the LED can last 50,000 hours, which can be almost thirty years if not constantly in use.

The project replaced over 100 light bulbs in Takoma Park where 57 houses had their outdoor lights replaced with new LED bulbs. While the final installation took place in just one day, the project had been in the works since January, including numerous meetings between me and Bryant Martinez, the Takoma Park sustainability assistant working with Gina Mathias. Martinez provided support and helped coordinate my efforts, including ordering the replacement bulbs requested by Takoma Park residents, which were funded by the Takoma Park Public Works Department as part of the City’s energy conservation efforts.

Now that the project is completed, the new LED bulbs will produce an estimated energy savings of 10,500 kilowatt hours annually. These saving will help improve the City’s standing in Georgetown contest. Overall the project went well, and we all hope that City of Takoma Park wins the Georgetown contest.

This article appeared in the July 2016 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

Despite cold and rainy weather, the Friends Book Sale – held indoors – raised more than $2,600 for the Library.

Many thanks to these volunteers and staff who made it a success: Pat Hanrahan, Gary Sternberg, Tom Brune, Tim Rahn, Clair Garman, Paula Nersesian, Dave Burbank, Maurice Belanger, Sam McCollin, Merrill Leffler, Wabi Aboudou, Ann Slayton, Amy Beaupre, Sherelyn Ernst, Suzanne Morgan, Katherine Dixon-Peugh, Rebekah Zanditon, Deb Nelson, Pat McMahon, Miriam Szapiro, Wally Malakoff, Patti Mallin, Kathleen and Harry Fulton, Kevin Adler, Gina McNeal, Jeff Blum, Ellen Cassidy, David Wiley, Ben Wiley, and Richard McAlee, Mr. Walker and Kimley Mannix of the Department of Public works, and Recreation Department staff, especially Debbie Huffman.

All proceeds from the Friends of the Library book sales go to the Library in the form of funding for services, resources and programs.

This article appeared in the July 2016 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

Experts agree. Summer reading should be fun. And fun is the focus our Summer Quest summer reading program, which gives readers lots of flexibility in choosing which books to read. Summer Quest 2016 officially kicked off June 13, but readers can join any time during the summer because we won’t conclude the program (with a party!) until early September.

Featuring a story and game board created each year by library associate Dave Burbank, Summer Quest is a “read to advance” game. To begin readers pick a character and we give them a game board and a story, which contains 10 reading challenges. Each time readers complete a book for a challenge, we move their character along a giant game board in the Children’s Room.

The reading challenges are open-ended – “read an adventure book” or “read a book about someone different than you” – so that readers have plenty of choice in which books to read. Adults also are welcome to play; it’s a great way to structure your summer reading. Thanks to the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library for sponsoring our unique Summer Quest program.

This article appeared in the July 2016 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

The Library has books in Spanish for all ages. Here are some new, mostly nonfiction titles for adults. Ven y descubrelos!

Papa Francisco, El Nombre de Dios Es Misericordia. In his first book published as pope, Pope Francis shares his thoughts on the topic he believes to be the cornerstone of faith: mercy.

Veronica Cervera, La cocina Cubana de vero. Cervera’s fully illustrated cookbook offers 100 traditional Cuban recipes.

Juan Morris, Cerati: La biografia. A biography of Argentine singer-songwriter, composer and producer Gustabo Cerati (1959-2014) who changed forever the history of Spanish rock.

Rosa Barocio, Disciplina con amor: Como poner limites sin ahogarse en la culpa. The author gives reasonable and sensible recommendations supporting parents and educators confronted by the challenges of educating children.

Jorge Ramos, Sin miedo: Lecciones de rebeldes. Emmy Award winner and journalist Jorge Ramos shares some life lessons and experiences from his 30-year career.

Allan Percy, Mujica: Una biografia inspiradora. This biography of Pepe Mujica, former president of Uruguay, introduces his life and heartening way of thinking.

Jose Fernandez, Reta to Vida: No es dejar de comer sino aprender a comer. Nutritionist and star coach Fernandez offers inspiration and detailed menus to help the whole family achieve a healthier diet.

Draco Rosa y Nena Niessen, El secreto de la vida a base de plantas. Rosa and Niessen present their best vegetarian recipes, explain the nutritional and medicinal properties of a plant-based diet and propose a plan for healthful eating.

Claudia Molina, Jugosa y fit: El verdadero secreto de los jugos y ejercicios para tener un cuerpazo.

Cesar Lozano, No te enganches #Todopasa. Lozano offers lessons and solutions to discover the best path to living a full and happy life.

Miguel Luiz, El arte tolteca de la vida y la muerte. Spiritual wisdom teacher Ruiz shares his life experiences and offers timeless insights from the Toltecs to encourage readers who are confronting life’s challenges.

Yordi Rosado, S.O.S. Adolescentes fuera de control en la era digital. A modernday guide for parents to facilitate effective communication with teens in the digital age.

Dennis Nelson, Guerra contra todos los Puertorriquenos: Revolution y terror en la colonia Americana. Nelson’s well-documented account of the compelling life of Pedro Albizu Campos provides a window into an important but overlooked history of the Puerto Rican independence movement.

Carlos Wynter Melo, Las impuras. (Fiction) – Victims of the repression during the invasion of Panama by the U.S., two women reconstruct their past and look for redemption while trying to find the meaning of life.

[Book descriptions are taken from reviews appearing in Library Journal on May 1, 2016.]

We also have books for those learning English as a second language. Ingles para Latinos, Primer Nivel (with three CDs.) and Ingles para Latinos, Segundo Nivel (with a guide to pronunciation) are two newer titles, but we have many more.

This article appeared in the July 2016 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

When you come home from work, is your teen parked on the couch watching television or playing a video game? Is he constantly monitoring his social media pages? Does she complain of hand cramps from text messaging? Just about everyone loves a lazy day on the couch with a favorite movie or TV show, but too much time in a sedentary mode can lead to obesity or other health problems.

Studies show that American children become sluggish during their teen years. While 90 percent of 9-year-olds get a couple of hours of exercise most days, fewer than 3 percent of 15-year-olds do. Physical education is no longer being offered as an everyday class in high school, and because of this, teens are getting less and less physical activity each day. If your teen is spending more time on the couch than off it, it’s time to help them get moving. Here are a few suggestions:

Be an example. Make sure your teen sees that you make exercising one of your priorities. Walk, bike, run or play basketball if that’s what you like to do. Just make sure he or she sees you staying active and having fun doing it.

Limit television and computer time. Set limits on television time (no more than one to two hours per day) and keep video game and recreational computer time to a minimum. Don’t put a television in your teen’s bedroom and keep the computer in a family area as well. If they must be inside, give them a chance to be active around the house or play activity-centered video games.

Create a family exercise time. Rather than a family movie night, get everyone together to go for a walk or a bike ride. Throw in a challenge by giving everyone a pedometer and seeing who can walk the most steps in a week. Another option is to have a family interactive game night.

Register for a recreation activity. The Takoma Park Recreation Department has several activities to keep your teen active during the summer as well as the school year. Registering your teen in an after school activity or summer camp gives them the opportunity to build friendships outside of school and motivates them to take part in activities within their community. Active lifestyles lead to being more attentive and active in school, and they will undoubtedly be healthier and happier.

Of course some days are just made for lazing around, and if it happens every once in a while, that’s fine. But every teen should have at least a few things he or she likes to do to stay active. Remember, we are our teen’s first and best teachers. If we want to effect real change in their lives, we have to be willing to take the first step and effect real change in our own. Only by setting an example can we truly inspire our teens to get up off the couch and out into the world.

The Recreation Department offers a “Teens on the Move” camp each summer, exposing teens to a variety of fun and active programs. There are four oneweek sessions held from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the month of July. There are limited spaces remaining, so don’t wait!

This article appeared in the July 2016 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

By Apryl Motley

“What’s the key for success?” Laura Furr asked the audience of teachers, parents, students, community organizers, and City staff and government officials assembled at the Takoma Park Community Center on June 18 for “A Community Conversation: Youth Success.”

Furr, the program manager for the Institute for Youth, Education, and Families, Justice Reform and Youth Engagement at the National League of Cities, gave one of two keynote presentations designed to set the stage for the afternoon. She offered this response to her own question: “youth having an authentic voice in decisions impacting them.”

According to Furr, youth gain this voice through civic engagement. She cited a lower voting age and the existence of a strong youth council as examples of worthwhile engagement. In addition to facilitating youth engagement, Furr said the manner in which adverse childhood experiences are addressed is another factor influencing youth success in that communities need to “rethink how they talk to youth.” For example, rather than asking youth what they did, the more important questions to pose might be, what happened to you, and what do you need?

Samir Paul, a computer science teacher at Montgomery Blair High School, believes another important question should be included in this list of queries: “Is there an adult at school who knows your name and cares about you? Paul shared this sentiment as part of a panel discussion on local insights. From his viewpoint, “extensive wrap-around services are needed, including parent and community engagement and broader community advocacy on behalf of schools.”

He said, “If we want to create real environments where kids feel safe, effort from all sides is needed.”

A current student at and recent graduate of Montgomery Blair High School, respectively, Saron Alemseged and Angel Ngatchou, participated on the panel with Paul. Alemseged began her remarks by stating, “I can’t see myself living anywhere else.” She acknowledged that while she’s “always” at the TP Community Center and takes advantage of the many resources available to youth in Takoma Park, many youth don’t because they are not aware of them. “We don’t use resources enough,” she said. “We must come together, and we don’t. This must change.”

Ngatchou sees herself as part of making the change that’s needed to bring youth together and make them more aware of the resources available to them. “I have been in the U.S. for six years since the seventh grade,” she said. “When I came here, I was lost and didn’t know what to do. Takoma Park helped me, and I want to give back.”

The general consensus in the room seemed to be that any conversation about youth success should be focused on a collective, multi-pronged outreach effort. As Karen MacPherson, children’s and young adult manager for the City of Takoma Park Library, noted during her remarks on existing youth programs and services, “youth success does not happen by accident.”

So how can the community gain additional insight into what resources available now, what’s missing and how the City can address those needs and gaps? To begin this process, following the keynote presentations and panel discussions, attendees were invited to participate in break out groups where they discussed the future of youth success. Each group was tasked with addressing four main questions:

1. What does youth success look like?
2. What are the most pressing issues impacting youth in our area today?
3. What gaps and needs exist in the services provided in the area?
4. What can the City of Takoma Park do to facilitate youth success?

Once the break out groups completed their discussions, a representative from each one reported back to the larger group when it reconvened. Essentially, this critical conversation is just getting started.

As Takoma Park Mayor Kate Stewart wrote in a recent post to the City Council & Mayor Blog, “ensuring opportunities for all our youth to succeed is a top priority as the City Council plans for the future and looks to address the current needs of residents.”

This article appeared in the July 2016 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

When City Manager Suzanne Ludlow presented the proposed FY 17 City budget for Council consideration on April 6, she recommended keeping the real property tax rate at the same rate as the current year – 58.5 cents per $100 valuation. After multiple public hearings and Council budget work sessions, on May 18 the Council adopted a lower tax rate of 56.75 cents and also set aside $400,000 in a Housing Reserve Fund for advancing affordable housing initiatives in Takoma Park.

The tax rate was a major subject of the Council deliberations because property throughout the City was reassessed this year, which showed that property values had increased significantly since the last assessment three years ago. Although property assessments are phased in over a three-year period, keeping the tax rate the same would have still increased the amount property owners pay.

The City Manager was counting on increased tax revenue to pay the third year of a phased-in wage increase and the cost of a proposed environmental education/code position. These elements were retained in the final budget, although there was significant Council and public discussion about whether the new position should be approved.

The Council, in turn, was looking to put significant funding towards affordable housing and economic development initiatives. The Community Conversation on Affordable Housing showed there was strong community interest in taking steps to keep Takoma Park a community where people of different economic means can live in safe homes and apartments. And there is an understanding that without affirmative efforts to build a strong economic base in Takoma Park, the City won’t have the money to continue to offer the services the residents need and want.

Ultimately, several hundreds of thousands of dollars were set aside for both housing and economic development efforts, with specifics to be decided over the coming year. In addition monies for community partnerships were taken from the allocation for the community grants program to better meet the Council’s priorities for fostering youth success and assisting others in need of support.

According to Ludlow, the process of moving from a proposed budget to a final budget went relatively smoothly this year for several reasons:

• The Council established priorities in February that helped staff focus proposals and services and provided a simpler framework for the budget work sessions.
• The Council decided to bond for the City’s $1 million match for grant funding for the Ethan Allen Gateway improvements rather than to set aside cash, freeing up current year funds for other more immediate priorities.
• Mayor Stewart streamlined the reconciliation process by preparing several alternative groups of Council-proposed changes to help members consider the items as a package and see the relative impacts of the changes on the tax rate.

An overview of the proposed budget was in April’s Newsletter. The proposed budget, the budget presentations and the final budget are all on the City’s website on the Budget and Financial Documents page. Also on the website, Mayor Stewart has summarized the final budget in “The Dollars & Cents,” a post on the Mayor and Council Blog.

Highlights of the reconciliation changes to the budget are:

• A decrease in real property tax revenue of $367,471 by reducing the real property tax rate from 58.5 to 56.75 cents per $100 valuation
• Savings of $580,000 by bonding for street projects rather than paying $1 million for the Ethan Allen Gateway in FY17
• Postponement of the planned Community Survey, saving $35,000
• Adding $4,400 for two additional Play Days
• Opening the City’s MacLab to teens after school for $23,400
• Adding $100,000 for planned economic development efforts
• Adding $280,000 to the $120,000 for the exterior home repair program to establish a new Housing Reserve with an initial allocation of $400,000
• Establishment of a Scholarship fund with $5,000
• Adding $5,000 to the allocation for the Folk Festival

Other changes to the proposed budget included a savings of $100,000 in expected health insurance expenses, $50,000 for additional work needed for streetlights in Old Takoma and a reduction in expected property tax revenue of $200,000 from assessment challenges.

The FY 17 Budget becomes effective July 1, 2016 and will be in effect through June 30, 2017.

This article appeared in the July 2016 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

Murals, sculptures and more are coming to a street near you! The City recently relaunched its public art initiative, budgeting $25,000 to $45,000 per year over the next five years, commissioning at least one piece of art per year.

Starting this summer muralist Michael Kirby is painting a mural on the poured concrete retaining wall at the corner of Conway and Prince Georges in Ward 2. Stay tuned for photos of this project on the City’s website and social media pages. Or swing by the site and meet the artist. He’s accepting volunteers to help with the project. www.michaelwkirby.com

This article appeared in the July 2016 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

Several new businesses have recently opened or will be opening in the Takoma/ Langley part of the city in the next couple months. In mid-June, Yama’s Clothing & Accessories opened at 7487 New Hampshire Ave. (near the Salvation Army Thrift Store). Owner Yamatut Faye and her husband Alieu have a store in Gambia, and they are expanding with a second store in Takoma Park. Yama’s carries beautiful African fashions including Akara style clothing, kente cloth and everyday wear as well as costume jewelry and shoes.

In late summer Evita’s will open at 1335 Holton Lane (near Langley Park Post Office), carrying unique bridal wear and unusual lines of dresses. Evita’s owners have a successful bridal shop in Adams Morgan, and they are expanding to Takoma Park with Evita’s. A new retail store from the owner of Ice Pole Jeans (1165 University Blvd. East) will open at 7665 New Hampshire Ave. (former Fashion LaFama) with different merchandise and a different character. Sometime in the fall Wingstop will open another location at 7659 New Hampshire Ave. (near Red Apple Farmers Market).

Fiesta Coin Laundry is finishing renovation of 7601 New Hampshire Ave. into a full-service laundromat. The laundromat will increase the bustle at the already-busy ALDI parking lot and get even busier next month when construction of Taco Bell starts at the corner of Holton Lane and New Hampshire Ave. Union Auto Sales opened at 1369 Holton Lane in early 2016, selling quality used cars. Their main operation is in Washington, DC.

This article appeared in the July 2016 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.