14 New Electric Vehicle Charging Stations have been installed in Takoma Park. The Electric Vehicle Institute provided the stations and three years of maintenance for free to the City in an effort to increase public charging infrastructure in the region. Charging your EV at one of the 14 stations will be free for the time being, and since the City purchases 100 percent wind power, charging will also be emission free. The stations are located at the Takoma Park Community Center (7500 Maple Avenue), Takoma Park Recreation Center (7315 New Hampshire Avenue), by Morrison Park and at the City Parking Lot at the “Junction.” The City wants to install more stations for free on commercial properties in Takoma Park. If you are interested, please contact the sustainability manager Gina Mathias at ginam@takomaparkmd.gov.

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

While this year’s Celebrate Takoma! festival was moved indoors due to the rainy weather, nothing could put a damper on the spirits of the attendees who came out to fete their favorite city. There was no shortage of fun, food and fabulous entertainment as folks grabbed their passports (programs) and began their journey in celebration of Takoma Park’s cultural diversity.

Their first stop before entering the performance area might have been Cheryl’s Kitchen, one of the exhibitors at the festival, where they purchased maple frosted walnuts, pecans, or cashews from this long-time Takoma Park resident. Once inside festival goers were treated to a variety of musical and dance performances by the Community Band, Panquility Steel Band, Flamenco DC, Thomas Young Ethiopian Dancers, Conjure Woman Band, Piney Branch Elementary Dancers and the Proverbs Reggae Band.

While singing and dancing along with the performances, attendees feasted on cuisine from the food trucks onsite. They might have enjoyed a refreshing fruit lemonade or smoothie from Chef Hogate’s or dined on a vegan entrée from Everlasting Life. Attendees also had falafel from DC Ballers, pizza from DC Slices, and Ethiopian food from Mesob on Wheels from which to choose for their dining pleasure.

Amidst all this festivity, many of Takoma Park’s youngest residents were engaged with activities in the games and craft area. The mechanical bull was clearly the central attraction as kids waited anxiously in line for their turn at besting the beast. Others opted for tamer activities, such as playing giant chess, dominoes or Chinese checkers, although the Pull of Peace (tug of war) did get fierce at times.

In addition to these activities, there were plenty of opportunities to learn more about community organizations in Takoma Park. Both the Takoma Park Emergency Preparedness and Independence Day Committees manned tables. Nearby at the Crossroads Community Food Network’s table, residents tasted samples of organic greens. These other community vendors participated as well: CHEER, City of Takoma Park Sustainability Office, EF International Language Center, Gustus Orthodontist, Holy Cross Hospital, Maryland Physicians Care, Takoma Park Community Band, Takoma/Langley Crossroads Development Authority, Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department, Toastmasters and Takoma Foundation, which gave out its annual Azalea Awards during the festival.

These awards honor residents who have helped the community be the place it is and inspired us all to make it even better. Here are the 2016 winners listed by category.

• Arts: Yvonne Edwards, founder of Knock on Wood and Busy
• Graham Business Leaders: Eric Hardy, manager, Ace Hardware, Old Town
• Coach: Brian Baker, soccer and cross country coach, TPMS
• Green Activist: Lori Hill and John Robinette
• Educator: Holly Pasquale, instrumental music teacher, TPMS
• Mentor: Abby Golden, guidance counselor TPES
• Neighborhood Volunteer: Margaret Buraimoh, tenant rights/housing reform activist
• School Activist: Ray Moreno, Blair High School Takoma
• Spirit: Tara Egan and Gene Herman, organizers, July 4th parade
• Tak-Tivist: Cindy Dyballa, member Takoma Park Environment and Recreation Committees

To a person, each of the winners humbly received his or her award and attributed the motivation for their efforts to living in a wonderful city. One winner summed up the entire festival day well, “Takoma Park is a great community.”

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

By Kevin Adler

It’s 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday, and Dunrick Sogie-Thomas is at Costco. He’s accompanied by a team of volunteers to pick up perishable and nonperishable food items that will be distributed to needy households in Takoma Park.

By 8 a.m., he and the volunteers are at EduCare’s first mobile distribution site at the Franklin Apartments near Sligo Creek Parkway for their first distribution of the morning. Five more distribution points follow. By noon, he’s leading another group of volunteers at the final distribution point, Grace United Methodist Church on New Hampshire Avenue.

But his day has just started because Sogie-Thomas has reams of paperwork to file, phone calls to field and questions to answer. That’s the busy routine of the director of programs for EduCare Support Services, a social service organization that received a grant of $23,900 from the City of Takoma Park this year.

How did EduCare get started?

Sogie-Thomas: I started EduCare in 2010 soon after I moved to Takoma Park from Gaithersburg. I asked the previous pastor of Grace United Methodist Church, Pastor Paul Johnson, and members of the church if we could assist them with a food pantry they had started. The church has been very supportive from the beginning; they provided us with space for the pantry, including an office space for staff and volunteers.

What does EduCare do?

Sogie-Thomas: EduCare provides monthly supplementary food baskets to eligible residents of Takoma Park at Grace UM Church and about 134 seniors and persons with disabilities at our off-site distribution locations.

On each delivery, EduCare provides the following perishable and non-perishable food items: bread, milk, orange juice, eggs, peanut butter, chicken, mixed vegetables, assorted canned fruits, rice, fresh produce, pasta and pasta sauce.

What has been the response?

Sogie-Thomas: The need is great. EduCare provides a two-week supply of food for each household, and we distribute once per month. We serve about 285 households each month. The majority of our participants are senior citizens or persons with disabilities. We distribute over 180,000 pounds of food each year.

In addition to the food pantry, we provide case management services, notary services, and CPR and First Aid training to individuals who are unemployed and actively seeking employment. I am trained to teach CPR and First Aid through the American Red Cross. And we provide referral services to people who call in every day looking for other services that we do not provide, such as utility assistance.

Where do you get your food and your funding?

Sogie-Thomas: The mobile food pantry is currently funded by City of Takoma Park and Montgomery County. We also received assistance from the Capital Area Food Bank and food donations from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). We also receive food donations from businesses, individuals and schools in the community, including the Takoma Park Neighborhood Food Project. The Takoma Park Food Project conducts food drives for EduCare from local residents; Geoff Maxson is the leader of this program, and they have been great. The City of Takoma Park has been very supportive of the food pantry. A few years ago, we needed more freezers to store chicken and dairy, and they provided the funding for us to purchase two freezers.

Are you meeting all of the needs that you see?

Sogie-Thomas: With regular food donations and more people coming to volunteer, we could serve over 500 households per month. And we receive a lot of requests from persons who are not eligible [because they do not meet income limits or are already receiving other government support]. It is terrible to turn them away; some people are desperate. In such cases, we are able to give them the food from the Takoma Park Neighborhood Food Network and the Capital Area Food Bank.

What other services would EduCare like to provide?

Sogie-Thomas: At the moment, our Job Club, our employment assistance program, is on hold because we do not have the volunteers to manage it. Our First Friday Night youth program and citizenship classes are also on hold. EduCare would like to provide a range of services to residents of Takoma Park, including utility and rental assistance, employment assistance, life skills training for at-risk youth and immigrants and a community-inclusive day program for seniors.

What inspired you to do this work?

Sogie-Thomas: I know what it’s like to be hungry. I was born in Sierra Leone, and I moved to England and lived there for almost 12 years before I immigrated to the United States. I started a one-stop social services center at a church in England. My passion for social work started when I was in high school in Sierra Leone. After I moved to the United States, I went to Montgomery College and then received a degree in social work from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. I’m going to start a master’s program in management of aging services at UMBC because I enjoy working with the senior population.

Final words?

Sogie-Thomas: On behalf of the board of EduCare, I want to say we are very appreciative of the City’s support to relieve hunger in our community.

To learn more about EduCare, visit www.educaresupportservices.org.

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

By Karen MacPherson

Come meet a rising star in the children’s literature world on June 7 at 7 p.m. when Takoma Park resident Minh Le unveils Let Me Finish!, his debut picture book.

Le will be joined by illustrator Isabel Roxas, who did the artwork for the book, which tells the story of a child who just wants to finish his book in peace. Each time he starts on a book, however, one of a series of well-meaning, and obviously well-read, animals inadvertently let slip plot spoilers in their eagerness to launch impromptu book discussions. Le’s comically antic plot is perfectly matched by the vibrant colors and energy of Roxas’ illustrations.

While this is Le’s first time as a picture book author, he’s well versed — and well-known — in the children’s literature community. He’s known for his blog, Bottom Shelf Books (www.bottomshelf books.com), on which Le shares thoughtful and quirky posts about children’s books. In addition, Le regularly writes a picture book round-up for The Huffington Post. Just recently, he published his first children’s book review in The New York Times Book Review.

Le grew up in Middletown, Conn., the middle of three children, and the only son. His parents came to the United States on college scholarships from their native Vietnam and decided to settle here. Le graduated from Dartmouth College in 2001 with a degree in psychology and a minor in religion and then moved to Washington, D.C.

Over the next few years, Le worked at the circulation desk at the Mount Pleasant branch of the DC Public Library, did a teaching stint in the U.S. Marshall Islands, and also worked for a non-profit focusing on programs for Vietnam youth. It was through that program that he eventually met his wife, Aimee Oberndorfer Le, an international education expert; the two were married in 2008 and now have two young sons.

Several years ago, Le earned his master’s in education policy from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. He now works as a federal early childhood policy expert at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Administration for Children and Families.

As his policy career developed, however, Le also felt the pull of a long-held dream of creating a children’s picture book. After several years of effort, and thanks to a nudge from his wife, Le realized that he would do better to focus on crafting a picture book text as his writing skills were stronger than his artistic ones.

The decision to focus on writing, rather than art, finally unlocked Le’s creativity and the result was Let Me Finish. Working with his agent Stephen Barbara, Le has already completed, and sold, his second picture book and now is working on several others. And he’ll start out the summer with a bang, doing promotional programs for Let Me Finish! at the American Library Association’s annual conference as well as at the Children’s Institute of the American Booksellers Association.

Meanwhile, Let Me Finish! will be formally released on June 7, the day that Le and Roxas present it at the Library. Join us to learn more about an up-and-coming picture book author who lives in Takoma Park. Politics & Prose will be selling copies of Le’s book, but our event is free, and no purchase is required to attend.

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

Rochelle Coleman, a former professional athlete and current high school varsity coach at Paint Branch High School, understands the importance of setting a strong foundation and goals, and she is making an impact with youth in Takoma Park.

As an athlete, Coleman has played basketball on many levels. She played as a member of the Celeritas Donar Professional Team in the Netherlands. As a member of the Syracuse University women’s basketball team, she is listed in the school record book for the top ten all-time three-point field goals and the all-time scorers’ list. She served as a graduate assistant coach for the women’s basketball team at Slippery Rock University and has coached many youth basketball teams in the U.S. and abroad.

In May 2008 she started her training company Rochelle Athletic Consulting. Under Rochelle Athletic Consulting, RAC Basketball was born introducing the Washington, D.C., area to individual basketball training, clinics and camps. Coleman brought her dream to the City of Takoma Park in 2013, helping with coaching clinics as well as operating the Recreation Department’s Girls Basketball Camp that takes place over the summer. Coleman also is part of the Takoma Park Recreation Committee.

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

By Morgan Fecto

Come summer 2017, local bistro and raw oyster bar Republic will give more to Takoma Park than its Duck Confit Cubano. More specifically, the restaurant will give its whole kids menu to the community.

“Two dollars of every kid’s menu item will go to the Lunch and Learn program,” said Republic’s Co-owner and Executive Chef Danny Wells. “The goal is to help provide as many as 55 laptops to the program by the end of this year.”

Now kid’s menu dishes, including parmesan kale cakes and house-made chicken nuggets, will feed more than one child. Wells said Republic will continue collecting donations for the Lunch and Learn program until the end of this year.

“I recommended this to Danny for a number of reasons,” Mayor Kate Stewart said. “One of my goals as mayor is to make sure that we have an inclusive community — that residents across Takoma Park have a sense of the whole city. There’s a need for Lunch and Learn in our community, and connecting residents who frequent Danny’s restaurant and making them aware of that need is important.”

The Lunch and Learn program is a six-week summer program sponsored by the City and Montgomery County. The program feeds student who receive free and reduced price lunches during the school year and aims to shrink the achievement gap with reading courses, math courses, and life-skill boosters, such as swimming lessons.

“When I was first elected, Essex House became a part of my ward,” said Ward 5 Councilmember Jarrett Smith. “I had a meeting with residents to find out what they needed and parents said over and over, ‘We need something for our kids to do over the summer.’ That’s how Lunch and Learn was born.”

MCPS provides the food for the program, residents run the day-to-day activities, and local organizations can contribute. MANUP, Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington, and Pepco have sponsored Lunch and Learn in previous years.

Wells and Black Restaurant Group Owner Jeff Black found that the program’s values aligned with Republic’s too. “It was Jeff’s suggestion that we pick a local children’s-based charity. It just fit because Republic is so intertwined and such a neighborhood restaurant,” Wells said. At the same time Wells and Black were considering options for children’s charities, Mayor Stewart suggested that Wells and Republic fundraise for Lunch and Learn. “It was kind of serendipitous,” Wells said.

With its fourth summer in view, Lunch and Learn has already registered 40 students from just one local apartment complex for the 2016 program. However, contributions from the community will be important for the program to grow, Smith said.

“It was always a goal for me for the private sector to invest in Lunch and Learn because you can’t sustain these programs without public dollars,” Smith said. “I think it’s fantastic that Republic is going to be such a major donor.”

Supporting Lunch and Learn was a no-brainer for Wells, who went to Piney Branch Elementary School and Takoma Park Middle School and realized he wanted to be a chef while washing dishes at Savory (now Capital City Cheesecake) as a 16-year-old.

“After that I knew that I wanted to open a restaurant in Takoma Park,” Well said. Wells hopes to share his food with local students at a fundraising event in the coming months.

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

By Bob Guldin

On primary election day April 26, the voters of Takoma Park did a very good job of picking winners. In other words, we voted mostly for the same candidates that our neighbors voted for in the rest of Maryland and Maryland’s 8th Congressional District – despite the city’s lingering reputation for being full of wild-eyed radicals.

That was especially true for the Democratic primary — and Takoma Park voted overwhelmingly Democratic. Here’s how big that margin is. In the Democratic presidential primary, 4,022 people voted. In the Republican presidential primary, 167 people voted. That means 96 percent of the ballots cast for U.S. president in Takoma Park were on the Democratic side.

In our area, three Democratic primary races got the lion’s share of the attention – and of the advertising and funds and lawn signs and volunteers. Those were the presidential race (Hillary Clinton vs. Bernie Sanders), the race to fill Barbara Mikulski’s U.S. Senate seat (Chris Van Hollen vs. Donna Edwards and others), and the contest to fill the House of Representatives 8th Congressional District seat currently held by Van Hollen. The three heavy hitters in that race were Jamie Raskin, David Trone and Kathleen Matthews.

In the Democratic presidential race, Takoma Park voters were almost a mirror image of voters statewide. In the city, we counted 2,525 votes for Hillary (63%) and 1,449 for Bernie (36%). That compares to 63% statewide for Hillary and 34% for Bernie.

In the Democratic Senate primary, Takoma Park gave 74% of our votes to Van Hollen vs. 24% for Edwards. Statewide, the totals were Van Hollen 53% and Edwards 39%. That big Takoma Park majority is not surprising since Van Hollen has great name recognition here, having represented Takoma Park in Congress for 13 years.

But the Democratic House race was one in which Takoma Park most strongly showed its “favorite son” colors. State Senator Jamie Raskin, a resident of the city and a well-known political figure, received 2,729 votes (69% of the total). Businessman David Trone got 415 votes in Takoma Park (10%), and Kathleen Matthews got 321 votes (8%). Will Jawando came in fourth, with 282 votes (7%).

How did those numbers compare with the totals for the entire 8th Congressional District? There, the percentages were Raskin 34% (just half the percentage he got in his home town, but still in the lead), Trone 27%, Matthews 24% and Jawando 5%.

It was widely reported that the House primary in District 8 was the most expensive ever in the United States due in large part to massive advertising and direct mail campaigns by David Trone, who funded his own campaign.

GOP Results

Republican voters also went to the polls for the presidential, Senate and House races. In Takoma Park, the presidential tally was 63 votes (38%) for John Kasich, 57 (34%) for Donald Trump and 36 (22%) for Senator Ted Cruz. Statewide the numbers were 54% for Trump, Kasich 23%, and Cruz 19%.

In the U.S. Senate race, GOP voters had a choice of 14 candidates. Takoma Park Republicans cast 32 votes (23%) for Kathy Szeliga and 20 votes (14%) for Chris Chaffee. At the state level, Szeliga also racked up the most votes with 36%, which means she will face off against Chris Van Hollen in November.

For the District 8 congressional contest, the city’s Republican voters gave 51 votes (38%) to Dan Cox, 23 to Jeffrey Jones (17%), and 19 to Shelly Skolnick (14%). In this race too, Takoma Park voters were aligned with the rest of District 8, where Cox won with 44% of the votes cast.

All the figures quoted here are from the Montgomery County and Maryland Board of Elections websites, and are not officially certified. To check out the state results, which extend back to the 1980s, go to www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2016/results/primary/index.html.

We should also acknowledge that all the numbers cited above as Takoma Park totals are technically approximations for the City because Takoma Park contains four voting precincts (numbered 13-04, 13-06, 13-21 and 13-68), and all the votes are tallied by precinct. And one of those precincts contains a small sliver of Silver Spring, too, so these numbers are not 100 percent Takoma Parkian. Nonetheless, they provide an excellent point of comparison for how our City voted compared to the rest of the state and nation.

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

There’s been a lot of buzz about parking in Takoma Park lately because of new businesses moving in, changes to the management and pricing of parking lots in Old Takoma, and lots of new construction just across the border in D.C. While Takoma Park is a walkable and increasingly bike-friendly city with ample bus routes connecting to Metro, driving is still a necessary part of everyday life for most residents. As a result, parking is an everpresent concern, and the City is investigating how it is managed, enforced and paid for.

Currently, the City engages in four aspects of parking:

1. Managing the Residential Parking Permit (RPP) program consisting of 900+ permits in eight active RPP zones. First initiated in 1976, each RPP zone is established by a citizen-led petition process and approved by the City Council. Designed to suit the needs of the community, petitioners request the geographical boundaries and the days and times when permit parking is in effect
2. Maintaining metered parking in the Old Takoma commercial district and near Montgomery College
3. Enforcing parking (i.e. issuing tickets) on city streets with a focus on parking meters and RPP zones
4. Commenting on parking waiver requests from new businesses or developments that can’t meet the required number of parking spaces specified in the Montgomery County Zoning Ordinance

In 2014 the City started making changes to parking management and enforcement. A parking pay station was installed at the public lot at Takoma Junction, adding to the 105 parking meters on city streets. A second officer was hired to ensure more consistent parking enforcement around town. A city-wide parking management study was initiated in 2015, with the goal of exploring ways on-street parking in Takoma Park can be better managed in the service of economic development, environmental sustainability, fiscal responsibility and community livability. The study kicked off with online surveys of residents and business owners in fall 2015, garnering nearly 300 responses from residents, visitors and business operators.

With new restaurants and other businesses contributing to a more vibrant Old Takoma commercial district, one aspect the study specifically explores is the pressure point where residential and commercial areas meet in Takoma Park. The study is also exploring ways to make the City’s parking programs more convenient to use and efficient to manage. One result is a contract executed in spring 2016 with ParkMobile, and drivers will soon be able to pay for City parking meters by phone using a credit card.

On the evening of June 15, a consultant team from Sabra, Wang & Associates will present to the City Council a set of findings and recommendations contributing to the study. City Council meetings are open to the public and residents are encouraged to attend. Visit the Parking Management Study project page on the City website to see the results of the survey, learn more about the project, submit comments and stay tuned for updates leading up to the June 15 presentation: takomaparkmd.gov/initiatives/project-directory/ parking-study.

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

By Gina Mathias

The competition was very tight for the $2,000 Neighborhood Energy Challenge prize. The results were so close that a tie was declared! The winning teams will work closely with staff to use their prizes for neighborhood sustainability projects, such as developing new community gardens, installing rain barrels, or helping neighbors in need.

The Neighborhood Energy Challenge was a yearlong competition among eighteen teams representing all Takoma Park neighborhoods. Individual households participated by taking actions to save energy at home, such as getting energy audits, increasing insulation levels and sealing air leaks. Points were awarded to homes that achieved Green Home Certifications. The three levels of Green Home Certification – light, medium, and dark green – corresponded to increased measures taken to save energy.

Residents who achieved Green Home Certification receive a metal yard sign and stake with a permanent sticker corresponding their level of achievement. Homes achieving the Dark Green Certification have the option to receive a locally made, sustainably harvested wood plaque. To pick up your sign, please come to the Public Works office Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

During the competition, the City of Takoma Park offered help to homeowners by providing free energy coaching, audit reviews, second opinions and rebates for energy efficiency home improvements. The City will continue to offer rebates and energy coaching assistance through next year.

Your efforts to save energy at home are helping the City compete against 50 other communities for the $5 million Georgetown University Energy Prize. The $5 million prize will be awarded to the community with the greatest reductions in residential and municipal energy use, using replicable and innovative programs. Takoma Park’s Neighborhood Energy Challenge was a huge success in helping the City’s effort.

Outstanding challenge participants

The Neighborhood Energy Challenge would not have been possible without all of the enthusiastic support and hard work by the team captains, volunteers, and residents who opened up their homes for meetings, posted on their neighborhood listservs, and recruited participants. While there were too many wonderful advocates to count, four residents stood out.

Outstanding Team Captain, Lori Hill: Lori held many meetings during the challenge, encouraging neighborhoods to attend, helping with certification applications and answering questions. Lori tirelessly promoted the competition.

Outstanding Supporter, Cindy Dyballa: Cindy championed the neighborhood energy challenge from before its launch, encouraging staff and council. She helped organize her neighborhood, which turned into a true powerhouse of a team. She also helped connect many of the impressive environmentalists and community activists that live in Takoma Park to the challenge.

Outstanding Example, Kate Stewart: As a City Council member and now Mayor, Kate’s excitement helped staff gain the support needed to bring the competition to life. Kate invited TV cameras into her home to film her energy audit, which CityTV broadcast, enabling residents to learn more about the value of energy audits, find out about the challenge, and see ways to make energy improvements to their homes.

Ward Prize – Ward 2, Tim Male, City Council Member: Tim was a vocal supporter of the Neighborhood Energy Challenge. He quickly signed up and had an energy audit and got into the competitive spirit. Tim is a champion for environmental action in Takoma Park, and it is no surprise that with his leadership and encouragement, Ward 2 had the most certifications of any Ward in the City.

What’s next?

The Green Home Certification program is an evergreen program. Anyone who would like to get Green Home Certified for Energy Efficiency may do so, even though the challenge has ended. Residents can also continue working towards and earn their Dark Green Certification. Future Green Home Certification themes may include backyard habitat and lawn care, zero waste and more. The next Green Home Certification category will be announced in early 2017. To apply for a Green Home Certification visit takomaparkmd.gov/government/sustainability.

If you were on one of the winning teams and have an idea for how your team should use the prize money, contact your team leader or the sustainability manager at ginam@takomaparkmd.gov.

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

The City Council recently passed a new ordinance to address the issue of vacant properties. The purpose of the ordinance is to discourage the neglect of unsafe vacant properties in Takoma Park. The new ordinance requires that vacant properties that have been empty for over 30 days must be registered with the City and pay a $200 registration fee unless they are furnished and have operating utilities.

All vacant properties must be secured, and the exterior of the building and the grounds must be maintained. The owner, agent or property maintenance company is required to post contact information inclusive of a name and a 24-hour phone number. If the property has code violations, the City may issue a notice to correct the violations and may also issue a citation for a Class A violation and impose penalties against the owner, agent or other responsible party.

There are exceptions, such as if a property has building permits and is under construction or renovation. If owners or agents are actively attempting to sell or rent a property, they are exempt for six months or more.

The ordinance officially goes into effect July 1, 2016. If you wish to read the ordinance in more detail, it can be found on the City’s website by searching “vacant property registry” in the site’s search field. To register a property, or if you have further questions, please call 301-891-7119.

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