By Apryl Motley

Newly elected Takoma Park Mayor Kate Stewart can’t wait to hear what the community has to say about a variety of issues that will impact residents. While email and listservs have their place in City-wide communications, Stewart finds them not as helpful for “having meaningful conversations and dialogue about difficult issues.”

There is no shortage of those as she begins her term. Topping her list of priorities are community policing, development of Takoma Park Junction, and affordable housing. In addition addressing residents’ concerns about Washington Adventist Hospital’s move and developing the FY17 budget are top priorities. So where to begin?

For Stewart the answer lies in engaging more members of the community to discuss how these issues affect them and the overall culture of Takoma Park. “The way to achieve greater community engagement is for our City staff, City council and residents to all be working together,” she said.

“In particular, we need to shift the framework for how we think about community engagement,” she continued. “The model for how we generally think about it now is that residents need to come to City staff or the City Council. I would like to see more of us getting out into the community more often.”

To that end, plans are already under way to facilitate the types of interactions and conversations Stewart believes will be most valuable to all members of the community. One of them will be Friday morning coffees around the City in which Stewart, the City manager, the City Council person for that area, and other City staff will participate.

“We would pick a central location near metro and bus routes, start at 7:30 a.m. and be available for two hours for people to drop by on their way to work and talk about issues that are impacting that part of the community,” Stewart explained. Location and other details are being worked on for the first Friday coffee of the year, which will be announced soon.

Along similar lines, Stewart envisions holding quarterly community conversations during the year where “we can bring together members of the community, outside experts, City staff, and the City Council to have conversations about issues we need to address as a whole community.” The first community conversation is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 6, and the topic will be affordable housing.

For Stewart the coffees and conversations are small, but integral, parts of a larger effort to increase civic engagement. She said having polling places throughout the community for early voting during the last election was a good start: “The engagement and enthusiasm there was wonderful.”

Stewart hopes to build on the community interest generated from just having an election. “People are paying attention to what’s going on in terms of the City Council,” she said, “so that we can really bring people together and start thinking about ways to engage the public more.”

One strategy already put in place to increase engagement is holding City Council meetings Wednesday evenings instead of on Mondays. While walking door-to-door during her campaign, Stewart learned that attending meetings on Monday is hard for a lot of people. The council’s first meeting of the year will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

In addition, Stewart wants to raise awareness about the public comment period during City Council meetings. “People don’t know that you can come to the City Council meeting during public comment to raise an issue, and it doesn’t have to be on the agenda or be a voting item,” she said. “A lot of people thought you could only speak to an issue if it was on the agenda or a voting item, which limits people being able to come and voice their opinions.”

And Stewart wants to hear those opinions. During her campaign, she stressed the need for leaders who will listen, hear and act. She says this approach to leadership comes from her training as a researcher. According to her, “if you take the time to listen and you really hear what peoples’ concerns and goals are, then you can act on them and get much closer to what you’re trying to achieve.”

There is a lot Stewart hopes to achieve, and she is excited about working with the residents towards those goals. “Takoma Park is a wonderful community where people come together when issues need to be resolved,” she said. “As we think about starting this next chapter in our City’s history, we need to make sure we’re protecting what makes Takoma Park so special as well as taking advantage of opportunities to make our community an even better place for all residents.”

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

1. Stay connected. Conditions leading to a declared snow emergency include the expectation of a significant quantity of snow or an ice event. The City Manager may declare a snow emergency and will announce the status through Takoma Park Alert, local media, and on the City’s website, Facebook and Twitter. The following restrictions go into effect during declared snow emergencies:
2. Avoid parking on the street. Residents are strongly encouraged to park vehicles in their driveways whenever possible. Fewer cars on the street allow city plows to more quickly and safely clear the roads. If you must park on the street, make sure to park your car as close to the curb as possible and maintain a distance of at least 25 feet from an intersection.
3. Clear your sidewalk. Residents are responsible for clearing the public sidewalks adjacent to their property. When possible, keep sidewalks clear of snow and ice by regularly shoveling accumulated snow during and after a snow event. Please do not shovel large amounts of snow into the street when clearing your driveway, lead walk or sidewalk. The best place to pile snow is on the lawn or grassy areas. Piles of snow shoveled out into the street can cause problems for passing vehicles.
4. Be a good neighbor; help others in need. Reach out and ask neighbors if they need assistance with keeping their sidewalks clear. Many residents are physically unable to shovel snow and ice and are hesitant to request help from neighbors or friends. Your thoughtfulness can make a big difference to someone who might otherwise be unable to cope. If you have any questions before or during a winter event, please contact the Public Works Department at 301-891-7633.

By Rick Henry

For 95 years, local boys have been joining Takoma Park Boy Scout Troop 33, and the reasons now are the same as they have always been.

“Leadership skills and management skills,” says current Senior Patrol Leader Nate Blower, 17, when asked what he values most about of the Boy Scout experience. “And knowing how to tie different knots will come in handy, too.”

It is that mix of the organizational and aspirational (leadership, service projects), the practical (knot tying) and the natural (camping, hiking) that has kept young boys involved in Boy Scouts of America (BSA) since it was established in 1910 in New York City to help young people be “Prepared for Life.”

Ten years later, in 1920, Troop 33 was established in Takoma Park, where it has been continuously chartered to the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church. As has happened so many times since, troop members and Takoma Park residents gathered at the church for a fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 14. This time it was for a chili dinner to commemorate the troop’s 95th anniversary.

Such a long-standing association between a troop and a sponsoring organization is “rare,” said current Scoutmaster Tim Miller. “We have a really great relationship with them,” he said.

That relationship was showcased during one of the seminal moments in the troop’s (and church’s) history. In 2012, both stood up against what was at the time a BSA policy excluding “open or avowed homosexuals” from membership (a policy that has since been changed).

The troop was one of the most openly critical and defiant of the national policy and even adopted a rainbow theme at its annual pancake supper that year to show its support for inclusiveness.

But that is only one of many achievements and milestones the troop can claim. Troop 33 has a proud record of service and achievement. The newly chartered troop of the 1920s undertook community projects, such as a clean-up of the Sligo Creek area. On February 22, 1932, a select patrol from Troop 33 performed the opening ceremony of the George Washington Bicentennial Birthday Celebration at his birthplace in Wakefield, Va.

Eight young men associated with Troop 33 lost their lives serving in World War II. In its 95 years, Troop 33 has engaged an estimated 4,000 boys in scouting, and 96 scouts of Troop 33 have reached the highest level of scouting achievement, the rank of Eagle Scout, including Hank Harman, who earned his at the age of 86!

In 1957, Troop 33 purchased 43 acres of rolling timberland east of Romney, W. Va., for a permanent troop camp with funds donated primarily by the parents of Waldo E. Schmitt, one of the former Troop 33 scouts who perished in World War II. Today, Camp Waldo E. Schmitt includes a large main cabin, a Venture Scout cabin, numerous patrol camp sites, a lake, and nature trails.

For Troop 33 scouts, such as Adil Hall, 11, it is the opportunity to bond with nature at places such as Camp Schmitt that make scouting so appealing.

Hall, who says he got involved in Scouts four years ago after hearing one of his friends talk about how great it was, loves ”camping, hiking, trailing, exploring around, all of it.”

His self-described “best friend” Mateo Griffis, agrees. “Camping is the best,” he says. “I love running around and being free.”

Talk to scouts at the Troop’s 100th, 150th or 200th anniversary, and it’s a safe bet they will express the same love.

This article appeared in the December 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

Judging from the results of last month’s election, many Takoma Park residents are in favor of moving City Elections to even-numbered years. Beginning with the election in November 2018, and providing that voting rights can be maintained for City residents who are (1) 16-17 years old, (2) non-citizens, or (3) on parole or probation for a felony conviction, and that instant runoff voting and same day voter registration can be maintained, the City of Takoma Park municipal elections for Mayor and Councilmembers could be changed to the Tuesday following the first Monday in November in each even-numbered year to coincide with Maryland statewide general elections. Below is the tally of voters in favor of the advisory question broken down by wards.

This article appeared in the December 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

On Nov. 18 Maryland Health Care Commissioner Frances B. Phillips issued a recommended decision to approve the certificate of need request for Washington Adventist Hospital to move most of its operations from the Takoma Park Campus on Carroll Avenue in the center of the City of Takoma Park, along Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park, to a new location in the White Oak area of Montgomery County.

The recommended decision has five approval conditions; the first two directly affect Takoma Park:

Urgent care center (in the location of the current Emergency Department). Adventist HealthCare Inc. must open an urgent care center on its Takoma Park campus.

• The urgent care center must operate 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
• Adventist HealthCare Inc. may not eliminate this urgent care center or reduce its hours of operation without the approval of the Maryland Health Care Commission.

Specialty hospital for psychiatric services (a stand-alone version of the current behavioral health in-patient unit of the hospital). In the fourth year of operation of a replacement Washington Adventist Hospital, Adventist HealthCare Inc. shall provide a report to the Maryland Health Care Commission on the operation of the specialty hospital for psychiatric services in Takoma Park. This report must review:

• patient intake and transport issues
• coordination of care for psychiatric patients between the White Oak and Takoma Park campuses
• the specific financial performance of the special hospital, exclusive of the operation of Adventist Behavioral Health and Wellness overall.

In addition, Adventist HealthCare Inc. stated its intention to have on-campus laboratory and radiology services to support these units as well as a rehabilitation hospital (currently located withinCity Staff discussed the recommendation with the Takoma Park City Council in closed session on Nov. 23.Washington Adventist Hospital). A federally qualified health center on the Takoma Park campus will remain and be expanded. Washington Adventist University intends to lease 50,000 square feet of hospital building space for its use.

City Staff discussed the recommendation with the Takoma Park City Council in closed session on Nov. 23.

The City of Takoma Park will submit comments, and the City will be interested to see the comments from WAH and the hospitals opposed to the move.

Below is portion of the statement the Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park.

City issued following the recommendation. For the entire text, visit takomaparkmd. gov/news.

The relocation of Washington Adventist Hospital’s main hospital out of the City was expected, but is a disappointment to the City of Takoma Park. Washington Adventist Hospital has been an integral part of the history and fabric of Takoma Park. Over the last year, the City Council, Staff, and residents have worked diligently to ensure that throughout the certificate of need process the needs of Takoma Park residents have been front and center.

As a result of our hard work and persistence, the top condition of the Commissioner’s recommended approval is the maintenance of an urgent care facility at the Takoma Park campus, to be operated every day, 24 hours per day, beginning as soon as the hospital move takes place. This will ensure that there is no gap in care for the primary care service that our community needs. Clearly, the commissioner recognized the need for these services based on the information the City presented.

The recommended decision will go before the full Maryland Health Care Commission on Dec. 17 for a final decision. The final decision could accept or reject the recommendation or accept the recommendation but change the conditions. For additional information, contact Suzanne Ludlow, City Manager, suzannel@takomaparkmd.gov.

This article appeared in the December 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

On 7:30 the morning of Election Day, volunteers reported that voter turnout was good so far. This was a sign of good things to come as Takoma Park enjoyed a 21 percent turnout rate, one of the highest in the last few election years.

By 7:45 a small line had formed as residents voted before heading to work. Residents of all ages showed up at the polls, from families strolling with young children to 55+ voters who came accompanied by spouses and other relatives. And they all embodied the spirit of community and inclusiveness that Election Day brings out in Takoma Park.

“I have always appreciated the openness of the election process in Takoma Park,” observed 15-year resident Margerita Silverstone of Ward 1. Silverstone was in favor of the advisory question on the ballot if it meant the process could be “even more open and inclusive.”

One of her fellow residents shared this sentiment. Joan Horn, also of Ward 1 and a 35-year resident of Takoma Park, was also in favor of the advisory question. In addition, Horn said, “Face-to-face contact made the difference in casting her vote.” She talked with Kate Stewart during her campaign and “would like to see her continue on the same path” should she become Mayor.

Stewart, councilmember for Ward 3, was elected Mayor of Takoma Park, and Peter Kovar, one of two newcomers to the city council, won the Ward 1 seat with 630 votes. Ward 6 councilmember Fred Schultz kept his seat, receiving 206 votes. The other four candidates, Ward 2’s Tim Male, Ward 3’s Rizzy Qureshi, Ward 4’s Terry Seamens, and Ward 5’s Jarrett Smith ran unchallenged. (See full election results on p. 11 and read our interview with the new mayor in the January issue.)

Bernice Tyler, who has lived in Takoma Park for 45 years, also appreciated candidates who gave their campaigns that personal touch. “Folks who came to my home to visit personally got my vote,” she said.

It’s clear that the Takoma Park community takes elections personally. Perhaps an exchange between one of the City’s younger residents and his mom as he was dropped off for before-care best summed up the day. “What election?” he asked. To which his mom replied, “The city election.” “Why?” he asked. She said, “They’re deciding who will be the next mayor.”

This article appeared in the December 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

By Gina Mathias and Alexandra Young

Winter is coming, and with it chilly drafts and high heating bills. Most home owners can likely pinpoint a few of the biggest energy wasters in their homes, but many of the places in your home that drive up your bills remain harder to diagnose. That’s where a professional comprehensive home energy audit can help.

Takoma Park resident Keith Kozloff recently had a comprehensive energy audit. He also helped his neighborhood team earn points for the Neighborhood Energy Challenge by completing upgrades to his home to save energy.

Costs:

Energy audit: $0 after rebate and subsidy. Keith initially paid $100 for the energy audit, which normally costs $400. Because he chose a participating Pepco contractor, the cost is subsidized through EmPOWER Maryland. Through City of Takoma Park Energy Efficiency Rebate Program, Keith received a $100 rebate for the energy audit.

Energy audit recommended work: $1,512 after rebates. The total cost for the insulation and air leakage reduction package was $4,262.30. Keith qualified for the 50 percent, up to $2,000 Pepco insulation and air sealing rebate, the Takoma Park 25 percent up to $500 energy efficiency rebate, and the $250 Montgomery County energy efficiency tax incentive.

Lifetime energy savings: $3,005. The recommended work included wholehome air leakage reduction attic insulation and crawl space insulation.

What was the biggest surprise the energy audit revealed for Keith? He had no idea that a large amount of air was getting through his 2nd floor crawl space (or “kneewall”). The energy audit revealed that the space was only half insulated, making it ambiguous if it was an interior or exterior space. After speaking with the auditor and learning the options for how to better treat the space, Keith decided to make the crawl space an exterior space. He moved the insulation and fiberglass batts to an inner wall and then covered the wall with a reflective air barrier. Keith also insulated the half door leading to the space. The contractor sprayed dense pack insulation in the floor through holes drilled in the floor.

Other improvements included sealing air leaks in the attic floor, basement, and other areas of the home with caulk and spray foam. After the contractors achieved a targeted rate of air leakage reduction, measured by a blower door, insulation was added to attic floor to bring the total thermal value of attic insulation to R49. Keith hopes an upstairs bedroom that was too warm in the summer and a downstairs office that is too drafty in the winter will be much more comfortable.

The importance of working with a professional energy auditor:

Many do-it-yourselfers can install insulation, caulk and spray foam. Beyond finding energy savings, however, energy auditors perform tests to ensure that projects are completed in compliance with safety standards. A blower door test measures how drafty your home is, ensuring it is within safe levels. Most homes in Takoma Park are well over the building airflow standard necessary for safe indoor air quality. However, over-tightening your home can cause once properly venting gas appliances to back-draft, spilling dangerous flue gasses into your home.

Combustion safety tests measure the pressure of flue gasses being vented from the appliance to outside your home, including carbon monoxide. While the blower door is running, there is also a better chance to find hidden drafts and areas of missing insulation, especially when used with an infrared camera.

The improvements didn’t stop with insulation and air leakage reduction. Committed to helping reduce greenhouse emissions, helping his neighborhood win the Neighborhood Energy Challenge, and the City win the Georgetown University Energy Prize, Keith has made more changes that will make home as energy efficient as possible and earn him a Takoma Park Dark Green Home certification.

Solar PV rooftop installation: $7,209. Total system cost before federal and state tax credits $11,433.

Solar lifetime electricity savings: $28,094. System size is 2.94 kW. This will generate approximately 3,323 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, representing about 70 percent of Keith’s total electricity needs annually. This estimate was made before many of Keith’s energy efficiency improvements were completed; the total dollars saved on electricity may be lower; however the panels may get closer to generating 100 percent of Keith’s electricity needs.

Other energy efficiency improvements Keith has made:

• Super efficiency boiler and hot water system
• Energy star appliances (refrigerator, washer and dryer, dishwasher)
• Programmable thermostats
• Motion sensors on outdoor CFL security lights
• LED and CFL light bulbs throughout home
• Blinds and shades on windows to minimize/maximize solar heat gain in summer/winter
• Ceiling fans to make rooms more comfortable at a higher temperature in summer
• Faucet aerators
• Power strips on electronic device centers
• Cleaning refrigerator coils every six months to improve function
• Blocked off fireplace to prevent drafts

Would Keith recommend using an energy auditor and making audit-recommended upgrades to his neighbors? “Sure, I would recommend this to my neighbors,” he says. “There are three motivations: one is to save money, another is to increase comfort, and the final one is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” We couldn’t agree more.

This article appeared in the October 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

Silber, Perlman, Sigman & Tilev, P.A., is moving. The firm has been on the corner of Carroll and Laurel in Old Town for twenty-seven years and has served as the city attorneys for Takoma Park as well as assisting clients in Takoma Park and the DC-Metro region. The law firm is moving its offices to the Takoma Business Center, just a few doors down from its current location, where clients will have access to elevators and great views of Takoma Park. The firm’s new location will be 6930 Carroll Ave., Suite 610, Takoma Park, Md. 20912 as of Nov. 1, 2015. The firm looks forward to continuing to serve clients from its new space.

By Tim Rahn

Join the Friends Reading Group to discuss Edwidge Danticat’s novel Claire of the Sea Light on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Hydrangea Room of Takoma Park Community Center.

Claire of the Sea Light takes place in a fictitious Haitian town, Ville Rose. Within the first couple of pages of the novel, Danticat describes two profound events. First, she tells how Claire’s fisherman father has learned of the death of another fisherman and then she reveals that the father has made the difficult decision to let another person raise Claire.

The evening of the same day, Claire’s birthday, she goes missing. Danticat uses the stories of neighbors and acquaintances to explore the mystery of Claire’s disappearance. We learn how Claire, whose mother died giving birth to her, has touched the lives of the other characters and what these relationships mean.

One reviewer commented that much of Danticat’s fiction is about “how the coercive power of collective silence about gender, race, and inequity creates deeply personal damage for individuals.” Claire of the Sea Light, she comments, “is a further investigation of the infinitely rippling consequences of silence.”

Born in Haiti and raised in New York City, Edwidge Danticat has won numerous awards for her fiction. Claire of the Sea Light was short-listed for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Danticat is considered a major voice of the Haitian Diaspora.

This article appeared in the October 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

Books & Breakfast

This school year, the Library is partnering with the ESOL teachers at Takoma Park Elementary School in a special “Books & Breakfast” program.

Funded by a grant from the Takoma Foundation, the “Books & Breakfast” program is designed to connect ESOL parents and their pre-K and kindergarten children with helpful local resources, including the Library.

At each of the four hour-long meetings (October, November, February and March), participants are given breakfast while ESOL teachers model ways to read aloud and offer other helpful tips to encourage families to make books and reading part of their daily lives. Participants are given a new book at each of the meetings, plus other literacy tools, such as a jar of magnetic letters.

The “Books & Breakfast” program had a successful debut during the last school year (2014-2015), and the ESOL team decided that adding the Library as a partner this year would further enhance their efforts to teach parents how to help their children build pre-literacy skills.

As part of the Library’s participation in the “Books & Breakfast” program, Karen MacPherson, children’s and teen services coordinator, will help parents and children register for Library cards and also introduce them to the many resources the Library has to offer. These include print and electronic books in Spanish and French for all ages, numerous book-related events, and a fully-staffed Computer Center. The Library also has numerous online resources, including one for learning English, as well as numerous other languages.

A recent Pew Research Center report, “Public Libraries and Hispanics,” underlined the importance of libraries to immigrant Hispanics, once they discover what the public library has to offer them. This Pew report is just one more indication of how connecting Hispanics and other immigrants with their local public library can offer them a key educational and cultural lifeline. It is this connection that the “Books & Breakfast” teachers, working with the Library, hope to offer their participants this school year.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor program

Newbery Medalist Phyllis Reynolds Naylor will talk about the fourth book in her “Shiloh” series on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the Takoma Park Community Center auditorium.

Titled A Shiloh Christmas, aimed at readers ages 8-12, Naylor’s new book continues the saga of a beagle named Shiloh and Marty Preston, the young boy who rescued him from an abusive owner. The new book comes 24 years after Naylor published the first book in the series, Shiloh, which won the 1992 Newbery Medal, given to the best-written children’s book each year by the American Library Association.

Since then, Naylor has published two sequels, Shiloh Season and Saving Shiloh. In A Shiloh Christmas, Naylor tells how Marty and his family reach out to Judd Travers, Shiloh’s formerly abusive owner, when his house and others are burned in a drought, and Travers is suspected of arson. Meanwhile, a new preacher has come to Marty’s town of Friendly, W.Va., and it seems the preacher is more interested in stirring up controversy than talking of mercy.

In a starred review, Kirkus said, “Shiloh’s move from abused pup to well -loved pet is an ideal metaphor for the plot’s various redemption stories, which culminate on Christmas day. Perfect for longtime fans of the series and newcomers alike, this Christmas story can be enjoyed yearround.”

Meanwhile, School Library Journal noted in its review of A Shiloh Christmas: “This is not so much a Christmas story as it is a book about practicing tolerance, acceptance, and forgiveness and recognizing one’s own moral compass. In response to Marty’s many philosophical questions, his loving and supportive parents offer realistic guidance, advice and discipline. As expected, Shiloh the dog plays a pivotal role in bringing about a happy resolution for Judd and Marty.”

Politics & Prose will be selling copies of Naylor’s books at the event, but the program is free, and no purchase is required to attend. Please join us for what promises to be a very special event with a top author.

This article appeared in the October 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.