The Summer Solstice ushers in a seasonal transition. In Takoma Park, we’re also experiencing a very important transition, as we say farewell to departing City Manager Suzanne Ludlow and welcome her replacement, Jamal Fox.

Suzanne has been important to the City government over the last 27 years, serving 7 years as City Manager. It’s almost impossible to find aspects of our municipal life that she hasn’t touched in meaningful ways. Whether it’s managing our annual budget and keeping Takoma Park fiscally strong; leading and inspiring City staff; coordinating work on key development projects; interacting directly with residents seeking information or assistance, and so many other vital initiatives, she’s had a hand in them and often played the lead role.

We were delighted that — in the last City Council meeting of Suzanne’s tenure in Takoma Park — the Council adopted a resolution honoring her many contributions to our local government, economy, and culture. Moreover, Councilmembers and residents had the opportunity to share their personal memories of Suzanne’s work on behalf of the City and their interactions with her. We wish her all the best as she moves on to a new phase in her life, with an appreciation for everything she has given to Takoma Park. You can watch a video of the tributes to Suzanne starting at the 26-minute mark.

Meanwhile, you may have seen Jamal in the City, even though he doesn’t formally start as the new City Manager until August 2. He and his family will be moving to the area in the coming weeks. However, we’re pleased he’s been able to start meeting with Councilmembers and staff, not to mention touring the City and saying hello to residents. We were particularly glad Jamal said a few words at the recent swearing-in ceremony for a group of new Takoma Park police officers.

Jamal’s background, in communities large and small, in different parts of the country, with service as both a staffer and an elected official, make him a great addition to the City staff. We look forward to collaborating with him as we inaugurate a great new chapter in Takoma Park’s story. For those in the City who haven’t yet met him, there will no doubt be many opportunities to give him a warm welcome.

Of course, transitions often come with a few challenges, and this one is no exception. There’s about a month between Suzanne’s departure and Jamal’s official start date. So our Deputy City Manager Jessica Clarke will serve as Acting City Manager for that month-long interim period. Those of us on the Council have full confidence in Jessica’s ability to keep everything on track during that hiatus. We’re also confident residents will appreciate there may be a need for a little patience as Jessica and Jamal work through the learning curves they’ll be facing. You can reach Jessica at jessicac@takomaparkmd.gov. Jamal’s email, which won’t be active until he starts on August 2, will be jamal.fox@takomaparkmd.gov.

Council City Manager Transition Sub-Committee

Mayor Stewart
Councilmember Kovar
Councilmember Searcy

The City of Takoma Park can begin reopening our facilities to the public!

Here are the highlights:

• On July 6 the Takoma Park Maryland Library will reopen for in-person services
• On August 23 all City facilities will fully reopen to the general public

Passports and Notary Services will require an appointment.

Passport Service:

• Monday – Thursday
  9:00 am – 11:00 am only
• Appointments are required and can be scheduled by emailing sofiav@takomaparkmd.gov.
• For more information, visit Passport Services

Notary Service:

Notary Service will resume on Tuesday, July 6th by appointment only.

• Please make an appointment by email or call:
  IrmaN@takomaparkmd.gov
  301-891-7214
• The service is free for Takoma Park residents
• $4 per notary signature for non-residents.
• For more information, visit Notary Services

Mask requirements:

• In City facilities, masks will be required for visitors and staff in lobby areas and in areas with children’s programs or services
• Masks are optional for City staff outdoors and in non-public areas of City facilities
• City staff will be prepared to wear masks when entering homes and other constrained private spaces on City business and when requested to do so by a person with whom they are interacting

Mask requirements will continue through August 22, 2021.

See our COVID-19 page for more detailed information, which will be refined over the coming weeks. Any of these plans may change based on revised guidance from the CDC, State of Maryland or Montgomery County, and we will let you know if they do.

Thank you to so many Takoma Park residents for taking safety precautions over many months and then getting vaccinated when you were able to do so – your actions have made a real difference in our community!

On Wednesday, June 23, 2021, the Takoma Park City Council passed Resolution 2021-19, recommending that the Montgomery County Planning Board disapprove the site plan Neighborhood Development Company (NDC) submitted in January 2021 to develop Takoma Junction.

The site plan reviewed by the City Council lacks the necessary agency approvals for NDC’s proposed layby – the only proposed means for deliveries in the plan – and additional concerns remain about the available public space, parking, stormwater management, and the rear façade.

The Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) still has not approved the layby (or an optional shorter layby) proposed by NDC and has raised serious concerns regarding a number of safety-related issues in numerous communications.  In the absence of an approved layby, there is nothing in the current plan presented to the City Council to accommodate deliveries and trash removal.  Despite the City’s recommendation that NDC waits until work with SHA had resulted in an SHA-approved design, NDC insisted on presenting the plan to the Council. The Council’s June 23 resolution permits NDC to return to the City for review if changes to the proposed site plan address the absence of an approved layby and/or other issues raised.

Significant questions remain as to whether the current site plan could remain in its present form, or anything close to it if changes are needed to create a different layby or other delivery mechanism for the project.  Having no layby or a very different kind of layby for deliveries would likely affect the amount and configuration of public space, and could affect parking, stormwater, and other aspects of the site plan. The City Council would want to review the revised site plan if these changes were made.

The resolution continues to cite the City’s goals for the project at Takoma Junction to “act as a stimulus to the commercial district and locally-owned, independent businesses; improve the aesthetic appeal of the district, and be contextually sensitive and environmentally sustainable.” For the history of the project see here. For information about the development review process see here.

The City’s resolution was transmitted to the Planning Board on Thursday, June 24th.  Presently, NDC is tentatively scheduled to appear before the Planning Board in July.

The City Council has sent a letter to the Montgomery County Council opposing the passage of Zoning Text Amendment 19-07 (Telecommunications Towers – Limited Use) as currently drafted.

“The City of Takoma Park wants every resident of Montgomery County to have equitable access to affordable broadband internet. However, everyone should have a voice in the planning process. This ZTA, as currently drafted, would cut municipalities and residents out of the planning and siting process for many new “small” cell towers and strip us of our voices.”

Read the complete letter

Free COVID-19 Vaccinations Available
in Takoma Park

FEMA’s mobile vaccination trailer will be parked in the Washington Adventist University lot at the intersection of Carroll and Flower Avenues.

• Free MODERNA and Johnson & Johnson vaccines 
• Safe for ages 18 and older
• Plan to wait for 15-30 minutes after you receive your vaccine.
• Return to the same location for the second dose on July 13 to July 18
• Walk-ups accepted
•  Return to the same location for the second dose on July 13 to July 18

First Dose:

June 15 – 20, 2021

• Tuesday to  Friday: 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
• Saturday and  Sunday: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

Second Dose:

July 13  – 18, 2021

• Tuesday to  Friday: 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
• Saturday and  Sunday: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

On Wednesday, June 10, 2021, City Council passed a resolution to express appreciation for the Senior Leadership Team.

WHEREAS, the past fifteen months have been extremely challenging ones for the City’s Senior Leadership Team, which consists of department and key division heads; and WHEREAS, this time period included the COVID-19 pandemic and all of the work related to the shutdown of City facilities, continuity of City services, care of employees, and provision of assistance to residents and businesses; the death of George Floyd and its impacts; national and local elections; the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol; the second impeachment of President Trump; and preparations for the transition to a new City Manager;

Read the entire Resolution here.

The City street resurfacing project, originally planned to begin on Thursday June 10, is now expected to start on Monday, July 14. The program is expected to continue over two weeks, weather dependent. Flyers will be delivered to all properties on the affected streets with more detailed information and likely work dates. The milling (scraping two inches of old asphalt) will take place first and the resurfacing will follow 5 to 7 days later. The streets will be posted with ‘No Parking’ signs prior to the work dates.

The work will take place in the following order:

1. New York Avenue: from Takoma Avenue to Baltimore Avenue
2. Baltimore Avenue: from New York Avenue to Philadelphia Avenue
3. Birch Avenue: from Cedar Avenue to Barclay Avenue
4. Maple Avenue: from Philadelphia Avenue to Maplewood Avenue
5. Maplewood Avenue: from Maple Avenue to Flower Avenue

Key Points:

• The work hours are from 7am to 5pm
• Access to the street will be limited or blocked during milling and completely blocked during paving
• No parking will be allowed on the streets during the work, but can resume after 5pm so long as they are moved before 7am
• If residents have critical, scheduled events (dialysis appointments, medical transport, appliance delivery or household move), please contact Public Works: (301)-891-7611
• Speed humps and street markings will. be reinstalled a week or so after the paving is completed

The Takoma Park Reimagining Public Safety Task Force (RPSTF) first convened in March 2021. The purpose of the Task Force is to develop recommendations that make Takoma Park a safer, more livable community for all residents, with an emphasis on addressing racial inequalities that exist regarding public safety. The City Council created the Task Force as an opportunity for the City to bring community voices into the process as we take stock of what is working, what is not, and explore best practices in public safety in our City.

To date, the Task Force has met weekly as a full Task Force and established subcommittees related to Alternate Methods to Policing, Community Quality of Life, and Community Engagement and Transparency. The group has received and analyzed data from City agencies on traffic stops, arrests, and budgeting. The Task Force invited a number of subject matter experts to present information on topics ranging from housing and mental health to communications and complaint management. A complete record of meeting recordings and summaries can be found on the RPSTF project page here.

The Task Force has hosted two Community Listening Sessions so far where community members were able to address Task Force members directly.  The City has also created a number of opportunities for Takoma Park stakeholders to engage with this project. LINK Strategic Partners and Expectant Advisory, the Task Force’s facilitation partner, have conducted a series of stakeholder interviews with individuals in Takoma Park including school principals, renter community members, long-term residents, community leaders, and more. LINK also facilitated a focus group discussion for local community leaders and two focus groups with Takoma Park police officers. In the coming weeks, we are working with the business community to hold discussions to receive additional feedback. There is also an online survey open to the public to provide written comments that can be accessed here.

In the next six weeks, the Task Force will continue to meet to draft and refine recommendations for the City of Takoma Park. This timeline extension allows the Task Force to process additional community feedback and work with subject matter experts on further research while also ensuring that recommendations are finalized and communicated to the City Council in time to leverage funds anticipated from the American Recovery Plan Act.

As their efforts progress, please provide feedback to the Task Force using the public comment form on the project website here. The Task Force will hold a final Community Listening Session in mid-June to present initial recommendations for feedback – stay tuned for more information on how to participate.

Overview of Past Meetings: 

• March 16: Deep dive into the focus of the Task Force; discussed timeline, structure and process; spent time defining success for the work
• March 23: Task Force members received an overview of city government and agencies; discussion of subcommittees and structure; begin to identify subcommittee focus areas
• March 30: Task Force members went into breakouts to discuss subcommittee structure; what is working, what is not, and what can be done moving forward; resources and subject matter experts needed to accomplish the tasks.
• April 6: Chief DeVaul presented detailed traffic stop data as requested, overall and by race, and took questions from Task Force members.
• April 13: The proposed subcommittee assignments and their facilitators were announced. The subcommittees met to begin their work, map out recommendations for action, and identify further resource needs.
• April 20: Task Force citizen leads were announced, and they and subcommittee members reported on the themes developed during the subcommittee meetings of 4.13
• April 27: Grayce Wiggins, Manager of Housing and Community Development, was the guest speaker for the open portion of the meeting. City subject matter experts met with the subcommittees to respond to questions about their areas of expertise and their agencies’ operations.
• May 4: Chief of Police Antonio DeVaul gave an overview of arrest data for Takoma Park 2015-2020 and took questions from Task Force members. City Manager Suzanne Ludlow gave an overview of the Takoma Park budget and took questions from Task Force members.
• May 11: Subcommittees continued to dig into data and identify subject matter experts specific to their focus areas.
• May 18: Subcommittees reported on their process and progress. The Task Force and attendees heard from subject matter experts they had requested: Claudia Tolson, Takoma Park Police Department Victim/Witness Coordinator, and Dr. Simone Walton, Mental Health Subcommittee Lead on the Montgomery County Task Force.
• May 25: Subcommittees worked to further refine the recommendations developing from their research. Subject matter experts requested by Task Force members met with the subcommittees: Dara Baldwin, Director of National Policy, Center for Disability Rights; Bernice Mireku-North, The North Law Group, Co-Chair, Montgomery County Task Force; Marc Mauer, Senior Advisor at The Sentencing Project, Co-Chair, Montgomery County Task Force; Donna Wright, Takoma Park Communications Specialist; Andrew Powell, Deputy Chief & Internal Affairs Representative Takoma Park Police Department; Dan Frishkorn, Captain, Takoma Park Police Department; Jessica Clarke, Takoma Park Deputy City Manager
• June 1: Subcommittee report-outs on refining recommendations. Subject matter experts Delegate David Moon and Ann Ciekot of Public Policy Partners provided an overview of legislative reform efforts related to public safety at the State level

Timeline Graphic