The City has partnered with Maryland Sustainable Ecologies to offer Saturday workshops on tree issues. The 30-minute workshops will take place remotely on Zoom, beginning at noon on each of the days indicated.

Remaining Session topics:

• Session 3 – Common pests, diseases, and invasive species
  Date: Saturday, November 14
  Time: 12:00 pm – (30-minute session)

• Session 4 – Legal considerations and how to hire a contractor
  Date: Saturday, November 21
  Time: 12 pm (30-minute session)

The sessions will be taught by Board-Certified Master Arborist, Richard Jones, and Meg Smolinski, ISA-Certified Arborist, Maryland Sustainable Ecologies has developed the course content from nearly 25 years of cumulative experience in arboriculture, safety, tree care, and best practices in the tree world.

• Each workshop can have up to 25 participants.
• Attendees can register for one or all of the sessions
• To register, please send an email to: UrbanForestManager@TakomaParkMD.gov
• Provide your name, address, and which session you want to attend.

I appreciate the work of the Marshall Project in its many efforts, including the recent series on Police K9s. One article in the series focuses on a terrible accident in 2018 when a Takoma Park Police dog bit a woman who was out for a walk with her boyfriend and dog in Washington, D.C. at the border with Takoma Park, Maryland. Our Takoma Park Police officers immediately provided aid to the victim. The City of Takoma Park provided information for the investigation of the incident undertaken by the District of Columbia, undertook our own thorough investigation, and provided information to our insurance carrier regarding the case. Neither the K9 involved in the incident, nor the dog’s handler, works for Takoma Park at this time.

While that incident was the only such incident in the 29 year history of the K9 program of the Takoma Park Police Department, it was a traumatic incident. A major reason the City of Takoma Park instituted a K9 unit in 1991 was to minimize having K9s from other police agencies, with different standards on use and control, in Takoma Park. Currently, the Takoma Park Police Department has one police dog. Whether or not the City of Takoma Park should continue to have a K9 program is part of the charge of a Reimagining Public Safety Task Force being formed in Takoma Park. The primarily Black and Brown membership of the Task Force will provide recommendations on this subject to the Takoma Park City Council, with recommendations to be provided by June 2021.

A copy of the questions asked by a reporter for the Marshall Project is here; the responses to the questions are provided.

The true charm of pedestrianism does not lie in the walking, or in the scenery, but in the talking. The walking is good to time the movement of the tongue by, and to keep the blood and the brain stirred up and active … the supreme pleasure comes from the talk.

–Mark Twain

The idea sprang from a chance encounter with a veritable parade of students behind the Community Center. The teacher’s explanation of what this stream of happy, chatty kids was all about was the kernel for what has become the culmination of a year of work — We Belong Here: The Takoma Park Equity Walk.

“It’s Unity Day! We are walking for Unity Day,” she yelled above the students’ voices. Unity Day is about anti-bullying — these kids were outside in the late October sun, talking and smiling as they walked for a cause.

That became the goal: with a $1500 grant from America Walks, create a place for students and their teachers and parents to feel free to play and talk about things that matter to them. We would create a tool kit to accompany the walking route to guide teachers and parents through the many topics related to equity, but specifically race, gender and disability.

The pandemic gave the project a new dimension. Our students needed a socially-distanced activity to help fill their days. The scope of the project would be modified to ensure completion by Fall.  A second route was added in another Takoma Park neighborhood on Anne Street. Materials and methods were chosen to conform with current protocols.

In late May, we witnessed the death of Geroge Floyd and the national outcry that elevated the Black Lives Matter movement. There was an even greater responsibility to get it right. We Belong Here: The Takoma Park Equity Walk provides an opportunity to talk, think, read, examine your own beliefs and actions.

The theme of belonging emerged out of a conversation with Kori Johnson, the Community Engagement Manager for Safe Routes to School Partnership. The content of the project was reviewed by many, most notably the Montgomery County Public Schools Equity Initiatives Unit. Their examination and feedback provided the green light to proceed. They even said, “The Equity Walk is a fantastic idea and we are excited to actually go on the walk and do the activities with our loved ones.”

Now we have an outdoor activity that families can enjoy in a socially distanced way. They have a place to talk and a platform to jump into the learning and growing that follows.

We have an online interactive map that can be easily accessed via a QR code on a mobile phone.

We have a tremendous reading and resource list pulled together by our very knowledgeable librarians from the Takoma Park Library.

Soon a helpful brochure will be available for those without the use of a cell phone. All this can be viewed on the We Belong Here page on the City website in order to plan your visit to the engaging, fun and educational activity we call We Belong Here: The Takoma Park Equity Walk.

Let’s get walking. Let’s get talking.

If this brisk fall weather has you longing to curl up with a good book, you may be wondering, what’s next on the new Takoma Park Library project?  Are we getting close to a Council vote?

City staff and RRMM Architects are working through the multitude of design decisions needed to arrive at a final construction estimate for the new library.  We have entered the Design Development Phase of the project – see the diagram below – now that we completed the schematic design on the library exterior.  As you may recall, RRMM Architects presented three schematic options for the library exterior to City Council on July 8.  The second option, the flat roof and simple sunshades design emerged as the clear winner after public discussion.  It is projected to be the least costly of the three options.

RRMM Architects then put final touches on the Option 2 exterior and site plan using City Council feedback and public survey comments.  Key changes requested by City Council included a pedestrian route from Philadelphia Avenue to the front entrance, the addition of brick sections in the glass façade, and signage on the side of the building facing Philadelphia Avenue. You can view a flyover of the new exterior here.  The flyover shows the full view of the proposed library’s architectural integration with the Community Center beginning at Maple Avenue and Grant Avenue.

In addition to exterior design development, the RRMM construction team is working with City staff on interior design elements.  They completed a Building Code analysis and met with Public Works staff to go over details of the mechanical systems in August.  Their geotechnical engineers drilled borings to determine technical specifications for the building foundation.  Library and Information Technology staff have been providing feedback on items such as the size of the server room, the Computer and Mac lab layouts, and access to emergency exits.

The Design Development Phase of the project is a pivotal juncture for making decisions on the green aspects of the design, particularly the energy usage model.  City Council directed RRMM to explore green design elements to make the project as sustainable as possible, given the site limitations and existing budget.  RRMM is currently filling out the LEED scorecard, which is a checklist of the design elements required for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification.  The more points checked off on the scorecard, the higher the green building rating (LEED Platinum being the highest).  A number of LEED points are still being researched by RRMM as to feasibility, costs, and trade-offs.  Some LEED points are easily achievable; others would add cost to the project and require direction from City Council.

After earlier discussions with staff, including the City’s Sustainability Manager Gina Mathias, RRMM Architects and Deputy City Manager Jessica Clarke opened discussions with the Committee on the Environment (COE) on September 24^th to receive additional ideas and input from members of the community.  The COE viewed the unfinished LEED scorecard and most recent iteration of the building design.  In the next few weeks, City staff will review LEED elements line by line with RRMM.  City staff will take the COE’s comments from September 24^th into account as we look to reach the highest LEED certification possible.  Once RRMM has completed the LEED scoring and energy usage model, we will circulate for further public comments.

The RRMM principal working on our Library design is a LEED Accredited Professional and well versed in IGCC compliance.  Sustainability has been one of the hallmarks of RRMM designs; RRMM has overseen 21 projects that were certified LEED Gold or higher.  We are confident that with their guidance and community input, we can arrive at a new library design that fits within our budget while achieving the high sustainability objectives our Council and community expect.

Once the Design Development Phase is completed, we will be able to get a baseline construction cost estimate, plus cost-saving options as requested by City Council.  We expect to be ready to present the final design, construction cost, and LEED Scorecard, along with public comments, to the incoming City Council in late November.

If you have any questions, you can contact Deputy City Manager Jessica Clarke at jessicac@takomaparkmd.gov.

The State of Maryland has extended the deadline for applications for the following tax credits until October 31. 2020.

Homeowners Tax Credit:

For those with lower household income compared to their property tax bill.  Sliding scale, household income up to $60k, see tables. Applies to city taxes as well.

• Visit: Homeowners Tax Credit

Renter’s Tax Credit:

State programs for renters with lower household income compared to the share of their rent that’s assumed to go toward property taxes.  Sliding scale, see tables.  Up to $1,000 rebate. Applies to city taxes as well.

• Visit: Renter’s Tax Credit

More information about tax credits for Takoma Park residents.