Category Archives: News

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News, Takoma Park Newsletter

So Many Memories

Editor’s Note: This the second of a series of articles reflecting on death and grief that will run under the thematic heading, “So Many Memories.” With many people in the Takoma Park Community experiencing the loss of friends and loved ones, we decided to provide a forum for thought leaders in the community to offer their reflections on grieving and loss. If you have questions or would like to contribute, please email me at tpnewseditor@takomaparkmd.gov. —Apryl Motley

A Reflection on Grief

By John Robinette 

Five hundred words on coping with grief. That is the assignment.

Impossible.

There are no words, let alone five hundred, or five million for that matter, that can do it. That is the thing. Some of you have experienced grief. Gut-wrenching, nauseating, confusing, searing grief. Maybe you are experiencing it right now, and reading this is an act of courage no one can comprehend; the words blurring and dancing about on the page through tears and feverlike hallucinations. Others of you have borne witness to a friend or loved-one navigating the tumult and delirium of a full-on bout of the condition. Helpless you are to their helplessness – wondering what magic you can conjure from Earth or the Gods or the wind to ease their pain even a nanometer. And if it is a child’s grief, you’d happily hand over a limb or two as sacrifice if given even a probability of success.

There are those who speak knowingly of the stages of grief. Some offer insights on how long before you get on with life. Some invoke a deity’s plan in hopes of comfort. Or you may have your own ways to cope, like turning to drugs or alcohol like I did when my wife died suddenly at age 42. And do you want to know a secret? It works. At least scotch worked for me. For a while. And then it stopped working.

There are other things that help. Being with people helped me cope. So did being alone. Physical exercise was important as was sleep. My grief made me nauseous, and I barely ate for two weeks and lost 15 pounds. There are some who eat for comfort and gain 15 pounds.

I no longer subscribe to a specific faith. I lean Buddhist or Unitarian-Universalist. But for my money the wisdom in Ecclesiastes is hard to beat:

For there is an appointed time for everything. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

There was grief in the Old Testament. Lots. They got it – the cyclical and transient nature of life. Strange comfort comes with the awareness of our own short lives and that all things, even my grief, will come to pass. And dancing? I added that. My late wife loved to dance, and whether in ecstatic joy or ecstatic misery, dancing is proper therapy.

I’m afraid I have no list of 7 items or 9 tips, for coping. I’m sorry about that. What I can say is this: Be yourself. Don’t let anyone say you are grieving wrong. The proper amount of time is the amount of time it takes. Ask for help; there is no shame in it. Get plenty of rest and exercise. Eat healthy food, and go easy on the liquor and drugs. There are people who love you.

Remember that.

You can do this.

John Robinette is a father and husband, re-married after the sudden death of his wife in 2010. In John’s book, Never Stop Dancing: A Memoir, which he wrote with close friend and co-author Robert Jacoby, such issues as male friendship in our modern era, how we look at life differently in the aftermath of a terrible tragedy, and how we understand the concepts of love, God, and religion in our lives are explored. The book is based on John and Robert’s conversations during the year after John’s wife Amy died.

This article originally appeared in the August 2020 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter.  See the full newsletter here. 

News, Takoma Park Newsletter

Q&A with TPPD Chief Antonio DeVaul

By Rick Henry

The first two years of Takoma Park Police Chief Antonio DeVaul’s tenure – from January, 2018 to January, 2020 – were full of change, for him and the department he leads. New initiatives, new approaches, and new personnel practices were undertaken and implemented, as DeVaul repositioned and repurposed the department.

But the six months since that anniversary have made those two years of change pale in comparison. Coronavirus, public quarantines, and the “Black Lives Matter,” and “Defund the Police” movements have roiled the country and strained the relationship between communities and police.

In a phone interview (Friday, July 17), Chief DeVaul discussed how he and the Takoma Park Police Department are adjusting to the new challenges and shared why he believes the changes that took place during the first two years of his tenure have left the department well-aligned with the current environment.

Q: First, how are you personally doing during this difficult time?

A: Well, it’s a challenging time, but for me it has been a good opportunity to reflect both personally and professionally.

Personally, it has allowed me extra time to bond with my wife and kids so that has been good.

Professionally, there has been a reckoning with police across the country that is overdue and warranted, and I have had time to re-examine the functions of our police department to make sure we are taking advantage of the opportunity to affect change.

And I believe that whether it’s hiring, use of force, or the relationship between the police and the community, we are consistent with the kind of progressive policing policies that people are now advocating.

Q: Could you expand on that?

A: Let’s take recruiting and hiring. Since I have been chief, we have focused on recruiting a diverse workforce. We have hired more than 20 officers in the past two years, and 15–16 of them represent (gender, racial) minority groups. We have officers that speak Spanish, Amharic, Greek and Russian.

We are also focused on hiring people who want to be police officers for the right reasons. It’s not about how many pushups someone can do; it’s about how well a person can engage with the community. When I came here there was a focus on rewarding enforcement. We’ve changed that to rewarding community contacts – for instance, how many “Coffee with a Cop,” or “Youth Explorers” programs someone participated in. We want to practice positive policing and only issue citations for violations that mean something.

Another area where our policies line up with the reform movement is in trying to take a holistic and proactive approach to public safety, which means having mental health professionals and housing professionals work in tandem with officers to provide services and identify problems before they escalate.

Q: How has the current climate affected the morale and direction of the department?

A: It has been a positive force. As I said, we already had a lot of progressive policies in place, including many recommended as part of the #8CANTWAIT campaign (eight recommendations for reducing the harm caused by police in the short-term, launched by the police reform advocacy group Campaign Zero).

There has been an outcry to review how we do law enforcement in this country and here in Takoma Park. People are more inquisitive. That being said, we (the department) have been very open to citizen input. For example, we have revamped the Citizen’s Advisory Board. We have residents on the board who were selected because they may have been skeptical of police or they may have alternative views. They participated in a complete review of all of our general orders.

Q: One area where the citizens’ have spoken up recently is in petitioning for the elimination of the K-9 force (after a December 2018 incident where a dog viciously attacked a citizen.) What are your thoughts on that issue?

A: I am aware of the petition and right now we are evaluating all of our units, including the K-9 unit, to determine if they are best suited for the city. When I first got here, we had three K-9 units; now we just have one. We did have a horrific incident in 2018, but that is the only one of its kind involving Takoma Park in more than 30 years of the program. I don’t want to make a knee-jerk decision without conducting an educated, calculated review, including considering the racial equity impact of having a K- 9 unit.

Q: Amid all the call for police reform, there has been an uptick in crime in a lot of jurisdictions recently, including Takoma Park, to what do you attribute that?

A: I wish we (in law enforcement) could put a finger on the pulse of what is going on, but I think there is a national narrative related to the times. If people don’t have jobs, housing, access to mental health, crime can rise. Here in Takoma Park, we are seeing an uptick, but fortunately, not of the same type of violent crime that other jurisdictions are seeing.

Q: Any final comments you would like to make?

A: The most important thing we can do in this moment is to acknowledge the role race plays in law enforcement and society. To that end, I believe we have developed a strong relationship with our AfricanAmerican and Latino communities, especially the youth. As I said, I believe a holistic approach to policing and public safety is the right one, and I believe that is consistent with what we are doing here in the City.

This article originally appeared in the August 2020 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter.  See the full newsletter here. 

News, Takoma Park Newsletter

Chalk Riot combines art, support, and protest

By Sean Gossard

For Chelsea Ritter-Soronen and Chalk Riot, creating murals has always been about more than just the art. That’s why, when the pandemic was going into full swing and local businesses started taking major hits, she teamed with Takoma Park to find a way to help keep those businesses afloat.

“When we saw the closing of small businesses – especially those owned by immigrants and people of color – we wanted to do something to support them,” Ritter-Soronen said.

Takoma Park-based Ritter-Soronen and her team at Chalk Riotbegan making colorful murals in chalk in late March on walls and on sidewalks to bring attention to nearly 40 restaurants in Takoma Park.

“It was educational for a lot of people in recognizing that Takoma Park covers more area than people may be thinking,” she said. “We put a lot of energy and emphasis on the non-main street and Carroll Avenue establishments.”

For two months, Ritter-Soronen and her team of hired artists took to the streets painting words of safety and encouragement and urging people to shop local and support Takoma Park business in a very difficult time. “We just wanted to encourage residents to keep supporting their local businesses as much as possible,” Ritter-Soronen said. “We also did some on community safety and health. We had one on mask wearing when it was a new concept, and we did one in front of city hall that said ‘Small and Mighty.’ ”

And although the chalk eventually washed away, there are still pictures and social media posts helping them live on. “Chalk is a beautiful reminder that all things pass, and it could be a good thing that nothing lasts forever,” Ritter-Soronen said. “During production of our almost 50 pieces, I listened to stories of grief, joy, resilience, COVID, immigration, birth, death. Public art can connect people, and those connections can enhance community organizing happening in pushes for a better world.” Ritter-Soronen usually works with her Austin, Texas-based partner Liza Fishbone on commissioned murals and other pieces around the country.

Ritter-Soronen, who has a background in theater design and set painting, said she first got interested in chalk art while looking to engage her community in St. Louis. “We were interested in the push for public art locally, and we were looking for ways to engage with the community in an accessible and fun way. Chalk art was the way to do that,” she said.

Currently, Chalk Riot is creating a more permanent wall-hung mural that will be placed around Takoma Park once it’s finished. “It’s still visually tied to the original campaign, and it will be a sort of cap-stone to the Takoma Park business initiative we did,” she said. “The first place it will go is the Recreation Center since it currently isn’t open at the moment, and it will be a way to keep the place active.”

Chalk art has also recently seen a major spike in interest nationally with people creating their own art pieces in front of their homes showing support for the Black Lives Matter movement. “It’s really been relevant in the past few months especially with people putting down Black Lives Matter messages,” Ritter-Soronen said “You can’t even find chalk in stores anymore!”

The name Chalk Riot is an ode to those who used chalk art to spread messages on the women’s suffrage movement to raising awareness on the AIDS epidemic of the ’80s and ’90s. “Suffragettes would use chalk to communicate where meetings would be and relay messages to each other,” RitterSoronen said.

Chalk Riot is currently working to put together an online toolkit for people interested in using chalk art as a form of peaceful protest with basic how-to’s and information on chalk art’s history in activism.

Ritter-Soronen is especially grateful Takoma Park and the community took such a unique and artistic way to get the word out about businesses and safety: “It’s really encouraging that the city prioritized public art as a tool of communication and support during such a difficult time.” For more on Chalk Riot, visit chalkriotart.com or check them out on Instagram @chalkriot.

This article originally appeared in the August 2020 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter.  See the full newsletter here.

News

Takoma Junction Project Next Steps

 

Final comments by reviewing agencies have been filed in the Montgomery County Development Review Committee online tracking process for the most recently submitted Takoma Junction Redevelopment Project plans. The City’s development partner, Neighborhood Development Company (NDC), will take those comments and work to revise its plans into the proposed Site Plan and proposed Preliminary Plan that will eventually be considered by the Takoma Park City Council and the Montgomery County Planning Board.

Because the process of getting comments and revising plans goes back and forth and is complicated, it is easy to be confused about the next steps and when and where it is most effective for public comments to be made. Here are the steps ahead:

  1. As noted above, the Development Review Committee reviewing agencies submitted comments in response to NDC’s July resubmission in Montgomery County’s development review tracking software. Note that City of Takoma Park’s professional staff is one of the reviewing agencies and their comments cite City Council Resolution 2018-41 and other City standards and requirements. It should also be noted that the Maryland State Highway Administration did not provide substantive comments as a reviewing agency, which is highly unusual for the Montgomery County Development Review process.
  2. Neighborhood Development Company staff will work on refining their plans given the comments provided. There will likely be some back and forth discussions between NDC and the various reviewing agencies if clarifications are needed.
  3. Besides revising the plans, NDC has other elements to prepare or update before submitting their full plans to the City Council and the Planning Board. Most notable among them is a new or revised traffic impact study. They will also be submitting preliminary tree plans (identifying planned removals and new plantings) and revised stormwater plans.
  4. Over a number of weeks, City staff will be working to review the evolving plans in light of City Council Resolution 2018-41, City Council Priorities, City regulations regarding stormwater and tree removal and protection, as well as noting how the revised plans incorporate the comments of the various reviewing agencies. There will be some back and forth with staff of NDC in the same manner as the other reviewing agencies while the proposed Site Plan and Preliminary Plan are finalized for consideration. City staff will prepare a document of findings that will assess how the revised plans meet the City’s requirements, including the City Council requirements enumerated in Resolution 2018-41. The findings can be the basis of a City Council resolution making recommendations to the Planning Board.
  5. The revised plans and the document of findings prepared by City staff will be transmitted to Council and made available to the public for review. This is the best time for members of the public to pay attention to the plans because the plans will not be changing as much and the technical analyses of the various reviewing agencies and professionals will be available to consider. The Council then has several options, as shown below. Note that at a minimum a public hearing is required for any of the following actions.

• The Council could choose to vote on a resolution making recommendations to the Planning Board to approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the proposed Site Plan and Preliminary Plan. As will be seen below, the Planning Board would need a supermajority vote to act contrary to a recommendation of the City Council.

• The Council could choose to vote to terminate the project, consistent with the terms of the Development Agreement with Neighborhood Development Company, in which case the application would not proceed to the Planning Board for consideration. (For that reason, the Council would not likely make a recommendation to the Planning Board to disapprove the application.)

• The City Council could adopt a resolution that says it is not taking a position on the proposed Site Plan or Preliminary Plan; in this case the application would proceed to the Planning Board for consideration without a City Council recommendation. Note that this is contrary to a resolved clause (lines 502-508) of City Council Resolution 2018-41, but is possible to do.

  1. The Montgomery County Planning Department needs at least a week to review the new City Council resolution and address the Council’s recommendations in its staff report. The Planning Department must then post its staff report to the Planning Board at least 10 days before the Planning Board considers the plans. The County Planning staff report will recommend approval, approval with conditions, or disapproval of the Site Plan and Preliminary Plan, based on the findings of the Development Review Committee agencies, the City Council recommendation, and other input that had been received to date.
  2. The Planning Board will hold a public hearing and consider the Site Plan and Preliminary Plan. They may choose to approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the plans. Note that the Planning Board would need a super-majority to take a position that conflicts with the recommendation of the City Council.
  3. If the Planning Board approves the plans or approves with conditions, the applicant must then go back to the Historic Preservation Commission for a Historic Area Work Permit and must get a final stormwater permit and tree removal and tree protection permits from the City of Takoma Park. Then they will need to go through the building permit process.
  4. Please note that if significant changes to the plans are made during this process, the plans may need to go back to the Development Review Committee reviewing agencies for additional review before being considered by the Planning Board.

The most important places/times to provide public comments are to the City Council (step 5 above) and the Planning Board (step 7 above). These are the two deciding bodies. At the point the plans come before them, the technical reviews will have been compiled and the plans will have stopped changing. If the City Council and the Planning Board approve the plans, they will likely be approved “with conditions.” This means that there will be some plan or process changes or steps required of the applicant but that the plans will not need to come back for another hearing.

Public comments are most useful when they are specific and when they focus on impacts or on approval criteria:

Impacts: Identifying impacts that are wanted or not wanted are important. As an example, it is very helpful for a resident to say that they want to make sure lighting from the project does not shine in their home window. That may be more helpful than requesting the relocation of a particular light fixture as there may be several ways to ensure that the light does not cause a negative impact. It is also very helpful to identify the aspects of the project that are liked. Changes required in one aspect of the plan may result in tradeoffs and adjustments to other areas. It can be very frustrating for people to see that a change to the plans made by the Planning Board to address one issue removes an aspect of the plan that people liked.

Approval Criteria: Public comments that reference specific criteria that the reviewing body is using are often more helpful than a more general comment.

The City Council will be reviewing the plans in light of the provisions enumerated in Resolution 2018-41 and the City Council’s Priorities. While the Council is not restricted to those documents in making its recommendation, it is likely that those documents will guide the consideration.

The Planning Board will be reviewing the plans in light of the provisions of the Montgomery County Subdivision and Zoning Regulations. Chapter 50 Subdivision regulations relate to the review of the Preliminary Plan and are online at https://montgomeryplanning.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Adopted-Chapter-50.pdf. Section 50.4.2 outlines the approval procedures, while section 50.4.2.D. lays out the required findings.  Section 4.3 identifies the elements of a technical review. Section 59.7.3.4 of the Zoning Code lays out the requirements for review and approval of Site Plans, while section 59.7.3.4.E lays out the required findings for Site Plan approval.  Division 59.4.6 lays out the development standards for the NR and the other Employment Zones. Section 4.9.16 lays out the requirements of the Takoma Park/East Silver Spring Commercial Revitalization (TPESS) Overlay Zone.  Chapter 59 may be found online at:
http://library.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll?f=templates&fn=default.htm&vid=amlegal:montgomeryco_md_mc

Public comments on the plans can be submitted by email at any time to the Montgomery County Planning Department for the lead reviewer’s consideration and public record. The Montgomery County Planning Department’s lead reviewer for this project is Elza Hisel-McCoy, who may be reached at Elza.Hisel-McCoy@montgomeryplanning.org. Comments may also be submitted at any time to the Takoma Park City Manager at SuzanneL@takomaparkmd.gov or the Takoma Park City Council at clerk@takomaparkmd.gov.

Once dates are set for City Council and Planning Board consideration, members of the public are encouraged to submit public comments and/or sign up to testify in the methods identified in the processes for the hearings. Comments to the City Council may be sent to clerk@takomaparkmd.gov.  Comments for the Planning Board may be sent to MCP-Chair@mncppc-mc.org. In general, comments for the Planning Board are sent close to the hearing date.

Timeline

The timeline below is very general and any stage may take longer than is shown here. Major elements that come into play are the time that NDC needs to prepare its plans in response to the agency comments, and City Council and Planning Board agenda scheduling. Nevertheless, here is an idea of how the consideration of the project may move forward:

Now through the fall: NDC works on revising plans based on agency comments and preparing materials required for submission to City Council and Planning Board for consideration. NDC will likely request an extension of the development review timelines, postponing Planning Board consideration until later in the fall or winter, to allow adequate time to complete its submission and have the City Council consider the plans and adopt a resolution regarding them.

Now through the fall: Takoma Park City staff will be reviewing the plans and materials and preparing a set of findings and recommendations for use by the City Council as it considers the plans. The findings and recommendations will be available to the public in time for members of the public to review them and prepare testimony to the City Council and the Planning Board.

Fall or winter: City Council consideration of the plans, involving hearing from the applicant, staff and public and then voting on a Resolution transmitting its recommendations to the Planning Board.

Winter: County Planning staff prepares its report, referencing agency comments and the recommendation of the City Council. The report must be submitted to the Planning Board and be available for public review at least 10 days prior to the Planning Board’s consideration of the plans.

Winter: Planning Board holds a public hearing and considers the plans. They will vote to approve, approve with conditions, or disapprove the plans. A supermajority vote is required for the Planning Board to vote in a way that differs from the recommendation of the City Council.

Spring: Assuming the plans are approved or approved with conditions, NDC then goes back to the Historic Preservation Commission for a Historic Area Work Permit and proceeds for a final stormwater permit and tree removal and tree protection permits.

Arts & Humanities, News

“Black Voices in Verse” Online Poetry Reading Premiere on Thursday, Aug. 13 at 8 pm

BLACK VOICES IN VERSE

Youtube premiere at 8 pm on Thursday, Aug. 13 

This timely poetry reading features three local Black poets whose powerful work challenges white privilege and pervasive racism in the United States. The poets include Saida Agostini, Kyle Dargan, and Emily Kombe in this reading organized by the City of Takoma Park’s Takoma Park Arts cultural series. Please join us for the Youtube premiere on Thursday, Aug. 13 at 8 pm or watch it later.

Saida Agostini is a queer Afro-Guyanese poet whose work explores the ways Black folks harness mythology to enter the fantastic. Her poetry has been featured in Barrelhouse Magazine, the Black Ladies Brunch Collective’s anthology Not Without Our Laughter, and other publications. You can read more of her poetry at www.saidaagostini.com.

Kyle Dargan is an associate professor of literature and assistant director of creative writing at American University. He is the author of five poetry collections, including Anagnorisis which won the 2019 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize and was long-listed for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in poetry. You can find more of his work at www.american-boi.com.

Emily Kombe is majoring in public policy at the University of Maryland. She was introduced to slam poetry five years ago and has been creating her own work ever since. She is a strong supporter of using slam poetry as a vehicle for social justice.

Arts & Humanities, News

Little Free Library Project Highlights Female Authors of Color

 

In a public art project celebrating cultural diversity and women’s empowerment, two local artists have painted five new Little Free Libraries that feature portraits of groundbreaking female authors of color and the LGBTQ community.

The Little Free Libraries have been installed in areas of Takoma Park where residents didn’t have access to nearby little libraries to get free books.

The City of Takoma Park’s Arts and Humanities Division commissioned local artists Samantha Contrino and Katie Macyshyn to paint the little libraries that were built by Walter Mulbry, a local volunteer who has built more than 20 Little Free Libraries .

The new Little Free Libraries celebrate the diversity of Takoma Park, including women of color and the LGBTQ community. The five featured women shook the status quo and advanced the overlapping worlds of literature, women’s rights, and racial equality. They include Black author and civil rights activist Maya Angelou, Ethiopian educator and politician Senedu Gebru, Peruvian-American children’s book author Juana Martinez-Neal, Guatemalan human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú, and English lesbian author Virginia Woolf.

You can see the Little Free Libraries at the following locations. Better yet, take some books home to read or donate some. We’re all in this together so let’s read together!

You can find info about other City-funded public art projects and our Takoma Park Arts cultural series at takomaparkmd.gov/arts, including news about upcoming online poetry readings, film screenings, and concerts. The arts keep us connected even when we’re apart.

Little Free Library Locations:

Maya Angelou – 8630 Flower Avenue near Piney Branch Road intersection

Senedu Gebru – Anne Street near University Boulevard East intersection

Juana Martinez-Neal – Sligo Mill Overlook Neighborhood Park at 6400 Orchard Avenue

Rigoberta Menchu – Aldi shopping center at 7609 New Hampshire Avenue

Virginia Woolf – 8308 Flower Avenue

City Council & Mayor Blog, News

Many Ways to Access Public Information in Takoma Park

 

Although the COVID-19 health emergency is keeping our City facilities closed to the public, City staff are continuing to serve Takoma Park residents. We are working hard to keep information up-to-date on our webpage, we answer your phone calls and emails, and we often meet with residents in virtual meetings on a number of subjects.

Recently, there have been some questions about Public Information Act requests and other requests for information. If someone has a question about a project, they can go to the City’s website and look under Initiatives (for example, Takoma Junction Development Review or Bus Stop Improvements), or they can directly contact the staff person associated with the project. City staff readily answer many questions a day from residents and Councilmembers. If certain information is not on our website and we realize it is of interest to more than a few people, we add it to our website or we do a social media campaign or a Takoma Park Newsletter article to get the word out. We work hard to be responsive to residents’ questions and concerns.

Sometimes, there is interest in the production of records (such as copies of emails or financial data or Police reports), which qualifies as a Maryland Public Information Act request. Pursuant to the provisions of State law, we produce records that have been requested. Sometimes the collection of the records is time-consuming, so a charge* is required for more than two hours of work, recognizing that some large requests could take staff away from other duties.  In these cases, staff of the City Clerk’s or City Attorney’s office communicates with the requester to see if there is a way to modify or narrow the request to limit the cost of the work involved in producing the records. This is the approach outlined in State law. In having these communications, we frequently learn that the requested records may not actually be the best way to obtain the information and we can help the requester get the information they need in a different way or for a more precise time period.

* Here is more information on fees. (The City’s fee waiver process is handled by City staff and necessarily follows the statutorily prescribed process.  With respect to a fee waiver, the statute requires that one be requested.  The request must be made with specificity as to why it should be granted, but that is only the first step in the process.  The second step under the statute is whether the applicant meets the criteria for a waiver.  Under the Maryland law the criteria may be met if the applicant for the fee waiver is indigent (an affidavit of indigency is required in support).  Alternatively, after the official custodian considers the ability of the applicant to pay the fee and other relevant factors, the custodian may grant the request if the custodian determines that the waiver would be in the public interest.  Maryland cases are sparse on the public interest analysis.  Maryland’s Attorney General’s Public Information Act Manual recommends reviewing federal Freedom of Information Act cases regarding the public interest analysis.  The nature of the analysis applied by the federal courts depends on the basis for the fee waiver request).

If you’re having difficulty finding the information you are interested in, please call the main City’s phone number at 301-891-7100, the City Clerk at 301-891-7267, or the City Manager at 301-891-7229 or SuzanneL@takomaparkmd.gov.

During these challenging times, different questions may arise, but we are still here to help!

 

News

Good News…New Bus Shelter Installed at the intersection of Ethan Allen and New Hampshire Avenues

 

As part of the City’s commitment to climate justice and race equity, City Planning staff undertook a comprehensive study of bus stops to improve the public transit options in the City.

Staff highlighted the bus stop at the intersection of Ethan Allen and New Hampshire Avenues as a high-priority location for a bus shelter, with an average of 91 people a day, predominantly people of color, boarding a bus at this location.

This bus shelter was provided free of charge to the City by Insite, the company that manages the advertising on the bus shelters.

City Planning has inventoried all bus stops within the City for ridership numbers and the presence of amenities and created this interactive map showing this information. More information about Bus Stop Improvements can be found on the project page.

News

ACTIVIZED Online Film Screening on July 30 at 8 pm

ACTIVIZED Online Film Screening and Discussion 

Thursday, July 30 at 8 pm 

Register on Zoom here 

ACTIVIZED is a compelling and timely documentary that follows the stories of 7 ordinary Americans who, for the first time in their lives, have left their comfort zones to become activists fighting for voting rights, immigrants’ rights, and gun violence prevention.

Interweaving their personal stories against the backdrop of the causes they fight for, we experience their motivations along with their sacrifices and victories. Above all, we celebrate these courageous citizens for embracing one of the most basic of American traditions – dissent.

After the 36-minute film, director Eric Stange, NAACP activist Aylett Colston (who is featured in the film), and Gerald Givens Jr., president of the NAACP chapter in Raleigh, NC, will talk about social justice issues and how we all can make a difference. You can watch the trailer and find more info at www.activizedfilm.org.

This event is organized by the City of Takoma Park’s Takoma Park Arts cultural series. You can learn about all of our upcoming events by signing up for our weekly e-newsletter. The arts bring us together even when we’re apart.

News

Gateway Signs Feature Fruit Crate Label Designs

Colorful and quirky hand-painted signs featuring local history, or twists on it, were installed in 2010 on information kiosks and gateway structures across Takoma Park. Roscoe the Rooster, a smiling tree frog, and a red trolley all make appearances.

After a decade of wear and tear from the elements, local artist couple Alison Baker and James Colwell have printed their original designs on durable aluminum panels and installed them over the fading paintings earlier this month. The City of Takoma Park’s Arts and Humanities Division commissioned the installation of 23 new aluminum signs so they would be preserved for many years to come.

“We are thrilled to see the new signs reflect the color and vibrancy of the original designs,” Baker said.

For the original City-funded public art project, Baker and Colwell thought designs resembling vintage fruit crate labels would be a fun way to capture the history of Victorian-age Takoma Park. A sign for “1883 Oranges” notes the year Takoma Park was founded. A sign for “Trolley Cashews” featuring a red trolley was installed on Carroll Avenue across the street from a former trolley stop and a building once used for the Barcelona Nuts roasting facility. A sign for “B.F. Gilbert’s Old Oaks” celebrated the founder of Takoma Park.

The preservation of the signs and the history which inspired them has been gratifying for the artists. “Over the past decade, many people have told us they like the signs and learning the back story behind them,” Colwell said.

You can see more of our popular public art projects on the City of Takoma Park’s website.