By Sean Gossard

Although smaller stores and shops are beginning to open back up amid the COVID- 19 pandemic, the threat of spreading the virus is still very real, and it will take time for local businesses to fully recover from the months-long shutdown.

That’s why local flower business Indigro Plant Design  is continuing to raise funds for Takoma Park’s Citywide Small Business Mini-Grant Program and the Old Takoma Business Association (OTBA) through sales of specially made arrangements.

Indigro owner Agnes Traynor says she was inspired by No Plan Press founder Jesse Kirsch, who was selling one-of-a-kind prints he designed and made on an antique printing press in Takoma Park to raise funds for small businesses in the area. “When the pandemic started, I was feeling like I needed to help out, and I was brainstorming on how to do that using plants,” Traynor said. “I saw what No Plan Press was doing, so I reached out to Jesse and asked him to connect me with the folks in the city.”

Traynor next came up with a set of four arrangements. From the $30 herb and succulent gardens to $60 packages featuring flowering pink kalanchoe succulents or anthuriums in a gold planter and prints from No Plan Press, these sales are helping to keep Takoma Park businesses that have been affected by COVID-19 afloat as part of the Takoma Park Together campaign.

The Takoma Park Together campaign is helping to support the local community by spreading the word about the city’s many small businesses and raising funds to help keep them running. Traynor said the fundraiser has been going well and that the community’s response has been incredibly positive.

“So far we’ve raised around $1,000 for local businesses,” Traynor said. “That’s a lot of plants!”

The planters are available through Indigro’s website or at Takoma Beverage Company, 6917 Laurel Ave. You can also follow Indigro on Instagram @indigroplants.

This article appeared in the July 2020 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.  

In this difficult time, Takoma Park homeowners may turn to renting out a room in their homes to help make ends meet. If this is an option that you are considering, here are some factors you should consider: The City calls this housing arrangement, where the owner and a renter share common areas of a dwelling (kitchen, living room, bathroom), Owner Occupied Group Housing (“OOGH”). This designation applies to both condominiums and single-family homes.

The City requires registration of OOGH. This is a very simple process of completing a registration form and paying a $50 fee for a three-year registration.

City staff will conduct a code-compliance inspection to ensure the property: 1) has the required smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, 2) has proper locks on bedroom and egress doors (there must be a thumb-turn instead of a key on the interior side of the lock), and 3) meets property maintenance standards. This inspection will be repeated every three years, upon renewal of the OOGH registration. Code-compliance on safety and maintenance issues may prevent situations that lead to injury or loss. Importantly, if you already rent out a room, it is not too late to get registered. OOGHs are not considered “rental properties,” so there is no state-required lead inspection, and the interaction between owner and tenant is not governed by city code.

If you are considering making a room available as a short-term rental via Airbnb or a similar platform, you will also need to register with Montgomery County as those are regulated differently. Search for “Short Term Rental” on montgomerycountymd.gov or call 311 for further instructions.

Alternatively, a completely separate apartment in your home, where there is no shared space between owner and tenant, is an accessory dwelling unit (“ADU”) and is considered a rental property. It must be initially approved by the County, and  then licensed by the City. The County has greatly simplified the process for ADU approval, and obtaining a rental license from the City is straightforward. Operating an unlicensed ADU is unlawful and subject to a municipal citation and fine.

Please contact the City’s Licensing Specialist, Patti Mallin at pattim@takomaparkmd.gov with your questions about Owner Occupied Group Housing, or search “owner occupied group housing” on takomaparkmd.gov for the registration form and additional details.

This article appeared in the July 2020 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.  

For the first time, our SummerQuest reading program is online, due to the pandemic. As always, Library Associate Dave Burbank has created a great adventure story and gameboard; embedded in the story are 10 reading challenges. The story, game board and SummerQuest directions can be found on the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library website: https://ftpml.org.

Because the library is closed, however, readers won’t be able to track their progress along the giant gameboard in the Children’s Room as usual. Instead, readers can track their progress with special codes through Reader Zone (https://www.readerzone.com), which can be downloaded as a free app or accessed on a computer via the Reader Zone website. Readers win a “badge” – an image of one of Dave’s many SummerQuest characters – when they complete each challenge. The main code for SummerQuest 2020 is: 1bcb5. Full instructions for using Reader Zone can be found on the Friends of the Library’s website: https://ftpml.org.

For parents of very young children, there’s also a set of special challenges. These challenges include acting out a picture book, doing some cooking together, and reading an alphabet book. Use this code on Reader Zone – 3a110 – to track your family’s progress on these Pre-K challenges.

One difference this year in SummerQuest is that all books count, not just those checked out from the library. In addition to print books that you may have at home or have borrowed from the library, there are many sources for books online. Check out our digital book sources here: www.takomapark.info/library/
ebooks.html.

Some of these digital resources require you to use your library card number to set up a personal account (if you haven’t already). These include: Hoopla for audiobooks, ebooks, and comics, and Freading for ebooks, including lots of excellent non-fiction. For TumbleBooks you don’t need to set up a special account, just use your library card number every time you sign in.

This article appeared in the July 2020 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.  

Jessica Clarke began serving the City of Takoma Park as Deputy City Manager in April 2020.

“I started weeks after the Coronavirus pandemic began, and just before the Fiscal 2021 budget reconciliation process,” Clarke noted. “The caliber of the team I have joined has been on full display in crafting our pandemic response. Our staff is resilient and has barely missed a beat in the transition to working remotely.”

Since beginning her tenure with the City, she has enjoyed working with “a diverse, talented team possessing a wealth of experience in their respective fields who are passionate about all things Takoma Park.” For her, the “small and mighty” mural in front of the Recreation Center drawn by Chalk Riot exemplifies the City’s leadership team.

“City Manager Ludlow, our Department heads, and I have daily discussions with Mayor Stewart, City Council, State and County leadership, and other municipalities on best strategies to address the public health crisis and protect Takoma Park residents during these challenging times,” she observed. “The health protocols we put in place for the safety of Takoma Park employees, our emergency support initiatives for vulnerable businesses and families, and our approach to City operations will be an important blueprint for the City in future crises.”

Prior to joining the Takoma Park team, Clarke worked for the City of Baltimore, Maryland, (her hometown), in various roles, including as a budget and management analyst and director of community engagement for the Baltimore Finance Department’s Bureau of the Budget and Management Research. She then moved to the Department of Housing and Community Development where she served as division manager of demolition, deconstruction, and stabilization operations.

Clarke received a BA in Political Science from Williams College and a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University. Between earning these degrees, she was a Peace Corps Agroforestry volunteer in northern Cameroon for two years. She first became interested in public policy after spending two summers teaching reading to kids in East Baltimore through an organization called Superkids Camp.

“The reading skills of most of the campers were far below their grade level,” Clarke recalled. “I realized that they would struggle to catch up with their peers for years to come, and that local government could alleviate the many factors working against them and help close the opportunity gap. That experience stayed with me and is part of what inspired me to earn a Master’s in Public Policy at the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy with a focus on urban policymaking.”

Clarke’s work with local governments as a Peace Corps volunteer in Northern Cameroon promoting reforestation and as a Mayoral Fellow with the Baltimore Housing Department analyzing the Vacants to Value program were also strong influences on her decision to pursue graduate studies in public policy. Now she brings all these experiences to Takoma Park where she has found residents are very engaged with their local government.

“Thanks to Zoom, we’ve had more residents than ever before weigh in for City Council hearings on Wednesdays from the comfort of their couches,” she noted. “Through public comments, I’m learning how much Takoma Park residents value responsive government, community engagement, transparency and fiscal responsibility.”

“Many of our youngest residents have joined Zoom calls with their parents to advocate for supporting the arts, renovating the library, reprioritizing the budget, or expanding our tree canopy,” Clarke continued. “The fact that residents of all ages follow local government affairs so closely is wonderful to see and breathes new energy into our daily work.”

Four years ago, we introduced a series of “quick interviews” in this newsletter to help residents learn a little more about City staff and their neighbors. Here is Clarke’s take on our five questions.

1. Favorite Place/Activity in Takoma Park: I am new to the area, so I am still exploring. On my lunch breaks, I love stopping to the smell the roses (literally) in Takoma-Piney Branch Park. I always see families flying kites or picnicking, and lots of kids using the skate park, volleyball court, and basketball court.

2. Best Thing about Working in Takoma Park: Serving a community of global citizens

3. What’s on Your Desk Right Now: Pupusas, the Fiscal 2021 Budget Book, and Indigro Plant Design succulents to support the “Takoma Park Together” Fundraising Campaign for small businesses

4. What You Do in Your “Spare Time”: Salsa dancing, running, biking, and taste testing all the best bakeries in the DC metro area

5. Best Advice You Ever Got (and from who): The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) has a mentorship program, and I spoke with several veteran city managers to get their advice. They recommended getting out of the office to experience City operations firsthand, and that’s what I plan to do!

This article appeared in the July 2020 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.  

WHEREAS, in June of 1969, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City staged an uprising to resist the police harassment and persecution to which LGBTQ+ Americans were commonly subjected. This uprising marks the beginning of a movement to outlaw discriminatory laws and practices against LGBTQ+ in the United States; and

WHEREAS, the first Pride march in New York City was held on June 28, 1970, on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising; and

WHEREAS, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Month is celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan; and

WHEREAS, June 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of annual LGBTQ+ Pride traditions; and

WHEREAS, Pride Month is a time to recognize and celebrate the impact of LGBTQ+ individuals locally, nationally, and internationally, and the freedom to be themselves; and

WHEREAS, events include Pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia, concerts, and more and attract millions of participants around the world, and memorials are held for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS; and

WHEREAS, the Trump Administration recently removed protections that prohibit discrimination in health care against transgender patients; and

WHEREAS, the City of Takoma Park is a welcoming city that is dedicated to fostering acceptance and welcome of all residents and preventing discrimination and bullying; and

WHEREAS, the City of Takoma Park is strengthened by and thrives upon the rich diversity of racial, ethnic, cultural, general, and sexual identities of its residents.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, KATE STEWART, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF TAKOMA PARK, MARYLAND, on behalf of the Council, residents, and staff, proclaim June 2020 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

Date this 17th day of June 2020.

Kate Stewart
Mayor

Printable copy of proclamation here