Category Archives: News

Category for general news items.

Residential Lawn Care Assistance Program Now Accepting Applications

The Residential Lawn Care Assistance Program is being offered to homeowners of Takoma Park that are facing problems with the transition to organic lawn care practices. The program will select 10 homeowners from all eligible applicants.

If Your Home is Selected

These homeowners will receive free lawn care consultants from A.I.R. Landscape Company. Type of service for each homeowner will depend on the condition and expectations for the use of their lawn.

Interested? Sign up on the Residential Lawn Care Assistance Program page.

Recommended Decision Issued on Washington Adventist Hospital Request to Move

The Recommended Decision of Maryland Health Care Commissioner Frances B. Phillips was issued late on November 18, 2015. The recommendation is to approve, with five conditions, the Certificate of Need request for Washington Adventist Hospital to move most of its operations to a new location in the White Oak area of Montgomery County.

Maryland Health Care Commission Press Release

Press Release from the Maryland Health Care Commissioner (Includes a link to the full Recommended Decision.)

Approval Conditions

The first two approval conditions of the Recommended Decision affect Takoma Park. They are:

  1. “Adventist HealthCare, Inc. must open an urgent care center on its Takoma Park campus coinciding with its closure of general hospital operations on that campus. The urgent care center must be open every day of the year, and be open 24 hours a day. 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.”
  2. “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, and the specific financial performance of the special hospital, exclusive of the operation of Adventist Behavioral Health and Wellness overall.”

Conditions three through five of the approval relate to the shell space in the new hospital building and how that space may not be developed or used in financial computations without the approval of the Maryland Health Care Commission.

Recommended Decision & Schedule of Action

The Recommended Decision will go before the full Maryland Health Care Commission on December 17, 2015 for a final decision.

The schedule of action on the Recommended Decision:

  • Submissions of exceptions to the Recommended Decision are due by noon, December 2, 2015.
  • Submissions of responses to the exception submissions are due by 4:30 pm, December 10, 2015.
  • Exceptions Hearing before the Commission is at 1 pm on December 17, 2015.

Staff is reviewing the recommendation and will be discussing it with the Takoma Park City Council in Closed Session on Monday, November 23. We may have a formal comment at a later time.

The Takoma Park Campus

In the Certificate of Need application, Adventist HealthCare, Inc. stated its intention to have the following health care services on the Takoma Park campus: an urgent care facility in the location of the current Emergency Department, a special psychiatric hospital (a stand-alone version of the current Behavioral Health in-patient unit of the hospital), a rehabilitation hospital (currently located within Washington Adventist Hospital), and on-campus laboratory and radiology services to support those units. A Federally Qualified Health Center on the campus will remain and be expanded. Washington Adventist University intends on leasing 50,000 square feet of hospital building space for its use.

The Takoma Park campus is on Carroll Avenue in the center of the City of Takoma Park, along Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park. The zoning of the site is R-60 Single-family Residential. While the site is limiting for a large hospital facility, it has proved to be an excellent location for community health services. There may be a desire to have other uses on the site, such as educational, recreational, and/or neighborhood commercial uses. How zoning would be handled for any additional desired uses is yet to be determined. The City will be conferring with hospital and Montgomery County and State officials on next steps related to the Takoma Park campus.

City Comments

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 City and community has advocated that a Freestanding Medical Facility (stand-alone emergency department) be located on the Takoma Park campus. State regulations related to Freestanding Medical Facilities are in development. Washington Adventist Hospital has pledged to seriously consider requesting authorization to establish such a facility, if such a facility is financially feasible.

Over the past several years, City Councilmembers and the City Manager have formed close working relationships with the former and current President of Washington Adventist Hospital. Both the City and the Hospital want to see the Takoma Park campus retain a robust array of health care services in an attractive setting. The City has been assured that the dialog and collaboration will continue.

Additional Information & Press Inquiries

Additional information may be obtained by contacting:

Suzanne Ludlow
City Manager
Email: SuzanneL@takomaparkmd.gov

or

Craig Terrill
Media Specialist
Email: CraigT@takomaparkmd.gov

2015 Election Forum

The Takoma Voice will sponsor an election forum on Wednedsay, October 21, 2015 at 7:00 PM in the Auditorium at the Takoma Park Community Center – Sam Abbott Citizens’ Center, 7500 Maple Avenue. All races, candidates and the advisory question on the ballot will be included.

Be sure not to miss this opportunity to hear from all the candidates and learn about the advisory question on changing the date of City elections.

The Election Forum Will Also be on City TV!

If you cannot attend, the forum can be viewed live on City TV:

  • Comcast and RCN – Channel 13
  • Verizon FIOS – Channel 28)

The 2015 Election Form will also be streamed live online on City TV and will be available as an online archive afterward.

Results of Nominating Caucus

At the Nominating Caucus on September 29, 2015 the following candidates were nominated for office. The names below will be on the ballot for the November 3 City Election. There will also be an advisory question on changing the date of future elections. Sample ballots will be posted shortly. Absentee ballots will be available on October 9. Election information is available on elections.takomaparkmd.gov.

November 3, 2015 City Election Candidates

Mayor Candidates

  • Warren Holmes
  • Kate Stewart

City Council Ward 1 Candidates

  • Peter Kovar
  • Victor Thuronyi
  • Elizabeth Forbes Wallace

City Council Ward 2 Candidates

  • Tim Male

City Council Ward 3 Candidates

  • Rizzy Qureshi

City Council Ward 4 Candidates

  • Terry Seamens

City Council Ward 5 Candidates

  • Jarrett Smith

City Council Ward 6 Candidates

  • Fred Schultz

 

Energy Challenge Update

Sustainability Manager Gina Mathias will reveal the city’s ranking against the other 49 communities competing for the $5 Million Georgetown University Energy Prize, and what the city is doing to increase our chances. Where each neighborhood team ranks currently in the Neighborhood Energy Challenge will also be shared, along with some ideas to encourage more neighbors to participate. Gina will cover rebates and best bets for home upgrades. If you’ve recently had an energy audit, bring the report to share or stay after for a second opinion on what your contractor is suggesting. There will also be door prizes!

Energy Challenge Update Event Details

Energy Challenge Update
Thursday, September 24, 7:00 PM
Takoma Park Community Center – Sam Abbott Citizens’ Center
Auditorium (2nd floor)

Sick of Signs Week

Sick of Signs Week is happening on September 13-19, 2015!

Sick of Signs Awards Ceremony

Monday, September 21, 6:30 PM
Takoma Park Community Center
Azalea Room (208)

City residents can win prizes for illegally-posted signs they remove from public utility poles, bus shelters, transformer boxes (and for free-standing signs in the public right of way).

The City will serve refreshments, tally signs, and give prizes for the wackiest sign, most colorful sign, and most signs collected at the Awards Ceremony on Monday September 21.

During the week, residents can bring signs as they collect them to The City’s Housing & Community Development office at 7500 Maple Ave., or they can bring them in all at once to the Awards Ceremony.

“Street Spam” can be signs that offer to buy your house, tow your unwanted car, help you lose weight, or advise enrolling your children in a camp. Signs displayed on someone’s front lawn are legal and should not be collected.

Find a really outrageous sign or a really common sign, a really confusing sign or a really big sign — just make sure you tear them down!