Passport Services are available by appointment only Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Takoma Park Community Center on the second floor. Appointments are required and can be scheduled by calling 301-891-7100. Passport service hours are subject to change without notice. Whenever possible, office closures will be announced on Facebook, Twitter, and the City’s website.

Please note the following:

• The City of Takoma Park does not process the DS-82 Renewal Application, which is a mail-in only Application.
• All forms must be written clearly with no mark outs, scratch outs, etc.
• Do not sign your forms before you meet with the Passport Agent.
• The City of Takoma Park has no control over passport processing times.

For additional information, visit takomaparkmd.gov/services/passports. Questions? Email sofiav@takomaparkmd.gov.

This article was featured in the June 2022 Newsletter. Visit the Takoma Park Newsletter webpage to see full list of past newsletters.

Starting June 13, the SummerQuest reading program kicks off! SummerQuest is an interactive reading game for all ages from read-to-me to adulthood. Players can pick up a character and game board from the front desk staff. To move through the story, you read a different kind of book for each section of the game board (adventure, poetry, different cultures, etc.).

This summer’s theme is Modern Mythology. In ancient days, people told stories of powerful beings in control of natural forces. Zeus and Thor were said to be the lords of Thunder; Poseidon was in charge of the Sea; Loki the master of Trickery and Magic. But what beings might be in charge of modern forces? Satellites and advertising and traffic may have incarnations that assist or trouble us. Find them!

This article was featured in the June 2022 Newsletter. Visit the Takoma Park Newsletter webpage to see full list of past newsletters.

Camps are a vital need for all youth. It is a great opportunity to create spaces for youth to be outdoors, active, and socializing. This environment allows a sense of community to develop amongst the camp participants. At a time when most social interactions are more geared towards health and safety precautions, camp offers the freedom to be creative and imaginative and to have fun. After the rollercoaster of the last several years, the idea of being out of the house, active and around new people is thrilling and exciting. Summer is quickly sneaking up on us, and if you haven’t made any summer plans yet, it’s time to act!

Takoma Park Recreation Department Camps are now proudly licensed by the Maryland Department of Health, and we are offering a multitude of options for youth in the community. Eight weeks of general camps; Camp Takoma and New Ave Adventure Camp for children ages 6–12. Just Teens is offered for four weeks in July for youth in grades 6–12. In addition to these general camps, we have brought back specialty camps for the first time since 2019. There are three weeks of Visual Arts Camp and two sessions of Dance Camp.

Interest in summer activities has greatly increased, and with registration open since Spring, several of our programs have filled up. Space is limited, so be sure to register today! If you have any questions regarding programs and classes, please contact us at recreation@takomparkmd.gov or 301-891-7290.

This article was featured in the June 2022 Newsletter. Visit the Takoma Park Newsletter webpage to see full list of past newsletters.

Where can you see the Orfeia vocal ensemble, Dong Xi duet, and artwork made from delicate fabric or battered musical instruments?

The performers and artwork were featured in the Takoma Park Arts cultural series, and they appear now on vinyl wraps that have been installed on glass panels at three new local bus shelters. The public art project is beautifying bus shelters and promoting the Takoma Park Arts series, which includes free City-funded art exhibitions, concerts, poetry readings, film screenings, theater, and other events at the Takoma Park Community Center at 7500 Maple Avenue.

“We want to get the word out about the many free events we host at the Takoma Park Community Center, and bus shelters are a great place to do that,” Arts and Humanities Coordinator Brendan Smith said.

The wraps, which were designed by Arts and Humanities Intern Paula Barrios, are located on a new bus shelter at Piney Branch Elementary School at 7510 Maple Avenue and two shelters at the intersection of Flower and Houston Avenues. The featured artwork was created by Jacqui Crocetta and Seemeen Hashem.

The project is part of the Public Art Works initiative, which installs public art projects in conjunction with Public Works efforts. Other projects include the Art on the Move bus shelter poster series featuring artwork by artists in upcoming Takoma Park Arts exhibitions and a sidewalk poetry program where poems by residents are being stamped into new concrete sidewalks.

Barrios also is creating a different graphic design that will be installed at a later date on two more bus shelters on Maple and New Hampshire Avenues.

This article was featured in the June 2022 Newsletter. Visit the Takoma Park Newsletter webpage to see full list of past newsletters.

Montgomery Planning (M-NCPPC), in partnership with the City of Takoma Park, seeks your input on the Takoma Park Minor Master Plan Amendment (TPMMA). This effort seeks to re-envision the areas near and along Maple and Lee Avenues, the Erie Center, and the Washington Adventist Hospital and University campuses. If you would like to learn more, visit our Minor Master Plan webpage. The team is also available to attend a neighborhood meeting.

Contact
Feel free to reach out to Melissa Williams, lead planner, at melissa.williams@montgomeryplanning.org.

This article was featured in the June 2022 Newsletter. Visit the Takoma Park Newsletter webpage to see full list of past newsletters.

2022 is an election year in Takoma Park. The Nominating Caucus is scheduled for Tuesday, September 13, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. Election day is Tuesday, November 8.

This year’s election will be conducted by mail.

Requirements for Candidacy

Consider leading and serving your community by running for office. Any resident interested in running for the position of Mayor or City Councilmember must meet certain qualifications. If you are thinking about running for city office, you must be:

• a registered Maryland voter and a resident of the City of Takoma Park, Maryland;
• at least 18 years of age by the date of the election; and
• a resident of the City of Takoma Park for at least six months immediately preceding the election. If running to represent a ward as a City Councilmember, you must be a resident of the ward for at least six month immediately preceding the election.

Before soliciting any contributions or making expenditures for your campaign, register with the City Clerk. In addition to the requirements above, you will be asked to provide your name, address, date of birth, contact information, and the name of the position you seek. Candidate registration for the 2022 election begins on June 13. There is not a requirement to register before the Nominating Caucus unless you are accepting contributions, making campaign expenditures, or otherwise actively campaigning.

On the campaign finance registration form, you will also be asked to certify that you will comply with all requirements of the Takoma Park Charter and Code applicable to the election process in Takoma Park, including Chapter 5.12 Fair Election Practices and Chapter 3.04 Ethics, and that you will file all required campaign finance reports and financial disclosure requirements for candidates.

How to Get Your Name on the November City Election Ballot

Nominating Caucus on Tuesday, September 13, 7:30 p.m.

The Nominating Caucus is a meeting of Takoma Park voters to accept nominations for the office of mayor and city councilmember. Nominations of candidates for Mayor may be made on motion by any qualified voter of the City, and if such nomination is seconded by a qualified voter of the City, the person so nominated shall be considered a candidate. Nomination of each candidate for Councilmember shall be made on motion of any qualified voter of their ward, and if such nomination is seconded by a qualified voter of their ward, the person so nominated shall be considered a candidate. A candidate may nominate themselves or second their nomination. Any nominated candidate may decline a nomination during the nomination meeting. A person may only accept nomination for one office.

The name of each person nominated will be placed on the ballot for the November 8 city election unless the nominated person files a declination with the City Clerk within three days after the nomination or fails to file a timely candidate’s financial disclosure statement as required by the City of Takoma Park Public Ethics Ordinance.

Anyone with questions or who would like additional information should contact Jessie Carpenter, at jessiec@takomaparkmd.gov or 301-891-7267.

Salary and Benefits of Mayor and Councilmembers

Beginning with the City Council elected in November 2022, the mayor will receive an annual salary of $32,000. Each city councilmember will receive a salary of $24,000 per year.

Elected officials are eligible to receive health insurance benefits equivalent to those of full-time City employees. Other current benefits include the use of a City of Takoma Park smartphone for City email and phone calls during the term in office; opportunity to attend, without cost, conferences beneficial to the City through organizations such as the National League of Cities and the Maryland Municipal League (MML); and reimbursement of certain other expenses, such as travel.

This article was featured in the June 2022 Newsletter. Visit the Takoma Park Newsletter webpage to see full list of past newsletters.

Takoma Park has implemented a new program to provide credit to property owners who take measures to mitigate the amount of stormwater runoff from their property.

Beginning this year, any property owner in Takoma Park can receive a partial credit for carrying out qualifying measures to lessen the impact of stormwater—such as tree plantings, installation of rain gardens, permeable pavements, and green roofs, to name only a few. These measures help lessen the effects of excess rainfall that is not absorbed by the ground, trees, or plants.

“These measures are based on best management practice in the field of stormwater management,” says Takoma Park Public Works Director Daryl Braithwaite. “So those measures are the ones that are most effective to stormwater management. And we always want to encourage people to plant more trees.”

Stormwater picks up sediments, oils, debris, and other contaminants from streets and lawns before eventually making its way to waterways like Sligo Creek, the Anacostia River, and the Chesapeake Bay. This can cause erosion—further increasing the pollution going into local waterways—and harm fragile ecosystems.

“The city has seen some flooding certainly on New Hampshire Avenue and the Sligo Creek area,” Braithwaite said. “Given climate change, we’ll be expecting heavier storms and larger quantities of water in the future.”

The maximum credit available to property owners is a 50% reduction of the original Stormwater Utility Fee, according to the city. The new credit program comes at the request of the city council, which last year changed the stormwater utility fee rate from a flat rate of $92 per single-family property annually to a tiered rate based on a $25 fee per 500 square feet of impervious area. Impervious surfaces—like asphalt, concrete, and rooftops—allow little to no stormwater infiltration into the ground.

“The credit is brand new and it was a component the council required when we changed the fee structure last year,” Braithwaite said. “Because the change increased the costs for some property owners the council was sensitive to that.”

Commercial and institutional properties have been charged based on the amount of impervious surface on their property since the implementation of the stormwater fee decades ago.

According to Takoma Park officials, the Montgomery County Parcel Database, which has the most up-to-date impervious area analysis data available, is used to determine the impervious area square footage. The database uses information from a tri-annual LIDAR evaluation that takes aerial images of the impervious area. Residents also have the option of requesting corrections to their assessed impervious surface calculation, if they believe there is an error.

The stormwater credit application can be completed online or printed and returned via email to publicworks@takomaparkmd.gov or by mail to Public Works at 31 Oswego Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910. The application does require submission of documentation to verify the details of the facility and the amount of impervious area treated. For the first year of the program, applications can be submitted at any time from now through the billing cycle (July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023). The credit will be paid as a refund directly to the property owner for the eligible portion of the stormwater fee. In future years, the application must be received by April 30 in order to be considered for the following year’s billing cycle and the credit will be included as a reduction to the stormwater fee charged. The stormwater utility fee is included in the County property tax bill, listed as Takoma Special.

The credit for tree planting is a one-year credit and the credit for all other measures covers a three-year period. There is a process for recertification of previously approved credit after the three-year period that includes verification that the measure is still in good working order.

There are plenty of ways for Takoma Park residents to help lessen the damage done by stormwater, including sweeping up yard debris; using non-toxic, biodegradable, and recyclable products whenever possible; reducing the amount of paved and impervious areas; and using native ground cover, grasses, and vegetation on your property. For more information on local stormwater management, or to access the program guidance documents and application, visit takomaparkmd.gov/government/public-works/stormwater-management-program.

This article was featured in the June 2022 Newsletter. Visit the Takoma Park Newsletter webpage to see full list of past newsletters.

Flight Behavior, a novel by BarbaraKingsolver, will be discussed by the Friends Book Group on Thursday, May 19 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Hydrangea Room of the Community Center.

Kingsolver’s 2012 novel about the effect of climate change in a rural Tennessee community is the second of a series of Cli-Fi books the group is reading this year. CliFi, or Climate Fiction, has been defined as “fiction… that features a changed or changing climate.” Like Sci-Fi, Cli-Fi explores realistic scenarios taken from contemporary sources and may make use of fantasy or the supernatural. Each Cli-Fi discussion includes a poem about nature or how human activity irrevocably affects the environment. Flight Behavior is paired with “The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy.

In Flight Behavior, the accidental discovery of a new winter home for the Monarch Butterfly alarms investigating scientists by indicating how much climate change impacts the existing model of Monarch migration. Kingsolver weaves this story with the impact the discovery has on Dellarobia Turnbow and her family and their small Appalachian town.

In his Guardian review of the novel, science and environment editor Robin McVie wrote it, “is an impressive work. It is complex, elliptical, and wellobserved. Dellarobia and her kin come over as solid but believable individuals, outlined with respect and balance.”

Kingsolver has won numerous honors and awards as well as being shortlisted for several literary prizes. She is perhaps best known for her novel, The Poisonwood Bible. In 2000, Kingsolver established the Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, which is now administered by PEN America. If you are interested in joining the discussion and you do not receive Friends Book Group announcements, write to ftpmlbookgroup@gmail.com for details on joining.

Copies of Flight Behavior can be borrowed from the library. It is available as an e-book on both Hoopla and Freading, and as an audio book on Hoopla and on CD in the library. “The Darkling Thrush” is available online at www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44325/the-darklingthrush, or you may request a copy from ftpmlbookgroup@gmail.com.

This article was featured in the May 2022 Newsletter. Visit the Takoma Park Newsletter webpage to see full list of past newsletters.

The Recreation Department would like to highlight one of our amazing instructors, Tyronda Boone! Tyronda, lovingly known as “Ms. Ty,” is a financial literacy and money management instructor for our recreation programs. She is originally from Georgia and has a master’s degree in education and finance. She has more than 20 years of teaching experience under her belt, making her abundantly qualified to lead our finance-centered programs. In Ms. Ty’s free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and learning more about history. She loves her community and has a goal to empower everyone with financial information that will uplift the next generation. Take a few moments to get to know Tyronda Boone.

Q: Where does your passion for financial planning and literacy come from?

A: My ancestors have been my inspiration. My parents inspired me to raise awareness about financial literacy. When I was growing up, my parents described difficult financial situations they faced in their lives due to their lack of wealth and educational opportunities. I remember my father describing how the system of tenant farming (sharecropping) was the cause for his family’s poverty.

Additionally, he did not have the luxury of being left an inheritance by his parents upon their demise. Conversely, land was passed down to Boone’s mother and siblings. These events and conversations motivated me to introduce the concept of building generational wealth to my daughter when she was four years old. I wanted her to be aware of how to use money to grow her wealth. From that desire to help my daughter, I reached out to the community and discovered more families eager to teach their children the same fiscal information. Zoey and Zander’s Guide to Success was born.

Q: Why do you think it’s important for young people to have an early understanding of how to manage their money?

A: Imagine if we did not call a person by one name until they were adults. There would be mass confusion. However, children know their names as infants. They recognize hearing their names. As they become older, they recognize their name in written form, and then they learn to write it themselves. Provided the opportunity, they typically thrived. Early exposure to any concept is vital, so teaching children about finances as early as possible is important. We do not want our young people to learn about money as adults. Learning financial literacy as children can help them avoid many fiscal mistakes.

Q: What do you hope participants will take away from your class?

A: I hope that families start talking about money. Families are a wealth of knowledge. When class is over, students ask parents if what they are purchasing is a need or a want, develop savings goals as a family, discuss ways to avoid student loans, and look for ways to use credit to build wealth. When my class is over, I hope students will look for ways to grow their wealth using the toolkit given to them in class.

Q: How do you know when you’ve had a successful class?

A: We have students who have enrolled in every class made available to them. When students tell me this class is great and parents tell me about how their spending habits have changed, I know class has been a success. Additionally, the engagement of the students lets me know they are actively learning. The challenge is to make virtual learning as fun as possible. After putting together lessons, students are typing questions in the chat and debating various fiscal schools of thought with one another. The banter that takes place in the class lets me know it was successful.

Q: What have you enjoyed the most about working with the young people of Takoma Park?

A: I love working with the students. The young people are eager to learn about how to make use of their money as adults. There are so many moments where I see their eyes light up after understanding a concept. Working with them has been a pleasure. They are committed to their future, and their enthusiasm regarding wealth gets me excited. An organization that places so much value on the financial literacy of a community is a wonderful place. I want to say thank you to Takoma Park for hosting me. You are helping me reach the masses, so many thanks to you.

This article was featured in the May 2022 Newsletter. Visit the Takoma Park Newsletter webpage to see full list of past newsletters.

Spring is here and so are our yard care activities. Noise producing activities, such as mowing and leaf blowing, can disturb neighbors. Please keep in mind that no such noise producing activity should begin before 7 a.m. on weekdays or 9 a.m. on weekends.

Also, please consider replacing your gasoline powered lawn care equipment with electric or battery powered; they produce far less noise and air pollution. Each of us can play a part in reducing noise levels and being a good neighbor:

• Monitor the volume of televisions, radios, and other sound-producing equipment, especially during nighttime. Pay particular attention to bass controls.
• Use manual tools, such as brooms and rakes, for cleaning porches, patios, and driveways. Reserve power tools like leaf blowers for large jobs that cannot be done manually.
• Consider the impact of noise from power tools in your home, garage, or outdoors.
• Check central and window air conditioning units periodically to ensure that they are operating as quietly as possible.
• Do not let dogs bark constantly.

This article was featured in the May 2022 Newsletter. Visit the Takoma Park Newsletter webpage to see full list of past newsletters.