Check any parking lot around town, and many of the cars have one thing in common. The ubiquitous oval bumper magnet, TKPK, “Keep Our City Clean, Green and Groovy,” can be found on any make, model or year of car and has even been spotted as far away as Denver, Colorado. Alone on the tailgate or wedged in between other messages of all kinds, our groovy anti-litter branding says something about Takoma Park.

With all these bumpers advertising our clean and green city, we shouldn’t have a litter problem, but we do. Residents sporting the anti-litter message are making a statement that we are all in this together. And that is what the Anti-litter Initiative is all about: keeping our City clean together. We all have a responsibility not only to pick up litter when we see it, but to not throw it down in the first place. The Antilitter Initiative is built on the idea that the residents and City government will work together to keep our city clean, green and groovy. And here’s how.

Seasonal Litter Clean-ups

April is Anti-Litter Month. This is the best and easiest time to find a way to join the effort to rid Takoma Park of litter. School groups from elementary all the way through the university level have clean ups scheduled.

The Takoma Langley Crossroads Association has regular clean ups advertised on their website: takomalangley.org.

Main Street Takoma invites residents to come out on Saturday, April 16, www. mainstreettakoma.org/event/spring-community-clean-up-day.

The Alice Ferguson Foundation hosts the Potomac River Watershed Clean Up with sites all over the region, to volunteer visit: fergusonfoundation.org/trash-freepotomac-watershed-initiative/potomacriver-watershed-cleanup/volunteers.

Many residents make Sweep the Creek a tradition and on April 23-24, you can too: www.fosc.org/sweepthecreek.htm.

The Anti-litter Initiative owes a special thank you to the hundreds of students from Takoma Academy and Washington Adventist University who will participate in clean ups all around the City on April 6 and April 15. When you see these students and others in the community who are spending their time picking up litter to make our City Clean, Green and Groovy, please say, “Thank you!”

Adopt-a-Spot

Adopt-a-Spot allows individuals or groups to adopt areas located within Takoma Park for regularly scheduled litter pick-ups. The City recognizes the individual or group with a sign bearing the group’s name at the spot. The City will also provide cleaning equipment, such as trash bags and gloves.

Examples of eligible locations include parks, landmarks, schools, vacant lots, walkways or trails, campuses, public grounds, or any sites prone to litter. Many groups are already committed to keeping a spot litter free. Sister Eden, Ace Hardware and the Young Activists Club were the first to agree to regular monthly clean ups. The Green Elf Takoma Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troops will join them this Spring. Download the application from the City website: takomaparkmd.gov/initiatives/anti-littering.

Sick of Signs

During Sick of Signs Week in September, the City urges residents to put “Street Spam” back in the can by tearing down illegally posted signs in the public right-ofway. Don’t wait for September, go ahead and take down illegal signs anytime.

“Street Spam” can be signs that offer to buy your house, advertise summer camps, or ask for your scrap gold. Throughout the week, residents collect signs from bus shelters, utility poles, and transformer boxes, then bring them to a sign tally at the Community Center. The Housing and Community Development department awards prizes and provides refreshments at the sign tally. Sick of Signs Week involves the community in eliminating the paper trails that clog public spaces and eventually become litter.

In a March 1 letter to Maryland Higher Education Commission Chair (MHEC) Anwer Hasan, the Takoma Park City Council urged the commission to postpone consideration of the 2013-2023 Montgomery College Facilities Master Plan “until the required local stakeholder and municipal government consultation takes place, and the Plan is revised as appropriate based on that consultation.”

Citing a 2002 agreement between the college, the City, Montgomery County and Historic Takoma that requires the college to “consult with the City… and the local community when making any major or substantial changes or alterations to the existing structures designated” (as outlined in the document), the Council stated that this legal obligation had not been fulfilled and expressed concern that “there was never an intent to undertake true community consultation.”

A member of the Takoma Park City Council presented testimony at the Montgomery College Board Meeting on February 1 requesting that the Board postpone its vote on the Master Plan, but the Board approved the Plan without dissent, and it was made public two days later.

Even so, the letter outlined the Council’s major concerns with this plan moving forward as approved by the Board:

• The college plans to build exclusively within the residential neighborhood portion of the Takoma ParkSilver Spring campus.
• In June the college will be closing its day care facility in the North Takoma neighborhood, which has provided an important service for college employees, students and residents.
• The Plan calls for replacing most of the major College buildings currently located in the residential area with larger structures in the same area, which will cause construction related disturbances for many years and ultimately threaten the integrity of the residential areas.

It concluded by urging “MHEC to reject the Montgomery College Facilities Master Plan (at least as it applies to the Takoma Park-Silver Spring campus), and to require the College to undertake a genuine community consultation process – as required under the 2002 Agreement – before the Plan is considered.”

Read the entire letter at takomaparkmd. gov/news/city-council-letter-to-the-maryland-higher-education-commission.

The main objective of the proposed Takoma Park Code amendment banning plastic bags is to decrease litter. The City Council will hold a public hearing on April 13 at 7:00 p.m. (see page 3) to receive public comments on the proposed plastic bag ban. The first reading of the ordinance is scheduled for April 27.

“Plastic bags end up being a large portion of litter that we see in the community,” said Daryl Braithwaite, public works director for Takoma Park. “We want to reduce the amount of bags available and get people thinking about what else they can use to carry things.”

Proposed by Councilmember Jarrett Smith (Ward 5), the amendment would restrict businesses from offering disposable plastic shopping bags to customers with some exceptions, including bulk food and hardware, frozen foods, prescription drugs, flowers, potted plants, bakery goods, newspapers and dry cleaning. “The idea is to address the litter and educate people about importance of reducing the amount of plastic bags in circulation,” Braithwaite reiterated.

The Council heard testimony from Julie Lawson, director of Trash Free Maryland, to that effect on Feb. 24 when it discussed the draft ordinance. According to Lawson, in terms of their environmental impact, plastic bags are “the most persistent visual blight and linger as a toxic contaminant to waterways and the aquatic food web.”

Moreover, the Takoma Park Committee on the Environment (COE) has endorsed the ban on disposable single-use carryout bags: “The COE notes that besides the environmental benefits of a single-use bag ban, plastic bag recycling is not possible at this time through the City of Takoma Park, and litter is a concern in several neighborhoods.”

In addition, the COE supports including the farmers market in the ban with an implementation date that allows time for compliance. However, based on Braithwaite’s reading of the proposed ordinance, the farmers market would be exempt, which would allow for plastic bags to be used to carry home produce, baked goods, meats and so on. (For a list of exceptions, reference section B of the ordinance, which can be found on the City’s website in the agenda materials for the Council’s Feb. 24 meeting.)

Still local farmers are concerned about how the ban would impact their business. As their local representative, Laura Barclay, executive director of the Old Takoma Business Association, has compiled and provided comments to the City Council on their behalf: “The market is strongly opposed to the market being included in a City-wide plastic bag ban. If the ban is passed, the market requests an exemption as has been made for farmers markets in other municipalities.”

Further, the farmers noted that “the market continues to look for new ways to innovate and promote itself and wants to protect itself from any changes that might create a competitive disadvantage, like a plastic bag ban.”

Anyone interested in offering comments should attend the public hearing and sign up to speak. Written comments may be submitted to the City Clerk, 7500 Maple Ave., Takoma Park, MD 20912 or by email to clerk@takomaparkmd.gov.

By Apryl Motley

“I’ve been renting in Takoma Park for four years, but I can’t afford to buy a house here,” one resident observed.

She was part of a small group gathered in the Hydrangea Room at the TP Community Center for one of the break-out discussions held as part of the Feb. 6 Community Conversation on Affordable Housing in Takoma Park. And she wasn’t alone in her concerns about whether she would be able to continue calling the City home.

“I’m not sure if I can continue living in Takoma Park as a single, widowed, retired person,” another resident contributed to the discussion.

Someone else gave a disturbing account of discrimination she believes she experienced while trying to rent an apartment on Maple Avenue. A long-time resident of the City, she raised her kids in this community and now wants to downsize to a smaller unit.

As each person introduced him or herself to the group, which was charged with discussing new approaches to housing in Takoma Park, the universal concern was how feasible it would be for them to continue living in this community. One resident summed up this sentiment, “Keep existing residents in place; don’t squeeze us out.”

Getting these kinds of issues on the table for discussion figured prominently in Mayor Kate Stewart’s priorities as she took office. “We decided to kick off the Community Conversation series focusing on affordable housing because in Takoma Park we are committed to being a diverse and inclusive community,” she said. “Ensuring we’re diverse and inclusive requires that we have a variety of housing options for residents of all income levels and stages of life.”

“The question we need to be thinking about is ‘who do we want to be five or 10 years from now?’” Stewart continued. “We are growing and changing as a community, and taking a closer look at our current housing goals, priorities and policies and potentially developing new ones is a crucial first step toward answering this question.”

City staff in the Department of Housing and Community Development assisted Stewart in assembling a group of stellar panelists to offer a variety of perspectives on how the Takoma Park community might evolve over time. Before the small group discussions, residents heard from these experts in the affordable housing arena. As they listened, the City’s Community Development Director Sara Daines encouraged them to “think about what we’re currently doing that might be modified to address the needs of the current community.” A few topics were front and center as the panelists made their remarks.

Rent stabilization: Takoma Park landlord Peter Aron said, “I am very much in favor of affordable housing.” However, he questioned the long-term feasibility of the City’s Rent Stabilization Program, saying it has the unintended consequences of limiting property values and resulting in some landlords completing only minimal maintenance of rental properties. According to him, the assessed value of rental properties in the city continues to decline. “I would urge residents to take a hard look at the rent stabilization and consider other more sustainable options,” Aron said.

“I would urge residents to take a hard look at the rent stabilization and consider other more sustainable options”

Takoma Park’s Rent Stabilization Law was first adopted in 1981 and is one of the City’s primary affordable housing programs. The program is designed to preserve the city’s affordable housing stock and maintain economic and ethnic diversity by controlling the frequency and amount of rent increases that may be imposed by a landlord. To learn more about the program, visit takomaparkmd.gov/ government/housing-and-communitydevelopment.

Partnerships with the county: “Takoma Park is near and dear to us,” said Artie Harris, vice president of real estate and neighborhood development for the Montgomery Housing Partnership. “Twenty percent of our portfolio is in Takoma Park; many of our units are on Maple Avenue.” Harris, who has lived in Takoma Park since 2002, described renovation and rehab as the partnership’s “bread and butter,” as it works toward preserving and expanding affordable housing in Montgomery County.

According to him, however, the partnership faces challenges in this regard, such as high land and property building costs, competition from market rate builders and limited funding. Harris encouraged residents to push the County to increase the housing initiative fund or support the City establishing its own fund, co-locate affordable housing with City Property and look to the County as a partner more. “The City is a great partner of ours,” he said, “and we want to continue that partnership.”

A regional perspective: “The lack of affordable housing is the single greatest challenge in our region in addressing chronic homelessness,” said Hilary Chapman, housing program manager, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

“The lack of affordable housing is the single greatest challenge in our region in addressing chronic homelessness”

“Almost half the renters in the region are struggling with high housing costs,” added Peter Tatian, a senior fellow at the Urban Land Institute. According to Tatian, the region needs 94,000 units designated for extremely low income renters, but fulfilling this need is difficult given that building is not keeping pace with the need and there is more competition from higher income renters.

The Urban Land Institute and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments have partnered to produce research on “Housing Security in the Washington Region.” The full report is available at www.urban.org/publications/413161.html.

The event concluded with each City Councilmember sharing his or her takeaways from the day.

“Even though I was familiar with the issues, the presentations were compelling,” said City Manager Suzanne Ludlow.

“This was just the beginning of the conversation,” Mayor Stewart said. “In the upcoming months, the City Council will take a look at the City’s current housing policies and work along with staff to consider some of the new and innovative ideas that were discussed to evaluate which are the best fits for Takoma Park.”

“Further, to address the housing needs in our community, we will need strong partners at the county and state levels,” she continued, “and I am very appreciative that County Councilmembers Tom Hucker, Marc Elrich, and George Leventhal were able to attend this event.”

Reflecting on the entire day, Stewart said, “As our city grows and changes, we must remain diligent to ensure residents have a range of housing options and most importantly, continued access to safe, quality and stable places to call home.”

This article appeared in the March 2016 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

On July 30, 2015, the Takoma Park Police Department announced a new crime fighting/prevention tool which detectives can use in partnership with the community to assist in solving crimes. Today’s video technologies have become commonplace and affordable, creating a proliferation of video systems in both commercial and residential applications. The systems oftentimes provide critical evidence in criminal cases as well as helping to prevent crime. Traditionally, investigators knock door to door, looking for witnesses and evidence. Our Community Cam Program will streamline and enhance this process.

The new Community Cam Program allows members of the community who live in the City of Takoma Park to register any residential or commercial video surveillance system with the Police Department free of charge. If and when a crime occurs in an area of a registered camera system, detectives will have immediate access to the location of any registered cameras on their mobile devices. This will allow them to quickly obtain valuable video evidence to enhance apprehension capabilities.

Working in partnership with the owner of the system is just one more tool in the police-community partnership to make Takoma Park a safe community. The registration information is confidential and can only be accessed by detectives and the police department’s crime analyst. Participation is voluntary, and the system owner may withdraw at any time.

Takoma Park Police is the first department in the Washington Metropolitan area to institute this type of program. There are other programs in Philadelphia, New Orleans, Ventura, California and Lenexa, Kansas that are similar to the Community Cam Program and have proven to be effective crime fighting tools. The registration process is three steps and takes about five minutes to complete. For more information or to register, visit the Community Cam website: communitycam.takomaparkmd.gov.

The use of technology in crime fighting is essential, and this is a great way to involve our community members in actively assisting in our efforts to make our city safer.

This article appeared in the March 2016 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

We’ve got two interesting author programs in March, so mark your calendars!

First, on March 7 at 7:30 p.m., award-winning author Winifred Conkling will help us kick off Women’s History Month as she discusses her new book Radioactive!: How Irene Curie and Lise Meitner Revolutionized Science and Changed the World. Aimed at readers in middle school and high school, Radioactive! tells of how two overlooked women scientists made major contributions in the field of nuclear science; Curie won the 1935 Nobel Prize in chemistry, along with her husband, Frederick Joliot, while Meitner had a periodic table number – 109, Meitnerium – named after her.

In a starred review, Booklist called the book “a thorough and engaging study of two female scientists worth their weight in radium.” School Library Journal noted, “Luminous and fascinating, it recounts the lives and amazing findings of chemist (and daughter of Curie) Irène Joliot-Curie, co-discoverer of artificial radiation, and physicist Lise Meitner, co-discoverer of nuclear fission.”

Conkling is the author of two other books for young readers. In her novel Sylvia & Aki, she tells the well-researched, but fictionalized, story of how institutionalized racism connected two real girls, Aki Munemitsus and Sylvia Mendez during World War II. When Aki’s family was forced to move to a Japanese internment camp, Sylvia’s family moved into their house, and Sylvia’s father became the plaintiff in a landmark case when he challenged California’s segregated schools law.

In Passenger on the Pearl, Conkling tells the story of Emily Edmonson, who at the age of 13 was part of the largest slave escape in U.S. history. The slaves were eventually captured, but Emily was ransomed by her parents and abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe. After graduating from Oberlin College, Emily became a teacher in the first school in Washington, D.C. dedicated to the education of AfricanAmerican girls.

Our second author event is something totally different, but also a way of celebrating strong females during Women’s History Month. On Monday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m., author/illustrator Ursula Vernon will present the second book in her Hamster Princess series, Of Mice and Magic. The series is focused on a hamster named Harriet Hamsterbone, a “warrior princess” who “prefers swordfighting and fractions to sighing and fainting.”

In the first book in the series, Harriet learns that like Sleeping Beauty, she was cursed at birth to fall into a deep sleep at the age of 12. Undaunted, Harriet realizes that until then, she’s invincible, and she plans to make the most of it. Kirkus praised the book, calling it “creatively fresh and feminist” while Booklist noted in a starred review: “The spunky, slightly bonkers Harriet is a delightful heroine who turns this fairy tale on its head, and the book is peppered with clever two-color cartoon illustrations that will attract even the more reluctant readers.”

Harriet’s adventures continue in the new book, which offers a twist of the tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. In a starred review, School Library Journal concluded, “A quick and satisfying read that is as hilarious as it is fun.”

Vernon first found popularity among young readers with her Dragonbreath series. Like the books in that series, the Hamster Princess books are “hybrid” books with numerous illustrations interspersed with the text. The books are aimed at readers ages 7-10.

Politics & Prose bookstore will be selling copies of the authors’ books at both of these events. But the programs are free, and no purchase is required to attend. Please join us for one or both of these great events.

This article appeared in the March 2016 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

Amirah Bellamy is the instructor for the City of Takoma Park Recreation Department’s brand new “Tots Nature Camp.” Amirah is an artist, yogi, veganista, nature photographer, author of Hidden Wildlife of the Nation’s Capital and executive board chair of the Life Arts Institute in Washington, D.C. She has been developing creative ways to get children excited about nature since her son was a toddler over 20 years ago. Since then Amirah has instructed several children’s camps, classes and workshops throughout the DMV.

Amirah is now offering a Tots Nature Camp for the City of Takoma Park. Amirah brings a wealth of creativity, love of nature and passion for working with children, which she has developed over the years to inspire tots to develop an awareness of the beauty of their natural surroundings, respect for nature’s gifts and adoration for all that nature and wildlife has in store for them.

There are two sessions you can choose from, Monday – Friday, July 18 – 22 and July 25 – 29, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. for ages 3-4. You can register for Tots Nature Camp in person with the Recreation Department or online at www.takomaparkmd. gov/governmnet/recreation. The fees are $125/TP Residents and $145/Non-residents per session. For additional information, please contact Michael Kurland at michaelk@takomaprkmd.gov.

This article appeared in the March 2016 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

Maybe there is a spring in your step as another season approaches. With the warmer weather, students can get out and use some of the safety skills they learned during the Bike Rodeo and Crosswalk Simulation Activity presented by the Safe Routes to School Coordinator and the Takoma Park crossing guards this school year. Students in the fourth grade at Piney Branch and East Silver Spring and the fifth grade at Rolling Terrace enjoyed learning about bike safety and practiced on a cool obstacle course. The first grade and kindergarten classes at Takoma Park and at East Silver Spring participated in the Crosswalk Simulation activity, learning about the best practices for crossing the street in a fun and engaging way.

Here is what’s coming up this spring: Monday, March 14 Together with the Montgomery County Safe Kids Coalition, TP Safe Routes to School has acquired a bike trailer for the purpose of offering countywide bike safety education using the Bike Rodeo model. Anyone interested in using the trailer must complete a training session to become certified. This spring, the certification training is scheduled for Monday, March 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. It will be held at the Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave., in the Hydrangea Room. A Bike Rodeo will follow at Piney Branch Elementary School, 7510 Maple Ave. from 1:25 – 2:10 p.m. Please RSVP by Wednesday, March 2, 2016.

Sunday, May 1 The Takoma Park Safe Routes to School 5K Challenge, better known as the TKPK5K, will be held on Sunday, May 1, 2016. Registration is now open at www.tkpk5K.com. There are events for all ages and abilities: 5K run, 5K walk, 1 mile run, .25 mile fun run. Sign up before April 18 for early bird registration prices and guaranteed t-shirt sizes. Proceeds benefit PTA programs at Piney Branch, Rolling Terrace, East Silver Spring and Takoma Park ES and Takoma Park MS.

Wednesday, May 4 Bike to School Day is Wednesday, May 4. Students, parents and school staff are encouraged to ride to school together. Check with your school for specific details.

Tuesday, June 7 Crossing Guard Appreciation Day is held on the first Tuesday of June each year. On this day, we take a moment to express gratitude to the wonderful Takoma Park Crossing Guards for another year of service. Watch for more information in early June.

June 27 –July 1 Once again, Takoma Park will host the iCan Shine bike Camp for students with special needs. Maryland residents between the ages of 8 and 14 are invited to participate free of charge. The camp will be held at Takoma Academy, 8120 Carroll Ave., June 27 – July 1, 2016. Visit takomaparkmd.gov/initiatives/saferoutes-to-school for additional information. Riders and volunteers needed.

This article appeared in the March 2016 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

Sarah and her husband Peter closed on their house in Takoma Park on Valentine’s Day in 2014. She said, “It was the best Valentine’s Day gift!” The couple lives in the PEN neighborhood close to the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church with their two kids, Sammy and Maayan, and their au pair Martyna. “My house’s claim to fame is that Goldie Hawn, who grew up in Takoma Park, used to take dance lessons in our living room,” Sarah explained.

She is the policy director at the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues in Washington, DC. Inspired by Facebook COO Cheryl Sandberg’s bestselling book, almost a year ago, Sarah started two Lean In groups in Takoma Park. “I was pregnant with my second child and ready to move up in my career and really struggling to wrap my head around how I was going to ‘step up’ professionally with two young kids at home,” she said.

In honor of Women’s History Month, Sarah kicks off our series of “quick-question” interviews.

1. Favorite Place/Activity in Takoma Park: The annual house and garden tour—I love to see what other people have done with their homes, and it’s a great opportunity to meet more people in the neighborhood
2. Best Thing about Living in Takoma Park: I can walk everywhere!
3. On My Desk Right Now: A “Congress at Your Fingertips” directory, a box of chocolate truffles that my boss brought back from a work trip to New Mexico, and a steno book.
4. In My “Spare Time”: Lots of reading and yoga at Willow Street
5. Best Advice I Ever Got (and from whom): Whenever I’ve found myself in a rough patch, my mom reminds me, “This too shall pass.” This saying helps me stay grounded and weather out tough situations.

After reading the book during her pregnancy, she went to the Lean In website, registered a Lean In circle, and started to advertise her circle on neighborhood listservs. “I now have a group of five to ten women who meet about once a month to talk about career and life issues,” she said.

For more information about Takoma Park Women Leaning In or to join the group, visit leanincircles.org/circle/takomapark-women-leaning-in. Send your suggestions for future interviews to tpnewseditor@takomaparkmd.gov.

This article appeared in the March 2016 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.