Takoma Park joins communities across the nation for National Night Out, Tuesday, Aug. 4 from 6 – 9 p.m. at the Piney Branch Elementary School, 7510 Maple Ave. The annual event includes activities and information about safety and crime prevention, but also features food, music, games and give-aways.

Sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch, National Night Out is designed to heighten safety and crime prevention awareness; support locally-based businesses, groups and organizations; and strengthen relationships among community members and between the community and local police department. This year’s event will include informational brochures on various safety topics and crime prevention, food, give-aways and live music. There will be various events, including child fingerprinting, a moon bounce, face painting, games and prizes and more. The event is free.

In addition, a resident safety workshop will be held between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. in the same location. The focus is on “Situational Awareness,” with tips and strategies that will help participants protect their bodies and belongings. All ages are welcome. The workshops is coordinated by the Lifelong Takoma Program.

This article appeared in the August 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

By Kevin Adler

Since its inception in spring 2014, Lifelong Takoma has made significant strides in helping people 55-plus and those with disabilities maintain their independent lives in the community. But so much more can be done, says Karen Maricheau, manager of the program.

Clearly, the message is resonating with the community. In the first few months, Lifelong Takoma received two or three assistance requests a week. “Now I receive on average of three, sometimes more, resident requests a day,” she says.

In just its first year—which included several months of startup effort—Lifelong Takoma responded to 225 requests for assistance, according to a report provided to the City Council in the spring. Volunteers contributed 532 hours of assistance, estimated to have an economic more than $16,000.

“There is never a dull moment, and I find myself feeling challenged and rewarded by helping residents,” Maricheau says. “I couldn’t imagine a better job. It’s not always easy, but neither are the circumstances residents struggle with day in and day out. I feel blessed to be where I am and doing what I do.”

Lifelong Takoma was designed to coordinate city services and volunteer efforts to enable the 23 percent of Takoma Park residents who are seniors to live “with reduced or no barriers” as they go about their daily lives. Support can come in almost any form, from a ride to a doctor’s appointment, to help filling out a complicated form, to house maintenance.

When Maricheau began her part-time position with the city last spring, she embarked on a listening tour to hear from residents about their priorities and to explain the support that Lifelong Takoma could provide. She also reached out through the first annual Lifelong Takoma Day last September, which attracted about 130 people.

What do residents need? Priorities include health management, health and dental care, caregiver support, finances, socialization and inclusion, transportation, advocacy, home and property management, legal assistance and planning, food assistance and nutrition, eviction prevention, and employment.

As the list indicates, the needs vary from single events to longer-term issues. “I have been getting more and more longterm, multi-faceted requests, and in these cases, some residents truly would benefit from case management,” Maricheau says. “There are resources for this through the county and some local nonprofits. Some of the help I am able to provide, and for other kinds I refer the resident to other programs, services, and resources that may be more effective for what they need.”

Notable Successes

Lifelong Takoma has achieved some notable successes in its short existence.

Numerous residents have been linked to meals programs, and others have been linked to home care and home-based medical services. Others now have access to free transportation that enables them to attend medical appointments, as well as social events and worship services.

One high-profile effort occurred during the winter through a partnership with the Takoma Park Middle School Difference Makers. The teenage “Snow Angels” shoveled walkways and sidewalks at 42 residences without charge.

Lifelong Takoma also participated in the recent Energy Service Day last month. Volunteers received training and supplies from the city’s Environmental Sustainability Program, and they went in teams to homes to offer ideas about home energy efficiency.

Coming on Aug. 4 is another event at which Lifelong Takoma will play a big role: The National Night Out. Piney Branch Elementary is hosting the activities, beginning at 7:30 p.m., and Maricheau will be onsite to share information about Lifelong Takoma.

“This event is sponsored by the Takoma Park Police, and they will be explaining how to improve your ‘situational awareness,’” she says. “You can get tips, learn strategies and practice personal safety behaviors.”

More projects are ahead, especially as Lifelong Takoma builds on already established relationships with local churches, the Village of Takoma Park volunteers, Washington Adventist and local businesses, among others.

“My goal is to propose more support, financial, and staffing down the road,” Maricheau says. “The purpose would be so that the Lifelong Takoma program could acquire and use a database that allows for follow-up with residents. It would enable us to see if residents felt their issues were acknowledged and to learn if they received the help that they needed from the places where they were referred.”

She also plans to reach groups that haven’t yet been served. “Communication barriers prevent real inclusion of non-English-speaking residents,” she says. “At the next Lifelong Takoma Day, we plan to offer interpreter services. This may particularly help residents express themselves when we have the Community Conversation during the event.”

These are ambitious plans, but Maricheau is confident and optimistic. “I have been fully supported by the City Council and my supervisor, City Manager Suzanne Ludlow,” she says. “I feel blessed to be where I am, doing what I’m doing.”

This article appeared in the August 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

By Kevin Adler

Bruce Williams will not be running for a fifth term as Takoma Park mayor, he announced in late July.

“I’ve had 11 terms in office—22 years— including 10 years as mayor pro tem [while he was a councilmember representing Ward 3], and eight years as mayor,” Williams wrote in a Facebook posting that generated scores of thank-you messages about his hard work and advocacy for Takoma Park.

At least two current City Council members will be running for the seat in November. A few days after the announcement, Ward 1 Councilmember Seth Grimes and Ward 3 Councilmember Kate Stewart launched their campaigns.

Williams’ impact on Takoma Park can be seen in both its physical spaces and its well-known institutions and events. From unification in Montgomery County in 1997 to the renovation of the Community Center, Williams has been front-and-center on the biggest changes in the city for more than two decades.

Known as both a passionate advocate on social issues but also a pragmatic leader on economic ones, Williams was integral to economic development in Old Town and the new activity today along New Hampshire Avenue and in Takoma Junction.

He also supported the non-economic factors that make Takoma Park special: the creation of the Arts and Humanities Commission and the expansion of public art programs and youth sports, recruitment of volunteers, voting and more.

Williams says he understands that improving physical spaces can create an environment for more community activities, such as the upgraded auditorium in the Community Center. “It was not part of the original project, but is something I pushed for,” he wrote on Facebook. “The expansion of the vision that all of us bought into has resulted in this space that is than any of us imagined.”

Beyond Takoma Park’s physical transformation, Williams is recognized for a deeply personal decision he made more than 20 years ago. In 1993, he became the first openly gay elected official in Maryland, D.C. or Virginia. With his encouragement, Takoma Park became in 2004 the first jurisdiction in the state to endorse same-sex marriage.

In speaking openly about his life with husband Geoffrey Burkhart over the years, Williams reflected his lifelong beliefs in tolerance, acceptance and openness. Many people involved in Takoma Park activism would say these carried over to his dealings with constituents, city staff and the City Council.

“I’ve always tried to listen to what others say so that I can learn from them. I’ve tried to recognize that it is always better to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you are, so that you can all shine,” he wrote.

Williams hasn’t revealed what he will do next, except to say that he will remain involved in Takoma Park.

This article appeared in the August 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

More and more people are riding bicycles in Takoma Park and the entire Washington region. Remember, bicyclists are considered vehicle operators; they are required to obey the same rules of the road as other vehicle operators, obeying traffic signs, signals and lane markings. It is so important to follow safety rules while riding a bicycle, especially when riding near motor vehicles. Please use the following safety tips while riding your bike:

• Always wear a helmet.
• Obey all traffic controls (including stopping at stop signs).
• Ride near the right-hand edge of the road.
• Never carry another person on your bicycle.
• Always use hand signals when turning or stopping.
• Watch for cars at cross streets, driveways and parking areas.
• Be careful when checking traffic and don’t swerve when looking over your shoulder.
• Give pedestrians the right-of-way.
• Keep your bicycle in good condition.

This article appeared in the August 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

Takoma Park’s Poet Laureate, Merrill Leffler, was recently honored by the Association of Jewish Libraries, Capital Area Chapter, with the 2015 Achievement Award. AJL celebrated Leffler for his poetry and for founding in 1967 the literary magazine “Dryad,” which grew into Dryad Press.

“Merrill is the consummate ‘mensch’—wise, understated, modest, generous and yet intensely rigorous and probing,” said AJL’s Ahron Taub, who presented the award to Leffler.

“He is a Jewish humanist in the most profound sense, wrestling with text and language in a realm unfettered by dogma or limitations arbitrarily imposed. His poems are marked, not only by music, of course, but by an unusual combination of sly wit, playfulness, and empathy, in a word—humane.”

Leffler has been Takoma Park’s poet laureate since July 2011 and contributor to many literature-focused events in the city. Leffler and his wife and fellow poet Anne Slayton started the Spring for Poetry posters in 2007. He’s praised the “strong and vital” independent presses and literary publications in the DC area. He spoke about how poetry is made and what makes it distinctive. Leffler quoted William Butler Yeats: “Out of the arguments with others, we make rhetoric; out of the arguments with ourselves we make poetry.”

“In this context, I take ‘arguments’ to mean venturing out, exploring the known and the unknown, questioning what we think we know, whether in theme, subject matter, style,” Leffler said.

And he quoted from Ecclesiastes: “of making many books there is no end.”

“Books that matter — I’ll call them ‘literary books’ — stimulate the mind, they give us deep pleasures and deep insights. They often disrupt the beliefs we take for granted and don’t question; they inform us more deeply about what we know — or think we know — to teach us about the world and about ourselves,” Leffler said. “Why else are we all gathered here?”

Leffler’s most recent book of poetry, “Mark the Music,” was published in 2012. It has been described as a book in three movements that suggest different stages of life. Its themes include aging, darkness, consolation and joy.

This article appeared in the August 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

The 38th Takoma Park Folk Festival is scheduled to take place on Sunday, Sept. 20 from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Takoma Park Middle School located at 7611 Piney Branch Road.

Community building is at the heart of the festival, a well-established, family-oriented event celebrating the region’s rich musical and artistic talent. In addition to several stages with dozens of musicians, bands, and dancers, plus a lineup of food trucks with everything from grilled meat and vegetarian dishes to softserve ice cream, the event includes community tables for local non-profit or community organizations. In the past, the tables have featured church groups distributing literature; hospitals administering free blood pressure screenings; and dance studios offering mini tap dancing lessons.

Applications for the community tables are open to local organizations through Sept. 11 at www.tpff.org.

If you’re looking for another way to get involved with the Folk Festival, consider volunteering the day of the festival. Shifts are two hours in length, vary in task, and are appropriate for for all age groups. The Takoma Park Folk Festival is a Maryland 501(c)(3) organization. Previous beneficiaries include scout packs, Friends of Sligo Creek, and God Glorified Church.

For more information about this year’s festival, including information about community tables and volunteer opportunities, please visit the newly redesigned festival website at www.tpff.org.

This article appeared in the August 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

We Are Takoma, the city’s pro-art initiative that hosts performing arts, visual arts and other creative projects for and by residents, is interested in the incidental art that pops up all around town, and has been archiving it in a catalogue online. Mosaics, murals, sculptures and more dot the Takoma Park landscape, and thus far the project has documented 80 objects around the city—but city staff is eager to add to the list. To see photos of and hear conversations about the “Art About Takoma Park,” go to Takoma Park’s tumblr page, http://tkpkartabout.tumblr.com. To add your own, whether it is a yard ornament or public space display, go to www.takomaparkmd.gov/arts/public-art. From left, the trompe l’oeil front porch on Carroll Avenue in Old Town; a sculpted rooster perched near backyard friends; and the artistic child in the parking lot of the Community Center.

This article appeared in the August 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

Takoma Park gets steamy in the summer months, and that can affect air quality. Here are some ways to stay healthy and avoid contributing in the region:

• Fuel your car only after dark.
• Skip the use of gas powered blowers, weed whackers, or edgers.
• Avoid idling your car excessively.
• Carpool, telecommute, or take mass transit to work.
• Limit driving and combine errands.
• Wait for a cooler day to use oil-based paints or switch to non-solvent or low VOC-based paints.
• Avoid using aerosols and household products that contain solvents.
• Avoid mid-day driving.
• Conserve energy at home and work to reduce power demand.
• Avoid or limit exertion mid-day.
• Drink plenty of fluids.
• Do not leave pets or children in the carunattended.
• If you become over-heated seek an air-
  conditioned or shady location for rest.
• Check on elderly neighbors to be sure they are safe.

This article appeared in the August 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

Takoma Park Safe Routes to School hosted the iCan Shine Bike Camp at Takoma Academy July 6-10 with daily sessions using professional staff and specially adapted bikes to teach individuals with disabilities how to ride a conventional bike. Thirty riders and 50 volunteers worked together during five daily sessions. Campers progressed from the very stable roller bikes to their own shiny new bikes, some as early as Wednesday. Parents watched in amazement as their children rode a two wheeled bike for the first time.

Joshua Williams was the first to ride. As he glided around the outdoor track, a huge smile on his face, his mother and brother looked on, mirroring his smile. “Look at your boy, Ma,” whispered his brother, James. After the camp, his mother Danna wrote, ” iCan Shine is a wonderful program for providing such an experience for children and Takoma Park is a great city for hosting it. Again, thank you so much for making this wonderful milestone of learning to ride a bike, as amazing for Joshua at age 14 as it would have been at age 8.”

Joshua and the other riders gained confidence, independence and a chance to be included in a way they never have been before. Safe Routes Coordinator Lucy Neher hopes to see at least two riders on Bike to School Day at Piney Branch Elementary School next spring.

This article appeared in the August 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.

By Kevin Adler

Once again, the swimming pool at Piney Branch Elementary was slated for closure, and once again local residents rose up to keep it open. On July 28, the county restored funding that had initially cut, and the pool was saved.

Back in the spring, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett did not include funding for the pool in his proposed FY16 county budget. But after hearing about the popularity of the county’s only public pool inside the beltway, the County Council provided the necessary $160,000 for operations and maintenance for the upcoming fiscal year.

However, when more belt-tightening was needed, Leggett proposed cutting pool funding in early July as part of a packag of $51 million in cuts.

Takoma Park residents and others quickly responded. Takoma Park resident Laura Barclay started an online petition through Change.org that had obtained more than 450 signatures by mid-July. “I tried to register to present the petition at the July 28 County Council meeting,” Barclay said, “but they said that they will be talking only about capital expenditures, and the pool is an operating expense. We have been told we can submit the petition by email, but we’re working on a way to present in-person, which would be stronger.”

For Barclay, as well as many other area residents, the pool is an important part of their lives throughout the year. “My kids have taken lessons and been on the swim team organized by Aquatic Stars, which rents the pool,” she said. “I’ve used the pool for the masters swim program that’s organized by Daleview pool.”

Located within a short walk or drive from anywhere in Takoma Park, the pool is a boon for people without cars, said Barclay. “If you look at the other options for swim programs, they’re crazy drives at rush hour,” she said. “This pool is so convenient.”

The presence of the pool within Piney Branch Elementary is yet another benefit, Barclay added. “In my daughter’s fourth-grade class, I’d say a majority of the kids don’t really know how to swim,” she said. “For some, this is their only exposure to a pool.”

The Takoma Park City Council is solidly behind the pool. It unanimously voted on July 13 to support a resolution urging the County Council to return the funds to the budget.

Good signs emerged from the County Council, too, as Planning, Housing, and Economic Development Committee members Nancy Floreen and members George Leventhal and Hans Riemer voted on July 13 in favor of funding the pool.

Meanwhile, some people in Takoma Park have bigger ambitions for the pool. “We are moving into a phase of advocacy for county renovation of the pool,” said Takoma Park Ward 1 Councilmember Seth Grimes. “Desirable elements include facility modernization, accessibility improvements to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards, and physical separation of the pool facilities from the school.”

Grimes said he received a commitment from Montgomery County Recreation Director Gabe Albornoz to conduct an interdepartmental meeting in the fall about possible renovation projects.

Barclay said that the off-on-off nature of the financing has showed that Takoma Park needs to present a long-term plan for the pool. “We don’t want to go through this every year,” she said, noting that it’s not the first time the pool has been threatened with closure.

This article appeared in the August 2015 edition of the Takoma Park Newsletter. The Takoma Park Newsletter is available for download here.