Category Archives: Takoma Park Newsletter

Category for original news items as well as Takoma Park Newsletter articles that are copied into takomaparkmd.gov as web content.

Howard Kohn named volunteer of the year

The Maryland Recreation and Park Association named Howard Kohn its 2015 Community Volunteer of the Year on April 16, during National Volunteer Week. The statewide award, presented at a ceremony in Ocean City, is presented annually to recognize outstanding volunteer service to community parks and recreation program.

Kohn is a familiar face around town, on soccer fields, in city gardens and community festivals, and is known for pitching in just about everywhere he goes. The Recreation Department knows him as a model volunteer who encourages others to pitch in as well.

On the sports scene Kohn was one of the original organizers of the local youth baseball and softball league, the youth soccer league, the winter basketball league and the adult coed softball league. He’s still a soccer commissioner and the baseball fields coordinator, and “Team Howard” still plays softball, with Kohn occasionally “pitching” in as emeritus coach.

On the civic scene Kohn was in the forefront of the campaign for the community center, chaired the Recreation Committee for many years and helped revive the Takoma Foundation. He’s also been active in the Takoma Junction revitalization, the Old Town “main street” effort and upkeep of the woods between Piney Branch Elementary and Takoma Park Middle School. He also helped lead the fight for the new Blair High School and served at Blair as a soccer coach and PTSA officer

At present Kohn is a member or organizer of the Independence Day Committee, Community Health and Empowerment through Education and Research (CHEER), Takoma United for an Engaged Community, MLK Service Day, the Celebrate Takoma festival, the Ready-by-21 Youth Collaborative and the Takoma Park Commemoration Commission. His most recent passion is as a weekend teacher at the youth demonstration gardens on Community Center grounds.

Over more than 30 years as a Takoma Park resident, Kohn has led by example, engaging other volunteers and helping to create a vibrant, engaged community here in this small city. As staff members of the Takoma Park Recreation Department, we congratulate him on this well-deserved award and extend our most sincere thanks for his continuing and generous contribution of time and talent to our programs, and to the community at large.

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

iCan Shine gives the gift of bicycling

The City of Takoma Park Safe Routes to School Program brings iCan Shine Bike Camp to Takoma Park, from July 6-10 at Takoma Academy, 8120 Carroll Ave.

iCan Shine is a non-profit organization that teaches individuals with disabilities to ride a conventional two-wheel bicycle through its iCan Bike program. This five-day camp requires riders to attend one 75-minute session per day.

iCan Shine uses adapted equipment, trained professionals and volunteer spotters. With 75 minutes of instruction over five days, more than 80 percent of riders learn to ride a conventional bicycle independently by the end of camp.

Spaces are available for riders ages 8 to 14 years old. To be eligible to enroll, riders must have an intellectual or physical disability, be able to walk without an assistive device such as a walker or cane, be able to side-step quickly to both sides, must have a minimum inseam measurement of 20 inches and weigh no more than 220 pounds. Riders must wear their own bike helmet and must have an appropriate personal bike available for the iCan Bike program by no later than Thursday (Day Four) of the program. The goal is to transition all riders to their own bikes towards the latter part of the week.

Two volunteer “spotters” are needed per rider. Spotters work with the same rider for each of the five days and experience the thrill of giving the gift of riding a bike! Volunteers must be at least 16 years old (unless accompanied by an adult); be able to attend 90 minutes at the same time each of the five days of camp (15 minutes of training/daily debriefing, 75 minute session); be able to provide physical, emotional and motivational support to the assigned rider and be able and willing to get some exercise (light jogging/running) for a great cause!

This iCan Shine Bike Camp is free. Spaces are still available.

To register for the camp or sign on to volunteer, contact Lucy Neher, lucyn@takomaparkmd.gov.

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

Annual rent increase set at 0.2 percent

Takoma Park’s Rent Stabilization law maintains the affordability of rental units in the community by limiting the number and amount of rent increases allowable for a specific rental unit. Generally, the rent may be increased only once in a given 12-month period, and a two-month written notice is required.

Multi-family rental units and rental condominium units are subject to rent stabilization which limits the rent increase to the percent increase in the Consumer Price Index from March in the preceding year to March in the current year.

Starting on July 1, 2015 and for any rent increases taken through June 30, 2016, the Rent Stabilization Allowance is 0.2 percent. Landlords required to comply with Takoma Park’s Rent Stabilization law cannot increase the rent on occupied units any higher than this allowance.

The following units may be exempt from rent stabilization upon application to the city. The exemption is not automatic and is subject to the approval of the city.

  • Rental units leased to tenants under the Housing Choice Voucher Program;
  • Any rental facility where the rents are regulated under contract by a governmental entity; and
  • Newly constructed rental units for a period of five years after construction.

For more information about the requirements of Takoma Park’s Rent Stabilization law, contact Jean Kerr at 301-891-7216 or at jeank@takomaparkmd.gov.

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

 

Ready, Set, Run: Safe Routes 5K Challenge scheduled May 3

Now in its seventh year, the Safe Routes 5K Challenge road race in Takoma Park is set to break records — and not just in how fast participants reach the finish line. The 5K starts at the Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave., 8 a.m. on Sunday, May 3. A one-mile Fun Run and ¼-mile Youth Run follow at 9 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. respectively. The one mile is timed this year for runners 14 and under.

More than 1,000 people are expected to participate in this May 3 event.

Started in 2009 as a way to spread the word about the Takoma Park Safe Routes to School program, which promotes pedestrian and bicycle safety, the race also has proved to be a great way to get kids and families active. In addition to encouraging safety and exercise, the program seeks to reduce traffic congestion and emissions around schools by getting people out of their vehicles.

Largely because of this race, the City of Takoma Park’s Safe Routes to School program is now recognized as a go-to place for pedestrian and bike safety. In October 2012, the program was featured on Fast Lane, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation’s blog, when Deputy Secretary of Transportation walked to school with Piney Branch students and presented a national award to the Takoma Park Safe Routes to School program and the participating schools.

More than 45 organizations and businesses have supported the race this year, with sponsorships and in-kind donations ranging from $20 to $5,000. Top funders include Lusid Media, Finn Family Group, and Social and Scientific Systems, Inc.

Money raised from the race supports the PTA at five schools in the City of Takoma Park: Piney Branch Elementary, Takoma Park Elementary, East Silver Spring Elementary, Rolling Terrace Elementary and Takoma Park Middle School.

Schools find creative ways to use their funds, 50 percent of which are required to go towards pedestrian and bike education or health and fitness programming. For example, Piney Branch Elementary used proceeds to buy playground equipment and East Silver Spring Elementary now sponsors the popular “run club” which has more than 100 members.

This family friendly race is open to all ages and abilities. Participants can run or walk a ¼ mile, mile or 5K (3.2 miles). For more information on how to participate visit: www.tkpk5k.com.

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

For O’Connors, Blair Theatre is much more than a show

By Kevin Adler

Rehearsal at a Kelly O’Connor theater production is like any other rehearsal—if that other rehearsal has two casts, a full orchestra, ongoing set construction, a dozen volunteers racing around, and the director’s husband, mother and father onsite.

That’s a typical Saturday afternoon for Kelly, a Takoma Park resident and the director of the Blair Theatre Program since 1998. She is directing this month’s “Fiddler on the Roof.”

While the lead actors and ensemble run through the song “To Life,” Kelly is backstage, working on costume fittings. Former Blair student Vera Belaia, visiting for the weekend, directs the 30 actors, and former student Brandon Crabtree leads the stage crew

Then Kelly, a sprightly blonde who looks scarcely older than some of her actors, returns to the stage mid-song. When it’s finished, she demonstrates a flourish for the dancers and asks the construction crew to move a house at a sharper angle to the audience.

Meanwhile, the understudies take their places for their run-through of “To Life,” and Kelly confers with Vocal Director Jennifer McGinnis. During the song, Kelly exchanges whispered observations with husband and collaborator John O’Connor before dashing backstage again.

“How does it come together? As Philip Henslowe says in the movie ‘Shakespeare in Love’: ‘I don’t know. It’s a mystery,’” John says.

Mystery, but it works. “I tell my students in my theater classes that you have to take risks…like speaking in public or singing. These skills will have benefits for the rest of their lives,” Kelly says.

“It’s not about making great actors,” adds John, though the O’Connors have inspired dozens of students to major in the performing arts in college. “It’s about learning teamwork and meeting deadlines. And it’s about equipping the students to understand theater, to be prepared to read a play and understand a play.”

Directing and acting are year-round activities for the pair, with fall and spring plays at Blair; writing, directing and acting in Lumina Theater’s adult group; and a summer Shakespeare course in Oxford, England.

“I tell my students in my theater classes that you have to take risks…like speaking in public or singing.”

Each spring, Blair’s musical fills the stage with casts of 40 or more, plus a live student orchestra. “Fiddler” is the weekends of April 24-26 and May 1-2.

Each fall, Blair does a “black box” performance of a drama or comedy, with bleacher-style seating for about 200. Last fall was “Treasure Island,” but two out of three years are Shakespeare. “Shakespeare isn’t easy, but it’s so important for students to start to get hold of that language. And when they get hold of it, it stays with them forever,” Kelly says.

And there are practical reasons, too. “No royalties. Lots of speaking parts,” John laughed.

Plus, in both spring and fall, the students in Kelly’s Blair drama classes perform scaled-down plays from scenes stitched together by John. On May 21-22, they will be showcasing British comic novelist P.G. Wodehouse, free to the public.

Preparation for every show begins with a close reading and discussion of the text, often led by John, a Shakespeare scholar and professor. (Kelly and John met when she took his Shakespeare summer course in Oxford and returned for several years to join his acting company, Cakes and Ale, in England.)

“We ask the kids what questions they have about the scenes they have read. Often what they think is the dumbest question is the one that gets to the heart of the play,” he said.

From there, Kelly works on concepts for sets, costumes and on-stage blocking, backed by legions of student and parent volunteers. This year, for example, Blair senior Dio Cramer took almost complete charge of the set design for “Fiddler,” evoking Cubist artists such as Georges Braque.

Even when rehearsals begin, change is in the air. “We don’t impose blocking at the start. We watch what the actors do, and our job is to say, ‘I really like what you did, keep it in,’” John says.

“We watch what the actors do, and our job is to say, ‘I really like what you did, keep it in,’”

This level of openness extends to welcoming Blair students from every part of the giant school, magnet programs to ESOL. It means giving new actors big roles earlier than they might expect, and graduating students from ensemble to lead roles over the years.

“Kelly and John will give an opportunity to a student that you just don’t see other programs doing. It can be adding a student to the ensemble, or making unexpected choices for lead actors,” said Joan McFarland, a parent volunteer whose daughter Samantha Chyatte is one of the leads in “Fiddler.”

Langston Cotman was given the role of Sky Masterson in “Guys and Dolls” as a ninth grader, in the first play for which he auditioned. “I went and hammed it up and smiled my butt off. The O’Connors took a chance on me,” he said.

From this start, Cotman was in six plays in four years. “They coach you up, and it’s more than just learning your lines. They spent a lot of extra time with me,” said the 2014 Blair graduate.

Now taking a gap year before starting college in the fall, Cotman got his first chance on a semi-professional stage through the O’Connors. He was in Lumina Theater’s adult production of “Our Mutual Friend” in February. Naturally, Kelly played one of the female leads, and John wrote the play as an adaptation of the Dickens novel.

Whether at Blair or Lumina, professionalism is a byword with the O’Connors. Rehearsals start on time; costumes and dances are authentic to their period; actors understand their characters. It even comes down to the smallest detail, like an onstage kiss. “We teach them the ‘fivesecond rule’ for kisses,” said John. “If they hold that kiss for five seconds, it looks real.”

Remarkably, however, neither Kelly nor John have college degrees in drama, though Kelly minored in theater at Catholic University. “I’ve learned by doing,” she said. “I love the rehearsal process, of it all coming together…of seeing what students respond to.”

One way the O’Connors incorporate so many students in the musicals is to use “over-studies” and understudies, basically two sets of lead actors. The understudies are guaranteed one performance. For the fall play, the O’Connors build two separate casts, in order to maximize participation.

“It takes a lot of extra work and dedication on their part,” said McFarland, who is one of two vocal directors this spring and is a professional choral conductor and singer.

Inclusiveness doesn’t just come in numbers, either. “The O’Connors are not afraid to take students who don’t have the typical stage ‘look’ or presence, and work with them,” added Judith Arbacher, president of the Blair Theatre Boosters and parent of Rachel, who is the grandmother in “Fiddler.”

“It’s marvelous because kids come to the play and see someone onstage who looks like them, rather than what you see on TV,” said Arbacher. “For some kids in our community, this might be the only live theater that they see, so it’s even more meaningful.”

Brothers Audrey and Fridien Tchoukoua, who moved to Silver Spring from Cameroon as teens, are examples of how inclusiveness can change lives. With limited English, neither would have seemed to be a likely theater star, but John and Kelly saw something special. Fast-forward a few years, and the brothers are at Sewanee University on full scholarships, Audrey studying theater.

“I was taking ESOL, and my goal was to learn English, to think in English, to be culturally immersed in it,” said Audrey. “I can hold a tune and sing with passion, but I had never acted, never seen a professional play.”

His singing audition wowed Kelly, and Audrey instantly became part of the Blair Theatre extended family. “Kelly worked with me to learn pronunciation of American vowels. And they taught me so much about the importance of the collective work of the theater. Those were some of the most meaningful and memorable moments of my life,” he said.

The program’s support went a step further when Audrey was a senior and cast as “Les Miserables” star Jean Valjean. With family finances tight, Audrey’s mother wanted him to take an after-school job rather than the play. Instead, the Blair Boosters funded a “fellowship” for him that was the equivalent of what he could have earned that spring. “I’ll never forget it,” Audrey said.

It’s all part of the “no detail left unattended” attitude that drives the O’Connors.

Kelly admits she’s obsessed with costumes, and she’s forever sewing and tailoring for the perfect effect. She, her parents and John haunt local thrifts and craft stores for costumes and props, the latter of which take up residence in the O’Connor home. “We have a phonograph in our living room that we bought at Value Village that has probably been in a half-dozen shows,” says John.

Their house on Tulip Avenue in Takoma Park is a tribute to the written word. Busts of poets and playwrights, packed bookshelves, and theater posters – as well as umbrella stands, medallions, teacups, and many other curiosities – are the perfect backdrop for occasional theatrical readings and a steady flow of visits from students.

Add it up, and it’s a package that has influence far beyond a few kids for a few high school years. For 2004 Blair graduate Jordan (McCraw) Thorley, Kelly is a model for her career as a high school drama teacher in Gloucestershire, England. “Everyone wanted to be around her,” said Thorley. “It was a happy place to be in high school.”

Thorley said that she applies the lessons she learned acting and on stage crew, from how to run auditions to the importance of giving students a voice. “I love how Kelly gave us creative freedom. It’s particularly important in England, where academics are so examination-based, even in drama,” she said.

A few years ago, Thorley brought some of her students to the U.S., and they watched the Blair performance of “Taming of the Shrew.” “My students were awed. They thought there would be no way these Americans would understand it—because my students have trouble engaging with Shakespeare. But Kelly and John have the ability to make classical works relevant for 15 year-olds. It’s a gift,” Thorley said.

That gift goes both ways, as the students inspire the O’Connors just as much as they inspire the students. “There’s something that young actors bring to the stage. I think it’s the heart-on-the-sleeve emotions that are a part of teenage life. Even if a professional actor is more technically proficient, the way that kids are living in the moment adds a special quality to the plays,” Kelly says.

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

Tabletop, Spring Mill Bakery are open for business

In late April, two new shops opened for business in Takoma Park.

After 12 years in Dupont Circle, Tabletop, a gift shop, opened a second location in downtown Takoma Park. The new address is 6927 Laurel Ave., the space formerly occupied by Now and Then.

Tabletop is known for featuring a variety of goods from design companies such as Orla Kiely, Rifle Paper and Sagaform, as well as smaller craft companies such as Cate and Levi, Xenia Taler and Velvet Moustache. Washington City Paper declared Tabletop the best place to buy gifts in 2015.

The shop celebrated its new space on April 28 with a ribbon cutting attended by Takoma Park Mayor Bruce Williams and others. A grand opening party followed on Friday, May 1.

To learn more, see www.tabletopdc.com, facebook.com/tabletopdc or instagram.com/thetabletopdc.

Meanwhile, at Takoma Junction, the long-awaited Spring Mill Bread Company opened its fifth Washington metropolitan area location, at 7300 Carroll Ave. The retail bakery bakes breads and sweets known for their natural ingredients and freshlymilled whole wheat flour. Selections are baked daily, from scratch. In addition to breads, Spring Mill offers cookies, muffins, brownies, cupcakes and cinnamon rolls. It has a small seating area and will be serving soups, sandwiches and coffee as well.

Spring Mill also celebrated its opening with an April 28 ribbon cutting. To learn more, see www.springmillbread.com or www.facebook.com/pages/Spring-MillBread-Company.

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

DDOT Plans Met Branch Trail Extension into Maryland

The Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT), long planned to connect Takoma Park and Silver Spring with downtown Washington, D.C. took another crank of the pedal closer to completion last month. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) released early plans for the trail improvement and extension running from the Brookland neighborhood near the Catholic University of America in D.C., up past the Fort Totten Transfer Station and Metro Station, and snaking adjacent the Red Line tracks, mostly via a new, separated trail on Blair Road.

The MBT is an important route for commuters heading both north and south between its termini at the Silver Spring Metro Station in Maryland and Union Station in D.C., with several destinations along the way. Many bicyclists use the current interim on-road routes between the trail segments in Takoma Park and downtown D.C. The segments currently under design will help bridge these important gaps, providing a cycling facility through difficult areas like the Fort Totten Transfer Station and adjacent National Park Services Lands. The schedule anticipates the final design will wrap up in 2016, with construction beginning in 2017.

Not included at this time is the segment along Maple, Cedar and Carroll streets and Eastern Avenue in Takoma D.C., though DDOT does plan to extend the Takoma Park segment of the trail to Piney Branch Road. The agency is still planning routes for the trail east and west of the Takoma Metro Station.

For more information, and to download the latest maps and graphics, visit: www.metbranchtrail.com/resources.

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

New apartments going up on Willow Street and Maple

The long-vacant land on Willow Street and Maple Street just on the edge of Takoma’s Old Town is buzzing with construction activity, as workers begin to erect two apartment buildings. According to news reports, the buildings are expected to be complete by spring 2016.

The project, located in the historic district of Takoma, D.C. behind the CVS drugstore, broke ground in February and is currently in its initial stages: The foundation has been dug, and structure is beginning to rise. Eventually, what is now a hole in the ground will be two three-story buildings with a total of 99 “garden style” apartments, plus three single family homes. The complex will also include three single-family homes: Two existing early-20th-century homes are being preserved but moved elsewhere on the site. A third home was in such poor shape it was demolished, and will be replaced with a house the developer told elevationdcmedia.com will be in keeping with the historic district. Unlike other recent developments in the area, which have combined ground-floor retail with residential units above, the entire project will be residential only.

Although Douglas representatives did not return phone calls to confirm, news reports have described the concept plan for the two apartment buildings as including brick exteriors, red tile roofs and multi-pane windows. Each building has a basement and a roof deck. Recent reports indicate a 92-space parking lot, and parking for each of the single-family homes. Apartments – 49 units in one building, 50 in the other – include studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. Eleven of the project’s units will be designated as affordable housing, including 10 apartments and one house.

Douglas Development also owns the 161,798-square-foot building at 6856 Eastern Avenue, where a number of businesses and services are located. Douglas is planning renovations on that building, which was originally built in 1956 and for many years housed the Seventh Day Adventist offices and publishing operation. The plan is to convert some of the ground-floor space to retail, and use the upper floors for offices.

Among the current tenants there are the Takoma Children’s School, AYUDA, several offices and an e-commerce business, BrightLife Direct, that sells compression garments. There are also a number of arts-related businesses there: Washington Opera is on the third floor, with studios, rehearsal space and business offices. D.C. Arts Studios, formerly A Salon, is a collective of about 70 working artist studios there. And two dance studios are on the first floor: The Lab D.C., a breakdancing school, and Knock On Wood tap dancing studio.

Around the corner at 6896 Laurel St. NW, Douglas also owns the building currently occupied by the EF International Language Center.

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