Yard waste collection was not able to be completed citywide on Monday. The crews will continue to collect yard waste through out the week – separately from trash. Please keep your yard waste at the curb and it will be picked up over the rest of the week. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Montgomery County Primary Election Information
Maryland Primary Election Day is Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Maryland General Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2018
This election is conducted by the Montgomery County Board of Elections. For information, contact 240-777-8500 or visit the website at: www.777vote.org.
Primary Election Information
• June 5, 2018, 9:00 pm – Deadline to register to vote, change party affiliation, or change address for the Primary Election. You must be registered with either the Democratic or Republican Party to vote in a political party’s primary election. The only non-partisan offices which may be elected in the 2018 Gubernatorial Primary Election are the School Board; any voter may vote for these offices. If hand-delivered, your registration must be received at the Montgomery County Board of Elections by 9:00 pm on June 5. If mailed, the application must be postmarked by June 5.
• Absentee Voting in the Primary Election. The deadline depends on how you want to receive your blank ballot. Your request must be received by the Montgomery Co. Board of Elections (not just mailed) by:
o Tuesday, June 19, 2018, if you want to receive your ballot by mail or fax
o Friday, June 22, 2018, if you want to download your ballot from the State’s website
• Early Voting for the Primary Election occurs June 14 – June 21, 2018. Early Voting Centers are open from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. The closest Early Voting Center to Takoma Park is the Silver Spring Civic Building, 1 Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring MD 20910. ADA entrance is between Ellsworth & Pershing.
Sudden Off-duty Passing of Takoma Park Police Officer
It is with extreme sadness that the Takoma Park Police Department announces the sudden off-duty passing of Acting Detective Sergeant Matthew L. Barber. A/Det. Sgt. Barber was a 13-year veteran of the Takoma Park Police Department. He is survived by his wife, a Metropolitan (DC) officer, and two daughters.
“Detective Sergeant Barber was an exceptional police officer and friend. This is a difficult time for all members of the police department; one we will get through by leaning on each other,” said Chief Antonio DeVaul.
“Over the last 13-years, we have been very fortunate that Detective Sergeant Barber chose to serve in our community. We are a stronger, safer community thanks to his dedication and work. He will be missed by all. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family,” said Mayor Kate Stewart.
Information regarding funeral arrangements and ways to support A/Det. Sgt. Barber’s family will be available in the near future. Please keep Acting Sergeant Barber, his family, and members of the Takoma Park Police Department in your thoughts and prayers during this extremely difficult time.
2018 Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Day
The 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Day is scheduled for Saturday, June 2, 2018 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Public Works Yard.
On Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Day, Takoma Park residents can drop off household hazardous waste for free (non-residents will be charged a $10 fee) at the Public Works Yard. For information about accepted items, please visit the HHWD page.
Celebrate Takoma: The block is hot in our little melting pot!
UPDATE: Due to the inclement weather today (5/19), the Celebrate Takoma Festival will be moved inside Piney Branch Elementary School. While no parking restrictions will still be enforced, Grant Avenue and Maple Avenue will not be closed to traffic .
What is a festival? A festival is an event celebrated by a community focusing on a specific characteristic of that community and its cultures. Celebrate Takoma fits this definition to a tee!
Takoma Park is a patchwork quilt of diverse people with their own varying cultures and backgrounds. This is what makes our community so special. Where else can you experience Latin American, West African, Middle Eastern, European, and so many more cultures in under 3 square miles?
Join us on May 19th from 4-7 pm as we honor all these amazing cultures at our annual festival, Celebrate Takoma! Now in its 6th year, this community festival sponsored by the City of Takoma Park Recreation Department, will turn Maple Avenue into a fun and lively micro melting pot.
This festival, held between Philadelphia and Lee Avenues, features music, dance, food, games, children’s crafts all from around the world. There will also be representatives from different community groups and businesses from around the City, and the annual presentation of the Azalea Awards. The Azalea Awards will be presented to volunteers and activists who have been selected as the year’s best at improving life in the greater Takoma community. Black Masala will kick off the event with a sampling of international music and the steel pan band Panquility will close out Celebrate Takoma with the shake-shake-shake percussion, which is always a fan favorite!
Celebrate Takoma fosters community pride, introduces people to new cultures and strengthens relationships between residents and neighbors alike. It leads to new friendships and allows for a community that is strong in diversity to come together as one. So bring a lawn chair or blanket and joins us for an evening of unity and fun!
For more information including street closures visit https://takomaparkmd.gov/government/recreation/celebrate-takoma-festival/
Film Screening this Thursday Highlights Power of Public Protest in Burkina Faso
How can a seemingly powerless public triumph over tyranny? The people of Burkina Faso showed how it’s done when they rose up in massive street protests in 2014 to overthrow a dictator who ruled the West African country for 27 years. The City of Takoma Park’s We Are Takoma cultural series will highlight that neglected story in a free screening of Burkinabè Rising: The Art of Resistance in Burkina Faso, a new documentary from Cultures of Resistance Films. The screening will be held at 7:30 pm on Thursday, May 3, at the Takoma Park Community Center at 7500 Maple Avenue.
Burkina Faso is home to a vibrant community of artists and engaged citizens who showed how political change can be achieved when people come together. Dance, music, visual arts, and citizen journalists are highlighted in this compelling film.
After the screening, there will be a panel discussion with Barthelemy Bazemo, a policy analyst with the Africa Faith & Justice Network who grew up in Burkina Faso, and Paul Sankara, the brother of former Burkina Faso President Thomas Sankara who was assassinated in a 1987 coup. Kerry Danner of Georgetown University will facilitate the discussion and a Q&A with the audience.
Donations will be collected to benefit an orphanage in Burkina Faso that is featured in the film. You can check out our Facebook event and watch the trailer. We hope you’ll join us Thursday night.
FIRST-TIME HOME BUYERS SEMINAR
Make a well informed decision when you purchase your first home. Come and join us for this free first-time home buyer seminar, led by the Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC), a HUD certified housing organization. This seminar is the opportunity to get answers to your many questions from the professionals involved in the home buying process. Attend the entire session and receive a Certificate of Completion, allowing you access to low interest loans.
First-Time Home Buyer Seminar
Saturday, May 12, 2018
8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, MD
Class size is limited and pre-registration is required. To register, please contact the Housing & Community Development Department at (301) 891-7119 or sign up at http://bit.ly/2BWg0Lq
Continental breakfast and light lunch will be provided.
Wireless Emergency Alert Test: April 5, 2018
Will you be in the National Capital Region on Thursday, April 5, between 10-11 a.m.? If so, chances are extremely high that you will be part of the country’s first regional Wireless Emergency Alert system test using geo-target capabilities.
Twenty jurisdictions, including Takoma Park, will simultaneously issue a test message to the public through the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system. Local jurisdiction participating include: City of Alexandria, City of Bowie, City of College Park, City of Fairfax, City of Falls Church, City of Gaithersburg, City of Greenbelt, City of Takoma Park, City of Manassas, City of Manassas Park, City of Rockville, District of Columbia, Arlington County, Charles County, Fairfax County, Frederick County, Loudoun County, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County and Prince William County.
Cell phones or other mobile devices in the participating jurisdictions will receive the following message: “A test of Montgomery County’s Emergency Alert System. No action required.” WEA triggers a loud noise and text message on cell phones and enabled mobile devices.
It’s extremely possible during this exercise individuals may receive more than one WEA message. During an actual emergency officials are committed to providing critical life-saving information; therefore, there is no exclusivity to this responsibility. We want to ensure the safety of the public which means we will communicate as much as possible in as many ways as possible.
Periodic testing of public alert and warning systems help assess the operational readiness of the system and identify any improvements. Public safety officials need to be sure that in times of an emergency or disaster, they have reliable methods and systems that will deliver urgent alerts and warnings to the public. Conducting a regional test supports the continued use, training, and improvement of the WEA system.
Since its launch in 2012, the WEA system has been used more than 33,000 times nationwide to warn the public about dangerous weather, missing children, and other critical situations.
Additional information on WEA is located at: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/wireless-emergency-alerts-wea.
March 21 City Council meeting canceled
The March 21 City Council meeting is canceled due to inclement weather.
The City Council meeting of March 21 may be canceled due to inclement weather.
The City Council Meeting of March 21 may be canceled due to inclement weather. Please check the website for updates. The City generally follows the Federal Government on closings and delays.
Even if the meeting is held as planned, the item on the Preliminary Results of the City’s Takoma Junction Traffic Study has been postponed. Weather delays in data collection significantly slowed the project. A new presentation date will be set when there is adequate information and analysis for consideration and discussion.
