Dear Neighbors:
Whether you traveled far or stayed local as I did, I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving, with time to see relatives, friends and neighbors, and to also relax or perhaps re-charge a bit. As we head into the holiday season, there’s less City Council activity than usual, but I wanted to provide a few brief updates along with information about some upcoming events that may be of interest to residents.
City Council Schedule. The Council won’t be meeting for the remainder of this year, except on the evening of Wednesday, December 11. On that date we’ll have a joint meeting in the Council auditorium starting at 7:00 PM with our State Legislators -- Senator Will Smith, and Delegates David Moon, Jheanelle Wilkins and Lorig Charkoudian -- to discuss legislative priorities for 2020. The meeting includes a public comment period -- to sign up please call 301-891-7214 or email Clerk@TakomaParkMD.gov.
The first Council meeting next year will take place on Wednesday, January 15. In January we’ll also once again be undertaking our annual Council priority-setting effort, and there will be opportunities for resident involvement in that process as well. I’ll provide details in a future blog.
Montgomery County Council Small Cell Tower Hearing. On December 19 I represented the City Council in testimony before the County Council at their hearing on small cell towers. As outlined in both my testimony and the letter we sent to County Councilmembers several days earlier, in Takoma Park we’re particularly concerned that the initial County proposal would allow the placement of small cell towers very close to residential areas in the City with minimal oversight. I’ll continue to work with my City Council colleagues and interested residents to press for improvements in the County proposal. You can see the City Council letter through this link: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/initiatives/project-directory/Small%20Cell%20ZTA%20Letter.pdf. Video of my testimony can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lpabr5GpJj8&feature=youtu.be. My part starts at the 9-minute mark.
Deputy City Manager Update. I was very sorry to learn that our excellent Deputy City Manager Jason Damweber will be moving with his family to Colorado to pursue other opportunities. There’s a brief statement on his departure, plus the job announcement for anyone who wishes to apply for the position, at the following link: https://takomaparkmd.gov/news/best-wishes-to-dcm-jason-damweber/
December 11 Office Hours. I’ll be holding office hours on Wednesday, December 11, from 4:00 - 6:00 PM at Takoma Bevco. Residents are welcome to stop by to meet with me to discuss any topics they wish. No appointments are necessary. If that time is inconvenient, you’re welcome to contact me via email to set up another time to meet.
Upcoming Events
Friends of the Library Holiday Book Sale -- December 7, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Community Center Game Room
Takoma Park Holiday Art Sale -- December 7, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM, Community Center
Alternative Gift Fair -- December 7, Noon - 4:00 PM, Presbyterian Church at Tulip-Maple Ave. intersection
Craftswomen Art Show -- December 7, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM & December 8, Noon - 6 PM, 7208 Maple Avenue
Cedar Avenue Artists Holiday Show -- December 7 & 8, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM, 7209 Cedar Avenue.
Pajamarama -- December 8, 8:00 AM -- 11:00 AM: Pajama-wearing shoppers are eligible for discounts in many Old Town stores. https://mainstreettakoma.org/featured-events/pajamarama/
Takoma Cocoa Crawl -- December 14, 3:00 - 5:00 PM: A number of Old Town restaurants and other businesses are participating. https://mainstreettakoma.org/event/takoma-cocoa-crawl-4/
11th Annual Takoma Park Authors Book Fair -- Saturday, December 14, 2:00 - 5:00 PM, Busboys and Poets at 235 Carroll Street NW, Washington, DC
You can also see a schedule for other local holiday events through this Old Takoma Business Association link: https://mainstreettakoma.org/events/month/
Police Department Announcements
Police Academy -- applications from any residents who wish to participate will be accepted through December 20. https://takomaparkmd.gov/public-notices/the-community-police-academy-will-begin-on-tuesday-january-7-2020/
Police Winter Coat Drive -- through December 20. https://takomaparkmd.gov/public-notices/winter-coat-drive-begins-monday-november-4/
Pack the Patrol Car -- Until December 24 you can drop off UNWRAPPED TOYS for children aged 2 - 12. Monetary donations will also be accepted. https://takomaparkmd.gov/news/help-takoma-park-police-packthepatrolcar-for-the-holidays-starts-now-through-dec-24th/.
Please feel free to be in touch with questions or comments about any of the topics covered in this message.
Peter Kovar
Takoma Park City Council
Ward One
240-319-6281