PRESENT:
Mayor Williams Councilmember Barry Councilmember Clay Councilmember Robinson Councilmember Seamens Councilmember Snipper Councilmember Wright		City Manager Matthews Deputy City Manager Ludlow City Clerk Carpenter

 

The City Council convened at 7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Takoma Park Community Center -- Sam Abbott Citizens' Center, 7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, Maryland.

Mayor Williams noted for the record a proclamation recognizing Kevin Adler for his work with the Takoma Park Folk Festival. (Proclamation attached.)

Mr. Williams addressed the request to schedule a worksession discussion on banning gas powered leaf blowers. He said he would schedule the discussion in January, but wanted to broaden the discussion to include the issue of banning things and the legal implications, the impact of a ban on large institutions and seniors, development of an overall five year environmental plan, and inclusion of the Committee on the Environment or another resident committee in the process.

Mr. Williams reported that he had attended the tree planting on New Hampshire Avenue on Saturday. He had also attend Arts and Humanities Day and a ribbon cutting for the opening of Merrimac Gardens.

Mr. Wright agreed with taking a broad perspective on discussion of the leaf blower issue and hoped to have a similar discussion on stormwater management. Regarding mansionization, Mr. Wright said he hoped to address the issue in coordination with the County.
 
Ms. Clay noted a planned Halloween event at her home, the upcoming MML Fall Conference, and the Fire Station groundbreaking which was scheduled for October 23. Ms. Clay said she would like the City to take up the issue of sidewalks and other pedestrian safety issues.

Ms. Clay commented on the Folk Festival and the opportunity to volunteer as a way to contribute to the event.

Ms. Clay thanked the City for its response to the WSSC issues. She requested assistance from Councilmember Ervin’s office on getting WSSC to provide better notification.

Mr. Seamens complimented organizers of Arts and Humanities Day.

Mr. Snipper noted that he had also attended the ribbon cutting at Merrimac Gardens. He said it was a great thing to see the tenants being able to move into their apartments.

Mr. Snipper reminded people to follow bicycle safety laws.

Mr. Snipper commented on WSSC and street work that was begun but not completed. He also requested assistance on getting Pepco to respond to streetlight outages.

Mr. Robinson thanked the authors of the letter requesting the Council to address the issue of leaf blowers. He said he was interested in working through the committees and staff to do some specific things related to the environment.

Mr. Barry commented that he agreed with the Mayor’s suggestions for addressing the leaf blower issue. He said he would like to frame the issue in a way that urges each household and business to see what they can do to reduce their carbon footprint.

Mr. Barry noted the door hanger which was put out by the Public Safety Citizens Advisory Committee. He thanked those involved in distributing it.

(1) Update from County Councilmember Valerie Ervin

Ms. Ervin reported on a number of items of interest to the City. She offered to assist with getting Pepco lights repaired and encouraged residents to contact her office. Ms. Ervin thanked Mr. Seamens for bringing the Ritchie Avenue traffic study issue to her attention. She reported that Art Holmes had agreed to fund a one time only $10,000 to do an additional traffic study.

Ms. Ervin commented on her interest in a "smart bike" program similar to that in D.C. She indicated her interest in partnering with the City as a location for the bikes.

Ms. Ervin noted her interest in encouraging community gardens.

Ms. Ervin indicated that she was following up with WSSC on issues of concern to the City.

Ms. Ervin commented on budget issues at the County level. She said everything would be on the table for consideration.

Councilmembers asked for Ms. Ervin’s continued assistance with the Takoma Metro, just cause eviction legislation, and having streetlights in the City included on the County’s GIS system.

(2) Discussion of In-Fill Development (Mansionization)

Marybeth O’Quinn of Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning made a presentation on the Infill Housing Task Force Report.

Suzanne Ludlow, Deputy City Manager and Wayne Goldstein, President of Montgomery Preservation, Inc. were also present for the discussion.

The Council adjourned for the evening at 10:50 p.m.