City Council agenda (PDF) | Watch City Council TV
Tonight: money and decisions
| Project / Bidder | Bid | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Leaf Vacuum Equipment Maryland Industrial Trucks |
$78,264.55 | Bid |
| Police Entrance, Dispatch and Atrium Renovation Shelterline Ltd. |
$1,062,500.00 | Lowest responsive; recommended |
Replacement leaf vacuum
SECOND READING & VOTE | Public Works equipment purchase | (PDF)
Bids: Maryland Industrial Trucks $78,264.55 & Atlantic Machinery Inc $87,876.00
Presentations
Community Quality of Life Grant Impact | Staff Report (PDF) • Report (PDF)
Takoma Park's Community Quality of Life Grant Program supports local organizations that help residents with everyday needs, create opportunities for young people, and strengthen community connections.
Housing and Community Development Department | Staff Report (PDF) Presentation (PDF)
The Housing and Community Development Department supported residents through housing assistance, tenant protections, local business programs, public art, and transportation improvements. Upcoming priorities include rent stabilization reforms, stronger code enforcement, pedestrian safety projects, and Recreation Center redevelopment.
Public Comment + Discussion
Halloween Safety on Maple Avenue
Julie Newport of Willow Avenue has started a Change.org petition calling for Maple Avenue to be closed to traffic from 6 to 9 p.m. on Halloween. I support this temporary closure. With hundreds of children, parents, and pups out trick-or-treating, the sheer volume of pedestrians creates a safety hazard. Masks, elaborate costumes, and darkness make crossing the street especially challenging. Let’s stay alert to what City Staff propose as a solution at next week’s Council meeting.
Police entrance, dispatch and atrium close-in
WORK SESSION | Contractor selection complete; contract award under review
Eight firms responded to the June qualifications solicitation; six advanced; five submitted prices, including one nonresponsive bid. City staff recommend Shelterline Ltd., the lowest responsive bidder, for a $1,062,500 construction contract. The proposed ordinance would also authorize up to $106,250 for changes during construction.
October 21, 2026 • Contract award staff report, bid comparison and draft ordinance
Discussion and Review of Plans for Lower Level Community Center Renovation (PDF)
Project Info and Timeline
Target Completion Date: December 2027
Takoma Park’s Role in Project: Lead
Department Involved: Police, Public Works, Recreation
Budget & Funding Source
Budget: The FY27 budget includes $1.4 M for construction ($1.2M is City funds and $200K is State funding)
TP Funding Source: Capital Improvement Budget
The five construction bids
| Bidder | Bid | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Shelterline Ltd. | $1,062,500 | Lowest responsive; recommended |
| Keller Brothers Inc. | $1,272,851 | Responsive |
| HBW Construction | $1,463,277 | Responsive |
| Nardi Construction | $1,510,264 | Responsive |
| Rich Moe | $1,641,118 | Nonresponsive |
Police atrium project: history and documents
Explore the planning, funding decisions and public documents behind the proposed renovation. Select a year to read more.
2013–19 Initial planning and design
The City commissioned Bignell, Watkins and Hasser to study closing the opening between floors. Designs were completed around FY2019, but earlier pricing exceeded available funding and the project was delayed.
2022 Revised plans and funding
Council reviewed revised plans that incorporated space for mental-health counselors. The projected budget was $1.2 million, consisting of $1 million in ARPA support and $200,000 from the Facility Maintenance Reserve.
2024–25 Budget deliberations
Council revisited the project through the financial forecast and FY2026 budget deliberations, including questions about value engineering and the proposed $285,000 addition for contingency and oversight. The chronology supplied for this Digest describes amendments and votes in April 2025; individual vote counts should be checked in the official minutes.
2026 Updates and contractor selection
The March 25 update and FY2027 budget questions addressed schedule, scope and cost. Staff reported no substantive change in design; they also identified additional furniture funding. The City issued its construction RFQ June 25 and proposals arrived in October.
What has actually been spent?
I believe the City should publish a running, all-in accounting for every capital project of this scale, from initial planning through completion. That total should include money already spent, design and consultant fees, construction contracts and change orders, outstanding commitments, and the cost of City staff hours devoted to the project. Residents should be able to see the full cost to date, the amount still budgeted, and the projected final cost, with regular updates as the project moves forward.
What the $1.72 million budget covers
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Construction contract | $1,062,500 |
| Construction contingency | $106,250 |
| Design, engineering and construction management | $246,928 |
| Permitting | $37,866 |
| Furniture, fixtures and equipment | $77,130 |
| Additional contingency | $189,326 |
| TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET | $1,720,000 |
Doug's Take
Residents should have known more, much earlier.
We're talking about a major renovation with an overall project budget of $1.72 million. Based on my conversations with people in the community, I don't believe most residents understand what is being proposed, how significantly the building will change, or how much we're preparing to spend. I'm sure some residents have followed the project closely, but participation shouldn't require watching every Council meeting or searching through years of budget documents.
Before reaching contractor selection, the City should have organized public walkthroughs of the existing facility. We could even have used painter's tape to show where new walls, offices and corridors would go. Architectural plans and renderings should have been displayed prominently at the Community Center for at least 30 days, with plenty of advance notice and opportunities for residents to ask questions.
We need a better way to explain major capital projects.
Our experience with cost overruns on the library project and the earlier Community Center construction should have taught us the importance of transparency from the beginning. When we're preparing to spend this kind of money, residents deserve a clear explanation of the total project cost, what's already been spent, how much funding comes from grants or other outside sources, and how much must come from City funds.
That accounting should include architectural and engineering fees, consultants, construction management, contingency funds, change orders and City staff time. It should also be updated regularly so residents can see whether the project remains on budget and what its projected final cost will be.
We need a more deliberate public notification process for major capital projects, with accessible presentations, opportunities to visit the site when appropriate, and clear explanations of costs and alternatives well before decisions become difficult to reverse.
And we should have discussed the design alternatives.
I'm particularly concerned about closing in the atrium. I would prefer to preserve its openness and natural light while still meeting the Department's legitimate privacy and sound-control needs. I would have liked to see options such as glass or acoustically secure partitions, along with ideas for incorporating local art, plants or a green installation into the space.
Residents should also have been shown exactly how the newly created upper-level floor area would be used. These are substantial changes to a public building, and I don't believe we've had an adequate community discussion about them.
We can do better.
I am concerned that the project will ultimately cost more than the current estimate. We should understand the costs of the atrium enclosure, the alternatives considered, and the protections against expensive change orders before making a major construction commitment.
I want the Police Department to have a safe, functional facility that serves employees and residents well. I also want taxpayers to know exactly what we're building, why we're building it, and what it will ultimately cost. With projects of this size, meaningful public engagement needs to happen before we're selecting contractors, not after.
How the ground floor will be changed
Conceptual plans, May 2022. These are NOT the final 2026 construction drawings. N.I.C. denotes areas not in the contract shown.
