News

BY STACEY GURIAN-SHERMAN

As in the old rhyme, "inch by inch and row by row, I'm gonna make that garden grow," the idea behind the Takoma Foundation's Buy-A-Brick fundraiser is to cultivate personal investments in the City of Takoma Park's new community center.

Now that construction of the community center is underway after four years of planning, the Takoma Foundation has joined forces with the Takoma Park Recreation Committee to raise $250,000 to $300,000 towards the purchase of furnishings and equipment for the rooms being added to the municipal building at the corner of Maple and Philadelphia Avenues. Completion of Phase I, which includes most of the project except for the gym, is set for the end of 2004.

Even though most of the money for equipping the center is likely to come from grants and large donations, a great deal of time and energy is going into the Buy-a-Brick fundraiser to sell individualized bricks to Takoma Park residents, businesses, organizations, and neighbors for $125 each, or a "six pack" for $600 (a savings of $150). The bricks can be inscribed with two lines of 14 characters each, and will be placed in a walkway in front of the new building.

The theme of the campaign is: "This time you get the final word! Your thoughts for the ages etched in stone." Inscriptions could read: "We Love Takoma–The Smith family" or state anything the donor wishes.

"Part of our goal is to make money, but the other part is to encourage folks to put their own personal claim on this new building," said Howard Kohn, chair of the Recreation Committee. "We'd like the Community Center to be thought of as the people's place, rather than a government institution."

The campaign organizers are hoping for at least $50,000 from brick sales to buy such items as computers and computer work stations, ping-pong tables, air hockey games, chess and checkers tables, card tables, stage lighting, easels, reading and magnifying lamps, magazine racks, and community bulletin boards.

Newly-elected Ward 2 Councilmember Heather Mizeur is already organizing an effort in her ward for neighbors to join together to purchase one brick for every street, which she calls a "Brick-a-Block" strategy.

"I hope every street will be represented on the walkway," Mizeur said. "This is a chance for everyone to be part of a building that is going to be a focus of community life for years to come."

Erwin Mack of the Takoma-Langley Community Development Association has rounded up local businesses to purchase the first "six pack," and Congressperson Chris Van Hollen is the first notable non-resident to pledge to buy a brick.

The Buy-A-Brick fundraiser was launched at a Takoma Foundation party on November 2 at Takoma Middle School, with speeches by Mayor Kathy Porter and the two Takoma Park residents who sit on the Montgomery County Council, Tom Perez and George Leventhal. All three serve on the foundation's advisory board along with a number of other prominent local citizens, including business owners Mark Choe (Mark's Kitchen), Phillippe Duverger (Savory), Greg Moorin (Summer Delights) and civic activists Lorraine Pearsall (Historic Takoma), Alex Escudero (CASA of Maryland), Catherine Tunis (Takoma Park Environment Committee), Lenore Robinson (Takoma Park Folk Festival) and Alice Sims (Takoma Artists Guild).

The Foundation was founded in 1989 as a nonprofit entity that raises funds for greater Takoma Park's diverse interests and endeavors, such as sports leagues, PTAs, and festivals. After being inactive in recent years, the foundation was resurrected this past summer to continue its traditional role of giving money to local groups.

"The community center gave us the impetus to put the foundation back together," explained president Dan Parr at the kickoff event. "The idea behind the center is absolutely consistent with everything the Foundation stands for. We want to establish a place where children and adults of diverse backgrounds can get to know each other while doing something fun or interesting."

The city's current municipal building and library already are magnets for scores of kids who stop in each afternoon when school lets out at Takoma Park Middle, Piney Branch Elementary, and Takoma Park Elementary. Perez said that he hopes that the new center will be just as welcoming.

"We expect the Community Center to become a central gathering place–not only for kids and seniors, but for all the groups that have a stake in Takoma Park's present and future," Perez said.

In Phase I, the square footage of the current building will more than double and the use of the interior space will be reconfigured. The entire main floor will be dedicated to community activities. Offices for city staff will move upstairs, and Takoma Park Police headquarters will be centralized on the lower level.

On the main floor will be a special wooden-floor room, for dance, karate, and aerobics; a room with a kiln for arts and crafts; separate "hangout" rooms for teens, seniors, and tots; a small performance stage; and multi-purpose rooms for after-school programs, summer camps, meetings, and classes. The new front entrance will open into a three-story atrium that will serve as an exhibit hall for local artists. The most distinguishing feature of the exterior will be a red-brick facade in the Victorian style of the Takoma Hotel that was once an architectural landmark in town.

The existing open area between the City Hall and Library will be filled in with a four-room addition that will include approximately 30 computer stations for homework, computer classes, Internet research, e-mail, and other uses.

Funding of the $7.8 million budget for Phase I is proceeding. In his October budget request to the County Council, Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan asked for a $600,000 supplemental grant for the city, of which $350,000 will go to erect a retaining wall for flood control at the Community Center. Mayor Porter and others have met repeatedly with County Council members to ensure its passage.

The other piece of the Phase I budget still outstanding is $750,000 of an original written commitment of $2 million by the county. Duncan is expected to put the $750,000 in his 2004 budget request to the County Council, which will vote on the budget in spring.

Meanwhile, city officials have been involved in ongoing negotiations to secure approximately $1.5 million in private funding for Phase II, which would include a gym, an exercise room, and underground parking. Kohn said he is hopeful that the Phase II funding will be finalized within a few weeks, which would allow the gym to be built by the fall of 2005.

Organizers of the brick fundraiser said they expect to continue their campaign through the next two years, launching it now to take advantage of the upcoming holiday season.

"If you're looking for a unique, meaningful, and long-lasting gift for a relative or friend, buying an honorary brick is a much better idea than another gizmo or gadget," said Tim Dowd, a Recreation Committee member working on the campaign.