Susan Whitney/The Gazette Wayne Henderson, 11, of Takoma Park and Franklin Varrone, 10, of Silver Spring, both members of the Takoma Park Youth Soccer green team, watch and comment on their game against the red team at Bullis Field in Silver Spring. The league brings a diverse group of children together to socialize and learn about the game.

The Takoma Park Recreation Department has been an integral part of the city for a number of years and is possibly the city's most effective outreach initiative as it engages youngsters from a variety of backgrounds.

The recreation department reaches out to all youth in the community and gives them outlets that may deter them from crime, said Matt Corley, assistant recreation director for the City of Takoma Park's recreation department. He has been with the department since 1982.

"My true belief is that whatever background they come from, from economically disadvantaged or rich families, crime knows no boundaries," Corley said. "If we do not find our kids something positive to do, they will find something else to do."

Dachia Pinkard, program coordinator for the Takoma Park Recreation Center on New Hampshire Avenue, said outreach through recreation is important because it provides Takoma Park youth with positive role models.

"Once we get them off the streets, we teach them how to act," she said.

She said the amount of staff has increased from four to 10 at the center on New Hampshire Avenue so staff members have more time to form relationships with the children who attend.

"This is really a job that's never done," Pinkard said. "It's difficult to tell a kid, 'I'm off, I have to leave,' when they're sitting there pouring their heart out to you."

Pinkard said the recreation department has several after-school and evening programs and is opening a teen lounge to provide a safe place for youth to go.

Additionally, the city has committed to building a new community center where the Municipal Building currently stands to provide space for various recreation activities. Construction work will begin this summer.

The department also has several sports leagues, Corley said.

"The rec leagues do a great job with the kids," said Herman Bouma, a member of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee who has lived in the city since 1980.

Howard Kohn, a Takoma Park recreation league soccer and baseball coach and 20-year city resident, said the sports leagues bring children and parents from different backgrounds together in addition to giving the children something to do.

"Kids and parents who come from somewhat stratified neighborhoods end up getting to know one another," he said. "Sports leagues are one of the best ways to bring down barriers that exist between middle and working class people who are substantially immigrants."

Bill Valdez, vice-chair of the city's recreation committee and a girls' soccer coach, said the leagues are "probably the most effective outreach mechanism we've found" because children and parents from all areas of the city participate.

He said the children who participate in the youth leagues "really form a sense of community" and have a mix of people from different backgrounds.

Kohn said particularly in soccer there is a "true mix" of children from a number of both racial and economic backgrounds. He said the league "seriously recruits" low-income children because they should have the same opportunities as children from wealthier families.

"Once kids become part of a group, all racial, economic and educational barriers break down," Valdez said.

And money isn't a problem if the children and their families can't afford the fees, Kohn said. Children who are enrolled in federal lunch programs are automatically eligible for a waiver, and waivers are also given to youth who say they can't afford the fee.

Kohn said about 32 percent of the youngsters who play soccer and 22 percent who play baseball have had fees waived. He said Montgomery County Recreation teams allow waivers for very few of their athletes.

"Our teams are far more integrated racially and economically than county teams," Kohn said.

Moving the city's

outer reaches forward

Pinkard said she believes the area of the city surrounding the recreation center on New Hampshire Avenue has been neglected in the past, but is slowly becoming more integrated with the city.

"It's underdeveloped compared to the rest of Takoma Park but they're making moves to improve it," she said.

Most recently, the Takoma-Langley area of Ward 6 received a HotSpot Initiative Award, a grant from the state designed to reduce crime and the fear of crime in selected multi-jurisdictional communities.

This particular HotSpot community is located around the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and University Boulevard. Roughly 65 percent of the area is in Prince George's County with the remainder in Takoma Park and Montgomery County.

Police Chief Tom Anderson said it was selected to receive a grant because it's the only tri-jurisdictional HotSpot in the state. The area was awarded a grant to increase communication and coordination between the three neighboring police jurisdictions.

The city received a $63,700 grant for December 2000 to December 2001 to assess the needs of the community, create workshops and do outreach with community groups.

Anderson said the entire HotSpot area in Takoma Park lies within Ward 6 and Share Maack, Ward 6's councilwoman, has been supportive of the initiative. "We've done an excellent job in assessing needs in the community," Anderson said.

As part of the HotSpot Initiative, police have been working along with outreach organizations Casa of Maryland and Action Langley, along with Takoma Park officials to provide a site for the day laborers who loiter at the Takoma-Langley Crossroads at the 7-Eleven parking lot. The temporary site is located at 6530 New Hampshire Ave. and provides a safe place for laborers to wait for employers to hire them.

Gustavo Torres, executive director of Casa of Maryland, said about 80 to 100 workers use the site daily. He said Casa offers English classes, legal orientation and health prevention programs for day laborers.

"The workers have been very receptive to the programs," Torres said. "And we've received good support from Takoma Park."

But, he said, there are still some day laborers who use the 7-Eleven parking lot. He said Casa and the City of Takoma Park keep sending flyers to the site that tell workers to go to the temporary site. The police department has also stationed an officer there to deter both workers and their potential employers from using the parking lot, Anderson said.

Se habla Espanol?

City Manager Rick Finn said progress is being made with immigrant outreach for residents through Progressive Maryland, a nonprofit group that benefits working families. He said the organization was hired last February to improve outreach in the immigrant community where residents may be less informed and involved with the government.

"It's really making an impact on the community," Finn said.

Most recently, Alejandro Miranda, Progressive Maryland's city organizer and a Ward 4 resident, went door-to-door along Flower, Lee and Houston avenues in Ward 5 and Kennewick Avenue in Ward 6, going door-to-door and telling residents about what the city has to offer them -- in Spanish when necessary.

Miranda and his colleague, Stephanie Sheerin, also a city resident, helped residents to form tenants' associations and educated them on their rights. They are also aiding residents in purchasing rental properties.

"People were unbelievably gracious and friendly," Sheerin said, describing the visits. "They were very receptive."

Miranda said when he canvassed the neighborhoods, he found many tenants did not know what their rights were and many had problems with landlords. He also found many Hispanic residents wished the city would provide them with English classes.

Miranda said he is trying to get money for some ESOL [English for Speakers of Other Languages] classes and is working with Columbia Union College and Chevy Chase Bank to set up a program.

"It was pretty typical to find people with problems and people who wanted to learn English," he said.

Dora Solarzano, 41, said she'd needed some repairs in her apartment and the landlord wasn't helpful. She'd heard about Progressive Maryland through a flyer printed in Spanish and called for help. Miranda took her to city hall and helped her file a complaint with the city's landlord-tenant affairs office.

"Progressive Maryland and Alejandro have been so helpful and I thank them so much," she said.

Solarzano said when she filed her complaint, it was the first time in six years that she'd been to city hall.

"I never went before because I work and I didn't think it was necessary," she said.

But, Solarzano said, Progressive Maryland's efforts have been helpful. Miranda brought Marc Elrich, Solarzano's councilman, to her apartment and Elrich helped her resolve some of the problems she'd had getting repairs. She said this was also the first time in six years she'd had contact with her councilman.

"If Alejandro hadn't come, I wouldn't know Marc," she said.

"Most people don't know what's going on in the city," Miranda said at a recent council meeting. "My personal goal is for people to know how government works."

"For a while, the city was attempting to get people to come to city hall and was not successful," Finn said. "We changed our philosophy and our approach, and now we're going to them, to their homes."

Sergio Cifuentes, 35, a three-year city resident, said the language barrier, as well as immigrant status, may keep residents from visiting city hall. He said it was helpful to speak with someone who was bilingual and he believes the city needs more bilingual employees.

"Immigrants do want to be part of the system," said Upkong Udo, a 13-year resident in Ward 6, originally from Nigeria.

"I believe it's not [the city's] responsibility exactly [to educate the community], but a problem is that the cable information on television is in English only," Cifuentes said. "Spanish speakers don't understand. Doing outreach [through Progressive Maryland] is working right now, but the problem is the Hispanic community is also afraid to use the resources because many people are here illegally."

But the city will continue its efforts.

It sponsored the first Asian Pacific American open house this year and is now looking into sponsoring a Spanish open house as well as a Caribbean open house to encourage community members to get to know each other and become familiar with the city.

"We're being proactive," Finn said.

Maintaining affordability

and diversity

The city's attempts to create more affordable opportunities for residents to rent and own homes in the city could also help eventually bring residents together, but that task is daunting since prices are so high, especially for immigrants and others new to the area.

Elrich said Takoma Park is the only jurisdiction in Maryland that has rent stabilization, which is what keeps most of the rental units in the city affordable.

"The 4,000 units we have in Takoma Park would be too expensive if they went for market value," Elrich said.

And, noted Hank Prensky, a realtor and Takoma Park resident, housing prices are soaring "higher and higher." Prensky said there is "almost nothing less than $200,000" in the city and the high prices discourage some, but not others. On average, in the past six months houses in the city have cost about $217,000 but can cost up to about $450,000, according to data from the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation.

"There's a frenzy in Takoma Park," Prensky said. "It's a wonderful, desirable community. It's the closest thing to D.C. you're going to get. It's a small town. It's tree-lined. It has an effective self-government. It's the closest thing to small-town life you're going to get."

But, he said, there are few homes on the market and "every house in reasonable condition has three, four, 10 offers."

Because of the escalating prices, officials have been working with Montgomery County to identify some rental properties to be converted for residents to purchase under Maryland's First Right to Purchase law to make home ownership an option for more residents, said Ivy Thompson, affordable housing and community development specialist for the City of Takoma Park.

Maryland's First Right to Purchase law allows residents of rental properties to have the first right to purchase the property when the owner chooses to sell it. The owner of the property must offer it to the current renters before offering it to a third party.

Increasing homeownership will create a more stable population in the city and reduce mobility, said Mayor Kathy Porter.

Porter said homeowners tend to feel more invested in their neighborhoods and initiate neighborhood organizations that help the city thrive.

Thompson said officials are trying to promote home ownership in the city and maintain affordability. She said the city has offered credit counseling workshops for residents interested in learning more about how to become a homeowner.

"The council was always interested in preserving affordable housing in the city," Porter said. "We have a diverse community in terms of income, as well as in other ways."

Victory Housing, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, is assisting in maintaining properties and affordable housing.

The organization purchased the Cambridge House at 676 Houston Ave. from Montgomery County in April 2000 and recently celebrated its renovation and reopening.

James Brown, president of Victory Housing, said 16 of the building's 33 units are leased to residents who earn less than the median income in the Washington metropolitan area.

Victory Housing has also purchased The Winslow House at 666 Houston Ave. to make it possible for more city residents to live in a decent environment. The building has 46 units that will be renovated.

Integration's for everyone

As city officials look toward the future, they continue to try to create opportunities for residents to maintain diversity and cohesiveness. Most residents say that keeping Takoma Park a diverse place is the most important and biggest challenge.

"It's easier to say where the city's been than where it's going," said Kurt Stern, a 38-year resident of Takoma Park. "It's a fairly diverse place and we're trying to keep it that way."

Bouma said it is important to take measures to make sure "quality of life remains good and wholesome" in the city.

"On the whole it's a great place to live," he said. "As far as I can tell, everyone gets along fine."

Integration is key, said former Ward 1 councilman Larry Rubin, and the new community center is an "excellent" way to bring residents together and have them focus on both quality of life and economic issues in the future that will affect the city.

"[The new community center] provides a service to everyone," Rubin said. "I'm very optimistic about the future."

"The new community center is gonna be good," said Quentin Lee, 10, who lives in an apartment near the Municipal Building.

His cousin, Ariel Watson, 11, agreed.

"The new community center is going to be big and have lots of space to play basketball and tag," he said. "Takoma Park's all right."

The several Seventh-Day Adventist churches in Takoma Park have also served to unify the community and preserve its diversity and will continue to do so, said Trevor Delafield, former associate pastor at Takoma Park Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Delafield, an Adelphi resident, worked there for nine years.

"The church has become more diverse, but so has Washington, D.C. and the United States," he said. "That is America."

Delafield said Takoma Park is a diverse area and the Seventh-Day Adventist churches in the city reflect that diversity.

"As a Christian, I think it's something about the gospel of Christ," he said. "I think it's a unifying thing. Religious faith brings people together. A lot of the community leaders say the Adventist church has achieved something they believe in."

And because of these measures officials and residents have taken to preserve the city, Finn said, he does not believe the city is splitting into separate places.

But longtime residents acknowledge the difficulty in melding Takoma Park's many faces into a unified community.

"What is a challenge to people of a higher income is to maintain the commitment to diversity that they claim encouraged them to live in the city," said George Leventhal, a former Democratic Party chief who has lived in the city for 17 years. "The question is, how much do you interact with people not in the same stratum as you?"