May 28 at the Council: Lee Jordan, Bike Share Locations, and the Living Wage
I’ll call out three items of note, slated for the May 28, 2013 city-council meeting:
- A resolution Rededicating Lee Jordan Field at Takoma Park Middle School
- A presentation and discussion of Bike Share Program and Locations
- A review of the city’s Living Wage Ordinance
Lee Jordan, as you’ll (re-)learn in the resolution cover note, was an inspirational Takoma Park leader. He founded the Takoma Park Boys & Girls Club and was a Ritchie Avenue Citizens Association leader. Starting in an era of segregation, he “created a full-fledged athletic program of baseball, basketball, and football [that] encompassed generations of boys and girls, black and white.” The rededication of the field named for Mr. Jordan, at that Takoma Park Middle School, will involve new signage and renewed recognition of Lee Jordan’s contribution to our community.
Yes, Bike Share is coming to Takoma Park! City staff have polled residents and worked with Montgomery County regarding Takoma Park station locations. City planner Erkin Ozberk will present recommendations at Tuesday evening’s council meeting:
- In Old Takoma near the gazebo, opposite Roscoe’s and Amano
- In Takoma Junction, near the TPSS Co-op
- Off Flower Avenue near Washington Adventist University
- On Maple Avenue near Richie Avenue
- On Philadelphia Avenue near Maple Avenue, near the library
The recommended locations are illustrated by photos in the council backgrounder. Check them out. I do have reservations about the location of the Old Takoma station, near the gazebo, although I can’t think of a better location at this moment. Stations would be installed as soon as this summer.
There would also be stations at the Takoma Metro station and near Montgomery College, according to Erkin.
Lastly, the city enacted a Living Wage Ordinance in 2007, spurred by a residents’ request that I organized. The minimum rate that city contractors are required to pay employees, beginning July 1, will be $13.95 per hour. The council is required to review the ordinance every three years. Tuesday’s review should be no big deal but will include, I hope, a small adjustment, elimination of an exemption for small contractors. This change would match action taken by Montgomery County for its own Living Wage law, which our city law is modeled on.