John Archibald, founder and chief executive of Annandale, Va.,-based American Solar, said his company's product removes heat from dark metal roofs and directs it into existing high-efficiency heating units, allowing a city like Takoma Park to get more hot air for less money.

Monday's discussion focused on adding so-called green elements to the renovation of the existing Municipal Building's main floor into recreation space as part of the community center project. Other items under consideration include high-efficiency lighting and heating systems.

During the meeting, members of the Citizens Liaison Committee to the Community Center presented an overview of green building features they would like the city to include in the bid for the renovation. The list of features would promote healthy air quality inside the building while helping to curb global warming by creating an environment that uses less electricity for heating, cooling and lighting.

In the coming months, the city will issue a request for proposals for the renovation, and following the council's discussion, the request will include lighting and heat pump systems recommended by the liaison committee. City Manager Barbara Burns Matthews will investigate the other items on the list (including those related to carpeting, paint and tile flooring) with city staff before making a recommendation.

A decision on the use of thermal solar heating equipment would come separately from the request for proposal, and council members agreed to continue discussing American Solar's product at a future date.

Additional community center funding requested

As much as $500,000 in new money for the community center could be on its way to Takoma Park later this year, though the money depends on lawmakers in Annapolis.

Mayor Kathy Porter said she met with the city's General Assembly delegation during the Maryland Mayors' Association annual conference last week, and both Del. Sheila Ellis Hixson and Sen. Ida G. Ruben, both Silver Spring Democrats from Dist. 20, agreed to submit state bond bills for the community center for the current term.

The bond bills would provide up to $500,000 in matching grants from the state. Porter said the other Dist. 20 delegates, Peter V.R. Franchot of Takoma Park and Gareth E. Murray of Silver Spring, also supported the bond bill.

Hearings on bond bill requests take place in March, and the city won't know how much, if any, money it would receive until mid-April.

Portion of sign system

ready for bidding

In other council business Monday, members approved moving forward with five of the signs included in the city's new gateway and wayfinding sign program.

The sign system will eventually include 12 types of directional signs, historic markers, banners and interpretive panels that will guide residents and visitors to and around Takoma Park. In recent weeks, as the design work on some aspects of the project began to wrap up, residents and elected officials expressed concern about the size of some of the signs, including a proposed 14-foot-high directional sign.

There also was concern expressed two weeks ago by the county's Historic Preservation Commission about the design of signposts, which commissioners said called too much attention to the post. The city's designer has since created new square metal posts with arts and crafts-style accents.

Senior Planner Rob Inerfeld said the size of the directional signs was largely driven by State Highway Administration regulations that require the use of 6-inch-high letters on state roads like New Hampshire Avenue where the speed limit is above 25 mph.

Size was once again an issue Monday as representatives from Historic Takoma urged the council to allocate more design dollars for an overhaul of the directional signs, even after the sign designer reduced the height of the signs to under 12 feet.

Inerfeld said there has been a consensus among the community members advising the city on several of the sign types, including a primary gateway sign, a pedestrian kiosk and an area identification sign that the city would use at the entrance to parks. The city will put those three signs, plus a historic marker and a sign type for entrances to the Takoma Park Historic District, out for bid in the coming weeks.

Prior to actually fabricating any of the signs, the city still needs to determine a color scheme. A redesign of the city's logo, which is a prominent feature on some of the sign types, also has yet to be decided.