Bowie resident says community center reservation went unanswered, urges clearer outreach

Takisha Brown, a Bowie resident, used the citizen-participation portion of the Dec. 1 meeting to say a Nov. 10 reservation request for the Ken Hill Community Center has not been answered. Brown said she followed up the week of Nov. 22 and was told she would “hear back soon,” but had not received further communication. She described the proposed event—a neighborhood donation drive called “neighbor to neighbor” to collect household items, food for a pantry and sports equipment—and said she provided the city clerk copies of her proposal before the meeting.

Brown called the delay “particularly troubling” given economic strains affecting residents—including federal employees impacted by recent federal actions—and contrasted the lack of local engagement with visible responses by county and state leaders to a recent homicide in her neighborhood. "I am deeply disappointed by the lack of communication regarding what should be a straightforward reservation request," Brown said, and she asked the council for clarification on the reservation status and the city’s approach to community engagement.

No staff response to Brown’s comment appears on the record during the public comment segment; the meeting proceeded to scheduled presentations and agenda items. Council members and staff later heard multiple presentations and took formal votes during the meeting.