A holiday greeting

To all of you who read this blog, we hope that you have a wonderful and Merry Christmas and that 2014 will be a great year for peace and the end of poverty in the great city of Baltimore.

We will do our part and hope you will as well.

Remember the hungry children

Last night we watched "Frontline" on PBS and it was a lesson well learned about the number of children in the United States that are hungry.  1 in 5 families have children that are "food insecure" and this is just silly. We have farmers who are paid to not plant crops.  We have large and small companies that are buying back their stocks because they have huge reserves of cash available due to increased productivity and they are not hiring people.  These families do not convey the old image of people on drugs.  These are families, through no fault of their own who are not prepared to meet the challenges of our society or who have suffered a poor education and cannot find work.

I know that many of you receive requests for cash donations every day if you are like me and while you would like to help, simply feel a crush of this activity gets to be too much.  However, if you have a child, look at her or him and wonder how you would feel if you could not provide a meal for them.  In the program last night we noted that one man had a contracting job where previously he had five jobs lined up and now due to the recession does not have any work.  He lost everything.  He worked and I am sure as a contractor he worked hard.  Another woman suffered because she was raising the children by herself as her husband took off and left her with the two children to raise and feed.  Try as hard she could, she simply didn't have the ability to work herself out of the hole.

Listening to the children who spoke well and hearing their message where they knew that if they didn't get back to school they would be homeless as adults and/or have to take a low paying job and live as they were doing with their parents.  These were intelligent children who dreamed of wonderful things beyond the singular thought of hunger.  However hunger was always on their mind.

We are attempting to resolve part of this problem and now we are providing weekend backpacks to 69 families within the greater Charles Village community.  Today 69 children will go home with full backpacks to share with their families so that they can dream as children often do and not have to think about where their next meal will come from.  We have a long way to go if we hope to change this problem in Baltimore, but it is something that we can do to reach the remaining 1,631 hungry children.  We started providing food for 4 children, then to 7, then to 14 and now are feeding 69.

Please send a donation to Heart's Place Services, Inc., 2640 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218 and let us help one more child and family each weekend to be a little more healthy.  Help us help these children who want to dream of being Doctors and Scientists achieve their goals because they are no longer hungry and can think of other things than being hungry.  It currently costs all of us $1,200. per week to provide this food for these children, but if we are to grow more as we really need to do, we will need a lot of money to end this problem.

Can we depend on you to help us?  We certainly hope so.  Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Why?

In today's Baltimore Sun, there is an article entitled "Last doctor standing at Afghan clinic" which is something important to read.  Please do as it is an education in itself.  A Dr. Asad Mojadidi, Afghan-born U.S. physician behind the creation of the clinic once deemed a model for Afghanistan is pictured in a shuttered clinic that once helped 5,000 patients a week.  If Dr. Asad Mojadidi were to receive payment of $10. per patient, in two weeks he would have made his annual budget, but the Afghan Government did not allow him to do so.

After going to Afghanistan and building this clinic, this Doctor who received payment of $400 per year, not minute, not hour, not week, not month .... but year, along with nurses who only received $150.00 per year cannot get sufficient money from the U.S. Government which previously supported it or the Afghanistan Government to keep this clinic open, which means that the poor in this country have no place else to turn. He moved heaven and earth to get it established, then created a fully serviceable facility with modern equipment at a cost of $750,000. versus the $1,300,000,000. in cost to build the new Johns Hopkins hospital in East Baltimore and now cannot raise sufficient funding  from the Afghan Ministry of Public Health which has an annual budget of more than $300 million a year.

He is seeking $100,000. a year to keep the facility running.  What is that in relationship to the billions that we spend on missiles and bombs?  How many thousands of a percent does it represent and what does this say to the people of Afghanistan?   We spend billions of dollars convincing the Afghanistan people that we are the good guys, but can't spend $100,000. to ensure that they can get good medical care.

If everyone of you would today after eating your turkey would send CARE, $1.00 check marked for "The Urgent and Primary Care Clinic in Kabul" just think of what good that donation would do.  The people of Afghanistan would have primary care and the world would be just a better place in which to live.

Holiday Events at St. John's Episcopal Church on Greenmount Avenue

Come one, come all to the Waverly Main Street Holiday Events "Taste of Waverly?" on December 7th, at St. John's Episcopal Church, Parish Hall on 3009 Greenmount Avenue and visit our table and learn about the exciting new program we have established with several Partners in the greater Charles Village community and beyond.  It is an opportunity to see what a real grass roots organization started as a local project of the St. John's of Baltimore Church United Methodist Church has grown into.  We started providing weekend backpacks to four homeless families over 2 and a half years ago, and will now now be expanding to 69 families who are homeless existing possibly right next door to you.  We provided these weekend backpacks to Margaret Brent School, expanded to Barclay School and now are ready to start deliveries to Waverly School and Dallas Nicholas School. Each weekly backpack represents a total investment of $25.00 each, which has been borne by all of the Partners.  This is a need in our neighborhood, in our city and it cannot be ignored. We were advised of the need after visiting with the Principal of Margaret Brent and said to ourselves, can we get involved?  So we have rolled up our sleeves and decided that we will tackle this problem and have.

Working quietly with the Office of Engagement of Baltimore City Public Schools, which introduced us to Mr. John Shaia of the Maryland Food Bank we plan on bringing this program to the entire Baltimore City school system.  Did you know that last year's figures indicate that there were 1,700 homeless children registered in the public school system?  We are actively doing something positive to ensure that these children do not go hungry over the weekend.  Give yourself and a hungry child a present come to the "Taste of Waverly?" on December 7th and show you care by making a donation to continue this program so that no child has to face the weekend hungry.

Come and pick up some literature that we have produced and make a donation to assist us in providing what the Maryland Food Bank cannot to make sure that the children of our city are fed over the weekend.  This is one donation that you can make that will make a difference to a child this Christmas and throughout the year and isn't that what Christmas is all about?

If you cannot make a contribution come on by and say hello and become a Partner who is willing to help further this campaign to feed homeless children.

Our current partners include the following organizations and churches:

Maryland Food Bank, Inc.
St. John's of Baltimore United Methodist Church
Grace United Methodist Church
ss Philip and James Roman Catholic Church
Heart's Place Shelter

Money that may be due to the CVCBD

The following is a presentation by Stephen J. Gewirtz, who made this presentation at the CVCBD Board Meeting on November 12, 2013.  Mr. Gewirtz is a community member, surtax-payer and is the Head of the Court Watch Program.  At the end is a shortened version of this issue but it is important to read Mr. Gewirtz's presentation which more fully explains the situation about the building on the corner of 23rd and North Charles St., the second location of the CVCBD offices.

On March 29, 1996, officers of CVCBD formed the Charles Village Community Foundation (CVCF).  On March 27, 1997, the building was sold to the Construction Industry Educational Foundation, Inc. for $32,500.  On November 25, 1997, the building was sold to CVCF for $130,000, and the purchase by CVCF was financed with a seller provided mortgage for $115,000.  Thus, there was a down payment of $15,000, and I do not know the source of the down payment.  The president of CVCBD and CVCF had an architectural firm, but I do not know whether he had an association with the Construction Industry Education Foundation (later renamed as the Building Congress and Exchange Foundation, Inc.).  At the same time, I should note that I have been told that some people raised questions at the time about whether CVCF might have paid way too much for the building.  I should note too that before acquiring the building, CVCBD had operated out of a storefront which was accessible to people who are physically challenged, but that the first floor of the new building was accessible only to someone who could climb very steep steps (and I was in fairly good shape then and had difficulty ascending to the first floor).  In fact, CVCBD had to hold its board meetings at Future Care to make them accessible.

Nonetheless, CVCBD and CVCF signed a lease under which CVCBD would make the mortgage payments (principal and interest), while CVCF would own the increase in equity as the mortgage was paid down plus any capital gains on the building.  CVCBD was also responsible for maintenance of the building, and I have been told that CVCBD spent quite a bit making the building usable.  After that, maintenance was minimal.  The same owner of an architectural firm signed the lease on behalf of both parties to the lease (CVCBD and CVCF), and he was also the one who had signed the agreement to purchase the building.

Let me note too that when the building was acquired by CVCF and leased to CVCBD, all CVCBD committees operated in secret, and times and locations of committee meetings were not revealed to the public.  In addition, CVCF has always operated in secret except for some past joint audits with CVCBD and except for the annual filing of form 990 with the IRS.  By law, the 990 is public information.  Thus, it is difficult to gather information about what occurred at that time.

On December 9, 2008, about a year after the building had been vacated by CVCBD when it had moved to its present location, CVCF sold the building at auction for $210,000, and CVCF received $200,000 (the other $10,000 presumably being the commission on the sale collected by the auctioneer).

As of June 30, 2008, according to the 990 filed by CVCF, the amount of the mortgage on the building was $54,489.  Thus, the profit on the sale by CVCF can be calculated as the purchase price ($130,000) minus the down payment whose source I do not know ($15,000) minus the balance of the mortgage (less than $55,000, to use a round number), i.e. the profit is approximately $130,000.

It is my belief that some members of an earlier board set up CVCF so that they and those they would appoint as their successors controlling CVCF would control any eventual profit on the sale of the building.  It is also my belief that the conflict of interest on the part of those board members is such that CVCBD would be able to convince a court of law that it should be able to recover that money.  It is clear that the people controlling CVCBD and CVCF did not look out for the interests of the taxpayers who pay for CVCBD.  We can certainly use more money for public safety, and public safety is what we were told at the time of the 1994 referendum would be the primary purpose of CVCBD.

Therefore, I am urging the board of CVCBD to sue CVCF to recover whatever is left of the $130,000 profit on the sale of the building.  Unfortunately, I have doubts that the money given away when the building was acquired at an excessive price can be recovered.

Thus, my recommendation to the board of CVCBD is that you request that the CVCF  provide the $130,000 to the CVCBD.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Condensed version of the actions explained above:

Construction Industry Educational Foundation, Inc. (CIEF) purchased the bldg. on 3/27/97 for $32,500.

8 months later 

the CVCF purchased the bldg. from the CIEF for $130,000. with a $115,000. mortgage

                                                                                                        + 15,000. down paym. from.?

    CVCBD agreed to pay for the mortgage, including principal and interest

    CVCBD spent a large sum of money to make necessary repairs to the building to make it habitable

    CVCBD paid for all maintenance on the building (possibly including a new roof)

In 2008 the CVCF sold the building for $210,000. - $200,000 less $10,000. sales commission

                       The balance left on the mortgage was $- 55,000.

                        Repayment of down payment was      -  15,000.

                                        CVCF makes a profit of   $130,000.                 

Apparent interest in article about the CVCBD

Lately we have been noting that there is considerable interest in the article posted on the right side of our blog entitled "Information about the Charles Village Community Benefits District". For those of you who want to get a little education on this subject all you have to do is look at the right side of the home page and look for the title and click it and you are immediately taken to the article.  We think that this education and review of the Charles Village Community Benefits District will assist you in understanding what it is and what it does.  Don't let anyone fool you into believing it is a community association, or quasi-community association, as the legislation clearly states that it is a governmental entity that taxes you and if you don't pay the taxes the City can take your home.

In the hope of improving the lives of children

As you know Pam and I are involved with several other partners in Baltimore City, including Heart's Place Services, Inc.  to provide food for homeless children during the weekend.  It is a goal that with the help of the Maryland Food Bank we will be able to work with all of the Baltimore City Schools to ensure that these children and their care givers/parents are fed during the weekend when there are few resources available to help these people, or the resource is too far to get to for these children..

We were requested by the Maryland Food Bank to assist them in handling this program throughout the state of Maryland, but the area requested that we involve ourselves is very large and as there are only a limited number of individuals involved in this program therefore we believed attempting to help the children of Baltimore City would be a tremendous achievement in itself.

At each school we travel to within our city we learn of an increasing number of children who are homeless, last year's statistics created by the Baltimore City Public School system indicated that a total of 1,700 children who were homeless were registered in the school system.  1,700 children who more than likely would be hungry over the weekend left their schools each Friday knowing that perhaps they would not eat over the weekend.  What a horrible way to start the weekend, don't you agree?   I don't know what the figure is for this year as the statistics are still being calculated, but I firmly believe that the figure of 1,700 children only represent the tip of the iceberg.

On Monday these children return to their schools; not with learning on their minds, but run to the school's cafeterias to eat a meal, perhaps the first one over the long weekend.  How can we allow this to happen?  How can we as a city think for one moment that they can learn when all their thoughts are on food?  Why do we keep on expecting that these children will grow into adults with goals and dreams when the only thing on their minds is hunger?  We can do something and should do something that will improve the lives of these children and that is making a donation of any kind to:  Heart's Place Services, Inc. - 2640 St. Paul Street,
Baltimore, Maryland 21218.  Make this donation your Thanksgiving donation to the hungry that exist in the open and in the shadows of this city, or a Christmas donation to ensure that a child will get some nourishing food for the weekend.  Our backpack program is unique in that all of the food within the backpacks do not require refrigeration and/or heating and provides the calories to help a child grow.

We don't want you to discontinue your contributions to any other cause that you may consider, but to give you an opportunity to share what you have with a child.  Think about it, a child is worth helping, don't you agree?

Important Zoning Site

A friend of mine sent me a new site to review about the new zoning changes that is taking place within the city of Baltimore which I would suggest strongly that everyone take a look at.  While the site specifically refers to the Remington area and the proposed changes to zoning that is taking place, there is sufficient information therein to warrant a review by anyone that is subjected to these changes, which really involves all of us.

The site address is:  http://zoningremington.blogspot.com/p/explosion-of-mixed-use.html

There is much to read on this site and it is important that you review it so that you have a better understanding of the changes that are being contemplated by our government.   Take a look at the site and if you have questions, then contact your Council Representative for answers.  These changes affect you and your quality of life issues and should be reviewed.

"WARNING! Poor Lighting"

Early this morning I picked up my newspaper from the steps in front of our house and noted what I believed was an advertisement attached to my door knob.  I looked at the announcement and saw that it was a "WARNING!" notice created by Johns Hopkins University - Office of the Dean of Student Life.  The warning went on to say that our house had an item on a "Burglar's Wish List" and had a box which was marked "Poor Lighting".  

In a way I found it amusing because our house is one of a very, very few in our immediate area that does have exterior lights, with two houses on the south side of the street having no lighting and those on the north side, for the most part, devoid of lighting.  So I said to myself let me check this out and I noted that no other house, on either our block or across the street, nor on several other streets nearby, had one of these warnings left on the door despite the fact that almost none had exterior lights. Yet, ours was the only house with the notification.  Many of the residents of these houses leave from the rear of the buildings so they would not have removed the notices earlier in the morning.

We have one of those energy efficient light bulbs that last a long time and I checked to see if the one in front was operational and it was. We have another exterior light (functional) in the rear of our house, plus back up solar lights and I posted my address number both on the front and rear of the house so that it could be identified by the Fire Department just in case the house was on fire. In fact we have made our house as burglar proof as possible in order to protect ourselves.

Yesterday at the Safety Meeting at the CVCBD we heard that last night was scheduled for a CV West Walk walk, led by former attorney Sharon Guida, now an employee of the CVCBD. As we also heard from Ms. Guida that the CVCA was working on another lighting project (JHU and the CVCBD tried this a few years ago) and that last evening’s walk was to begin on Howard and 27^th Street at 6:30p.m. I have to imagine that the walkers misidentified our house somehow as having “Poor Lighting” and that they were helping Johns Hopkins University by hanging these bulletins on chosen sites as they walked. It is very strange that we apparently were the only homeowners to have received this notice when we have both front and rear lighting.

If this group, or whatever group hung the notice on our house, cannot differentiate as to which house has lights and effective crime deterrents then how can this effort be effective as a “safety measure” whether provided by either the CVCBD or JHU?  This is a total waste and accomplished nothing except for people wishing to claim that they have a safety initiative.

Additionally, should we have been away for several days, this notice hanging on our door knob would have actually notified burglars of our absence.  One of items on the “WARNING!” was to guard against having “Accumulated Mail/Newspapers/Flyers”.  So, despite carefully stopping newspaper and mail deliveries while away we could not have avoided having either the CVCBD or JHU putting the flyer on our door which, if not picked up in the morning, would have alerted potential burglar’s of our absence.  What was used as a basis of deterring crime could have been one of the very things giving a burglar notice of our absence.

Can the community be locked out of the 26th Street Playground and Basketball Court?

I have located a copy (see below) of the "Conceptual Plan For School Grounds - Margaret Brent Elementary / Middle School" and should remind those who read this blog, that although it is called a "Conceptual Plan for School Grounds" the plan does not show "School Grounds".  The property is not part of "Margaret Brent Elementary / Middle School" .  Despite the fact that the proponents for this, the Charles Village Civic Association, Greater Homewood Community Corp., Central Baltimore and Homewood Community Partnership Inc. want to call it school property IT IS NOT..  The 26th Street playground sits on property owned by CSX Corporation and is leased to the City of Baltimore which has built a playground on it (that includes a basketball court and a play area with swings and other equipment).  Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke opened up this park under the name of the "26th Street Playground" in the 1970's.  This was, and is, a playground for the residents of Baltimore City.  The same playground is listed in the Charles Village Community Benefits District's Baseline Agreement with the City of Baltimore as "The 26th Street Playground" being serviced by the Department of Parks and Recreations and the Department of Public Works.

So, despite the pretty design, the plan as presented denies the Charles Village community a basketball court and playground by presumptively, and presumably illegally, annexing property to Margaret Brent Elementary/Middle School private property (owned by CSX Railroad) and leased by Baltimore City for use by the entire community.  Note the three "New Gates" (by the way, there are none of these gates there presently so the wording "New Gates" is misleading) which could close all concourse and entrance from 26th and St. Paul St. through to N. Calvert St.; (which is fenced off) during and after school is in session.  The public has a right to pass through this byway, to play basketball during the day even when school is in session, and to bring their children to utilize the swings and other children's play equipment at any time allowed under City playground rules.  This access simply should not be allowed to be closed to the community.

Are the proponents of this plan so desperate to increase the footprint of a small school, Margaret Brent, that they think they can merely fence off a public street/byway and public playground facilities?

Remember when considering this issue that this property is not property of Baltimore City Public Schools, but property that was dedicated to the community in the 1970's by Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke.  We question the legality of the proponents imposing their ideas on a community that demands access to their playground and byway.  And removes a large public sculpture from the community as evidenced by its absence in the "Conceptual Plan" below:

Green Spaces do not necessarily make a happy community

Below listed is a comment that we received from a neighbor, Joan Floyd, with respect to a recent "Central Baltimore Committee" meeting she attended,  and where the "26th Street Playground", a neighborhood playground, was discussed.  We are quoting the comment in its entirety in order to show how things are reported to the community:

"I attended the meeting and heard an architect describe the basketball court as "controversial."  There was no mention of the fact that the court was just recently renovated.  Nor was there any mention of the Department of Recreation and Parks.  The architect's drawing showed the court being moved away from the street by a significant amount, to accommodate a new landscaped area. "

We find that the architect, who was apparently employed by Central Baltimore for the Homewood Community Partnership Initiative, has more than likely not visited the basketball court (or did so several months before the court was completely refurbished), but based his comments on some earlier plans proposed by Greater Homewood Community Corporation which was what they decided this community wants, not which is already completed and enjoyed by the community.

As previously stated, the basketball court was recently refurbished to the delight of adults and children alike and represents an important asset to the community.  [See my recent article "This is our Kingdom"] An earlier attempt of creating green spaces in the court's adjacent children's playground failed miserably.  Broken wooden planters now grace the playground area, and the bagged remains of the soil that was never used sit rotting where they were initially placed beside the planters. Sometimes children make up a game of jumping in and out of the boxes, but when the condition of these large planters deteriorates any more they will fall apart.

Additionally, between the basketball court and the children's playground is a large garden which various neighbors tend.  Then there are the front and back gardens in all the properties throughout the Charles Village neighborhood as well as all the tree-lined streets and other pocket gardens such as exist on the Margaret Brent School property right next to the City's basketball court and children's playground.

Foundations can become self-serving since their income is often derived from a portion of any grants they can obtain.  So grant writing becomes a major goal for sustaining themselves and their jobs. Currently popular is the concept of "GREEN".  If you green this, the world is saved.  If you green an area that will immediately mean that investment will come.  It's true that rows of cement streets are hot, may be desolate and uninviting.  But just putting in a tree and tree-well does not mean that the tree will survive or that the weeds will be kept down in the wells.  Taking play space from a city child living in a neighborhood already abounding with gardens, lawns and trees does not make that child happy.  But it makes grant writing easier.  Writing a grant for another basketball court with it's hard play surface is not today's fashion and may be extremely difficult to obtain, even if it is more important for the well-being of that child.

A few years ago enlarging libraries was one of those popular ideas that was taken up by foundations eager for grants.  The result was that many of the small libraries, available to greater numbers of people, were closed throughout the country so that bigger, more elaborate ones were built.  These proved highly expensive to run and were largely inaccessible to many in the city.  Buzz words and conforming to the latest ideas may look good on paper and attract money for foundations but the end result may only be an asset to the foundation and not those they claim to benefit.

This is just one of those incidents in which the Foundations have apparently decided what no one wants in this small track of land and that is more green space.  As I've described above, we are fortunate in this community to have a lot of green space.  Walk around the community and go over to Wyman Park Dell.  Visit one of your neighbors and see what they have done in their backyards.  Walk up and down the streets of our community and see with your neighbors have done in their front yards; many are quite beautiful and all are green.  Greater Homewood Community Corp., Central Baltimore Committee and Homewood Community Partnership do not need to destroy the only basketball court in Charles Village to plant another flower that will likely die from the lack of care and water.  Let the children have their basketball court and if you want to do something positive for this community, get some more basketball courts in the community so that the children and adults have an opportunity to really enjoy living here.

Green space is lovely and important but in a city children are not supposed to trespass on other people's property nor are they encouraged to play ball of any kind near houses or car windows.  So, if they cannot run, jump and throw basketballs into hoops with an abandonment that comes from spacious, designated courts, an over-abundance of green space that denies the city child the play he/she needs and deserves becomes a negative influence, emotionally and physically.

This is our Kingdom - A child's view of his basketball court

My wife and I returned home recently from a brief trip to New York City to visit relatives.  When we stayed in the Big Apple, we decided to stay in a hotel close to where I once lived on the Upper West Side of the City.  It was a great experience walking the same streets I once did many years ago when I was much younger, but what caught my immediate attention on Riverside Drive was a playground where during the evening we would sit and catch the breezes from the Hudson River.  There, shuttered between the West Side Highway and Riverside Drive, was this magnificent place where children and adults played.  Within the borders of cooperatives and condos costing many millions of dollars and rents starting at $3,124. for a studio apartment was this sacred garden of pleasure.  On one half of this playground children laughed, ran in and out of water jets to escape the heat and on the other half young and old played basketball in four full courts.  I wished I had my camera with me to take pictures of the courts so that some of the people in Charles Village could see how  the sport of basketball was in fashion and demand by the New York City elites, young and old, enjoying very vigorous exercise with sons and daughters, friends and classmates in this well-to-do part of this magnificent metropolitan city.

Upon returning home to Baltimore, a neighbor with whom we chatted during a visit to our home recounted a story about two Dominican brothers who were recently visiting various areas of the neighborhood in the hope of building their parish community.  When they passed the basketball court on 26th Street and St. Paul they met a group of youngsters happily tossing "hoops".  In explaining his enthusiasm for the beautiful new court one young man threw his arms out wide and exclaimed to the brothers "This is our Kingdom!"  Then he ran to join in with his other companions there, at the only basketball court in our community of Charles Village. The sound of that child's voice, as described by my neighbor who was present at that incident, still resounds in my brain and forces me to write this little item about a basketball court that some are planning on making smaller and moving to another location.  All I can think of is the joy and happiness that this Baltimore City basketball court gives this young man and so many other neighborhood children and adults, where it is and as it is, a spacious and precious space.

What is so offensive in it to some people that the joys of adults and children do not take center stage over some plan to destroy or change a place that is so special, so important to our City's children?  This "Kingdom" is here, it is now and it is a place that celebrates all those who come and enjoy their energy and freedom.  There is no need to remove it.  There is no need to destroy it by diminishing it.  It is a tribute to the children and adults of this community who love the sport of basketball and which costs very little for any of them to participate in.  Surely our children are as important as those in NYC's Upper East Side.  Leave it alone, and let the boy who spoke to the Brothers enjoy his kingdom now and in the future.  If you tear it down, you will destroy yet another hope of another person who thought he could dream, who thought people cared about him and his friends.

Charles Village BASKETBALL COURT IN JEOPARDY

This morning we received a telephone call from an individual who attended the Central Baltimore Partnership meeting last evening at St. Marks Lutheran Church on St. Paul Street. At that meeting she learned that Johns Hopkins University and the Baltimore City Public Schools endered into an agreement involving Margaret Brent Elementary and Middle School and under this partnership the refurbished basketball court would be torn down and moved. As you know we reported earlier the success we had with the City in getting the basketball court newly refurbished to the delight and enjoyment of our neighborhood.

 The playground was dedicated in the 1970's by then Councilwoman Clarke as the "26th Street Playground" and it was for the community as a whole.

One side of the 26th Street Playground consisted of a basketball court being constructed and used by the community for many years, but it needed to be refurbished which was accomplished last year. On the other side of the playground was a section that had swings and other play equipment for the children of this community which the City refurbished just a few years ago.

 This playground is not part of Margaret Brent Elementary and Middle School, but sits on leased property owned now by CSX Railroad, which in purchasing the property owned previously by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad has become now the owner of this property. The property currently is on lease and has been for decades to the City of Baltimore and unless there is now an agreement to change the property from the City of Baltimore to Baltimore City Public School's jurisdiction, which if this has happened did occur in some secret negotiations not known by the community.

Why would one reasonably destroy a newly refurbished basketball court that is being enjoyed continuously by the community and move it to WHERE? Why would you want to take from the residents of this community their "playground"? Who approved this? When the CVCA started calling the neighborhood playground the Margaret Brent playground I reminded a member of the CVCA, Ms. Sharon Guida, that it was not the Margaret Brent playground but the "26th Street Playground", to which she responded, "I know, but the CVCA wants to call it that." I couldn't stop her from calling it by that name but I registered my complaint to the Homewood Community Partnership Coordinator, My Joseph McNeeley, at which meeting this discussion took place.

Let us not destroy the only basketball court we have in Charles Village as it represents a respite for our children and adults and let's put a stop to the constant attempt to destroy something that is very important to this community. To destroy this source of athletic and social interaction in this community will do the community, both children and adults, much harm.

Support Heart's Place Services, Inc. at the CV Festival

Heart's Place Services, Inc., one of the partners in the "Weekend Backpack Program" will have a booth at the CV Festival on June 1 and 2.  Please drop by and meet with other members of this growing backpack program to feed homeless students who attend Baltimore City Public Schools.  The program was established in 2011 by a combination of partners including St. John's of Baltimore United Methodist Church, ss Philip and James RC Church, the Wilsons and now Baltimore City Public Schools and the Maryland Food Bank with hopes to end the problem of students not having food over the weekends as most facilities are closed.  We started modestly with one school in Charles Village, and this year have grown to include two schools and next year with the help of our partners and volunteers from the various communities hope to take on another two schools within the close proximity of Charles Village.  With a current population of 1700 homeless students enrolled in the Baltimore City school system, our goal is to annually increase the membership of all of the schools within Baltimore City so that no child faces a weekend without food.

Come and visit us next Saturday and Sunday and learn about this exciting program and contribute some funding and/or volunteer time to keep the program growing.  Our booth will fly a banner showing Heart's Place Services, Inc., is a 501 (c) 3 charity.  Say hello and meet with some of the partners and begin a relationship that can only help Baltimore City.   When you join us you will become a "PARTNER" in this exciting program to eliminate hunger in children.  At our booth we will have a sample backpack to show what we deliver to the schools along with literature for you to share with your neighbors. 

Good news for Gypsy Jazz lovers, Gaucho appears at St. Marks Evangelical Lutheran Church

Gaucho, the well known San Francisco Gypsy Jazz and Swing band will be appearing one night only at St. Marks Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1900 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218 on May 26, 2013 at 7 pm.  This event gives Baltimore an opportunity to hear and enjoy the musical renditions of Gaucho performing gypsy jazz and swing.  Come one and all, as the admission is donation based and the Baltimore Manager will be providing snacks and drinks at this wonderful opportunity.

Voted Best Jazz Band in 2009 by San Francisco Weekly, Gaucho recently released their latest CD, Part Time Sweetheart.  The CD can be purchased online or at Caucho's web site:  www.cauchojazz.com .

Don't miss this chance to hear the music for this one evening's appearance and Gaucho travels throughout the United States.

What the HCPI has in mind for the CVCBD

A friend of mine sent me a report f rom the Homewood Community Partners Initiative, July 2012 statement as outlined in their general report.

"b.  The only effective way to provide public safety, coverage in the area is the employment of off-duty, uni-formed Baltimore City police officers.  These could be deployed initially in the critical corridors, in slective strategic crime areas or throughout the CVCBD by employing targetet patrols, depending on the resources available."  (A group of residents suggested this at the last hearing of the CVCBD budget, eliminating some of sanitation employees since much of the work is duplicative work that should be accomplished by the City and residents of this community.  A resident is responsible for maintaing the area around his/her property by law, so the CVCBD doing this work only means that they are doing what we as residents should already be doing.  The CVCBD fought this idea repeatedly since sanitation represented a basis to show the City what they achieved by the number of bags they collected.)

"c.  Public space cleanliness and attractiveness could reach the level desired by all parties in HCPI if CVCBD could increase the number of its sanitation workers by 50 percent and include the capacity to manage illegal dumping."  (If the CVCBD accomplished supplemental maintenance as mandated by the legislation enacting them, they would not require any additional sanitation workers and the HCPI boundaries exceed that of the CVCBD's boundaries.  It does not include many of the areas represented in the HCPI; Remington being one.)

To achieve the goal that is outlined above, please consider the budget that is contemplated for the CVCBD, "a complete package of expanded services would require an additional annual contribution to CVCBD of roughly $1.5 million, for a total budget of $2.5 million."  There is no indication as to where they expect to get this increase from, but we understand that JHU had mentioned that they would consider a one time allocation of $1.5 million in order to accomplish this goal, but then what happens thereafter?  Are you as a resident or business owner of this community prepared to pay an additional 310% more in surtaxes to cover these salaries, in addition to the planned and much heralded trolley (really light rail) that will run up North Charles Street and down St. Paul Street at a cost that they suggest would amount to $150,000,000, but in actuality would more than likely cost $350,000,000.?  How will this impact your costs to live in Charles Village or for that matter the City of Baltimore?   With this one time allocation, are the residents of this community supposed to now maintain the properties of absentee landlords?  If it becomes difficult for members in this community to get businesses to comply with the NCVPUD, are we setting a basis for future filth?  What is really contained in this message?  Since when do you resolve issues by making residents pay for services that are really supposed to be done by other fellow residents and businesses and institutions?  Also rather than attempt to increase their baggage numbers, the CVCBD should perform the required supplemental services under their legislation.  I think that the HCPI should rethink their ideas a little more in order to work with the City of Baltimore to ensure that we get as required by the Baseline Agreement with the City exactly what we, as taxpayers are entitled to.  Don't you?

http://web.jhu.edu/adminstration/president/about/communications/pdfs/HCPI%20Report-mod-1-2-2013.pdf

Baltimore City Public Works Calendar

I don't usually peruse the "Baltimore City Public Works Calendar" but neighbors and I have become very interested lately in the proper maintenance of private, business and institutional properties in our community as their conditions are abysmal. 

If you have a copy of this document, please refer to "Curbside Collection" where you will note that the City outlines in a clear format guidelines as to what constitutes "Recycling" and "Waste".  On this page, they suggest that recycling should be placed in the yellow cans which are easily available at most hardware stores as I purchased one from Ace on 33rd Street, without any difficulty, but they advise you as well that, "1.  Use any container you want except PLASTIC BAGS.  Use paper bags, cardboard, old laundry baskets or trashcans.  Just mark it:  RECYCLING.  2.  Start simple - paper, cans and bottles! and lastly 3.  Put out all the recycling you want - NO LIMIT!  NO LIMIT!"  I would like to add a caveat here and that is if you use a paper bag, try to make sure that it is properly closed at the top to keep your product within from flying around the community. 

Now if you would kindly turn to the month of MARCH 2013, you will note a drawing of a family of rats (just the same that we have here in our community) feasting on improperly disposed trash.  However, aside from the unique drawing, there are guidelines to follow which are easy to follow, which are:

Rats are a serious health threat and can cause property damage.

"Know the signs of rat infestation

1.  Look for burrows (holes) near sidewalk edges (very predominant on the Safeway parking lot and entrance to the store) under bushes, along your home's foundation and in your basement.
2.  Look for gnawing marks (chewing) around doors, windows, plumbing and electrical outlets.
3.  Look for their pathways usually along walls and in hidden areas -- telltale signs are greasy track marks and dark colored droppings.

Know how to keep rats away from your home:

1.  Always use a durable trash can with a tight-fitting lid.  It's the law and keeps rats away from food sources.  Don't invite rats, to your home for dinner by storing your trash in plastic bags!
2.  Don't leave pet food sitting out and always clean up your pet's waste -- both are food for rats.
3.  Remove old furniture, vehicles and appliances from your property -- they give rats a place to hide and nest.
4.  Keep grass and weeks cut -- tall grass and weeds are a hiding place for rats.
5.  Seal cracks and holes around your foundation, doors and windows - a half-inch hole is big enough to allow a rate into your home.

Call 311 to request Rat Control Services."

The guide also states "Please Keep Alleys Clean" which is important in that if the alleys are not clean the rats will come on and into your property."

From the above you can see that the demands of the City are reasonable, responsible and represents what any one with a lick of sense would do in combating the issue governing the property disposal of trash to not only make the areas around our homes, businesses and institutions look clean by safe from an exploding rat population.  We neighbors have provided photographic evidence of a continuance of problems within this area of ours and despite repeated proof that these disgusting conditions continue, nothing serious is getting done to eliminate the problem.  People don't seem to care and those of us who do are deemed to be crazies engaged in a futile attempt. 

One last note on the seriousness of these conditions which is from the calendar, which states:  "In 2011, the Bureau of Solid Waste cleaned 18,623 dirty alleys as a result from citizen service requests to 311 and proactively cleaned 3,090 of them."

On average, the City spends $10 million to clean streets and alleys.  Instead of having to clean all of these alleys residents, businesses and institutions should want to clean them as prudent residents of this city and then possibly the $10 million could be used for feeding the 1,700 children who are homeless in this city.  There are also laws on the books that require the proper disposal of garbage which need to be followed.

Think about it and the next time you put out your trash or recycling follow the simple rules that the City has so that funds can be spent more wisely.  Don't forget, piles of garbage indicate a neighborhood in decline because no one cares.

Alert - Alert - Please take notice

Our neighbors, the 2640 Cooperative reported the following incident to us yesterday.

"Hi all,
Last night (Friday, September 22, 2013) some of the people organizing and attending an event at 2640 encountered a group attempting to rob people in the area of the builsing (2540 St. Paul Street).  I was inside closing down and didn't know about it until one of the organizaers, Ken, called me today (Saturday).  He said it was a group of 8, and described them as teens wearing ski masks and carrying metal poles.  He said that they chased a man through the neighborhood and, later, a person with a bike.  Ken said that at one point he went over to the group to overhear what they were saying.  He said that they were sending "souts" out to look for people traveling alone, who would then report back to the group, and the group would go try to rob the person.  Ken also called the police at some point and asked them to send a patrol over to discourage them, and he said after that a car came and was driving around the area.  Apparently this was going on around the time of the end of the event, 10 pm.

Please take care and give folks you know in the CV area a heads up.
Thanks,
Tiffany"

On another note, we have been noticing this week that we had two police cars sitting at the intersection of the unit block of east 26th Street and Lovegrove with their lights flashing for about an hour each night around 5 pm.  Apparently it would appear that there has been similar crimes taking place which would warrant the police to be summoned and this brings to mind an issue of the Off-duty Police service that is supposed to be in place during the weekend.  Our neighbors are getting greatly concerned about the fact that there appears to be yet another crime wave going on and the neighborhood is not being advised at all of these activities so that they can better protect themselves.   A bank robbery attempt took place at the M&T Bank yesterday at 10:30 am.  At one time the neighborhood which experienced a crime issue would receive some sort of notification by written notices so that all could be advised.  This notification went out to those who don't have computers and are not on facebook, twitter or anyother electronic medium.

Removal of a CVCBD Board Member is never "without cause"

The following is by another voice from Charles Village – Pamela Wilson

Because it is a governmental entity that is supported by a surtax and is not a community association or a corporation, the Charles Village Community Benefits District's Board of Directors must present its bylaw changes to the Board of Estimates for approval as is required by the enabling legislation.  One of the egregious changes to the bylaws in 2011 was the section adding the ability to remove a board member "without cause".  Since that time new board members have been uncomfortable with this and recently attempted to have the board's power to remove any member "without cause" deleted from the bylaws.

If you think about it rationally, there can never be a removal of a board member "without" a cause.  There must be a "cause" behind why anyone would propose to remove another board member.  A "without cause" removal seeks only to hide the cause.

Think of a scenario where a board member or a committee proposes to the board membership that Mary Smith or John Alden be removed from their seat on the board "without cause".  What would the rest of the board think?  Is it "How embarrassing? What did she/he do?"  Is it "Maybe they'll pick on me next?"  "Maybe I'd better not say anything."  "Maybe I'd better vote on anything the Executive Committee puts forth, even if I believe my constituents or my organization objects to it." 

It is my opinion this exposes the board to a greater risk of a law suit than would be if someone were to be removed "with cause".  If someone is removed "with cause" the reason would be stated publicly and would be based on a sufficiently serious issue, such as the person is found to be ineligible to fill a seat under the City's law, or the person has committed an act that is either criminal or so vile as to warrant removal such as harassment or threatening other community members.  The board member would then have the opportunity to exonerate him/herself by way of publicly arguing against the complaint/reason for the removal.  Should the person then sue the CVCBD board for his/her removal, the board would be able to defend itself in court and should be covered by its insurance since it acted in good faith in removing the individual. 

If someone is removed from the board "without cause", it must mean that the board members voting for this removal are doing so for a reason that they do not wish to publicly acknowledge.  This would be unfair to the entire Board membership.

While the bylaws state that "A Board member may be removed without cause by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the voting Board members.  Such Board member and the association, organization or officials, if any, that appointed the Board member, shall be given no less than ten days' notice of the meeting at which his or her removal is to be considered, and shall have the right to appear and speak on his or her behalf", how can they address the issue for the removal if they do not know the "cause" (reason) for the removal? The person removed thusly can sue the board claiming removal because he/she believes the removal was a result of discrimination issues of race, religion, age, sex, disability or other prejudices resulting in the removal.  Then the board will have to acknowledge in court the reason behind the removal and most likely will lose the case, possibly resulting in a substantial fine for discrimination.  Those board members voting for the removal will not even know what the real reason is behind why the member was removed and may be caught in a discrimination or other law suit without realizing what they were supporting in voting to remove the board member.  This is the real danger in such a removal and it is very questionable whether the CVCBD's Officers and Directors Insurance would cover the costs of defending a law suit with a hidden agenda behind a "without cause" removal of a board member.

It would appear that the only reason why a governmental entity, to be run by a board made up of community people, would want to remove or to have the ability to remove another board member WITHOUT CAUSE could only be to exert power over all the board members through intimidation.  This is not what the CVCBD board members want.   Actions by some of the new board members  to have the "without cause" clause in the bylaws removed demonstrates their wish to run the CVCBD properly for the good of the whole community.

NOTICE FOR THE COMMUNITY

For the Charles Village and Old Goucher communities, please note - the following handwritten notice was posted on the window of the empty space at 2438 North Charles Street, across from the Safeway parking lot:

"Notice is hereby given by the Board of Municipal and Zoning that it will hold a Public hearing Tuesday April 2, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. in Room 215, City Hill on Appeal No. 2013-72 for a permit to use ground floor of portion known as 2438 N. Charles St. for digital/graphic design, apparel, derma-graphics & Modern art.  On these premises located in a B-2-3 Zoning District."

Please note that "derma-graphics" means Tattoo Parlor. 

Taking care of garbage

The proper disposal of garbage is usually not a topic of discussion amongst most societies, but in that the proper disposal of garbage is instrumental to the health and well being of the people who reside in a neighborhood it should be an issue of great concern.  The proper control of garbage vs. the explosion of the rat population in an urban environment is of paramount importance to any community in this country as without structure and rules, the rat population will rule and cause havoc to the residents of any community.

Members of our community have been working closely with the City of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University and businesses, as well as residents to ensure that garbage set out for collections is accomplished in a professional manner to allow the City and private contractors to pick it up on a regular basis so that not to encourage a further expansion of the rat population and also to create a cleaner city.  If all parties comply with common sense approaches to garbage disposal, our community and hence therefore the City as a whole can be a cleaner place.

There are rules to be followed that are not onerous:

1.  Put your garbage out as indicated in secure garbage cans with lids at the time designated in your community.  If you are a business, lock your dumpster each time you put some product into it.

2.  Don't put out bags of garbage on top of your garbage cans or dumpsters as rats are very creative
and will figure a way to get to it.

3.  When recycling time comes to your community, make sure that the product is tied appropriately to ensure that it doesn't fly around the community.  If the items are put into boxes, then tie them down to ensure that the product doesn't move and create additional filth for the neighborhood.

There are many more rules which can be obtained from the City of Baltimore that will help you make this city a cleaner and healthier place to live, work and play in, but simply just following these three simple steps will also help in creating a better place to live.

Due to the efforts of Mr. John Houston, a resident of Charles Village, our City Council Representative, City Services, JHU and businesses within this community we have made significant strides in creating a cleaner community, that will help eliminate some of the rat population and create a cleaner environment.  This does not mean that we can stop with our limited success at the present time, but continue to move forward following very simple rules to ensure that the community is cleaner.  Thank you John for keeping all of us informed with short descriptions of the issues, along photographic evidence of what you encountered on your walks through the community.

The Charles Villager

 Oh, I love to get my copy of the "Charles Villager" as it gives me an opportunity to keep up with the fairy tales that abound in this community.  This edition, "Winter 2013" is of particular interest to the community as  the CVCA is attempting to get the community interested in appearing at the FY 2013 CVCBD hearing on the proposed new budget in order to "think creatively about new programs you would like to see implemented".  First of all, the date is incorrectly listed as April 9th at 6:30p.m. when the correct date is April 23rd as was just pointed out in an e-mail exchange to the Administrator by a community member and the April 23rd date was confirmed by said Administrator.  It would be helpful to the community if the CVCA would send out a corrected issue.

As for thinking "creatively about new programs you would like to see implemented" by the CVCBD, when the CVCBD was advertised and sold to the community it was first and foremost as a security force and people were warned "You don't want to have another murder in Charles Village, do you?" to urge them to vote to pass the CVCBD's enabling legislation.  They have only recently accomplished some "maintenance services" and we have gone many years with inadequate or non-existent supplemental security services.  What would make anyone think that they could handle any other new program?  When an organization cannot function as it was anticipated to perform by the voters, why should said organization be distracted by some other function that would also be poorly handled and diminish any service presently provided?  I would think that the City which governs its budget would like the CVCBD to accomplish its primary goals rather than embarking on some new set of ideas such as ones that have repeatedly failed in the past. 

On another note, the publication advises that Mr. Hill has requested JHU to provide funding of "$1.5 million per year for 5 years, and is one of the 32 HCPI [Homewood Community Partners Initiative] recommendations that President Daniels accepted in his announcement".  I believe that accepting recommendation does not translate into funding those proposals but only to taking them under consideration. Asking for $1.5 million and actually getting it brings one thing to mind, since when does the CVCBD need an annual commitment of $1.5 million after getting almost $767,000. per year in surtaxes from you and me?  Since when does the CVCBD need $2,267,000 a year to operate a small sanitation crew and two officers employed a few hours over the weekend?  If JHU actually decides to give the CVCBD that $1.5 million funding, then I don't think that we should have to pay this surtax and the $1.5 million from JHU could provide both the sanitation and full 24/7 off-duty policing as promised in selling the CVCBD to the community.

JHU plays an important position in our community and indeed in the State of Maryland, but the CVCBD should not be running to them for additional funding every year.  My belief is still of the opinion that the CVCBD is a failure, has been a failure since inception and has been corrupted continuously by poor management. Lack of support from this community shows this.  When CVCBD calls a meeting, most likely only the few staunch supporters will attend and then the CVCBD reports on those meeting exaggerate the figures of the attendees.  I have been told repeatedly that the CVCBD is constantly looking for supporters and cannot find them in the community, and the reason is simple, no one supports this venture which just places another tax on an already tax burdened community.   And no one wants to spend countless hours on committee after committee and meeting after meeting of what should be a simply-run, truly community governed agency with a paid manager/Administrator as the law calls him/her.

As I said on the first line of this little article, I really love to get my copy of the Charles Villager, as it allows me the opportunity to explain the facts and clear up the misinformation provided to this community by a newsletter that refuses to provide a "Letters to the Editor" column.

Compliance with the NCV PUD - since when????

We received from a neighbor an advice they received from JHU which is copied in its entirety hereunder for your consideration.

We have two questions here:

1.  How can JHU make sure that the new project will be in compliance with the "NCVPUD" (North Charles Village Planned Unit Development), incorrectly described as the "Charles Village PUD" by the author of this announcement when they can't and will not support the NCVPUD compliance now by agreeing to a "Code of Ethics"?  The PUD's are a means of getting the neighborhood closely connected to this new development to agree based on promises to the community that are never followed after the new development takes place. They are unenforceable and no one will comply to what was agreed upon.

2.  The Homewood Community Partnership Initiative is simply another name for a JHU project that gives them the appearance of being community driven, but is totally controlled by the university in this instance. So what benefit is there in stating anything with respect to the Homewood Community Partnership Initiative.  It is saying to the community that we (JHU) want this so we are using JHU to get it.  So who benefits?  JHU And who are the potential losers?  The community.

"From: jmielke3@jhu.edu
Subject: Press Release
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2013 15:22:20 +0000

Good Morning-

I am pleased to announce that Johns Hopkins University will issue the attached press release today that it has chosen a team headed by the Baltimore and Virginia based Armada Hoffler to develop a mixed-use retail and residential complex with parking garage on university-owned land in the 3200 block of St. Paul Street in Charles Village. 

The Armada Hoffler team was chosen by a committee of trustees and administrators from more than 27 proposals solicited by Johns Hopkins. The final terms of the transaction are subject to approval by the university's board of trustees. The Armada Hoffler team will own the improvements on land that will remain controlled by the university. The developer is responsible for overseeing design, soliciting community input, securing financing, obtaining public approvals and managing the property long term. Key principals of this team include Baltimore’s Michael Beatty of Beatty Development Group LLC and Tony Nero of Armada Hoffler.

  

Beatty was the former president of Harbor East Development Group and has extensive experience with projects in Baltimore.  Jointly with his former company, Beatty and Armada Hoffler constructed over 5.5 million square feet in Baltimore.  Beatty Development is currently working on the redevelopment of Harbor Point in Fells Point, a 2-million- square foot mixed-use project. 

Armada Hoffler's higher education resume comprises a hotel and conference center at Emory University in Atlanta, as well as all of Hampton University’s work over the past 25 years, including the university’s proton therapy institute (a cancer treatment center), the very first in the Mid-Atlantic region.   Additionally, the company has contracted with minority- and women-owned subcontractors and vendors approved by the city of Baltimore for work valued in excess of $150 million. An integral goal for each project is committing to overall quality and excellence as well as providing opportunities for local, small, minority and disadvantaged business enterprises.

Johns Hopkins University will be working with the Armada Hoffler team and area stakeholder on the public process to seek input on the design and program components, which will be complaint with the Charles Village PUD.   This winter, a public meeting will occur to introduce the development team and initiate the public process.   The project is consistent with the recommendation of the Homewood Community Partners Initiative and presents opportunities for greater planning connections to the surrounding community.  Additional details will be forthcoming.

On behalf of the development team and Johns Hopkins University, we look forward to working with you on taking the next step toward creating an exciting and distinctive destination in Charles Village.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you.

Jennifer

______________________________

Jennifer J. Mielke

Director

Office of Community Affairs

Johns Hopkins University"