The Neighborhoods of Greater Lauraville, Inc.

Greater Lauraville Gazette

March 2008

Director's Report

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March 2008 Director's Message

The Mayor is having a 'Night In' on March 19^th from 6-8PM at City Hall's Curran Conference Room. We need to be there, in large numbers, to gain a better understanding of the City's motives in amending the current legislation to allow more flexibility for group homes in residential neighborhoods - and to express our concerns.

Greater Lauraville (all seven member neighborhoods) has made great gains over the past 5 years. This issue of the Greater Lauraville Gazette celebrates the new businesses, opened by local residents, along Harford Road and demonstrates these gains. Also, housing values are up, home ownership rates are up, and anecdotally we know that the number of multi-family units is down. Neighborhoods feel more stable. We now have even more time and energy to focus on Harford Road and the Lauraville Business District. What we need now from the City are policies and resources to help us maintain the gains and continue to build strength.

What we do not need are more poorly regulated group homes tucked away in our neighborhoods slowly eroding away at the gains, frustrating neighbors, increasing nuisance issues, distracting us from our primary goals and objectives: creating a safe, welcoming, and viable community in northeast Baltimore that positively impacts the quality of life in all of Baltimore City.

If the homes were better regulated, if agencies were more responsive to community concerns, if we knew a clear and effective way to communicate these concerns - then, we might have a different perspective on the desires of the City to increase the number of group homes in our neighborhoods. But, there are very real and long-standing concerns about group homes in northeast Baltimore where large homes are fairly affordable and vulnerable to such uses.

Click here to read the letter we delivered to the Board of Municipal Zoning Appeals last month. The letter was draft by the Lauraville Improvement Association and has since been supported by the Neighborhoods of Greater Lauraville and a majority of its member neighborhoods. If you find resonance with its sentiments, then join your neighbors at the Mayor's Night In.

We are coordinating turn-out and car pools for the event. Call or send an e-mail if you plan to attend and/or you need a ride - lorrie@greaterlauraville.com or 410-444-9188. I look forward to seeing you there!

Community Activities

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There will be a special Easter Event Sunday, March 16, 2008 from 2-6pm at Soft Touch Photography,5123 Harford Road.

Pictures with the Easter Bunny. Customers will receive a beautiful 4x6 photo in a cute folder for $5.00. All proceeds will be benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospitlal.

Residential Update

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Launching the Youth Work Service Project with Senior Citizens

The Waltherson Improvement Association Inc. (WIA) in partnership with The Neighborhoods of Greater Lauraville, Inc. is starting a new and exciting program. Youth Work Service Project with Senior Citizens will provide the young adults who are in school and senior citizens, over the age of 65, who live in Waltherson an opportunity to work together. The youth will receive a paid job position and the seniors will receive necessary services including lawn maintenance, snow shoveling, windows washing, and other miscellaneous outdoor duties. Students may satisfy their community service hours for graduation in lieu of paid compensation.

This program is working to offer something valuable to both the youth and seniors in the neighborhood. The youth earn spending money and the older adults receive a needed service. The program is working to bring the two generations together in hopes of creating a trusting and supportive relationship.

A Steering Committe has been formed to oversee and coordinate the Youth Work Service Project with Senior Citizens (YWSP Steering Committee) and is hard at work developing guidelines for the project.

We are seeking Waltherson Improvement Association members who are interested in participating in this program. If you are a current or potential WIA member, 65-years or older, and are interested in receiving assistance with your outdoor household chores or a young adult living in Waltherson with a guardian who is a member or potential member of WIA interested in making some spending money or completing your community service hours, please contact, Andrea Brown at 410-444-9188, andrea@greaterlauraville.com.

We look forward to building onto the already strong assets that exists in Waltherson. Your participation and support is an important investment in the community. You can learn more about Waltherson at www.waltherson.org

Andrea Brown

The Neighborhoods of Greater Lauraville Inc.

410-444-9188

andrea@greaterlauraville.com

Cleaning and Greening Baltimore

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"Paper or Plastic?"

You have heard the question a thousand times while standing in the checkout line at your local grocery store. But you may not hear it much longer.

Concerns about litter and ecological damage triggered the debate. Paper bags take far more resources and energy to create, and the process from tree to store is long and environmentally taxing. But they can be re-used and recycled, and when they do end up in a landfill, they eventually decompose.

Plastic bags are a different story. They are made from polyethylene, a flexible, watertight and UV resistant material derived from petroleum. It takes less energy and environmental wear and tear to produce a plastic bag, but once it hits the landfill, the real problems begin. It takes over 1000 years for a plastic bag to break down, often much longer. Plastic bags are clogging waterways, killing marine life, and preventing waste from composting in landfills.

Excerpt by Zoe Saint-Paul from Baltimore Eats, March 2008

Andrea Brown

Neighborhood Activities

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Who Let the Dogs Out?

By Mike Bornemann

Did you ever wonder what you can do about those barking dogs at 4:00 a.m. or the "cat lady" who has three dozen felines in her house or the guy who mistreats the pit bull in his backyard? How about the kind neighbor who puts out bowls of food for stray cats before she goes to work or the dog owner who yells "He won't hurt you!" when his chow flies off the porch chewing at your heals as you jog past? Pet problems - or problems with pet owners - have probably affected us all.

There are laws that govern the humane and responsible ownership of animals in Baltimore City and there is a City agency that enforces these laws (since the police cannot do much until a crime against a person has been committed).

At the March 5 meeting of the Waltherson Improvement Association, Robert Anderson, the Director of the Baltimore City Bureau of Animal Control, will be our guest speaker and will explain the resources available for residents to solve pet and pet owner problems. He is the "top dog" in Baltimore City for enforcement of Title 10, Animal Control and Protection provisions of the Baltimore City Health Code. Bring your questions, concerns, and your neighbors to make your community a more "Peaceable Kingdom".

For those of you who love homework, you may want to read pages 147 through 194, Title 10 of the Baltimore City Health code at

http://cityservices.baltimorecity.gov/charterandcodes/Code/Art%2000%20-%20Health.pdf.

And/or check out the website of the Baltimore City Bureau of Animal Control at http://www.baltimorehealth.org/animalcontrol.html.

If you're that guy who lets his barking dogs out at 4:00 a.m. and goes back to sleep, you can stay home. You'll be hearing from us soon.

Commercial Update

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Adding to the exciting commercial block on the 4300 block of Harford Road, 3 new businesses have settled in the neighborhood. Welcome Rock Candy, Bediboo retail shop, and Spinster Yarn.