AUGUST 1997

President's Message:
Sometimes it seems that most of the political leadership in Baltimore has set as their task managing the decline of the city. Their view of the future includes little support for parks and libraries, and quick money from casino gambling in Inner Harbor East-more financial support for those who already have a lot, and less support for what seems to me what most residents need and want, what makes the city livable for all of us little guys.

Southeast Baltimore has produced some of the best "real" community-based advocacy groups in the entire city, in the Southeast Planning Council and the Waterfront Coalition. The question remains, though, whether city government cares about the concerns of the larger community of residents. What good is having a Baltimore Master Plan, or any other plan, when the next time a wealthy, connected individual comes along the plan gets tossed aside?

Well, I'm for doing more planning, with SPAR (Saving Parks and Recs), because a lot of the best people I've met in Baltimore are involved, and it will be a city-wide effort, and have something for everyone. Individually and collectively, we need to let the city "leadership" (or rather followership) know what the city really needs.
-Clint Roby

Thanks to All
A very big thank-you to Dorothy Dobbyn , who is resigning from Housing and Community Development to work as director of NHS in Irvington. Dorothy has helped the BHA in innumerable ways and will be greatly missed, but we will no doubt be seeing her around. Good Luck!

Much thanks to Tracy Gosson for her work in promoting the July 12th Southern Comfort Rockin Blues Festival in Patterson Park. It was a bit hit, with great music and spectacular weather.The day was also viewed as a success by local promoter David Geller, who would like to bring another all day festival to the park in the fall. Thanks to all 35 BH's volunteers who had a great time working the beverage concessions, you helped us earn $750 for our general fund! Although it was a challenge trying to pull together 35 volunteers in about a week, the response was great! From the usual suspects to new residents and those that have never really volunteered before, it really says a lot about our community and dedication to improving our neighborhood. Thank You! The BH booth shared some space with the Friends of Patterson Park and Friends of the Fells Point Library. We sold some t-shirts and hats and got more petition signatures for SPAR. The overwhelming consensus was that people loved the park setting and had a great time, and wanted to know when the next concert is happening! The Sun ran a story and photo in Monday's paper about what a success it was for the park and interviewed participants, and Fox45 was there too. Major thanks goes to David Geller for helping bring the show here in the first place and doing a great job reminding everyone to take care of the park, which they had cleaned up before nightfall. They day was a great chance for people to come to the park and see it's enormous potential and continue with the positive trend that our community efforts are helping to generate in Butchers Hill. Thank you again for everyone's support and we'll keep you posted about future events!

Thanks to Nancy Supik and everyone who helped put together a wonderful July 4th neighborhood picnic, and especially to George Larson for the great music.

Finally, thanks to volunteers Toni, Butch, Carol, David, Zea, Tom & Mindi, who put in the first of the new pyracantha planters, and to Chet, who organized and supervised sidewalk clean-up of the unit block of North Collington Avenue.

PUT YOUR HOUSE on the Butchers Hill house tour this October 12th - Call Sue at 410-522-6773 or come to the August 5th meeting.

SPAR (saving parks and recs) has now sent over 2000 signatures to the mayor. Over 200 have attended SPAR's town hall meeting. Now we can start planning for the future! Check out their website: http://www.charm.net/~spar.

CHOW DOWN AND CHEW THE FAT! Our DINING OUTs (DININGs OUT?) are becoming more and more popular. The last two were particularly well-attended - 17 BH-ers turned out for thick steaks and camaraderie at the Colonial Inn in June, and 22 of you came out in July to enjoy the food at Neon Moon. To have so much community participation is great! Why not join us this month at that old favorite, The Morning Edition (now ask yourselves, when was the last time you were there?!). August 21st at 7:00 p.m. Call Barry at 558-1080 to make reservations.

ON THE AGENDA for the August 6th General Meeting: Speaker and committee reports, progress, and future plans. As usual, the meeting will be held at St. Andrews Church, corner of Chester and Lombard ant 7:30pm.

The residential tax credit programs require "substantial" renovation, $5,000 for the state credit and 10% of the assessed value for the city program, which is administered by CHAP-the Commission for Architectural and Historical Preservation. Advance approval is strongly suggested for the state program and required for the CHAP program, which also has an application fee. Participants in the CHAP program are also required to get all proper permits for the project and all tax credit programs require compliance with the U.S. Department of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.

A major selling point of the CHAP program is that it can hold taxes down for 10 years. The credit can be transferred if the owner sells the property within the 10-year period. A recent tax credit workshop sponsored by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development showed that the package of tax credits really made the difference between being able to do a historic renovation, and not.

For further information on the City program, call CHAP at 410-396-4866. The State program may be reached at 410-514-7600. Either office can direct you to the Federal programs.

WE NEED TO UPDATE the Butchers Hill volunteer contact list that we include in our Realtor packets. The list helps prospective homebuyers get a profile of who lives here; they can then call any of these people for more detailed information. Last year was the first year we compiled this list, and Realtors think it's a great idea. If interested, please complete the following form or call Tracy at 410-342-4342:

Name:
Address:
Phone:
Age:
Number of years in the neighborhood:
Interests/Hobbies:
Occupation/Employer:

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

Well, if Attman's Deli can have neat caps (and they do), so can we. Go get yourself some Butchers Hill headgear. And while you're at it, get a tee-shirt, a sweatshirt, and/or a flag, and promote the 'hood. To place an order, call Tracy at 410-342-4342 or jump to our online order page.

This month we wrap up the CRIME PREVENTION TIPS (6 in all) provided by Butchers Hill neighbor Mark Watkins, a Baltimore County Police Detective.

• TIP 5-Report all incidents of theft or vandalism to the police, since this determines the amount of patrol coverage we receive.
• TIP 6-If you own a used car of high value, or are purchasing a new vehicle, consider having the "LoJack" tracking system installed. Considering the high costs of a new car and the savings in car insurance, the initial investment isn't as bad as it seems. The base system runs about $600 and goes up to $800. This system has been highly successful, and typically allows police to locate your car in a matter of hours. For more information, call 1-800-53-LOJACK. If you have deluxe wheels on your vehicle, install locking lug nuts on each wheel to prevent their theft.

The cost is $25 per person, and is limited to the first 20 paid people. Please make your check payable to: Elegant Affairs. Mail your check to the above address or drop it through John's mail slot on his front door. (Cash through the door is fine as well.) For more information, call John Johnson at 410/732-5215.

MENU

• Smoked Duck Breast Spring Rolls with Spicy Lime Dipping Sauce
• Walnut Crusted Baby Lamb Rack with Red Wine Demi-glaze
• Pasta Salad with Fresh Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms
• Imported Cheese Display with Seasonal Fruit
• Grilled Honey/Ginger Shrimp Kebob
• (Two wines will be matched with each menu item.)

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