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September 2004 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE It is back-to-school time, and there are some very exciting things going on at our own Commodore John Rodgers Elementary School. The Principal, Mrs. Dawn Shirey, is coming to our September meeting to tell us about the new programs there. She will also tell us how we can help out as well! It is also election time. The candidates for the First District of the Baltimore City Council have been invited to give brief statements. Our Land Use Committee has developed a set of neighborhood development standards to guide us through a flood of zoning appeals. These standards are still in rough form, and would benefit from input from the neighborhood. I expect a lively discussion! Finally, we are going to get an update from the people who are developing
the Chapel NDP site. In all, it should be a full and interesting meeting. FALL FLEA MARKET
BARGAINS, BOOKS, ART, MUSIC, FOOD
Saturday, September 11th Patterson Park, Lombard St. Entrance Put Saturday, September 11th, 9 to 3, on your calendar for a fun day in the Park. Bargains, bargains, bargains! at the Butchers Hill booth and the usual great vendors, plus good food, and music by the Paul Snyder Trio. To reserve a space ($15 now, $20 after September 4th), contact Bev, 410-675-0148. The Patterson Park Pagoda will be open. Volunteers are needed to donate "fleas" for the Butchers Hill flea market table (proceeds go to the Education Committee). Please mark with a suggested price and bring to the BHA table before 9 AM on September 11th or contact Carolyn at 410-522-4991, c.boitnott@verizon.net, or Ann at 410-522-5030. We also need volunteers to work 2-hour shifts selling the "fleas." BEAUTIFYING SCHOOL #27 Beautifying School 27 (Commodore John Rodgers) is one of the James Rouse Community Service Day projects, Saturday, September 11th, 9 AM to 3 PM. Members of the school community, community members, and volunteers from Struever Brothers, Eccles and Rouse (SBER) will be working together to clean and beautify the grounds and apply a mural in the playground area. The mural has been designed by our own Martha Simons and she will be overseeing the application. Anyone (children and adults) who can give an hour or two that morning or early afternoon please contact Carolyn at 522-4991 or c.boitnott@verizon.net. SBER has been (or will be) replacing fencing and windows as well as installing new playground equipment, and Capital Development (owners of the Chapel NDP) has been or will be making improvements to the lavatories. COMMUNITY DUMPSTER, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22ND On Wednesday, September 22nd, from 9 to 2, there will be a community Dumpster in the 100 block N. Collington Ave. Note that unlike our usual weekend dumpsters, which are delivered the day before, weekday dumpsters are delivered and picked up on the same day. No electronics, hazardous materials, batteries, paint, or appliances. SILVER ANNIVERSARY HOUSE TOUR: Sunday, October 17 We need volunteers for the House Tour and the Flea Market: see Marketing Committee BHA COMMITTEES AND MONTHLY MEETINGS Block Rep/Crime Prevention: Wednesday, September 15th, 7 p.m., 2105 E. Baltimore St. The committee meets monthly to share information from our 20 block representatives and to coordinate action. Reminder, lock all windows and doors when leaving your house even if for a short time. Also, let a neighbor know if you are going to be away for a while. Butchers Hill Citizens on Patrol (C.O.P.) Butchers Hill Citizens on Patrol (C.O.P.) has been regularly patrolling the neighborhood for over three years, and conducts its walk-arounds on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month. We meet at 7:30 p.m. at the intersection of Patterson Park Avenue and Lombard Street. All are welcome. For more information, please contact Evan Helfrich at 410-342-2148 or via e-mail, ubik14@netscape.net. Community Representative, School 27 School Improvement Team: Carolyn Boitnott, 410-522-4991. Education Committee: Thursday, September 30th, 7:00 PM, 124 S. Patterson Park Avenue. Contact: Martha DelPizzo 410-522-6046, e-mail mdelpizzo@comcast.net. (a) Mrs. Shirey, the principal at Commodore John Rodgers elementary school, will make a presentation at the September meeting. Great things are happening there that we are excited to share with the community! (b) BHA members: please remember to attend the Adopt-a-Teacher breakfast at Patterson Park on September 2nd between 8-9 AM. Please RSVP to Martha DelPizzo or Sandy Sales but if you forget to RSVP come anyway!!! (c) Four teachers were adopted by BHA members but their names are not on the sign-up sheet. Please let Martha DelPizzo know if you have one of the following teachers: Deborah Johnson, Wade Tomlinson, Melody Rogers, Martha Johnson. Land Use: Wednesday, September 22nd, 7 PM. 2011 East Pratt Street. The Land Use Committee reminds homeowners in the 2100 and 2200 blocks of E. Baltimore Street and the 2200 block of E. Pratt Street that you live in a City historic district. All exterior work and painting must be submitted to CHAP and Butchers Hill. We are always happy to help with any questions you may have. Call Virgil Bartram: 410-327-4964. CHAP's number is 410-396-4866. Marketing/House Tour Committee: Tuesday, Sept. 14th, 7:00 PM, 2223 E. Pratt St. Contact Rick Gilmour (410-342-7061), gilmour@qis.net. ( Volunteers needed: For both the Fall Flea Market (Sept 11) and the Silver Anniversary House Tour (Oct. 17), we need volunteers who can serve 1 to 2 hour shifts. Contact Rick Gilmour. Thanks to Carolyn Boitnott and Ann Stacy, who have volunteered to be in charge of the Butchers Hill booth! Trash Committee: Contact Sue Whitson, 443-527-1103, e-mail sbwhitson@hotmail.com (e-mail preferred). See front page for Dumpster information. Parking Committee:. William White, 410-563-7941, e-mail: willilicious@hotmail.com. BHA Executive Committee: Tuesday, September 21st, 7 PM, Simon's of Butchers Hill, 2031 E. Fairmount Ave. Contact: Dave Dyer (410-342-7655), or dave@viacapital.net. Newsletter: The deadline for the OCTOBER issue is Friday, September 24th. Contact Steve Young: young@umbc.edu. SEPTEMBER BUTCHERS HILL GENERAL MEETING Wednesday, September 1st. Coffee & cookies, 6:45 p.m. Meeting 7:00 p.m. St. Andrew's Church hall, corner of Chester & Lombard Sts. (entrance on Lombard). Contact DAVE DYER, 410-342-7655. AGENDA:
THE BUTCHERS HILL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (BH CDC) I would like to thank Steve for the opportunity to give the neighborhood a little background on the Butchers Hill Community Development Corporation and to reiterate some of our goals. The CDC started at the end of my second term as president of the BH Association in 1999. For the two years prior we had made eliminating vacant houses in BH our top priority, with Housing Authority properties being the most blatant. When it looked like we might actually have the opportunity to acquire some vacant properties, the CDC was incorporated in order to protect the tax exempt status of the Association. Our first "deal" was buying and renovating a burned out shell on the 2000 block of East Baltimore from the City. With the profit from that we bought and demolished 6 S. Castle to provide easier rear access for parking to about 30 homes. We have also picked up a few properties on tax sales, purchased two vacant properties from the Housing Authority and are in negotiation for a few other properties. We will also take some credit for getting HABC to finally rehab a number of their vacant properties. From the beginning, our goal has always been to return vacant and dilapidated properties to productive use. With little or no money in the bank, many of our deals have been as matchmaker between absentee landlord and local contractors. Now that we have some working capital from the HABC transactions, we will be working with the Executive Committee to identify the most troublesome properties in BH and attempt to purchase them for renovation. I recently posted a notice on the chat room for help in identifying target properties and still welcome e-mails or phone calls on that subject. We are a not-for-profit organization and nobody receives any remuneration
from the CDC. However, the IRS did not grant us tax exempt status because
we projected some profitable transactions (even though the profits would
be invested in acquiring other vacant houses). The organization is
basically myself and three Directors that approve most decisions. I feel
we have made a real difference in Butchers Hill, both from actual real
estate deals and acting as intermediaries in many other deals by
introducing buyers and sellers.
MERCY MEDICAL CENTER PRESENTS MUSIC IN PATTERSON PARK PRODUCED BY THE FRIENDS OF PATTERSON PARK AND WYPR 88.1FM Concert times 6:30 - 8:30; Enter park at E. Lombard Street and S. Patterson Park Avenue. For more information, call 410-276-3676 SEPTEMBER 5: O'MALLEY'S MARCH No rain date Back by popular demand! Powerful driving Celtic Rock that in the words of Kevin Cowherd features timeless themes of love and longing, of rebellion and emigration. Don't miss our season's closing concert! COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD REHAB TAX CREDIT WORKSHOP Are You Doing Rehab Work on Your House or Do you Plan to? Did You Know that You may be Eligible for a State Tax Credit Of 20% of the Cost of Your Rehab Work? Baltimore Heritage, Inc., Baltimore's city-wide non-profit historic preservation organization, has offered to provide Butchers Hill residents with a free 2-hour workshop on how to apply for State tax credits. The types of work that qualify for tax credits include painting, replacing roofs, upgrading kitchens and bathrooms, and much more. In the workshop, a tax credit consultant will work with homeowners to fill out the tax credit application based on their own rehab projects. If you are just beginning to plan a rehab project, even better! Come with your ideas. The workshop size is limited to 12 people, and you must be a homeowner in Butchers Hill. To register, call John Papagni at (410) 563-2661 or e-mail: papagni@mindspring.com. The workshop will take place on September 21 from 7-9 PM at 27 South Patterson Park Avenue (the white house inside the park at East Lombard Street and South Patterson Park Avenue). Crime Alert: Since early June there are been 11 known street robberies in
our neighborhood. The most recent one took place on August 21st around 10
PM: the victim was shot in the leg after trying to pursue his robber.
Most of the robberies have involved a handgun. Most have been carried out
by two, sometimes three, black teen males. Half have occurred within a
block of our corner of Patterson Park. Most have occurred after dark,
between 9 PM and 1 AM. In several, the teens have been described as one
older teen, tall and thin, the other shorter and younger. In addition to
reporting suspicious people, please keep any outside lights on, keep a
group presence outside when possible during the evening, and if out late
at night be very aware of your surroundings when getting in and out of
your car. There have been a number of robbery arrests over the summer,
but we still have at least two at large. Regular trash pickup: a reminder to all residents that bi-weekly garbage is collected from in front of your property. It should be placed on the sidewalk at the curb before 7 AM on trash collection day. Please do not place it on corners or in alleys as this encourages piles that are often not picked up by the regular trash collectors. Also, if you feel trash was put out properly and not collected by the city workers please call 311 to report it and then also report to Susan Whitson (see page 2) so that she can follow up with the supervisor. 1674 |