I have lots to report to you about activities in our neighborhood during the past several months. Let me begin with two bits of very good news:
First, the party tent at the Colonnade is gone. Our neighbors in the surrounding high-rise buildings are no longer being kept awake by late-night parties. We have the staff of Baltimore City’s Department of Permits to thank for their decision not to renew the permit for the tent. The TCNA Board had recommended against renewal, and our recommendation was heeded.
Second, there is a new management company at the Halstead (3900 N. Charles Street). Oh my, what a change has been wrought in that building. Our thanks to the superb staff of the Bozutto Company for the effective management they have brought to the Halstead. Tenants report that they are pleased by the changes they’ve seen so far. TCNA’s directors and Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke get credit for pressuring the building’s owner to change the management company.
An on-site meeting with the head of the City’s Traffic Department will, we hope, lead to important changes on 39th Street. Our goals are these: reducing the speed of cars on 39th Street; installing a left-turn signal in the traffic light at Charles and 39th to facilitate turning from 39th onto northbound Charles; installing electronic “walk/don’t walk” signals on the four corners of this intersection; painting “zebra stripes” at each intersection along 39th Street; repositioning the “no right turn on red” sign at 39th and University Parkway so it is actually visible to drivers; and, if possible, making the intersection of 39th Street and Canterbury Road less hazardous for drivers and pedestrians.
Many residents made good use of the dumpster the City provided at the end of October. Another “dumpster day” will be scheduled for late spring. I will request two dumpsters this time, one to be placed in the “usual” corner of Highfield and Canterbury Roads, the other on Linkwood, at the foot of Tuscany. Will the City oblige us with both? Stay tuned.
Board member Kevin Moore recently established a TCNA Yahoo Group and a TCNA Facebook Page. The TCNA Yahoo Group enables TCNA members to receive email announcements and alerts from the Board and it also allows the Board to quickly poll members on issues. The response to this new system has been very positive. Also, a number of TCNA members have joined the TCNA Facebook page. We hope more will join.
TCNA representatives have been invited to attend the Roland Park Civic League’s charrette. The purpose of these meetings is to create a master plan for Roland Park. Concerns related to infrastructure, maintenance of open spaces, traffic and public transport, and other issues are being examined by a variety of committees. Since many of these matters are of concern to other North Baltimore communities, including the development of a walking/biking path along Stony Run, RPCL President Phil Spevak has invited neighboring communities to join in the planning process. I have accepted his invitation on behalf of TCNA.
The appointment of a new Arborist for Baltimore City, Brian Henry, motivated Kenna Forsyth and me to invite him to walk around with us in Tuscany-Canterbury so that we could begin to get the “big picture” related to the street trees in our community. If everyone joins in, we could see at least one hundred new trees planted here in 2010. Marianna Bushing’s article about how we as individuals can help add to the City’s tree canopy can be found elsewhere in this Newsletter.
TCNA Board member Cartan Kraft is our liaison to the Northern District Police Community Council. His participation in a Ride-Along program is described in this issue of the Newsletter. I am sure that his representing Tuscany-Canterbury at meetings of the Council enhances our ability to get the attention of Northern District police when there are questions and problems in our community.
With the leadership of Kenna Forsyth and Anne Perkins the Board of Directors is drafting important revisions in the TCNA bylaws. At the next general meeting of members, in late May or early June, we will ask for your vote in support of the changes the Board proposes.
The October meeting of TCNA members was well attended. The main topic for discussion was the creation of the Village at Home, an organization that will support those in North Baltimore who want to age in place, that is, to remain in their own homes rather than move into assisted-living facilities. To learn more about establishing a Village at Home in North Baltimore and about volunteer opportunities with the Village, please contact me.
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