Propsed Development

Efrem Potts has a proposal for the development of his land. Here is what Mac has sent out about this:

Important Public Meeting
Development of Potts Property
Monday, October 9, 2006
7-9 p.m.
at The Wesley Home, Rogers Ave.

Mt. Washington resident Efrem Potts is proposing to develop his property which includes the wooded area along Carterdale Rd. between Rogers and Southbend. He is proposing a Planned Unit Development (PUD) to include townhomes and single family dwellings.

The Mt. Washington Improvement Association is hosting a meeting for Mr. Potts to share his proposal with the community. If you are interested in the development of this property please attend this meeting. Please share this notice with your neighbors.


Please join us to discuss this important proposal.
For more information, please email mwiapresident@gmail.com


If you drive up Rogers Avenue from Northern Parkway (by the Pediatric Hospital) and turn right at the first stop sign, you will see a large wooded lot on the right. This is the propery in question.

New Parking Lot in the Village?

The Examiner is reporting that the Merchants Association is in talks with the state to build a new parking lot off of Smith Avenue in the Village. Anybody hear anything about this? I would imagine that they would want to bring this to the attention of the neighborhood before this gets too far along.

My crazy idea is that they should simply close as many of the streets as possible and create a European-style pedestrian shopping district. You could put up a parking structure on the current light rail lot to make up for the lost parking. Then you might even be able to add a few more restaurants, getting the Village more critical mass that would help all of the merchants.

What do you think?

UB Fields Deal Passes Board of Estimates

This morning the Baltimore City Board of Estimates approved the details of the UB/Baltimore City/Wesley deal turning the UB Fields into a public park.

The next step is to have the Maryland State Board of Public Works approve the deal, which looks like a sure thing.

As an aside, the Board of Public Works is made up of the Governor (boo, Governor), State Treasurer Nancy Kopp (appointed by the legislature), and State Comptroller William Donald Schaefer. If you are wondering why the Comptroller's race is such a big deal, this is a perfect example of how that office has the ability to make or break important things like the UB deal.

Ehrlich and the Environment

Bob Ehrlich wants you to think that he has a great environmental record. To be sure, the Flush Tax has provided a lot of funding to clean up sewage plant emmissions into the Bay, but it's yet another regressive tax. One of the issues that drives me crazy is the way he raided the Program Open Space fund over and over in a desperate effort to avoid unpalatable cuts while also steering clear of real and progressive tax changes.

The result is that thousands of acres were unable to be purchased by the state because the money that was collected and set aside for that purpose was being used to keep income taxes down. Now Ehrlich is out there lying about his legislative accomplishments in an attempt to once again paint himself as a moderate. This report from WYPR illustrates exactly the kind of things he loves to do. Argh.

Magna Announced Massive Development Plan for Laurel

A friend forwarded this:

Magna Entertainment Corp. recently unveiled sketch plans for a proposed retail center and hotel next to Laurel Park in the hopes that such a development will bring business to the track.
"They have to get more customers," Jeff Hayes, development manager with architectural firm Walter E. Lynch LLC, told Annapolis's The Capital. "They have to get more patrons. They have to get a younger clientele."

The plans, which Hayes hopes soon can be submitted for approval by Anne Arundel County officials, include seven retail buildings that will take up 750,000 square feet, two parking garages, a parking lot, clubhouse, and a 350-room hotel. The stable area also would be moved from the northeast side of the track across Brock Bridge Road north of route 198. Horses would reach the track through a tunnel under the road.

Cost of the development project was not disclosed.

"It's almost independent of the racetrack operation," Hayes said of the proposed development. The county approved a zoning change for the project in January.

Tim Reyburn, president of the Russet Community Association for nearby homeowners, stressed the importance of the proposed redevelopment to Laurel Park's future. He told the newspaper that if the track were to go out of business, the land could be sold in parcels to several different developers, and thus difficult to manage.

Magna completed a renovation to Laurel's racing surfaces, at an estimated cost of $20-million, in January 2005.

Hayes said there is no timeline for project completion.

Virgin Festival

While this event certainly could have been a disaster for the neighborhood, having been over there during the day I would say it turned out fine. The two things that made the big difference were the "no outside food or beer" rule and the fact that attendance was so poor. There were tons of staff inside and lack of massive drinking mellowed things out quite a bit. The Sun correctly pointed out the crowd's general pharmacological preferences which went some distance in creating a fairly low key atmosphere. This was like the Preakness but with roughly 600,000 fewer beer cans and about a quarter of the people.

The event ran over by a half hour, but again it could have been a lot worse. I think management handled this pretty well. The choice of date was beyond stupid, but an easy-to-correct problem was that there were no garbage cans at the exit. I asked a cop there about that and he suggested that they would be stolen. I pointed out that he and four other of Baltimore's Finest were standing right there and that surely they could protect garbage cans. He had to agree. Police presence around the event was massive.

If the Maryland Jockey Club can learn a few lessons and make a handful of improvements, I think this is a workable event.

Ahh, that feels good

I don't why I find this so relaxing and enjoyable.

Virgin Festival Ticket Sales Suck

It seems that they can't sell the tickets to the concert at Pimlico. They have only managed to sell 35,000 of the 60,000 tickets they had hoped to sell. It would be sad if it wasn't kind of hilarious. They blame slow sales on the $97.50 ticket price and the fact that (get this) the concert falls on (wait for it....wait for it...) Rosh Hashana!

Article HERE.

UB Deal Delayed by Board of Estimates

The Baltimore City Board of Estimates delayed the UB Fields deal today based on concerns from city comptroller Joan Pratt. She complains that she was not told of the deal.

I would guess that this goes through. There are too many benefits for too many parties.

Article HERE.

Huge News! UB Fields Saved!!

The big news finally came out in today's Sun. The City has come to terms with the University of Baltimore and has secured the UB Fields through an 80-year lease. The deal involves the City, UB, and the Wesley. Hats off to Mac Nachlas and the MWIA for keeping the pressure on UB to keep this valuable resource available to the community and (most importantly) free from development.

Article HERE.

P.S. The Mt. Washington Bicycle Polo Association is thrilled about this.

The Worst Street in Mt. Washington Contest

If you have read the most recent MWIA newsletter, you may have noticed that the search is underway for the Worst Street in Mt. Washington. The idea here is that our streets are in pretty bad shape. While the waiting list to have a street re-paved is said to be seven years (with a backlog of 1,000 miles of city roads), political pressure is supposed to be the way to get things done on a more timely basis.

The question then becomes about how to do this fairly. If the MWIA is going to lobby the city, how do we decide which blocks should get the attention? So I came up with this. Surf over the the Worst Street in Mt. Washington Blog and nominate your (least) favorite street.

There are going to be photos and updates as the nominees roll in. This should be kind of fun, and maybe we will even get some results.

Democratic Unity Rally

This morning the Maryland Democratic Party held a unity event that I suppose is intended to heal the wounds of the primary and get the faithful fired up. The general election is in a mere 52 days. Had Doug Duncan stayed in the race, there could have been a lot more in the way of hard feelings to mend.

The lineup included everyone from Sen. Paul Sarbanes (doing a victory lap and stumping for his son John), to Dutch Rupersberger, Jim Smith, Ben Cardin, Anthony Brown, and, of course, Martin O'Malley. I also ran into Sandy Rosenberg and Lisa Gladden in the crowd. Unfortunately, Peter Franchot was not there. I think he would have been cheered like a conquering hero.

Most of the speech-ifying was par for the course. I will say that Cardin seems to have gotten a passion transplant. He was much more fired up that I have ever heard him before. Brown gave a really good speech without showing up O'Malley. In the closing speech, O'Malley was awesome. If he governs half as well as he stumps, Maryland is heading for great things.

Brown made an interesting point about the Bay. He said that at the time of the Civil War, the Chesapeake provided half of the world's oyster supply. Today it provides less than 3% of the U.S. demand. Really makes you think more seriously about the state of the Bay.

Democratic Unity Rally on Saturday

If you are so inclined, please join fellow democrats at an important Unity Rally this Saturday, September 16 from 10:00 am to 11:30 am at The Baltimore Museum of Industry.

Event Information:

Who: All Statewide and Baltimore City Democratic Candidates
What: Victory Rally 2006
When: Saturday, September 16, 2006 from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Where: Baltimore Museum of Industry1415 Key Highway Baltimore, MD 21230

For more information or to RSVP, please contact the Maryland Democratic Party at 301-306-4411 or at mterreforte@mddems.org

Franchot Wins

It looks like the AP has declared Franchot the winner with 94.37% of precincts reporting.

Franchot 36.05%
Owens 33.86%
Schaefer 30.09%

Thank you, Don Scheafer. Great career, great service to Maryland.

What a day

It looks like Sandy has made it, but all of the numbers are not in yet.

I left Franchot HQ at about 1 am. They think that they have won. The process of counting the provisional ballots is going to be interesting. It was fascinating to watch a professional campaign staff handle the final hours of a very tight high-stakes race.

I think I need some sleep.

Comptroller's Race Tighter than Chrome on a Bumper

Check THIS out.

Franchot 32%
Owens 32%
Schaefer 31%
Undecided 5%

Franchot was at 15% a month ago, so he has a TON of momentum. The Sun and Post endorsements mean a lot, and he has a great ground game on tap for tomorrow.

Get out there and vote for Peter, and ask your neighbors to do the same.

Why Hollinger is the Wrong Choice

I hate to go negative here, but what the heck. I really don't want to see Paula Hollinger in Congress. I have been getting deluged with people trying to post Hollinger campaign talking points as comments. Here is everything you need to know about Paula thanks to a good friend and ally from the slots wars:

As you go the polls on September 12th, one candidate Paula Hollinger touts her 28 years of experience in the Maryland state legislature as her main credential for the high office of United States Representative to replace Ben Cardin. Yet, nowhere will you find mention of her stance on the most important Maryland legislative issue of the past decade.

For three straight years, State Senator Hollinger voted for every slots gambling bill that came before her. (Senate Bill 322 in 2003, SB 197 in 2004 and SB 205 in 2005.) Year after year, she sided squarely with the gambling industry, the biggest spending lobbying group in Annapolis. When faced with a clear moral decision and by an industry that a Cardin or Sarbanes or Mikulski would never support, Hollinger made her decision for gambling.

Interstate gambling is illegal at the Federal level. Despite this, Washington has recently been shamed by the Jack Abramoff Scandal, where gambling money corrupted members of Congress.

Generations of Americans have fought for our right to vote and choose freely. If we don't send candidates to Washington who have the highest ethical and moral standards, then we should not be surprised when Washington fails us. None of the other Democratic primary candidates for U.S. Representative from the 3rd District has a record of supporting gambling. Say "Yes" to one of them and say "No" to Hollinger.

My Endorsements

Hey, part of being a neighborhood troublemaker is you get to make endorsements, right? While I am not going to make an endorsement in every race, here are the important names to know in the Democratic primary. Please note that if you used to vote at the elementary school, you will now be voting at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart School.

Governor: O'Malley unopposed. I am coming to believe that Martin O'Malley is far more anti-slots than most people think. More on that later.

Comptroller: Peter Franchot. Peter is smart, experienced, and well qualified. He fought tooth and nail to beat slots. If Ehrlich does (by some horrible mistake) win a second term, Franchot will act as the key swing vote on the Board of Public Works. The board approves all contracts and is nearly as powerful as the entire legislature. We cannot have either Schaefer or Owens in that seat.

Attorney General: Stu Simms. Massive experience, fantastic reputation, great background. Stu is a great guy who will be the steady hand on the tiller.

State Senator: Lisa Gladden is running unopposed. You will see the name of Leonard Kerpelman (Mt. Washingtonian, fabled attorney, and local nut) listed on the ballot, but he is in fact not running. He seems to have filed in error according to the Sun. I love Leonard, but I think by showing some support for Gladden we can increase our influence with her.

Delegate: VOTE FOR SANDY ROSENBERG. I also like Jill Carter. But the key here is to vote for Sandy regardless of anything else.

US Congress: Peter Beilenson. Beilenson understands that health care is part of everything and needs to be a priority. Nobody in Congress has his level of understanding of urban challenges. We desperately need someone like Peter to act as a voice for our city and all cities. Do NOT vote for Hollinger. She voted for every slots bill ever put before her. When I asked her why she had absolutely not good reason. It was as if she hadn't really thought it about much beyond the polling numbers. This kind of thoughtless voting record deserves no rewards.

US Senate:If you think Mfume can beat Steele, vote for him. If you can't deal with the fact that Maryland might be represented by Republican empty-suit Steele, then you have to vote for Cardin. I am STILL trying to decide. Good luck on this one. Vote your conscience.

Why we must support Sandy Rosenberg

I was contacted by a reader who wanted me to provide a more detailed set of arguments to back my opinion that Delegate Sandy Rosenberg is Mt. Washington’s “best friend in Annapolis.” Easy enough, and here it is:

First off, Sandy was elevated to a leadership position in the House of Delegates by Speaker Mike Busch. The Speaker runs the show in the House, and having his ear is critical as to whether something gets on the agenda or not. For example, when our neighborhood voiced concerns about slots at Pimlico, Sandy was very responsive. At first he was not really sure about the issue, and had even heard from some supporters of slots. But Sandy kept an open mind and made time to meet with Mt. Washington residents who showed up (in droves) to talk to him about opposing slots. Not only did Sandy come to understand our concerns, he brought Speaker Busch to our neighborhood to see first hand what the situation and sentiment were like.

Sandy has also used his position in leadership to champion other critically important causes. Sandy led the charge on stem cell research money. Governor Ehrlich refused to lift a finger to support the bill, preferring to stand there with his finger in the air. When it became clear that Sandy and fellow legislators had a veto-proof majority, the Governor signed the bill and went so far at try to take credit. And Sandy had done all the work and truly deserves the credit.

Sandy also was a fantastic ally in the efforts to preserve the UB fields on Rogers Avenue. When UB wanted to turn these fields—the largest green space in Mt. Washington—into cash by selling out to developers, Sandy worked tirelessly with community members and the MWIA to find a way to preserve the fields. While the matter is still up in the air, the fields have been saved thus far and there is every indication that this battle may have been won. All thanks to Sandy.

Now comes the important part. SANDY WON BY FEWER THAN 300 VOTES IN 2002. This was largely due to redistricting, but Sandy is arguably hanging on by a thread. It is critical that we support Sandy if we are going to continue to enjoy this kind of support in the future. While the other members of our delegation are all fine people, and some of them are also excellent lawmakers, Sandy stands alone as our best bet. I hope you will join me in helping Sandy win another term by either voting for him on Tuesday or offering help on election day by contacting Sandy directly.

Plant Exchange

Neighbor Alex Nones came up with this idea:

Hi. I was wondering if anyone was interested in putting together an email listserv for those interested in swapping or simply donating extra plants they have?

The idea I have in my mind is of an informal group where you offer up any extra plants you may have and hopefully either at that moment or at some point in the future someone else will have something you would like in exchange. The point, of course, is to save money on new plants, acquire plants that have already been 'tested' in Mt. Washington, be a bit 'green' since it means less consumption and a way of getting to know fellow gardeners.

Although I don't think we should limit ourselves to native plants (forgive me Wendy!), we probably should avoid invasives but that can discussed if there is enough interest in starting a group.

Anyone interested can email me directly at alexnones@gmail.com.Thanks, Alex

Meeting on Pimlico Concert Results

From MWIA President Mac Nachlas:

We met with representatives of the city, track and concert promotors to work on the details of the upcoming concert at Pimlico. All in all, I think the impact will be minimal. Here are some details:

>Sales are low. At current projections, they expect to sell only 40 thousand tickets. (20 thousand below predictions)

>The concet will run 12noon-10pm. The gates will open at 10am

>The traffic patterns will look much like they do on Preakness day.

>The parking will by much like Preakness with extra lots at Pimlico Middle - Area 1 residents can still expect to have people parking on their streets. Parking permit areas would not be in effect - even if we hadn't withdrawn from the program.

>The promoter is working on shuttle busses to Poly Western but is having trouble getting MTA to provide busses. (We will write a letter of support)

>NO COOLERS- People cannot bring anything into the track except 1 sealed bottle of water. Beer and alcohol will be on sale at the track, but won't be cheap. The promoter does not expect the crowd to be drunk or rowdy and will expel anyone who is.

>Police will patrol into Mt. Washington until at least Midnight. Both Special Ops and Northern District will be on hand with both bikes and cars.

>DPW will set up trash cans along Northern Parkway and send crews to clean the streets on Sunday morning.

>The Health Dept. will check licenses to prevent vendors from setting up outside the track.
The stages will be aimed toward the grandstand and sound volumes will be controlled. The promoter believes this will generate much less sound outside the track than the set up for the Harley Davidson concerts did.

>The City Health Department will have sound monitors in the area and will provide us the results.

All in all, I don't anticipate any problems. This is a small crown (by Preakness Standards) and the fact that no coolers are allowed in means both less drunks and less trash. Tickets cost $100 each, so the clientel is different fromt the classic Preakness infield crowd. IMP productions and Virgin Mobile both are much more attuned to bad publicity than the Jockey Club and seem to be genuinely concerned about generating bad publicity.

As for the Rosh Hashanah issue, they apologized...sort of... and acknowledged that they were well down the contractural path before they realized the problem. They also admitted that the low ticket sales are in part because of the Holiday. The Pimlico representative was typically unappologetic.... I offered to buy the track a calendar that shows major holidays of all faiths.

If you experience a problem on the day of the concert, CALL 311!!! The City agencies have promised that they will have special arrangements with 311 so that their field operatives can be notified. If you don't get satisfaction, call me.... I have some backdoor phone numbers we can use, but the key to action is getting a complaint # on file.

Please share this information with your neighbors and let me know if there are any other concerns.

For those of you who celebrate, I wish you all a Yom Tov and a healthy, pleasent New Year.

Mac Nachlas

Fun stuff

We just got back from a week at the beach. It's good to learn something when you are on vacation. What I learned this time came courtesy of Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Tropical Depression Ernesto. Ernesto taught me this: Never, ever, EVER buy a beach house. This wasn't really much of a storm, but the waters rose in a terrifying fashion. I felt sorry for whoever it was that actually owned the house we were blissfully renting. I would have been worried sick.

I took some time to read all of the Sunday papers online. I found the world's coolest high-performance Pogo Stick in the NY Times. Yes, high-performance pogo stick. This is just what you need. Read the article HERE. And make sure to go HERE to see the video. This is great.

Not to be outdone, the Post ran an article on the Potato Cannon. My son Gus and I have enjoyed ours for years. We built it from the plans in the fine book "Backyard Ballistics." But after reading the ARTICLE in the Post, Gus and I may have to build a bigger cannon.

Potato Cannon building tip: Avoid Home Depot. Go to Lee L. Dopkin Co. right around the corner on Cold Spring right off of 83. The finest potato cannon parts money can buy. Also an excellent source of plumbing parts for more mundane projects.

Sun Endorses Franchot, Simms

It was nice to see the Sun endorse Peter Franchot right on the heels of the Washington Post's endorsement. I really do think Peter will make a great Comptroller and I really hope that readers take this endorsement to heart.

Also today, the paper endorsed Doug Duncan's former running mate Stu Simms for Attorney General.

While this isn't really supposed to be a clipping service, these two links speak for themselves.