A New Greenway in Perry Hall, at No Cost to Taxpayers

In the 1960s, Baltimore County had an ambitious plan for new roads that included the construction of Perry Hall Boulevard between White Marsh and Belair Road.   The road was never finished.   One section was built near Chapel Road at the Perry Hall Apartments, and another farther south at White Marsh Mall.   The two sections were never linked, mostly due to community opposition and environmental restrictions.

Today, some of the area between the sections has been built-out, but a lot of it remains undeveloped.   The original alignment for Perry Hall Boulevard is still owned by Baltimore County.  

The 2009 dedication of Indian Rock Park.

In 2009, the Perry Hall Improvement Association convinced Baltimore County to designate the 15 acres west of Perry Hall High School as Indian Rock Park.   The park is undeveloped, although there are plans to construct a hiking and biking trail.  Baltimore County has an opportunity to expand Indian Rock Park by adding the acreage north of Ebenezer Road that was once planned for Perry Hall Boulevard.  To the south, the county could add the publicly-owned land that stretches along Perry Hall Boulevard between Silver Spring Road and White Marsh Boulevard.

Imagine the possibility:  a slender, nearly unbroken chain of forests that stretches from East Joppa Road to White Marsh Boulevard, permanently protected from development.

Although there are no plans right now, I am concerned that at some point in the future, there may be an interest in selling the old Perry Hall Boulevard alignment to generate revenue for the county.   I will be downzoning this property to limit any future development, but the better opportunity is to add the land to Indian Rock Park.   And since Baltimore County already owns the land, it's an improvement that won't cost a penny for the taxpayers.

Win or Lose, Term Limits Bill Still Deserves Consideration

Last month, I introduced legislation that would allow Baltimore County voters to adopt a three-term limit for members of the County Council.  My Republican colleague Todd Huff is cosponsoring this legislation. 

While I have had numerous conversations with my colleagues on the County Council, this legislation does not have the five votes needed for passage.  That’s unfortunate, because I believe Baltimore County voters would welcome the opportunity to consider this change.

Term limits would fundamentally change county government in three important ways. 

First, term limits would guarantee an automatic turnover in county government.  Since 1998, there have been 28 separate general election contests for the seven County Council district seats.  Not a single incumbent has lost in a general election.  Louis DePazzo in 1998, Wayne Skinner in 2002, and T. Bryan McIntire in 2010. In Skinner's case, it was partly due to redistricting.

Second, by limiting the tenure of Councilmembers, incumbents would be forced to focus their attention on the most pressing priorities in their district, and on cost-effective projects that can improve the quality of life for their constituents. 

Third, term limits would provide a burst of fresh ideas and leadership every few years.  The current County Council, which includes five freshmen, has enacted numerous zoning and development reforms over the past fourteen months.

I ran for office on a pledge to support term limits.  With the introduction of Bill 5-12, the County Council has considered term limits for the first time in its history.   While the Council often agrees on issues across party lines, this is one of those subjects—like the expansion ofthe speed camera program—where there will be a division between the Democratic majority and the Republican minority. 

Even if Bill 5-12 fails, I hope that we can revisit this issue at some point in the future.

Community Meeting to Address Public Safety in Perry Hall

Source:  Patch.

I will host a meeting on Friday, February 24 in which residents, and business owners in particular, can ask the Baltimore County Police Department any questions regarding recent robberies along Belair Road in Perry Hall. This is also an opportunity for business owners to ask what they can do to improve public safety.

The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. at the Perry Hall public library (9685 Belair Road). In the event of weather that closes public schools, the meeting will be postponed.

The 4 p.m. time has been selected because the primary audience is business owners who may or may not live in Perry Hall.

As a resident of Perry Hall, I believe this is a generally safe, stable community, and I thank our police for their vigilance. Still, it is always unsettling for businesses to be victimized by crime, and I want business owners to know how they can guard against future incidents.

The Mays Chapel Elementary School Site

I provided the following as a response to a request from the Forge Flyer:

The Mays Chapel and Dulaney Springs sites.
Source:  Towson Times

I support the Mays Chapel site for a new elementary school, and I have communicated that to County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, Superintendent Joe Hairston, and my friend and colleague County Councilman Todd Huff.  Councilman Huff has heard from many constituents who oppose the Mays Chapel site, and I can understand why they would want to preserve such a large, undeveloped area.  But I am motivated to support the Mays Chapel site for a number of reasons. 

First, it offers the fastest way to provide relief to overcrowded schools along the York Road corridor.  The property is already owned by Baltimore County and there are fewer environmental constraints than the alternate location at Dulaney Springs.  I am told the school can be opened by the fall of 2014.

Second, if the school system moves forward with the proposal to move some West Towson Elementary School students to Ridge Ruxton Elementary School, I want a plan that makes this disruption as brief as possible.  I understand the concerns of parents from both schools.  The Mays Chapel location offers the fastest route to a solution.

Third, the Mays Chapel location has been "on the books" for decades.  

Fourth, geographically the Mays Chapel location seems to make sense.  The September 2011 enrollment numbers demonstrate that school overcrowding affects elementary schools along the entire York Road corridor, from Towson to Hunt Valley.  Mays Chapel will help reduce overcrowding not just in Towson, but in Ruxton, Lutherville, and Cockeysville as well.

Although I know my position will be criticized by some, I will defend the Mays Chapel location because it offers the fastest relief for schoolchildren in central Baltimore County.

Perry Hall High School's 50th Anniversary

2013 will mark Perry Hall High School's fiftieth anniversary.   The original location was what is now Perry Hall Middle School.   When that place became too crowded, the school system constructed the current high school down Ebenezer Road and converted the first building into a junior high school.

The Perry Hall High coat of arms.

I am very proud to have graduated from Perry Hall High School, and am actually the first alumnus to serve on the Baltimore County Council.   Today, I went back to be interviewed for a documentary that will be unveiled at a banquet in 2013. 

My years at Perry Hall High School were a half a lifetime ago, not only for me but almost a half-lifetime in the history of the school.   In 1987, when I entered PHHS, our community was in the middle of a housing boom.   Farms were being plowed under for new housing developments, and plans were underway for new highways like Honeygo Boulevard that would shuttle cars to White Marsh Mall, then only six years old.  The mall was the hangout for teenagers on Friday and Saturday nights.  The closest movies were at Golden Ring Mall.

My memories of high school are of cross-country competitions and marching band trips, It's Academic outings and Homecoming parades.  Perry Hall High School has always been a big school, and its population then was about 1,800 students (500 less than today).  But despite the size, there was a feeling of pride and togetherness that drew the school and community together.

Today's principal, George Roberts, has brought back the history and traditions that were largely ignored by previous administrators.   I am very happy he and Assistant Principal Steve Arnold are heading up an anniversary committee.   Several events are currently being planned.  If you are interested, stop by the meeting on Monday, February 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the high school library.

Jane Roger Nominated to Commission on Aging

Jane Roger

I am happy to nominate West Towson resident Jane Roger to the Baltimore County Commission on Aging. The Commission is an advisory panel that helps Baltimore County accommodate the housing, health care, nutritional, and social needs of seniors.

A state employee, Ms. Roger has been a small business owner, a longtime member of the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors, and a member of the Baltimore County Republican Central Committee. She currently works at the Maryland Department of General Services. 

Jane Roger's business background will be helpful as Baltimore County delivers services to our growing senior population in an efficient manner.   We must make sure vulnerable seniors get the care they deserve, and we need to plan for the needs of the Bykota, Parkville, and Seven Oaks Senior Centers, which serve many residents of the Fifth District.  

Ms. Roger replaces Lacy Flynn, who retired from the Commission. She will serve a three-year term commencing immediately.