Three Priorities for the New School Superintendent

Congratulations to S. Dallas Dance on being named to lead the Baltimore County public school system. As the first member of the Baltimore County Council born in the 1970s, I am particularly proud that someone of my generation will be in this position.

Mr. Dance should focus on three important priorities.

First, continue to advance reforms that make the school system more open to the public and accountable to taxpayers. Over the past year, the Board of Education has taken some important steps, such as making more facilities available to communities.

Second, work with our teachers to raise achievement among all students, but particularly the county's burgeoning minority population. Under Superintendent Hairston's watch, the school system was credited by the Schott Foundation for having the third highest graduation rate for African American males among large school districts.

Third, develop a strategic plan for modernizing our schools. During tough times, the county has found the resources to deal with overcrowding in its most overcrowded region, the York Road corridor. Now is the time to develop a plan so we spend future surpluses wisely, on school modernization, expansion, and land acquisition.

I know that all education stakeholders are ready to work with Mr. Dance to improve an already strong public school system.

Anneslie is Baltimore County's Newest Historic District

Congratulations to Anneslie, the neighborhood in southwestern Towson that just received historic  status from the U.S. Department of the Interior.  Anneslie has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The designation provides tax benefits to residents, and it's another selling point for a charming neighborhood that is attracting many new families.

I was very happy to testify in support of this designation, but real credit goes to the volunteers who documented the heritage of this charming community.  Again, congratulations!

Modify Policy on Use of Athletic Fields

After Hurricane Irene, county employees were rightfully focused on restoring power and removing debris from our communities.  Many schools were closed for up to a week due to power problems, even though the athletic fields were free of debris.

 

The Board of Education currently has a rule in which athletic fields are automatically closed  during an unplanned, emergency school closure.  In the days after Hurricane Irene, recreation councils could not use the fields at many schools even though they were free of debris.  This problem was brought to my attention by a coach with the Perry Hall Recreation Council.

 

All seven members of the Baltimore County Council have written to Superintendent Joe Hairston asking that the rule be adjusted.  If there are public safety concerns, we understand the importance of the rule.  Local supervisors should still have discretion.  A blanket prohibition against using athletic fields, however, is not fair to all of our families who pay taxes to use these facilities.  

 

I represent some of the largest and most active recreation councils in Baltimore County, including the Perry Hall, Greater Loch Raven, Parkville, Towson, and White Marsh Recreation Councils.   A rule adjustment could benefit thousands of Baltimore County families.

Planning Board Hearing Set for Tuesday, March 20 on Rezoning Issues

On Tuesday, March 20, the Baltimore County Planning Board will consider testimony on rezoning issues in the Fifth District. The hearing starts at 7 p.m. at Perry Hall High School. Anyone who wishes to speak may sign up at 6 p.m.

The Fifth District which I represent stretches from Charles Street to the Harford County line. While the Planning Board hearing is in Perry Hall, there will be a separate meeting at the Historic Courthouse on Monday, June 4 at 7 p.m. for those who cannot attend on Monday.

I will not attend Monday night's hearing. The Planning Board is an independent body and will make its own recommendations on the rezoning issues in each County Council district.

In preparing testimony, I recommend you identify the rezoning issue by number and succinctly summarize your thoughts. A list of all the rezoning issues in the Fifth District can be found here.

There are 59 rezoning issues in the Fifth District. Private propertyowners and community associations have raised half of them, and I raised the rest because I want a dialogue about the future of development in the Fifth District. I am concerned about the county's ability to pay for roads, schools, and other infrastructure, and I want to make sure we have the right level of growth for our communities.

Honeygo at 20

In March of 1992, the Times-Herald broke the news that then-County Executive Roger B. Hayden wanted to halt development for three years in Perry Hall.  Hayden was quoted as telling the Times-Herald that "growth has not taken into account needed services--including schools, police, fire, roads and sewers.  We've got to be cerain that those things are in place before we allow for future growth."

The Honeygo Village Center.

Developers and landowners balked at the idea, but eventually a two-year voluntary building moratorium was put into place.   During the moratorium, county planners worked with the Perry Hall Improvement Association to produce a new growth plan for the largest chuck of undeveloped land, the rural part of Perry Hall between Chapel and Forge Roads.   That process led to the Honeygo Plan, which set benchmarks for growth and performance standards for the kinds of housing and businesses that would be built.

Both Hayden, a Republican, and Democratic County Councilman Vince Gardina were elected in 1990, when voters turned out in force to protest property taxes and development.  Hayden and Gardina deserve much of the credit for the Honeygo Plan, which significantly altered development in Perry Hall.

Before the Honeygo Plan, zoning allowed the construction of 12,000 units in northeastern Perry Hall.  After the Honeygo Plan, that number had shrunk to 4,000 units, 80 percent of which were single-family homes.   Can you imagine what Chapel and Forge Roads would look like today, with thousands of apartments, townhouses, and condominiums?   How could local government pay for the infrastructure needed for such growth?

I was the President of the Perry Hall Improvement Association in the late 1990s.   I constantly heard planners of a liberal bent bemoaning the lack of "density" in Honeygo.  But Honeygo worked because it complimented what consumers wanted.  Families who would otherwise have moved to Harford or Carroll Counties stayed in Perry Hall to purchase the larger homes they wanted.  

Baltimore County followed through with many of the infrastructure improvements pledged in the Honeygo Plan.  The county extended Honeygo Boulevard to Belair Road and purchased land for seven new parks, although only three have been finished.  

The Honeygo Plan was not perfect.  School overcrowding was its biggest failure, although I hope my plan to limit development on 280 acres in Perry Hall will at least lighten this problem.  Plans for some of the local roads were too disruptive, which is why I worked to reduce the widening at Forge Road by 20 feet and block widening along Chapel Road.   And some of the design standards, such as requirements for side garage entrances, aren't marketable for today's consumers.  I have introduced legislation to modify the garage and setback requirements.

The Honeygo Plan has been successful in keeping homeowners from moving to other counties.  It has expanded our tax base.  And while there are some who have preferred for the government to block any development whatsoever, the level of growth has been far more limited than originally allowed.

Honeygo Park Picked for New Dog Park

I am very happy to announce approval from the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks for a dog park at Honeygo Run Regional Park in Perry Hall.

The dog park will be located on the eastern edge of Honeygo Park, at a small field that is isolated from the athletic fields and picnic pavilions.   This area has been informally used as a playing field for dogs for several years.

I would like to thank County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and the Department of Recreation and Parks for their support of the Perry Hall Dog Park.  We spent many weeks going back and forth about an ideal location, but I believe this will be a great new resource for the Perry Hall and Kingsville communities.  

I would also like to thank the committee I appointed last summer to advance this concept.  The committee will now focus on fundraising and the logistics needed to get a park open in 2o12.
 

For more information, visit the Perry Hall Dog Park page on Facebook.