School Board Should Reconsider Air Conditioning Priorities

Over the past several years, Baltimore County has made steady progress as it seeks to air condition all its public schools.   Despite limited funding, the county is on track to reduce the number of schools without air conditioning from 54 percent in 2010 to 36 percent within two years.

Unfortunately, that progress is not shared uniformly throughout Baltimore County.   There is a significant disparity between the western, northern, and eastern parts of the county.

Looking at schools by County Council district, tfter the current round of air conditioning, the number of non-air conditioned schools will stand at 28 percent in the First District (Catonsville); 19 percent in the Second District (Pikesville and Reisterstown); 20 percent in the Third District (Cockeysville); and 18 percent in the Fourth District (Randallstown).

In the Fifth District that I represent, 35 percent of schools will still need air conditioning.  The number is 40 percent in the Sixth District, which stretches from Parkville to Middle River, and 36 percent in the Seventh District, based in Dundalk.

When County Councilwoman Cathy Bevins and I wrote to the school system, the response from the Director of Physical Facilities indicated that "the final selection of projects is based upon several factors, including geographical parity."  The current list for immediate funding excludes nearly every school in Loch Raven, Carney, Parkville, Perry Hall, and Kingsville.  I don't know how this reflects geographical parity. 

I am grateful that Seven Oaks Elementary School will receive air conditioning through an energy grant.  But Joppa View Elementary School, built within one year, ranks dead last among elementary schools, even though it would presumably be less expensive to retrofit due to its age.

I am urging the school system to reevaluate this list so that it better reflects geographic equity.   Students in Loch Raven, Carney, Parkville, Perry Hall, and Kingsville deserve the same access to air conditioning as those in western and northern Baltimore County. 

Banning Panhandle Lots in Carney, Cub Hill, and Parkville

At the Baltimore County Council meeting on April 2nd, I will introduce legislation with Councilwoman Cathy Bevins that will ban panhandle building lots in the Carney-Cub Hill-Parkville area.

A panhandle lot.

A panhandle is one in which a developer is allowed to “jam” an additional lot onto an existing property without a new road. Panhandle lots are not permitted in the South Perry Hall growth area, and they are allowed in Perry Hall’s Honeygo district and Middle River only under certain circumstances.

Panhandle lots have long been a concern of community leaders in northeastern Baltimore County. The Carney-Cub Hill-Parkville Community Plan, which was adopted by the County Council in 2010, recommends that “the creation of new panhandle lots should not be permitted. Panhandle lots in suburban residential neighborhoods contribute to an undesirable living environment and compromise the stability and overall quality of the neighborhoods.”   The County Auditor’s office has prepared a map showing a prevalence of panhandle lots in the Carney-Cub Hill-Parkville areas. 

This legislation codifies a key recommendation of the Carney-Cub Hill-Parkville Community Plan.  It will prevent units from being sandwiched into small properties throughout this part of northeastern Baltimore County.