Greater Greenmount Community Association

For our November meeting we met on the 15th – the third Tuesday – since General Elections were held on the second Tuesday. Our guests were developers and businesses that are doing work in our community. So, to start off the meeting we had a 15 minute non-alcoholic “happy hour” to give residents an opportunity to meet one another and our guests. Then after a welcome by Ms. Sandra Coles, GGCA President, Board Member Ms. Linda Johnson introduced each of the guests who talked about the work that they are doing.

Mr. Lenzie Johnson, Jr has two businesses that are headquartered in Barclay. L&J Construction Services specializes in debris roll-off and dump truck services. L&J Waste Recycling specializes in reducing the environmental impact of construction projects with a particular focus on providing the necessary reporting required for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. Both companies hire Baltimore City residents and as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Mr. Johnson is a strong advocate for making more construction-related jobs available to minority residents.

Mr. Michael Mazepink, Executive Director of People’s Homesteading Group, described the work that PHG has been doing since their inception in 1983. They have rehabbed over 100 properties, many between North Ave and 25th Street, for low and moderate income residents. To help make our neighborhood more livable they have created numerous community gardens on vacant lots.

Ms. Catherine Stokes is a Senior Project Manager of Telesis which is just completing Phase I of a four phase project to rehab or newly-build about 325 rental and home ownership units in Barclay and Midway. To celebrate the completion of Phase I Telesis will be having a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday November 29, 2011 at 9:30 am. The event will be at 2200 Barclay St. and will feature Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. The ribbon cutting ceremony will be followed immediately by neighborhood open houses and light refreshments. Ms. Stokes also introduced Mr. DuQuan Moet who is property manager for Neighborhood Partners, a Telesis affiliate which will be managing the rental units in the project.

Ms. Meg Manley of HTA Development, LLC provided the community with an update on the apartment building which they are planning for the northeast corner of Calvert Street and 24th Street. The building will consist of 47 units; 7 units will be market rate, 35 units will be for individuals at 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and 5 units will be for individuals at 30% AMI.

Mr. Roger Carriker, Project Manager, and Ms. Judy Bellamy, Community Liaison, for the MTA’s Kirk Division Modernization Project gave us an update on their plans for a new Kirk Ave Terminal. Over the last several years the MTA has been meeting regularly with the community and has even formed a Project Focus Group comprised of stakeholders. In response to community concerns the MTA will be housing 27 of their brand new hybrid buses at the existing Kirk Ave Terminal. These buses have significantly less pollution than the buses they replace which should result in reduced pollution in our community. Additionally, the MTA is negotiating with the City to swap a portion of land the MTA acquired for their new terminal with another piece of land the City owns. This land will be used to provide parking for residents in the 800 and 900 blocks of Bonaparte.

Mr. Jonathan Melnick of Melnick/Newlll, a local developer and property owner in our neighborhood, was unable to attend the meeting due to a prior engagement. However, he sent a letter which was read by Board Member Ms. Grace Willis. In the letter he stated his support for our association and expressed his interest in meeting with other business owners to develop a strategy for helping to improve our community.

After the presentations by these organizations we had announcements. Mr. Robert Stokes of  12th District Councilman Carl Stokes announced that additional funds are now available for home weatherization. Residents can get applications by calling the Baltimore City Weatherization Office at 443.984.1066. GGCA Treasurer Mr. Lowell Larsson gave an update on Part I Offenses (robbery, burglary and larceny) in the community and also announced that there would be a Good Neighbor Walk with the Eastern District Police Department on Wednesday November 16th starting from 22nd Street and Barclay Street at 5:30 PM. Mr. Etosha Lankatilleke announced a launch party of MyBmore.net, a website created to link businesses, services, artists and community associations in Baltimore. GGCA Board Member Mr. Will Smith announce two programs sponsored by The New Good Samaritan Baptist Church located at 2406 Greenmount Avenue: a computer lab open to community residents and a drama program for community members of all ages. Mr. William Russell of Baltimore Neighborhood Energy Challenge (BNEC) reminded residents that by taking the Energy Challenge they can get free literature and supplies to help reduce energy consumption in their home. This is Mr. Russell’s last month with BNEC. We appreciate his work in our community over the past year.  Ms. Ana Martinez of Greater Homewood Community Corporation announced an event that GHCC will be having December 10th at Terra Cafe.

We concluded the meeting with a Thanksgiving turkey sign-up for residents in need. We also signed up new members. The cost of GGCA membership is $5.00 for the year running September 1, 2011 to August 31, 2012. Membership dues go to support the work of GGCA in our community.

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Our Community Meeting in October was held on the second Tuesday of the month, October 11th, after meeting on the third Tuesday in September because of the Primary Election. In November because of the General Election, we will again be meeting on the third Tuesday, November 15th, but in December return to the second Tuesday, December 13th.

Individuals arriving for the meeting were once again greeted at the door by Ms. Juanita Pritchett who gave out meeting agendas and made sure that people signed in. The meeting was lead by Ms. Sandra Coles who welcomed us and then introduced Ms. Lynette Lynch. Ms. Lynch told us that the Association will be distributing Thanksgiving turkeys to those in need on November 22nd. This year  we will be distributing them at both Cecil Elementary School and Dallas F. Nicholas, Sr. Elementary School. Sign up forms must be completed and returned to the Association by Tuesday November 14th.

Ms. Grace Willis talked about the importance of membership in the Association. This year, for the first time, GGCA is asking all members to pay annual membership dues of $5.00 to help build the Association. The dues cover the period from September 2011 to June 2012. Ms. Penny Ray and Ms. Grace Comer signed up new members. Ms. Comer also told us that the MTA has announced that starting in January the MTA will NOT be sending out renewal notices for Maryland Drivers Licenses. It is the drivers responsibility to remember when his/her license expires. We will post more information when we receive it.

We heard from Ms. Malindi Lankatilleke and Mr. Etosha Lankatilleke. Ms. Lankatilleke offered to help the Association in writing grants. She also talked about a Zumba fitness class that she leads on Wednesday evenings 7:00 to 8:00 near our community at Miller’s Court 2601 N. Howard Street.  Mr. Lankatilleke offered to do a video of our Association to put on his website MyBmore.net. The site is designed to help local businesses, artists, and services grow! We will post a link to the video once it is made.

We had three representatives from the Baltimore Police Department. Officer “Mak” Makanjuola gave out the latest crime statistics for our neighborhood. The good news is that felonies are down from the prior month. He also talked about the importance of locking your car and not leaving anything in plain site when you leave your car. Deputy Major Quick came to introduce himself. He is the replacement for Deputy Major Lioi who has been transferred to another position in the Department. We are grateful to Deputy Major Lioi for his work in the Eastern District since August 2008 and we look forward to working with Deputy Major Quick. Officer Amos told us about the Eastern District’s plan for distributing gifts at Christmas and said they will be taking names of people in need until Friday of this week.

Mr. Robert Stokes from Councilman Carl Stokes office distributed a Special Edition of the 12th District newsletter and talked about a strategy for handling problem properties in the neighborhood. He requested that all information be given to Ms. Coles in writing so that she can forward requests to him in a group. This will help to insure that requests do not fall through the cracks.

Mr. William Russell from Baltimore Neighbor Energy Challenge attended our meeting to sign up residents for the Energy Challenge and to distribute free energy-saving gifts. He also introduced Ms. Rebbecca Bakre from Project Lightbulb. Project Lightbulb provides residents with a number of free services including wrapping hot water heaters and installing a combination smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector.

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On Thursday September 29, 2011 Meg Manley from HTA Development, LLC made her second presentation to the GGCA board concerning HTA’s plans for the development of a 47-unit apartment building at the northeast corner of Calvert St and 24th St. She was accompanied by Peter Fillat of Peter Fillat Architects.

Ms. Manley’s initial plan was for all of the units to be “workforce housing”, units that are targeted for individuals making 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI). After meeting with Councilman Carl Stokes of the 12th District, who wants the development to meet the needs of individuals with a range of income levels, Ms. Manley developed an alternate plan in which 7 units are market rate, 35 units are for individuals at 60% AMI and 5 units are for individuals at 30% AMI.

During the presentation Mr. Fillat showed pictures of the surrounding buildings and stated that the exterior of the new building will be of this time while being sympathetic to the rhythm of the buildings around it.

Further meetings will be held for community input on this proposed development.

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After our July and August recess we resumed our general meetings on September 20, 2011. We normally have meetings on the second Tuesday of the month but for September and this coming November we have rescheduled our meetings to the third Tuesday due to the Primary and General Elections.

Ms. Sandra Coles, GGCA President, welcomed community members back after an eventful summer that included an earthquake and hurricane. Ms. Linda Johnson, board member and newsletter editor, distributed GGCA’s first newsletter. She also described past and future GGCA events. One future event is a Community Flee Market October 8 from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM at 902 East 25th Street. Table rentals are $15.00. For more information contact Mr. Will Smith (443.469.3612) or Ms. Penny Ray (410.202.5884).

We had two speakers from the Community Law Center, Ms. Robin Jacobs, Esq. and Ms. Susan Hughes, Esq. who described legal strategies that can be used to deal with vacant houses in our neighborhood. One strategy is to use the Community Bill of Rights which gives community associations legal standing to files suits against property owners whose properties do not meet Baltimore City codes.

Community member Ms. Bridgette Tatum welcomed 12 District Councilman Carl Stokes to our meeting and described how he had helped her son enroll in Bluford Drew Jemison Science Technology Engineering Mathematics Academy.  GGCA Board member Will Smith then introduced Councilman Stokes. Councilman Stokes talked about his concerns for the 12th District and acknowledged the support of his assistant, Robert Stokes, in handling constituent concerns. He also thanked individuals for being involved in the Primary election and presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Ms. Lilian Chandler in recognition of her dedication to making a difference in our community by encouraging others to vote. Ms. Chandler was accompanied by her family members, many of whom went with her to the polls on September 13th. Ms. Coles expressed appreciation from GGCA to Ms. Chandler and presented her with a $25 Safeway gift card.

At the conclusion of the meeting we had announcements. Rev. Terrance Brown of Jane’s House of Inspiration announced a community clean-up day Saturday October 1, 2011 starting at 10 AM. They will clean up the alleys and vacant houses in the community and improve the weatherization of some homes. For more information contact Rev. Brown at info@jhofi.com.

Ms. Cheryl Carmona of the Boone St. Farm and Garden announced that they will be having a work day at the community farm and garden (located in the 2100 block of Boone St.) on Saturday September 24, 2011 from 12:30 to 4:00 PM. Volunteers from Johns Hopkins University will be joining us in the work day.

Mr. Jason Morgan from Baltimore City Department of Public Works gave us a preview of the issues he will cover in our community meeting October 11, 2011.  He will cover issues including garbage and recycling pick-up, rat rubout for occupied and vacant properties, sanitation issues and code compliance. He encouraged community members to bring specific concerns to the next meeting including addresses of problem properties.

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Mr. Tony Jones began our June 14, 2011 community meeting with a follow-up of the presentation he gave at our May meeting. Due to fiscal constraints Baltimore City is planning to close or turn over to non-profit organizations approximately 18 Recreation Centers. Mr. Jones stressed that as part of the evaluation process community residents must to identify the services that they need at the Cecil Kirk and Greenmount Rec Centers.

Deputy Major Dan Lioi of the Eastern Police District gave an update of crime in the area. He also talked about four Day of Hope events that are happening in the Eastern District throughout the summer. The Day of Hope in our neighborhood is August 13th at Mund Park, at the corner of Greenmount Ave. and E. 24th St. Each Day of Hope will offer a hand up rather than just a hand out and will connect residents with resources available to them. Available services at each Day of Hope will include HIV, Dental and Blood Pressure screening, groceries, clothing, hair cuts and entertainment for all ages.

Rev. Terrance Brown and Ms. Qiana Brown gave a PowerPoint presentation describing the programs that Jane’s House of Inspiration have available at 802 E. North Ave for community residents. Services include:

• Faith-based counseling for individuals, families, and groups for substance abuse recovery
• Trainings and conferences are offered to learn more about substance abuse recovery and prevention
• Clothes closets are available on-site for women and children in need of season-specific clothing, and professional attire for job interviews and employment

More information about Jane’s House of Inspiration is available at www.jhofi.org

Ms. Cheryl Carmona and Ms. Aliza Sollins gave a slide presentation concerning the Boone St. Community Garden and Farm. Some of the pictures they shared with us are below. More information and pictures are available at www.baltimorediy.org. They had free tomato plants for residents who wish to plant them at the community garden or elsewhere. In addition they introduced Mr. Babatunde Salaam who will be working 20 hours per week this summer at the Boone St Garden and Farm.

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