Please consider joining. The last time the county put out this notice, there were just a few applicants (including us here at TAA). The council was never formed because of lack of interest. It's your community! Do something!
Here's the press release:
(Bel Air, MD) - - Harford County Executive David R. Craig has announced he
will soon be expanding the number of community councils by two. The County
Executive, along with Councilwoman Mary Ann Lisanti and Councilman Joe Woods
are seeking interested individuals to serve on the Abingdon and Bush River
Community Councils respectively.
“Community Councils have served as an effective vehicle for disseminating
and receiving information to citizens and their communities,” remarked County
Executive Craig. “We thank Councilwoman Lisanti and Councilman Woods for their
interest in developing additional community councils to help better serve the needs or
our constituents,” Craig stated.
An information and organizational meeting for the two proposed Community
Councils will be held on January 24, 2011 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the
Abingdon Library, located at 2510 Tollgate Road in Abingdon.
Community Councils were initiated by former County Executive James M.
Harkins in the fall of 1999. The councils replaced the previous Community Planning
Councils which began during the Rehrmann Administration.
Community Councils are significantly different than the previous Community
Planning Councils. Community Planning Councils focused on planning-related
issues. Community Councils take a much broader view of local community issues
and recommend to the Administration how best to address such areas of concern.
Goals of Community Councils are as follows:
• Strengthen existing communities and neighborhoods and help achieve a satisfying quality
of life for county residents.
• Advise the County Executive on issues of concern and interest in local communities.
• Act as a liaison between members of the community-at-large and the Harford County
Administration.
• Increase citizen participation and responsibility in community throughout Harford County.
Presently there are local Community Councils in the following geographic regions of Harford County: Dublin/Darlington; Edgewood; Fallston; Joppa/Joppatowne and Whiteford/Street. Councils shall meet at least four times per year, although they may choose to meet more regularly if necessary.
For further information regarding the work of Community Councils, or to obtain an
application to serve, contact the Office of the County Executive, Office of Constituent Services at 410-638-3511, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Restaurant opening?
Pelican Pete's, located in what briefly was the Country Kitchen, appears to be opening soon, with a sign out reading just that. The owner, received tentative liquor license approval all the way back in October 2009, was required to report to the liquor board every 30 days after a meeting in May when the liquor board threatened to revoke the license because of the stalled opening.
The project has been much delayed, but we are hoping that the end result will be a vast improvement from the dismal restaurant that inhabited the space previously.
The project has been much delayed, but we are hoping that the end result will be a vast improvement from the dismal restaurant that inhabited the space previously.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Weis in Abingdon Closing
Weis will close its door Feb. 26. This is not surprising, but sooner than we expected. Certainly the two years of construction before Wegman's opens didn't help its finances. But we must say we won't miss the terrible parking lot. We did get a few good birthday cakes in there, however.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Looking Up for 2011
Reading back on some of our most recent posts, we've noticed that traffic, construction, and general idiocy have been getting us down. But for 2011, at least in this entry, we're going to look at some bright spots.
As much as we hate the mass destruction of thousands of trees and an awesome sled riding hill at Box Hill South, when perusing a recipe last week we immediately thought, "Where in Harford County could we find these ingredients?" And then we had a happy thought. Maybe if at some point we can safely get through the bottleneck at Tollgate/MD 24 in September, we can go to Wegman's and buy the ingredients. What will it be like to be able to find the unusual right here in Harford County? And so close. When that construction is completed, we're sure we will breeze right over there, problem-free. (OK, we admit there might be just a smidge of sarcasm there.)
We're also hoping that a new movie theater will make an appearance at the Boulevard. On seeing "True Grit" on opening day, we were bombarded with noise from the movie next door. (Bonus movie critique: True Grit is a must-see.)
In some of our previous posts, there were also comments on Abingdon students attending Edgewood Middle and High Schools. While no one was more concerned than we were about sending our children to EMS with all the horror stories (everyone's on drugs, pregnant, homeless, gang-banged, etc) we could not be happier with the experience our student has had since attending this fall.
Two years ago we attended a meeting of the Alternate Governance Board which had chosen, of its available three options, to hire a new principal. We were skeptical that this indeed, would make any difference. But we have seen firsthand the difference one person can make when he has the tools and the authority to effect change. Dr. Lawrence Rudolph, who was given the authority by the state, not HCS, was able to hire and fire who he wanted. For years, Edgewood was a dumping ground for teachers who the county could not or would not fire. While the former superintendent talked about how much she wanted success in Edgewood, the actions of the front office clearly showed otherwise. When you walk into the building now, the change is palpable. While before when we went into EMS it was dirty with broken water fountains, it's cleaner and brighter. There are student organizations there now that didn't exist before. The teachers take time to talk to parents and work with the students.
It's not perfect, after all, it is middle school. There have been fights, just as there have been at any other middle school. There are students facing problems that students at Fallston don't have to worry about. That doesn't make them bad students--it just makes it more challenging to teach them. But when the drug-sniffing dogs came, the police officer said it was the cleanest school in the county. That's something you will never read in The Aegis.
We have had conversations with school board members in the past where they have said, "well, it's not really that bad there." They were trying to convince us to send our children there because, hey, it could be worse. They were apologists because they didn't really want to admit there was a problem. Once the state and federal government said there IS a problem, only then did it change. As much as this county hates state intervention, we would personally like to send them a thank you card for stepping in at EMS.
So we're starting out 2011 with optimistic realism, if that's possible. The bluebirds have returned to our back yard, the library's winter reading program has started, and for now, everything's looking OK.
As much as we hate the mass destruction of thousands of trees and an awesome sled riding hill at Box Hill South, when perusing a recipe last week we immediately thought, "Where in Harford County could we find these ingredients?" And then we had a happy thought. Maybe if at some point we can safely get through the bottleneck at Tollgate/MD 24 in September, we can go to Wegman's and buy the ingredients. What will it be like to be able to find the unusual right here in Harford County? And so close. When that construction is completed, we're sure we will breeze right over there, problem-free. (OK, we admit there might be just a smidge of sarcasm there.)
We're also hoping that a new movie theater will make an appearance at the Boulevard. On seeing "True Grit" on opening day, we were bombarded with noise from the movie next door. (Bonus movie critique: True Grit is a must-see.)
In some of our previous posts, there were also comments on Abingdon students attending Edgewood Middle and High Schools. While no one was more concerned than we were about sending our children to EMS with all the horror stories (everyone's on drugs, pregnant, homeless, gang-banged, etc) we could not be happier with the experience our student has had since attending this fall.
Two years ago we attended a meeting of the Alternate Governance Board which had chosen, of its available three options, to hire a new principal. We were skeptical that this indeed, would make any difference. But we have seen firsthand the difference one person can make when he has the tools and the authority to effect change. Dr. Lawrence Rudolph, who was given the authority by the state, not HCS, was able to hire and fire who he wanted. For years, Edgewood was a dumping ground for teachers who the county could not or would not fire. While the former superintendent talked about how much she wanted success in Edgewood, the actions of the front office clearly showed otherwise. When you walk into the building now, the change is palpable. While before when we went into EMS it was dirty with broken water fountains, it's cleaner and brighter. There are student organizations there now that didn't exist before. The teachers take time to talk to parents and work with the students.
It's not perfect, after all, it is middle school. There have been fights, just as there have been at any other middle school. There are students facing problems that students at Fallston don't have to worry about. That doesn't make them bad students--it just makes it more challenging to teach them. But when the drug-sniffing dogs came, the police officer said it was the cleanest school in the county. That's something you will never read in The Aegis.
We have had conversations with school board members in the past where they have said, "well, it's not really that bad there." They were trying to convince us to send our children there because, hey, it could be worse. They were apologists because they didn't really want to admit there was a problem. Once the state and federal government said there IS a problem, only then did it change. As much as this county hates state intervention, we would personally like to send them a thank you card for stepping in at EMS.
So we're starting out 2011 with optimistic realism, if that's possible. The bluebirds have returned to our back yard, the library's winter reading program has started, and for now, everything's looking OK.
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