West Baltimore MARC TOD | Transportation, Inc.

Charm City Talent Showcase

2011-06-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

Got Talent? Think you can sing? Are you between the ages of 5-17?

Charm City Talent Showcase is an “American Idol-style” competition for ages 5-17, with auditions starting May 9 at seven recreation centers across the city.

Local, performing arts experts will judge the auditions and offer professional advice and support to all the contestants. One contestant from each audition site will advance to the city wide finale. The finale will be held on July 14, 2011 in Baltimore and also judge by a panel of performing arts professionals.

The winner receives an artist development package including a professional demo recording, a chance to perform with the Baltimore Symohony Orchestra, and a $300 DTLR gift card.

For more information visit http://www.cphabaltimore.org/cct/

West Baltimore Farmers Market Now Accepts EBT Cards & WIC FV Checks

2011-06-07T09:23:00.000-07:00

Remember to join us at our NEW time

9:00am to 1:00pm!

West Baltimore Farmers Market Now Accepts EBT Cards and WIC Fruit and Vegetable Checks (FVC)

Using your EBT (Snap/food stamp) or WIC FVC at the farmers market is simple:

FOR EBT CARD USERS

Visit the market booth with the banner that says "EBT accepted here!"
Use your EBT to purchase $1 dollar tokens, which you can use like "cash" at the market.
Keep whatever tokens you don't spend to use next week!

FOR WIC (FVC) USERS

Visit the market booth with the banner that says "WIC (FVC) accepted here!"
Have the farmer fill out the amount of the purchase.
Sign your checks and give them directly to the farmer!

Roots Fest 2011

2011-06-07T09:05:00.000-07:00

"Many Communities, One Voice"

ROOTS Fest is a celebration of community, creativity, culture and connection. It seeks to heal, empower and unite Baltimore through the celebration of arts and culture. The free, outdoor festival will be over the “Highway to Nowhere,” Route 40, at Franklin and N. Gilmor, with five stages of music, art, dancing, food and fun.

Joined by nationally-renowned artists and performers, the West Baltimore community will fill the neighborhood with new life, color and music. ROOTS Fest 2011 will serve as an example for other communities around the country who face the same challenges as West Baltimore. Come and be a part of history in the making on June 22 – June 26. To see a detailed schedule of events visit www.rootsfest2011.org.

SAVE THE DATE! Public Information Open House Tue. July 20th @ 5:30pm

2010-07-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

For more information about the Station Parking Expansion and the Open House, please visit the MTA's project website at http://wbmarcproject.com/

REMINDER! Public Design Workshop Thu. July 8th @ 6PM

2010-07-06T05:14:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT AND LINKS TO THE PROJECT BLOG SITE

NEWSFLASH! Join Us Tuesday June 29th @ 6:00pm

2010-06-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

Concept Design Workshop - Community Members Mark Your Calendars!

2010-06-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

West Baltimore Bike/Pedestrian Loop

Community Design Workshop

Thursday July 8, 2010

6:00PM

Bon Secours Community Support Center

26 N. Fulton Avenue, Baltimore, MD

Hosted by Mark Brown, DOT - Planning Division

Need more information? Learn more about the project and get involved. Don't miss this opportunity to provide community feedback on the proposal and its design!

CLICK HERE for Project Overview and Concept Plans.
CLICK HERE to visit the interactive Blog that the Dept. of Planning has set up to get community input.
CLICK HERE to RSVP for the July 8th design workshop.

WBMTTI Announces the Launch of the West Baltimore Farmer's Market!

2010-06-18T05:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday June 19, 2010

8AM to 12 Noon

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Arts and Crafts

Local Vendors

Mix-n-Mingle Opportunities with your Neighbors

West Baltimore MARC Station Parking Lots

400 N. Smallwood Street

(between Franklin & Mulberry Streets)

The WBMTTI Board of Directors is excited to announce the launch of the West Baltimore MARC Farmer's Market. Join us every Saturday morning June 19th to November 20th.

Have questions, need more info?

CLICK HERE for our contact information.

The Farmer's Market initiative is one of WBMTTI near-term priorities for the implementation of the West Baltimore MARC Station Area Master Plan. For more information about WBMTTI's near and long-term priorities CLICK HERE.

JOIN US Monday June 14, 2010 for the Next WBMTTI Quarterly Public Meeting

2010-05-31T19:09:00.000-07:00

Quarterly Public Meeting

Monday June 14, 2010

6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Lockerman Bundy Elementary School

301 N. Pulaski Street, Baltimore MD

Join Us for

Report Out on West Baltimore MARC Farmer's Market Season Launch, Community Benefits Agreements, and Neighbors In Deed Initiative
Transportation/TOD Project Updates with Representatives from:

Baltimore Heritage - Historic Preservation
Baltimore City Department of Transportation

West Baltimore Streetscape
West Baltimore Bike/Pedestrian Loop
Red Line Community Compact Annual Report

Maryland Transit Administration

Phase One MARC Station Parking Expansion/Wall Demo
Red Line Station Area Advisory Committees (SAACs)

All are Welcome to Attend!

CLICK HERE to view photos from the April 12th Meeting

Open for Public Comment Now thru June 22, 2010

2010-05-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

2011-2014 Draft Transportation Improvement (TIP) Program and Air Quality Report

Public Review and Comment Period

May 21 to June 22, 2010

This is your opportunity to share your thoughts and to let the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB) know what you think about these proposed plans and programs.

The Draft 2011-2014 TIP for the Baltimore region contains a list of transportation priorities and projects for which federal funding (to the tune of $1.2 billion dollars) will be requested over the next 4 years. Projects are drawn from recommendations in the long-range transportation plan for the Baltimore region. Approximately 61% of the funds are for highway and bridge preservation. In addition, an air quality report regarding the impact of the proposed projects on the Baltimore region is also available for review and comment.

To download the DRAFT CLICK HERE

To view proposed 2011-2014 projects in Baltimore City by mode CLICK HERE

Funding requests for Baltimore City projects impacting West Baltimore area communities include but are not limited to:

$34.5M for Edmondson Ave Bridge Widening over Gwynns Falls/CSX Railroad to accomodate the Red Line
$1.4M for West Baltimore Streetscape Improvements on Edmondson Ave and N. Pulaski Street
$375K for Urban Youth Core Life Skill Development and Job Training Program in Highway Construction/Public Works
Various MTA Commuter Rail and Transit Improvements

There are multiple ways to submit your comments

Attend the Next Baltimore Metropolitan Council
Public Meeting
Tuesday June 8, 2010
4:00-7:00pm

at the Baltimore Metropolitan Council

(2700 Lighthouse Point East, Suite 310,Baltimore, MD 21224)

Submit Comments Online CLICK HERE
Send an Email to comments@baltometro.org
Send a Fax to 410-732-8248
Mail Comments to Baltimore Regional Transportation Board 2700 Lighthouse Point East, Suite 310, Baltimore, MD 21224. All mailed comments must be received no later than 3 days after the close of the comment period (that's June 25th).
Final Opportunity: You can submit your comments in writing at the BRTB Meeting on Tuesday June 22, 2010 @ 9am (same location as address above)

For more information contact:

Tyson Byrne, tbyrne@baltometro.org or 410-732-0500 x1048
Regina Aris, raris@baltometro.org or 410-732-9572

To view the complete list of 2010-2013 TIP Projects CLICK HERE (Login: guest / Password: guest)

West Baltimore Bike/Pedestrian Loop - Concept Plans Available Online

2010-05-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

The Baltimore City Department of Transportation is investigating the feasibility of various options to provide streetscape improvments around the US 40 corridor from Fulton Street to Calhoun Street.

These improvements would enhance the surrounding communities, provide much needed green and recreational space, and serve as a catalyst for new development in the area.

The project is in the concept design stage and community input is important. For more information including the City's 5/05/10 Public Meeting PowerPoint Presention CLICK HERE. Once information about the next public project meeting is made available we will post it to the blog and the WBMTTI Facebook page.

Great things are happening in West Baltimore!

Photo Slidehow - Spring 2010 WBMTTI Quarterly Meeting

2010-05-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

The Next Quarterly Meeting will be Monday June 14th @ 6:00pm, Lockerman Bundy Elementary School (301 N. Pulaski Street).

Imagine the Baltimore Region in 2060…

2010-05-10T12:51:00.000-07:00

How will you get around? Will you walk, bike, drive, or take a bus, a train, or even a ferry?

Decisions made today help to determine the future. That is why The Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB) and the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) are pleased to invite citizens and organizations from all around the Baltimore region to take part in a groundbreaking series of public workshops to imagine the future of transportation. This initiative, called imagine 2060, will facilitate a dialogue about how to plan for the Baltimore region we want to create for future generations.

To sustain our high quality of life, we must look at how we grow and how we are connected. The BRTB provides a forum for decisions on transportation investments. The input gathered in imagine 2060 will guide the development of the federally mandated, financially constrained 2011 Baltimore Region Long-Range Transportation Plan.

How You Can Get Involved:

The final workshop in the series is scheduled for May 11, 2010.
Share your thoughts Online: CLICK HERE to take the survey.
Contact the following persons for more information:

Todd Lang, tlang@baltometro.org, 410-732-9566
Jody McCullough, jmccullough@baltometro.org or 410-732-0500 x1049

(The information above is excerpted from the Baltimore Metropolitan Council Website. See http://www.baltometro.org/transportation-planning/imagine-2060-values-workshops)

West Baltimore One of Six Neighborhoods Selected for $1.5M Civic Engagement Initiative!

2010-05-02T19:56:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday April 14, 2010 at City Hall Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake joined Tom Wilcox, President of the Baltimore Community Foundation, to announce the launching of Neighbors in Deed, a new civic engagement initiative starting this spring in the city. Neighbors in Deed is a three-year program that will begin with six Baltimore neighborhoods: West Baltimore, Northwest Baltimore, North Baltimore, Belair Edison, Highlandtown, and Dundalk in Baltimore County. Each neighborhood has identified priorities on which to focus with the help of a team of the University of Maryland School of Social Work graduate students.

In West Baltimore, older adult volunteers will engage younger adults to serve as the next generation of community leaders, in collaboration with the Citizen's Planning and Housing Association (CPHA).

This $1.5M initiative is funded by a $1 million grant from Atlantic Philanthropies, and a total of $500,000 in matching funds from the Baltimore Community Foundation, and the Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Foundation.

Congratulations to West Baltimore for being selected for this exciting opportunity!

If you are interested in getting involved, please CONTACT US

For more information, including related press releases and news articles click on the links below:

Press Release - Mayor's Office

BCF and Mayor Announce $1 Million Civic Engagement Effort in in Six Neighborhoods

Baltimore Community Foundation and City team on $1M Neighbors in Deed Initiative

SAVE THE DATE!

2010-04-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

Next WBMTTI Quarterly Public Meeting

Monday June 14, 2010 @ 6:00pm

Stay tuned for location and details.

Thank You for Joining Us for Our First Quarterly Public Meeting!

2010-03-30T15:25:00.000-07:00

The WBMTTI Board of Directors would like to say Thank You to all those who participated in our first Quarterly Public meeting held on Monday April 12th. We found the session to be both informative and productive and are developing an agenda for the next public meeting based on the feedback we received.

WBMTTI is committed to keeping West Baltimore MARC area residents informed about revitalization projects and to advocating for a community-centered approach to the planning, design and redevelopment process.

We will be distributing information about the next quarterly session soon. Thanks again for joining us for our first meeting. We're Planting the Seeds to Realize the Vision!

West Baltimore MARC TOD | Transportation, Inc

NEWSFLASH! - Health Screenings & Mini Job Fair Returns - Sat. April 3rd

2010-03-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

44th Legislative District Special Initiative - Saturday, April 3, 8:00am - 5:00pm

The 44th Legislative District Complete Count Committee will be holding a series of health screenings and mini job fairs, conveniently located at neighborhood supermarkets. In addition to FREE screenings by Bon Secours Health Systems, you will find employment information and resources from Goodwill Industries of Chesapeake. Census information will also be distributed.

Events will take place at the following locations:

Hollins Market-Union Square
(26 S. Arlington Avenue Baltimore, Maryland 21223)
Stop Shop and Save-Pennsylvania Avenue
(1101 Pennsylvania Avenue Baltimore, MD 21201)
Food Depot-Westside Shopping Center
(2495 Frederick Ave. Baltimore, MD 21223)
Save A Lot-McMechen Street
(250 Mcmechen St, Baltimore, MD 21217)

UPDATE: Next WBMTTI Meeting Moved to Monday April 12th

2010-03-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

Please be advised that due to an unforseen scheduling conflict, the next WBMTTI meeting will be held Monday April 12, 2010 (instead of April 5, 2010). We regret any inconvenience and hope that your schedule will still permit you to join us.

Coming Soon! West Baltimore Farmer's Market - June 12 to November 20, 2010

2010-03-12T06:35:00.000-08:00

What: West Baltimore MARC Farmer's Market

When: Every Saturday
Where: 401 N. Smallwood St

Residents, farmers, visitors - We Heard You! Plans are underway to establish a seasonal West Baltimore MARC Farmers Market at the station parking lots.

Registration for farmers and vendors is due May 1, 2010.

For more information or to reserve your space, please contact Joyce Smith, WBMTTI Co-Chair at 410-362-3239 or nideal@aol.com.

(ABOVE: 2009 West Baltimore Community Harvest pilot event photos)

We're planting the seeds to realize the vision.

2010 Census - The Future Is In Our Hands West Baltimore

2010-03-06T10:37:00.001-08:00

The data collected by the census will impact the amount of federal funding our communities receive for public services like hospitals, job training centers, schools, senior centers and public works projects. Please be sure to complete and mail your form before April 1, 2010. For more information visit http://2010.census.gov/2010census/how/index.php

Please Join Us for the West Baltimore Community Harvest on Saturday, September 19 from 8 AM to NOON!

2009-09-09T03:42:00.001-07:00

The West Baltimore TOD/Transportation, Inc is putting on a community harvest at the West Baltimore MARC station lots. The event will include a farmers market, informational booths, a community planning and vision area, and craft workshops for the kids. “There will be something for everyone,” says Joyce Smith, Executive Director of Operation ReachOut SouthWest and co-chair of the West Baltimore MARC TOD/Transportation, “we want to present information that is action-oriented, like Associated Builders and Contractors will be out to talk about their Jump Start construction apprenticeship program, along with Living Classrooms which offers the Project SERVE job training program.” Other groups will include Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore and Habitat for Humanity. One of the highlights will be a farmers market featuring organic and local farmers, and most accept WIC and Senior FMNP checks. For the kids and young at heart, Black Cherry Puppet Theater is scheduled to perform and hold puppet making workshops for the kids. Please don’t forget to check out the community planning and vision area, which will feature the revitalization plans for the West Baltimore MARC area.

The Mural Steering Committee to Hold a Public Meeting and Workshop about the Mural on September 23 @ 6:30 PM

2009-09-09T03:40:00.001-07:00

The purpose of the public meeting and workshop is to review the mural steering committee’s findings and recommendations regarding the mural and to hold open discussions about the future plans for the mural on Pulaski Street.

When: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 6:30 PM
Where: Lockerman Bundy Elementary School

Governor Chooses West Baltimore MARC Area to Announce Baltimore Red Line LPA Support

2009-09-09T03:11:00.000-07:00

For the West Baltimore MARC TOD/Transportation board members, Governor O’Malley’s decision to make this major announcement in our backyard speaks to the potential for future transit-oriented development in West Baltimore. For Kirin Smith, a young engineer who resides in the Evergreen area, it means all the hard work is starting to payoff, “for me, it is a recognition of all the work, time, and energy the community leaders have put into plans to help restore West Baltimore to what it once was and envision what it can be again — a great and thriving area of the city.”

The West Baltimore MARC TOD/Transportation Committee Votes to Incorporate in Order to Move Forward on Revitalization Efforts

2009-09-09T03:08:00.000-07:00

“As a group of community leaders, we are committed to making West Baltimore a top priority for city and state funding—which is long over due—for improving our surrounding environment. Transit-oriented development is a vital jump start to revitalize our community to a cleaner and greener place to live, and not to mention the economical impact it could bring by way of jobs for our youth and residents,” says Kurt Taylor, President of Pinehurst Protective Association.

As the committee began to evaluate their plans as a group last winter, it started to become clear that there was a need to establish a more formal structure in order to make their plans a reality. “We needed bylaws to make sure we were being fair and balanced, and that every neighborhood had an equal vote and voice,” says Annie Williams, President of Harlem Park Neighborhood Council. So the group worked for three months on getting their bylaws together — reviewing, editing, and reviewing again — until they felt they had a structure which would give each neighborhood strength and independence, and yet establish an organization that would work together in equal partnership for the better of all neighborhoods in the West Baltimore MARC area.

“We look at the incorporation as a formality that needed to happen,” says John Hailey, President of Midtown Edmonson Avenue Improvement Association and co-chair of the West Baltimore MARC TOD/Transportation, Inc. Hailey continued, “and we plan to continue working with all organizations in the area, but officially we are focused on moving forward transit-oriented development and the benefits it could bring to our area.”

Here is a list of the founding members of the West Baltimore MARC TOD/Transportation, Inc.:

Co-Chairs of the Board of Directors:

Joyce Smith, Executive Director, Operation ReachOut SouthWest
John Hailey, President, Midtown Edmondson Avenue Improvement Assn., Inc.

Board of Directors:

John Carrington, President, Bridgeview/Greenlawn Association, Inc.
Edith Gilliard, President, Franklin Square Community Association, Inc.
Robert Hunt, President, Alliance of Rosemont Community Organizations, Inc.
Edna Manns, President, Fayette Street Outreach
Bertha Nixon, President, Boyd/Booth Concerned Citizens, Inc.
Rev. Lovell Parham, President, Edmondson Community Organization, Inc.
Muriel Praileau, President, Evergreen Protective Association, Inc.
Kurt Taylor, President, Pinehurst Protective Association
Annie Williams, President, Harlem Park Neighborhood Council

Board Proxy Members:

Rose Carter, Representative, Boyd/Booth Concerned Citizens, Inc.
Kirin Smith, Representative, Evergreen Protective Association, Inc.

If you have any questions about the MARC TOD/Transportation, Inc., please feel free to contact either co-chair of the organization. Joyce Smith can be reached at 410-362-3239 and John Hailey can be reached at 443-447-4233, or contact by email at westbaltimoremarc[at]gmail.com. Please check here for current updates on what the committee is doing.

The Parking Expansion Project Moving Into Phase One — Tearing Down the Wall and Concrete Abutment of the “Highway to Nowhere”

2009-05-05T04:24:00.000-07:00

The West Baltimore MARC TOD/Transportaion Committee is pleased that the city and the state are moving into the first phase of project to expand parking at the West Baltimore MARC station. With an eye on the long-term plans for the area, the committee views the demolition of the end of the “highway to nowhere” as the first step in the right direction toward revitilizing the area. John Hailey, northern co-chair of the committee and president of Midtown Edmonson Avenue Improvement Association, believes that, “the city and state making the upfront investment in our area is a good sign to potential developers.” Since 1979, the “Highway to Nowhere” has been a road block for rebuilding the communities of West Baltimore. “After years of waiting and four years of active involvement, something is finally happening in West Baltimore that we can all be excited about,” says Joyce Smith, southern co-chair of the committee and executive director of Operation ReachOut SouthWest.

As we did in the Fall of 2008, the committee will be hosting a series of community discussions about the first phase of the parking expansion project and the demolition of the wall. These discussion will take place at your local neighborhood/community association meeting place. Please check the list (to the right) of upcoming meetings to join a discussion happening near you.

Since March, the committee has also been surveying residents to see how they feel about demolishing the wall and also what they would like to see happen with the mural on the retaining wall. A mural steering committee will be formed that will decide what should happen to the mural. If you would like to participate, please call the steering committee chair, John Hailey at 443-703-9310, or email westbaltimoremarc[at]gmail.com. The steering committee will be holding its first meeting in mid-May.

West Baltimore Community-Center Transit Development Strategy Report Adopted by Baltimore City Planning as Area Master Plan

2009-05-05T04:12:00.000-07:00

The Baltimore City Department of Planning adopted the West Baltimore Community-Centered Transit Development Strategy Report as an area master plan in November 2008. To review the West Baltimore MARC station master plan you can find digital files on the Baltimore City Planning website or hard copies are available for review at Bon Secours Community Center, 26 N. Fulton Avenue and Edmondson Community Organizations building, 2114 Edmondson Avenue.

The WBC votes to reform the West Baltimore MARC TOD/Transportation Committee

2008-08-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

In May of 2008, the WBC approved the reformation of the TOD/Transportation Committee to directly deal with projects centered around the West Baltimore MARC station. One of the committee’s objective is to create a group which has representation from the ten communities identified within the ½ mile radius of the West Baltimore MARC station. This reformed and representative group will focus on transit-oriented development (TOD), commuter parking problems, and the possible alignments of the Redline transit project in West Baltimore. John Hailey, President of Midtown Edmondson Avenue Improvement Association and Joyce Smith, Franklin Square Community Organization and Executive Director of Operation ReachOut SouthWest are functioning as interim co-chairs. Through their outreach efforts, the committee recruited representatives from eight of the ten communities, and is seeking to include more community leaders, especially from the neighborhoods of Mosher, Shipley Hill, Penrose, and Pinehurst. The current members are as follows:

Interim Co-Chairs:

John Hailey, President, Midtown Edmondson Avenue Improvement Association
Joyce Smith, Executive Director, Operation Reach Out South West and Representative, Franklin Square Community Organization

Community Representatives:

John Carrington, President, Bridgeview/Greenlawn Association
Rose Carter, Proxy, Boyd/Booth Concerned Citizens Organization
Robert Hunt, President, Association of Rosemont Community Organizations
Bertha Nixon, President, Boyd/Booth Concerned Citizens Organization
Reverend Lovell Parham, President, Edmondson Community Organizations and Vice-President, Rosemont Homeowners' and Tenants' Association
Kirin Smith, Representative of the President, Evergreen Protective Association
Annie Williams, President, Harlem Park Neighborhood Council

If you have any questions about the MARC TOD/Transportation Committee, please feel free to to contact the committee at westbaltimoremarc[at]gmail.com

The West Baltimore MARC Parking Expansion Project

2008-08-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

After reviewing the MTA’s proposal to expand surface parking on the end of the “Highway to Nowhere,” the TOD/Transportation Committee members felt the proposal included key benefits for the community, which are as follows:

To provide a short-term surface parking solution to relieve residents from MARC commuters parking in their neighborhoods
The demolition and removal of the concrete abutment at the end of the “Highway to Nowhere” from the community
The reconnection of Payson Street to the area street grid
Better integration of the highway exits and entrances
The concept plans also works with the long-term revitalization and development plans laid out in the West Baltimore Community-Center Transit Development Strategy Report

The committee will be hosting a series of community meeting to discuss the parking expansion concept at the following places and times this fall:

Evergreen Protection Association
Midtown Edmondson Avenue Improvement Association
Association of Rosemont Community Organizations
Operation ReachOut SouthWest
Harlem Park Neighborhood Council
Bridgeview/Greenlawn Association

Please check here for any updates, or keep on the look out for mailing notification about any changes to the schedule.

Committee Approves the West Baltimore Community-Center Transit Development Strategy Report

2008-08-08T04:02:00.000-07:00

The West Baltimore MARC TOD/Transportation Committee approves the report with minor changes to make sure of accountability. The committee was tasked with the final review of the West Baltimore Community-Centered Transit Development Strategy Report by the West Baltimore Coalition. Once the final review was completed, the report was handed over to the Baltimore City Planning Department. The city will use the report as a guide to create a large area plan for the West Baltimore MARC area. There will be another round of public meetings held by the City Planning Department before the plan is taken to the planning commission. The committee will post any information we receive about the future public hearings in our newsletter.