Seton Hill Neighborhood Association, December 2007

The City Paper has selected Seton Hill as the Best Neighborhood in Baltimore. My notes are posted below.

Karen French gave a background of the recycling program. Many residents hated Monday for recycles. They wanted it to be simpler and easier. We are moving from a dual program to a single program. We are taking out the blue bag Monday and plastic bags. The facilities can’t accept plastic bags. They jam up the machines. There is a very small market and demand for them. We can add detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, etc.

Operation Recycle Bin Sale: They will be at four schools on Saturday and on Sunday at Northwest High School. The 18-gallon bins are $5. They are working with the Baltimore Community Foundation to find other sources to sell them in the future.

Zone 5 has the best of each world. We will have recycling every Tuesday and Friday. It is because we are residential and business. It is second and fourth Tuesday and Friday for the rest of the City.

You can use a box, paper bag, and any containing that you choose.

They are trying to have simpler stickers for recycling. We can be a distribution center. The Baltimore Community Foundation is taking names for this.

Charles Village is buying them in bulk and reselling them to their neighborhood.

The discount applies only on the kick-off week end and only for the 25-gal bins. The 18-gallon bins are $5. If you have plastic gags, bring them to the meeting.

554 Saint Mary Street is going to court on 8 January. People are storing clothes there. We are taking the home owner to court. It is for retainer. Jason Hessler is going to court. We have impact statements but they also want people there. That visible presence of seats being filled means something different. If you send a letter, they don’t read them all out loud.

607 North Paca Street is pulling permits to stay ahead of the law and 705 Druid Hill Avenue has been taken care of. 607 was purchased just a year ago but was listed for tax auction.

Park light issues: The entire north side of the park has been dark every night since July. Karen had a meeting with Christy, deputy mayor, and others. The issue is the underground wire which has become faulty. DOT has committed to an 8 January start time. It should take about two weeks. They will also be running wiring for future lights in the park. The desired renovation will begin this year. There will be new walk ways and new benches and new trash cans. This is a pretty nice park with ugly trash cans.

Mary Porter from Parks and Recreations has committed that phase one will be complete in one year. This is a major deal for the park.

We won’t have the dog run. The more entrances we have, the better.

The construction document is almost complete.

We are changing the Orchard Street renewal plan. A traffic study should begin. It might had already started. They are also going to look at the wishes of the neighborhood. We have been waiting for this for six or seven years.

We hope to have a real master plan in six months to prevent another BGE. We are requesting that they follow through on their promise and a time line. Many children from the Baltimore School for the Arts use the bus stop there at Eutaw and Monument. They have committed to weekly maintenance.

Christy said that typically MTA will put out a notice that the bus stop will be moved. They might not have to put chain link fence around the whole block.

Mico and another person moved to approve the minutes of the last minute. Motion passed.

There is major development on the west side. The other properties on Howard Street have been awarded development rights. It will probably be another four years before construction starts. From the 300 to 500 block on Howard Street on the east side will be an entertainment district. They want to put in a high class entertainment area. It will not be like the Tunnel which has had 500 kids in there at one time. It will be a part of a hotel complex.

The other project that is going ahead is the 400 block of Baltimore Street. There are three cast iron buildings being restored there. They have major construction going on there. A 15-story tower is going in with offices and condos. There will be retail on the ground floor. The current tenant is McDonald’s and they have not agreed to sell out. They are going to put in a super McDonald. This is reservation only and there will be a doorman. There are six in the whole world. They are different menus.

There are three or four PAC meetings a year.

The Mayfair Theater and the St. James – they have been working on the latter pretty well. These are major investments in this area.

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