911 Back In Operation

Temporary outage is over.

Alert: 911 Is Down Temporarily

From HoCo gov:

Due to a Verizon technical issue, Howard County’s 9-1-1 system is temporarily unavailable.

Call 410-313-2911 in case of emergency until the situation is resolved.

Rough Stuff At The Schools

The Sun reports that six people were arrested at Reservoir High on Tuesday after a scuffle there between two feuding families.

The members of the two families - students ages 15 to 17 and two female adults - encountered one another in the front office during the school day and began to bicker, said school system spokeswoman Patti Caplan. The families had been involved in a long-running feud in their neighborhood in Laurel, Caplan said.

"It started to get real ugly," Caplan said. "The staff stepped in. 911 was called."

The Sun says another student was arrested on Wednesday after scuffling with a school resource officer at Hammond High.

Colon Cancer Claims OM Teacher

Sad news: Donna Sunderdick was an absolutely first-rate teacher, a person who truly cared for her students. She touched the Columbia Talk family, and we mourn her passing.

From OM Principal Frank Eastham Jr.:

Dear Parents,

We are all saddened by the death of Donna Sunderdick, one of our English teachers. Mrs. Sunderdick died earlier this morning after a long battle with colon cancer. We have Student Services staff members and members of the County Crisis Intervention Team (school counselors, school psychologist, pupil personnel worker and heath assistant/nurse) present in our school today and tomorrow to assist students and faculty with questions and grief, which accompany a situation such as this.

Ulman Wants You

Our county exec goes directly to the people to get them to turn out for their favorite public works projects. Here's an example:

Dear Neighbor,

As you may know, today I presented the proposed Capital Budget for Fiscal Year 2010 to the County Council. I am writing to share news about projects in the budget that may be of interest to you.

In preparing the budget this year, we received requests for many worthy projects, and although we were unable to fund them all, the proposed budget reflects our priorities and our commitment to investing in our future, especially in these tough economic times. There is no question that these are difficult times and that providing for the community’s infrastructure must be balanced by strict adherence to fiscal responsibility. Despite the difficulties of our current economic situation, we must continue to move forward by investing in the long-term infrastructure and public facility needs of the County.

I am extremely pleased to announce that we were able to include funding to begin construction of Blandair Regional Park, which, once complete, will become the crown jewel of our park system. The $5.3 million in bonds proposed for this project will fully fund Phase I construction including three multi-purpose artificial turf fields, a playground, trails, and restrooms. Planning for Blandair has been ongoing for many years, but I am confident that as work begins, it will prove to have been worth the wait.

Funding for this project is not guaranteed, however, as the budget process is not yet complete. The County Council will be reviewing the budget, conducting public hearings and ultimately making the final decision on the budget and projects contained therein.

I urge you to show your support for this project by testifying at a public hearing or writing a letter or email to members of the County Council. Support from citizens like you is critical. Councilmember Ball has been a strong advocate for Blandair Regional Park. Your personal testimony will help the entire Council understand the importance of this project.

Please feel free to share this letter with anyone who may be interested. If you have any questions, comments or concerns about the budget or the budget process, do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Ken Ulman
County Executive

A Man Of Few Words

When he was HoCo executive, Jim Robey did not seem particularly interested in the limelight. No one would ever accuse him of being a microphone hog. So we were not exactly surprised to read this Sun account of a state Senate vote this week rejecting a bill to use cameras to catch speeders.

But senators critical of the cameras, which they called an intrusion of privacy and a cash cow for local governments, rose one after another in opposition Wednesday. Sen. George W. Della Jr., a Baltimore Democrat, told his colleagues he had been wrongfully accused after a car using his old license plate was snapped by a camera in Washington. He said it took two months of irate phone calls to get out of the citation.

Sen. E.J. Pipkin, an Eastern Shore Republican, read aloud a passage from the book 1984, including the famous line, "Big Brother is watching," before the legislation failed, 24-23. A day earlier, the Senate voted 26-19 to broaden a bill that initially allowed cameras just in construction zones to also include a half-mile radius around all schools - a plan closer to what the governor wanted.

Perhaps in an expression of confidence, few supporters of the bill rose to defend it when it came up for a final vote Wednesday. Sen. James N. Robey, a Democrat who suggested the school zone amendment, limited his remarks to saying that he had already said everything the day before.

New Money For Schools, Roads and Parks

HoCo Exec Ken Ulman releases his proposal for the capital budget, that's the one used to build things. Here's an excerpt from his press release:

The priority we place on education is clearly reflected in the $52.5 million in local funding dedicated to the School System. This total represents approximately half of the Capital Budget. Although it is not possible to fully fund the Board of Education’s request, funding is included for all projects that expand school capacity or continue renovations already underway. Funding is provided for Mt. Hebron High School, Northfield Elementary School, Bellows Spring Elementary School, Stevens Forest Elementary School, and Hammond Elementary and Middle Schools.

Howard Community College is also an essential part of our community’s educational partnership; and in this economy, more students are turning to HCC for an affordable, top notch education. The Capital Budget invests $4.3 million in Howard Community College, which will enable it to complete the renovation of the Student Services/Clark Building and proceed with important systemic improvements. We have included sufficient funding to move forward with the County match for the new Allied Health Building, should State funding toward that project become available.

There is also $14.4 million proposed for construction of the Miller Branch Library & Historical Center, making the County’s oldest library branch the newest. The addition of the Historical Center, in partnership with the Howard County Historical Society, will enhance the library and make it a valuable community resource.

Based on results of the Department of Fire & Rescue Services’ self-assessment which identified that response times needed to be improved and services enhanced in both the west and northeast areas of the County, the proposed budget provides $7.8 million for the construction of two fire stations and land acquisition. The first station will be constructed in Glenwood to help serve the Route 97 corridor, and the second will be constructed at the site of the Mayfield Highway Shop and serve as a temporary fire station and permanent logistics facility until land can be acquired and a new permanent station built near the intersection of Routes 1 and 175.

Once that station is built, the logistics facility will remain at Mayfield to help free up space in existing fire stations for emergency equipment. Though the stations will be built as long-term facilities with three bays, they will be designed to be “adequate and utilitarian” and based on a modular structure that reduces construction costs by millions of dollars.

While schools and libraries are critical to our quality of life, so are Howard County’s parks and recreation programs. Included in Ulman’s proposed budget is $5.3 million in bonds to move forward with the long-awaited development of Blandair Regional Park, $1.6 million in bonds for Troy Park to begin the design and construction of Phase I, and $1 million in bonds for North Laurel Park to construct park amenities around the North Laurel Community Center (ball fields, parking, skate spot, pavilion, basketball courts and playground).

Ulman’s budget also shows a strong commitment to maintaining and improving the County’s infrastructure. Road surfacing projects are included for a total of $4.5 million in pay-go funding; proposed resurfacing locations include areas around these Village Centers: Oakland Mills, Dorsey Search, Long Reach, and Owen Brown. The County is also proposing land bridge and storm drainage maintenance and upgrades for a total of $2.5 million.