CCA Public Meeting Minutes 08 17 2021
/CCA Public Meeting
Tuesday, August 17, 2021 VIA ZOOM
The meeting started at 6:30PM – It was livestreamed on Facebook.
info@cantoncommunity.org.
Mark opened the meeting at 6:30PM thanking people for joining the August meeting. He hopes to get all the information needed to people. Questions can be posted throughout the meeting. He said he hoped more would join on Facebook. He said it is a privilege to be President of the CCA. We are a member-driven organization. He mentioned a few of the things we are doing - the monthly newsletter sent to members, the work in O’Donnell Square Park and more. He urged people to become members.
Announcements:
From information received from Rec and Parks regarding Dypski Park, the work on the pavilion will start about August 23. If anyone has questions, they can be sent through Facebook. One question regarding this work is how long it will take. It could be up to 12 months. Mark will find out if the park will be closed during construction. He feels most likely that will be the case.
Mark mentioned the lighting in the Square with Walter Rivera, Kimberly Huskins, Bob O’Connell and Ryan Quaal being the benefactors of beautiful lighting. It’s a nice place to hang out.
Amanda Bourgeois mentioned the dumpster at the Broom Factory (rear parking lot) on Saturday, September 25. Saying it usually arrives between 8-9A, it fills up quickly. Information will be on Facebook
Five Guys has reached out about a fundraiser. This will be Tuesday, August 31 from 4-8PM. A portion of the sales will go to the CCA.
The CCA is having a “pop-up” at the Square most likely September 9. It is called “the “sustainability pop-up”. The Marketing Committee will be selling new tote bags in view of the fact that soon there will be a cost for plastic bags at retailers.
Revolution Solar LLC – Jesse Wilensky:
They are a new CCA business member. He put his info in the Chat and if anyone has questions in the MD, DC and Northern VA area, to please let him know. The company also does deck work. Federal Income Tax credits might be available. It’s best to talk to Revolution.
State Farm Insurance – Mike Doyle:
Mike is proud to represent State Farm. He is down in Fells Point. He said he has all kinds of plans available and could go on and on about them. State Farm has charitable outreach and assistance programs. His promotion for this week is that if a quote is provided, $10 is donated to nonprofits through a grant program. He said that possibly some of that could be donated to the CCA. Amanda thanked him for this and for bringing energy. Mark wished him good luck with everything.
Presentations:
Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland (Evictions) – Melissa Chiasera:
She said there is free legal assistance with a focus on rents, and that Baltimore City has a robust program. One service is Bmorechildren.com. You do not need to have children to qualify. A number to call is: 443-703-3053. She also said if someone receives a court date appearance to please appear.
Jade McDuffie spoke about her focus on homeowners being able to stay in their homes. There are resources: the Homestead Tax Credit and the Homeowner’s Tax Credit. She urges homeowners to look into these programs. There is counseling available for home, finances and estate planning. Hud.gov is a good resource.
The number to call is 443-703-3052.
Mark thanked both Melissa and Jade.
Civic Works Elder Services COVAX Program – Felicia Gross:
This group has partnered with the City Health Department to get people vaccinated. They help homebound people and can provide transportation for those who need it. There are also grants ranging from $500-$10,000 to help organizations get folks vaccinated. She asked if we have outreach efforts where we need help.
A number to call is 410-929-5448. This information can go in the next CCA newsletter.
Team 46 Update:
State Delegate Brooke Lierman:
Delegate Lierman said she is happy to be here saying she lives in Fells Point and is running for the next State Comptroller. So she will not be on the 46th District Delegate slate. She wanted to stop by and give a recap.
Brooke feels the past legislative session was very productive in terms of relief and recovery. Additional money was approved for small businesses. The Earned Income Tax Credit was expanded.
She also noted we have a very diverse neighborhood. There was the Maryland Transit Safety and Investment Act which got vetoed by Governor Larry Hogan. This is the largest mandate for transit. The General Assembly hopes to override it in the upcoming session.
There is the digital divide in the rural areas as well as the City. The Office of Statewide Broadband was set up with $300,000,000 from federal funds to help folks have the ability to get online.
There were no questions.
Mark thanked Brooke, and he looks forward to the override of the transit bill.
She noted that Caves Valley will have the PGA Tour in August which means more traffic. This is the first one in over 40 years.
State Senator Bill Ferguson:
Senator Ferguson is excited for Brooke to be running for Comptroller and called her amazing. He has taken on a new role, and navigating through the last 18 months has been difficult. He feels this was the most challenging session. The Assembly passed the single largest stimulus for small businesses, artists, restaurants and those on social services. This also helped people having trouble with Unemployment Benefits. The American Rescue Plan provided us with resources
He mentioned equity, health disparity, crime, safety and trust issues. Senator Ferguson feels a glimmer of hope with Mayor Scott’s focus on his crime plan. There were changes down in Fells Point which need to be replicated throughout the City.
The vaccination rollout had problems in the beginning. Because of that the Maryland Health Secretary, Dennis Schrader, was not approved until things improved. Now Maryland is 6th in the country for first shots and 11th in country being fully vaccinated. He is urging people to get vaccinated.
Tyler McCurdy can be reached at Senator Ferguson’s office.
State Delegate Luke Clippinger:
He is Chair of the Judiciary Committed saying significant legislation was passed for public safety to help build greater trust. He worked with Adrienne Jones, Speaker of the House. There will be more civilian involvement. There is an Employment Assistance Program for officers.
He said juvenile law justice reform is needed. Recommendations have come from prosecutors as well as public defenders to address those who are just entering or haven’t yet entered the juvenile criminal system.
He spoke about the big problem with “ghost” guns not requiring background checks or licenses. He is seeing more and more of these polymer guns made up of three or four parts.
There will be a referendum in the 2022 election on the question of the City controlling the City Police Department instead of it being under State control.
There will be in 2022 the question on the ballot about the sale of personal marijuana and should it be legalized along with other related issues. Over the next year regulatory and health issues and taxation will be examined. Also, the issue of those convicted of possession in prior years will be examined.
Delegate Clippinger feels Senator Ferguson gave a comprehensive account of the recent assembly.
If anyone wants the Lawyer’s Letter, please let him know – luke.clippinger@house.state.md.us
Economic Development Committee – Chairman Doug Kaufman:
(Any questions on these can be sent to Doug at doug.kaufman@gmail.com)
The Chasseur – 3328 Foster Avenue
Doug said they are asking for permission to do a rooftop deck with six tables for dining. Since it is up high, they will need to be mindful of things blowing. There will not be any live entertainment. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is in the process.
Gallery Church – 3115 Eastern and Ellwood Avenues
The bank building is going to be demolished with 30 apartments built with ground floor for commercial. Those involved are being very diligent in meeting with organizations in the area.
St. Brigid’s Church – 901 S. Ellwood Avenue/Hudson and Robinson Streets
The plan is for eight townhomes facing Hudson Street with parking for two cars each. There will be a carriage house with two parking spaces. The rectory will be retained and salvaged. There is space for six one-bedroom apartments. However, the concern is parking isn’t in the plan.
Collective at Canton:
It was updated in June 2021 with a new tenant whose name can’t be revealed yet. The Collective will be in partnership with the Rails-to-Trails project. The 1201 S. Haven Street development will have three tenants, a car wash and land which will be undevelopable until 2034. A sports book is also proposed; however, it will not be a casino.
Intersection of Baylis and O’Donnell Street:
The EDC asked the City before the pandemic to look at this area. Monitoring cameras were set up there. A proposal is to make it Baylis a one way street in one direction either north or south.
There is a meeting Tuesday, August 31 to discuss this solution.
United Evangelical Church School – 900 Block East Avenue:
The same developer as St. Brigid’s is involved. Fourteen apartments are planned but no parking allotted. Doug mentioned that it’s felt that more parking doesn’t really help – it just makes people think less about other options to owning cars. Zoning does not require parking.
Mark said that Maura mentioned a meeting on Wednesday, August 25 from 7-8PM regarding the Gallery Church. This is a virtual meeting hosted by the Highlandtown Community Association and Highlandtown Main Streets.
Doug said it’s on the CCA calendar.
Department of Transportation (DOT) – Boston Street Corridor – Liam Davis:
Liam thanked Mark for inviting him tonight. He shared his screen. DOT was contacted by a constituent regarding pedestrian safety in the area. Liam mentioned a left-turn signal at the area of Montford Avenue and Boston and Hudson Streets along with some striping. DOT can consider red light cameras and speed cameras. He asked if the CCA can take feedback and contact DOT about this matter.
Residents should be able to call 311 about this. He suggested the community create a 311 request for red light and speed cameras. Investigations will be done. Liam said there is money in the budget for speed cameras; however, there is a lot to go through for these. There are state laws about where one can be placed. The form will be sent to the CCA and should be returned to him and passed to the appropriate agency.
He said data shows that this helps cut down on violations.
Also mentioned was that curb cuts on the south side of Boston Street have to be ADA compliant.
Doug asked if Liam could get us a list of speed cameras (not truck ones) in Canton.
There was a question of City ordinances being passed about cars or other vehicles that don’t have mufflers especially driving on Boston Street at night. That’s a Health Department matter or local Council people can be contacted.
This could all be included in the upcoming CCA newsletter
Dept. of Public Works (DPW) – Water Bills – Matt Garbark (DPW) and John Woods (Resident Volunteer):
John Woods spoke about problems he had for over a year. He went to the City Council for help. He is hopeful with the new team and feels things are moving in the right direction.
Matt said the new head of the Department of Public Works is Jason Mitchell from Oakland, CA.
Mr. Mitchell “has an unblemished view and is a breath of fresh air” according to Matt. There are problems with water billing. In 2016 revolutionary steps were taken to digitalize the billing using actual usage for billing.
Things did fall through the cracks. Expert consultants were brought in to help. Matt said a lot of money was left on the table. He feels positive about the changes saying trust is needed. They are looking at issues from start to finish. This is a priority of Mayor Scott’s. He said the data is there.
Matt and Mr. Mitchell feel we will see positive things coming soon. Both the department and the customers may need to give a little. There is a water billing portal where one can see actual water consumption. It is: waterbillportal.baltimorecity.gov. A customer can get alerts also.
There was a question about the Account Management Fee. This is for upkeep of the billing system as well as the staff. Matt apologized that Mr. Woods had to go through what he did. The DPW goal is that they can tell people there is a problem rather than the other way around. Customer service is being worked on with a basic set of skill sets needed.
There was recent legislation, the Water Accountability and Equity Act, which passed including an appeal process if you feel you are not being treated fairly. Matt is hoping for electronic billing which would save money.
Closing remarks - Mark:
Mark reminded folks to feel free to send in questions to info@cantoncommunity.org. He also mentioned the Get Lit Program as well as the O’Donnell Square Park Buy-A-Brick Program.
The meeting ended at 8:20PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Denise Aversa