Here’s the minutes from our December Meeting – please mark your calendar and join us for the January meeting. We’ll be electing a new board, and it’s not too late to throw your hat in the ring and join the work of the PPNA!
Patterson Park Neighborhood Association
Monthly General Meeting
Monday, December 14th, 2015
St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church, Basement Multi-Purpose Room
2015 PPNA Board & Newbie Introduction
The 2015 board is introduced for the final time. It’s like a tender goodbye shared with an old friend that you’re probably just going to see again next week at the grocery store or out walking, but you can never be sure… New people are also introduced- thanks for coming, newbies!
REMINDER: Next meeting we will be electing a whole new board, including all of the sector VP’s, Treasurer, Secretary, and President! Be there to vote or run!
Safety Meeting Wed. Dec 16
There was a meeting- look out for more updates!
Interested in the safety of our neighborhood? Email us to get involved.
COP Walk Postponed
Due to weather, holidays, etc. the next Citizens on Patrol Walk* will be held in January. Check the meetings minutes for next month for specifics!
*No dog required
Mayor’s South East Safety Forum – Postponed
The forum will probably still be at Breath of God Church
Keep an eye on our Facebook Page for updates on this event.
CASA de Maryland Update
They’re putting a community center/small business incubator space into the space at Fayette and Belnord
They (might?) need more letters of support from English-speaking members of the community.
Willing to raise your voice for this great cause? Email us to learn more.
Living Classrooms – Devon Ritchie and students
They’ve turned an old newspaper box into a library
Painted the box with a quote that they thought should represent the library
“one child, one teacher, one friend, and one book can change the world” – Malala
Joseph with Sokol Baltimore
Sokol has been in Baltimore for over 100 years and they’re also a Non-Profit!
Fun Fact: Sokol is Czech for Falcon
Sokol is the only Gymnastics facility within the city of Baltimore- they also teach adults!
Adult open gym is at 7:45 on Mondays, see the full schedule of programs here.
Wednesdays they do drop-in Zumba!
Sokol teaches Children’s & Adults gymnastics, Zumba, Yoga, they are looking for new students and instructors – can be anything re: physical fitness
Click here to learn more.
Announcements from Mark Parker
Highlandtown Community Assoc invites us to their meetings
3rd Monday of the month, at Salem United Methodist Church
3403 Gough St, 7-8pm
Hang out with our neighbors to the East! Apparently they’re lots of fun Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
New Year’s Day Brunch at Breath of God Church
10am to 12pm, come for potluck brunch
Baltimore Link Bus Line Proposal – Michael Walk
Director of Service Development, Maryland Transit Administration
Goal of Baltimore Link: improve the number of bus lines that offer frequent transit, AKA Buses that come every 15 min or fewer
The idea is that this will create and connect more jobs and that more people will be on frequent transit lines
For this proposal they scrapped the existing bus lines and redid the system completely.
They looked at where people don’t have cars and prioritized those areas.
City Link Routes are the 12 color-coded routes w most frequent service, all connect to each other, also to light rail, etc.
Local Link- other bus lines that go other places less frequently
Express BusLink- run from suburban areas to suburban business hubs
Capital investments in the plan include: bus-only lanes, transit-signal priority (traffic lights will change for buses), new transit hubs and mini-hubs, 10 additional police officers to keep buses more secure, more people employed as cleaners (cleaners for buses, not like Pulp Fiction)
The team who developed this also plans to try to expand Sunday hours on light rail.
THIS PLAN IS JUST A DRAFT; It’s a proposal, they are open to feedback.
Proposed Timeline:
June 2016, 5 new express lines implemented, then Public Hearing phase on all of the proposals.
Jan 2017- 6 mo of public outreach, educating people on changes
Expected end date: June 2017.
The State has a $135 mil budget for Baltimore Link, there’s also additional money from BUSUSA for technology improvements. (Fare collection is not actually part of the proposal)
The proposed new Link buses will have GPS (better than current, they think it will actually work this time), also replacing their own bus monitoring/tracking system to keep track of how it’s working.
They put a rapid bus line (aka Link bus) on Baltimore St. because they wanted to space it out from the line on Orleans (placed there to provide access to Hopkins) and because Baltimore St runs right into the metro at Shot Tower Plaza. If the neighborhood feels strongly about it NOT being on Baltimore St we have to TELL THEM on the website.
10 buses per hour proposed on Baltimore St. in Patterson Park.
The plan is to try to push use of charm cards (reloadable magnetic fare cards), but that’s a separate plan which will come out next year.
Concern: why is a line going along Fleet St when Eastern is a commercial district that could benefit from the buses? Respond to the Eastern Ave post on the MySidewalk Page
UPDATE
MTA has decided to extend the public comment period until January 11, 2016.
They are holding another BaltimoreLink Public Workshops at the SE Anchor Branch library in Highlandtown on January 6th.
Wednesday January 6, 2016
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Enoch Pratt Free Library,Southeast Anchor Branch
3601 Eastern Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21224
(Transit access via bus line #’s 10, 13, and 22)
OPTIONS FOR GIVING FEEDBACK
Transportation Improvement Plan Comment Form – fill out until 1/11/16
Respond to specific posts on MTA’s MySidewalk Blog
Attend a BaltimoreLink Public Workshop
Call the BaltimoreLink Hotline and Leave a Message: 410-454-1998
Save the Date for the PPNA Gala
The evening of April 2, 2016
Party down right here where meetings are held, in the St Elizabeth’s Church Basement
$40 open bar, h’or d’vores
Mardi Gras theme!
Interested in helping to plan, decorate, or staff the gala? Email Erin.
Members-only Cocktail Party, Fall 2016
Supporting memberships are invited fo free
Want to help plan? Talk to Leigh
Toy Drive!
Thank you so much for bringing your toys for the Highlandtown Exchange Club. They will be distributed to neighborhood kids by the SE District Police Department.
Thank you Sadie and Tiffany for coordinating our neighborhood’s donations!
Silver Spatula
Our winning cookies are the Sugar Cookies made by the Living Classrooms group! Thanks everyone for participating, and congrats to our young cookie aficionados!
Come at 6:30 to any of our meetings to participate in PPNA snack competitions and socializing!
RSVP to the Next Meeting
Next PPNA Meeting:
Monday, January 11
7 pm, Basement of the St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church
Corner of Lakewood and Baltimore (enter on Lakewood)
Changes, Questions, or Additions to the Minutes?
Email enewsletter@pattersonparkneighbors.org