Community Meeting Planned for Canton Middle School Proposal

Following up on our previous post about the proposal to convert Canton Middle School into a city-wide charter school for grades 6-12, the Canton Connection Online has learned that there will be a meeting to discuss the proposal on Thursday, May 1, at 7:00 p.m. at United Evangelical Church (Batz's Church), 3200 Dillon Street.

Canton residents are invited to attend the meeting to find out more about the proposal and to ask questions. For more information, call Councilman Jim Kraft's office at (410) 396-4821.

Councilman Kraft Seeks Comments on Canton Middle School Proposal

Councilman Kraft has contacted the Canton Community Association with news about Canton Middle School #230, at 801 South Highland Avenue.

CCA had learned that the school was originally scheduled to close at the end of the current school year, but that the closure date had been extended to the end of the 2008/2009 school year. At that time, the building would be surplussed by the City of Baltimore and sold.

Councilman Kraft informed CCA of a proposal by the Baltimore City Board of Education to turn the building into a grade 6-12 charter school instead. He invites Canton residents to contact his office with questions, comments, and concerns regarding the proposal.

Please e-mail your questions, comments, or concerns to jkraft@baltimorecitycouncil.com or call his office at (410) 396-4821.

Public Safety Meeting Report

Tuesday's standing-room only meeting at the Southeast District police headquarters -- the largest such meeting in the District's history -- was an opportunity for residents and police officers alike to share concerns and exchange the latest information. Despite the atmosphere of grave concern, community residents and police alike expressed a sense of partnership to end violent crime in the neighborhood.

According to SEPD, the number of robberies in Canton has "overwhelmed" detectives. This is in part because the force is understaffed in part due to a lack of qualified applicants.

The husband of the woman who was assaulted recently at the corner of S. Streeper and Elliot was in attendance, and he reported that his wife remains very traumatized by the incident. Police were able to respond to the assault in four minutes and took a description of her assailant: a black male between 30 and 40 years old. The Elliot Street robbery may also have been committed by a black male, although police determined that a credit card stolen from the scene was used by a white male on Pulaski Highway not long after the crime was committed. The Fleet Street Shell station attendant who was the victim of the robbery there was so traumatized by the experience that she has quit her job.

Community-Police Partnership Opportunities Explored

The following suggestions were made to help make Canton safer:

• Form an alliance with your neighbors to monitor for suspicious activity.
• Keep your block clean and well lit.
• Join and participate in neighborhood associations such as the Canton Community Association's block watch program.
• Join the Paws on Patrol to walk through the neighborhood (you are welcome to join the walks even if you don't have a dog).
• Get to know the police officers who patrol your neighborhood. Always include your name and telephone number when reporting suspicious activity.

In addition, consider these extra steps:

• Keep your outside door or porch light on all night.
• Park considerately to leave as much room for your neighbors as you can.
• Develop a block-watch system on your block to keep people informed and aware.

Parking Situation Also Discussed

The current parking situation is a contributing factor to public safety concerns, as residents often have to park far from home; the risk is increased if they are distracted from their surroundings while talking on a cell phone. The police recommended that if you are attacked while using a cell phone, you should leave it on to help police track the criminal.

Painted parking spaces would probably not help reduce the parking crush, according to a representative of the Mayor's office, because the lines would have to be far enough apart to accommodate the largest vehicles, such as SUVs, and would therefore limit the number of spaces available on a street.

District Police Meeting to Address Public Safety Concerns

Responding to concerns expressed by local residents over public safety in Canton and surrounding neighborhoods, the Southeast District of the Baltimore City Police Department will be holding a community meeting to address the issue. Residents are invited to attend and voice their concerns.

The meeting will be held in the Roll Call Room of the Southeast Police District Headquarters, 5710 Eastern Avenue, on Tuesday, April 15 at 7:00 p.m. Please use the back entrance to the building.

For more information about the meeting, please contact Karli Swift, the Mayor's Neighborhood Liaison for Southeast and East Baltimore, at (410) 396-4735 or e-mail her.

American Cancer Society's Relay for Life

Baltimore residents can join the fight against cancer by participating in the annual Relay For Life^® event to celebrate cancer survivors, remember those who have been lost, and to help raise money for cancer research.

This year's relay will take place on Friday and Saturday, May 2-3 at the Clarence "Du" Burns Arena, 1301 S. Ellwood Avenue. It begins at 6:30 p.m. and continues overnight until 7:00 a.m. "The events are held overnight to represent the fact that cancer never sleeps," according to the relay's website. The 12-hour walking relay involves teams of 8-10 people who field at least one person to walk at all times during the relay. The event also feature raffles, auctions, games, music, food, and sleeping areas.

Baltimore residents are invited to join or even start a team, or to walk as individuals. People can also donate to teams that are participating in the relay. You can also donate a luminaria, which is a candle-lit paper bag, in honor of a cancer survivor or in memory of a loved one who has died. The bags can be decorated too. In a powerful and moving ceremony, the luminarias are lit as darkness falls on the eve of the relay.

Since 1985, when the relay was founded, over $2 billion has been raised for cancer research. For more information on how you can participate, visit the relay website link above.

"Relay isn't about taking laps -- it's about coming together in the fight against cancer," says ACS. "By joining together at Relay, we celebrate life, friendship, and an opportunity to work to defeat cancer for future generations."

2008 Conkling Street Construction Schedule Updates

As reported previously on the Canton Connection Online, the Hanover Company is currently working on a two-year construction project to build an apartment complex on the site of the old Tulkoff Food Products/Gunther Brewery buildings on S. Conkling between Toone and Elliot Streets.

Each month, the Hanover Company's project manager, Robert Hooten, issues a progress report to the Canton Community Association and neighborhood residents. As a community service, the Canton Connection Online will provide a summary of each report when it is issued.

UPDATE (Friday, March 21): The project is enforcing a policy of no parking along Elliott Street for contractors, out of consideration for the reduced number of parking spaces around the construction site.

Construction of the exterior stoops (minus brick facades) is complete. The crane has been erected and will remain in place through May, when the wood framing has been completed. Deliveries of the wood for the framing is currently ongoing. Interior and exterior masonry work, window installation, and mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire sprinkler system installation is all currently underway.

Underground utility work involving two crossings under Conkling Street will begin this coming week. The site is patrolled by a security guard during non-working hours and on weekends, and the construction parking lot is also patrolled during business hours.

UPDATE (Friday, January 11): The foundation excavation is complete, and the first of four concrete pourings is scheduled to begin tomorrow beginning around 7:15 a.m. The concrete work is on schedule to be completed next month (weather permitting), which is ahead of schedule. The crane has been erected and will remain in place through late spring. Wood framing is on schedule to start in early February at the north end of Elliott Street, and will proceed south towards Toone Street.

The City fixed an underground water leak under the north side of Elliott Street, approximately halfway up the block.

CCA Public Meeting to Address Safety, Services

The Canton Community Association has announced that next week's public meeting will focus on public safety and Baltimore City services, which are among the most frequently requested subjects by Canton residents.

The meeting will be held Tuesday, March 25 at the United Evangelical Church, 3200 Dillon Street at the corner of S. East, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for food and drinks in the basement, provided by Canton restaurants.

"City Services and Public Safety: Who Ya Gonna Call?" will introduce Councilman Jim Kraft (First District) and key City staff. Karli Swift, Neighborhood Liaison in the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods, will discuss how, why, and when to use the City's 311 one-call service.

Major Roger Bergeron, Commanding Officer of the Southeast District Police, will be there to introduce his community team: Lieutenant Darryl DeSousa, who will review the state of the district and the neighborhood, and Sergeant Fred Dillon and Officer Dianna Ckyyou, who will speak about the district's community policing initiative and the Canton Citizens on Patrol program.

The meeting will also feature a presentation on the planned Audubon Center in Patterson Park by Callie Schwartz, the center's Education Coordinator. Last fall, Mayor Shelia Dixon announced that the City would commit $3.5 million to renovating Patterson Park's Virginia Baker Recreation Center and constructing an Audubon Center there. "We are trying to educate the Park's surrounding communities on what Audubon and the Recreation Department offer to the community through our programming as well as get insight from our neighbors on desired programs and thoughts for a new building," explains Schwartz, who has been meeting with various neighborhood associations to seek input and suggestions from residents.

Canton residents are encouraged to attend and discuss their questions, concerns, and issues with the various speakers. It promises to be an informative meeting.

CCA public meetings are generally held bimonthly, except July and December. Details on upcoming public and board meetings can be found on the CCA website here.