Bea Gaddy Day, Saturday, October 7th!

A reality check.

The Baltimore Sun ran a great editorial today, espousing the need for better zoning that embraces density, transportation, and the preservation of existing green space. Councilman Kraft has been working hard (literally on his own) to push for better zoning in the 1st District (the Baltimore City Zoning Code hasn't been fundamentally updated since 1971!). Again, good fences make for good neighbors, but good zoning makes for ever better neighbors! Check out the 21224 Rezoing materials here and here.

Bon Appetit!

The City has a new monthly resource for the list of food establishments that have been closed due to health code violations. Bookmark it and check it out on a regular basis. The link can be found here!

City Leaf Collection Begins in October

Baltimore City sanitation crews will begin picking up bagged leaves on the second trash collection day of the week starting Thursday, October 5th, and continuing through January 27, 2007, according to a Department of Public Works press release.

The City recycles and mulches the collected leaves, amounting to several thousand tons a year, for use in parks and community gardens.

Sunday leaf collections are scheduled from November 12 through January 14 in heavily wooded communities. No collection will take place on Sunday, December 24th or on New Year’s eve. Residents may also drop off bagged leaves at the following Solid Waste Yards from Monday-Saturday between 9 am-5 pm:

• 6101 Bowleys Lane
• 2840 Sisson Street
• 701 Reedbird Avenue

DPW also announced that it will not vacuum or street-sweep leaves this season. Residents are reminded to place leaves in clear or labeled bags and to ensure that leaves are not blown or placed in gutters and public rights-of-way. Violators will be cited.

Upcoming Street Closings and Detours to Note...

The Baltimore City Department of Transportation announced today traffic modifications in the Central Downtown Business District due to filming (of the new Bruce Willis movie Live Free or Die Hard).

The closures will be in effect from Saturday, September 23, through Saturday, September 30. It's a fairly lengthy list, so take a moment to read it completely and note the closures on your calendar.

Beginning on Saturday, September 23, the following streets will be closed from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Southbound South Street/Guilford Avenue will be closed from Baltimore Street to Lombard Street.

Commerce Street will be closed between Baltimore and Lombard Streets.

Detour Routes

• Appropriate detours and signage will be implemented.

On Sunday, September 24, the following streets will be closed from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Commerce Street will be closed between Baltimore and Lombard Streets.

Detour Routes

• Appropriate detours and signage will be implemented.

On Wednesday, September 27 and Thursday, September 28, the following streets will be closed from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Calvert Street will be closed from Baltimore to Lexington Street.

Fayette Street will be closed from Guilford Avenue to St. Paul Street.

Detour Routes

• Motorists are urged to use alternate routes by traveling Charles Street, Gay Street and President Street.
• Variable Message Signs (VMS) advising motorists of alternate routes will be posted at strategic locations in advance of the closures.
• Motorists are urged to go north on Gay Street to west on Saratoga Street, south on St. Paul Street back to Fayette Street.

On Friday, September 29, the following streets will be closed from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

South Street will be closed between Baltimore and Lombard Streets.

Detour Routes

• Appropriate detours and signage will be implemented.

On Saturday, September 30, the following streets will be closed from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Holliday Street will be closed from Saratoga to Lexington Streets. Lexington Street will be closed from Guilford Avenue to Gay Street.

Detour Routes

• Appropriate detours and signage will be implemented.

On Saturday, September 30, the following streets will be closed from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Lexington Street from St. Paul Street to Guilford Avenue.

Saratoga Street from St. Paul Street to Guilford Avenue.

Calvert Street from Fayette Street to Pleasant Street.

Detour Routes

• Appropriate detours and signage will be implemented.

Special Traffic Enforcement Officers (STEO’s) will be strategically positioned at intersections, around the perimeters of the closures and along detour routes.

New 311 Category for Illegal Flyers

Save the Bay with your phone!

Now you can report illegal flyers left on private property via 311, Baltimore's one-call service for non-emergency issues. The City now investigates and issues citations to businesses that leave flyers in your front door railings, on your car, or anywhere else prohibited by City ordnance.

Please note that you can only report illegal flyers left on your own property or residence. Also, to assist the investigation, you must leave the flyer where it was originally placed until an officer arrives to gather evidence.

311 is also available online here.

The 10-digit direct number for 311 is (443) 263-2220.

Construction Work to Close I-95 Ramp at Keith Avenue

Construction work on the southbound Interstate 95 ramp to Keith Avenue (Exit 56) will temporarily close the ramp to traffic from 10 pm to 5 am beginning Sunday, September 17 and extending through Thursday, September 22.

Motorists can access Keith Avenue by taking Boston/O’Donnell Street (Exit 57) and turning onto Clinton Street. Motorists not exiting prior to Keith Avenue must travel through the Fort McHenry Tunnel and pay the toll. A detour will be posted beyond Exit 56 directing motorists through the Fort McHenry Tunnel to Key Highway (Exit 55), to northbound I-95.

The ramp closures are part of an ongoing project to repair 22 bridges along I-95 between the Fort McHenry Tunnel Toll Plaza and the I-95/I-895 merge. The Maryland Transportation Authority expects the entire bridge repair project to be completed in December. The ramp from northbound I-95 to Keith Avenue is already closed for ongoing construction as part of this project.

Weather delays could alter the schedule, so check back here regularly for updates. For additional information about the I-95 bridges project, including detailed detour maps for the Keith Avenue project, visit the Maryand Transportation Authority.

Friends of the Canton Library Book Sale!

The Friends of the Canton Library will be holding their fall book sale on Saturday September 30, 2006 from 10 am to 4 pm in the heart of historic, O'Donnell Square (O'Donnell & South Curley Streets). The rain location is the Canton Library (Ellwood Ave. & O'Donnell St.).

All proceeds benefit The Canton branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library.

We need your book donations, however, please, NO TEXTBOOKS NOR ENCYCLOPEDIAS. Suitable donations may be dropped off between Wednesday, September 13th and Thursday, September 28 at the Canton Library as well as the Chesapeake Wine Company.

For more info on the Friends of the Canton Library, please click here !

Reminder: 21224 Zoning Task Force Meetings

This week's Baltimore Guide features an article on the 21224 Zoning Task Force being spearheaded by Councilman Jim Kraft ("Meetings to address Southeast zoning and land use" by Mary Helen Sprecher). The Task Force was established to develop updated zoning, land use, and conservation district guidelines for the area bounded by:

Patterson Park to the north

Haven Street to the east

Fayette Street to the west

The waterfront to the south

Including Library Square and Fells Propsect

As the article in the Guide points out, "In the early 1970s, the last time a comprehensive zoning guideline was made for the area, much of the 21224 zipcode was dedicated to manufacturing and industrial use rather than the housing that is today’s principal use of the waterfront."

Residents are invited to attend two public meetings and comment on the 21224 Zoning Task Force recommendations:

Wednesday, September 13 at Hampstead Hill Academy (500 S. Linwood) from 7 pm - 8:30 pm.

Monday, September 18 at Salem Methodist Church (3403 Gough Street) from 7 pm - 8:30 pm.

Check out the CCA Calendar for complete information. You can find many documents related to the Task Force, including maps, timelines, and meeting notes, at Councilman Kraft's website. (Scroll down on the page and look for the yellow box.)