2022 in Review and What We Hope to See in 2023
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2022 brought new leadership, new members, and new committees. Combined this brings Canton added resources and a fresh approach to helping our neighbors and local businesses. Our members appreciate the positive results they see in our community, but they rarely get a glimpse of the hard work, dedication, and intense level of volunteerism behind the scenes. This story features a letter from our new President who shares her experience as well as a list of 2022 accomplishments and 2023 goals from our volunteer board members and committee chairs.
Dear Neighbors,
It's been almost a full year serving as the Canton Community Association President and I am proud to report that all is well! Every year we strive to complete the goals we set for ourselves to help improve our community. It is not always easy and there are times when we fall short of what we want to accomplish, but at the end of the day, we make progress, and I am proud of our hard-working volunteers.
Some highlights for me this year were teaming with new Business Members to help get a CCA presence at events, hosting a live-streamed Baltimore City State's Attorney forum (have I mentioned how I hate public speaking?), and I unexpectedly did my first ribbon cutting at the grand opening of the newly renovated Dypski Park!
Another accomplishment was producing hybrid public meetings. We worked with limited resources for meetings to be held in person (at an appropriate social distance), as well as live-streamed. This allowed neighbors to engage at their own comfort levels and provided the CCA the opportunity to share information with more members of our community.
I also worked with a couple in our neighborhood, along with our Art/Marketing volunteer and a local artist to apply for a grant to bring a public mural to a home in our neighborhood. We ultimately did not win this grant, but I am proud of the team’s efforts and found the process a positive learning experience. We can now build upon this knowledge to submit and hopefully win grant funding for a mural in 2023.
Lastly, I cannot tell you how excited I was to see the new crosswalks and "Stop for Pedestrian" signs installed at O'Donnell Square Park. Our team worked with the Baltimore City of Transportation (DOT) for almost 2 years to make this happen!
There is no win too big or too small here at the CCA… as long as we keep moving forward, we are doing our job.
I’d love to have you join us. Just email info @CantonCommunity.org to sign up for one of our committees. Thanks for #GettingNeighborly!
All the best,
Amanda Bourgeois
CCA President
Vic Victoriano, Vice President
2022 Accomplishments
- Active with Canton Anti-Racism Alliance
- Volunteered at O'Donnell Square Park cleanups
- Liaise communications with Hampstead Hill Academy
2023 Goals
- Increase my involvement in CCA activities to engage more community members
- Continue to work with Anti-Racism Alliance to make our community a more welcoming place for all people
- Continue to work as liaison between CCA and Hampstead Hill Academy (as HHA President)
Joe Koehler, Treasurer
2022 Accomplishments
- Reconciled 2022 P&L activity
- Created reports to track (treasurer, bank detail, membership, expense) to track relevant data and improve processes
- Assisted outside CPA with tax information/filing
2023 Goals
- Continue duties as Treasurer
- Report financial status at monthly board meetings
- Volunteer at CCA/community events, cleanups, etc.
Denise Aversa, Secretary
2022 Accomplishments
- Attended all CCA Board and Public meetings as well as some committee meetings - EDC, SE Task Force Meetings
- Continue to record and send out meeting minutes in a timely manner
- Monitored CCA voicemails and directed them to officers and Board members as appropriate
- Served as Block Captain sharing information with my neighbors
- Wrote and distributed CCA Holiday Cards
- Volunteered at CCA community events including the Canton Day of Giving and Dumpster Days
2023 Goals
- Serve as secretary to attend and record CCA Board and Public meetings
- Encourage more neighbors to join the CCA
- Continue to keep my neighbors informed and involved especially in our yearly block party
- Help to keep my street clean so we can continue having one of the best blocks in Canton
Doug Kaufman, Economic Development
2022 Accomplishments
- Liaised and tracked communications between our community, builders, and government
- Led monthly EDC meetings
- Negotiated an MOU for Lee's Pint & Shell and neighbors for outdoor events
2023 Goals
- Continue to liaise and track communications between our community, builders, and government
- Work with Transportation Committee to continue to learn and be thoughtful on development as it relates to transportation issues
Chris Broughton, Transportation
2022 Accomplishments
- Worked with Councilmember Zeke Cohen's office to implement O’Donnell Street/Baylis 4-way stop
- Worked with Councilman Zeke Cohen's office and DOT to improve intersection safety @ Dillon/Highland
- Continued work towards finalization of Greenway Trail Network
- Continued push for complete streets (building roadways for all users, not just automobiles)
- Worked with transit engineers to build out city cycle network and connect to existing infrastructure
2023 Goals
- Focus on other problem intersections within Canton to improve safety and improve traffic calming
- Partner with the other waterfront community associations to focus on improving water taxi service and push for it to become commuter-focused
- Work with affected communities and transit engineers to build and improve the city’s cycle network
Zach Spedden and Julie Kichline, Marketing/Newsletter
2022 Accomplishments
- Increased membership and reach via giveaways and promotions with WTMD, 5 Guys, Bloom Box, and Canton Ace Hardware
- Informed and engaged the community via monthly newsletter and social media platforms
- Produced CCA popups to increase community awareness and membership
- Worked with Canton Anti-Racism Alliance to promote Dr. Stanley Andrisse event and to foster a more inclusive neighborhood
- Helped plan and execute hybrid CCA board and public meetings
- Promoted happenings related to our community like the reopening of Dypski Park, Canton History Project
- Worked with CCA committees to share more information about Block Captains, Get Lit, and other programs on the CCA website and with our neighbors
- Placed new infographics and signage at Canton Dog Park for outreach and fundraising, helped build the FCDP Committee, and relaunched the FB page
- Partnered on efforts to begin a Mural Program in Canton
- Hosted a community event to launch the new Composting Initiative and formed a CCA Sustainability Committee
2023 Goals
- Plan Friends of Canton Dog Park Fundraiser
- Expand the CCA’s technology resources in part to improve hybrid meeting options
- Find new solutions for selling CCA merchandise at in-person events; expand merch offerings
- Engage the community and support Canton businesses/organizations with informative content via Life in Canton, social media platforms, and other non-digital communication methods
- Explore new methods to recruit volunteers for CCA committees and special events
- Seek new ways to promote area nonprofits, volunteer opportunities, and CCA business members
Adrienne Ekas, Board Member, Education Chair
2022 Accomplishments
- Worked with school representatives to compile regular updates for Life In Canton, the CCA e-newsletter
- Added 2 new CCA members to the Education Committee
- Sent poll to school representatives to determine possible dates for a Community Education Fair
- Worked with CCA Marketing Committee to plan how to support and share information about our community schools
2023 Goals
- Continue to spotlight Open Houses and ongoing information about school programs, events, fundraisers, etc. in the newsletter
- Produce Community Education Fair
- Recruit more members for the Education Committee
Maura Taylor, Board Member (photo)
2022 Accomplishments:
- Organized four successful community dumpster days which included diverting several truckloads of scrap metal from the dump to be recycled
- Participated in the process of reviewing the CCA bylaws
- Volunteered at various CCA events
2023 Goals
- Execute successful community dumpster days with the goal of more diversion from the dump
- Assist with public meeting planning
- Assist with the reinvigoration of the CCA Public Safety Committee
Joe Montayne, Board Member
2022 Accomplishments
- Worked on editing and updating CCA Bylaws and other policy documents
- Started business list and map of Canton businesses
- Participated in EDC meetings and attended community meetings on updated master plan
- Reached out to the City planning department and local universities to discuss how to draft a local master plan for Canton
- Worked to install stop sign on O’Donnell and Baylis
2023 Goals
- Continue working on finalizing changes to Bylaws
- Continue working on local master plan for Canton
- Work to get speed cameras and stop light cameras installed in Canton to slow traffic and improve safety
Torbin Green, Outreach/Friends O’Donnell Square Park/Rec & Parks Liaison
2022 Accomplishments
- Organized and participated in community cleanups and plantings at O'Donnell Square Park (ODSP)
- Hung string lights, and added sturdy tables in ODSP
- Maintained the cleanliness and tidiness of O'Donnell Square Park
- Ushered in a new collaboration with Dypski Park and Baltimore City Rec and Parks
- Continued to work with O'Donnell Square Park Redesign Team to provide more multi-purpose use for the community
- Helped partner with local businesses to provide professional landscaping and maintenance
- Mentored and trained a new steward of the park for sustainability
Michael Woollen, Board Member, Canton Canopy
2022 Accomplishments
- Planted 75 trees in Canton
- Recruited new volunteers
2023 Goals
- Host 4 planting events for a total of 100 new trees added or replaced in the neighborhood
- Host 4 pruning events
Sheila Anderson, Board Member, Canton Anti-Racism Alliance
2023 Goals
- Speak with CCA Committee Chairs, the CCA Board, and CCA members to identify ways that the CCA can meaningfully engage Canton's senior (65+) population
- Collaborate with CCA's Membership Committee to develop ad hoc outreach initiatives designed to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in CCA membership and Board participation
Canton Anti-Racism Alliance
2022 Accomplishments
- The Canton Anti-Racism Alliance gathered like-minded community volunteers dedicated to affecting long-term, impactful changes to foster a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and welcoming community
- Co-hosted A Conversation with Dr. Stanley Andrisse, author of From Prison Cells to PhD.
- Co-hosted Voices of a Black Butterfly film screening at Church on the Square (COTS) with Baltimore National Heritage Area (BNHA)
- Researched and revised the Canton History timeline (led by John Preston Ford) to reflect the role of Indigenous people and people of African descent more accurately in the story of our neighborhood's development
- Began efforts to review the process of how to rename O’Donnell Square Park, removing the name of an enslaver*
- Formed an ad hoc subcommittee to create guidelines for addressing racially motivated actions in our community*
2023 Goals
- Facilitate more “Conversations With” to provide expert-led educational virtual forums
- Spotlight legislature that supports anti-racism, equity, and equality
- Frame the proposed process for renaming O’Donnell Square Park and make it accessible to Canton residents
- Continue outreach to engage new members and the community
- Complete incident response guidelines and submit to the CCA
- Compile a community resource list
- Engage our youth and students who are interested in assisting with a possible Juneteenth event
*More information about the Canton Anti-Racism Alliance will be provided in the February 2023 issue of Life in Canton
Dr. Raymond Bahr, Founder/Historian Canton History Project
2022 Accomplishments:
- Completed installation of two History Panels depicting the Maps of the Canton Company and how the Canton Company started back in 1828. (Located at the "Collective at Canton". See map for details.)
- Added a new Canton Historic Marker of Frederick Douglass on the Baltimore Greenway Trail near the Collective at Canton.
- Received the Living History Honors from the Baltimore City Historical Society for the Canton History Project
- Began process to have the Railroad Transfer Bridge at Canton Waterfront Park designated as a Baltimore Historic Landmark
2023 Goals:
- Form a committee to plan the 200th Anniversary (in 2028) of the Canton Company, which was considered the earliest, most successful Industrial Park Development in America's History
- Work with CHAP to make the Railroad Transfer Bridge a National Historic Landmark that represents the Industrial Revolution that took place in Canton (1828-1980s)
- Work with the Baltimore Greenway Trails Network to develop the Canton section as the Frederick Douglass Freedom Trail that headed north through the Collective at Canton
- Work with an inclusive committee led by the Canton Anti-Racism Alliance for a possible Juneteenth event
Lauren Mallon Davino, O’Donnell Square Park Buy-A-Brick Program
2022 Accomplishments
- Sold 368 bricks over the past 3 years to fundraise for the upkeep of O’Donnell Square Park
- Streamlined the ordering process for the brick program
- Identified new brick locations in the park since the areas around the flower beds were full and no longer have available openings for commemorative bricks
- Employed a landscaping company to properly grade & install bricks under the information board in the square
2023 Goals
- Transition the role to new volunteers, Ted Hart and Kristen Mills
- Identify new additional potential commemorative and fundraising opportunities inside ODSP and throughout the neighborhood
Membership / Social
2022 Accomplishments (Dorothy Allen and Megan Worman)
- Distributed welcome packages to new members
- Represented the CCA at multiple community Popup events
2023 Goals (Deborah Manarin)
- Engage with the community and increase membership, equity and inclusion
- Represent the CCA at community events
- Brainstorm new events to support local businesses and engage neighbors
Public Safety
2022 Accomplishments
- Increased Block Captains and Get Lit Canton coverage
- Continued communication with Baltimore Police Department (SE Division)
Goals 2023
- Recruit a new Safety Committee Chair
- Increase awareness of and participation in the Block Captain and Get Lit projects; continue meetings and walks
- Work with surrounding communities and police to have a COP Bike Ride inform neighbors to strengthen intra-community relationships
- Work with the Southeastern Police Community Relations Council (SEDP-CRC)
- Restart the Community Walks
- Create a new FB Group for Block Captains and initiate quarterly Block Captain meetings