PHOTOS: NeighborSpace Celebrates in Perry Hall
The Baltimore County non-profit land trust held a Summer Solstice Celebration.
Photos
Special thanks to Barbara L. Hopkins, Executive Director of NeighborSpace of Baltimore County, who released the following statement and above photos from the group's Summer Solstice Celebration in Perry Hall, held on June 20.
NeighborSpace of Baltimore County, a non-profit land trust, held a Summer Solstice Celebration on Wednesday, June 20 at the home of Frank and Kathy Martin in Perry Hall. The purpose of the event was to celebrate the organization’s progress over the last year in planning, acquiring, improving and stewarding land for public open space within the County.
The organization installed new officers, with Marsha McLaughlin, a landscape architect who is the Director of Planning and Zoning for Howard County, and a resident of Lutherville, taking over as President.
Ms. McLaughlin highlighted several achievements, including the organization’s work with Councilmen Marks and Quirk on the Neighborhood Commons legislation passed by the Council this year. This legislation will make the task of identifying open space within the County’s
Urban Rural Demarcation Line, and acquiring complimentary land, much easier. She also commented on the National Park Service having elected to help NeighborSpace develop a strategic conservation plan, with an eye toward creating a model that can be used nationwide in inner suburban areas like the part of Baltimore County that lies within the URDL.
Ms. McLaughlin thanked Senator Klausmeier, who was in attendance, for her support of a State bond bill request advanced by County Executive Kamenetz, which will help with the improvement of existing parcels and the acquisition of new land. She also thanked the organization’s stewardship partners for their assistance in maintaining and improving land for public open space. Among those partners, Linda Holland, a member of the Greenbrier Garden Club in Towson, spoke briefly, noting that the NeighborSpace site in her neighborhood was treasured by those who live there and would not have come to pass without NeighborSpace having successfully approached Black and Decker about the donation of a conservation easement for the group’s memorial garden.
Councilmen Marks and Quirk were also present and offered brief remarks, with Councilman Marks underscoring bipartisan efforts targeting sustainability, including conservation of land for public open space and renewed efforts to both plan and implement bike and pedestrian thoroughfares, and Councilman Quirk urging that “smart growth is not smart if it isn’t balanced with the protection of open space.”
Funds raised at the event will support stewardship costs, such as monitoring and insurance, which average $1300 per property annually, and costs related to the organization’s planning effort with the National Park Service.
Would you support more public open space in Baltimore County? How does it impact neighborhoods? Tell us in the comments.
Steve Redmer
3:05 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
Wow...NeighborSpace, What a great idea...the community coming together to raise funds to purchase open spaces...sounds a whole lot like what I was arguing for on this post:
http://perryhall.patch.com/articles/balancing-private-profit-against-the-public-good#comments
Funny how when I brought this up I was criticized by a certain Councilman and his supporters saying that I live in a "Fantasyland" and had "Unsustainable Views"...They wanted instead to de-zone private property without the land owners consent.....wait that same Councilman was in attendance...gosh I'm so confused...
Either way...I LOVE the idea behind this organization, individuals getting together, working hard, and raising funds to preserve remaining open spaces for the betterment of our communities...BRAVO!!
Evets
3:33 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
I agree. Mr. Redmer. And notice that the celebration was held on private property...
Dorothy S
8:00 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
Mr. Redmer likes running his mouth and attacking the same Councilman who, year after year, loyally supported his uncle in political race after political race. And I'm really not a fan of the uncle...when he was president of the Perry Hal Community Association we were overbuilt beyond belief. But that's right, Mr. Redmer...let's trust the developers and the private property owners to do what's right. Yes, Fantasyland.
Steve Redmer
9:01 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
YAY...yet another attack...Thank you relatively anonymous poster named "Dorothy S", I've been waiting all day for someone to play with...
What you like to call "Running my mouth" and Attacking a Councilman, is simply nothing more than voice an opposing postition...Why is everyone here so intolerant of opposing thought? I may seem to take a more aggressive tone, but that was mostly because Mr Marks chose to mislead my argument and used popular politcal tactics such as the classic "Red Herring" then attacking my views as "extreme" etc
Truth be told, I like David Marks...I voted for Mr Marks, I think David Marks has spent a lifetime doing good things for this Community...Hell, I think I even handed out campaign literature for him...
but that doesn't mean that I will stand by and keep quiet when I see him making policy that tramples upon individuals rights...
Yes Mr. Marks DID loyally support my uncle, I would say it's probably safe to say my uncle was a big influence on Mr Marks... and it's probably safe to say that my uncle has supported David greatly in his climb to councilman...that is all irrelevant though...
Steve Redmer
9:14 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
that being said...I don't really care for your attacks on my uncle, I think it is childish... I am not my uncle, I do not represent my uncle and this article has nothing to do with my uncle... But to blame Al Redmer for the development that occured while he was PHIA President is a little foolish...EVERY PHIA President has probably presided over a large amount of development...Considering the Perry Hall Area was designated as a "Growth Area" by the county, I doubt there was much ANY PHIA President could do... In Fact, I'm sure there was a WHOLE LOT of development during Mr Marks' tenure with the PHIA, so your attacks on my uncle are unfounded.
Steve Redmer
9:21 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
as for developers and property owners, I don't trust them anymore than you do...but that's not the point... Property owners HAVE rights...PERIOD, I don't want to lose open space anymore than you do...but as a member of the Perry Hall Community, I RESPECT the rights of the individuals in it...I know that what I wish for someone else's land doesn't matter, CAUSE IT'S NOT MY LAND.
I also don't blame the Developers, They do what they can to make money and if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be living here, cause at some point a developer built my house. I'm not here arguing for greed and development, I have no horse in this race.the only land I own is the .06 acres that my townhouse sits on... Maybe I'll have to get a sign for my front lawn...it will read "Fantasyland"...
but no Ms Dorothy, I live in the real world, where we all have rights...maybe you can come and visit sometime...It's a place where an individual can enjoy their property without their neighbors trying to take it from them....It's a place where an individual can own a piece of land and hold onto it as an asset, and they don't have to worry about their community banding together and using government force to take it's value away, for THEIR OWN benefit...and maybe if by some stroke of bad luck they hit tough times, they would be able to sell that property to fund retirement or medical expense, and that land will still have value because their neighbors didn't steal it from them for the "Common Good"
Spring Heeled Jack
8:00 am on Sunday, June 24, 2012
Steve is attention starved. Best to just ignore him. Silver spoon fed.
Steve Redmer
3:15 pm on Sunday, June 24, 2012
Once again "Neither (D) or (R)" neither knows anything about what he's talking about nor does he bring anything constructive to the debate...Just a weak attempt at humor and/or insult behind the veil of anonymity...
as usual your ignorance shines brightly..."Silver spoon fed"..lol, I was 1 of 3 children raised by a single mother with a pretty darn low income...she busted her ass to provide the necessities, no silver spoon in my mouth...very little in the way of material things, but she made up for it with love and affection...trust me when I tell you, I am not, nor have I ever been, starved for attention
Steve is starved though, starved for a good intellectual debate...so yes Ronn, you are right about one thing for once, it is best just to ignore me.... unless you intend to actually bring something useful to the debate...
Mike
3:07 pm on Monday, June 25, 2012
Steve, just ignore all the individuals that don’t understand “individual rights”. Apparently they will never understand liberty.