53 beers on tap

Who watches the watchdogs?

I think at least some people know that I used to be the President of the Howard County Citizens Association (HCCA); specifically, from 2000-2003.  My successor as President did OK for about a year, then, for reasons it's not necessary to mention here, the organization lay fallow for a couple years, until the current President, Bridget Mugane, resuscitated it about four years ago.

I give Bridget a ton of credit for bringing vitality and energy back to the organization.  I certainly didn't like the work I and others put into the organization to go for naught, and she has certainly ensured that such will not be the case.  However, I have to say that I have serious questions about what HCCA has become.

What HCCA had been, at least in the several years I had been active with it, was an organization that looked at broad issues within Howard County.  The most specific issue we looked at was the establishment of the Maple Lawn development-- hardly a piecemeal issue.  But HCCA board members-- several, in fact-- advised the county on the 2000 General Plan.  We were a sounding board for the development of the senior housing legislation that currently exists in Howard County.  We supported mixed use development in Howard County.  We advocated for the establishment of a Hearing Examiner, as well as a People's Counsel, in Howard County.  And we advocated in general for greater public input and transparency in local government.

HCCA does still look at some of these "big picture" land use issues-- involvement in the Turf Valley referendum effort and the downtown Columbia Master Plan makes sense-- but what doesn't make sense is some of the more piecemeal activities of the organization.  Such as involvement in the downtown Columbia tower.  Such as whether or not to allow a deceleration lane on Thunder Hill Rd. to facilitate the development of a Walgreen's at 175 and Thunder Hill.  Such as opposing Howard Community College's purchase of Belmont conference center.  While these issues are certainly pet projects (or pet peeves) of members of the HCCA board, are they really issues that require their input "to voice the needs and concerns of County residents"?  Does someone in Glenwood really care about Belmont?  Would North Laurel in any way be aggrieved if the deceleration lane on Thunder Hill Rd. is approved?  The answer to both questions is "highly doubtful"; however, the HCCA board would like to impose their  solutions on these very localized issues, under the aegis of being the voice of Howard County residents.  This is at its most charitable, an overstepping of mission.

Moreover, all too often I see HCCA's role in the public arena as not being one that offers solutions; however, but as one that offers plenty of criticism.  With the experience and savvy of the people on the HCCA board-- many of whom I like and consider allies-- this is unfortunate.  As anyone knows, it is easy to criticize.  It is much harder to think creatively and advocate viable alternatives.  I would submit that if HCCA is ever to reach its full potential, it needs to do more to develop and to advocate these viable solutions, and less attending public meetings and showing "great concern" on this or that topic.

An informed citizenry is the bedrock of democracy; HCCA and groups like it perform a valuable service in that regard.  However, there exists a fine line between advocacy and education, and presuming onto the populace that they know best for the community.  For HCCA to maintain credibility in the community at large, and withstand becoming marginalized as a shrill voice of negativity in the wilderness, it needs to develop a better understanding of where this line resides.

And then you SLIIIIDE to the right...

(song lyric post title in honor of Ian Kennedy, his lovely wife Lena, and their new baby!)

For all you trash and recycling mavens out there (and you know who you are!) be informed that starting Memorial Day, if your trash or recycling day falls on a holiday (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas) your day slides one day later.  So if your day is Tuesday, it goes to Wednesday; if Friday, Saturday.  Saturday service does not slide anywhere.

This is a cost-cutting measure; a smart one, one that probably should've been in place years ago. 

CA Board out of OM... and I mean O-U-T OUT!!

So it seems that some CA Board members, including the board member from Town Center (I guess there aren't enough things going on in Town Center, so she needs to involve herself in Oakland Mills) are concerned about the possible placement of a Walgreen's at the corner of MD 175 and Thunder Hill Rd.  Apparently the concern is based in the notion that the Walgreen's should be located at the village center, out of the interest of continuing the revitalization of Oakland Mills.

Well, thanks for the thoughts, guys and gals, but the Walgreen's at the Oakland Mills Village Center simply won't work, for two huge reasons:

1. There isn't enough available space in the village center to support it-- there would have to be new construction, which isn't possible without major reconfiguration of the property.  And I am going to guess that Cedar Properties(aka Slumlords to well-meaning villages everywhere) isn't going to absorb that costs.  Hell, Cedar won't pay the money for a sober security guard to walk up and down the village center once every six hours.

2. There simply is not enough traffic around the village center.  Walgreen's isn't following a "build it and they will come" model; they want it built so they can come.  Which is why this location is so ideal for them.

My understanding is that the proposed developer, Bavar Properties, has made some serious concessions already regarding the property.  For example, the Walgreen's will be stand-alone, without any other businesses (including those like a pizza place or dry cleaner, which would compete with the village center) co-located with it.  There are some valid reasons to be concerned with the development, but the concerns expressed by the CA Board isn't one of them.

It's also known to me that CA has stopped funding the community organizer position for Oakland Mills.  (Apparently the staff are saving up for their next trip to the subcontinent.)  Seriously, this is OK, but members of the CA board, if you want to do something to help Oakland Mills, I have several suggestions:

1. Work to facilitate the Walgreen's coming to the MD 175/ Thunder Hill intersection, rather than taking sides one way or the other;

2. Fund comprehensive re-lighting and improved signage at and around the village center, as has been proposed for several years now (dating back to the time some irreverent fool was village board chair)

3. Fund improvements to the Columbia ice rink so we stop losing business to Laurel and Piney Orchard;

4. Help find us a new tenant for the former Exxon/Metroventures lot;

5. Come to the village center!  Go to the best Thai restaurant in the metroplex, do happy hour at Second Chance, shop the farmer's market, offer the security guard a cup of coffee and some B vitamins;

6. Please stop telling OM, or any village, what's best for it.  Your track record of doing so, honestly, isn't that spiffy.

A Sunday array of topics

Hi,

Lots of things flittering through my brain today-- feel like one of the Larry King columns in USA Today.

Happy Mother's Day to one and all!  I just found out that one of my dearest friends is going to be a mom herself, for the first time-- like next week.  I'm cursing myself a bit that I haven't been a better friend to her.

I didn't get a Howard County section to the Sun this week.  Then again, I didn't get the Sunday TV/comics section either.  Just one of those things that happens every once in awhile or the shape of things to come!

So, Phil Nelson has been CA President for 10 days now-- and amazingly, no one has called for his resignation! 

I used to be President of the Howard County Citizens Association-- we used to be in favor of mixed use zoning, senior housing, we opposed the solid waste overlay-- we were visionary and had concrete ideas and suggestions as to how to make Howard County a better place to live.  And we were in favor of more citizen involvement and input.  What happened to this organization?  Their President is a bright person, but several of their new board members turned their brains off at least five years ago.  They're great complainers, but not so great problem solvers or offerors of solutions.  Quite disappointing.

Going to go see "Star Trek" today with the family-- been waiting for this one for almost two years.

We were at Iron Bridge Wine Company yesterday for one of their periodic wine sales/tastings-- I care about and appreciate animals as much as anyone, but the ire of certain animal-rights activists is curiously misplaced here.  When making a political statement is seen as a justification for a crime, I start to have a problem with the behavior, no matter how just the cause.  Their peaceful protest there on May 1-- I have no problem with that.  Although I'm wondering when they'll be protesting my neighborhood Giant, Safeway, Food Lion, etc.

I am thankful for two sunny days in a row-- especially with those days coming on a weekend!  I know the rain was needed-- had enough of it though.

Once again, the summer concert schedule at Merriwether Post Pavilion looks, actually, pretty good.  I am starting to think that we should not be waiting for the overall downtown plan to be decided upon before doing whatever we're going to do with Merriwether.  It is in itself an attraction, a valuable community resource, and shouldn't be at the mercy of some 30-year plan for renovation.

So the Pope said yesterday that "the role of women has not always been esteemed"--- really???

For those of you sent here by the Sun

Hey everyone!  Great article in the Baltimore Sun about Howard County blogs here.  In the profile block this blog is mentioned-- I feel honored to have been selected among so many fantastic local blogs for mention.

Now,for those of you who have read the article, and who are searching through the profiled blogs, welcome to 53 beers on tap!  Here's what this is about:

This blog is not about vanity.  It's not about what I had for breakfast, my favorite songs, how people with 18 items in the express lane tick me off, or about why Pepsi changed its logo.  It's not about complaining into the wind.  It's not about me.

(Oh, and I do have to giggle a bit that the Sun listed me as "anonymous".  I'm not that bloody anonymous in reality, at least not to people who've been around Howard County and Maryland for the last 20 years.  But, I digress-- and here I said this wasn't about vanity!)

No, what this blog is about is about the community.  And the state thereof.  How it is, how it can be better, and what the steps are to get it from point A to point B.  You won't find blind obedience to an ideology; you will find pragmatic discussion, analysis, and recommendations.

So then why the "irreverent" tag?  Because I'm plenty tired of the complainers about the state of affairs in our community, who won't lift a pinky to think about, much less suggest, much less work for, positive change in our community.  These complainers know no age, gender, ethnic, or status bounds.  You know the old saying about "opinions are like a-------, everybody has one."?  Such is the case in our community, and our existence as a highly-educated, technosavvy population has lent itself, in my view, to maybe there being more community critics than frankly is needed.

So think of this blog as a filter.  A filter of the nonsense, whittling down the key issues facing our community, boiling things down to the essential.  Blocking out the noise and getting to what's important.

I welcome you to my humble corner of cyberspace.  Please go back and read my prior posts, leave comments, have your voice heard!  I look forward to your joining the debate!  Just come strong and bring your best!