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April 2006
We finally made it through the winter, and spring is upon us. Our past meeting was extremely productive, covering the budget, streetscape and Peter Beilensen and Emily Ellickson-Brown from the office of the Mayor. Emily gave us new information we can all utilize; don't be afraid to contact her with any issues you may have. She can be reached at 443-984-1083. We reached a good compromise on the budget from all the committees involved and I am looking forward to a great year. I was also very happy to see the excitement surrounding our door prize at last month's meeting. I have asked each of our committees to review our website (www.butchershill.org), and the chairs will meet to discuss updates and enhancements to our site. If there are enhancements or any information you would like to see added, please let me know. I'm glad to see the Chapel NDP demolition is almost complete. We look forward to seeing the new construction which will include apartments, townhouses, and retail space, which should greatly improve our border to the north and west. This month Mary Pat Ness from Fieldstone Nursery will talk about plants for decks, shade gardens and city gardens, so there should be good advice for everyone. --Richard Hackett. SPRING INSPIRES GARDENS, GARDENERS, AND TOURS! Some are amazed to think that we have gardens in our urban neighborhood--but we do, and they are virtual oases. We are seeking gardens to be included on the June 25th Garden Tour, where we will also have local artists offering and displaying their work. If you are planning a garden, or have a neighbor who has a lovely garden, nothing is more inspirational and motivational than having it on the Tour. Those who attend this Tour are kindred spirits and will make all your efforts worthwhile, as well as benefit the community. To volunteer or suggest a garden, or to volunteer as a garden-sitter for the day of the tour, call 410-327-1553 (email). If you are an artist, or know an artist who might like to participate, contact our committee artist, Martha (email). Contact us today, since selection of gardens and artists must be made by the end of April. If you're handy with the computer, we're looking to train someone to put together the two tour booklets we use each year at the Garden Tour in the Spring and the House Tour in the Fall. Call Sue: 410-522-6773. The BUTCHERS HILL BOOK CLUB has 11 members at present and will meet monthly at a different home. The host/hostess will suggest a list of books to discuss for reading the coming month, and the group will then choose one, or in the case of this month, we chose two, as each book was rather short. (They are: The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom, and In Cold Blood by Truman Capote). At the next meeting the member who hosted last and therefore suggested the list, will lead the discussion of the book and the present host/hostess will suggest the new monthly list. There will be finger food, wine and other beverages of choice served while we enjoy the discussion (very informal). Come join us for the April meeting; see the listing on page 2 for details. --Anne Puckett. The City's 7th Annual SUPER SPRING SWEEP THING is Saturday, April 22nd. Butchers Hill will be taking part, beginning with a clean-up of the Commodore John Rodgers (School 27) schoolyard starting at 9 AM. Volunteers, please meet at Chester and Fairmount and bring your brooms and gloves. The City will provide garbage bags, and the BHA will have some light refreshments. Block reps are also needed to organize clean-ups of our neighborhood streets. Current block reps or interested volunteers are encouraged to contact Carolyn Boitnott, 410-522-4991. Reps can pick up their block's cleaning supplies at Chester and Fairmount beginning at 9 AM. After the clean-up, we'll wash up and meet at Simon's for an informal get-together. In addition to sweeping sidewalks and curbs, let's make this an old-fashioned SPRING SPARKLE DAY, where neighbors meet and greet while washing windows, planting flowers, trimming bushes; it's a great time to meet a new neighbor or just say hello after the winter's hibernation. -NO TRASH PICK-UP GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 14th- BHA COMMITTEES AND MONTHLY MEETINGS
Baltimore Green Week, April 22nd to 28th-go to www.baltimoregreenweek.org for events, or call 410-225-0330. APRIL BUTCHERS HILL GENERAL MEETING Wednesday, April 5th. Coffee & cookies, 6:45 p.m. Meeting 7:00 p.m. St. Andrew's Church hall, corner of Chester & Lombard Streets (entrance on Lombard). Contact Richard Hackett AGENDA: Mary Pat Ness from Fieldstone Nursery will talk about plants for decks, shade gardens and city gardens. -THE 1970'S IN BUTCHERS HILL- Many of the buildings in the area-particularly the larger houses along Pratt, Baltimore, Broadway in the neighborhoods that are now named Washington Hill and Butchers Hill-had been divided into multifamily residences, and many were in poor condition. People were organizing to address a range of concerns, including stopping the interstate highway in Fells Point. In Southeast, a youth council, a zoning coalition, a library coalition and an ecology task force were among these groups. Groups were beginning to address housing needs, SECO [Southeast Community Organization] formed in 1970, and NHS [Neighborhood Housing Services] in 1974. The housing that stood where the Chapel apartments are now being demolished was torn down for urban renewal, and the Chapel NDP was built. "Mr. Paul" owned many houses in the area, including ten in the 2000 block of Baltimore Street. Welton Hunt, who still lives in the block, rented a furnished apartment from him in the late 70's for $100 a month. Welton, a Lumbee Indian, grew up in North Carolina; his family were sharecroppers. In 1976, when he came to visit a friend, he found Baltimore friendly and job prospects good, and so he stayed. Soon after getting settled here, Welton learned that "Mr. Paul" had already begun selling his buildings in the 2100 and 2200 blocks of Baltimore Street, and was going to be selling those in the 2000 block. A land bank had been formed for redevelopment of properties in our neighborhood, and there was danger that all of Mr. Paul's tenants in the 2000 block would be without housing. The Sisters of Notre Dame were working in the area to assist families being displaced by redevelopment. The Julie Center formed to assist the families; they pressured the city and other organizations, and this effort gave birth to a new group, Concerned Citizens of Butchers Hill (CCBH). CCBH purchased the ten buildings and brought them up to code. Welton became the first resident property manager for the thirty apartments. He remembers fondly many of the families who lived on Baltimore Street, a mix of Indian, black and white. This was very different from his early days in North Carolina, where people were segregated into three groups-Indians, blacks and whites. Over time, CCBH was not able to maintain the buildings financially, and they were sold to Neighborhood Rental Service (NRS) in 1996. NRS secured the funding to completely rehab the buildings, while maintaining the housing for some of the existing tenants. Welton has always enjoyed helping people, and currently is active in his church, assisting with their food pantry and other services for struggling families. You can see him daily, with his dog, Molly, making friends in Patterson Park. --Carolyn Boitnott. Next month: How Butchers Hill got its name. A REMINDER TO ALL: The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Easter this year on Sunday, April 23rd. This means that St. Andrew's Church (Russian Orthodox in America), corner of Chester and Lombard Streets, will celebrate Midnight Mass on Saturday, April 22nd. At midnight, the church bells will ring for about 15 minutes to mark the Resurrection of Christ. Residents may be startled by the church bells at midnight, so please be prepared. Johns Hopkins affiliates, please let us know of your status so that the BHA and the Crime committee can lobby for improvements on your behalf. Please email Remington Nevin with your name, address, and affiliation status so that we can add you to our census of local affiliates.
HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE DROP-OFF (paints, solvents, motor oil, batteries, etc.): COMMUNITY DUMPSTER, Thursday, April 20th, unit block of S. Chester Street. For neighborhood residents only. No building materials, refrigerators, water heaters, washers, dryers, stoves, batteries, wet paint, automotive parts (including tires and rims), or hazardous materials. The dumpster arrives around 10 AM and leaves around 2 PM. Please fill from the back. The next dumpster is TENTATIVELY scheduled for Thursday, May 25, 100 block N. Collington. -NO TRASH PICK-UP GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 14th- COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD
THE ART WALL
ERICA HOLCOMB
Erica Holcomb, a Butchers Hill resident since 2000, has had a lifelong interest in photography. Early inspiration came from a freelance photographer in the family. Her father and grandfather also share an interest in taking photos. A photography course in college furthered her skill and involvement. Until recently she has shared her photography with only friends and family. This is the second showing of her work to the public; her inaugural showing was at the 2005 Butchers Hill Garden Tour. Family Night at Simon's is the third Tuesday, April 18 starting at 5. Special kids menu & movies. EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORT:
Volunteer Teams in PATTERSON PARK: Join in the fun - email Lesley or call: 410-276-3676. Workdays:
Coming on Saturday, April 8th: Bread and Puppet's National Circus,
"Of the Moment" in Patterson Park on Pagoda Hill, 5:30 PM, FREE! Old Butchers Hill Papers Wanted. Butchers Hill has been an organized neighborhood for over 25 years. Carolyn Boitnott and Sandy Sales have lost their minds and agreed to gather everyone's saved materials, organize them, and prepare the materials to be archived. If you have boxes of old Butchers Hill history, etc. and wish to add them to the collection, please contact Sandy (410-558-0149) or Carolyn (410-522-4991). School 27 will be letting us use a vacant classroom for the effort over the next 6 weeks. We will start on Monday April 10. Please contact us so we can get your boxes or have you deliver them to the school. We could use a few volunteers if you are free during the day and could help. We are also interested in collecting photographs of the neighborhood going back to its earliest years; these would be great going back before it was called Butchers Hill. A sale of fine art to benefit the Patterson Park Public Charter School March 31-April 2 at 27 N. Lakewood Avenue. Free gala opening, Friday March 31, 5 to 8. Music by The Paul Snyder Trio. A unique chance to buy fine art from more than 20 Baltimore artists and a great way to support the Patterson Park Public Charter School. 40% of all proceeds benefits the school. Sale continues April 1st and 2nd from noon to 4. How Urban Sprawl and Concentrated Poverty Interact and Impact Our Region's Growth Patterns, Social Equity, and Quality of Life: a talk by David Rusk, internationally-known authority on urban and suburban policy. Thursday, April 6, 7:00 PM, Grace Methodist Church, 5407 Charles Street. Space limited: Please RSVP by April 1st: 410-377-8046. Sponsored by the Baltimore City and County League of Women Voter's Housing Committee. East Baltimore Development Inc. will be hosting a Community Meeting to obtain community input into the planning for the future phases of the East Baltimore redevelopment effort. This open session will be held on Wednesday, April 5th, from 5:30 - 8:00 PM at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church Lyceum (2100 E. Madison Street). Topics for discussion will include: Mixed-income housing, Education and community center, Retail and small businesses, Parks and community open space, Historic properties, Transit potential and related development. The session will be jointly facilitated by Ralph Moore, director of the St. Frances Academy Community Center; staff from Sasaki Associates, the master planning firm; and other staff from the planning team. EBDI staff will also be present to listen to the community's ideas, needs, concerns and aspirations for the future of East Baltimore. We hope as many community residents as possible will attend this event and help us to develop an overall plan and compelling vision for the remaining EBDI redevelopment area. We will have three other similar meetings later in 2006 with the goal of creating a final master plan by this fall.
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BHA PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
