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NOVEMBER 2000 The first item on the agenda this month is the presentation of the slate of officers to be voted upon at the January meeting. I'll ask each candidate to say a few words about themselves, what they perceive to be the most immediate needs of Butchers Hill, and any special areas they might want to devote their time to. This is a great opportunity to put the proverbial "bug in their ear" for projects that you think can best benefit the neighborhood, including how to attract a more diverse membership.Think Snow! It might still be too early to worry about snow shovels and ice scrapers, but now is as good as time as any to worry about what the City is going to do this Winter in the event of a major snow. If you think back to last year, you will remember a real mess. The City told us to move our cars or be ticketed and towed. They also told us that the snow would be not just plowed, but actually removed from our streets. None of that happened, and we had parking problems well after most of the neighborhoods were cleared. Because of that, I have invited Bob Marsili from Public Works to speak to us. Bob is in charge of snow removal for Baltimore City. He will tell us what the City can and can't do, and how Butchers Hill can partner with the City to make things easier for all concerned. Every year I say I don't see how the House Tour can get any better, and every year it does. This year, from all reports, Sue and Rick & company did it again. Thanks to them and to the many wonderful neighbors who helped. Remember: This month's meeting will be held at the East Baltimore Church of God at the SW corner of Baltimore and Chester Streets. See you there!
THE HOUSE TOUR-ANOTHER SUCCESS!The heavens gave us a perfect backdrop to showcase our neighborhood and, once again, the annual Butchers Hill House Tour was outstanding. Thanks to all: those who "detrashed" the streets (starring Noel Brown); worked ticket sales-Carol Richman and Butch Mount (organizing at the Fells Point Fun Festival) and Sandy Sales, our fantastic ticket handler the day of the tour; our 12 householders who opened their homes that day, and the many volunteer house sitters. Thanks also to our great poster and booklet team: April Force Pardoe and Mike McGrail (layout, design, printing), Martha Simons (photo illustrations), Heather Smith (homeowner interviews); our plant lady Madelaine Fletcher; House Tour committee members Margaret Guccione and Barbara Gilmour, and above all Rick Gilmour, who did a little bit of everything and most of the marketing and publicity. The day was topped off with a festive gathering of the above-mentioned at Cathy Witt's house. Over half the people on the tour were from outside of our community and there were an exceptional number of inquiries about houses for sale in Butchers Hill. St. Andrew's Church provided a delightful rest stop with light refreshments, and Simon's Pub cordially opened for special hours during the tour. Those of you who attended or worked on the tour may not be aware of how helpful both Long & Foster and O'Conor, Piper & Flynn are for us: tell them how we appreciate their assistance when you see them. And our advertisers made the lovely booklet possible, let them know that Butchers Hill cares. In addition to the raves about the houses, there were many comments about how warm and friendly our neighborhood is. Hats off to the whole community for spreading our popularity!
BHA COMMITTEE CHAIRS, COMMITTEE REPORTS, AND MONTHLY MEETINGSBlock Rep/Crime Prevention: Wednesday, November 15, 7 p.m., 2105 E. Baltimore St. The committee meets monthly to share information from our 20 block representatives and to coordinate action. We are resuming our e-mail alert for sharing reports about crimes in our area. This service is for Butchers Hill residents only. If there is a break-in or vandalism of some sort, we will post that information. If you know of some event that you think others should be aware of, just e-mail it in. The resumed safety alert requires parties to sign up again. The e-mail address is Ritchie@BellAtlantic.NET.CRIME TIP: Often there is an increase in burglaries between Thanksgiving and the end of the year. Be sure to watch out for you neighbors' property, keep your doors and windows locked, and let a neighbor know if you are going to be away. Above all, call 911 if you see suspicious persons lingering or casing an area, and don't leave anything visible in the car. Community Representative, School 27 School Improvement Team: Carolyn Boitnott, 410-522-4991. Education: Larcia Premo (410-675-5634). Land Use: Virgil Bartram (410-327-4964). Marketing: NO MEETING IN NOVEMBER. Contact Rick Gilmour (410 342-7061) Membership: Volunteers? Please contact Barry, 410-558-1080, bha@charm.net. Streetscape: Wednesday, November 22, 7 p.m., 2214 E. Pratt St. (The committee meets the fourth Wednesday of each month.) Contact Noel Brown (410-534-8057), Book Club: For November we are reading A Lesson Before Dying, by Ernest Gaines, discussion to be Thursday, November 29th at 7 p.m. at 2102 E. Fairmount Ave. BHA Executive Committee: Thursday, November 9, 7 p.m., 2002 E. Pratt St. Contact: Barry Glassman, 410-558-1080, Newsletter: The deadline for the DECEMBER Newsletter is Saturday, Nov. 25. Drop off written items at 103 S. Chester St. Contact Steve, 410-342-3842, BUTCHERS HILL FAMILY FUN NIGHT. Friday, Nov. 10, 6:30-8. Featuring Family Bingo and Basketball. Prizes, sodas, and cookies. Free for kids and adults who live in Butchers Hill. At the Ralph Young Recreation Center located behind School #27 (Commodore Rogers). Call Carolyn for more information: 410-522-4991. Election Day, Tuesday, November 7th, is a City Holiday. There is no trash pickup. PLEASE DO NOT PUT YOUR TRASH OUT. PAPER RECYCLING will be picked up on Friday, November 10th. NOVEMBER BHA GENERAL MEETING (Note change of location) AGENDA:
After the parish met temporarily in another church for about a year in 1940-41, members were able to acquire (for $11,500) and consecrate the former Alnutt Methodist Church building erected in 1887. Other development efforts followed: installation of the icons, acquisition of land for a parish cemetery, formation of a Russian language school and choir (and later an English language choir), and renovation of the building with everything from sandblasting to carpeting. Exactly thirty years after the first services were held in the current church building, on Sunday, February 15, 1970, the church and hall were gutted by fire. The roof collapsed into the sanctuary and the hall was severely damaged. Members never wavered in their determination to rebuild, with parishioners doing much of the clean-up work and raising money to supplement insurance proceeds. By October 1971 services were being held in the parish hall, and in June 1972 the first divine liturgy was held in the refurbished sanctuary, which had been re-oriented with the altar facing toward the East. The cost of rebuilding was nearly $200,000, supplemented by uncounted hours of donated talent and labor by members of the parish. Although members of St. Andrew's live throughout the Baltimore area, the parish is particularly active in our neighborhood. Besides hosting Butchers Hill meetings and events and providing refreshments during our House and Garden tours, the church helps monthly to prepare food for the Bea Gaddy Mission, helps neighborhood children with school supplies, gives out Christmas baskets to the poor, and helps new immigrants to America to become settled. St. Andrew's has a message line at 410 276-3422 which is updated weekly with information on parish services and events. JOSEPH BEUYS TREE PLANTING IN PATTERSON PARK Join the Friends of Patterson Park on Saturday, November 11th, and help plant 100 trees in the park. Funded by the TKF Foundation and sponsored by the UMBC Fine Arts Gallery, this planting is part of the Joseph Beuys Tree Planting Partnership Project. Meet at the Recreation Center at Baltimore and Lakewood at 9 a.m. to join a planting team. Lunch and a brief celebration following the planting. Call us if you want to volunteer. Form a planting team from your neighborhood: 410-276-3676. Concerned about the lack of progress on promised PATTERSON PARK IMPROVEMENTS to the boat lake, lighting, entrances and Pagoda? The Friends of Patterson Park is asking questions of our city government. Want to help? Call 410-276-3676. Also, there is less vehicle traffic in the park these days, but members are still reporting violations of park rules by unpermitted and permitted vehicles. E-mail your observations to FoPatPark@aol.com or phone us a 410-276-3676. Election Day, Tuesday, November 7th, is a City Holiday. There is no trash pickup. PLEASE DO NOT PUT YOUR TRASH OUT. PAPER RECYCLING will be picked up on Friday, November 10th.
COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARDART EXHIBIT AT SIMON'S PUB & EATERY Come to Simon's and see the art of Maria-Theresa Fernandez, a local artist with an international reputation for combining textiles and other media to create uncommon pieces of art. The opening reception is on Tuesday, November 7, 6 - 9 p.m. The show runs Nov. 7 through Dec. 4. Simon's is located at 2031 E. Fairmount Avenue.St. Andrew's Church invites the public to a concert of RUSSIAN SACRED AND FOLK MUSIC by a vocal ensemble from St. Petersburg, Russia. The event is Wednesday, November 1, at 7:30 p.m. A free-will offering will be received for the ensemble, and the concert will be followed by a reception in the parish hall. The Butchers Hill Association (together with Concerned Citizens of West Canton and Upper Fells Point) recently submitted two grant applications for a total of $10,000 to the Baltimore Community Foundation and the Abell Foundation to help pay for unfilled street tree requests. If funded, the grants will pay for about 50 trees and for concrete removal in both neighborhoods. We need to raise $1250 matching funds for the grants (and hopefully more!). We already have commitments from several individuals and businesses. Can you help? It costs about $250 to plant a new street tree, but donations in any amount would be welcome. Contributions are tax-deductible. Checks should be made out to the Butchers Hill Association and mailed to: CAN YOU GIVE A GOOD HOME TO A LITTLE STRAY CAT? Young white female cat (non-deaf), spayed, has had all the necessary shots, needs a home really bad! Call 410-558-0149 if you can take her in. ADOPT A CLASS! Students at Commodore J. Rodgers Elementary School (our elementary school #27 on Chester St.) need you! One person, a family, or business can be matched with a class and impact the achievement and success of that class. Adopt one classroom and help make a difference in the lives of many children: PAINT THE CLASSROOM. HELP GET BOOKS. HELP WITH UNIFORMS. ENCOURAGE ATTENDANCE. TUTOR. SUPPORT FIELD TRIPS. WORK WITH FAMILIES. A visitor on the Butchers Hill House Tour comments: ". . . I attended the neighborhood house tour last Sunday. It was absoutely fantastic. I was most impressed by the people of the neighborhood-to the last person, everyone was positive, friendly and excited about living in Butchers Hill. I have never been in a neighborhood where the bond among neighbors was so close." SE NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICE CENTER:
NEIGHBORHOOD PROFILESThe Butchers Hill Newsletter often features stories of the history of Butchers Hill and celebrates neighborhood assets. As we meet our neighbors and invite them to share their histories, we are learning that the greatest assets of Butchers Hill are the people who live here. In an effort to celebrate the diversity of Butchers Hill, we have decided to profile two residents in each newsletter. For the December issue we will be talking to folks from different traditions and learning what holidays people celebrate and how they celebrate them. Do you have a unique tradition of celebrating the holidays that you would like to share? Please contact us! (410) 534-6815 or dlaflamm@excite.com.-David and Kelly Laflamme The week of Thanksgiving, November 19-25, is National Family Week. Fittingly, this month's neighborhood profiles celebrate special families in Butcher's Hill-the Evans Family of South Castle Street and the Rager Family of Lombard Street. Describing the Evans family, Carolyn Boitnoit says, "they epitomize what being a good neighbor means. They look out for their neighbors, they are involved in our local school, and if they have to take the extra step, they do. They are very special." Angie and Tim Evans have lived in East Baltimore their entire lives. The childhood sweethearts grew up six doors apart on Patterson Park Avenue. Now they are raising their three children a few blocks away on South Castle Street. They bought their home eleven years ago, anticipating the birth of their first child, Timothy. Since then they have had two more children, their daughter Toriella, who is seven, and their baby son Lark, who is one. "I loved the house," said Angie, "it was a small, quaint street." There were a lot of children on their block back then. Tim remembers the "old folks" who also made South Castle their home. Times changed. A lot of families moved out, some of the old folks died, and now many houses on their street are vacant. "All the kids are gone," said Angie, "My neighbors' and my kids are the only ones on the street." Tim and Angie are hopeful that the recent renovation work in many of the vacant houses will mean that new families will join them on Castle. Being city kids themselves, Angie and Tim both said, "I like city life." "Everything is so close," said Angie, "I can speak to people I know while walking the kids to school." Tim enjoys proximity to downtown, being able to see the water and being close to Patterson Park. As he explained it, "I have the grass, but no lawn to mow." The Evans Family also values being close to their own family roots with parents and siblings living close by. As comes with city life, they also expressed some frustrations, but not many. Parking isn't allowed in front of their home, so unloading groceries is a challenge. Angie thinks "some people don't believe that others notice what goes on in the smaller streets." But Angie said that her family does notice what goes on. When residents of a nearby house became involved in drug dealing, they joined their neighbors in bringing it to the attention of others. The Butcher's Hill Association petitioned the City, designating the house as a "nuisance house," and the drug activity has since ceased. Another issue that affects their quality of life is the dumping of bulk trash in their street by residents of the main streets. Bulk trash is only picked up once a month. During the month, some people dump bulk items in the smaller streets, maybe because these streets are invisible to the main traffic of cars and people. Unfortunately, this trash is an eyesore and sanitation problem for the residents of the side streets until bulk trash day. As busy parents, Angie and Tim aren't often able to make it to Butchers Hill Association meetings. The Evans family keeps up with community happenings by reading the newsletter and keeping in touch with their neighbors. Angie is a supervisor in a downtown restaurant and attends PTA meetings among other activities. About her involvement in the school she said, "I am a regular face. I don't just drop my kids off." Tim, is an ex-marine who now drives a truck for a living. He proudly said, "I served my country diligently and I'd do it again!" It's clear that two things are very important in the Evans' household-their children and neighborhood. Whether it is working together on the computer, going to basketball games or learning Spanish, the Evans family enjoys spending time together. Their children's extracurricular activities and homework take precedence in their household. Tim stressed that with the way the world is today, it is important that their children get a good education. They don't only look out for their own children. They also work hard to make their neighborhood the best place it can be for everyone. We also celebrate the Rager family who have dedicated themselves to improving life in Butchers Hill for more than 20 years. We honor them and wish them well as they begin a new phase of their life in retirement in Mississippi. In the mid 1970s, Harry and Joanie Rager moved to Butchers Hill with their eight children to a house on the 2100 block of Lombard Street. Both Harry and Joanie were commuting daily to Washington, D.C. She worked the day shift at the Pentagon; he worked the night shift at the Capitol Building. Since then the Ragers have experienced a lot of changes. They have worked hard to raise their children (four sons and four daughters) and watched them grow into adulthood. Sadly, they've lost two sons in accidental deaths along the way. They have also seen the house-by-house renovation of the neighborhood and the diversification of its residents. Harry was one of the early presidents of the Butchers Hill Association. He worked hard to cultivate relationships with Mayor Schaefer and other civic leaders in Baltimore City who were key to getting things done. Arriving home from work when others were just getting to the office enabled Harry to make the right calls to the right people. During his tenure a lot of energy was directed at improving the look and feel of the neighborhood. The concrete and brick sidewalks on the 2100 block of Lombard were one accomplishment. When the old sidewalks were condemned by the City, Harry negotiated their unique replacements for a fraction of the usual cost, through "sweat equity." So Harry and a few neighbors rolled up their sleeves and dug in. And Harry worked to see that other digging took place-Under his leadership more than 80 trees were planted in Butchers Hill in one weekend. In his role as president and as a parent, Harry had many reasons to want Butchers Hill to be a place for families to thrive. Therefore he fought for the closing of two local bars that were often the place of rough and rowdy crowds. Nearly 50 neighbors joined him in marching into a bar that used to be at the corner of Chester and Pratt. In additional, he encouraged redevelopment of "flop-houses" into places for families. Harry also worked to bring cultural celebrations to the community. Ed Polecheck, Butchers Hill resident and deputy conductor of the Baltimore Symphony, worked with Harry to bring a concert series to the Pagoda in Patterson Park. The summer concerts featured not only the symphony, but also bluegrass, country and jazz music to reflect the diversity of the community. In addition to the music, Harry orchestrated the 4th of July fireworks in the park and hot-air balloon races (now held in Druid Hill Park). It's no surprise that under his leadership, Butchers Hill was recognized as Most Improved Community by the City of Baltimore. It's hard to believe that so many wonderful things happened during three short years as President! Certainly such accomplishments were only possible through the support of Joanie and their eight children. As former neighbor and friend Roger White said, "they raised their children to be concerned citizens". Roger's seen them display this concern as they dug holes for trees with their father, as they returned lost children to their homes, and as they stood up against wrong doing in Butchers Hill. In the years since the 1970s, Harry has served as advisor to other association boards. He has worked to eliminate drug dealers from his neighborhood. More recently, Harry was involved in renovating the Pagoda upon its 100th anniversary in 1994. He worked to get donations of materials and skill for the iron fence that now surrounds it. He also worked with the Taiwanese Consulate to have the Palace Lions given as a gift from the people of Taiwan. That great event was celebrated with a Dragon Dance, a visit from the governor and a broadcast by Connie Chung to Taiwanese news stations. Butchers Hill salutes the Rager Family for their many contributions to the community. Their hard work has benefited all of us. By spurring neighborhood reinvestment and community involvement they laid the foundation for the Butchers Hill we live in today. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7th, is ELECTION DAY - REMEMBER TO VOTE There are two BOND ISSUES on the Baltimore City ballots that immediately affect us: Question C concerns establishing a regional branch of the Pratt Library in Highlandtown, Question D concerns renovation of the Patterson Park Swimming Pool.
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