NOVEMBER

President's Message:
The weather was great, the set-up smooth and as always, the houses were spectacular. Thanks to all who made the 2003 Butchers Hill house tour a success.

It was great to see everyone at the BHA October meeting exploring the "Art of Renovation." Many local artisans shared their talents with the community and we all walked away with some new ideas. Thank-you to Terri and Howard Ehrenfeld for doing everything to organize and conduct the show. As usual it was one of the best meetings of the year!

Many people have discussed the possibility of Butchers Hill becoming a designated historic district. What is it? How does a community get the designation? What would it mean for the community? Others are interested in Historic Tax Credits. What are they? How does one get them? Please come to the November meeting and join a discussion of historic designation and what it could mean for Butchers Hill residents.

Do you “Love City Life?” Are you looking to find out where you can get information about living in Baltimore? Current residents and those interested in helping others join us in Baltimore living can come hear a Live Baltimore ambassador give a presentation on their organization.
—Rich Pardoe .

Simon's to Reopen This Month
Simon's, the longtime gathering place for Butchers Hill denizens to meet and eat, will be reopening sometime this month. The new management team of Gene and Lorraine Jones promise “the same cozy atmosphere and the same friendly neighbors, with a whole new menu.”

Customers returning to the pub will see the familiar faces of Linda and Bill at the bar. Jason Ambrose will be Simon's new chef – he was chef at Hennigers and at Soigné in Federal Hill.

Art will return, too. Martha Simons' art will be featured in the re-opening show, and Martha and Carole Poppleton will collaborate to arrange frequent shows for local artists.

To keep track of re-opening progress, check Gene and Lorraine's web site at <http://earthlink.net/~lhersonj> or dial the message at Simon's new phone number: 410•534•7100.

House Tour a Great Success
Thanks to the many people in Butchers Hill who made our 24th annual House Tour a great success. The homeowners, the Tour and Marketing committees, the advertisers, and all of the folks who bought raffle tickets deserve our thanks. BHA Treasurer Barbara Gilmour reports that 400 to 450 people attended the tour, and that gross income was over $7,000, including about $600 for the raffle and nearly $2,000 in advertising.

Special kudos go to Will Backstrom, who conceived, executed and contributed the mosaic for tour graphics, to Jackie Watts and the Baltimore Guide , who provided great coverage of the event, to Bill Cassidy of Long and Foster, who supported us in many ways, not least by providing the helium for the balloons, and to Barry Glassman, who, at the last minute, recruited and organized House Sitters,

Some tour posters and tour booklets are available, first-come, first served. Contact Rick Gilmour, 410•342•7061.

BHA Committees and Monthly Meetings
Block Rep/Crime Prevention: Wednesday, November 12th, at 7 p.m., 2105 E. Baltimore St. The committee meets monthly to share information from our 20 block representatives and to coordinate action. Contact: Carolyn Boitnott, 410-522-4991, e-mail c.boitnott@verizon.net.

Butchers Hill Citizens on Patrol (C.O.P.) C.O.P. has been regularly patrolling the neighborhood for over three years, and conducts its walk-arounds on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month. We meet at 7:30 p.m. at the intersection of Patterson Park Avenue and Lombard Street. All are welcome. For more information, please contact Evan Helfrich at 410-342-2148 or via e-mail, ubik14@netscape.net.

Community Representative, School 27 School Improvement Team: Carolyn Boitnott, 410-522-4991. See page 4 for school news.

Land Use: Virgil Bartram (410-327-4964). The Land Use Committee would like to remind homeowners in the 2100 and 2200 blocks of E. Baltimore Street and the 2200 block of E. Pratt Street that you live in a City historic district. All exterior work and painting must be submitted to CHAP and Butchers Hill. We are always happy to help with any questions you may have. Call Virgil Bartram: 410-327-4964. CHAP's number is 410-396-4866.

Marketing Committee: Tuesday, November 11th, 7 p.m., 2223 E. Pratt St . Contact Rick Gilmour (410 342 7061), gilmour@qis.net.

Trash Committee: Contact Sue Whitson, 443-527-1103, e-mail sbwhitson@hotmail.com (e-mail preferred).

BHA Executive Committee: Tuesday, November 18th 7 p.m., 8 S. Chester St. Contact Rich Pardoe: 410-732-6669, r_pardoe@hotmail.com.

Newsletter: The deadline for DECEMBER is Friday, November 21st . Contact Steve Young, steven.r.young@att.net

Community Dumpster, Saturday, November 22nd
There will be a dumpster in the unit block of North Collington on Saturday, November 22nd. The dumpster is for residents of Butchers Hill. As always, no electronics, hazardous materials, batteries, paint, or appliances . There will also be a neighborhood clean-up from 9 to 11. If you can help, please meet us at the dumpster.

City Leaf Pick-Up on Fridays in Butchers Hill
City crews will pick up bagged leaves on the second trash collection day each week (that's Friday in Butchers Hill), continuing through January. Clear bags make it easier. In 2002 citizens helped the city recycle 10,520 tons of leaves, which were used as mulch in city parks and community gardens

Mimi DiPietro Ice Skating Rink is Open
The ice skating rink in Patterson Park is open for the season. Public sessions are Tuesday: Noon to 2 pm and 7 to 9 pm, Thursday: Noon to 2 pm, Friday: 7 to 9 pm, and Weekends: 3 to 5 pm and 7 to 9 pm. To find out about hockey clinics, skating lessons, and party rentals, call 410•396•9392

November BHA General Meeting
Wednesday, November 5th . Coffee & cookies, 6:45 p.m. Meeting 7:00 p.m. St. Andrew's Church hall, corner of Chester & Lombard Sts. (entrance on Lombard). Contact Rich Pardoe, 410-732-6669.

AGENDA:
Presentation of 2004 slate of officers
Live Baltimore presentation
Discussion of historic designation for Butchers Hill
Nominations for Butchers Hill Association Officers for 2004
The Nominating Committee has chosen the following slate of candidates for Officers and Executive Committee in 2004. Voting will take place at the January, 2004 meeting. You must be a member to vote. Nominations may be made from the floor providing that persons nominated indicate their willingness to serve.

President .............................................. Dave Dyer
Vice President: ................................ Erica Holcomb
Vice President ...................................... Ellen Reich
Recording Secretary ................ Jennifer Parkinson
Corresponding Secretary ........................ Karin Tracy
Treasurer ......................................... John Murphy
Parliamentarian ................................ Mike Ferreira
Member at Large ............................ Beth Needham
Member at Large ............................. Linda Proctor
Member at Large ....................... Jean-Luc Renaux

Help Street Trees Survive and Thrive
Butchers Hill and other neighborhoods west of Patterson Park are fortunate to have a number of mature street trees. Thanks to volunteer efforts in recent years supported by Baltimore City Forestry, young trees planted over the last five years are beginning to make once treeless blocks more attractive and cooler in the summer. In addition to environmental benefits, well-maintained street trees support ongoing revitalization in neighborhoods surrounding the park.

Trees are living things that need care to survive. Trees may die from old age, disease and storm damage and need to be replaced. In spite of the challenges of cleaning up from Hurricane Isabel, Baltimore City Forestry plans to continue removal and replacement of dead and dying trees around Patterson Park this fall. Forestry hopes to plant more than 120 trees in the Butchers Hill, Fells Prospect and Patterson Park neighborhoods.

If you are fortunate enough to have one or more street trees near your house, there are a few simple things that you can do to help these trees grow and thrive:

Weed and Clean. Pay regular attention to keeping the area around trees free of trash and weeds. Gasoline, oil, strong detergents, salt and even dog waste can kill tree roots. Clean up any spills as soon as possible, and keep slush and salt away from the roots in winter.
Loosen Soil and Mulch. In the spring and fall, loosen the soil around your tree to a depth of one to two inches and cover with two inches of wood chips. But be careful to keep the mulch an inch or two away from the tree trunk.
Water. Newly planted trees should be watered twice a week between April and October. Use at least 10 gal-lons of water and allow it to run into the soil slowly.
Remove Stakes and Wires After a Year. Support wires can eventually strangle trees. After a year, stakes and wires are no longer needed and should be removed.
Let Others Prune. You should not prune your street tree. State law requires that you obtain permission from Baltimore City Forestry to prune a street tree. In several recent cases, trees have been over-pruned to point that they have died or are so badly damaged that they need to be replaced.

Several neighbors have been trained by Baltimore City Forestry and can help with light pruning (low branches blocking the sidewalk). Contact Baltimore City Forestry for larger trees that present a hazard or are damaged and need to be removed. (A list of trees in neighborhoods west of the park needing replacement is submitted to Baltimore City Forestry twice a year).

For general questions about street-tree maintenance and replacement, call John Papagni at (410) 563-2661 or e-mail <papagni@mindspring.com>. Trees posing an immediate hazard (downed branches or damaged trees) should be reported to Baltimore City Forestry, (410) 396-6109.
– John Papagni

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

Eleven sixth graders from the Crossroads School (associated with the Living Classrooms Foundation) met in Duncan Street Park on October 9 to hear a presentation on Parks and Communities by Butchers Hill resident Steve Young, the principal caretaker of the Park.

The students, shown here with their teacher, Kristen Hagerty, were part of a larger group studying community parks and gardens in East Baltimore. They plan to pool their information and put together a brochure on the topic.

Commodore John Rogers Elementary School (#27) has been adopted by Struever Brothers Eccles and Rouse for this school year. A team of SBER employees comes regularly to the school and serves as "Lunch Buddies." Each of these volunteers has several students with whom they share lunch and work on reading and math skills. The company will also be helping the school with improvements to the building and the grounds.

School 27 is currently hosting 120 fifth-grade students from Highlandtown Elementary to avoid overcrowding at Highlandtown. If you see more school buses than usual, that's the reason.

The Municipal Opera Company of Baltimore will present The Medium and The Telephone --two short operas by Gian Carlo Menotti written to accompany one another. The Medium will star BHA member Diana Cantrelle as the Medium/Madame Flora. Performances are November 7, 9, and 15. Consult <www.muniopera.org> for information or call 410•329•6874 or 410•358•0016 for tickets.

St. Andrew's Church Fall Flea Market will be held at the corner of Chester and Lombard Friday and Saturday, November 7 & 8, 10 am to 3 pm. Featuring clothing, white elephant items, kitchen appliances, jewelry, books, and toys. A bake sale will also be held, and refreshments will be available for a nominal charge. An invitation from St. Andrew's: “All of our neighbors are welcome!"

Kirsten Lapointe's Fall Ceramic Show and Sale will be held December 13, 1 pm to 5 pm at 2215 E. Lombard. Mark your calendars for this annual event! Many will remember Kirsten's work and garden from this year's Butchers Hill Garden Tour.

130 S. Washington Street in Butchers Hill: Large one bedroom apartment located in owner's private residence. Unique kitchen with wood floors, refrigerator, dishwasher, & electric stove. Other amenities include deck, washer/dryer, satellite, private entrance and alarm system. The rent is $675 plus utilities. Available late November. Craig Thomson 410•276•6869/410•371•1661.

Victorian Rowhouse One Block from Patterson Park: 3 bedroom, 2 full baths $1500. Hardwood floors, laundry room, full-size washer/dryer, ceiling fans, central air, 2 working fireplaces (5 total), balcony with incredible views. Bonus room -- full bath, walk-in closet, decorative fireplace for additional $175. Pets OK. Non-smoker preferred. Call 410•207•8687