Westminster Councilwoman Suzanne Albert web site bio

Westminster Councilwoman Suzanne Albert web site bio

Councilwoman Suzanne P. Albert

Retrieved January 15, 2009

Suzanne is a native of Westminster and was first elected to the Westminster City Council in May 1995, on which she is currently chair of the Committee on Economic Development & Community Affairs and vice-chair of the Committee on Finance. Suzanne also serves as the Council's Liaison to the Planning and Zoning Commission and Council of Governments.

Suzanne is a graduate of the Women’s Hospital Nursing School (now GBMC), University of Baltimore and holds masters degree from Western Maryland College.

She participated in Leadership Carroll and Leadership Maryland, Class 1996 and is a former member of the following: Nurse Practice Issues Committee of the State Board of Nurses, past District President of the Maryland Nurses Association, Governor’s Board of Drug Abuse Prevention and the Anne Arundel County Executive Board of Health Cost Review. Suzanne is active in the community as Past Board President of Carroll County Rape Crisis Intervention Services, St. John’s Roman Catholic Church Parish Council, Greater Westminster Kiwanis Club and Vice Chair of Westminster Women’s Club.

Suzanne retired from 32 years State Service and has worked or volunteered in Long Term Care. She is an Academy of Excellence in Local Governance Fellow. Her council term expires in May 2007.

If you wish to contact Councilwoman Albert, you may send her an email, a fax (410-876-0299) or make an appointment to see her by calling 410-848-2522.

20090115 Westminster Councilwoman Suzanne Albert web site bio

Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

Elect Suzanne Albert Westminster City Mayor: Qualifications – Questionnaire

Elect Suzanne Albert Westminster City Mayor

Qualifications – Questionnaire

January 15, 2009

Why do you want to be Mayor?

As Mayor, it would be an honor to work in a leadership position to meet the difficult economic challenges, team build with other municipalities, county and State officials and the Public; while supporting sustainable changes expected to improve public services.

What are your qualifications?

Elected to four, four year, terms on the Westminster Common Council.
32 years Public Sector Services
Experienced Professional Administrator
Volunteer in the Community

What are your Goals?

Listen, learn and contribute to the election process
Represent the City with best public services practices
Promote healthy/safe neighborhoods and welfare of families, children and individuals
Support transparency in government works
Enhance communications with staff and citizens
Accelerate cost savings
No new taxes
Conserve water and search for new water sources.
Support economic growth opportunities with the provision of public water and sewer services
Follow through with comprehensive planning including street and transportation improvements

1-15-2009
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
20090115 Albert

Veteran Councilwoman Suzanne Albert has filed for Westminster Mayor

Veteran Councilwoman Suzanne Albert has filed for Westminster Mayor

January 14, 2009

Veteran Councilwoman Suzanne Albert has filed for Mayor in the upcoming Westminster Municipal Election, May 11, 2009.

She has served on the council for 15 years. Currently, she is President Pro-Tem, Chairwoman for the Public Works Committee and is Liaison for the Planning and Zoning Commission.

During her 15 years of service, she was the initiator for the International/Harvest development on the corner of Liberty and Green Street that is presently the city garage, apartments, business offices, and O’Lordan’s Restaurant. She was an active advocate in protecting the residents of Wakefield Valley by voting against the development of the area. Currently, Albert has initiated efforts to preserve the clock tower.

Having grown up on Main Street and as the grandchild of former Westminster Mayor, David E. Walsh, she continues to demonstrate her lifetime commitment of Community services.

Submitted 1-14-2009

Committee to Elect Suzanne Albert, Mayor

20090114 Veteran Councilwoman Suzanne Albert has filed for Westminster Mayor

Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

David S. Babylon Jr. Memorial Community Building Groundbreaking

Westminster Mayor and Common Council
P.O. Box 710, 1838 Emerald Hill Lane,
Westminster, Maryland 21158-0710 410-848-9000

Westminster Fallfest, Inc.,
P.O.B. 805, Westminster, Maryland, 21158 (410) 848-9000

David S. Babylon Jr. Memorial Community Building Groundbreaking
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 3:30 p.m.
Westminster Playground, Westminster, Maryland

Westminster Dir. of Recreation & Parks Ron Schroers
Westminster Mayor Thomas K. Ferguson
Delegate Tanya T. Shewell District 5A, Carroll County
County Commissioner Dean Minnich
Fallfest Treasurer & Building Chair Marshall Green
Evelyn Fluck Babylon
Closing Ron Schroers
Cake

The building is being named in honor of David S. Babylon, Jr., who served the citizens of Westminster for twenty-five years as a distinguished member and President of the Westminster Common Council, was a life member of the Westminster Fire Department, and was a well-respected and successful Westminster businessman.

This new two-story building will replace the current outdated structure and is designed to continue to function as a snack shack and storage facility, but will also include a community meeting room and office facilities for Westminster Fallfest Inc.

The building will be owned by The City of Westminster and will be operated and maintained through a partnership with The City of Westminster, Westminster Fallfest, Inc., and The Westminster Optimist Club.

Funding for this exciting project was made possible by a lead private sector gift of $50,000.00 from the family of David Babylon, along with A State of Maryland Project Open Space grant of $59,470 and matching grants from Carroll County Government and The City of Westminster of $3,304.00 each.

Councilwoman Suzanne Albert and the Westminster based architectural firm of Dean Camlin & Associates, the Westminster based engineering firm of CLSI, and the Board of Directors of Westminster Fallfest, Inc. each have made important contributions to this endeavor.

If you’d like to contribute, checks can be made out to:
Westminster Fallfest “Paving the Road,”
Westminster Fallfest, Inc.,
P.O.B. 805, Westminster, Maryland, 21158
(410) 848-9000

Groundbreaking for the Babylon Community Building slated for Wednesday September 24, 2008 at 3:30 PM

Groundbreaking for the Babylon Community Building on the Westminster Playground slated for Wednesday September 24, 2008 at 3:30 PM

The Mayor and Common Council of Westminster cordially invite you to attend the Groundbreaking ceremony for the David S. Babylon Memorial Community Building to be held at 3:30 p.m. on September 24, 2008 on the grounds of the historic Westminster City Park.

The building is being named in honor of David S. Babylon who served the citizens of Westminster for twenty-five years as a distinguished member and President of the Westminster Common Council, was a life member of the Westminster Fire Department, and was a well-respected and successful Westminster businessman.

This new two-story building will replace the current outdated structure and is designed to continue to function as a snack shack and storage facility, but will also include a community meeting room and office facilities for Westminster Fallfest Inc.

The building will be owned by The City of Westminster and will be operated and maintained through a partnership with The City of Westminster, Westminster Fallfest, Inc., and The Westminster Optimist Club.

Funding for this exciting project was made possible by a lead private sector gift of $50,000.00 from the family of David Babylon, along with A State of Maryland Project Open Space grant of $59,470 and matching grants from Carroll County Government and The City of Westminster of $3,304.00 each.

Councilwoman Suzanne Albert and the Westminster based architectural firm of Dean Camlin & Associates, the Westminster based engineering firm of CLSI, and the Board of Directors of Westminster Fallfest, Inc. each have made important contributions to this endeavor.

Please contact Mr. Ron Schroers, Director of Recreation and Parks, at 410 848-6962 by September 15th to confirm your attendance.

For more information go to: 20080414 A History and overview of The David S. Babylon Jr. Community Building project

Babylon Fam Babylon Bldg Playground

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/search/label/Babylon%20Fam%20Babylon%20Bldg%20Playground

20080924 Groundbreaking for the Babylon Community Building

Economic development will revitalize Pennsylvania Avenue in Westminster

Westminster Eagle column by Kevin Dayhoff: Economic development will revitalize Pennsylvania Avenue in Westminster

Economic development will revitalize Pennsylvania Avenue

Is rezoning for business development the right idea for a comeback on Pennsylvania Avenue?

By Kevin Dayhoff kdayhoff@carr.org Posted on www.explorecarroll.com 8/27/08 (573 words)

At a recent meeting of the Westminster Common Council, it was announced that Councilman Greg Pecoraro will chair another Pennsylvania Avenue initiative, and that Councilwoman Suzanne Albert will serve as vice-chair.

You may recall it was on Sept. 18, 2002, that a previous Pennsylvania Avenue committee announced its findings.

Previously, there had been a number of community-based initiatives to address crime on Pennsylvania Avenue; which had started to become a matter of heightened public discussion in 1999.

One of the immediate impetuses to form the 2002 initiative was the February 2002 groundbreaking for the Carroll Arts Center. At the time, there was enthusiasm to unleash market forces on Pennsylvania Avenue and extend the Westminster business footprint back to the area by encouraging art and cultural venues and businesses.

The 2002 Pennsylvania Avenue initiative resulted in an extensive set of recommendations pertaining to various ways government could stimulate revitalization of this critical area of town. The recommendations addressed public safety, housing and economic development opportunities. It included changing the zoning of the area to open it up to art studios, professional offices, coffee shops, barber shops and beauty parlors and the like.

In short, it aimed to restore the area to what it looked like -- and what made the area of town successful -- before the disastrous November 1979 decision by the then-Westminster mayor and council to rezone this thriving business section of town to strictly residential.

Prior to 1979, Pennsylvania Avenue looked like East Main Street, with a successful mix of residential and business uses of property.
Almost 30 years later, East Main is flourishing with art shops, coffee houses, professional offices, and residential housing -- mixed together in an approach that looks like a traditional town in the 1800s and 1900s. It looks like the very recipe of property uses that made Westminster great.

Most, but not all, of the 2002 committee recommendations were adopted. However, the one proposal recognized as the best long-range systemic solution -- economic development -- never materialized.

As a result, since then, even more opportunities have been lost as constraints in water supply have stopped almost all economic development in Westminster. However, if rezoning efforts had been in place, adaptive reuse of properties on Pennsylvania Avenue could have presented wonderful opportunities for Westminster (because a property's existing water allocation could have been transferred).

Providing Pennsylvania Avenue property owners with the opportunities currently available to East Main Street would give owners alternatives in land use that they have been denied since November 1979.

How we treat an area that needs attention says a great deal about who we are as a community. And one of the best solutions to our budget problems is expanding our business footprint and the commercial tax base.

I recently spoke with Pecoraro, who is considered by many as a national authority on urban planning and public policy analysis. He says he has an open mind on the solutions for Pennsylvania Avenue, and emphasized that he wants to hear from citizens and explore any option that may help.

"I've put a great deal of thought into it. I want to build upon our successes; (and) be honest about what did not work," Pecoraro said.

The time has come to take a fresh look at the job creation and business opportunities on Pennsylvania Avenue. After many years, problems persist. It's time to try a different approach. The stakes are high for all of Westminster.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at kdayhoff@carr.org.

20080827 WE Economic development will revitalize PA Avenue weked

http://explorecarroll.com/opinion/760/economic-development-will-revitalize-pennsylvania-avenue/

Related on www.kevindayhoff.net: Westminster File PA Ave

20080824 Sunday Carroll Eagle column for August 24 2008: “Years ago, folks celebrated The Forks in Westminster” by Kevin Dayhoff

Related on www.Westgov.net: Westminster File PA Ave

20080824 Sunday Carroll Eagle column for August 24 2008: “Years ago, folks celebrated The Forks in Westminster” by Kevin Dayhoff

20080518 Sunday Carroll Eagle running chron as of May 18 2008

Sunday Carroll Eagle on "Soundtrack"

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Alcohol, prohibition, mysterious women and the roaring '20s

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=978&NewsID=902857&CategoryID=19662&show=localnews&om=1

05/16/08 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff

Prohibition became the law of the land after the 18th Amendment went into effect on Jan. 16, 1920, but Carroll Countians had already voted to outlaw the sale of alcohol six years earlier in 1914.

Throughout the roaring '20s, until prohibition was repealed on Dec. 5, 1933, by the 21st Amendment, many legendary accounts of stills, moonshiners, speakeasies and enforcement raids became a part of a folklore and story-telling tradition in the county.

If only half of the stories are true, Carroll County must have been an interesting place back then.

A May 18, 1923, newspaper account stirred the kettle about one such event -- a May 5 raid on the North Branch Hotel by prohibition agents.

Read the entire column here: Alcohol, prohibition, mysterious women and the roaring '20s

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Roads, reservoirs, property rights and four-letter words

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=978&NewsID=901111&CategoryID=19662&show=localnews&om=1

05/09/08 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff

The state of the roads has always been a hot topic in Carroll County and, recently, funding street maintenance is a cause of great concern for Westminster officials in the budget process.

History frequently mentions street projects. In the Westminster municipal election of 1890, the issue bitterly dividing the community was the condition of the streets. Some 550 citizens voted to decide whether or not the city should take out a bond for $25,000 for street upgrades.

Nearly 40 years later, on April 27, 1927, an emergency bill was passed in the General Assembly that authorized Westminster to borrow "Seventy-five Thousand Dollars, to be secured by a bond issue É (to) be used and applied exclusively to the paving and improving of the streets, curbs and gutters of the town."

Alas, then-Gov. Albert C. Ritchie vetoed it.

(The year of 1927 was not a good one for Westminster in the Maryland legislature. Another bill passed by the legislature provided "for the extension of the (city) limits of Westminster." It was also vetoed. What did we ever do to Gov. Ritchie?)

Speaking of roads, a reader's question asked why there are so many sharp curves on old county roads?

The answer is: In days gone-by, roads went in between and around property lines. Agricultural fields and property lines were more important than straightening out roads and using eminent domain -- the means by which government takes land for public projects -- was out of the question.

And that leads to another question posed in the past several months, asking if Carroll County government has ever used eminent domain to acquire property? The short answer is no, never.

Eminent domain is a four-letter word in Carroll. Property rights have always been a sacred cow in Carroll County.

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Panic, depression, recession ... and Dick Cheney in a rabbit suit

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=978&NewsID=899248&CategoryID=19662&show=localnews&om=1

05/02/08 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff

This is the time of the year when a young man's fancy turns to the budget process of Carroll County government and the eight municipalities.

In reading through historical economic accounts (which beats reading the most recent fiscal accounts, by the way) budget processes have never been easy.

The economy dominates the news these days; especially the number of people losing their homes to foreclosure.

Read the entire column here: Panic, depression, recession ... and Dick Cheney in a rabbit suit

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Westminster came of age by following railroad tracks

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=978&NewsID=895826&CategoryID=19662&show=localnews&om=1

04/21/08 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff

One of my fondest memories of growing up in Westminster is the railroad. More than 50 years later I still live within easy earshot of the train whistle as the train chugs its way through town.

The railroad is interwoven throughout much of the fabric of Westminster history.

Joseph... [Read full story]

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Fire in Westminster and a hunk-a hunk-a burning love in Hampstead

04/13/2008 by Kevin Dayhoff

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King’s sad anniversary reminds us of Carroll’s own history

04/06/2008 by Kevin Dayhoff

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Parades, impact fees, mail service ... and Dwight Dingle in a bathtub?

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=978&NewsID=890542&CategoryID=19662&show=localnews&om=1

04/02/08 by Kevin Dayhoff

EAGLE ARCHIVE

Time for a little spring-cleaning, in which we'll catch up with answering some readers' questions.

Recently I was asked about Easter parades in Westminster. I have no recollection of any such parades, but local historian Joe Getty noted in an article he wrote a number of years ago for the Historical Society of Carroll County that, "Easter Monday parades were held in Westminster in 1884, 1885, and 1887. After a short lapse, a large parade was held in 1892"

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Rolling out a few good eggs, and our Easter Sunday best

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=978&NewsID=888582&CategoryID=19662&show=localnews&om=1

03/26/08 by Kevin Dayhoff

EAGLE ARCHIVE

Happy Easter. Yes it's not quite warm outside, although warmer weather should be around the corner. And yes, it seems like Christmas was just yesterday.

We all have favorite Easter memories. For those of us who grew up in a church, Easter marked the opportunity to wear our "Easter Sunday best," i.e. new clothes.

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Palm Sunday 1942 was a time of high snow and higher anxiety

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=978&NewsID=885695&CategoryID=19662&show=localnews&om=1

03/14/08 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff

Many people have been commenting about how early Easter is this year. In fact, the last time Easter was as early as March 23 was 1913.

But a later Easter doesn't ensure good weather for Holy Week. I wonder how many readers remember the Palm Sunday blizzard of 1942. It was the fifth worse snowstorm in Carroll County history, as folks were greeted by 22 inches of snow on March 29, 1942.

20080316 The Carroll Sunday Eagle: Palm Sunday 1942 was a time of high snow and higher anxiety by Kevin Dayhoff

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2008/03/20080316-carroll-sunday-eagle-palm.html

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20080309 The Sunday Carroll Eagle: “History will know us by our trash”

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2008/03/20080309-sunday-carroll-eagle-history.html

Sunday Carroll Eagle: “History will know us by our trash”

Sunday Carroll Eagle March 9, 2008 by Kevin Dayhoff

I cannot find my March 9^th, 2008 Sunday Carroll Eagle column on the Westminster Eagle web site.

Pasted below, please find the column as it was written. It is my understanding that the column was altered for publication…

Ever since the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, many of us has felt that the best management approach to solid waste was source reduction and recycling. It would take 18 long years to get the Maryland Recycling Act passed in 1988. That legislation required a recycling rate of 20 percent.

Twenty years later, getting the recycling rate increased is still illusive. In 1998, on the 10-year anniversary of the law, the Baltimore Sun ran a lengthy analysis in which the Maryland General Assembly member who spearheaded the recycling initiative, Montgomery County Sen. Brian Frosh, admitted “that recycling has been costlier than expected. His 1988 bill predicted significant cost savings…”

Later in the article, the $250 million cost of recycling 2.5 million tons was compared to the $83 million it would’ve cost to landfill it instead. The rest of the article went downhill from there.

Those of us who are opposed to landfilling were less than pleased. Four decades after the first Earth Day, the recycling rate in Carroll County is only around 30 percent.

20080309 The Sunday Carroll Eagle: “History will know us by our trash”

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2008/03/20080309-sunday-carroll-eagle-history.html

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Traffic always made us see red

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=978&NewsID=881679&CategoryID=19662&show=localnews&om=1

Traffic always made us see red

02/29/08 EAGLE ARCHIVE By Kevin Dayhoff

The concern over traffic congestion, safety and speeding tend to surface with every discussion of growth and quality of life in Carroll County. I was recently approached by folks and asked how I felt about red light and speeding cameras, and it got me thinking about Carroll County's past attempts to marry growth and speed control.

Perhaps the first mention of an effort to address the problem of speeding in our county came on or about June 20, 1839. According to a history of the Westminster Police Department, it was then that a speeding ordinance was passed stating:

"No person shall run or drive through the town of Westminster at an improper gait except in case of necessity."

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The life, and the lasting local influence, of Robert Moton

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=978&NewsID=873699&CategoryID=19662&show=localnews&om=1

02/01/08 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff

Construction continues these days at the site of the 28,000-square-foot former Robert Moton School on S. Center Street in Westminster -- it's across from the Carroll County Health Department.

After approximately $2.3 million in renovations, the Carroll County Board of Elections, Carroll Department of Recreation and Parks and Change Inc., a nonprofit that works with the developmentally disabled, are slated to move their offices there.

Questions about the old school building are posed to me from time to time, but the question I'm asked most frequently, especially from younger folks who are new to Carroll County, is "Who was Robert Moton, anyway?"

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For 115 years, Westminster's band of brothers ... and sisters

January 13, 2008 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff

20080113 Westminster Municipal Band: For 115 years, Westminster's band of brothers ... and sisters

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2008/01/20080113-westminster-municipal-band-for.html

For 115 years, Westminster's band of brothers ... and sisters

Sunday Carroll Eagle

01/11/08 by Kevin E. Dayhoff

EAGLE ARCHIVE

Below please find the long – unedited version of the column…

Just before the holidays got into full swing, I had the pleasure of attending the Westminster Municipal Band’s end of the year Christmas party and annual meeting.

It is certainly not a very well kept secret that this former Westminster Mayor and his family are madly in love with the Westminster Municipal Band. And it's not just because I'm a washed-up trumpet player.

Usually when one thinks of the Westminster Municipal Band, visions of “Mom, Country, and Apple Pie” come to mind.

The purpose of leadership today is to build community. Certainly one of the chief builders of our community has been the Westminster Municipal Band.

However, the rich history of the band includes being part of rapid deployment force to hotspots around the globe, a machine gun section, and a rumored reputation of being a heavy metal grudge-garage band. Who knew?

If a Greek mythologist were to write the history of the Westminster Municipal Band, they would write the Band's Mother is the history and tradition of the Westminster Community and the Father is the 29^th Division National Guard Regimental Band. That Greek mythologist would also want to write that the band's ancestral home is Belle Grove Square and that it's midwife was Mayor Joseph L. Mathias.

The roots of the present Westminster Municipal Band are found in 1920, but “there are records of a Westminster Band dating back as far as 1860,” according to the band’s director, Sandy Miller, in a July 2004 interview.

However, to the best of our knowledge, it was 1893 when it was first incorporated as the Westminster City Band of Carroll County.

It was around this time that Company H First Infantry Maryland National Guard was organized in Frizzleburg in 1898. This unit later evolved into the famous 29^th Division of the Maryland National Guard. Part of the Westminster Municipal Band's lineage can be traced back to the First Maryland Infantry Band consisting of the Westminster Units of the Maryland National Guard.

20080113 Westminster Municipal Band: For 115 years, Westminster's band of brothers ... and sisters

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2008/01/20080113-westminster-municipal-band-for.html

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Shedding a little light on early Christmas tree decorations

December 23, 2007 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff

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Christmas reminds us of worry, and glory, of downtown business

December 16, 2007 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff

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20071104 The Sunday Carroll Eagle column of October 28 2007

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2007/11/20071104-sunday-carroll-eagle-column-of.html

Gist worried about being forgotten but not quite gone

The Sunday Carroll Eagle column of October 28 2007

Below please find my October 28^th, 2007 column and it was submitted.

Sunday Eagle

Ghost Stories in Carroll County

October 28^th, 2007 by Kevin Dayhoff

Of the horror stories of Carroll’s yesteryear, none was greater than the very real fear of being buried alive. In today’s world, society’s collective faith in the modern advances of the medical arts has gone a long way in alleviating the fear of being buried alive; a fear which was rampant in the 1800s.

A few years ago, local historian Jay Graybeal retold an account by Ruth Gist Pickens about the fear of being buried alive held by one of Carroll County’s most prominent citizens in the 1700s, Colonel Joshua Gist.

It seems that Colonel Gist maintained a coffin in a portion of his bedroom for the last years of his life; “into which he would have his personal servant lay him out and then call the family to comment on his appearance. Each time he would ask them to promise not to bury him until the third day after his death.”

20071104 The Sunday Carroll Eagle column of October 28 2007

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2007/11/20071104-sunday-carroll-eagle-column-of.html

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When it comes to beets, timing is everything

IN THE GARDEN WITH MR. BEE

I haven't grown beets for a while. So when I mentioned to Judy, my wife, that I'd learned of a variety -- "Lutz Green Leaf" -- that remains tender as it grows larger, she suggested that I sow some seeds right away.

Timing is important, you see, especially when it comes... [Read full story]

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Two for the Show

They come from opposite ends of the county and their sports are as different as night and day, but Tyler Mullen of South Carroll High School and Cammeron Woodyard of Winters Mill have one thing in common -- they each ended their high school careers as state champs.

And without their leadership and... [Read full story]

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Stream is proving ground for healthy water

On a chilly late March morning, Ted Hogan, an environmental scientist with Hunt Valley-based URS Corp., threads his way through briar patches, bogs, locust groves and back yards as he follows a meandering stream that runs through several Eldersburg subdivisions.

Now and then, Hogan, a cont... [Read full story]

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Spring is a great time to get kids reacquainted with outdoor Carroll
MOM ON A MISSION

It's taken some time, but spring appears to finally be arriving. The days are getting warmer, my weeping cherry is turning into a beautiful fountain of pink and the birds are flocking to our feeders.

Hearing the kids' faint voices outside on the swing set while I'm making dinner...
[Read full story]

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Rolling out a few good eggs, and our Easter Sunday best

Rejoice, Christ is Risen

Oh deer, spring is here

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Fighting the urge for an Easter bonnet and all the thrills upon it

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Captain Dan rides on the seafood wave

'Sitting' pretty means having faith in who's watching the kids

Reaching Out

Palm Sunday 1942 was a time of high snow and higher anxiety

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Fighting the 'Fix'

Eye of the Beholder

Bevy of basket cases

Asking 'why' should come before offering 'what I think'

Traffic always made us see red

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Working on the Railroad

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Researching a few 'first class' experiences in Carroll County

News Briefs

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Maggie's continues to grow on Westminster

Chicken Champagne

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What the wiki?!

Web series helps teens connect to the world

The life, and the lasting local influence, of Robert Moton

Sportsman's Hall ... and airplane hangar

Skating history, from party 'crashing' to fitness

Reaching Out

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Mason bees buzz in as honeybees buzz out

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We can't understand the kids, but in this case it's a good thing

20080518 Sunday Carroll Eagle running chron as of May 18 2008

20080511 Roads, property rights, recklessness, four letter words, reservoirs, and ruin by Kevin Dayhoff

Roads, property rights, recklessness, four letter words, reservoirs, and ruin

Long version of my Sunday Carroll Eagle column for Sunday, May 11, 2008

By Kevin Dayhoff (826 words)

Writer’s note: A shorter version of this column appears in the Sunday Carroll Eagle on May 11, 2008: Roads, reservoirs, property rights and four-letter words Below please find an earlier – longer draft of the column… KED

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Road construction and maintenance has always been a hot topic in Carroll County and recently, funding street maintenance is the cause of great concern for Westminster officials in the budget process.

History frequently mentions discussion of funding street maintenance in Westminster. In the Westminster municipal election of 1890 the issue that bitterly divided the community was the condition of the streets. Approximately 550 citizens voted in that election to decide whether or not the City should take out a bond for $25,000 for street improvements.

In another example, on April 27, 1927, an emergency bill was passed in the Maryland General Assembly that authorized Westminster “to borrow Seventy-five Thousand Dollars, to be secured by a bond issue… not exceeding four and one-half per cent… (to) be used and applied exclusively to the paving and improving of the streets, curbs, and gutters of the town…”

However, Governor Albert C. Ritchie vetoed it. 1927 was not a good year for Westminster in the Maryland legislature. Another bill passed by the legislature provided “for the extension of the (city) limits of Westminster.” It was also vetoed.

This leads me to a reader’s question from some time ago: why there are so many sharp curves on old county roads. The answer is that the roads went in between and around property lines. In days gone-by, agricultural fields and property rights were far more important than straightening out roads and using eminent domain was totally out of the question.

This brings to mind a question poised by a number of folks in the last several months: has Carroll County government ever used eminent domain in its history to acquire property?

The short answer is no – never. Eminent domain is a “four letter word” in Carroll County. Property rights have always been a sacred cow in Carroll County.

In days gone by, our county population was considerably smaller and we were a close-knit community; therefore government was always able to come to mutually agreeable terms when it came to projects involving the good of the greater community.

The long answer is that a number of years ago - in the only example of eminent domain even being discussed was a convoluted road right-of-way dispute in the southern part of the county. A solution was eventually found in which eminent domain was ultimately not used.

Recently, the term, eminent domain, has been used rather recklessly by folks that are obviously not aware of our history and traditions.

Which brings us to the anniversary of another reason eminent domain is so unpopular in Carroll County – Liberty Reservoir. One reader has asked whether or not Carroll County used eminent domain for Liberty Reservoir. Oh my goodness, what a sore subject. Again, the short answer is no – wrong government; that was Baltimore City.

On April 10, 1931, Governor Ritchie signed into law the “Legislative Act of the Patapsco River Basin,” which allowed Baltimore City to condemn and completely destroy the town of Oakland Mills in Carroll County. (Governor Ritchie must have really not liked Carroll County.)

Ill feelings about that legislation have long-since become a part of the “personality” of Carroll County. Diana Mills Scott has written an excellent account of the (horrible) “story of a Carroll County community lost to the waters of Liberty Reservoir,” for the Historical Society of Carroll County and our own Bob Allen wrote about it in the Jan. 6, 2008, edition of the Sunday Carroll Eagle ("Awash in History.")

The legislation said: “The City of Baltimore had complete authority to remove mills, factories, workshops, stores, farms, churches, graveyards, school houses, dwelling houses, out houses, or anything that hindered the updating of the Baltimore City water system.” (I’m not making this up.)

Salt is poured in the wound every time Carroll County government has to write a check to Baltimore City for Carroll County water made available by Liberty Dam(n).

Okay, now that we have got that little bit of unpleasant history behind us; last week’s Sunday Carroll Eagle history trivia question must have been much harder than I anticipated. I asked: “What American president made a whistle-stop appearance in Westminster on May 4, 1912?”

It was President Theodore Roosevelt. Only one person got it right. The person who got it right must be hiding in an undisclosed location with Vice-President Dick Cheney as they only identified themselves as “PATMD1950.” Another day – another mystery.

For this week's Sunday Carroll Eagle trivia question for the famed coffee mug, let’s try Civil War history. Who was the legendary Confederate cavalry commander, who was delayed on his way to the Battle of Gettysburg by “Corbit’s Charge,” as his unit came through Westminster on June 29, 1863. On this date in 1864, he was mortally wounding in Battle of Yellow Tavern in Virginia.

Think you know? Drop me a line at kdayhoff@carr.org, and I might just pull your name for the incredible coffee mug. And please put Sunday Carroll Eagle in the subject line. Thanks.

When he is not watching the History Channel with a big bowl of grits, Kevin Dayhoff can be reached at kdayhoff AT carr.org

Eminent domain Carroll County Commissioners

20080511 Roads, property rights, recklessness, four letter words, reservoirs, and ruin by Kevin Dayhoff

20080414 A History and overview of The David S. Babylon Jr. Community Building project

Westminster Mayor and Common Council
P.O. Box 710, 1838 Emerald Hill Lane,
Westminster, Maryland 21158-0710
410-848-9000

Westminster Fallfest, Inc.,
P.O.B. 805, Westminster, Maryland, 21158 (410) 848-9000

“Paving the Road to a Better Community”

A History and overview of The David S. Babylon Jr. Community Building project: “Look what we started.”

If you’d like to contribute, checks can be made out to:

Westminster Fallfest “Paving the Road,”
Westminster Fallfest, Inc.,
P.O.B. 805, Westminster, Maryland, 21158
(410) 848-9000

Monday, April 14th, 2008

For more information please contact Westminster Mayor Tom Ferguson at (410) 8488-2522 or Westminster Director of Parks Ron Schroers at (410) 848-9000 or e-mail him at rshroers@westminsterfallfest.com

*****

At the sixth annual Fallfest Gala, the Westminster mayor and Common Council, Westminster Fallfest, Inc., and the Westminster Recreation and Parks Advisory Board kicked off a capital campaign to replace the Westminster Municipal Playground concession stand with a new two-story multi-purpose community building.

At the event held last Saturday at Martin’s Westminster, Evelyn and Caroline Babylon represented the family of the late former Westminster Common Council president David S. Babylon, Jr., and presented the Fallfest Paving the Road to a Better Community Committee with a pledge of $50,000 in his memory, to get the capital campaign off to a good start.

The gift to the city of Westminster is in honor of Mr. Babylon who dedicated his life to public service for the community he loved.

Mr. Babylon’s daughter, Caroline announced the memorial gift on behalf of the family and turned the podium over to her Mom, Evelyn Babylon.

Mrs. Babylon, remarked: “The last night of the last family vacation in which David was able to participate, the whole family was sitting at the long dinner table – about 20 of us – and Dave nudged me with his elbow, and, gesturing with his other hand, said, ‘Look what we started!’ It was, indeed, a scene of joyful conviviality.

“The family joins me in believing that David would be proud to be here [he loved parties like this] and add his voice of approval to the kick-off of this campaign. We think he would nudge each of you to join in this endeavor so that we could soon all say, ‘Look what we started!’”

Mr. Babylon began a lifelong love affair of service to our community when he joined the Westminster Fire Engine and Hose Company #1 on June 1st, 1949. Serving in the fire department was another of the passions in his life. He served for many years as secretary/treasurer. He had fond memories of the Westminster Volunteer Fire Company’s annual summer carnivals which were held at the playground.

Mr. Babylon was born on September 4, 1923 in Westminster, and when he was a child, the city did not have a playground. The Westminster Municipal Playground was not inaugurated until 1936 and dedicated by the Westminster Mayor George E. Matthews, Council President Joseph L. Mathias, councilmembers Walter H. Davis, Edwin S. Gehr, Jesse C. Royer, and City Attorney D. Eugene Walsh, in 1937.

By the time the playground was in use, Mr. Babylon was attending Valley Forge Military Academy. He graduated from Valley Forge in 1941 and was one of the youngest Captains commissioned in the U. S. Army during World War II.

When Mr. Babylon was young, providing recreational opportunities was a hot-button political topic as was exemplified by an editorial in the Democratic Advocate, on April 7, 1922, “Westminster, and the Recreation Problem.”

The lack of a municipal playground while growing up in Westminster only exacerbated his understanding later, during his public career, of providing community recreation opportunities.

After Mr. Babylon served in World War II, he graduated from Gettysburg College in January 1948 with a BA degree in Economics. He continued in a business, Cunocar Bookkeeping Service, which he had begun in his college years. Many in Westminster have fond memories of Mr. Babylon’s green “office-on-wheels,” in which he would travel from business to business. He sold his business and retired in 1986.

Mr. Babylon, who passed away at age 82 at his home on August 22, 2006, served on the Westminster Common Council for 25 years, from 1964 until he retired in 1989. For 16 of those years, he served as the Common Council President as did his grandfather, F. Thomas Babylon, in 1898 and 1899.

In the mid to late 1970s, the Westminster mayor and Common Council worked hard in a major downtown revitalization effort of Westminster’s business district. To celebrate the successes of that effort, Fallfest was born in 1978.

Mr. Babylon was an enthusiastic supporter of Fallfest. In her remarks last Saturday night Mrs. Babylon noted “Dave was an enthusiastic member of the Common Council when the idea of Fallfest was introduced, and he wholeheartedly backed the idea. Indeed, even when he was not fully mobile, he acquiesced to going down to the celebration in a wheelchair – and fully enjoyed it, of course.”

Westminster Mayor Tom Ferguson has fond memories of the Westminster Playground as a kid growing up in Westminster. He remembers that “my brother and I were among the first to play Little League Baseball (there when the baseball program started) in the 1950s… Along with folks such as Bob and Jim Reck, Art Caples, Pinky Bixler, and Butch Martin.”

“This is another classic example of a successful private –public partnership to what is already a gem in Westminster. If I may say so, I am very appreciative of this generous - magnificent gift from the Babylon family - especially in light of Mr. Babylon’s years of service to the community. He was always so much involved in civic projects and improvements. This will certainly attract other donors to step up to the plate to get it done.”

Doing it right has been an overriding theme of the City. Westminster director of recreation and parks, Ron Schroers, noted that the City has been on a continuous improvement program for the Westminster Playground for the past 15 years. “By using grants and private donations we’ve built pavilions, replaced playground equipment, re-done the basketball and tennis courts…”

“It’s really great to see the community to come together to make this city project happen. This is one of the most heavily used parks in Carroll County… (One of the reasons, besides the facilities is because) it is the best-shaded park…”

Carroll County owns 24 parks in the county and the City of Westminster has eight.

Mr. Schroers noted that in addition to the Babylon family gift, $66,000 has already been obtained for the building from a combination of Carroll County’s and Westminster’s “Program Open Space” state grant.

He hopes to begin construction of the new building after the 30th Fallfest takes place this September. Cost estimates are currently being developed, however preliminary indication is that more money is needed and the City and the Fallfest Committee are currently looking for additional donors of materials, money and in-kind work donations.

The project began in the summer of 2006 according to the Program Open Space grant proposal. At that time:

“The Westminster Mayor and Common Council determined that the existing concession stand needed to be replaced. The 1 story building has a leaky roof, rotten wood siding, no environmental controls, and is a general eyesore.”

“After studying the cost of repairing the existing building, it was determined to be more cost effective to raze the current building … and build a new structure.” (Before the building falls down.)

“The expanded facility will be available for many community groups for a variety of uses. What was formerly only a concession stand and sports equipment storage, will now also have available a multi-purpose meeting facility.

The second story will be made available as offices/workspace for Westminster Fallfest … which is partnering in the building … by securing additional funding, donations of money, materials, and volunteers. This project continues the City’s investment … to make it the best and most heavily used recreation facility in Westminster…”

Andy Biller is in his 18th year serving on the Westminster Recreation and Parks Advisory Board. He currently serves as the chair.

Mr. Biller said, “I grew up in Carroll County and as a youngster I spent a lot of time in town and learned to appreciate the Westminster Playground as one of Carroll County’s true community treasures. The park has always been the shining moment in the City. I’m proud to be a part of yet another historic improvement for our community.”

Mr. Biller has been “impressed with how hard Westminster Council President Roy Chiavacci has worked on constantly improving not only the playground but all of Westminster’s recreation opportunities.”

Mr. Biller was in a meeting recently with President Chiavacci to review the capital campaign and building plans. President Chiavacci is said to have exclaimed, this is “awesome.”

Once the building is constructed the Optimist Club “is going to have our meetings there and use it to support the clubs’ youth activities in the community,” said Darlene Dorsey, the president of Optimist Club of Westminster.

The Optimist Club has “been around for about 50 years. We took over the Little League program years ago from the Civitan Club. Boy, am I excited. I saw the plans the other day when I visited with Ron Schroers… We love the playground improvements. I remember the wooden bleachers and they have been replaced with nice new metal bleachers… (The building plans have) exceeded our expectations. We’re looking forward to it; the present building is an eyesore.”

The Westminster director of public works, Jeff Glass, is also looking forward to the project. After all, it is his responsibility to keep failing buildings such as this useful and safe.

When he heard about the new playground community building, he said that he “fully understands and values the need to expand” the city’s public works and recreation infrastructure.

Mr. Glass, who “began working for the City in 1982 and worked with Mr. Babylon for a number of years when he was the Council President and I was a student of his thinking process… This is exactly the way Mr. Babylon would have wanted it done. Don’t just replace it – prepare for the future.
Take the opportunity to stretch a dollar further and leverage the tax dollars to build what the community needs for the future while the building is being replaced…”

Mr. Glass went on to recall how “Mr. Babylon was known for being fiscally conservative when he was on the council,” and always encouraged the private sector to step up to the plate for needed infrastructure improvements before he turned to taxpayers...

Tom Beyard, the City’s director of planning agreed. He has also worked for the City long enough to have worked with Mr. Babylon. “It’s always a great idea when the public section and the philanthropists can get together for the community.”

Carroll County Commissioner Dean Minnich also knew Mr. Babylon well; they were in the Lions Club together. He recalled that in past years, “the roots of Carroll County recreation were the service clubs.”

He remembers that “it was the Civitan Club that started the Little League program at the playground back in the 1950s… Drs. Klinger Jr. and Senior… (And) the business community took care of the tasks long before government got involved… A bunch of young fathers got involved to make sure softball, soccer, and baseball (were available.) Those guys used to go out on their own time and rake, mow, lime the fields, pick up rocks…”

Westminster Councilwoman Suzanne Albert, (the granddaughter of Westminster Mayor David E. Walsh May 20, 1912 – May 15, 1916,) grew up at 134 East Main Street in Westminster.

She said that “growing up (the playground) was my backyard... Nothing like having your own playground practically in your backyard. I could walk to it. I guess I took it for granted. I just thought that every community had a playground like that. (Nevertheless) we can’t take it for granted and we need to take care of it for future generations. It’s important to sustain such an important community asset.”

Mrs. Evelyn Babylon reiterated, “It is important that we continue to build upon the work of those who went before us and maintain and improve the park for our children’s children. That’s the way Dave would have wanted it.”

Councilwoman Albert, who knew Mr. Babylon well, said the community is thankful for what Mr. and Mrs. Babylon have started – and not just the playground…

If you’d like to contribute, checks can be made out to:

Westminster Fallfest “Paving the Road,”
Westminster Fallfest, Inc.,
P.O.B. 805, Westminster, Maryland, 21158
(410) 848-9000

20080414 A History and overview of The David S. Babylon Jr. Community Building project