The Baltimore City Department of Planning has partnered with Baltimore Public Market Corp. (BPMC) , Lexington Market, Inc. and The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health for Get Fresh Public Markets. This is an initiative that will involve “working with existing carryouts to increase healthy prepared food options in public markets” in order to ensure that Baltimore’s largest centers for prepared food positively contribute to the local food environment and decrease the number of Baltimoreans living in a food desert.

The Get Fresh Lexington pilot program launched with ten Lexington Market carryout vendors last year and featured healthy food labeling and “Fresh Food Day Stalls.” In September, healthy menu labeling was introduced at Broadway Market in time for the market’s grand reopening. By the end of 2015, all vendors at Baltimore’s public markets will participate in all four phases of the program, which also includes community food assessment and healthy carryout certification.

UPDATE(2/23): Mayor Rawlings-Blake announced today that signage and carry out menus making it easier to identify healthy food options are being used by ten Lexington Market vendors as part of the Get Fresh Lexington pilot program. More information and participating vendors here.

According to an article in the Baltimore Sun, city officials say they made $40 million in corrections to bills in just one year, but auditors weren’t able to view the forms associated with the refund as they were not filed in any particular order and were difficult to find.  The Sun article relates the story of a Waverly woman who contacted Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke’s office after receiving a $6,000 water bill despite living alone. She eventually had the bill reduced to $134.

The Department of Water and Wastewater has been quick to act,  however, claiming that they are “overhauling the billing system and installing a new meter reading system that will help prevent future billing errors.” Mayor Rawlings-Blake echoed this by saying that Baltimore City will “make sure that our billing system has integrity and that we are using those resources efficiently and effectively.” She added, however, that the billing errors represented no more than a “drop in the bucket” compared to what it would cost to update sewer lines and water treatment centers in Baltimore in fulfillment of the consent decrees from the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Baltimore CASH Campaign is now the leading organization in marketing & outreach regarding federal & state EITCs.  During 2011 alone, the Baltimore CASH campaign prepared 14,461 tax returns producing more than $22 million in state and federal refunds, which translates to about $8 million in EITC refunds. In addition to tax preparation, the CASH Campaign provides numerous financial services such as financial counseling certification programs and educational forums.

The Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition (MCRC) is a leader in the effort to improve the financial stability of low- income families and individuals. This coalition believes in and advocates for the Casey Foundation’s “Earn it! Keep it! Save it!” attitude. They believe financial education and information sessions are the answer to economic issues and unstable situations. In fact, MCRC helped pass laws that strengthened oversight of debt-settlement companies and laws that increased the protections homeowners can receive while facing foreclosure.

By keeping citizens informed, MCRC can help families focus on the “Keep it!” portion of their motto. MCRC publishes consumer reports about abusive mortgage lending and foreclosure practices and credit card marketing in the hopes that the information will make for smarter consumption, and citizens will get the most for their money.

Baltimore Homeownership Preservation Coalition (BHPC) is another organization focusing on keeping consumers better equipped and informed. By producing a series of documents that help homeowners avoid foreclosure and urges a proactive attitude so that homeowners can be more in control of their future and finances. Their work has made a difference politically, too. BHPC collects, analyzes and interprets data to help policymakers better understand how the real estate market is being affected by foreclosure so that they may better serve the Baltimore community of homeowners.

The final organization mentioned in the Casey report is Bon Secours Community Works Organization (BSCWO). This organization works with individuals who are dealing with substance abuse issues, have a criminal record or a low level of education and wish to reach financial stability and economic success.  In 2010 250 people participated in  BSCWO Workforce Development learning workshop, at which 1500 citizens had their taxes prepared for free and 140 citizens opened a savings account and participated in the home purchase counseling service.

Besides the current dilapidation of the structure, the future of the building is also of concern to those who demonstrated outside Read’s last week. Because Read’s was the site of a 1955 civil rights sit-in, among the first protests of that kind in the nation, many demonstrators expressed a desire for the building to become Baltimore’s civil rights museum or a civil rights memorial.

That desire is complicated by the Read’s site being part of the proposed “Superblock” shopping and residential development that encompasses the block surrounded by Howard, Fayette, and Lexington Streets and Park Avenue. Baltimore Brew reports that Mayor Rawlings-Blake did appoint a committee to develop a sit-in commemoration plan, but the committee’s report is yet to be released to the public.

Helena Hicks, who participated in the 1955 sit-in at Read’s and now serves as on the City Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation, has been fighting to preserve the site as a whole rather than allow for a smaller commemoration within a new development. Read today’s City Paper interview with Hicks here.

CERT Classes: *All three classes are required

March 23rd-25th
Class begins Friday night from 6.30 PM to 9 PM, then Saturday and Sunday class runs from 9 AM to 4 PM with a break for lunch.

The location is the Public Safety Training Facility, 3500 W Northern Parkway. To RSVP or for details email cert@baltimorecity.gov or call 410-396-6188.

http://www.baltimorecity.gov/OfficeoftheMayor/MayoralOffices/EmergencyManagement/BaltimoreCityCERT.aspx

The Circulator “Banner Route” will connect Pratt and Light streets to Fort McHenry, travelling along Light Street, Key Highway, Lawrence Street, and Fort Highway, and coming back downtown along roughly the same path. Along with Fort McHenry, the route will provide Circulator access to the Visionary Art Museum and Museum of Industry along with the Harbor View area.

The route is expected to be running by June 13th, when the Sailabration begins. Unlike previous routes, the Banner Route will not be paid for by the City’s parking tax but by a variety of grants.

At a February 13th meeting at McHenry Row, South Baltimore residents approved of the possible benefits the Banner Route would have in terms of parking and congestion, but questioned why the route was far from job centers such as Tide Point and Under Armour headquarters. The Brew’s coverage of the Banner Route has more on the routing controversy and what this project means for future Circulator extensions.

Send a message to your Senators supporting an amendment that will empower municipalities to have more of a say on their transportation projects. Senator Cardin of Maryland and Senator Cochran of Mississippi have sponsored an amendment that proposes more control of state transportation funds for local governments. These changes would give local governments “direct access to money for projects like the main street revitalization.”

Join Smart Growth America and send a send a letter to your Senators on the importance of this amendment.

“The workshop is REQUIRED for Communities seeking CLC assistance with 2012 renewal protests before the Board of Liquor License Commissioners.”

Register in advance online or by calling (410) 366-0922

Thursday, Feb 23
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Community Law Center: 3355 Keswick Rd., Suite 200 Baltimore, MD 21211

It’s More Than History: A Brown Bag Lecture Series presents Gilbert Sandler and his Baltimore Stories
Friday, March 30
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Baltimore City Hall, Board of Estimates Room, Second Floor

Make sure to bring a government issued ID for entry and your own lunch.

• Citywide interstate signs
• Midtown Improvements (Bolton Hill & Mid-town Belvedere  *Mt. Royal Ave)
• Dundalk Ave Streetscape (Graceland Park,  O’Donnell Heights & Broening Manor)
• Lafayette Ave Bridge over AMTRAK  (Bridgeview, Greenlawn & Midtown Edmonston)
• Resiterstown Road Streetscape (Fallstaff, Glen, Reisterstown Station & Woodmere)
• Edmonston Ave Bridge over Gwynn Falls/CSX Railroad (Edmonston Village, Franklintown Rd, Allendale, Penrose/Fayette Street Outreach)
• Baltimore City Tour Bus Parking Facility (Hollins Market & Washington Village/Pigtown)

Read specifics about the changes, plans and budgeting information. If you live in one of the affected neighborhoods, you should have your thoughts considered! Share your thoughts during the Public Comment Opportunity at the Baltimore  Regional Transit Board Meeting on Feb. 28 and send your comments and opinions about the amendments via website or email by Feb. 24.

Send your comments via e-mail to comments@baltometro.org

BRTB Meeting & Public Comment Opportunity
February 28, 2012
9:00 am
Baltimore Regional Transit Board
1500 Whetstone Way, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD 21230