With school overcrowding in mind, Marks makes major zoning announcement

- By Devin Crum -
On just the second day of school in Baltimore County, Aug. 25, parents of Perry Hall Middle School students were complaining that some children had to sit on the floor of school buses due to overcrowding.

While school system leadership was looking into getting more buses to serve the school, the problem of school overcrowding is still present.

But as school let out at PHMS last Thursday, County Councilman David Marks (R-Perry Hall) announced his plan to limit development on roughly 1,200 acres of land in Perry Hall and give the school some “breathing room.”

Marks said the move was an effort to force Baltimore County to address current overcrowding at the middle school and future issues expected at Perry Hall High School.

“I do not relish taking these steps, which I know will be opposed by some property owners,” he said, “but we cannot allow development to occur at the rate allowed by the current zoning while these schools grow more and more overcrowded.”

PHMS’s enrollment is expected to climb from 1,737 students in 2015 to 2,048 students by 2024, according to Baltimore County Public Schools projections.

“Put another way, the school was at 105.7 percent capacity last year, a figure that will soar to 124.7 percent in 2024,” Marks explained.

Similarly, PHHS’s enrollment will increase from 2,067 students in 2015 - slightly under the school’s rated capacity - to 2,498 students in 2024, or 118.4 percent of capacity.

Through the use of eight zoning change requests in this year’s Comprehensive Zoning Map Process (CZMP) - five raised by his office and three by the Perry Hall Improvement Association - Marks intends to reduce the zoning potential on more than 1,268 acres of land in eastern Perry Hall.

The recommendations will protect 678 acres as open space using the Neighborhood Commons (NC) overlay and downzone 589 acres as DR1 or DR1H, or one house per acre. NC prevents all development on land it covers, and DR1 is the lowest density that can be achieved within the county’s urbanized areas.

The move is believed to be the largest downzoning in Perry Hall history.

“If we do not take action now, the overcrowding at Perry Hall Middle School will reach crisis proportions by 2024,” Marks asserted.

He admitted that downzoning is a difficult process that affects property rights, but it is the only way to reduce residential development.

“Quite frankly, [PHMS] needs breathing space,” he said. “This school needs time for us to deal with overcrowding.”
Marks hopes that during the four years until the next rezoning cycle, the county’s Board of Education will proceed with getting a new middle school built to serve the area, and eventually a new high school as well.

Baltimore County is in the process of building two new elementary schools to address overcrowding at that level, but it has not yet begun the process for a new middle or high school.

Julie Henn, chair of the Northeast Area Education Advisory Council, said the council was proud to work with Councilman Marks to improve the quality of the community’s schools.

“We strongly support this initiative to slow development through downzoning, and we will continue to work with local leaders to secure adequate investments for new northeast school construction,” she said.

PHIA President Jack Amrhein said his organization requested zoning changes on several hundred acres of land in Perry Hall, one of the largest properties being the Gerst Farm, a 54-acre plot behind the Honeygo Village shopping center.

“We thank Councilman Marks for supporting our initiatives to help reduce not only school overcrowding, but reduce traffic congestion, demand on emergency services and just make Perry Hall a better place to live,” Amrhein stated.

Regarding emergency services, the White Marsh Volunteer Fire Company, which serves Perry Hall, reached a milestone last year when they responded to more than 4,000 calls for service for the first time - the most of any volunteer fire company in Baltimore County.

The company averaged 3,077 calls each year between 2010 and 2015, according to data on its website, but saw increases in the number of calls by an average of 446 per year during that time period. That includes an increase of 1,020 calls from 2012 to 2013. It was on pace for 3,193 in 2016 through the end of July.

Likewise, the Baltimore County Fire Department’s Perry Hall station averaged 4,961 calls for service each year between 2010 and 2015, hitting a high of 5,440 last year. The station was on pace for 5,396 in 2016 as of July 31.

Marks expressed his frustration as well with the business community over their lack of involvement on the issue of school overcrowding during the quadrennial CZMP, which began last November.

“Real estate agents know that you market your communities by the quality of our schools,” he said, “and it is frustrating for me that the business community has not been more engaged in this.”

Marks said the business community unifies behind transportation or school improvements in other jurisdictions.

“Here they seem to be very reactive,” he observed, “and I’m hoping that today’s announcement will give them an added incentive to work with us over the next four years to address these problems.”

The County Council voted on the county’s 500-plus zoning decisions on Tuesday, Aug. 30.

New Under Armour facility to bring 1,000 jobs to Sparrows Point

- By Devin Crum -
Baltimore County officials announced on Tuesday, Aug. 30, a deal struck between Under Armour and Tradepoint Atlantic to open a new 1.3 million-square-foot distribution and warehouse facility as part of the redevelopment of the Sparrows Point peninsula.

With its global headquarters in Baltimore, the athletic apparel and equipment company projects it will employ 1,000 workers once the facility is operating at full capacity.

“Under Armour’s new e-commerce distribution house at Tradepoint Atlantic is a perfect match for our vision for Sparrows Point - a hometown company investing in the region and bringing 1,000 jobs to Baltimore County,” said Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz. “Under Armour’s success is based on commitment, respect and the ability to creatively and strategically meet the demands of the marketplace. We are proud to be part of that team.”

“Our fourth distribution house will be a top-notch service engine for our e-commerce business to deliver the right product, to the right place at the right time to our growing consumer base and athletes around the world,” said Under Armour CEO and founder Kevin Plank. “We are pleased to collaborate with Baltimore County and the state to create economic and job opportunities for the greater Baltimore community and Maryland as a whole.”

The facility, which is expected to open in the summer of 2018, will feature state-of-the-art equipment and systems to enhance Under Armour’s product distribution to its growing base of e-commerce consumers.

“Baltimore County proactively put key pieces in place to make Tradepoint Atlantic’s Sparrows Point site attractive to business. We initiated creation of the Chesapeake Enterprise Zone, established a foreign trade zone to facilitate global commerce and set up training systems for distribution operations workers,” said Will Anderson, director of the Baltimore County Department of Economic & Workforce Development.

A law passed at the state level in this year’s General Assembly was also aimed at giving Tradepoint Atlantic a competitive advantage in their redevelopment of Sparrows Point.

The East County Times reported on April 14 that the law would grant a Sales and Use Tax exemption for qualifying construction materials and warehousing equipment at Sparrows Point for a 10-year period.

Under Armour joins FedEx Ground and Pasha Automotive as tenants of Tradepoint Atlantic, a 3,100-acre development that is one of the largest economic development projects on the East Coast. The project features a unique combination of access to deepwater shipping berths, railroads and highways that is ideal for global distribution and advanced manufacturing.

“When a company the caliber of Under Armour invests in our district, it shows that our vision for more jobs and revitalization of our district is not only a possibility, but becoming a reality,” said Seventh District County Councilman Todd Crandell, who represents Sparrows Point, following the announcement. “I will continue to do all I can to expedite that renewal.”

“Our vision for Sparrows Point is to attract world-class companies that want to take advantage of Baltimore’s deep talent pool, prime mid-Atlantic location and integrated transportation network,” Kamenetz added. “We’re well on our way to fulfilling that vision and bringing 10,000 jobs back to Sparrows Point.”

McDonough optimistic about congressional campaign against Ruppersberger

- By Devin Crum -

Pat McDonough’s campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives is “moving right along,” he told the East County Times following his most recent campaign rally on Wednesday, Aug. 24.

McDonough - a Republican Maryland state delegate currently representing parts of Baltimore and Harford Counties including Middle River, White Marsh and Kingsville - is challenging Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, a Democrat, for his Second District seat in the House this election. Each has held their current seat since 2003.

The delegate said his campaign office is doing well since opening in the Carroll Island Shopping Center in Middle River, and he and his volunteers will have a presence at the Maryland State Fair in Timonium for each of its 10 days.

The part of Maryland’s Second Congressional District that reaches into northern Baltimore County, McDonough said, is a “good, Republican area.” And he already has a good presence in the portions of the district in Anne Arundel County with about 50 sign locations.

“But Dutch is going to be knocking on the door” with his full campaign chest, McDonough commented.

He expects Ruppersberger to begin running a lot of television ads, and maybe some on radio as well.

But the McDonough campaign hopes to bring in between $200,000 and $300,000 by the next campaign finance deadline on Sept. 30.

With that, according to McDonough, he would be able to do a good amount of radio ads, some on television and plenty of direct mailers - one of his favorite campaign strategies.

McDonough said it is fortunate that the Second District is a single-market district for broadcast media, meaning he will not have to buy ads in the Washington, D.C. market as well. And the advertising rates are “very reasonable,” he noted.

Maryland’s Second Congressional District covers parts of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford and Howard counties and Baltimore City.

Although he already has a significant radio presence, hosting his weekly talk radio show on WCBM, McDonough hopes to have even more with his radio ads.

That’s an advantage for him, he said, because “everyone who listens to talk radio votes,” whether they are a Democrat or Republican.

At his rally last week at the Commodore Hall in Essex, McDonough stressed that there are only 10 weeks left for his campaign, calling this the “most historic and important” election of his lifetime.

He added that people know how important this election is at all levels, but it is also unpredictable.

“The wise guys and the pundits that we see on television tell us about polls and who’s up or who’s down,” McDonough stated. “But there have been two polls that have been consistent for the past six years,” whether they were conducted by Gallup, Fox or anyone else.

One poll asks if respondents have faith in their leadership and in the state of the country.

“Seventy percent of the people for five or six years have responded by saying ‘no,’” McDonough said.

In the second, known as the “passing the torch” poll, people are asked if they think their children will have a better life in America than they have had.

“The answer has always been ‘yes,’ except one time when Jimmy Carter was president,” the delegate said. But more recently 70 percent or more have answered “no.”

“These are the two polls that matter because they have been consistent,” McDonough opined. “And what that tells you is that the country, rightfully so, is in a state of rebellion.

“I believe that when the average American goes into that confessional booth known as the voter box, that they think about their children and grandchildren.”

McDonough criticized his opponent for voting for the Iran nuclear deal, claimed Ruppersberger supports amnesty for undocumented immigrants and put “those two stupid, useless blimps in the sky,” which cost taxpayers $2.7 billion.

He added a charge that Ruppersberger accepted $92,000 in campaign donations from the Raytheon corporation which was behind the JLENS program using the blimps, known as aerostats.

While Ruppersberger did vote for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran (JCPOA), he defended the decision by stating that Iran was only two or three months away from having enough material to build a nuclear weapon.

“The JCPOA stops this dead in its tracks and cripples the ability of the Iranians to build a nuclear weapon for at least 10 years,” Ruppersberger said at the time. “The JCPOA is not perfect, but with this deal we take the greatest weapons away from one of our greatest adversaries.”

But Ruppersberger’s campaign spokeswoman, Jaime Lennon, said the congressman opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants, which is why he was one of few Democrats who supported building the fence along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“He has introduced legislation to add 10,000 new border patrol agents, believes we should expand programs to find and deport felons who are illegal and expand e-Verify,” Lennon affirmed.

Regarding Raytheon, Lennon said they are proud to have the support of major employers in the district.

“But political contributions have never and will never influence policy,” she said, adding that Ruppersberger leveraged his role on the Defense Appropriations Committee to kill the JLENS project in the Second District.

“He voted against the Pentagon’s funding request to continue the program, which effectively ended it,” Lennon explained.

However, McDonough also charged that his opponent has lost touch with his constituents and that he has voted with President Barack Obama 92 percent of the time.

In fact, Lennon pointed to congressional voting records which show that Ruppersberger had voted with Obama 74 percent of the time in 2015, the least of any congressional Democrat in Maryland.

“Congressman Ruppersberger’s bipartisan record is an indisputable fact that has been well-documented and highly regarded,” Lennon said. “His is the most moderate record among the Maryland delegation and one of the most moderate records in the House of Representatives.”

Nevertheless, McDonough said he is running for Congress because he believes the country is moving rapidly in a “wrong and dangerous” direction.

“We are the last generation that will be in a position, because of our liberty that we still have and the knowledge we have..., that we are willing to fight to make sure we start to move in the right direction,” he said.

McDonough added his belief that, if Republicans lose this election, young people will be so brainwashed five to 10 years from now that they will not have the knowledge, energy or freedom to fight back.

Republicans are not perfect, he stated. “But they seem to agree on most things that are important,” such as national defense, peace through strength, traditional family values, a balanced budget, job opportunities and small business growth.

“They believe in a lot of things that matter,” he said.

“Obviously we agree that national defense, family values, jobs and small business growth are important issues,” Lennon countered. “I will add that the negativity about our country - that our military is not strong enough and that we need to be ‘great again’ - is really offensive to Congressman Ruppersberger.

“Through his work on national security, he has traveled to remote hot spots around the world, including Yemen, Afghanistan and Iraq. He wants to kiss the ground at his feet when he gets home,” Lennon asserted. “He strongly believes we are the greatest nation in the world and to suggest otherwise puts our troops on the front lines, who are sacrificing everything for our freedoms, at risk.”

Board of Education votes no on closing for Muslim holidays

- By Patrick Taylor -
The Baltimore County Board of Education temporarily ended the debate on closing schools for Muslim holidays when they voted “no” on the measure.

The 6-5 ruling came after months of hearing proponents of closing schools for Muslim holidays. After the vote many in attendance began to chant “injustice,” leading to the board calling a five minute recess.

Proponents of the measure argued that it was unfair that Muslim students didn’t have the same treatment that Christian and Jewish students get since schools are closed for their religious holidays.

For the last 12 years, Dr. Bash Pharoan, a Muslim man whose children attended county schools, has been fighting for public schools to recognize Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr when they fall on schools days. Two years ago Pharoan had this same measure before the Board of Education, but it was defeated.

Pharoan had plenty of support from the Board of Education, but not quite enough. Board member Romaine Williams stated that “there was just as much anecdotal evidence to close schools for Muslims as there had been 20 years ago when the board made a decision to close for Jewish Holidays.”

Joining Williams in supporting school closures was Michael Collins, who stated that it was the right thing to “set aside your ambivalence” and “recognize the realities of Baltimore County, the nation and the world.” Collins also added that the board had an opportunity to do something “powerful and correct.”

But the detractors held their ground, their reasoning unwavering from what it has consistently been - the population of Muslim students isn’t high enough to warrant days off.

Laws state that schools must be closed for secular reasons only, and the board has maintained that the reason behind closing schools for Jewish and Christian holidays is that there would be a high absentee rate amongst students, as well as an economic burden since substitute teachers would need to be brought in since most faculty members are Christian or Jewish.

Board member Ann Miller stated that she understood there was a lot of support for the move, but that without any evidence - anecdotal or data - showing that a large population was missing school on those days, that there was nothing that could be done.

Parents of Muslim students have testified in the past that they face the tough decision of observing their holidays or sending their kids to school, and they feel like they shouldn’t be in that position.

The school system somewhat addressed this issue by designating Eid al-Adha as a teacher training day.

There is no word whether Pharoan plans to continue his advocacy for recognition of Muslim holidays.

County officer dead after Bel Air barricade situation

Officer James Ward of the White Marsh precinct in Baltimore County was found dead in his home after a barricade situation early in the morning on Aug. 29.

Harford County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the 2000 block of Stratton Court at approximately 1:34 on Monday morning after receiving a call about a suicidal subject. Deputies tried making contact with Ward but were unable to. After several hours of failed attempts to contact Ward, members of the Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team entered the residence and found Ward. The Sheriff’s Office said Ward was dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. No deputies or community members were injured during the incident, investigators said.

According to Baltimore County police, Ward, who was a 19-year veteran assigned to the White Marsh precinct, had been suspended without pay since April after being involved in a similar barricade situation at the same location.

Baltimore County Police Chief Jim Johnson said he was “saddened” by the incident and added that “it [was] fortunate that no one else was hurt.”

Hit and run crash leaves pedestrian killed in Dundalk

The Baltimore County Police Department is investigating a hit and run crash in Dundalk early in the morning on Aug. 23 that left a man deceased.

The investigation has indicated that at approximately 12:50 a.m., a pedestrian was in a south-bound lane of North Point Boulevard south of Cove Road. An unknown vehicle that had been traveling south-bound on North Point Boulevard struck the pedestrian and left the scene. The vehicle may have some damage to the front end including the headlamp, hood and fender areas.

The pedestrian was declared deceased at the scene. He has been identified as 23-year-old Keith Curtis Tawney of the 2500 block of Lodge Forrest Drive in Sparrows Point.

This crash remains under investigation by the Baltimore County Police Crash Team.

Anyone with information on this crash is asked to call police at 410-307-2020.

FBI and ATF look for info on robber of gun shop

The FBI Baltimore Violent Crimes Task Force and The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Division, are seeking the public’s help in locating one individual who was part of an armed robbery of “Blue Fins Bait, Tackle, and Guns” located at 701 Wise Avenue, Dundalk on Aug. 5.

On Aug. 5 at approximately 7:30 p.m., video from Blue Fins showed four male suspects enter the business. The four male suspects took cash as well as numerous firearms before leaving the store. A fifth suspect served as a lookout and driver. No one was injured in the robbery attempt.

Four of the subjects have been arrested and are currently in jail. Tavon Donte Hawkins, the fourth of the group to be arrested, was apprehended on Aug. 29 without incident in Baltimore around 5:40 p.m. We Still need the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect in the video with the Orioles hat and capturing him. The FBI Violent Crimes Task Force and ATF Baltimore appreciates your assistance.

The Baltimore FBI Violent Crimes Task Force is made up of FBI agents, Baltimore City Police detectives, Baltimore County Police detectives, and Anne Arundel County Police detectives. They investigate significant violent crimes, including kidnappings, robberies of commercial institutions, armored car and bank robberies, extortions and fugitive felons.

If anyone has any information on the unidentified armed robber, you are asked to call the Baltimore FBI at 410-265-8080.

Decomposing body found in Rosedale home

The Baltimore County Police Department is investigating after a body was found in a Rosedale home.

At 11:11 p.m. on Aug. 23, police responded to a home in the 1500 block of Chapel Hill Drive in Rosedale. A relative called police after not being able to contact the resident of the home for several weeks. Officers became concerned for the resident’s safety when they learned that no one has seen her in at least a week. After making forced entry into the home, officers located a decomposing body.

The body found in the home is being transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for identification and an autopsy.

The Baltimore County Police Homicide Unit is conducting an investigation into this incident. At this time, it is classified as a death investigation.

Further information is not available at this time. Information will be released as it becomes available.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 410-307-2020.