The Issues

Steve,
What is your position on the Promenade? To me, it is a huge development that will have a detrimental effect on Catonsville and Southwest Baltimore County. I would rather use any excess Spring Grove land for recreation purposes. Other parts of the county have developed parks which would support sports fields etc.
thanks
Henry Debaugh

Jane & Henry, I’m very sorry about the delayed response about the Promenade issue. I hope that you and others email me directly in the future at steve@electwhisler.com.

The Promenade is just one of several potential development projects that current state and county officials may consider for the Spring Grove parcel. Other proposals include recreation space, a second UMBC Research Park, a new psychiatric hospital, a new District Courthouse, a new 1st Precinct Police Barracks, and an expansion of the homeless shelter.

Considering all these competing interests, I believe it is very unrealistic to assume the current site will remain undeveloped, if and when the state ever declares any portion of the Spring Grove parcel as surplus and transfers land to the county. As someone who has a track record of emphasizing open space, I recognize the need to use the space responsibly to meet a wide variety of needs.

I’d like to add another potential use … an elementary, middle, and high school that would be vital to offset potential school overcrowding over the next decade. Nobody in state or county government is willing to acknowledge that we have no long-term, proactive plan to prevent overcrowding and eliminate continued reliance upon trailers at our schools.

I cannot address the continued presence of the state hospital because this is a state issue for our delegates and senators.

As your next Councilman, I will ensure the public, in particular those closest to Spring Grove, has an extraordinary amount of input and influence on how Spring Grove is developed. I have fought the past decade to promote citizen-collaboration in all development projects. I will bring communities, property owners, and developers together to create high-quality projects of which we all can be proud. I want extensive and timely public notification and consensus among all stakeholders.

I would prefer that much of the surplus property, if any, be devoted to public parks and open space. Southwest Baltimore County needs an ideal place where families can gather to play and relax.

I will work to ensure the county develops a comprehensive plan to address care for the homeless. Baltimore County, with over 800,000 citizens, has just two shelters, one of which is on Spring Grove. I will not tolerate the county’s continued expansion of the shelter on Spring Grove. The county continues to relocate homeless men to our region because they fail to create a network of shelters around the county. I will work to fix the problem that current authorities have ignored for many years.

I think it is appropriate to consider a modest-sized UMBC Research Park in order to promote valuable high-tech jobs. The high tech industry is the fastest growing industry in Baltimore County. We need to support high-tech job growth associated Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) gains at Fort Meade and the Aberdeen Proving Grounds. We need to create great jobs for high school and college seniors. Moreover, we must offer an outlet for local entrepreneurs to meet technology demands associated with the healthcare, biomedical, and telecommunications industries.

Our county’s two oldest precincts, one at Wilkens Avenue and another in Essex, must be replaced. Spring Grove should be the first choice to relocate and build a state-of the art barracks for our officers. Since our officers often attend court, I would prefer that state relocate the District Courthouse atop Spring Grove; not in the northern end of our district near I-70 and N. Rolling Road.

If surplus space remains, I do think it is appropriate to consider a portion of the parcel for for economic development, indoor recreational space, and lodging. It is very important to note that Mr. Whalen’s current proposal is just that … a proposal, which will be subject to incredible scrutiny by the County Planning Board and County Council. As your next Councilman, I will ensure any mixed-use development will be sized appropriately for our entire region. I value our current business districts along Frederick Road in Catonsville and East Drive in Arbutus. My first concern will be to preserve these districts that employ many and give Catonsville and Arbutus the small-town characteristic we all treasure.

I will also resist the urge of so many incumbents to use an incredible amount of taxpayer dollars to fund infrastructure and private developer costs. Our county and state’s current fiscal status is not very promising thanks to record levels of spending and borrowing over the past decade.

Before closing, I want to ensure everyone in our region knows that I will focus on responsible development with extensive input from neighbors. I will first use tax dollars and very modest bond initiatives to expand schools, revitalize existing business districts, and generate high quality jobs to get people back to work. Above all, I will work with state legislators to create solutions for overcrowded schools and crowded streets.

Jackie, I’m very concerned about illegal immigration in our area, particularly north of US Route 40 and east of I-95. The County Council should have enacted a law, not a resolution, to require vendors that do business with the county to screen employees using E-Verify.

Instead, the County Council passed Resolution 5-10, which merely asked the County Executive to “implement a policy” that awards contracts to entities that comply with laws related to employing illegal aliens.

I suggest that county authorities would have already asserted they had such a policy. I agree with your assessment that it is an election year ploy.

The Council should have enacted a law, not a resolution that has no legal binding.

Michele, thanks so much for your comment and question about the District Courthouse.

Unfortunately, few people know that the state only allocated money to purchase Mr. Whalen’s property near I-70 and N. Rolling Road. No funds have been allocated to conduct transportation and environmental assessments. In addition, no funds have been allocated to plan and construct a new courthouse on the site.

I would prefer the courthouse remain central in the 21228 zip code atop Spring Grove so it can be accessible to the entire southwest region. Moreover, placing the courthouse near a new police barracks would be ideal to minimize transit time for our police officers to participate in hearings.

Since the state already owns land atop Spring Grove, no additional funds would be required to purchase the property. I believe the state was very short-sighted in purchasing the property from Mr. Whalen — the funds could have been used to conduct transportation and environmental impact studies for a facility atop Spring Grove. Or, the the funds could have been applied to construction.