Come join me at my next Coffee Chat

Tell me about your concerns and ideas for a fantastic District 4.

April 13, 10am-2pm ,

Sidamo Coffee & Tea, 8180 Maple Lawn Blvd, Fulton

Budget Season is Coming

April is budget season for FY2020. See the public meeting schedule here .

State Delegation Bills to Watch

The General Assembly session is coming to a fast conclusion. Of the many bills moving through the process, we are watching this education funding bill closely:

HB727/SB 731 

Build to Learn Act of 2019

The only surviving school construction bill includes $2.2 billion additional dollars from the Educational Trust Fund. If it passes, Howard County is set to receive 4.5% of the total plus additional funds for a high number of relocatables.

Tax Credit Help

 Get help filing for County tax credits. A Maryland Access Point (MAP) counselor  will be available at the Cashier’s Office at the George Howard Building on the following dates:

Merriweather Post Pavilion's new resident symphony: Soulful Symphony . The residency period begins in the summer and will have at least three performances.

4/4 - Columbia Glade - 2.5ft encroachment into the 40 ft setback

4/9 - Community Ecology Institute, project request

4/16 - Pierce Property - Six single family units

5/2 - Village of Wilde Lake, Right-of-way setback reduction for construction of parking garage.

5/8 - Columbia Community Church, parking lot expansion

6/7 - RLJ Lodging Trust (Double Tree)

Visit the county's interactive   pDox tool for more. 

Wilde Lake Water Main Replacement Project

Phase I of the water transmission installation project along Green Mountain Circle near Twin Rivers Road will start on April 1.

Brief and temporary lane shifts, as well as sidewalk closures in the current phase area, can be expected during construction hours, 8am-5pm Monday-Friday.

Potholes Be Gone

 Got potholes and other road and infrastructure repair requests? Report the problem and track the solution through SeeClickFix .

Create a login, set your location, and rest assured that the county is working on it for you.

County Council Updates

Women’s Hall of Fame Inductees

On March 28, the Women's Hall of Fame inducted three new members to its list of outstanding leaders. Bravo to these women who make such a huge difference in our community. 

Also, at the induction ceremony, the following students were recognized for their prize-winning essays on the topic  Visionary Women - Champions of Peace and Nonviolence .

Essay Prize winners

Naomi Ling – Clarksville Middle School

Maram Eltibi - Elkridge Landing Middle School

Srikar Bala – Clarksville Middle School

 

Jordan Kreh – Hammond High school

Shannon Hill – River High School

Maryam Beg – Atholton High School

Names in bold are students at District 4 schools.

National Poetry Recitation Contest Winners

Three Howard County students won the top spots at the regional competition, March 2, at the Baltimore Museum of Art. 

Read more .

First Robotics Challenge

Atholton Space RAIDers won the Innovation in Control Award at the 2019 First Robotics Challenge.

Middle School Debate

On March 25, HCPSS middle school debate teams competed against each other. This year, the debate topic was "Be it resolved that MD should institute a junk food tax to help curb the obesity epidemic." Students did their own research and took their own notes on the research. Congratulations to the following District 4 schools who participated:

Clarksville Middle School

Wilde Lake Middle School

Harpers Choice Middle School

Limekiln Middle School

Celebration of the Arts

The Celebration audience cast their ballots for their favorite Rising Star performance, selecting  Curtis Bannister  for his dynamic rendition of “Make Them Hear You” from  Ragtime  by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. He is a Wilde Lake graduate and is pursuing a theater career in Chicago. 

At the Celebration of the Arts with the Rising Star award winner.

Local Children's Board Report

The Local Children's Board (LCB) recently released its Access to Opportunity in Howard County: Making the Case for Equity to County Executive Dr. Calvin Ball.

Data is clear that youth of color in Howard County, especially African American and Hispanic/Latino youth are more likely than their white peers to experience negative outcomes and less likely to benefit from opportunities. Racial and socioeconomic equity should be significant considerations when planning and developing policies and practices that impact public services, programs and initiatives.

Rodia Research Inc. held 16 focus groups in community's with students and families in order to gain qualitative data. Howard County is viewed as an affluent county but not all residents are able to access or share in that success. Here are the impediments that families and community members identified:

Parents described moving here to get their kids into better schools but they become financially stressed in doing so. Foreign-born and undocumented residents struggle to access available resources (insurance, medical care) as well as fair wages and working conditions.

Financial impediments include access to affordable housing and high cost of rent, and long housing waiting lists. Children often don't have access to extra curricular activities due to cost, transportation, and location. There is a lack of affordable or free after-school programs, long waiting lists, difficulty registering for public and private providers that often dependent on internet access. High demand and high-quality programs close within minutes of opening.

What is the Local Children's Board?

Every county has a Local Children's Board to consider policy questions related to children. Howard County's LCB comprises relevant department directors from recreation and parks, housing, HCPSS, police, and community services. 

County Fast Facts

Read more  or download the report  here.

Losing a Turn on Red: Gaining Friendlier Streets

Way back in June 28, 2018, drivers passing through the intersection of Little Patuxent and Broken Land Parkway lost their turn-on-red privileges when heading eastbound and northbound. The revocation of this "right" to then idle at a traffic light often feels like a personal offense.

But there is a method behind the meanness. Unrestricted right turns are one of the primary conflict points between cars and pedestrians and cars and bicycles. In order to build a more walkable and bikeable Howard County, intersections like this one need to be friendlier to all modes of transit not just cars. So the next time you long for your turn on red, remember that you are doing your part for Complete Streets.