WALTHERSON IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION

5807 Harford Road

BALTIMORE, MD 21214

www.waltherson.org
mailbox@waltherson.org
Tweet: @WalthersonAssoc

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UPCOMING WALTHERSON IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION MEETINGS

Tuesday, March 14th 2017, @ 7:00 PM
At the Senior Center (4920 Harford Road)

Get Involved Join WIA today! March 2017

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voice heard in the community.

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top of what is happening in your neighborhood.
Recycling every Tuesday!
Please complete the form below and send with Trash every Thursday!
your payment to: Bulk Trash (Call 311 to schedule)

Waltherson Improvement Association Street Sweeping

5807 Harford Road 3rd Wednesday Even Sides
Baltimore, MD 21214 4th Wednesday Odd Sides

Waltherson Membership/Renewal Form:

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Address: ________________________________ Please Specify: Renewal New
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*Paper mailings are for our elderly and disabled members; please choose this option only if needed.
 The Walthersonian March 2017
Community Meeting Tuesday, March 14, 7:00 PM, Senior Center (4920 Harford)
Agenda:
John Kovacevich (new owner of Everest Liquors 4924-26 Harford Rd)
Will discuss his plans for the Everest Liquor store at Harford & Ailsa
We will vote to support or oppose the liquor license transfer
Baltimore Light City Hamilton-Lauraville Mainstreet
Plans and workshops of local Light City Baltimore events will be presented.

Presidents Letter
Happy Spring Waltherson! We have a lot going on in March. We will be joining with our neighbors in the Lauraville
Improvement Association for a joint presentation on March 14 th at 7:00 PM at the senior center at 4920 Harford Rd to discuss
plans for the Everest Liquor store at Harford & Ailsa that recently sold. John Kovacevich, one of the new owners, approached us
and is hoping that we will write a letter of support for the liquor license transfer. He tells us his plans are to expand the liquor
store into the pink storefront at 4926 Harford Road. They plan to remove the bullet proof glass and create a more inviting
storefront. After the presentation, WIA members will separate and have a vote to support or oppose the license transfer at our
meeting. If you are interested in voting, please make sure your dues are current before the meeting; you will not be able to join
and vote that evening. If you are unsure of your membership status or have any questions, please dont hesitate to reach out.

In other business news, we understand Alessis gas station at Harford & Southern has been sold to Carroll Oil. Red Canoe was
mentioned in the Baltimore Sun as one of the best outdoor dining experiences in the city. Clementine got a great review in the
Baltimore Sun last month. Aldi is investing 1.6 billion into upgrading their stores to compete better with Whole Foods & Trader
Joes, a move that is welcome news for the Gardenville Belair Road business district.

On March 8 th, Councilman Brandon Scott will host a chat & chew event at Franks Pizza in Overlea (6620 Belair Rd). If you
would like to attend, please RSVP at http://bit.ly/2ndchatandchew. On March 16 th, Councilman Ryan Dorsey will be hosting a
town hall for the 3 rd district at the Graves School of Business & Management (4100 Hillen Rd) in auditorium room 104 from 7-
8:30 PM. Lawrence Grandpre from Leaders for a Beautiful Struggle, Liz Cornish from Bikemore, and Frank Patinella from the
ACLU will be guest speakers.

We had a fantastic happy hour fundraiser at Clementine in February and are thrilled at everyone who came out and helped
support us. We are planning another fundraiser at Silver Queen in March on the 15th, just go to their yelp page and make a
reservation for March 15 th and mention Waltherson when you pay your bill. 10% of the bill will go to support the Waltherson
Improvement Association. Again, these funds will help us put on our annual cookout that were tentatively targeting for June
this year.

Weve partnered with Live Baltimore and are thrilled to host their next City Living Starts Here tour. Please share the info with
anyone you know looking for a new home. The event will be held at Faith Community Church (5315 Harford Rd) on Saturday,
March 25 th from 11 AM to 1 PM and will feature a 30-minute walking tour of the Waltherson neighborhood. You can register at
the link below.

Finally, were talking about the 2017 season for the Unity Urban Garden on Southern Ave. Were planning to register the site
for the Mayors Spring Cleanup on Saturday, April 29 th from 9 AM to 1 PM and have a quick discussion about maintaining the
garden for the 2017 growing season after the cleanup.
Kind Regards,
Robert J. Walshe, WIA president
president@waltherson.org | 443.939.6243

Local News:
Pigtown [&Hamilton Hills] featured on HGTVs House Hunters - https://goo.gl/0llRcr
Top 10 Outdoor Dining Spots at Baltimore Restaurants - https://goo.gl/OXlxUq
Baltimore Suns Clementine Review - https://goo.gl/87ZDgt
Aldi Spending 1.6b to upgrade stores to be more Whole Foods-esque https://goo.gl/ngEAWZ
RSVP for Brandon Scotts chat & chew online at http://bit.ly/2ndchatandchew

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Upcoming Neighborhood Events:
March
3rd First Friday Art Crawl
8th Councilman Brandon Scotts Chat & Chew @ Franks Pizza (6620 Belair Rd) 6 PM
14th Waltherson & LIA Community Meeting - Senior Center (4920 Harford Rd) 7PM
15th Waltherson Night @ Silver Queen
o Call the restaurant and reserve a table and mention Waltherson to join.
o Mention Waltherson when you pay that evening and 10% will go to WIA.
16 3rd District Town Hall Morgan Graves School of Business & Management
th

o 4100 Hillen Rd in Auditorium Room 104 @ 7 PM

25th City Living Starts Here Faith Community (5315 Harford Road) 11am-1pm
o For prospective home buyers
25th Wockenfuss Factory Tour 6831 Harford Road 9 AM 4 PM

At the Pratt
Book Discussions:
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
o Thurs, 3/16 6-7:30 PM
Movies
Shallows Monday, 3/13 @ 4 PM
Max Steel - Monday, 3/27 @ 4 PM
Adults
Yoga 3/7, 3/14, 3/21, 3/28, 4/4, 4/11, 4/18, 4/25 @ 11:30 12:30 PM
Mindful Meditation 3/1, 3/8, 3/15, 3/22, 3/29, 4/5, 4/12, 4/19, 4/26 @ 12:30-1:15 PM
Sit and Keep Healthy 3/4, 3/11, 3/25 @ 10:30-11 AM
Programs for Children:
Bedtime Stories Thursday 12/1 @ 6:30 PM
Mother Goose Baby Steps Wednesdays @ 10 AM
Preschool Leaps Wednesdays @ 11 AM
Lego Tuesdays Tuesdays 3/7, 3/14, 3/21, 3/28, 4/4, 4/11, 4/18, 4/25 @ 3:30 PM
Live Action Coding Mondays 3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24 @ 3:30 PM
o Coding with paper and people. Set up a sequence and see who can do it. Challenge
your friends!
Trap that Leprechaun! - Thursday, 3/16 @ 3:30 PM
o Build a leprechaun trap and see what you can catch.
o Paper Airplanes Thursdays 3/23, 4/27 @ 3:30 PM
o How far can you make it fly?
Just for Teens
Teen Game Day Wednesdays 3/8, 3/22, 4/5, 4/19 @ 3:30 PM
Wii Wednesday Wednesday 3/15, 3/29, 4/12, 4/26 @ 3:30 PM
Bingo Tuesdays Tuesdays 3/7, 3/14, 4/4, 4/11 @ 3:30 PM
Makerspace Monday Mondays 3/6, 3/20, 4/10, 4/24 @ 6 PM

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Wockenfuss Factory 6831 Harford Road

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March 25: Our next City Living Starts Here $5,000 Incentive Event!
About to become a
homeowner, just
curious, or working
through the home
buying process?

Our City Living Starts

Here Incentive Event
on Saturday, March 25,
11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m.
at Faith Community
Church is the place to
be! Its your next
chance to learn the ins
and outs of home-
buying and become
eligible for $5,000 in
down payment and
closing cost assistance
from Baltimore
Housing.

City Living Starts Here

is an easy, enjoyable
event geared towards
helping you purchase a
home in the city:

Become
eligible and
learn how to
apply for the
$5,000 City
Living Starts Here incentive
Take a narrated walking tour of the beautiful and spacious Waltherson neighborhood
Meet neighborhood associations, real estate agents, and lenders who can answer questions and
help you find the perfect home and mortgage

Faith Community Church, 5315 Harford Road, Baltimore, Maryland 21214

Preregister online! Children under 10 are free.

https://livebaltimore.com/events/details/5000-incentive-tours/#.WK9Dt39KY-l

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Waltherson Dinner Night

at Silver Queen Cafe

Enjoy a Fantastic Dinner and Help Support Your Friendly

Neighborhood Waltherson Association
The Waltherson Improvement Association will be having a dinner fund raiser at Silver Queen in March.
Help us raise money to hold our annual cookout in late spring. Come on out, enjoy a delicious meal,
meet your neighbors, and help support the neighborhood!
1.) Reserve a table on Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/silver-queen-cafe-baltimore
2.) Mention Waltherson when paying your bill and 10% will go to WIA.

Wednesday, March 15th

Silver Queen, 5429 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD 21214 | 443-345-2020

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Waltherson History
This is a picture that was shared in the Baltimore Old Photos
Facebook group. It's an ad for the Strand movie theatre in the
400 block of N. Howard St 100 years ago provided by the new
arts collective called Le Mondo that is working to create a
performance space in the 400 block of North Howard St.

The theatre was showing a film called The Great Secret staring
Francis X. Bushman (unfortunately now lost). Francis X. Bushman
grew up at what is now Walther & Gibbons in today's Waltherson
neighborhood. He was among the highest paid film actors and
was advertised as the Handsomest Man in the World. (1)

He "posed for the statue of Cecilius Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, outside the the Mitchell Courthouse on St.
Paul Street." When Ben Hur was remade, Chuck Heston was quoted as saying The only man in Hollywood who can
drive a chariot is Francis X. Bushman, and he's too old! (2)

1.) https://www.britannica.com/biography/Francis-X-Bushman
2.) http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks-blog/bal-remembering-a-long-ago-
ben-hur-bad-guy-from-baltimore-20160818-story.html

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Mutt Mart (2904 Hamilton Ave)

Eat & drink for a wonderful, philanthropic cause: The Buddy Foundation of Maryland. Delicious food and refreshing
drinks will be available for donations to Buddy Foundation from 5 - 8pm Friday March 3rd.

The Buddy Foundation of Maryland offers a financial resource for dog-owners in need of help with their canine
companion's urgent care expenses. Since 2011, we've provided support for many families struggling to find ways to
save their faithful friends when they are without the financial means to do so. The foundation will continue to
serve in an effort to save canine lives by helping to eradicate economic euthanasia and honoring the special bond
between dog and owner.

Red Canoe (4337 Harford Rd)

Join us for March's First First. We are open for dinner from 6-9pm. New menu items
plus complimentary wine. Also, we will be featuring artwork by the lovely and
talented Ana Mosher! See you then :-)

Clementine (5402 Harford Road)

While taking in all the First Friday fun with your family, stop in & enjoy an authentic
Clementine dinner. And don't forget to grab a nice glass of wine, craft beer, or
signature cocktail - you seriously deserve it, Mom & Dad!

In an effort to support our community, Clementine will donate $1 of all spirits sold
between 5-8 PM to our neighborhood city school - Hamilton Elementary Middle School (HEMS #236). Specifically,
to The Hamilton Green Club, which is composed of 27 students in grades pre-K through 7th grade. Meetings occur
weekly and generally include an Environmental Education lesson, followed by a hands-on activity in the schoolyard
garden.

Hamilton's history of sustainability started approx. eight years ago. At that time, HEMS launched an ambitious
effort to transform a massive asphalt lot into a green space that now features open green space for recess and
sports play, two outdoor classrooms one for students in pre-k to 2nd grade and one for students in 3rd to 8th
grade, a fruit orchard, a 2,000 square foot and 900 square foot native pollinator garden, a 120 square foot living
roof, 3 compost tumblers, 4 static compost piles, 7 indoor vermiculture bins, 350 gallons worth of rain barrels, 14
student run raised vegetable beds, and a chicken coop that is home to four Hamiltons hens. Let's help keep this
valuable club sustainable in our community! Every little bit helps!!

And don't forget to head over to Hamilton Gallery for the HEMS Art Show Opening Friday night!
* Reservations recommended*
https://www.opentable.com/r/clementine-reservations-baltimore?restref=350146&lang=en
http://hamiltonelementarymiddleschool.weebly.com/

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Hamilton Gallery (5502 Harford Rd) March 3-19, 2017 www.hamiltonarts.org

Hamilton Gallery is proud to present the 11th Annual Student Art Exhibition featuring student art work
from Hamilton Gallerys neighboring schools: City Neighbors, St. Francis of Assisi, Hamilton
Elementary/Middle, Sudbury Arts and Ideas, & Garrett Heights Elementary/Middle

Opening Reception First Friday, March 3, 2017 4-8pm

Gallery hours
Fridays 4 - 8pm
Saturdays noon - 8pm
Sundays 11am - 3pm

An update on the Harford Road Bridge from Councilman Ryan Dorsey

So whats the story?

Back in the early 2000s the project was kicked

off by Baltimore City Department of
Transportation. It is widely believed/understood
that the project was shortly after halted as to
not impede then Mayor Martin OMalleys
commute from his home on Walther Boulevard
to City Hall. But by this time Federal funding
requests had already been made and
engineering plans were contracted to Whitman,
Requardt & Associates, LLP. The bridge was was
90+ years old and had been built for a 70 year
life expectancy, and by this time its structural
rating had dropped below 50%, which made it
eligible for Federal funding for 80% of the work.
It would not be repaired because it would cost enormously more than replacement and not make sense given the
benefits of new construction.

The funding model did not change over time, but it did have a time limit of ten years, after which it would have to
be reapplied for, even though funding would still be be automatic, given that plans, documentation, and up -to-
date requirements were submitted and met. The project reached that ten-year limit, and in the meantime several
things had transpired.

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The Environmental Protection Agency created new guidelines for storm water retention. This meant the original
plans had to be amended and additional ma terials and labor would be required. Baltimore City Recreation & Parks
realized that during the duration of the construction the underpass to the bridge, which serves the purpose of
connecting the North and South sides of the multi-use path, would be inaccessible for recreational purposes. This
meant an additional bridge had to be designed and built just for that. This cost more money. Baltimore City DoT,
the party responsible for the project, learned that it would have to repay Rec & Parks for damages and impacts to
the areas immediately adjacent to the bridge, which would be used as the construction zone. This added more
money to the budget.

This all added value to the project and the community, but also meant a new budget had to be drawn and
submitted to the federal government, along with revised plans that Whitman, Requardt & Associates thought it
was reasonable to get paid to produce, since they had done more than they had been paid for already over the
course of about thirteen years. That funding would have to be approved by the Board of Estimates.

Oh, and one more thing Baltimore Gas & Electric renegotiated its contract for rental of the Citys conduit system.
What does this have to do with anything? While the City was trying to get BGE to pay something closer to market
value for the use of our conduit system all over the City, which it had not been doing by any means, the City
realized that BGE also hadnt been paying a franchise fee for its own infrastructure for the last twenty years or so.
What does that mean? Franchise fees are paid to the City by private entities for certain land uses, like building a
college campus bridge over top of a City street, or erecting telephone poles and running wires along them, or
burying gas lines under the Citys roadways and through public spaces like parks.

When the City realized that the gas line that runs parallel to the bridge was one of these things BGE should be
paying a franchise fee to have, the City said basically, We need you to move that gas line so we can tear down and
rebuild this bridge. Oh, and by the way youre gonna start paying us a franchise fee for it, and well work out the
other thousands of miles youre not paying us for later. BGE was like, Nah. You want it moved, not us. Well just
leave it right where it is and not pay you anything. Plus, we have this agreement with the City from 200 years ago,
more-or-less to the date. It says we can run anything anywhere we want, forever, for the purpose of gas lighting.
Then a smart and sassy lawyer for the City was like, We dont contest that. Let us know where all this gas lighting
is youre doing. Were cool with that. But when it comes to other gas purposes and electrical, yall gonna pay up.
Then BGE just dragged its feet until the conduit negotiations were done, and maybe used the whole franchise fee
situation and projects like this bridge as leverage along the way.

Ok, where were we? On January 25, 2017, The Board of Estimates approved payment of additional money to
Whitman, Requardt & Associates, LPP to finish the plans. The project will go to bid with contractors as soon as the
plans are ready, though no work can commence on the bridge until BGE has finished relocation of the gas line. This
is about when federal funding applications will be submitted again.

Shortly after that, BGE and Rec & Parks agreed on a right-of-entry. This means BGE has permission to relocate their
gas line into the area known as Hall Spring, within the guidelines of a metes -and-bounds survey provided to them
by Rec & Parks. BGE is being encouraged to commence work expeditiously.

On February 25, 2017, an area resident walking under the bridge witnessed a slab of concrete fall from the
underside of one of the bridges arches. No one was injured, but this is scary as hell.

Many times concerns have been raised about the integrity of the bridge, voicing uncertainty about the safety of
pedestrians under, and cars above, the bridge. This has again been brought up with Rec & Parks and DOT. We
expect to hear very shortly from them as to plans to close the bridge at either or both the top and/or bottom.

See https://www.facebook.com/HarfordRoadBridge/ for more information.

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Help restore the Hamilton Clock!

https://secure.qgiv.com/for/hlmsdc/

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NECOP Northeast Citizens on Patrol

In Northeast Baltimore we have a district wide Citizens on Patrol program called NECOP. The reasoning behind the
COP program is that regular neighborhood patrols can make criminals feel uncomfortable and drive them out of
our neighborhood. Communities wi th regular NECOP patrols, such as the North Harford neighborhood, also see
significantly less crime than communities with inactive patrols.

Participants meet at the Northeast Police station at 1900 Argonne Drive near Morgan State and an officer will give
you a direct number to keep them in contact with the Police. You would then proceed to patrol the neighborhood
in your car. Patrols normally go out each Thursday and Friday from about 7:30 - 10:30. Anyone interested in the
Citizens on Patrol program, please contact Rob at Robert.walshe@gmail.com

Our sincere thanks to Walthersons sponsors:

Proud Member of:

WIA Volunteers
Officers:
st nd
President 1 Vice 2 Vice Secretary Treasurer Parliamentarian Sergeant At-Large
President President at Arms Member
Robert Frank Jessica Ben Dave Ally Lisa Hom Francis Irona
Walshe Williams Feldt McKenzie Beane Thompson
Standing Committees and Representatives:
Housing Traffic Schools & Harford Road Garden Sign & Digital Outreach Police Liaison /
Child Advocacy CRP Rep. Projects & NECOP
Communications Chairman
Robert Walshe, Terrye Jessica Feldt Main: Sue Kessel Ron Derr Robert Walshe, Sam Kimani
Sue Kessel, Muratore Alt: Rob Walshe Jessica Feldt
Frank Williams

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