When the leadership of our association chose to change the name from the Mount Royal Improvement Association to Bolton Hill Community Association in 2018, it was about much more than changing some words. It was a recognition of what had happened in the past with an eye to the future. With that refocused foundation, we have been and will continue to partner with Madison Park, Marble Hill and Reservoir Hill to enhance the quality of life for our greater neighborhood.
There are upcoming events in that greater neighborhood that will get us together, including the recent Green Streets Arts Festival, the Family Potluck at Sumpter Park (June 29), the Arts in the Parks concerts beginning in July, the Crab Feast in August, and our annual Festival on the Hill, a tradition since 1955 (Oct. 5).
Zoning and land use issues that we are watching include Pedestal Gardens apartments, the closed Eutaw Marshburn school, State Center, the Save-A-Lot shopping center and Corpus Christi Church. We are keeping an eye on the Amtrak Frederick Douglass Tunnel Community Investment Program to pursue capital projects in the greater neighborhood. There are transportation and traffic challenges we need to watch. And we will continue to work with our partners in Madison Park, Marble Hill and Reservoir Hill.
The overriding issue for us now is safety and security. Jim Prost, Elizabeth Peters, John Timson and Ben Meiselman are working on a crime survey so that when we meet with the Baltimore police we have as many facts as we can garner. In addition, Jim Prost and I will be meeting with the vice president of security at MICA, Eric Souza at Midtown Community Benefits District, and Baltimore City School Police to determine what resources they have and what can be done for better communication between them and the Baltimore Police Department.
I would ask you to remember that the BHCA board members are all volunteers and BHCA is not 911 nor 311. We have a talented team of neighbors who are keen to make the greater neighborhood a better place to live for our children, grandchildren, and ourselves. Please consider asking your neighbors about becoming a member of the Bolton Hill Community Association.
If there is anything you would like to help with, please let me know: pres@boltonhillmd.org. I look forward to working with you.
–Lee Tawney was elected BHCA’s president at the association’s annual meeting on May 7.
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