Skip to main content

Anniversary

On February 14th, 2013, the CA Board voted to approve the concept plan for what was then known as the Inner Arbor plan for Symphony Woods. Here's the article from the HoCo Times. I was eating at an outdoor restaurant along the Riverwalk in San Antonio and following the live tweeting from the meeting. I was, quite possibly, the worst dinner guest ever.

At the time I saw the vote as a vital and positive turning point in the direction that our community was going to take. I'm still convinced it was vital and positive. But nothing is ever a complete and total turning point, is it? There will be push back, and criticism, and attempts to change direction. There will be struggle. The intent to move forward came with it those whose intent was to slow that movement to a halt.

This Spring, on Earth Day, the first phase of the Merriweather Park in Symphony Woods will open: the Chrysalis. I'll be there. I'm hoping this will be more than a celebration of accomplishment. I'm hoping that the joy of this day will be inspiring. Contagious, even. As members of our community experience the beauty of this space becoming a reality, the concept of the park can become more than drawings and proposals: the park is real. The possibilities are real. The joy of this park belongs to the community. The opening of the Chrysalis is not the end of the story.

It is just the beginning.

Mark your calendars for a Saturday, April 22nd.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...