Village Green/Town²

I know I promised a bit of homegrown analysis on the Verona Apartments issue this morning, but it will have to wait. I just read this morning's post by HowChow, and you need to, too.   This poem immediately came to mind. (from the poem, A Happy Childhood , by William Matthews) It turns out you are the story of your childhood and you’re under constant revision, like a lonely folktale whose invisible folks are all the selves you’ve been, lifelong, shadows in fog, grey glimmers at dusk. And each of these selves had a childhood it traded for love and grudged to give away, now lost irretrievably, in storage like a set of dishes from which no food, no Cream of Wheat, no rabbit in mustard sauce, nor even a single raspberry, can be eaten until the afterlife, which is only childhood in its last disguise, all radiance or all humiliation, and so it is forfeit a final time. In fact it was awful, you think, or why sh...

Let me offer my thanks once more to Jeanne Lay who allowed me to use her letter as the basis of yesterday's blog post. She reached out to me by email on Oct 22, at 4:26 PM, and not 24 hours later (October 23, at 7:45 am) I received an email from my councilman, Calvin Ball, sharing the following information from the County. Both were serendipitous and unrelated. Some times life just works that way. It's a little long, but I think you'll find it's worth the read. *** Verona at Oakland Mills FAQ s Q: What is happening at Verona at Oakland Mills? A: Verona at Oakland Mills is a 251-unit apartment complex in Columbia that became available for sale by current owner ship in May . The Howard County Housing Commission entered into a contract to purchase and oversee operat ions of the complex , and complete d the transaction in October 2013 . Q: Who will manage the property? A: The Housing Commission intends to maintain the current management firm for at leas...

Today's post, about the purchase of the Verona Apartments by the County, comes from fellow OMMS parent Jeanne Lay. I asked her if I could share it because I was impressed with the positive tone and giving spirit that her letter communicates. It is possible to ask questions in a way that speaks to shared goals and values. This piece is an excellent example of what that means. *** I recently read in a community email communication, The Baltimore Sun, and the Columbia Flyer that the Verona Apartment complex in the Oakland Mills Village of Columbia, Maryland is being purchased by the County. I’m interested in learning more about the plans for these apartments. While I’m unfamiliar with strategic planning for apartment complexes, there are some things that I do know about the Oakland Mills community: • We are trying to build a stronger, more healthy and vibrant community. • Our Village Center offers many amenities to serve the local population. From “Lively Arts for the Litt...

It started with a question* on Facebook. Parent A: Parents of 7th grade kids in GT Algebra in Howard County, do your kids have and use a textbook in their class? Curious. Parent B: Hmmm... Parent C: I'm interested in any responses you receive. Just had a conversation with the teacher this morning, and it was of value. She did point me to IXL.com to view the curricula, and we discussed several things. I'm happy to share if you're interested. Parent D: Same answer you got from G. - L. has one but they don't use it because it doesn't align with Common Core. Parent A: UGH! WTH?! Same with G. I have a big problem with bringing out a new curriculum without supporting and student-friendly resources. G's class is "making their own textbooks" in their notebooks. Yeah. Great plan. Thank god for Khan Academy and a husband with math sense. Makes me want to spit. Parent B: My husband is the go-to for this stuff, thank heavens. Ugh. Parent E: The b...

In trying to import some material for a Guest Post today, I ended up with an exciting collage of text over text, and Bloggsy doesn't appear to have an "undo" button. So that will have to wait until I can straighten it out.   Instead, here's a potpourri of HoCoBlog choices that I have read over the last week that I think you might enjoy. I try to go the page frequently and pick out posts by bloggers with whom I am less familiar. That's how I discovered From the Scratchpad of an Urban Bushwoman , now one of my favorites. She writes this week about the Fall Health Care Enrollment Festival at HCC. In the first-time read category (read by me, that is) is J K Squared Blog warning us how our "Likes" may be used on Facebook. It's stuff I kind of knew already but definitely needed the reminder. I have recently started reading the blog " Away from the Things of Man ." It's a surprising choice for me. The writer is unlike me in many, ma...

Introducing-- You Have the Power: Recipe for Rebellion ( A new game for adults with ambition) Rules of Play: you are in charge of making a major change that will have an impact on others. Draw a Power Play Card to determine your mission.* *Sample Missions: --Build a County park adjacent to a residential neighborhood, --Reforest Open Space land to cut down on runoff and mowing costs, --Design a new plan for an old park, --Buy property to support affordable housing initiatives Let's begin! 1. Make a list of things to be changed. Then, Involve the public in the process Or not-- Involving the public is time-consuming. 2. Finalize a list of things that will change. Then, Communicate them with the public. Or not-- Communicating with the public is fraught with pitfalls. 3. Uh oh! People are up in arms about the change Draw a Full a Email Box Penalty Card. Then, Answer their emails. Or not-- If you don't ...

Co nflict. Everyone has got some conflict in his or her life. Individuals, families, groups, communities, local, state, national, international...you name it. When human beings have differing points of view, the resulting clash is conflict. Certainly there are degrees of disagreement. There can be a general sense of agreement where the parties are just hammering out some pesky details, all the way to full blown warfare. So, there will be conflict. What happens after that is up to us. Here are some local conflicts that are on my mind today: Howard County Schools intend to administer the MSA's this year even though they will not assess what the students are actually learning. Many parents, myself included, object. Howard County moves to purchase the Verona Apartments in Oakland Mills. Some residents voice serious misgivings. The State of Maryland implements a fee system to deal with the polluting effects of storm water on the Chesapeake bay. Allan Kittleman (and others) ca...