What I Did Last Night

I don’t always write blog posts. Sometimes I write letters. This one went out last night to all the members of the Howard County Delegation.

Subject: Support the Arts and Vote Yes on Bond Bill 05-19

My name is Julia McCready and I live in Columbia, Maryland in District 13. I am asking you to support Howard County Bond Request 05-19 for $250,000 towards the Butterfly Guest Services Building and Visual Arts Museum. I support the Inner Arbor Trust developing Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods into a center for arts and culture.

I have advocated for Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods since the beginning of the Inner Arbor Plan. I have written letters, blog posts, and appeared at public meetings over and over again to support the creation of an arts and culture park in the heart of Columbia/Howard County. I have attended a variety of events in the Park, and I volunteer my time in the summer to present dance parties for young children on the Chrysalis Stage. I’m a parent, a teacher, a community activist, and a supporter of the arts.

People should not have to leave town to experience the arts. We have a responsibility to our community to fulfill the Inner Arbor’s promise as an arts park for all our citizens. Some, like the medically fragile young girl who came out to dance accompanied by her service dog, and the special needs adult in a wheelchair with her companion, may not always be welcomed or accommodated in traditional arts environments. But they were more than welcome to be themselves in the Park this past summer.

Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods is more than the Chrysalis. The Trust has raised money for and is building a pathway network, and is working on the Butterfly Building - with much-needed bathrooms as well as visual arts space. Howard County deserves this type of amenity and regional attraction. Supporting this bond request supports the arts, but it also supports businesses in Downtown Columbia as the Park is an attraction to keep people coming to Downtown Columbia.

Please vote yes for this $250,000 bond bill to help the Trust continue to bring arts to Downtown Columbia.

*****

I hear that the vote will be this morning. I’m hoping for the best for our community. Think some good thoughts, won’t you?

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