Skip to main content

Community Starter Kit



Sometimes I save photographs for what seems like no good reason. Often it’s purely because it reminds me of something else. This one may have been a listing for materials in Facebook marketplace.



But, to me, it bore a resemblance to another photo that grabbed my attention a year or so ago. This one:



And that photo put me in mind of this.


Architect’s/Artist’s rendering of Columbia’s Lakefront Library


Columbia/HoCo’s Current Obsession, Village Green/Town², May 4, 2023

I've been pondering whether that first photo…




 …was possibly a “starter kit” for the Lakefront Library. (Think IKEA but without the Allen wrenches.) I was wrong. A press release yesterday from County Executive Calvin Ball shifted my focus. 

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball Announces Advancement of New Cultural Center in Downtown Columbia, HoCo Gov, 11/12/2024

The New Cultural Center will be an exciting epicenter for dynamic visual and performing arts, not only for Downtown Columbia but throughout our county and region. Building upon the legacy of Toby’s Dinner Theatre, this new public amenity will bring together arts, culture, education, and recreation opportunities for residents of all incomes and ages. Furthermore, the inclusion of critical workforce housing in this project will add to Downtown Columbia’s appeal as a place where people of all incomes can live, work, play, grow, and thrive. 

Calvin Ball, Howard County Executive

A new cultural center is a part of the Downtown Plan. So is a new Downtown library. Neither of these things are new ideas and there have been plenty of meetings, plans drawn up, written documentation, council hearings, you name it. Do I believe it will get community support? After what happened with the library: no. 

Please note: I am not saying that it shouldn’t happen. I’m saying that I’ve honestly become so jaded about how things are playing out with the Downtown Plan that I don’t even want to get emotionally invested in it. Already the announcement on the Howard County Government Facebook page has atttracted the usual naysayers (dare I say trolls?) decrying an arts center as a vanity project. 

Their demands? Spending is to be limited to schools, law enforcement, fire protection and infrastructure.

If this sounds familiar, it probably because it’s the same sort of mindset that motivates decisions to decimate humanities programs.(Remember that?) 

Studying topics within the humanities (this includes the arts, remember) provides us with the tools to think creatively and critically, to reason, and ask questions. Additionally, it fosters the ability to look at things from different points of view, which, in turn, develops empathy. All of these things are crucial in becoming active and informed in civic engagement. They contribute to building better informed and more consistent voters plus they are strong motivators for community engagement and volunteering. F ³: The Numbers May Shock You!, Village Green/Town² October 2024

Libraries that offer many and varied opportunities/services and arts centers that combine arts, culture, education, and recreation are valuable parts of community life.  I might even suggest that they are vital infrastructure. It’s possible I am not alone in this thinking because our community chose both of these things to be included in Columbia’s Downtown Plan. 

There are those who think that if even one developer is in a room that it contaminates the entire proceedings. I don’t think I will be changing their minds here. Still, I think it’s worthwhile to note that members of community were a part of this process, too and they wanted the library and the arts center included in the plan. And both are amenities which will be accessible to anyone, county-wide.

What was the point of making a downtown plan then if we are only going to accomplish the parts that don’t irritate anyone now? 

If we limit spending to “schools, law enforcement, fire protection and infrastructure” we may make our trolls happy. But, as a community, we will be sadder, less empowered, less engaged, and stupider.

What a thing to be clamoring for. 




*****

Today in Local HoCo gift giving: how about tickets to a performance by a HoCo Local performing arts group? 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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...
1 comment
Read more

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...
1 comment
Read more

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...
1 comment
Read more