Hello all,
Coming at you with the Meeting Recap from September 14, 2020, on Recycling in Baltimore City and Voting in the upcoming Presidential Election. Scroll down to view full digital recording of the September Community Meeting.
Announcements
November voting: Are you registered yet? Did you request your mail-in ballot? Not sure where to start? Check out this handy guide from Delegate Brooke Lierman’s office. Contact Del. Lierman for assistance: brooke.lierman@house.state.md.us.
Grab-and-Go Food at William Paca Elementary: We are looking for volunteers to help us give out food boxes (meat, dairy, and produce), and diapers on Wednesdays, from September 30 until October 28 at William Paca Elementary School. Address is 200 N. Lakewood Ave. Help is needed beginning at 10:00am to assist with delivery and set up. Distribution will start at 11:00am and continue until 2:00pm, or until all products are gone. For more information, or to sign up to volunteer, contact Cheryl Bryant, Community School Coordinator at 443-648-5748 or cheryl@southeastcdc.org.
Committee Happenings
Sustainability: What does “sustainability” mean to you? What would you like to see from PPNA to support you with sustainable living habits? How would you like to be involved with recycling, composting, reducing waste, planting trees, reducing water, or any other sustainable living efforts in our neighborhood? Let us know on this google form. Contact Allison Blood for more info: sustainability@pattersonparkneighbors.org.
Economic Development: Do you have an Etsy shop, cottage industry, brick-and-mortar store, or home-based business in the neighborhood? We’re compiling the 2nd Annual Hyperlocal Gift Guide that will showcase small, locally-owned, and independent businesses of Southeast Baltimore. We'll have it ready before the holiday shopping season so people can find the perfect present or gift card and support other neighbors in the process. If you'd like your product or service to be considered for the guide, let us know on this google form. Contact Megan Doyle Sappington for more info: econdev@pattersonparkneighbors.org.
Greening: Thanks to Daniel Chevez and the Greening Committee for hosting the first Greening Happy Hour on the 100 block of N Potomac! The event on September 11 was great fun, and very informative. Keep an eye out for future events like this; we will focus on greening our blocks, maintaining the tree pits, and cleaning and weeding. Follow PPNA Greening on Instagram or Facebook; get in touch at greening@pattersonparkneighbors.org.
Guests
Brandon Scott, Baltimore City Council President
Brandon is the current Baltimore City Council President and Democratic Mayoral Nominee.
Regarding recycling: Brandon has been in touch with the head of DPW regarding the decision to suspend recycling across Baltimore City. This is a tough decision that impacts us all, city-wide. The city is working to make sure that workers have the appropriate PPE for handling waste, and that we are communicating with the appropriate contractors and parties to restart recycling pick up safely as soon as possible. We are also continuing to spread the word to our neighbors and breakdown information silos, as best we can, since not all Baltimore City residents received the news about recycling suspension.
Regarding violence: We know that most guns available in Baltimore City are being trafficked into Baltimore. A lot of our city-wide violence is a small group of people, directed at a small group of people. We are working to understand how violence manifests in this way, so that we can make appropriate investments in infrastructure and education to help reduce violence. We are committed to a focused deterrence model as a violence reduction strategy. We are working to establish regional-level partnerships to help with identifying our most violent offenders. We are situated within Baltimore City within the larger context of Maryland state and the mid-Atlantic region to help with the systemic factors that contribute to violence in Baltimore City.
Regarding COVID-19 response: the Health Commissioner and Health Department continue to work on safety and best practices in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The financial burden of COVID-19 on Baltimore City has been less than anticipated, which is good. The Slow Streets program is one way that we are working to make outside spaces safer for pedestrians and social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, but we will need to be creative about our COVID-19 response as we head into the winter months.
Regarding the mayoral race: Brandon prioritizes rebuilding infrastructure within Baltimore City government so that we create a foundation for our city to move forward. For example, we plan to hire a City Administrator, improve electronic systems such as 311/911/water billing/procurement, implement a comprehensive violence reduction and prevention plan, and advocate for municipal broadband to help combat the digital divide. We will have a plan to systematically rebuild and reframe city-wide priorities under Brandon’s leadership, because right now there are gaps in Housing, Department of Public Works, City Administrator, Office of Equity and Civil Rights Administration, etc.
Regarding water affordability: We need to make improvements and pass legislation quickly and judiciously. We are working on getting the water affordability act passed into legislation.
Regarding neighborhood associations: We are going to push city government to be more community-oriented and more community-grounded. It will be important to make sure that the neighborhoods work together, and there is accountability for city government staff to deliver services equitably across neighborhoods. Under Brandon’s leadership, we will implement a more active office of neighborhoods, with staff dedicated to building relationships with neighborhood leaders and neighborhood residents.
Contact Brandon: CouncilPresident@baltimorecity.gov
Mike Ball, 46th District Baltimore City Democratic Central Committee
The State Board of Elections website has the most up-to-date information about voting in Maryland for the 2020 General Election: www.elections.maryland.gov/elections/2020.
Mail-in ballots are available to all Maryland voters by request. Voter drop-boxes will be located around the city for conveniently returning your mail-in ballot. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are encouraging all Maryland voters to request your mail-in ballot as early as possible.
Once you receive your ballot, make sure you:
Fill it out in black ink only.
Sign the back of your envelope with your signature.
Return your ballot in the provided envelope, which is prepaid. No stamp necessary.
Once you mail-in your ballot or drop it in a dropbox, you can go online to check the status of your ballot.
It will be important to vote as early as possible, through mail-in ballots or through early voting. If you plan to vote in-person, it will be important to follow COVID-19 safety protocols regarding face coverings and social distancing.
Important dates:
October 13: Deadline to register to vote and update your voter registration
October 20: Deadline to request a mail-in ballot
October 26-November 2: In-person voting will take place at 80 early voting centers across Maryland.
November 3: Polls will be open from 7:00a-8:00p on Election Day at 350 voting centers across Maryland. The drop-boxes will be open for you to drop your mail-in ballot as well.
Community Conversations on Suspension of Recycling in Baltimore City
Larry Nunley is our Community Liaison for Baltimore City Department of Public Works. Our community drop-off locations for recycling have extended hours through November. Contact Larry with your questions or concerns: larry.nunley@baltimorecity.gov or call/text 443-615-2626.
We recognize that neighbors may feel frustrated or confused about the news of DPW suspending recycling services. We are here to help! Allison Blood and the Sustainability Committee are working through community-oriented solutions to make the best of this situation. Please communicate with your neighbors who may not be on social media, those who may not have English as their first language, or those who may have mobility issues with accessing drop-off recycling locations so that we can continue to support. Contact Allison at sustainability@pattersonparkneighbors.org.
The nearest drop-off recycling location to PPNA is the DPW Maritime Operations Facility, 3311 Eastbourne Avenue. Pedestrians welcome! Or you may arrive by car.
Click here for more information about drop-off recycling locations throughout the city.
Thanks also to the PPNA Sustainability Committee and the partnership with Wheelaborator Baltimore for bringing two recycling dumpsters to our neighborhood on October 3! The two recycling dumpsters were located at (1) Fairmount and Potomac and (2) Fairmount and Montford, and they filled up quickly. We really appreciate your support in continuing to find creative solutions for helping our neighbors to continue to recycle.
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