Scene This Week In…

It’s always easy to criticize the big dog media like the Columbia Flier, sometimes just because they are the big dog. I try to avoid throwing bricks at their minor indiscretions and hold my shots for the big stuff.

This week is one of those occasions where I think that hurling a brick at the Flier editorial board is well deserved. In this editorial about the troubled Wilde Lake Village Center last week, the paper giant wrote that “the longer shops sit vacant, the more the center will become a breeding ground for vermin and crime.”

It made me wonder if anyone from the paper had actually been to Wilde Lake Village Center lately.

I happened to be there this past Saturday attending a memorial ceremony for Donni Dingman, who among many other accomplishments was a long time local arts advocate. While it is easy to point out the vacant storefronts and talk of decay the truth of the matter is that the Kimco is still taking very good care of the upkeep and appearance of the shopping center. The center is clean, the flower beds are well maintained and people continue to patronize merchants like The Melting Pot, the fish market and the bank. Yes, it is troubled but it is a long way from succumbing to “vermin and crime.” That type of hyperbole does nothing to help the situation.

Last week Peanut and I had a dinner date in Ellicott City. Afterwards she made her usual request to climb on the rocks along Main Street. She’s been climbing on these rocks as long as she’s been able to climb. This time however we were stopped short by a new sign.

I understand where this restriction comes from. In today’s overly litigious society, property owners run the risk of being sued if someone does something stupid on their property. The rocks on Main Street present a ripe target for this type of action.

Still, it’s a shame.