Columbia Company Gets $20 Million

Columbia based Paratek Microwave received $20 million in venture capital according to a chart accompanying this story by Alejandro Lazo in today’s Washington Post. The funding was provided by a consortium of at least seven venture capital investors during the fourth quarter of 2008.

Paratek was the only Columbia company on the list of 41 firms but Howard County had two other firms on the list as well. Jessup based American Dynamics Flight Systems and Clarksville based U.S. Languages and Cultures Net both received $75,000 from Maryland Technology Development Corp during the same period.

The investment into Paratek comes at a time when overall venture capital investment in the Washington region “fell 20 percent in 2008 as the economic downturn and credit crunch left fewer sources of financing available for such deals,”

Paratek, which “designs and manufactures adaptive RF front-end component solutions for mobile wireless applications”, has been in Columbia since 1998.

So far that’s better news than last week.

638 Days to Go

Just when you thought you’d have a chance to recover from the election fatigue bought on by the past presidential election marathon, jockeying for the countywide elections in 2010 has already begun.

Yesterday, in the The Sun, Larry Carson reported in this story that fundraising for next campaign is well underway. “County Executive Ken Ulman, a Democrat, has raised roughly $250,000 each of his first two years in office…His sizable financial head start is also likely to discourage some would-be challengers to his expected re-election bid.”

This got me thinking just who might challenge Ken in 2010. Will Steve Adler take another run at the office? Steve ran against Jim Robey for County Executive when Jim was up reelection in 2002 and did quite well despite Jim’s popularity.

Jim won his state senate seat in close race with Sandy Schrader. Sandy could potentially give Ken a run for his money.

Who else has a shot?

Joan Athen perhaps? Joan has been active in local Republican politics. She recently became unemployed when her politically appointed job in the Bush administration came to an end.

Greg Fox perhaps? Greg is the lone Republican on the County Council.

Republican State Senator Alan Kittleman thinks that “a candidate could run on a fiscal responsibility platform by criticizing the growth in government spending. “

I don’t know about that. Government spending money like a drunken sailor seems to be very popular these days.

The Old Dogs Club Part Two

As I have mentioned before, we have a special place in our hearts for old dogs so it came as no surprise when I received this book from my sister Pat last week.

It is a “tribute to old dogs, a celebration of their special virtues. All dogs profiled in this book were at least 10 years old when their portraits were made. If you ask which of them are still alive, our answer is: They all are. May old dogs live forever.”

Amen to that.

The book was written by Washington Post humor columnist, Gene Weingarten and photographed by Washington Post photographer, Michael S. Williamson.

And, before I forget, when I wrote about the old dogs in my neighborhood, I forgot to include Allie. Allie is an aging chocolate lab that lives part time in the house behind us.

Just Skating By

It was just me and three fifth grade girls and a date for the open skating session at the Columbia Ice Rink yesterday. All three are beginners but very determined beginners. I alternated between escorting each one for a lap or two and then taking a lap for myself.

I grew up with ice skating in Columbia. As teenagers we played pick up hockey games on Wilde Lake and Lake Kittamaqundi. Back then, CA actually monitored the ice conditions on Lake Kittamaqundi and flew either a yellow (caution) or red (don’t say we didn’t warn ya) flag to warn all skaters. On Wilde Lake we were more or less on our own so we stayed close to the shallow end near Rivulet Row and Catterskill Court. These were the days before the rink was built. We were all excited when that happened in 1971. I was a sophomore in high school.

Today the old ice rink seems as popular as ever, at least it was on this last day of January. With temperatures in the mid thirties outside, the temperature on the ice felt downright comfortable. There were folks of all ages and skill levels. It sure beat staying inside on a cold winter weekend.

For a brief period of time Columbia also had an outdoor ice rink at The Mall. Before the Bank of America bank branch was built there was a seasonal ice rink on that spot next to LL Bean.

It’s Snow Use

Walking Peanut to the bus stop the other day was a real challenge. Only about a third of the sidewalks in our neighborhood had been cleared of ice and snow. By Thursday morning the sidewalks that had not been shoveled were a solid sheet of ice. The result of this was that the kids had to walk in the street to get to the bus stop.

This kind of defeats the whole idea of a sidewalk.

According to Howard County Code, Section 18.402(h) “The owner of property abutting a sidewalk in a public right-of-way is responsible for removing snow from the sidewalk within 48 hours after the snow has fallen.”

This has to be one of the most ignored laws in the county.

A quick survey of neighborhoods in Columbia and Ellicott City found plenty of sidewalks like the one in the picture above. This particular sidewalk is along Downdale Place in the neighborhood of Elkhorn in the Village of Owen Brown. This picture was taken this morning.

Want to take action?

The Howard County Bureau of Highways suggests the following remedies for dealing with this problem:

“If a property owner has not removed the snow within 48 hours, you may want to contact the property owner and advise him or her of the County code. If you are unsure who owns a property, contact our Real Estate Services Division at 410-313-2330. If you have an exact address, they can look up the property owner and may be able to give you a contact name and number.

Another idea is to reach out and ask the property owner if he or she needs assistance. Although the property owner would like to comply with the law, many residents are physically unable to shovel snow and ice and are hesitant to request help from neighbors or friends. Your thoughtfulness can make a big difference to someone who might otherwise be unable to cope.

If you are willing to help remove snow for seniors or physically disabled individuals in your neighborhood who need help, please call Regina Jenkins of Howard County's MD Access Point at 410-313-1417 to volunteer for the "Snow Help" program.

As a last resort, to file a complaint, contact the Howard County Police Department at 410-313-2200.”

A TV Everywhere You Turn

A few months back I posted about the impending arrival of the Stained Glass Pub over in Elkridge. Last Friday, TW and I decided to check the place out for lunch.

TW knew some of the history of the restaurant and it’s origins in Silver Spring. I believe he told me it was a family operation.

Yesterday, an anonymous commenter here asked “Are there any good bars friendly to Steelers fans who might want to watch the Super Bowl with like-minded, enlightened football fans?”

Well, I’m certainly no Steelers fan but that comment did make me think of the Stained Glass Pub. That would be a great place to catch a game. Stained Glass Pub has twenty two televisions evenly spread around the bar and restaurant. That’s quite a few for a place that is about a third the size of Champps at The Mall which might also be a good place to find some fellow Steelers fans on Sunday night.

As for me, I’ll probably walk down to the party at JD’s and Danielle’s. He’s a Ravens fan and she’s a Steelers fan, big time.

I just hope it’s a good game. I’m rooting for the old guy.

Go Cards!

Baltimore Examiner to Cease Publication

In yet another sign of the troubled newspaper industry, the owner of the Baltimore Examiner, Clarity Media Group, announced today that the paper will cease publication on Sunday, February 15th.

This comes as no surprise to me. Last year the paper scaled back its free home delivery in Howard County from six days a week to two. Many of those papers went directly from the driveway to the recycling bin.

You read more about the papers demise in this story by Liz Kay in The Sun.

Two Neighbors, Two Opposing Views

Last Thursday, at the Planning Board public hearing for ZRA 113, one of the four members of the general public who actually got to testify was Stephen Meskin. Stephen is a member of the Town Center Village Board and a resident of the Town Center neighborhood of Vantage Point. Stephen told the Planning Board that he while was “impressed with GGP’s efforts to mollify the masses” he is strongly opposed to ZRA 113. He called Wells + Associates traffic studies he called “mistaken and optimistic.” He railed against “threats to historic lakefront buildings.”

I was sitting next to former Columbia Association president Padriac Kennedy. I asked Pat if the buildings at the Columbia lakefront were considered historic what would that make us?

“Prehistoric,” he quipped.

In the same audience was Stephens Vantage Point neighbor, Jud Malone. Jud did not get the opportunity to testify last Thursday but I was able to get a copy of his written testimony. Jud is a former Columbia Councilperson representing Town Center. Jud and the organization he was representing, Columbia Tomorrow, “strongly support the adoption of ZRA 113 including the proposed density for housing, and for commercial and retail space.”

Columbia Tomorrow is also suggesting that Columbia Association “should transfer ownership of Symphony Woods to the County to be held in trust for the public.”

That’s one way of getting around CA and its dysfunctional board.

NIMBY’s Still Going Strong in Mid Atlantic

This headline in today’s email from citybiz list caught my eye, “A decline in CAVE (Citizens Against Virtually Everything) people.”

Could it be true?

Alas, while that may be the case in the some parts of the country, in the Mid Atlantic, NIMBYism is still as strong as ever. The economy and the cost of energy have made development more tolerable in other parts of the country according to this study conducted by The Saint Consulting Group but not around here.

Perhaps if our region were a bit more depressed it might be more receptive to development and change.

US Foodservice to Go

According to this story in the Baltimore Business Journal, US Foodservice “will close its Columbia office, eliminating 150 jobs.”

US Foodservice was a real hometown success story until it was bought down by an accounting scandal in February of 2003. At its height, the company employed 500 people in Howard County but since the scandal broke that number dropped significantly.

US Foodservice is the “nation’s second largest food distributer and 11th largest private company.” In July of 2007, the former parent company of US Foodservice, Royal Ahold sold the company to a private equity group for $7 billion. The new headquarters is located in Rosemont, Illinois.

Planning Board Abuses Public

The way I see it, the Howard County Planning Board owes an apology to everyone who showed up to testify at last Thursday’s public hearing on ZRA 113. A fairly good crowd waited three hours to testify. Only four people were allowed to testify before the board adjourned.

The members of the Planning Board should be ashamed of themselves. The board was originally supposed to devote the first hour of the hearing to questions specifically for General Growth Properties. The public was told that their testimony would start being heard at 7PM.

Public testimony was not taken until 9:40 after a ten minute debate over whether it should be taken at all since they had already determined that they’d adjourn at 10:00 PM.

I have no problem with the Planning Board spending more time with GGP questions. That is their duty. What bothers me it the board never gave any indication as to how long they were going to spend with GGP. They should have realized earlier in the evening that their questioning was going to take longer than originally anticipated and allowed the other residents who came to testify to leave. They had already scheduled another day devoted solely to public testimony so it would not have been that big a deal. They didn’t do that.

Instead we got listen to sometimes utterly banal queries to GGP and its consultants. My personal favorite was when Planning Board member Linda Dombrowski asked the traffic engineer from Wells and Associates if his past traffic projections for the Crescent property had proven accurate in the years since it was conducted. The consultant kindly pointed out to Ms. Dombrowski that they hadn’t because the proposed development on which they were modeled was never built!

Arrgh!

Hell House Hike

Yesterday Peanut and I took a hike up to the ruins of St. Mary’s College just outside of Ellicott City. The former seminary located at the intersection of Bonnie Branch Road and Illchester Road is also known in local lore as Hell House.

Near as I can tell, the scariest thing about this property is the overseer, a Mr. Allen Rufus Hudson. That may be justified. In May of 1996, according to this story in The Sun, he was charged with assault, battery and assault with intent to murder for shooting a trespasser with a shot gun.

I sort of wished I read that before we climbed these stairs.
At the top of the steps I spotted a small tent just off to the side. Fortunately, at 11:00 AM on a Saturday, it was unoccupied. We ventured on.
This is a really fascinating place. The only evidence of the five story main building that once sat at the top of the hill is a pile of rubble but there is ample evidence of its former life as school for the Catholic priesthood. We walked along the former driveways and took in some pretty nice views of the Patapsco River down below.
One of the few remaining structures on the property was this outdoor altar. I was struck by the irony of the satanic graffiti on this Christian shrine. I’m not a particularly religious guy but it did occur to me that the large decaying symbol of Christianity would still outlive the spray painted symbols of the non believers.

A Comment about Comments

In the early days of this blog, back in 06, I used to participate in the conversation in the comments section much more than I do now. For example, in this old post with 19 total comments, six of them were mine. I haven’t come anywhere near to that level of dialogue in the last six months.

There is a perfectly good explanation of course.

Let me first make it clear that I am happy that anyone feels compelled to post a comment here and I heartily welcome all. As long as it is kept relatively clean and isn’t spam, I won’t delete it. Of course I will remain the sole arbiter of what qualifies as being “relatively clean” but I think I’ve demonstrated a pretty liberal interpretation of that so far.

Comments are what make a blog interesting. It is kind of like talk radio.

This brings me back to my commenting in the comments, when I was actively responding to blog comments I wasn’t posting as much as I am now. The month that I felt compelled to chime in six times on my own post I only wrote a total of six posts. Nowadays I am writing an average of 25 posts month. There had to be a time trade off somewhere.

That is not to say that I’ve given up throwing in a comment here and there. Sometimes the temptation is just way too great.

And while I’m at it, let me also say a word about suggesting stuff for this blog. I welcome suggestions, tips, insider information, and any other stuff that you think folks around here might find interesting. Feel free to send your stuff to wordbones@verizon.net.

New Media in the Town Center Debate

Last night, before the Howard County Planning Board Public Hearing on ZRA 113, I stopped by the Columbia 2.0 event at Zapata’s restaurant in the Harpers Choice Village Center. They had to be happy with the turnout. It was packed with and for once, it was a Columbia political event that wasn’t dominated by old dogs like me. The crowd was young and savvy.

Savvy?

Yeah, savvy. Columbia 2.0 had set up a video studio in the bar so that attendees could provide video testimony instead of waiting to give public testimony at the hearing at Wilde Lake High School. This is vitally important. For many younger Columbia’s, carving out three hours to attend a public hearing on a school night is simply not an option. Columbia 2.0 provided younger Columbians an opportunity to mingle a bit, give their testimony, and then get back home to put the kids to bed.

The videographer was a local volunteer, Christopher Robinson.

At the end of last nights hearing, the Planning Board was discussing whether or not they would accept this Columbia 2.0 video testimony. As with any new media, acceptance by the establishment is never a given and is often approached with trepidation.

It would be wise for the Planning Board to allow this. The video testimony represents voices of the folks who will be most affected by the proposed changes to Columbia Town Center but they are voices that are seldom heard.

Is the Liz Machine Turning Against Sigaty?

There is word on the street that Delegate Liz Bobo is considering backing a challenge to Councilperson Mary Kay Sigaty in the next Democratic primary. The chasm between these former Democratic allies has been widening since Mary Kay found her own voice on Columbia Town Center redevelopment. Now it appears that Liz is seriously considering putting her formidable political machine behind someone else.

In local politics, Liz is often considered “unbeatable.” She has held her delegate (District 12B) seat since 1994 and in the last election she ran unopposed.

Nobody is unbeatable. Just ask Barak Obama.

Liz was also beaten by a dark horse in her bid for a second term as County Executive in 1990. That was year that Chuck Ecker defeated her by a little over 200 votes. Chuck went on to serve two full terms. He now serves as Superintendent of the Carroll County School System.

The question is, in this day and age of a new energy in politics, is the Bobo machine still strong enough to have it’s way in District 4?

Perhaps we shall soon see.

Eat More Fish

I got the urge for rockfish on Tuesday. I told Peanut I’d pick some up for dinner last night so I drove over to Today’s Catch in Wilde Lake Village Green. I was relieved to find them still open for business.

That’s no small feat. Right next door to the original Columbia fish market, Columbia’s original grocery store sits empty. Bill Miller, the owner, told me that his business is down. The combination of the departure of Giant and the state of the economy has had a big impact on his traffic but he’s hanging in there.

I first met Bill when he and his former partner opened the original store in Harpers Choice Village Center. Back then, in the late seventies, Today’s Catch even featured a raw bar and served beer. When they later moved to Wilde Lake they got rid of the raw bar.

Bill picked out a couple of nice filets for me and gave me some suggestions for grilling them up. Bills brother goes to the Maryland Wholesale Seafood Market in Jessup every morning around 4:30 AM to pick out the best fish for his store. He’s doing a great job, our rockfish was delicious.

I told Bill that I would be back next week to try the tilapia.

Perhaps the Final Word on Altieri Homes

I’ve written a few posts on the impending demise of local home builder, Altieri Homes. They were once one of the largest regional homebuilders with projects in at least three states. The company headquarters was located on Red Branch Road in Columbia where they employed a fair number of people and did business with a fair number of other local companies. 

I speak of them as if they are no more because for all intents and purposes they are no more. 

According to this story in this week’s Baltimore Business Journal, Altieri Homes has lost its state charter. “When a business loses its charter, it loses its legal status as a corporation, including its right to sue others in court.” 

The Alteri home buyers who are waiting for the company to fix construction problems will find themselves waiting in a very long line. The firm is in default of a $3.7 million loan with Wachovia, “a $1.1 million judgment in Baltimore County Court sought by John H. Myers and Son Inc.; A $300,212 judgment in favor of Commonwealth Construction Co., Inc. in Howard County Court; and a $542,000 judgment brought in Baltimore Court by Builder Services Group Inc.”

The Sage Speaks!

As all eyes turn towards DC this afternoon for the swearing in of our 44th president I thought I’d share a comment that the noted regional economist, Anirban Basu, gave at a business luncheon in Baltimore two weeks ago.

The sage of the Sage Policy Group said “Washington, D.C. is the new Wall Street.”

That’s what happens when the government becomes the lender of last resort. Somehow I think this may actually benefit this region.

Scene This Week In...

It was a bad week for some birds and a good week for other birds. While the Arizona Cardinals were able to advance to the Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa next month, the Baltimore Ravens will not be their opponent. It was a very good and largely unexpected run for the Ravens this season but it ended yesterday. In New York, a flock of birds brought down a commercial airliner making heroes out of the pilots and crew for an amazing crash landing.

Some birds seem to have a pretty cushy life in Columbia. Peanut and I were sitting in the court area in front of Nordstrom this Saturday when she spotted this little bird fearlessly darting around the tables. While other birds have to deal with the elements and other predators, this little guy has the run of the mall.

Compare that lifestyle with these birds I spotted hanging out in the Patapsco River in Ellicott City.

This cold weather also got me yearning for another group of local birds. It won’t be long before the boys of summer will be heading south for spring training and yet another hopeful season will commence in Baltimore.

Mall Musings 1

Yesterday Peanut and I were shopping in the mall. As I passed the court in front of Macy’s I noticed that the Comcast Wi-Fi lounge was gone.

During the holiday season, this little courtyard was set up with free Wi-Fi connections and a high definition television. It was a welcoming little spot to crash for a few moments while shopping in the mall. Though I personally never spent any time there, it was always occupied when I passed by. Often, on Sundays, I would see guys watching football games there.

How good is that!

Now it’s gone. That’s too bad too. This little marketing effort was actually starting to make me think better about Comcast after years of bashing them for their abysmal customer service.