After a grueling day of labor Mama Wordbones and I took two leisurely strolls in Ellicott City yesterday afternoon, one with dogs and one without. For the dogs we choose the idyllic Park Lane which was once the subject on this post on Haydukes blog. It remains one of my favorite hidden spots in Howard County.
After depositing the dogs back at the house we returned to check out Main Street in Ellicott City. It was sixty some degrees and sunny and the old town had a nice sort of spring vibe going for it. We met a new shop owner and peeked in on the work going on at the space formerly occupied by Annabell’s. According to the guy laying tile, the new Pure Wine Café should be open in about three weeks.
As we walked further up the hill I spied a lone yellow flower. It was a daffodil and it was the first one I’ve seen this spring so that made it this week’s scene in Ellicott City.
As I was cruising down Rouse Parkway last week I saw this extraordinary site. It was a crane lifting a new church steeple into place. What made it truly extraordinary was that this church steeple rising was occurring in the middle of Columbia.There was a time, in those early visionary days of Columbia that the notion of any overtly religious symbol such as a church steeple was anathema to the Columbia ideal of all religions living and worshipping together in harmony. Ironically, this church was once housed in the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center.
Times change, people change. I’m not so sure that there even is a Columbia ideal anymore.
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ReplyDeleteI can't think of a reason why we can't have both interfaith centers and individual places of worship in Columbia.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how you might feel about the precedent this sets, it certainly looks like it's going to be a beautiful building.
Jack,
ReplyDeleteThe St. John Baptist Church was one of the founding faiths at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center.
Lol, thanks Bill, I'll remove the earlier comment.
ReplyDeleteKeepin em honest!
In response to young's comment. Personally, I don't want churches in Columbia. This is only going to get worse as more and more religious entities vie for what little undeveloped parcels are left, and I don't think the school board did the right thing in selling the land to the church to build a school in Ellicott City. No offense WB, I know you live in EC. Rouse had the right idea with interfaith centers, inspiring community and inclusion, these churches inspire exclusion.
http://columbiablogproject.blogspot.com/2009/03/schools-churches.html
ReplyDeleteI posted about this church earlier if anyone cares to read it.
I'm not anti religion, I just feel like Columbia is being exploited to serve a 'higher purpose.'
I am anti-religion, but I don't have a problem with churches being built in Columbia. I like the concept of interfaith centers, but I think worshipers who want their own building should be able to have it.
ReplyDeleteChanges are a comin' to Columbia.
ReplyDeleteI'm pro-religion but I, too, thought the land swap/sale wasn't in Columbia's best interest, losing public land that was purposely set aside and meant to and could better serve Columbia's residents as a whole in the future, not just a portion of them who share common beliefs and who already had facilities elsewhere within Columbia.
ReplyDeleteWhich community gained land for a future school local to them as a result of this deal?
The Board of Education's Columbia land swap was for 41 acres at the corner of Marriottsville Road and Route 40. It is intended for a future middle school to handle the overflow from Mt. View, Folly Quarter, and Burleigh Manor MS.
ReplyDeleteIt also happens to be near Turf Valley, which has initial approval to build over 1,300 units that will be exempt from the County's Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance.
Will the County then need to acquire replacement school land in the future in Columbia when those remaining additional 2200 homes allowed under current Columbia zoning get built, too? If so, it seems like the County as a whole is picking up the bill almost twice.
ReplyDeleteAnd where would that additional land in Columbia be found at this point? Please don't say Blandair as we're tired of hearing proposals to cure denser development's woes by clearing park lands for buildings.