Thunder Hill

Chip sent in these pictures from his house in the Thunder Hill neighborhood of Columbia.

“My dog is up to her neck and my daughter Kaylee can change the light bulb in our light post with all of this snow. Then there is a picture of our patio furniture.”

I’ve been getting lots of pictures of patios and decks. It is obvious that these are taken from the comfort of a warm home. How about suiting up and venturing out a little like Doji?

Town Center Lakefront

A blog reader named Doji sent in a couple nice shots from the Town Center lakefront. He writes, “During the Dec blizzard, no one from Columbia was quick to email you photos. This time, Columbia represents! I walked there (with great difficulty) from my apartment. Everything is, of course, closed today.”

Thanks Doji. Great shots.

Mid Day Saturday

So far my plan for being a driver for the hospital isn’t going so well. Though we have dug ourselves out quite nicely our street is largely impassible. Mama Wordbones and I just finished taking a walk from end to end and concluded that while I could probably make it out I could just as probably get stuck I think I’ll wait a little longer.

Columbia Talk informs us that the hospital is still looking for volunteers with four wheel drive vehicles. The number to call is (410) 740-7911.

Courtney Watson sent along some handy tips for dealing with The Big Kahuna.

Remember to try and clear your own gas vents, and heat pumps around your house.

* Shovel snow in layers and in small increments of time.

* Power outage information can be found here: https://secure.bge.com/portal/site/bge/

* Snow plow tracker can be found here: http://snow2.co.ho.md.us/Index.asp

* If you know someone without power, and they have a medical need to be removed from the house, have them call 911

Courtney also reports that a s of 11:30 this morning Elkridge has reported 33 inches of snow. I think Elkridge is the big winner of snowfall total.

I saved my neighbor Karen with a six pack. While Karen had provisioned her home well with “wine and chili,” she came up a little short in the tp department. With two adults and three kids in the house that could get bad fast. Fortunately for her we had only recently made a Costco run for this particular item. We not only had a spare roll. We had a spare six pack.

I am also happy to report that we received some storm photos from readers and I’ll begin posting them soon. Right now it’s break time. We have been shoveling snow for the better part of the day. It’s time to pour a glass of wine.

Pre Dawn Saturday

We’re not going anywhere, even with four wheel drive. My on call shift with the hospital started a half hour go and thankfully I haven’t gotten a call yet. I got up at 5:00 AM and the black dog and I went out to reconnoiter the situation. It was knee deep in the street.

One of my neighbors is an anesthesiologist at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. He was pulling out of his driveway as I was sizing up the situation. He got about 200 yards up the street and before retreating back home.

I slogged through the snow to talk to him.

“I called the hospital and they told me that basically anyone who was already there was staying there. They aren’t even sending out cars to pick people up.”

I can only assume that the same the same holds true for HCGH.

We even had lightning this morning. That was a little freaky. The Weather Channel is saying that we’re getting three inches of snow an hour.

I’m heading back to bed.

The Big Kahuna

And so it begins. The mega storm has arrived and by all indications we’re in for a real doozy, a storm of historic proportions. I believe it warrants its own category on the left column, “Where I Put Stuff.” We’ll label it The Big Kahuna.

I readily credit HoCoRising for nailing the right name for this storm. Mr Foot called it a Super Kahuna but that didn’t quite feel right. Super Kahuna implies that there will be other storms just like it. I prefer to give a storm it’s own identity. Think about it. Telling people that you were a Big Kahuna baby sounds much more impressive than saying you were conceived during a Super Kahuna. And if the past is any indication, there will definitely be a spike in the babies conceived this weekend.

But I digress.

Here at Tales of Two Cities we intend to be an active chronicler of The Big Kahuna. Much like we did with the Blizzard of 09, we are inviting readers to send us pictures and stories of TBK from your corner of the county.

I’ll be out in the thick of it too with camera and notebook. The four wheel drive wordbones mobile has been enlisted into service of Howard County General Hospital to help ferry nurses back and forth to work during the storm. My shift begins at 5:30 AM tomorrow morning for the 7 AM nursing shift.

So tune in during the storm and share your stories and pictures, and we’ll all ride out The Big Kahuna together. Surfs up. wordbones@verizon.net.

Storm Talk

AccuWeather is calling it a “paralyzing” storm. Mr. Foot and his forecasters are calling it a “Super Kahuna.” Frank Roylance in The Sun, says “Wax down those shovels, Maryland, there's snow on the way.”

Officially, the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm warning for the area from 10 AM tomorrow morning until 10 PM on Saturday.

PRECIPITATION TYPE...HEAVY SNOW.

ACCUMULATIONS...STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 16 TO 24 INCHES.

TIMING...SNOW WILL BEGIN FRIDAY MID-MORNING...AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING. CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE RAPIDLY FRIDAY AFTERNOON...WITH HEAVIEST SNOWFALL OCCURRING BETWEEN SUNSET FRIDAY TO SUNRISE SATURDAY.

THE MOST HAZARDOUS WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR FRIDAY NIGHT.

VISIBILITIES...THE COMBINATION OF HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO BELOW ONE-QUARTER MILE...PRODUCING NEAR-BLIZZARD CONDITIONS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING.

Not only are people talking about the big snow, some are being very proactive in their preparations. My colleague Bill told me that the Walmart on Dobbin Road had sold out of snow shovels by noon. I got lucky, Peanut needed a new pair of snow boots and I was able to grab a pair at Nordstrom after school this afternoon. They still had a few pair left at that time.

This morning I went over to the hospital and volunteered myself as a driver with a four wheel drive vehicle. They told me to expect a call.

But what if the forecasters have it all wrong?

It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened around here. I’ll defer to my new favorite forecaster for his take on this:

“A history lesson is embedded in this forecast, that of March 4-6, 2001. Some of you may remember this most colossal bust in the history of modern forecasting: 24 to 36" was predicted for the Northeast corridor. Everyone was on board, from HPC to Accuweather to TV forecasters, and yes even Mr. Foot. The storm did materialize, but heavy snow occurred in northern New England. The I-95 corridor? About an inch. Are we setting up for another colossal bust? You can be your forecast team will be watching THAT potential very closely, but the arrange this time is very different. Being that it is early February and not March, climatology favors the bold.”

One thing is certain, by this time tomorrow we’re going to know one way or the other.

County to Get Merriweather…Eventually

Part of the final deal worked out between General Growth Properties and the county in the enabling legislation for the redevelopment of Columbia Town Center is that ownership of Merriweather Post Pavilion will eventually be transferred from GGP to the county.

Once GGP reaches a benchmark of 5 million square feet of new development in Town Center, the the company will relinquish ownership of the outdoor music venue. This will occur after GGP has renovated the property.

The redevelopment program calls for approximately 13 million square feet of retail, commercial, residential, hotel and cultural development. This transfer would occur at about the midpoint of the development cycle.

Preserving and maintaining Merriweather Post Pavilion has long been a priority of the county executive Ken Ulman and now it appears that he has insured that it will remain a fixture in the county for the foreseeable future.

Legislative Liquor License Limit Lifted

The bipartisan effort to limit the number of liquor licenses in Howard County has been abandoned by the county’s state lawmakers. According to this story by Sara Breitenbach in The Columbia Flier, the delegation “removed the limitation and instead would require the county liquor board to issue a written opinion discussing the criteria that it considers, such as where existing licensed businesses are located, when granting or denying a license.”

The chair of the county delegation and cosponsor of the bill, Guy Guzzone acknowledged that “legislators had worried that limiting the number of available licenses will give those licenses value, thus encouraging the trading and selling of licenses among retailers.”

Duh.

Score one for the consumer.

Stodgy Suburban Malaise

In this story by Larry Carson in The Sun today, the reporter described the current state of Columbia as “a comfortable but stodgy suburban malaise.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

The Fantastic Mr. Foot

Even as we dig out from last nights snowstorm reports are coming in about an even larger storm heading our way this weekend. Of course it has often been said that weather prognostication in Maryland is a fool’s game. Take last weekend for instance. Most forecastors called for that storm to be no more than a dusting and we ended up getting about 5 inches of snow. That’s some dusting.

One forecaster got it right though. Foots Forecast accurately predicted that the storm would be much more than a light dusting.

The real surprise is that Foots Forecast is put together by a group of high school students in Dundalk and their ninth grade earth science teacher, Rich Foot. According to this story by Frank D. Roylance in The Sun the students “do real science. They factor in such weather esoterica as Canadian snow cover, the North Atlantic Oscillation, and the moisture content of the approaching storm. Then they do the math.”

And they are pretty often “spot on” with their forecasts.

So what does Foots Forecast call for this weekend?

They are calling the storm a “SuperKahuna” and that “this storm will not be for the faint of heart.”

“If computer model trends continue as they have in the past 24 hours, this storm has potential to eclipse December 19, 2009 ; February 15-18, 2003 ; January 6-8, 1996 ; March 11, 1993 ; February 11, 1983 ; December 1966, and could rival March 18-22, 1958.”

Better make that trip to grocery store before Friday.

About Last Night

There was no way I was going to sit at home last night and watch this historic council meeting on my laptop. I had to be there to witness it in person.

I wasn’t the only one.

Ilana Bittner was there doing a video report for HoCoMoJo. She told me that her ten year old son wanted to come too. He had to settle for watching it at home with dad. It was a school night after all.

David Yungmann got his mom to watch the kids so he could come, at least for a little while. I think he was there for the vote on CB58 but by the time CB59 came up for a vote he was home tucking his kids in for the night. It was a school night after all.

I soon as I walked in I saw Tim Sosinski and he was all smiles. Apparently the council members, the housing advocates and General Growth Properties worked through the weekend and right on up to last nights council meeting on an eleventh hour compromise on affordable housing. They essentially agreed to go back to the housing trust that GGP originally proposed and drop the MIHU requirement that replaced it.

There are lots of details that still need to be worked out with this housing trust but the basic deal seems to have made the housing advocates happy. I couldn’t help but think that would also make them less than enthusiastic about any referendum drive to further delay the development. At least three of the council members used the words “full spectrum housing” when describing the benefits of the trust. Full spectrum housing is the big thing in affordable housing circles these days. It sounds pretty psychedelic to me.

And speaking of pyschedelic, the eleventh hour housing dealing seem to take its toll on Jen Terrasa. She often appeared dazed and confused with the proceedings. While Calvin, Greg, Courtney and Mary Kay seemed to be able to move through the amendments with relative ease, on more than a few occassions Jen appeared to have trouble keeping up. This caused a little open friction between her and the council chair. Courtney runs a pretty tight meeting and her patience wore thin at times with her council colleague.

I felt a little sorry the staff at Ellicott Mills Middle School. They were being honored by the council for their recent recognition as a Maryland State Blue Ribbon School. The last minute deal on housing caused a one hour delay for the start of the meeting. Thankfully they were at the top of the agenda and were out of there by nine o’clock.

It was a school night after all.

A Thankless Job

Last night, after the Howard County council voted unanimously in favor of the enabling legislation for the redevelopment of Columbia Town Center, each of the council members gave brief comments thanking the folks who put so much time and effort into making this happen. Family members were thanked, council staffs were thanked, the executive’s staff was thanked, community volunteers were thanked and county employees were thanked.

Yet even though Greg Hamm and several members of his staff were still in the room at 11:00 PM, not a single member of the council publicly thanked him or his company, General Growth Properties.

Sure, I know, Greg and GGP were only doing their job. Still, you could say the same about the county employees and the council members and executives’ staffs, they were just doing their jobs too. The fact of the matter is that everyone involved in the process went the extra yard to make this work but none of it would have even been possible were it not for the plan and perseverance of GGP.

It’s been a tough year for GGP. When the company sought protection of the bankruptcy courts a year ago, all of the development projects that the company was working on, except Columbia, ground to a halt. That was no small feat. Greg fought hard for the limited resources to keep the Columbia Town Center program on track and he had to do it with a greatly reduced post bankruptcy staff.

Yes, GGP the company does stand to gain financially from this effort but that does not diminish the hard work that individuals put forth in this effort. They poured their hearts and souls into this effort and then when it was finally over no one on the council had the courage to thank them in their post vote remarks.

Choose civility indeed.

After the council members concluded their remarks, a number of those in attendence stood and first applauded the council members and then turned around and applauded the GGP folks in the back of the room. At least they understood.

Meet Maryann

One of the more interesting tidbits in Larry Carson’s article about hoco politicos and their bank accounts, was the amount of money raised by Maryann Maher, a Democratic challenger for the House of Delegates in District 9A. The political newcomer has “reported raising $40,679, and had $35,332 left, more than either of the incumbents. Maher got nearly half her money from five large donations from her father and siblings in Florida, the Dominican Republic and Quebec.”

She’s raised more than any challenger for local office including county executive candidate, Trent Kittleman,

Maryann is a pretty interesting lady. She was born in Puerto Rico, holds both a bachelors and master degree in Computer Science, has two kids in the Howard County Public Schools (just a little younger than Peanut) and a yellow Labrador retriever named Amber.

I’m a sucker for anyone with a Labrador.

The incumbents in 9A are Republicans Gail Bates and Warren Miller each report having raised a little over $27,000. They also have a joint account with just over $4,000. Gail and Warren pretty much run as a team. They even share a campaign website.

But why is Warren wearing a blue t-shirt?

Get to Know HoCoSo

I recently discovered a new local blog, HoCoSo, which describes itself as “specifically devoted to the needs of young (or young at heart) professionals in Howard County.”

“If you live in or near Howard County and would like to experience networking and fun right in your own backyard, then this group might just be for you. Support local business and make new friends at the same time.

So, give it a look, and help spread the word to other local professionals and let’s have fun right here in Howard County.”

At Tales of Two Cities we’re always glad to welcome a new voice to the local blogosphere. Welcome HoCoSo, we’ve added your link to left hand side under “Other Local Stuff.”

Protractor Ready Projects

The State Highway Administration is restarting a project to look into the widening of U.S. Route 29 in Columbia. According to this story from WBAL-TV “a big part of the project is widening the road to three lanes from Middle Patuxent River to just south of Route 175.”

It still could be two or three years before any actual work begins. So far this highway project has only been funded for the design phase.

The SHA is actually in the design phase of six other major projects in the county too. These include a wetlands mitigation study at Nixons Farm on Route 32, engineering a new “full diamond interchange” at Route 32 and Linden Church Road, and replacement of the bridge deck on Patapsco River bridge on Route 40 at the Howard County / Baltimore County line. The original bridge was built in 1936, and while the SHA says it is “structurally safe,” this work is intended to add 30 to 50 years of life to the structure.

It takes a long time to get these highway projects to the “shovel ready” stage.

Another Day in Paradise

It was nice of the sun to lend a hand in clearing the streets and walks from yesterdays badly under forecast snowfall. And speaking of the sun, Larry Carson’s story in The Sun about hoco politicos and their campaign war chests generated a little buzz from my local blogging brethren. I suppose the combination of money and politics is just too good to resist.

One can easily picture Free Market sticking his tongue firmly in his cheek as he posted that “…no special favors were given for those contributions, of course,” after highlighting some of Ken Ulmans larger business contributors.

In Larry’s article Ken makes “no apologies” for his prolific fundraising and refutes the criticism that business money buys favors.

“…despite the suspicions of some, donors don't get preferential treatment or consideration."We have people who can afford larger contributions.

I'm really pleased we have a range of contributors," he said. "I'm glad to have the support of the business community."

HoCo Rising has a problem with the reporters take on the fundraising prowess of certain Democrats. He takes issue with Larry Carson “describing the "insurmountable" advantage of Howard County democrats.”

He’d like to think that his candidate of choice for the District 2 council seat and his war chest of $454 can still mount a formidable to challenge to Calvin Ball who’s got $56,182 in the bank.

My take?

I’m a realist. I also have contributed to local candidates. I’ve never written a check for over five hundred bucks to any candidate and I’ve never thought that contributing to a campaign was anything more than supporting somebody I like. I also like how easy it is to find out who’s giving what to whom, thanks to the internet.

And though the sun did warm things up a bit again today, yesterday provided us a rare treat that we only get with a major snowstorm.
Mama Wordbones and I took a walk on College Avenue. I’ve driven and biked this road more times than I can count over the years but until yesterday I never walked it. It’s not what you’d call pedestrian friendly.

Yesterday it was and it was absolutely beautiful. I also gained a new appreciation for just how steep those hills are.

Will Kimbrough

Last night I had the pleasure to catch a live performance by singer songwriter Will Kimbrough in a living room in Dorsey’s Search. My buddy Steve Tove hosted the performance and opened his home to about 80 people. Steve introduced me to his music a few years back when he promoted a small concert with Kimbrough and Todd Snider at the old Last Chance Saloon in the Oakland Mills Village Center.

He’s kept in touch since and I believe this is the second time the artist from Alabama’s Gulf Coast has played in Steve and Wendy’s living room.

This is a great way to enjoy live music too. People bought covered dishes and deserts and Steve provided drinks. A bucket was passed for the artist after the first set.

It’s also interesting to note that Steve is about as Columbia as anyone can possibly be. His name is even enshrined on a plaque at the Columbia lakefront honoring that first group of kids that went all the way from kindergarten to high school in Columbia.

Town Centers Unsung Heroine

In earlier posts I’ve lobbed a couple of zingers at Ken Ulman for what appeared to be his lack of enthusiasm and public support for the Town Center redevelopment enabling legislation, CB 58 and CB 59. I may have been a little too harsh with that criticism.

In his annual state of the county address to the Howard County Chamber of Commerce this past Tuesday; Ken delivered a pretty strong endorsement of the plan that will be voted on this coming Monday.

“Working together, we have created a comprehensive master plan for the revitalization of downtown which incorporates green development, environmental restoration, arts and culture, workforce housing, pedestrian and bicycle connectivity, new amenity areas, transit, and a renovated Merriweather Post Pavilion – all in a carefully phased development plan.

It is important to recognize, as Jim Rouse did, that doing it right is the right thing to do – not only for the benefit of the community, but also to add value to the development itself. As I look at how far we have come, I am proud of what we have accomplished and excited about the future of downtown Columbia.”

More importantly, Ken’s chief of staff, Jessica Feldmark has worked tirelessly behind the scenes over the past few months to keep this effort on track. Those who have been intimately involved in process acknowledge the extraordinary effort she put in to make this a reality. So while Ken may not have been as visible as some in this effort, he does deserve a lot of credit for marshalling his staff to bring it to fruition.

The Ministers of Misinformation

If you read some of the Letters to the Editor on Explore Howard or some of the postings on the HCC listserv, you might get the impression that General Growth’s plans for the redevelopment of Columbia Town Center will put the county on the long road to ruin. The fact of the matter is that there are some disgruntled members of the community that, having failed to win mainstream support for their efforts to derail the process, have resorted to promulgating misinformation.

For instance, Russ Swatek, the Columbia Council representative for the Village of Long Reach recently wrote that “virtually all” the proponents of the plan “had real estate or a business that stood to gain directly or indirectly from the increased density and increased retail population base.”

I suppose if you count home ownership as real estate this may be accurate, but then again that would presumably include Mr. Swatek as well. The truth is that while some proponents, such as yours truly, hope to capitalize on the opportunities this redevelopment may present, for the most part they are ordinary citizens like former CA president Padraic Kennedy or the General Manager of Victoria Gastro Pub, Tori Marriner. Mr. Swatek has insulted at least a thousand people with this statement. Nicely done Russ.

On the HCC listserv, Columbia architect Tim Sosinski claimed that “Achieving a walkable environment will be set aside in the interest of doing profitable remote sites for the next 20 years.”

Wow! I like Tim and I respect his community involvement but this is just simply not true and he knows it. Keep in mind that Columbia does not exist in a vacuum and that just because GGP will have the right to build 5,500 housing units doesn’t mean they will sell. In order to sell those units GGP will need to create a special place that distinguishes Columbia from all of the other planned developments in the area. That will be good for Columbia and for GGP. Our interests are perfectly aligned.

The mother of all misinformation is former Columbia Council representative Barbara Russell. She often describes herself as Columbia’s first mother and I can only suppose that she thinks that gives her some sort of exalted status in all matters Columbia. Mothers are always right after all.

In her letter to the editor today she claims “From the beginning, GGP has committed to pay for almost nothing, not roads, not major water and sewer lines, not schools or school sites, not fire stations or fire station sites, not below-market-rate housing (affordable, full-spectrum, call it what you like), not cultural amenities, not parking garages, not sidewalks and not for the upkeep of the downtown area it developed.”

For starters, GGP has paid for a world class plan for Town Center. They have hired some of the best talent that money can buy to design a Town Center that will once again make Columbia a paradigm of smart community planning. Barbara also knows that the developers will pay for all of those items she mentioned as the plan gets built out. I think Barbara believes everyone is stupid but her.

I could go on but I think you get the point.

A Green Hotel for Clarksville

I received a phone call this morning from a commercial real estate colleague, Jim Farrell. Jim had called to discuss some site options for one of our clients, but first we discussed what was going on with the former Gateway School on Route 108 in Clarksville. Although Jim works in Tysons Corner, he actually lives in Clarksville.

He told me his neighbors had been asking him what was going on with former junior high school. They figured that since he works in commercial real estate he should know these things. The fact of the matter is that he knows more about what is going on with Northern Virginia commercial real estate than what is happening his own backyard. That is often the case with those who commute in and out of Howard County everyday.

Truth be told, I only knew what was going on because of this story by Larry Carson in The Sun last week. Previously I had posted about the six development teams that were competing for the right to develop the county owned property. It now appears that a local couple, George and Holly Stone, have come out on top of that process.

“George Stone's desire in building what he calls Clarksville Commons, he said in a statement, is to create a "mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly, sustainable, signature destination for Clarksville and the region," using the latest in green technology and people-friendly public spaces to produce a sense of community absent in the cluttered commercial crossroads.”

The Stones have also assembled a development team that includes other familiar local names like Joe Rutter with Land Design and Development and Jared Spahn with Old Town Construction.

The planned development will also include a green “boutique hotel.”

I would have never guessed that there was a pent up demand for hotel rooms in Clarksville.