Kittleman Signs Bill to Purchase, Preserve Tubman School
Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman has signed legislation allowing the transfer of $3.4 million to acquire an office building in Columbia, a necessary step in creating an educational and cultural center in the Harriet Tubman school building. The county council voted to support the move.

Once the purchase of the property at 9020 Mendenhall Court is complete, the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) can move forward on plans to relocate its departments of maintenance and school construction out of the Harriet Tubman building and into the Mendenhall location. HCPSS has used Harriet Tubman for maintenance, construction, storage and offices for more than three decades.

The Harriet Tubman School, which opened in 1949, served as the county’s only all-black high school until it was closed through desegregation in 1965. The Mendenhall property, in Columbia’s Village of Owen Brown, is currently owned by Howard MD Green LLC. The 49,000-square-foot office building was constructed in 1981, and the property includes parking for more than 200 vehicles, allowing HCPSS to further consolidate some of its operations from leased property on Ridge Road in Ellicott City.
The county also plans to relocate its police evidence storage and fire department’s quartermaster to the Mendenhall property from their current location at the Dorsey Building on Bendix Road. The $3.4 million transfer would come from a variety of funds that had been allocated for acquisition of school sites, remediation and facilities. The total purchase price of the property is expected to be $5.2 million.

 

Schuh Announces Safe Stations Initiative to Combat Opioid Crisis
Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh has announced the launch of the Safe Stations program to help combat the growing heroin and opioid crisis. The plan calls for each Anne Arundel County and Annapolis City Fire Station, as well as county and city police stations, to be designated as a safe environment for individuals looking for assistance to start their path to recovery from heroin/opioid addiction.

At any time of day or night, an Anne Arundel County resident who is the victim of a heroin/opioid addiction and chooses to ask for help can go to any Anne Arundel County or Annapolis City Fire Station and speak to the personnel on duty. In close partnership with the Anne Arundel County Police and the Crisis Response Team, individuals seeking help will be assisted in obtaining the necessary detoxification resources.

Upon arrival at a designated Safe Station, the firefighters and paramedics will perform a medical assessment not to exceed their scope of training as Maryland Emergency Medical Services providers. If there is cause for concern that there is something else medically wrong with the patient, transportation to an appropriate medical facility will be completed.

The Crisis Response Warmline will be called at 410-768-5522 and advised that a Safe Station patient is being transported to the hospital by EMS. The Crisis Response Team will communicate with the hospital staff to ensure a handoff from crisis response to the medical facility.

If no immediate medical issue is identified, the Warmline will be contacted and advised that there is a Safe Station case. Crisis Response Team will work closely with the individual in the station to determine the best resource and destination available.
Individuals seeking assistance will be required to drop any needles and paraphernalia into a sharps collection container located at each fire station. If illegal substances are with the individual seeking assistance, the appropriate police agency will be notified for disposal purposes only.

Dementia Caregiver Education Series to Be Held in Howard County

Integrace Copper Ridge and the Integrace Institute at Copper Ridge have partnered with the Howard County Office on Aging and Independence to present a free, four-part educational series for family caregivers living with or supporting loved ones with dementia.

Each session will be held at the Ellicott City 50+ Center, located at 9401 Frederick Road, Ellicott City. Dr. Tabassum Majid, director of research at the Integrace Institute at Copper Ridge, will lead each interactive discussion and will present evidence-based, practical information to help family caregivers better understand and support someone who is living with dementia. All sessions run from 6:30–7:30 p.m., and are free to attend. The remaining dates and topics include the following.

• Wednesday, May 10: Decision Making and Preferences in Care
• Wednesday, June 14: Living with Mild Cognitive Impairment (includes a panel discussion)
• Wednesday, July 12: What’s New in Treatments and Research
To attend, guests must R.S.V.P. to Kathy Wehr at 410-313-5955 or [email protected].

 

SOFO Plans to Transform Annapolis Middle’s Fence From Sad to Art

The local group SOFO (the South Forest Drive Business Association) is embarking on its first Art Beautification Project for the corridor, entailing work on the chain link fence at Annapolis Middle School to present students’ artwork. The project will include student works from all of the schools along the corridor and will tell a story. Each piece of art will be approximately 4 feet by 4 feet and will be permanently installed.
The first step of this project is transforming the 500-foot fence at Annapolis Middle School into a canvas for students to create artwork for display. In an effort to make the fence presentable for these creative pieces, SOFO will remove the barbed wire, clean and remove the rust, paint the fence and remove the leaves and trash along the fence.

The first work party day was held in late April; more will be scheduled through the season. If you belong to a group or organization and would like to collaborate on this project, contact [email protected]. To sign up to attend the event, visit www.signupgenius.com/go/8050b45aaae22a46-sofo.

 

Keep Calm and Bark On: CA’s Dog Day Afternoon Returns on May 13

Columbia Association (CA) will be hosting the 10th annual Dog Day Afternoon on Saturday, May 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Columbia DogPark. The park is located at 5901 Rivendell Lane, off Cedar Lane and adjacent to Cedar Lane Park, near the Harper’s Choice Village Center.

CA invites local canines — and their people — to a free afternoon of contests, treats, activities and lots of tail-wagging fun. Dog lovers can enter their four-legged friends into the Tail-Wagging Contest; Most Fashionable Fashion Show; Biscuit-Eating Contest; and more. Back by popular demand this year will be pet communications readings with pet communicator Emerald DuCoeur. In addition, CA will be collecting items to be donated.
A rain date has been set for Saturday, May 20.

Howard Rec and Parks’ Robinson Nature Center Selected for NASA-Funded Program

Howard County’s Robinson Nature Center has been selected as one of 250 sites across the country to receive a NASA-funded “2017 Explore Science: Earth & Space Toolkit” for use in programming by the National Informal STEM Education Network (NISE Net). The kit includes earth and space science activities that bring the science of NASA to life.

Visitors to the center will have the opportunity to learn about NASA science, virtually interact with the surface of Mars, hold real meteorites, hear about how the Apollo 13 astronauts engineered their way back to earth, view movies in the Center’s planetarium, sample space food and make a “nebula in a bottle.” Space party tickets are $10 for children and $7 for adults and can be purchased online, in-person or over the phone.

As a toolkit recipient, the Nature Center also is eligible to apply to host a larger NASA exhibit currently being designed by NISE Net for use in only a few sites across the country. For more information about the Robinson Nature Center, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/RAP; for more information about the NISE Net, visit www.nisenet.org.

Arundel’s Schuh Proposes $150K Grant for YWCA Domestic
Violence Shelter

Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh has proposed a $150,000 capital investment to help establish the YWCA of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County’s new domestic violence shelter. The YWCA acquired a 6.5-acre parcel for a new shelter project that will allow the organization to establish a campus setting with a 30% increase in capacity.

Key features of the project would include a 7,000-square-foot domestic violence Safe House Shelter that would serve up to 32 women and children in private rooms at any given time; the renovation of an existing structure on the property to become a new Training and Education Center; a second home intended to house eight to 10 victims of sex trafficking at any given time; three transitional apartments for families who are regaining independence; and establishment of expanded transitional housing options.

The proposed capital funding was made possible through the JumpStart Anne Arundel capital project financing program. Enacted in 2015, the capital plan embraces a 30-year bond financing option. This reform has allowed Anne Arundel County to expand its capital funding program and make public safety and quality-of-life infrastructure improvements throughout the county.

 

Champions for Children 5K Race/Walk Benefits Harmony House
Anne Arundel County residents got healthier in late April while supporting children in foster care by participating in the inaugural Anne Arundel County Champions for Children 5K Race/Walk. Proceeds from this charitable event benefit Harmony House, a program that enables children and youth in foster care to visit with their parents in a safe, home-like setting.

The Champions for Children 5K Race/Walk is sponsored by the advisory Board of Directors to the Anne Arundel County Department of Social Services (DSS). The board’s goal is to raise $25,000 for the Anne Arundel County Family Assistance Fund, which the board utilizes to support privately funded programs like Harmony House.

Harmony House strengthens parent-child relationships. Children in foster care and their parents have supervised visits where they play, talk, cook meals together, do homework and chores, all with the support of a social worker and parenting coach. Last year, 236 visits took place there, and 32 children left foster care and were reunited with their families.

Harmony House is the first supervised visitation center in Maryland and is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. To sign up for the race, visit at www.raceentry.com

 

Third Annual Agape 5K Set for June

Columbia-based Building Families for Children, a nonprofit located in Howard County, is holding its third annual Agape 5K Walk/Run on June 17, at the Columbia Gateway Office Park loop. This year, the organization is partnering with Community Ecology Institute (CEI) to plan and promote the event as it prepares for more than 300 participants.

Through its Columbia Families in Nature Program, CEI has offered 130 free nature-based events to the community in the past three years, reaching more than 325 distinct family participants that have experienced more than 6,500 hours of family time learning and bonding in nature. Families for Children is looking for 70 volunteers to support the event in a variety of roles. For more information, visit https://buildingfamiliesforchildren.org/agape5k/#.

 

Soup’r Sundae is Super Successful

The ninth annual Soup‘r Sundae fundraiser for Grassroots attracted more than 600 attendees for an afternoon of family fun, soup prepared by area restaurants and all the ice cream you could eat, as well as a silent auction with more than 250 baskets. The event was hosted by Wilde Lake High School and The Faith Community Partnership of Bethany United Methodist Church and Glen Mar United Methodist Church.

Soups were provided by Aida Bistro & Wine Bar, Alexandra’s at Turf Valley, Centre Park Grille, Chef Paolino Cafe, Clyde’s of Columbia, Elkridge Furnace Inn, Ellicott Mills Brewing Co., Honey Baked Ham Co., Iron Bridge Wine Co., Kelsey’s Restaurant, The Kings Contrivance Restaurant, Leelynn’s, Nor Pac Soup, Ranazul, T-Bonz Grille & Pub, Tino’s Italian Bistro, Vantage House, Waterside Restaurant, White Oak Tavern and Whole Foods; breads were provided by Rose & Pakula Food Brokers, Mission BBQ and Chef Paolino Café. Ice cream was provided by Long Gate Safeway and Cold Stone Creamery across from Arundel Mills.

More than 90 volunteers from Howard County high schools helped with everything from dishing up ice cream to dancing with the young guests. Volunteers from the participating faith communities gathered and packaged silent auction items, and managed the entire operation from set-up to check-out.

Cathy Smith of Jean Moon & Associates was the event manager for Soup’r Sundae for the ninth consecutive year. All proceeds from the event benefit Grassroots’ 24-7 crisis intervention services and shelter programs for the homeless.

Grassroots Executive Director Ayesha Holmes chatted with student volunteer Thomas Thurmond of Centennial High School.

Vets Start March ‘Back to Work’ in Glen Burnie

More than 700 veterans of the United States Armed Forces attended the recent Marching Our Veterans Back to Work event at the Cromwell Business Park, in Glen Burnie. Farmers Insurance, ZIPS Dry Cleaners and St. John Properties teamed together to donate 2,600 suits and pieces of business attire to veterans residing in the Fort Meade region seeking formal clothing to wear at their next job interview. Congressman C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger and executives from the three donating companies attended.

The event was designed to help active duty personnel transition into the civilian workforce. The suit donation by Farmers Insurance is part of the company’s national Suits for Soldiers campaign, which has successfully collected more than 70,000 articles of clothing nationwide.

 

CFHoCo to Hold 35th
Annual Spring Party

The Community Foundation of Howard County (CFHoCo) will hold its 35th annual Spring Party on Thursday, May 18, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the Horowitz Visual & Performing Arts Center at Howard Community College. Proceeds from the event will benefit the foundation’s programs and services that promote local philanthropy and provide critical grant funding for nonprofit organizations serving Howard County.

The event will include a full buffet and open bar. There also will be a performance by ManneqART, an international arts and education nonprofit located in Howard County that inspires creativity, teaches problem-solving skills and rewards excellence in Sculpture on the Human Form. Tickets cost $100. For more information, tickets and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.cfhoco.org or call Allyson Lestner at 410-730-7840.

 

Housing Commission Receives High Grades for Management, Administration

The Housing Commission of Anne Arundel County has received high grades from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the commission’s management and administration of its public housing and housing choice voucher programs.

Annually, HUD evaluates housing authorities on the management and administration of their public housing and housing choice voucher programs. The evaluation includes elements such as financial health and fiduciary oversight, management principles and practices, and the physical health and maintenance of assets. These indicators are stringent, especially in light of continued reduction in federal funding forcing agencies to discover new avenues and foundations to keep the programs viable and robust.
In 2016, the commission attained a High Performer 91% Rating for the Public Housing Program and a High Performer 100% Rating for the Housing Choice Voucher Program. The agency received perfect scores in Financial, Management and Construction areas.

“High Performer scores on both programs are not easy to achieve; especially as many of our communities are more than 40 years old, and federal funds for modernization have been reduced dramatically,” said Housing Commission Director Clif Martin.

HCLS Receives International Recognition

Howard County Library System (HCLS) received international recognition by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals in the 2017 Hermes Creative Awards for three of its recent communication efforts. The HCLS Now! public relations campaign earned the Platinum Award, the organization’s top honor. Designed to introduce customers to the growing catalog of new e-content materials available online, the year-long campaign featured HCLS employees and the friendly “Hi” logo in a series of 12 testimonial-style ads.

The new HCLS HiJinx podcast also received an honorable mention for Episode 2 of “Thanks for the Memories.” All aspects of the award-winning projects were conceived and executed in-house by the HCLS Public Relations team.

HCLS’s entries were chosen from more than 6,000 entries from throughout the world. Winners are selected from 195 categories grouped under advertising, publications, marketing/branding, integrated marketing, public relations/communications, electronic and pro bono.

Maryland Half Marathon Set for
June 13 in Maple Lawn

Maple Lawn will be the site of the ninth annual Maryland Half Marathon & 5K races benefitting the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. Scheduled for Saturday, May 13, St. John Properties, is the presenting sponsor for the Half Marathon and BRG Healthcare is the primary sponsor of the 5K race.

Baltimore-based Greenebaum Enterprises is the master developer of Maple Lawn, and St. John Properties is a partner in the development of the multi-story class A office and flex/research & development product.

The Maryland Half Marathon receives strong participation from the local residential and commercial brokerage industry, with professionals working with companies including CBRE, First Potomac Realty Trust, NAI KLNB, St. John Properties and TriAlliance Commercial Real Estate Services traditionally competing each year.

More than $3 million has been raised in the past eight years to support the Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, which recently received the National Cancer Institute’s top designation as a comprehensive cancer center. Registration is available at www.sjpi.com/marathon.

 

Arundel Mills Joins Pink Movement

Arundel Mills has announced its spring 2017 More Than Pink movement in support of Susan G. Komen and the fight against breast cancer. As part of its pledge to donate $1 million each year in 2017 and 2018, more than 180 participating Simon Malls, The Mills and Premium Outlets nationwide will be participating in various activities this spring.

Visitors to Arundel Mills will notice a pink theme as staff will be donning pink accessories and several pink activities will be taking place throughout the shopping center, including a free pink lemonade stand offered to patrons on Saturdays through May. All proceeds raised from these activities will go toward helping Susan G. Komen.

Register for event via www.raceforthecure.org/Simon.

 

SECU-Sponsored ARL Team Wins Financial Competition
The student team from Howard County’s Applications and Research Laboratory (ARL), which is sponsored by SECU, has won first place in the Maryland Personal Finance Challenge. The event pits student teams from across Maryland in a competition to demonstrate the financial skills they have mastered while participating in their school’s Millionaire’s Club. The Millionaire’s Club is a financial education program through which students use simulated dollars to “buy, sell and invest” in stocks on the New York Stock Exchange.

The winning ARL student team, led by faculty adviser Maddy Halbach, was getting ready at press time to head to the National Personal Finance Challenge, which is being held in Kansas City, Mo., on Friday, May 5. For more information, visit www.cufound.org/millionaire.

HCAC Scholarship Recipients Announced

The Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) has announced the recipients of its 2017 Arts Scholarship Program. Ten thousand dollars in awards were distributed, with $2,500 scholarships awarded to Julia Mann, theater, Marriotts Ridge High School; and Tony Terrasa, instrumental music, Hammond High School; $2,000 scholarships went to Edima Essien, musical theater, Mount Hebron High School; Wendy Yang, visual art, Marriotts Ridge High School; and a $1,000 scholarship was presented to Frankie Byers, visual art, Howard High School.

Two years ago, Howard Bank President and CEO Mary Ann Scully announced the new Business Partnership for the Arts Scholarship at Howard Community College (HCC), and challenged local businesses to match the bank’s initial contribution. As part of the HCAC’s partnership with the bank, scholarships are announced annually at the Celebration of the Arts. The 2017 Business Partnership scholarships went to returning HCC students Ashley Marchone, visual art, Long Reach High School; and Benjamin Sheeley, instrumental music, Howard High School.

Artists’ Gallery to Feature Works by Hoeper, Beerbohm
Maryland artists Deborah Hoeper and Ken Beerbohm will exhibit their works in a show at Artists’ Gallery through May 28, entitled, “When Words Aren’t Enough …” A reception that is open to the public will be held on Sunday, May 7, from 2–5 p.m., at the Gallery.

Deborah Hoeper, a native West Virginian now living in Silver Spring, has exhibited her acrylic landscapes in many local galleries. She has had a studio at Passageways, in Riverdale, for 20 years and is an artist member of the Baltimore Watercolor Society. The works on exhibit in this show are based on her recent visit to Petra, in Jordan, one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world.

Ken Beerbohm was raised in Neihart, Mont., where he developed a love of nature. His natural craftsmanship in his adult life led to a degree in Design and Industry from San Francisco State University and a 35-year career of owning and operating a custom plastics shop. In his spare time, he would turn to sculpting as a hobby, and upon retirement, turned his basement into a studio. He creates sculptures primarily made of clay and a variety of mixed media.

Artists’ Gallery is located at 8197 Main Street, Ellicott City. Hours are Tuesday and Wednesday, from 10–6; Thursday–Saturday, 10–8; and Sunday, 10–5. The venue is closed on Monday. For more information, call 443-745-2358.

The Arc Hosts Annual Awards Event

The Arc of Howard County will host its Annual Meeting and Celebration of Excellence awards event on Wednesday, May 10, at The Gathering Place in Clarksville. The annual meeting is at 7 p.m. Award presentations will be made to individuals and groups that promote The Arc’s mission of achieving full community life for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Refreshments will be served. The Gathering Place is located at 6120 Day Long Lane, Clarksville. For more information, contact Keyanna Turner at 410-730-0638, ext. 226, or [email protected].

 

Cardin, Van Hollen Announce $10M in Funding Toward Opioid Crisis

U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.) have announced $10,036,845 in federal funding to fight Maryland’s opioid health crisis. The grant is funded by the 21st Century Cures Act, which was backed by both Cardin and Van Hollen and signed into law by President Obama in 2016.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will provide the funds through the State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis Grants, which is administered by HHS’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
“The primary job of the federal government is to keep our citizens safe and healthy, which is precisely what this investment in Maryland’s opioid response efforts aims to do. I was proud to support the 21st Century Cures Act that made this grant a reality, and thank President Obama for having worked so closely with us to see it through,” said Cardin. “Between 2014 and 2015, opioid-related deaths in Maryland rose by 22.6%. That number is shocking, and indicates a rapidly growing, nationwide health crisis. This funding must represent the beginning of a comprehensive response.”

Grants are being awarded to all 50 states, as well as the District of Colombia, totaling $485 million nationwide. The 21st Century Cures Act authorizes the funds for opioid abuse response efforts, such as implementing prevention programs, training health care workers and expanding access to opioid treatment programs.

HCAC Honors Howie
Award Winners

The Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) honored its 2016 Howie Award winners at the 20th Annual Celebration of the Arts on Saturday, March 25, at the Peter and Elizabeth Horowitz Visual & Performing Arts Center, Howard Community College (HCC), Columbia.

The Howie Awards are presented annually by the HCAC to an Outstanding Artist, an Outstanding Arts Educator and an Outstanding Business or Community Supporter that has made a significant impact on the arts in Howard County.
This year’s honoree for Outstanding Artist was Yifei Gan. Gan, who has been teaching studio art at HCC for nearly 25 years, is also an internationally recognized artist and curator whose drawings, paintings, digital media and traditional Chinese brush paintings have been exhibited in solo and invitational exhibitions throughout the U.S., Europe and China.

Laurie Basham was the 2016 honoree for Outstanding Arts Educator. Her career as a Howard County arts educator has spanned more than three decades. For the last 14 years, she has taught at Glenwood Middle School and has provided advanced placement classes, as well as a variety of after-school art clubs; she also has been involved with a variety of special projects, including Empty Bowls fundraisers and the Artist in Education Program.

The honoree for Outstanding Business Supporter of the Arts was M&T Bank, which serves customers in New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

SBA Announces Maryland Small Business Week Award Winners
Maryland district winners of the 2017 U.S. Small Business Week Awards Program were announced recently by Stephen Umberger, district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Baltimore District Office. District winners will be honored at the 33rd Annual Maryland Small Business Week Awards Luncheon, which will be held on June 8, at Martin’s West, in Woodlawn.

This year’s winners from the Corridor are as follows.
Maryland Small Business Person of the Year: Kara DiPietro, HMC Inc., Columbia

Financial Services Champion: Gerald Baroudi, Business Finance Group, Gambrills
Home-Based Business Champion: Andy Musliner, InRoads Toys, Crofton
Insurance Champion: Matthew Lehman, Moran Insurance, Severna Park
Small Business Exporter of the Year: George Hepburn, Dynasplint Systems, Severna Park
Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Jessica Zaleskiwicz, Coco Couture, Severna Park

District Director’s Unsung Hero Award winner and the Rising Star Student Entrepreneur will be announced in mid-April.
For more information, contact Rachel Howard at 410-244-3337 or at [email protected]. For information on the 2017 Maryland Small Business Week Awards Luncheon or for tickets, visit www.mdsbwawards.org.