Good morning. I am glad to see so many of our legislators could make it. I know it has been extremely hectic the last few days, and I appreciate your presence here this morning.
This session was challenging at times, and there were many opportunities to be distracted from the business of governing. But our delegation remained focused on the task at hand, and you proved once again that Baltimore County’s legislators know the difference between leadership and politics.
Thanks to your hard work, and the guidance of our delegation leaders, we secured the resources needed to build better schools, to put experienced educators in our challenging schools, to help those struggling to rebuild homes damaged by Isabel, to preserve open space, and to protect the quality of life in our communities. We are especially grateful to Speaker Pro Tem Adrienne Jones and Senator Ed Kasemeyer, who chair the house and senate Capital Budget Sub-Committees, for their work in securing funding for all our bond bills, and negotiating for education funding in the conference committee.
We began the session focused on the dire need for school renovation and construction funding. As I worked with our delegation on this critical issue, we were united and firm in our pursuit of adequate funding. In committee hearings, at the Board of Public Works, and at every opportunity to talk about our renovation needs, we were clear, we were together, and we were right.
It helped that we had strong allies in Treasurer Nancy Kopp and Comptroller William Donald Schaffer. Early in the session, members of the delegation and I took the Treasurer and the Comptroller on a tour of our aging schools; we were actually at Loch Raven Academy when the boiler broke down. That boiler break was a loud call for more renovation and construction funding, and it was heard.
The result is 25 million dollars in new school renovation and construction funding for the coming year. That is two and half times what the state contributed to Baltimore County last year. Before the start of the session, we gave you a lanyard with the list of school renovations we needed funding for. You took that lanyard and turned it into money for our children. All the schools listed on the lanyard card can now be renovated.
As we go about the business of renovating older schools, we must also address issues in our schools that go beyond bricks and mortar. We must ensure that our most challenging schools have quality academic programs in place. Challenging schools need experienced teachers in core subjects, and experienced principals to guide them. Senator Ed Kasemeyer played a critical role in negotiating the reauthorization of the Retire-Rehire program. With that reauthorization, we once again have a tool in place that will ensure that all of our children have the opportunity to learn, to grow, and to take command of their futures.
It is also important that we provide quality facilities for extra curricular activities. Athletic fields at our schools and recreation facilities benefit the students and the community. We received eight hundred thousand dollars in state funding to restore fields at Fullerton Elementary, Catonsville Park and Berkshire Elementary, and to make improvements at Hannah More Park.
Last year, House Bill Three unanimously passed both houses of the General Assembly. The bill provided low-interest loans to Maryland families struggling to rebuild their lives after Hurricane Isabel. It was an important bill and a great help, but it has been under funded and over subscribed. Fifty-three Baltimore County families spent December of 2004 in the same FEMA trailers where they spent December of 2003. That is one year too long.
This year, Maryland received 2.7 million dollars from the federal government for aid to Isabel victims, and with an aggressive lobbying effort led by Baltimore County and Senator Norman Stone, that money went into the Hurricane Isabel Disaster Relief Fund.
Waterfront
Baltimore County has made great strides in the effort to protect one of our most valuable resources – our waterfront. This session, the state and the legislature gave the Maryland Department of Natural Resources the green light to continue funding our shoreline restoration program, and to triple the funding level for Program Open Space. The Program Open Space funding will help us expand and maintain the recreational areas and open spaces that are at the heart of the green renaissance in our county communities.
Marshy Point Nature Center
We also asked for funding from the state to allow us to expand the trail system at the Marshy Point Nature Center. Every year, the Nature Center hosts eight thousand Baltimore County fifth-graders as part of the school system’s EcoTreckers ecology program. We received three hundred thousand for Marshy Point, helping us improve an important part of our ongoing commitment to provide county residents with quality recreational and educational opportunities.
Recreational Resources for Northern Baltimore County
Baltimore County has been working with the Department of Natural Resources to purchase one hundred and seventy-one acres in the north county to provide that area with badly needed recreational resources. Thanks to a pledge from the Department of Natural Resources, and a federal grant secured by U.S. Senators Paul Sarbanes and Barbara Mikulski, we are working to complete the sale and begin designing the park. We are pleased that the state continues to partner with us on this property by providing one hundred thousand dollars to support the necessary land planning and design work.
Tall Trees Park
On the east side, the county has begun work on Tall Trees Park. The Park is a five million dollar project, which includes a community center, a police substation, and athletic fields and trails. With eight hundred and forty-two thousand dollars from the state, we have all the funds needed to complete the community center and move the renaissance of the east side forward.
Lillian Holt Park
We are also pleased to announce that with a two hundred thousand dollar contribution from the state, we will be able to renovate the five cabins at Lillian Holt Park in Overlea-Fullerton. These renovations will give Baltimore County a unique cultural center and a tremendous opportunity for learning and growth.
Willow Grove Bridge
The last of our bond bill requests was three hundred and fifty thousand dollars to help the county replace the Willow Grove Bridge in Cromwell Valley Park. Replacing the bridge will help create safer access to the park, and at the same time relieve serious erosion problems caused by the buildup of debris under the current bridge. This is a major improvement to both the usability and environmental quality of Cromwell Valley Park.
We were successful in every bond-bill request we made this year, securing a total of 4.5 million dollars for capital improvements to Baltimore County communities. It is a great achievement, the result of consistent teamwork by our delegation and strong guidance from our delegation leaders. It is also a sign of our shared commitment to putting families first. This success will mean stronger neighborhoods for years to come. Our entire delegation deserves a round of applause.
This past Sunday, the Baltimore Sun began an in-depth analysis of the challenges facing the juvenile group home system. These challenges were not news in Baltimore County. In this and in the past two legislative sessions, Senator Delores Kelly and Delegate Bobby Zirkin and Dan Morhaim have led the way as legislators proposed bills designed to address the horrific conditions in group homes. In the last hour of the general Assembly, the legislature passed the Juvenile Services Reform Act sponsored by Delegates Zirkin and Morhaim, which is a significant step to reform the way group homes are operated and monitored.
We are fortunate in Baltimore County to have the leadership of Police Chief Terrance Sheridan, who has helped make the Baltimore County Police one of the most decorated and skilled police departments in the country. For ten years Baltimore County has participated in the Regional Auto Theft Task Force, a successful city-county-state partnership that has cut auto theft in our area by half. I join with Chief Sheridan and our citizens, in thanking the legislature for continuing to fund this important program.
We also supported legislation that would allow judges to sign no-knock warrants. Currently, we place a heavy burden on our police officers. When serving a warrant, officers themselves often must decide if they should enter a building without identifying themselves. They may believe that this is necessary to prevent destruction of evidence, or to prevent a dangerous, armed confrontation with suspects inside. If officers do enter without knocking, there is the possibility a court may later declare the search was illegal, and throw out the evidence. Putting the decision on no-knock warrants in the hands of judges is better for our officers, and it better protects the rights of our citizens.
Over the past two years, the renaissance of Baltimore County has become more than an idea. It is a testament to the strength of our county that so much private capital is being invested in our established communities, like Dundalk, Towson, Essex/Middle River, Catonsville, and Randallstown. Businesses are growing and expanding, new residents are moving in, and new mixed-use centers are being planned.
This year, the State has chosen to demonstrate its commitment to our renaissance as well. Baltimore County is considering plans for a new, mixed-use development in Towson Circle. With a combination of retail space, office space, and the potential for housing for Towson University, the project will be a valuable asset for county residents, and it could help us bring the vitality and energy of the University into the center of the Towson business core. The two million dollars we requested for infrastructure improvements in support of this project were included in the state’s budget.
We were successful in our pursuit of aid for three other mixed-use projects as well. For high quality mixed-use communities to thrive, they need restaurants as well as stores, offices, and homes. With the cooperation and support of the Baltimore County Licensed Beverage Association, we secured additional liquor licenses for Hunt Valley, Owings Mills and Catonsville.
The stakes for Baltimore County were high this session. The demands for your time and your attention were high as well. As senators and delegates from Baltimore County, you rose to the challenge, remembered the people and the communities you serve, and committed yourselves fully to the renaissance of Baltimore County.
We worked together, we met our goals, and we made great strides in securing the promise of our future for the next generation of County residents.
On behalf of the people in Baltimore County who trust us to make government work, thank you, and thank you for joining me this morning.
Courthouse 