What an exciting event this is. Today is a great day for the Yorkway residents who are moving on to better housing, a great day for the community of Dundalk and a great day for Baltimore County.
I would like to thank Councilman Olszewski for his commitment to this project and his leadership on the County Council, and of course the citizens of Dundalk who have worked so hard to get us here today.
We are here to begin the demolition of this Apartment Complex, but this is more than just knocking down old buildings. For years Yorkway has been something other than just apartments. It has been a haven for criminal activity. It has been an eyesore for the neighborhood. It has been housing that has failed to meet the needs of its residents or the needs of the surrounding area. In short, Yorkway has been a symbol of past mistakes and a blight on Dundalk.
As these buildings begin to fall today, we are turning the page, and beginning a new and hopeful chapter in the life of Dundalk. Over the last four years, the people of Dundalk and the government of Baltimore County have worked together toward the renaissance of this community. Baltimore County has invested over seventy million dollars in roads, streetscapes, parks, infrastructure improvements and partnerships with private citizens and businesses. The people here have given their time, their vision and their ideas for a stronger community. Together, we have made great strides, and today we are taking one more important step.
We know what can happen to communities when a problem goes unaddressed. We also know, through our experience at places like Kingsley Park and Tall Trees, that when we come together, when we help people move to better living conditions and when we work toward a shared vision, we can improve an entire community by improving on a few blocks.
Like all of you, I am very excited to begin this demolition. In the near future, we will begin the charette process that will determine what will take the place of these buildings. It will be a collaborative process, designed to match the desires of the community with the possibilities for this piece of land, and I know we can come up with something pretty special.
I look forward to completing the acquisition of the rest of the buildings here, and I look forward to working with the people of Dundalk to replace these apartments with something that will be an asset for the neighborhood.
Courthouse 