Jun 21, 2007 12:00 AM (9 hrs ago)
by Jaime Malarkey, The Examiner
Baltimore County (Map, News) - Baltimore County officials unveiled a 105-point plan to prepare for the expected surge of jobs and people from the federal military base realignment and appointed a new employee to head the initiative Wednesday.
The county is expected to add 3,900 new jobs and 3,600 new households from the federal Base Realignment and Closure initiative, the third-largest impact in the state, County Executive Jim Smith said Wednesday. The new residents, earning salaries between $65,000 and $100,000, are expected to add $18 million in property taxes and $10 million in income taxes each year through 2015 but also consume housing stock, road and school capacity, and safety resources.
Smith called the plan specific, prioritized and deadlined.
“I am very optimistic,” he said. “But it will take every county agency and department to continue to work together in collaboration to ensure Baltimore County’s success.”
Economic development officials said the county already has enough commercially zoned land to accommodate defense contractors moving to the region. They estimated the new households would occupy about 8 percent of available housing between 2009 and 2015 but could pressure demand for higher-end units.
Fearing the influx could threaten the county’s rural northern parts, one land-preservation group studied where BRAC families would want to live. Two factors — the quality of its schools and proximity to Aberdeen Proving Ground — make Baltimore County more attractive than other Maryland jurisdictions, said Irving Spitzberg, president of North County Preservation Inc.
“If people make decisions the way I think BRAC people will make decisions, more people will decide to live here,” Spitzberg said. “Having said that, they will try to live within a half-hour of Aberdeen Proving Ground, and I think the plan for eastern Baltimore County will work.”
The plan identifies new priorities — such as changing high school graduation requirements to include four math and four science credits — and projects already in the pipeline, such as upgrading the Middle River MARC station. Other goals include revitalizing commercial corridors along Pulaski Highway, Route 1 and Washington Boulevard.
Smith named William Jones, a county redevelopment specialist since 2001, to head the BRAC initiative. County officials said they intend to seek state and federal funding for studies but could not estimate a total cost or timeline to implement the plan.
“You just don’t go out and make traffic changes overnight,” Jones said. “But I think it’s a really doable plan, and it could be done in a timely manner with cooperation.”
The public can comment on the plan, available on the county’s Web site, over the next 30 days. Copies are available in all branches of the county’s public library.
jmalarkey@baltimoreexaminer.com
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Ruppersberger pushes magnet schools to serve BRAC
Anne Arundel sites eyed for all grades
By Phillip McGowan
Sun reporter
June 19, 2007
A congressman is pushing to build math-and-science magnet schools on or around Fort Meade to serve an expected influx of children from the national base realignment and expansion of the National Security Agency - the world's largest employer of mathematicians.
The school would raise future generations of scientists, engineers and other specialized workers to support a growing cadre of defense agencies coming to Maryland, Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger told more than 100 commercial developers, lawyers and government officials in Linthicum yesterday. He was the keynote speaker at a symposium discussing base realignment and its repercussions.
He said he is working with local and state leaders as well as defense contractors who might help finance the schools, which would serve all grades and represent the first public magnet schools in Anne Arundel County.
The congressman said that officers and private-sector contractors who have been assigned to Fort Meade have expressed apprehension about enrolling their children in the county public schools because of Meade High's uneven reputation.
"They want their kids to have quality education," he said.
Local, state and military leaders have pursued a magnet program at Meade High to boost the school's academic reputation and attract defense workers, mostly from Northern Virginia, who are considering whether to relocate with their jobs.
School board members recently signaled their support for magnet programs, which could come online as early as the 2008-09 academic year, but they are less certain about whether Meade High is the most appropriate location for a math-and-science wing that could harness the resources of NSA and other federal agencies.
"We are more than happy to talk with anyone" about establishing math-and-science programs in the county system, said Bob Mosier, a county schools spokesman. "Whether it's in Meade is a part of that conversation."
Ruppersberger, the 2nd District Democrat who represents Fort Meade and Aberdeen Proving Ground - the two Army installations that will see tens of thousands of new jobs over the next decade - stressed that his proposal was only conceptual. He declined to elaborate about which officials he has spoken with.
But he gave indications that defense contractors, especially those serving the National Security Agency at Fort Meade and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, are supportive of making a significant financial contribution to establish these programs.
"The private sector needs to step up, and they will step up," said Ruppersberger.
Anne Arundel County is facing a school maintenance backlog in excess of $1.5 billion over a decade, and officials for the school system say they are beginning to struggle to pay for existing needs, while preparing for new students.
Ruppersberger, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said that's where the private sector would step forward.
"Because of cost factors, it's not fair for Anne Arundel County to manage that burden," he said.
Last year, then-County Executive Janet S. Owens, said she had secured the commitment of defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. to shape the curriculum and provide mentoring and financial assistance for a math-and-science magnet program at Meade High.
The inspiration is a Science and Mathematics Academy at Aberdeen High, which was established in conjunction with Aberdeen Proving Ground in 2004. Through this program, which received $700,000 in federal funding in 2003, students work with top scientists and technicians in science, math and technology. It was believed to be the first program in the nation to tap into the expertise and equipment of a major military base.
"We are very interested in promoting the same sort of solution," said Col. Kenneth O. McCreedy, Fort Meade's commander. "The face of Anne Arundel County schools are defined by Meade High School, especially for the BRAC organizations."
Many parents in the 4,000-employee Defense Information Systems Agency, which is moving to Fort Meade under the base realignment and closure process, known as BRAC, send their children to nationally acclaimed schools in Northern Virginia and question whether Anne Arundel County measures up. Meade High, in particular, is trying to overcome academic and discipline problems, most recently a fight on Friday that ended with the arrests of 11 students.
McCreedy said his staff has spoken with Ruppersberger's aides on creating magnet programs at Meade High School, possibly in a wing of the existing building, which has a few hundred open seats. He said last year that the NSA and the Environmental Protection Agency, which has a regional office at the Army post, were discussing how they could participate.
"The power is there," McCreedy said yesterday. "If it's available for them, we can bring them into the schools."
Noting the staggering demand to replace thousands of white-collar workers in future decades at Fort Meade, Ruppersberger has expanded on the concept to include middle- and elementary-school programs.
Two county school board members were generally receptive to Ruppersberger's proposal.
"Certainly, with the population entering Fort Meade, the highly educated, high-end employees coming with BRAC, if they are going to come to Anne Arundel County, we have to give them a reason to buy homes there," said board Vice President Eugene Peterson.
But noting that Meade High already has the International Baccalaureate college preparatory program, board member Ned Carey said that a math-and-science magnet should go elsewhere, such as North County High.
"I think there's a need to balance the programs at the high schools," he said.
phill.mcgowan@baltsun.com
By Phillip McGowan
Sun reporter
June 19, 2007
A congressman is pushing to build math-and-science magnet schools on or around Fort Meade to serve an expected influx of children from the national base realignment and expansion of the National Security Agency - the world's largest employer of mathematicians.
The school would raise future generations of scientists, engineers and other specialized workers to support a growing cadre of defense agencies coming to Maryland, Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger told more than 100 commercial developers, lawyers and government officials in Linthicum yesterday. He was the keynote speaker at a symposium discussing base realignment and its repercussions.
He said he is working with local and state leaders as well as defense contractors who might help finance the schools, which would serve all grades and represent the first public magnet schools in Anne Arundel County.
The congressman said that officers and private-sector contractors who have been assigned to Fort Meade have expressed apprehension about enrolling their children in the county public schools because of Meade High's uneven reputation.
"They want their kids to have quality education," he said.
Local, state and military leaders have pursued a magnet program at Meade High to boost the school's academic reputation and attract defense workers, mostly from Northern Virginia, who are considering whether to relocate with their jobs.
School board members recently signaled their support for magnet programs, which could come online as early as the 2008-09 academic year, but they are less certain about whether Meade High is the most appropriate location for a math-and-science wing that could harness the resources of NSA and other federal agencies.
"We are more than happy to talk with anyone" about establishing math-and-science programs in the county system, said Bob Mosier, a county schools spokesman. "Whether it's in Meade is a part of that conversation."
Ruppersberger, the 2nd District Democrat who represents Fort Meade and Aberdeen Proving Ground - the two Army installations that will see tens of thousands of new jobs over the next decade - stressed that his proposal was only conceptual. He declined to elaborate about which officials he has spoken with.
But he gave indications that defense contractors, especially those serving the National Security Agency at Fort Meade and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, are supportive of making a significant financial contribution to establish these programs.
"The private sector needs to step up, and they will step up," said Ruppersberger.
Anne Arundel County is facing a school maintenance backlog in excess of $1.5 billion over a decade, and officials for the school system say they are beginning to struggle to pay for existing needs, while preparing for new students.
Ruppersberger, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said that's where the private sector would step forward.
"Because of cost factors, it's not fair for Anne Arundel County to manage that burden," he said.
Last year, then-County Executive Janet S. Owens, said she had secured the commitment of defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. to shape the curriculum and provide mentoring and financial assistance for a math-and-science magnet program at Meade High.
The inspiration is a Science and Mathematics Academy at Aberdeen High, which was established in conjunction with Aberdeen Proving Ground in 2004. Through this program, which received $700,000 in federal funding in 2003, students work with top scientists and technicians in science, math and technology. It was believed to be the first program in the nation to tap into the expertise and equipment of a major military base.
"We are very interested in promoting the same sort of solution," said Col. Kenneth O. McCreedy, Fort Meade's commander. "The face of Anne Arundel County schools are defined by Meade High School, especially for the BRAC organizations."
Many parents in the 4,000-employee Defense Information Systems Agency, which is moving to Fort Meade under the base realignment and closure process, known as BRAC, send their children to nationally acclaimed schools in Northern Virginia and question whether Anne Arundel County measures up. Meade High, in particular, is trying to overcome academic and discipline problems, most recently a fight on Friday that ended with the arrests of 11 students.
McCreedy said his staff has spoken with Ruppersberger's aides on creating magnet programs at Meade High School, possibly in a wing of the existing building, which has a few hundred open seats. He said last year that the NSA and the Environmental Protection Agency, which has a regional office at the Army post, were discussing how they could participate.
"The power is there," McCreedy said yesterday. "If it's available for them, we can bring them into the schools."
Noting the staggering demand to replace thousands of white-collar workers in future decades at Fort Meade, Ruppersberger has expanded on the concept to include middle- and elementary-school programs.
Two county school board members were generally receptive to Ruppersberger's proposal.
"Certainly, with the population entering Fort Meade, the highly educated, high-end employees coming with BRAC, if they are going to come to Anne Arundel County, we have to give them a reason to buy homes there," said board Vice President Eugene Peterson.
But noting that Meade High already has the International Baccalaureate college preparatory program, board member Ned Carey said that a math-and-science magnet should go elsewhere, such as North County High.
"I think there's a need to balance the programs at the high schools," he said.
phill.mcgowan@baltsun.com
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Baltimore well-suited to handle influx
Baltimore well-suited to handle influx
Jun 6, 2007 12:00 AM
by Len Lazarick, The Examiner
Baltimore City has it all when it comes to the infrastructure to absorb the growth in jobs and residents from the defense agencies moving to Maryland under the Base Realignment and Closure process, Cabinet secretaries reminded local economic development officials Tuesday.
The city has the roads, the mass transit, the sewer and water capacity, the housing stock and zoning, but they admitted it also has “challenges,” such as public schools and a high crime rate.
“Baltimore is the one place that can accommodate the growth,” Secretary of Business and Economic Development David Edgerley told the Maryland Economic Development Association conference at Rocky Gap in western Maryland.
Deputy Transportation Secretary Beverly Swaim-Staley said, “Baltimore has capacity in one place” to handle additional passengers on light rail and commuter buses, but expanding capacity on the rail commuter lines “is absolutely critical to BRAC regardless of where the families relocate. We know where they’re going to work, but we don’t know where they’re going to live,” Swaim-Staley said.
The new jobs will be concentrated at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County and Fort Meade in Anne Arundel. Both have commuter rail stations not far away.
State Planning Secretary Richard Hall said “Baltimore City has the lowest rate of [population] loss that we’ve seen in many, many decades.”
But still, there is “that little issue of the schools; the schools in the city are a challenge,” Hall said.
“Schools and crime are serious factors that could hold things back,” Baltimore County economic development chief David Iannucci said in an interview. “But we’re all very supportive of Baltimore,” which could be the “escape valve” for growth pressures.
While older suburbanites might not be attracted to the city, “a lot of the young grads and young tech” people may concider Fells Point and Canton a good place to live, Iannucci said.
“There are more than enough jobs to go around,” he said, and “regional economic development cooperation is at an all-time high.”
Iannucci said officials in the Baltimore region have informally agreed not to offer any special financial incentives to private contractors that will come with the defense agencies, except for those mandated by law.
Edgerley said for once in his decades in boosting business growth in Maryland, “all of you are talking across jurisdictions” about how to share and accommodate the BRAC growth.
Jun 6, 2007 12:00 AM
by Len Lazarick, The Examiner
Baltimore City has it all when it comes to the infrastructure to absorb the growth in jobs and residents from the defense agencies moving to Maryland under the Base Realignment and Closure process, Cabinet secretaries reminded local economic development officials Tuesday.
The city has the roads, the mass transit, the sewer and water capacity, the housing stock and zoning, but they admitted it also has “challenges,” such as public schools and a high crime rate.
“Baltimore is the one place that can accommodate the growth,” Secretary of Business and Economic Development David Edgerley told the Maryland Economic Development Association conference at Rocky Gap in western Maryland.
Deputy Transportation Secretary Beverly Swaim-Staley said, “Baltimore has capacity in one place” to handle additional passengers on light rail and commuter buses, but expanding capacity on the rail commuter lines “is absolutely critical to BRAC regardless of where the families relocate. We know where they’re going to work, but we don’t know where they’re going to live,” Swaim-Staley said.
The new jobs will be concentrated at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County and Fort Meade in Anne Arundel. Both have commuter rail stations not far away.
State Planning Secretary Richard Hall said “Baltimore City has the lowest rate of [population] loss that we’ve seen in many, many decades.”
But still, there is “that little issue of the schools; the schools in the city are a challenge,” Hall said.
“Schools and crime are serious factors that could hold things back,” Baltimore County economic development chief David Iannucci said in an interview. “But we’re all very supportive of Baltimore,” which could be the “escape valve” for growth pressures.
While older suburbanites might not be attracted to the city, “a lot of the young grads and young tech” people may concider Fells Point and Canton a good place to live, Iannucci said.
“There are more than enough jobs to go around,” he said, and “regional economic development cooperation is at an all-time high.”
Iannucci said officials in the Baltimore region have informally agreed not to offer any special financial incentives to private contractors that will come with the defense agencies, except for those mandated by law.
Edgerley said for once in his decades in boosting business growth in Maryland, “all of you are talking across jurisdictions” about how to share and accommodate the BRAC growth.
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