West Annapolis Civic Association

ANNAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS CLUSTER MEETING
Monday 17 July 2006


1. SUMMARY. Fourteen concerned parents, citizens, and civic leaders met
Monday 17 July 2006, from 7:30 - 9:30 pm at Calvary United Methodist Church
for another Annapolis Public Schools Cluster meeting. Following attended:
Classie Hoyle, City Alderman; Wayne Taylor, City Alderman; Eric Sullivan (AA
County Public Schools County-wide Advisory Committee Chairman); Jeff Macris
(West Annapolis Elem); Steve Johnson (Annapolis High School); John Wilson
(RESPECT), Dianne Crews (Admiral Heights Community); Shirley Brown (AHS);
Cindy O'Neill (Bates MS); Vicki Barstow (Bates); Ariel Biddle (Bates); Linda
Simms (AHS); Odessa Ellis (AHS); Ryan Bagwell (Annapolis Capital Newspaper).
Jeff Macris chaired the meeting.

2. THREE BIG IDEAS. The group debated three most pressing issues facing the
Annapolis cluster of schools. The three issues that the group would like to
pass on to city and county administrators for action are:

A. MIDDLE SCHOOL ENRICHMENT. The majority of the night's
discussion surrounded the Annapolis middle schools, which recent test scores
showed still ranked near the very bottom of the county. The cluster group
meeting attendees would like to see a top-to-bottom enrichment of the
programs at the city's two middle schools, including the approval of a
demanding International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program at Annapolis
Middle, and the move to create an equally rigorous "Science, Math, and
Technology School of Excellence" at Bates Middle. The group also looked
favorably upon the idea of Bates serving as a county "Demonstration School"
for new teaching technology.
The top-to-bottom enrichment would also include expansion of
the middle school after-hours activity bus, which now is funded by the
county to run twice weekly. Expanding the bus service would allow for
greater participation in enrichment activities such as a homework club,
after-hours tutoring, intramural sports, and music. The after-school
activity bus may also be a way to strengthen tie-ins with Maryland Hall for
the Creative Arts, and maximize students' exposure to the arts without
interfering with school-day curriculum and scheduling constraints.

B. ANNAPOLIS MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS ARE AMONG LEAST EXPERIENCED
(AND THEREFORE LOWEST PAID) IN THE COUNTY. The group examined data that
showed that Annapolis and Bates Middle School teachers are among the least
experienced teachers, and have the greatest number of not-yet-certified
teachers, in the county. Teacher pay is directly related to experience and
education levels. Based upon this experience level, the Annapolis middle
schools' payroll, therefore, is likely less than that in the Broadneck or
Severna Park clusters, which raises the issue of fairness and equity of
resources across cluster lines. We thus have in Annapolis a crippling and
self-perpetuating iniquity: our middle schools have the some of the least
experienced teachers in the county, as well as the fewest teachers with
"highly qualified" designations, yet our middle school students have among
the highest poverty rates in the county. In the areas where we need great
teachers the most, we have the fewest. This may be a large factor
contributing to Annapolis' middle schools ranking among the lowest in the
county on standardized tests.

C. RECOGNITION THAT THE TRADITIONAL WAYS OF MANAGING OUR SCHOOLS AREN'T
WORKING IN ANNAPOLIS CITY. The meeting attendees concluded that Annapolis
city faces a number of unique issues that other schools -- in more suburban
or rural settings -- don't have to contend with, including high rates of
poverty, large numbers of non-native English speakers, extremely high rates
of turnover of faculty. Our city's schools, therefore, may need a different
vision, incorporating "best practices" of other successful systems.
Attendees expressed some frustration that there existed no representative
in the AACPS bureaucracy that served as a "point man" for Annapolis cluster
issues. The group, however, didn't want to dictate how the Superintendent
managed and organized his staff.

3. OTHER ISSUES. The group also discussed the following issues:
a. NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND OUT-OF-AREA TRANSFERS AND TUTORING.
According to the Department of Education's website
(www.ed.gov/parents/schools/choice/choice.html), when a student attends a
school that fails "Adequate Yearly Progress" two years in a row, parents
may elect to send him/her to another school that passes. When a student
attends a school that fails to meet AYP three years in a row, he/she
qualifies for "supplemental educational services", like tutoring. Several
meeting attendees stated that there exist complex and hidden rules for who
qualifies for these services, and how parents avail themselves of them. This
is an area where we might request clarification from AACPS, since some of
our city's schools have failed AYP over multiple years.
b. ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION. Annapolis High School's Citizen
Advisory Chair requested that our group discuss the need for "Alternative
Education" programs. We discussed in general terms the need for funding for
night-school programs, and schools that concentrate in students who have
proven themselves not able to function in a traditional classroom. The
meetings attendees, however, didn't feel like they had enough information to
make any informed recommendations, however.

Respectfully submitted,
Jeff Macris
Proud parent of 5 present/future public school students

Global Warming and Urban Downsizing

By Steve Johnson



Those who think Annapolis is too large and crowded can take hope - Global Warming promises a rescue. Within the next two to three centuries, odds are high that our fair peninsula will have been radically downsized by rising oceans.



The key to this prediction is the rapid rise in the stock of atmospheric CO2. Mother Nature’s pre-industrial norm was 1,440 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide. Atmospheric CO2 now stands at 1,960 billion metric tons, a 36% increase, and the amount is rising at nearly 100 billion metric tons every decade. [1 metric ton = 1000 kilograms = 2204 pounds]



What’s exciting about adding so much new carbon dioxide to the atmosphere is that it doesn’t leave. There’s no Exit door. Scientists tell us CO2 will stay in the atmosphere for centuries. Once it’s there, it adds more and more oomph to the greenhouse effect, with consequences for global heat retention that take decades to be fully realized.



Somewhere along the way, there’s a Point of No Return for Greenland, another for West Antarctica. As we reach the first Point of No Return, a full meltdown of the Greenland ice sheet is guaranteed. As we reach the second, a full meltdown of the West Antarctic ice sheet is guaranteed as well.



After that, it won’t matter what we do. Humanity could abandon fossil fuels entirely. The ice sheets melt anyway. Not as swiftly, perhaps, but just as inexorably.



Now for the payoff. There’s enough water in the Greenland ice sheet to raise the oceans of the world by 23 feet, once the ice sheet is fully melted. Water in the West Antarctic ice sheet is capable of raising global sea levels by another 20 feet, scientists say.



Recently I bought a topographic map from the US Geological Survey and charted the meltdown consequences. Here’s what the Annapolis peninsula will look like once the Greenland ice sheet has almost melted. I reproduced the USGS 20 foot contour line, so the map below illustrates a 20 foot rise in sea level.







Pretty interesting outcomes. Some effect on our peninsula, primarily around the edges of Wardour. A fair amount of Naval Academy housing disappears, though Perry Circle survives. Most of the Naval Academy itself ends up permanently under water. Too bad it has to go, but, well, our loyalty to fossil fuels far outweighs our loyalty to the Academy, I guess. A fair amount of historic Annapolis also disappears. But no matter. Smaller is better. Hardcore Annapolitans will be pleased to see the Maritime Republic of Eastport disappear. Some of Bay Ridge disappears. The whole of Arundel By The Bay area slips beneath rising seas. Sayonara, all!



If humanity can be induced to persist a bit longer in its so-called addiction to fossil fuels, a CO2 level high enough to get West Antarctica melted is also achievable. For Urban Downsizers, this is the icing on the cake.



The map below overlays today’s sea level peninsula, a 20 foot sea level rise, and a 40 foot sea level rise.







Dramatic, isn’t it? Annapolis gets sliced in two. Rising waters in Crab Creek connect with rising waters in Spa Creek. A few islands survive, but much of the peninsula is submerged. Most of West Annapolis disappears, and most of Wardour as well. Except for the State Capitol, St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, and the St. John’s hilltop, all of downtown vanishes.



This isn’t far-fetched. It’s a wholly achievable goal. Only the timing is uncertain. Actual prevention would require a full renunciation of fossil fuels, and nobody wants to do that. CO2 irreversibility is the key to success – once we put enough CO2 into the atmosphere, Mother Nature takes care of the rest.



It wouldn’t surprise me for both Points of No Return to be reached during this century, the first for Greenland, the second for West Antarctica. The actual meltdowns might take another century or two, but so what? Once full meltdowns are assured, Urban Downsizing succeeds. Don Buan’s final successor as President of WACA gets to be the one who posts the sign, “WACA Dissolved by Rising Seas.”

Concerned Parents & Neighbors—

A lot happened today(Wed 4 Jan 2006), and a lot more will happen in the next few weeks, on our attempts to bring a world-class pre-collegiate curriculum to our middle schools. We'd request your continued help and assistance!

1. IB MYP TRAINING BUDGETED. In the DRAFT Fiscal Year 2007 budget that interim Superintendent Nancy Mann submitted today (4 January 2006) to the Anne Arundel County Board of Education, she included $145,800 for “teacher training” for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program (MYP). This is good news. If her budget gets accepted by the Board, and then funded by the County Executive and County Council, IB MYP would commence for sixth graders in school year 2007-08, at three locations: Annapolis Middle School, Old Mill Middle North, and MacArthur Middle. Any county student could apply to the IB MYP program nearest to his/her home. When a fourth IB High School is ultimately identified, a fourth IB middle school would also be added.

2. IB IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. Although we would have preferred to see IB MYP commence in the classroom this coming year (2006-2007), it does suggest that the interim superintendent has accepted an IB Implementation Plan dated 2 December 2005 that IB coordinator Ms. Christine Amiss developed and presented to the School Board last month. This is a long-range budget document that spells-out in detail how the IB program would be enlarged to the middle school, and then ultimately might be expanded down to the primary schools. Although this document was not distributed to the general public, we will be happy to send it in a PDF file(large file 6.2 MB) under separate cover; please send a request to jrmacris@hotmail.com.

3. NEXT CONCERNED PARENTS MEETING MONDAY 9 JAN, 7 PM. We’ve requested a meeting room at Annapolis Middle School, awaiting confirmation. We’ll set up a strategy for the coming month. Please attend!

4. SPEAKERS NEEDED AT UPCOMING BUDGET FORUMS. Please plan to speak at one of the upcoming forums that will shape the ultimate education budget:

Tue 10 Jan 7 pm Old Mill High School Budget Hearing
Thu 12 Jan 7 pm AACPS Riva Road HQ Budget Hearing
Wed 18 Jan 7 pm AACPS Riva Road HQ Board of Ed
Regular Meeting
Wed 1 Feb 10 am AACPS Riva Road HQ Board of Ed Regular Meeting
Wed 15 Feb 10 am AACPS Riva Road HQ Board of Ed Regular Meeting

The Board of Education will finalize the budget at the 15 Feb meeting, and then send it to the County Executive in early March. The County Executive will send it to the County Council on or about 1 May, and in mid-May the public will be invited to comment in a series of public forums. A final budget, approved by the County Council, is expected on or about 1 June.

5. THIS IS ONLY A DRAFT BUDGET, AND WE MUST CONTINUE THE FIGHT! There will be many competing programs vying for funding on this budget, and if we don’t keep up our visibility, the IB MYP program may very well get cut in the budgeting process, as it has each of the past two years. PLEASE CONTINUE YOUR E-MAILS TO KEY DECISION-MAKERS!

*Ms. Nancy Mann, interim Superintendent nmann@aacps.org
*School Board Members
edward.carey@aacps.org
konrad.wayson@aacps.org
pallas.snider@aacps.org
tricia.johnson@aacps.org
michael.leahy@aacps.org
enrique.melendez@aacps.org
eugene.peterson@aacps.org
paul.rudolph@aacps.org
*Ms. Janet Owens, County Executive countyexecutiveowens@aacounty.org
*County Council Members:
www.aacounty.org/CountyCouncil/index.cfm


6. OTHER ITEMS TO THINK ABOUT. What do you think about:
-An arts magnet school at Bates?
-Setting up a charter school?
-Offering Chinese and Arabic at Annapolis Middle School’s IB Program?
Let’s think out of the box and present our ideas to the School Board. Only by making our voices heard will we ever change anything!

7. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Contact Jeff Macris jrmacris@hotmail.com, or Eric Sullivan sullivanlane@comcast.net

Respectfully submitted,
Jeff Macris
Annapolis MD
jrmacris@hotmail.com

On behalf of the West Annapolis Civic Association Board here’s wishing you a Safe and Happy Holiday Season and best wishes for the coming year.

Also, as we head into the Holiday Weekend please keep safety in mind. I have listed a few safety tips below.

• Most fires are caused by candles and kitchen cooking.
• When setting up a tree at home, place it away from fireplaces, radiators or portable heaters. Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways.
• To hold lights in place, string them through hooks or insulated staples, not nails or tacks. Never pull or tug lights to remove them.
• Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short out and start a fire.
• Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens. Always use non-flammable holders, and place candles where they will not be knocked down.
• In homes with small children, take special care to avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable, keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children to avoid the child swallowing or inhaling small pieces, and avoid trimmings that resemble candy or food that may tempt a young child to eat them.
• Remove all wrapping papers, bags, paper, ribbons and bows from tree and fireplace areas after gifts are opened. These items can pose suffocation and choking hazards to a small child or can cause a fire if near flame.
• Children under age 8 can choke or suffocate on uninflated or broken balloons. Remove strings and ribbons from toys before giving them to young children.
• Watch for pull toys with strings that are more than 12 inches in length. They could be a strangulation hazard for babies.
• Be sure to keep hot liquids and foods away from the edges of counters and tables, where they can be easily knocked over by a young child's exploring hands.
• Wash your hands frequently, and make sure your children do the same.
• Clean up immediately after a holiday party. A toddler could rise early and choke on leftover food or come in contact with alcohol or tobacco.
• Remember that the homes you visit may not be childproofed. Keep an eye out for danger spots.
• Before lighting any fire, remove all greens, boughs, papers, and other decorations from fireplace area. Check to see that the flue is open.
• Make sure you have a designated driver assigned or take a taxi cab if you had too much to drink.

1. THEFT: On December 19th, a resident of the 200 block of Westwood Road reported that someone had broken into her car while it was parked in front of her home between the 18th and 19th. The driver's side window had been broken out and $100.00 in cash was taken from the center console. Her purse had also been taken from under the seat, but it was found lying in a neighbor's driveway with the contents intact.
(05-007183)

Dear Community Leaders, over the last year I have been in contact with many of you in response to the distribution of hate literature in your communities. Some of you have attended public meetings of the Anne Arundel Race Relations Coordinating Council (AARRCC), facilitated by the State's Attorney Frank Weathersbee. This council is in the process of organizing a Stakeholders Meeting early in 2006 identifying community leaders, members of the faith-based community and elected officials to meet and address this issue. Gail

Gail E. Smith
Community and Constituent Services Specialist Office of the County Executive Anne Arundel County
44 Calvert Street
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
410-222-1242
exsmith@mail.aacounty.org

>>> Rhonda Wardlaw 12/15/2005 8:16 AM >>>

Anne Arundel County Unites Against Racial Hatred

Media Contact: Rhonda Wardlaw - Director of Communications
410-222-1288

Annapolis, MD (December 15, 2005)- Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens spoke out strongly today against a group responsible for distributing racist hate literature around the County. This group, calling itself the National Alliance, has also recently aired a video on the Public Access Channel.

The County Executive, County Council, State's Attorney Frank Weathersbee, and Police Chief Thomas Shanahan, are uniting in an effort to stop hate in Anne Arundel County.

"The hate literature and hate video, as appalling as they are, remain protected by the U.S. Constitution under the first amendment," said County Executive Owens. However, I, along with other County and State Leaders, urge all citizens to ignore those who promote hate and denouncing their message," she added.

State's Attorney Frank Weathersbee said, "I abhor and reject the content of the hate message. As despicable and odious as the messages are, they are, unfortunately, not illegal or against the law. The good news is that when items of hate such as these are published in any form, those of us who despise and reject these hateful publications only become more united and determined to defeat them."

Council Chairman Edward Reilly joined with the State's Attorney and County Executive Owens urging a united effort. "Such ignorance and hatred should not be tolerated by any County resident."

Vice Chair Cathleen Vitale added, "I believe Anne Arundel County residents see this act of hate for what it is, and they know it is not indicative of our community."

Other Council Members are joining the effort. "I am discouraged and disheartened by the message presented by this group. I believe that we are a County that embraces diversity and welcomes all people," said District 1 Councilwoman Pamela Beidle.

"We must continue our efforts to eliminate the dissemination of racist comments," said District 6 Councilwoman Barbara Samorajczyk.

"The hate campaign is thoroughly disgusting but unfortunately the sort of thing that we have to live with in a democracy containing the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution," said District 4 Councilman Bill Burlison

"It is beyond my comprehension that people think and act this way in the year 2005," added District 2 Councilman Ed Middlebrooks.

Anne Arundel County Police Chief Thomas Shanahan said, "This is counterproductive to our community. We are a strong family oriented community and this detracts from the cohesiveness, and our efforts to prevent crime."

Friends & neighbors--

As you might have read in the Capital, there's a campaign now going on to expand the college-preparatory International Baccalaureate (IB) program into our public middle schools. This program is called the IB Middle Years Program (MYP), and its ultimate approval would give to Annapolis parents a new choice as to where their students could study from grades 5-8. There's a lot of lobbying & grass-roots work still required to get this approved, but the prognosis looks promising. I've pasted below a meeting report of a productive get-together that we had on Thursday night with AACPS administrators, a member of the county board of education, and a group of concerned parents. I'd request that you read it, and let me know if you can assist in our efforts. OF PARTICULAR HELP WOULD BE YOUR WRITING TO THE ACTING SUPERINTENDENT NANCY MANN (E-MAIL ADDRESS TOWARD THE END OF THE MEETING REPORT) ASKING FOR INCLUSION OF TRAINING MONIES FOR THE IB MYP FOR THE 2006-2007 SCHOOL YEAR!

Respectfully submitted,
Jeff Macris
Annapolis MD


=====================

MEETING REPORT

=====================
1. MEETING DATE. Thursday 8 December 2005, 7-9 pm, Annapolis Middle School.

2. ATTENDEES. Mr. Jeff Macris and Mr. Eric Sullivan, concerned parents, led the meeting.
The following represented the school system: Mr. Enrique Melendez (School Board Member); Ms. Christine Amiss (AACPS IB Coordinator); Mr. Chris Truffer (AACPS Middle School Coordinator); Ms. Carolyn Page (Annapolis Middle School Principal).
Thirteen other concerned parents attended.

3. IB MYP OVERVIEW. Ms. Christine Amiss led a 45 minute Power Point introduction on the basic outline of the IB MYP program, and took questions from the attendees. Many of the questions regarded the plan that the school system had devised last year, but could not implement due to budget limitations.

4. ADMINISTRATION HAS A PLAN TO INTRODUCE MYP IN 2007-2008 YEAR. Ms. Amiss reports that the AACPS Administration forwarded to the School Board this week a comprehensive IB Implementation Plan. That plan envisions starting MYP at three site during the 2007-2008 school year, starting with Grade 6 and then adding one grade each year, at Annapolis Middle, Old Mill Middle North, and MacArthur Middle. In support of this plan, the upcoming year
(2006-07) would be designated a "Planning Year", and would require costs of approximately $48,600 per school ($145,800) in the upcoming 2006-2007 budget. (Source: "Cost Projections for Implementation of the IB Middle Years Program, Total Expenses per Middle School Site as of December 1, 2005) These budget dollars would likely need to be reflected in the 2006-2007 budget.

It is worth noting that the administration's plans do not necessarily mean that this program will ultimately be funded. In both of the past two years the County Executive and County Council have refused to fund the School Board's MYP initiatives. If concerned parents, teachers, and administrators desire to see this program started, therefore, they will need to lobby for funding, and urge the County School Board to raise the priority level of the program in order to assure it is not removed by the County Executive from the budget again.

5. SOME PARENTS VOICED DISPLEASURE AT WAITING ANOTHER YEAR FOR MYP. A poll of the thirteen parents showed that almost all of them wanted to see MYP commenced in some fashion in September 2006, and not wait an additional year. The parents discussed which of three alternatives they would prefer:
(A) Execute the proposed AACPS plan, with 2006-2007 school year devoted as a "Planning Year", and commencing classes at three MYP sites in 2007-2008; (B) Execute in 2006-2007 the plan approved by the school board last year (2 MYP sites, one at Old Mill Middle North, and Annapolis Middle), but not funded by the County Executive; (C) Implement in 2006-2007 an Annapolis Middle School only program as a pilot, which would include ONLY students at the Middle School, and not involve any extra transportation expenses. The parents almost equally split among options B & C.

6. AACPS STAFF EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT QUALITY OF MYP MIGHT SUFFER IT IS RUSHED TO COMMENCE IN 2006-2007. Ms. Amiss and Mr. Truffer related that the administrative demands of bringing Meade High School into the IB program in the coming year made it unlikely that sufficient staff time and funding was available to bring the MYP to two or more schools in 2006/2007. If pressed by the School Board to commence some type of MYP program in 2006-2007, they said that they might be able to start MYP at one school, perhaps Annapolis Middle; if they allowed only students who are slated for that school (no out of area students), the logistics and expense of transportation might be avoided. Some teachers there have already undergone IB Training. Ms. Amiss emphasized that she is a one-person operation.

7. UPCOMING PUBLIC FORUMS. Mr. Eric Sullivan discussed the importance of every attendee expressing his or her opinions in upcoming public forums, and
via e-mail and telephone. A list of contact information for all of the concerned decision-makers was distributed.

8. NEXT CONCERNED PARENTS' MEETING: January 2006. Time/place TBD.

9.PUBLIC FORUMS:
Participation in Interim Superintendent’s Community Forms:
Dec 12th 7pm @ Annapolis HS
Dec 13th 7pm @ Severna Park HS
Dec 15th 7pm @ Glen Burnie HS
*Participation in Superintendent Search and Strategic Facilities process
Attend and speak at Board of Education meetings
Dec 7th 10am – regular meeting
Dec 21st 7pm (Presentation of Ms. Mann’s recommended FY07 budget)
Jan 10th 7pm – Public Hearing on Budget – Old Mill HS
Jan 12th 7pm – Public Hearing on Budget – Parham Building
Jan 24th 6-8pm – Budget Workshop Instruction/Student Services
Jan 26th 6-8pm – Budget Workshop Business/Support Services
Feb 15th 10am – BoE adoption of FY07 Budget
Note: 3/1/06 budget goes to County Exec
5/1/06 County Exec sends budget to County Council
Mid-May Public Forums on Budget
6/1/06 Final Budget Approval
10. CONTACT INFO:

Mr. Jeff Macris (jrmacris@hotmail.com) – Parent
Mr. Eric Sullivan (sullivanlane@comcast.net) - Parent
Mr. Chris Truffer (ctruffer@aacps.org) - Director of Middle Schools
Ms. Christine Amiss (camiss@aacps.org) – IB Program Coordinator


Ms. Nancy Mann Interim Superintendent nmann@aacps.org

*Letters/E-mail/phone calls to School Board Members
http://www.aacps.org/aacps/boe/board/Board.asp


Edward P. Carey,
311 Fifth Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21225
410-636-1812 (h)
edward.carey@aacps.org

Konrad M. Wayson, President
601 Keith Avenue
Owings, MD 20736
240-508-2335
konrad.wayson@aacps.org

Pallas Snider, Student Member
945 Old County Road
Severna Park, MD 21146
410-544-2436
pallas.snider@aacps.org

Tricia Johnson Vice President
830 Kings Retreat Drive
Davidsonville, MD 21035
410-798-0362 (h)
tricia.johnson@aacps.org

Michael G. Leahy
712 Monmouth Avenue Drive
Severna Park, MD 21146
410-315-8469
michael.leahy@aacps.org

Enrique Melendez
1685 Sam Ryder Rd
Arnold, MD 21012
410-626-7190
Enrique.Melendez@aacps.org

Eugene Peterson
3534 Rippling Way
Laurel, MD 20724
301-776-0863(h)
eugene.peterson@aacps.org

Paul G. Rudolph
437 N. Lakeland Road
Severna Park, MD 21146
410-544-6590 (h)
paul.rudolph@aacps.org



*Letters/E-mail/phone calls to County Executive: Ms. Janet Owens
Arundel Center
44 Calvert St., Annapolis, MD 21404 - 1831
(410) 222-1821; fax: (410) 222-1155
e-mail: countyexecutiveowens@aacounty.org

*Letters/E-mail/phone calls to County Council
http://www.aacounty.org/CountyCouncil/index.cfm




Respectfully submitted,
Jeff Macris
Annapolis MD

From Public Works:

Chester Ave. between Fourth St. and Fifth St. is closed to traffic today, December 8, 2005 for the rest of the work day. Utility crews will be installing a new water service

Motorists should prepare alternate access plans for the area. We appreciate your patience and will work quickly and efficiently as possible.

Dept of Public Works Utility Operations
410 263-7970

Please do not respond to this email. If you have any questions please send them to HDalton@annapolis.gov

Press Release: For Immediate Release

Media Contact: Pam Jordan, Spokesperson
Land Use and Environment Office
(410) 222-7502 Office
(410) 280-7399 Pager

Winter weather expected overnight
Department of Public Works stands ready

Annapolis (December 5, 2005)--As County residents prepare for the first significant snowfall of the season, the Department of Public Works (DPW) is ready to keep them on the move. DPW begins planning for the next winter season in the spring of each year culminating with the snow equipment inspection and rodeo in the fall.

Like last year, residents are encouraged to use the on-line snow service request system to determine what type of road they live on and the corresponding level of snow removal service they can expect. If, during snow storms of greater than 4 " of snow or severe ice storms, the Department has not met the expected level of service, residents may submit an on-line service request. While staff at the Bureau of Highways' Storm Center will still be available to help residents by phone 24 hours a day during severe weather, the website provides an alternative, efficient means of communication.

"As with any storm, please be prepared for the snow we are expecting overnight," said County Executive Janet S. Owens. " I think it's imperative that residents consider the hazards of winter weather and plan accordingly."

County Executive Owens further reminds residents to fully utilize the County website for winter weather assistance.

Residents are urged to help DPW staff by utilizing off-street parking when snow is predicted. "As skilled and dedicated as our drivers are in clearing narrow, residential streets, the practice of parking cars on both sides of the road creates a safety hazard for the community and the drivers alike," said Rhody Holthaus, Chief, Bureau of Highways. "If our drivers find that the road is not safe due to on-street parking, service to the entire road could be delayed."

Residents are also reminded that snow removal operations are carried out in a systematic manner that serves the greater need first. Main roads, collector routes, steep slopes, and sharp curves are the first priority, followed by residential streets, and then dead-ends and cul-de-sacs. Residents should become familiar with the difference between bare pavement and passable road conditions. Passable means that after the plow has been through, the road may still be snow-packed, there may only be one travel lane open, and all-weather tires are a must. Plow operators work tirelessly in a storm to ensure that roads are passable.

DPW is responsible for maintaining more than 1,750 miles of roadway during winter. There are approximately 300 pieces of snow removal equipment on-hand, including dump trucks and loaders. Of those vehicles, approximately 80 are equipped with GPS allowing better communication and planning during weather emergencies. In addition to County equipment, DPW has contracted with the business community to have on-hand approximately 175 pieces of equipment with operators. The Department maintains 11,650 tons of salt and is at full capacity at this time.

Residents should visit www.aacounty.org to learn more about snow removal and the on-line snow service request system. Residents are encouraged learn the level of service for their street and should take advantage of this quick and easy method to contact us if we have not met this level of service. For storms with accumulations of less than 4", residents may also contact their local Bureau of Highway's District office by telephone as follows: Northern (410) 222-6120; Central (410) 222-7940; and Southern (410)
222-1933.

###

4.ROBBERY ARREST: back on November 18th at 12:24 PM, an Annapolis resident had her purse snatched from her as she was walking on Annapolis Street near Giddings Avenue. After an investigation with much assistance from several citizens, 44 year old Virgil Edward Brown, of Davidsonville was identified as the perpetrator. On December 1st, he was arrested on a warrant charging him with Robbery, Assault, and several other associated offenses. He is currently being held at the Detention Center in lieu of $350,000.00 bond. (05-006638)