Alley Walk

Alley Walk, a set on Flickr.

The walk was September 19. The dumpster announcement was made on September 27.

Waverly Walkers ventured down several of the neighborhood's alleys. Alleys are so critical in either deterring or attracting pests, both rats and mosquitoes including others. Water build-up harbors mosquito eggs. Trash attracts rats. We even saw someone had gently placed some dog poop right on top of the trash can. Will DPW even take that?

We are not as bad as other neighborhoods, but we can certainly do better.

Now, if you have recently noticed some dumpster piles, there has been some difficulty with DPW in regard to getting a dumpster delivered. One is scheduled for this Saturday, October 1st at the corner of Old York Road and 38th Street.

August 22, 2011, Along Greemount Avenue

Gorilla, Old York Road, August 22, 2011

Read locally. Listen Globally. Waverly Library. Sept. 24. 11-4PM

Poets around the world are planning individual events to take place simultaneously on September 24th in a demonstration/celebration of poetry to promote social and political change.

In Baltimore City, we will be celebrating this event and demonstrating how poetry can change a community by bringing people together in a creative and positive space. Please join us in marking this historical event and showing the world that Baltimore has a vibrant and deep poetic soul, and show how “The City That Reads” reflects the manifest interests and poetics of its citizenry, and that creative literacy can be sustained in Charm City.

Where? Waverly Branch Enoch Pratt Free Library, at the intersection of Barclay, University Parkway, and 33rd Street. (400 E. 33rd Street, Baltimore, MD 21218)

When? 11 AM until 4PM on September 24, 2011. Join us outside the Library on 33rd street for: sidewalk chalk poetry, live performances, free poetry giveaways, and more.

Starting at 2PM, join us in the Waverly Library meeting room for a poetry recording session until 4PM. Be recorded reading one of your own poems or a favorite poem, or just stop and in listen. All documentation on the 100TPC.org weblog will be preserved by Stanford University in California, which has recognized 100 Thousand Poets for Change as an historical event, the largest poetry reading in history. They will archive the complete contents of the weblog, 100TPC.org, as part of their digital archiving program LOCKSS.

New Waverly Elementary/Middle School

CALL TO ACTION FOR OUR NEW WAVERLY SCHOOL

Please email the School Board NOW at schoolboard@bcps.k12.md.us to urge approval of a construction contract for the new Waverly Elementary/Middle School at the School Board meeting of TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 6:00pm. We can afford no further delays in breaking ground! Our children need their new school by December 2012.

Begin emails with "Dear President Duke and Commissioners,"

Briefly explain how important it is to you to avoid further delays in awarding a contract. End with your name, address, connection with the school (parent, teacher, neighbor, supporter). Please attend the School Board meeting of TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 6pm, to show support for Board action to award the construction contract. I'll be there. Thanks for your help. Sorry for late notice.

Background

The School Board awards contracts for constructing new schools. The Board opened the Waverly School construction bids in late June. The lowest bidder, CAM Construction, was ruled non-compliant with certain bid requirements, and the Board disqualified its bid. The second lowest bidder and all other bidders were in compliance.

It's a very long story, but CAM protested being disqualified, then the second lowest bidder protested a move to throw out all bids. (So did I when I heard about that proposal after the fact!) So there have been more delays as the Board sorted out how to proceed.

We hope that the Board meeting of August 23 will get us back on track.

I have been involved in trying to move the process along, and now it's time for the entire community to join in the effort to URGE IMMEDIATE AWARD of the contract to one of the bidders at the August 23 Board meeting.

We are already behind schedule because of these delays. We were promised a Fall 2012/ Spring 2013 occupancy of the new school. The 2012/13 winter break is our best time to make the move. We can wait no longer or we will lose that window of move-in opportunity.

Thanks for your emails NOW and your School Board attendance on TUESDAY, August 23, BCPS HQ, 200 East North Avenue, 1st floor Board Room.

Sign-up 5pm *
Board meeting 6pm

*To speak, we need to show up before 5pm to sign up at 5pm at 1st floor lobby of the BCPS HQ.

Picking Up Trash, Drain

Waverly seems to have a plethora of drains clogged by trash. We'd like to organize the walkers to pick up some of this trash, but also educate residents on the effects this litter has on our waterways.

Old BGE Power Station, Old York and 35th Street