Westgate Community Newsletter
Spring 2012
Founded in 1933
Westgate Community Association
Spring Egg Hunt!
March 31st @ 11:00am
Westgate Park at North Bend
RAINDATE: April 7th @ 11:00am
Celebrate Spring with your Westgate neighbors at the Annual
Spring Egg Hunt!! There will be balloon animals, face painting,
games for the kids and the Easter Bunny!
Paper bags will be available for gathering eggs, but children are
welcome to bring their own baskets!
President’s Corner
The sun is shining and the air is warm today. I see daffodils blooming as I am
writing this. I am really looking forward to all the delights of spring: the many
flowers and budding trees, exciting new projects being undertaken around the
neighborhood, and a chance to socialize with neighbors.
The Board and I hope that our community will participate in our Egg Hunt at the
North Bend Park on March 31st starting at 11:00 am, and our General Meeting on
May 7th at 7:30 pm at the West Baltimore United Methodist Church. We also
hope that many of you will continue hosting porch parties. Remember, to host a
porch party all you have to do is just name a date and invite your neighbors.
They bring their chairs and drinks so you all can get to know each other. We
would love to have you share pictures of your events so they can be put on our
website and our Facebook page. Invite the board and one of us might be able to
attend; we want to continue meeting everyone in the community.
We have had a mild winter and few of the problems that come with ice and
snow. Despite the mild winter, we have had many tree limbs come down that
need to be removed. Branches and woodpiles create havens for rats, raccoons,
and other rodents to live. We have had several sightings of these creatures
already this year, so please take care of cleaning your property. Thank you.
We are fortunate to have many young families in our neighborhood. On the
warmer days many children are outside playing, so please help us take care of
them and be a careful driver.
Linda Smith
President, Westgate Community Association
www.westgatemd.org
www.facebook.com/WestgateCommunityAssociation
Community Sign
Plans are underway for our
new community sign on
Edmondson Avenue. We will
need donations for beautifying
the sign area. Remember, the
Westgate Community
Association is a 501(c)3
organization and all donations
are tax deductible.
Mail donations to: WCA PO
Box 25331, Baltimore, MD
21229
GENERAL
MEETING!
MAY 7th @ 7:30pm
West Baltimore United
Methodist at Charing
Cross & Greenwich
ELECTIONS!
LOCAL PROJECT UPDATES
Westgate Community
Association, Inc.
Uplands
PO Box 25331
Baltimore, MD 21229
WE REPRESENT YOU!
Officers
President: Linda Smith
410-646-3959
Vice-President: Al Jourdan 410-233-8825
Treasurer: Scott Caquelin
Secretary: Brenda P. Haynes 410-624-7841
Board Members
Marge Collins 410-340-6645
Kelly Franks
410-566-5208
Kelly Madden
Flo Schwarzkopf 410-409-1072
Mike Williams 410-947-9471
Newsletter
Editor: Kelly Franks
410-566-5208
Distribution: Al Jourdan 410-233-9925
Email: info@westgatemd.org
Well, it is finally happening. New apartments and houses are
being built at the old Uplands site. They started building near
Athol Ave first and are working back towards Uplands Parkway.
Trailers on Edmondson are available for people who would like
to see models and get information about either type of
dwelling. For more information go to their website:
www.viewatuplands.com
Redline
Plans are moving forward for this East-West connection to the
other high speed light rail lines. The bridge-to-nowhere at the
Metro station at Route 40 is down and final plans are online for
viewing. If you have not yet taken the virtual trip on the
Redline go to www.baltimoreredline.com to do so. Linda Smith
regularly attends community meetings regarding the Redline.
Contact Linda Smith with your feedback on any of the stations
plans.
2012 Meetings & Events
www.westgatemd.org
Join the “Westgate Community” group on
Facebook!
The Westgate Community Association is a
501(c)3 tax-exempt organization.
3/31/12 Park Clean-Up
9am in Westgate Park at North Bend
3/31/12 Spring Egg Hunt
11am in Westgate Park at North Bend
5/7/12 General Meeting ELECTIONS! 7:30pm
Big Truck Day!
The Baltimore Museum of Industry on Key
Highway is featuring Big Truck Day on Saturday
May 12th from 10:00 - 2:00 P.M. It is a free
event. Visit the website:
http://baltimore.org/events/id/3931. This
event is open to all and is at no cost.
West Baltimore United Methodist (Greenwich &
Charing Cross)
5/12/12 Community Yard Sale in the Park!
8am -1pm (Rain Date 5/19/12)
6/4/12 Board Meeting
9/10/12 Board Meeting
10/15/12 General Meeting
7:30pm West Baltimore United Methodist (Greenwich
& Charing Cross)
11/5/12 Board Meeting
12/8/12 Santa in the Park
For more information about any of these events, email:
westgatecommunitynews@gmail. com
Crime Tip: Put your house number on the back of your
house
so ifinformation
your neighborabout
sees something
suspicious
For
more
any of these
events,
and
calls
the
police,
he
or
she
can
report
a
house
email: westgatecommunitynews@gmail. com
number along with their observations.
www.westgatemd.org
Police & Crime
work with Baltimore City and Baltimore County political
leaders, police, and various agencies when necessary.
City
We can only solve problems if we work together. So
please don’t suffer in silence, contact us and let us try to
solve the problem together. Some problems are harder to
resolve and take more time and some even take court
action by the appropriate agency to really solve the
problem.
Westgate Board President Linda Smith and her
husband, Jim Smith, regularly attend the Southwestern
District Police Community Relations Council (City)
meetings and have found them to be very impressive.
These meetings provide a great opportunity to meet
those who influence all aspects of crime in the city. The
Smith’s have met the new State’s Attorney and have
learned a lot about how the police track criminal activity
and identify suspects. If you are interested in attending
these meetings, please contact Linda.
County
Longtime Westgate resident Flo Schwarzkopf
and Linda Smith also attend the Police and Community
Relations Council (County) meetings and receive updates
on crimes in the area. At the February 14th meeting
Linda brought up the sexual assault that occurred at Mt
De Sales and North Bend Roads earlier in the winter.
Linda questioned what the police were doing about it and
how they are trying to protect us. The police were very
responsive and indicated that they are actively working
on this case and will make a greater effort to keep the
community informed when incidents such as this occur.
Both police groups have been clear that we, the public,
could do more to protect ourselves and our valuables.
We are leaving our expensive GPS and Satellite Radio
units in plain sight in our often unlocked cars. In the
evening people on the street can easily see our big screen
televisions from the sidewalk. We need to lock our
doors, garages and sheds.
Even following these
suggestions someone might still break in and steal our
things, but these measures can prevent the crimes of
opportunity that seem to be on the rise in our area. We
all need to be aware of our own areas and report
suspicious activities. Don’t be afraid to call 911. Let the
police determine if it is a problem. They do log activity
because it helps them see patterns.
Silent Sufferers
Our community association has been in existence for over
75 years. We have tried to keep the area a safe and
attractive place to live. This happens because of the
dedicated people on the Board and the active residents
who believe in our area and want to keep it nice. We
So please, no more silent suffering, talk to us, and lets
work together to correct the problems so we maintain our
community. Correcting the problem later is much harder
work and takes more time.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Westgate Residents
The Westgate Community Association (WCA) is receiving
an increased number of serious complaints about code
violations and, especially, rat infestations from both our
County and City Residents. As a result, the WCA requested
the help of the County and City governments to deal with
these issues.
The City responded when City Councilperson Helen Holton
arranged a ‘walk through’ by Health and Housing
inspectors to address specific areas.
Some City
homeowners received notices and citations, but several
problems were resolved. We are requesting that the
Health and Housing inspectors return to review the
remaining City areas.
The County through County Councilperson Tom Quirk has
offered to perform a Code Enforcement Neighborhood
Sweep which the WCA Board has approved. The sweep of
properties in the County will be conducted by County
officials in the near future. They will be looking for
serious, visible violations which can be easily corrected.
They will look for untagged motor vehicles; junk, trash and
debris; trash cans without lids; grass over 12 inches; and
properties needing minor exterior repairs. They will also
look for rats, animal feces, illegal businesses and signs.
They may issue correction notices, tickets or citations with
potential fines.
WCA suggests that you take this opportunity to sweep
your own property and correct any problems discovered
to avoid potential citations. We can only resolve serious
code violations and rat infestations by working together to
build a stronger, safer community.
Westgate Community Association’s
General Meeting & Elections: May 7
th
Please join us on May 7th at 7:30pm at the West Baltimore United Methodist Church
for our General Meeting.
This meeting is open to all community members and the election of board members will be held.
Please consider giving back to your community by serving as a board member. The current
Board consists of 7 members from the city, but only 3 members from the county.
We need more county representation!
Board Member Requirements:
Reside in the Westgate Community & be a member of the
Community Association
Attendance at Board & General Meetings (Board Meetings are held 6 times
per year, general meetings are held 2 times per year)
Participation in events and meetings impacting our neighborhood
For more information, or to have your name included on the ballot, please contact Board
President Linda Smith at 410-646-3959 or email: westgatecommunitynews@gmail.com.
Place an Ad in the Westgate Newsletter!
The Westgate Newsletter is delivered to 900 households twice a year. The Newsletter is also posted
on our website and emailed to our entire e-mailing list of nearly 200 individuals.
Contact: westgatecommunitynews@gmail.com
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-- - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -- - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -- - - - - - -- Yes! I want to join the Westgate Community Association!
Just fill-out the form and send your check, payable to the “Westgate Community Association” to:
P.O. Box 25331, Baltimore, Maryland 21229
Membership Term: July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013
Dues: $20 per household / $15 per household of a senior (over 55)
Your dues support the activities and operations of the association, including: printing and distribution of the newsletter to all residents,
maintenance of the Westgate Park at North Bend, social events such as Santa’s Visit, Spring Egg Hunt, Community Yard Sale,
administrative costs associated with general meetings
NAME:
ADDRESS:
Neighborhood Watch/Citizens on Patrol
Social Activities (Santa, Garden Club, Block Party)
Newsletter (Writing/Formatting/Distributing)
EMAIL:
Dues
Enclosed:
Donation*
Enclosed:
Advertising Sales
Board Member
OTHER:
*The Westgate Community Association is a 501c(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.