July 2, 2012

In case you missed it

brought to you by, The Abingdon Community Council

Wal-Mart Schedules Community Meeting; Plans to Build Bel Air Store May Be Moving Ahead

al-Mart appears to be moving ahead with plans to build a retail store on a 33-acre undeveloped parcel near the intersection of Plumtree Rd. and Rt. 924 in Bel Air, according to a meeting announcement, purportedly from a representative of Wal-Mart, which was published on Friday, June 29th, in the legal notices section of a local newspaper. The announcement indicates that a community input meeting, a required step in the Harford County development process, will be held by representatives of Wal-Mart at Patterson Mill Middle/High School on July 19th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to provide information to the community about the proposed commercial development, which the meeting notice describes as a Wal-Mart retail store and other commercial uses, with associated infrastructure. Donald H. Hughes of Bowman Consulting is listed as the point of contact, but Hughes could not be reached for comment late Friday afternoon. However, two Harford County councilmen said that they had been contacted recently by representatives of the company. Councilman James V. McMahan Jr., representing Bel Air, told The Dagger that his legislative aide had been contacted by the legal firm representing Wal-Mart to arrange a meeting with him, which he said is still in the planning stages. McMahan said that a traffic study commissioned by Wal-Mart had not yet been returned to the county, but that, along with the Department of Planning and Zoning, he planned to take a hard look at the study in light of traffic congestion already in the area. Councilman Richard Slutzky, representing Aberdeen, confirmed that his office had also been contacted by Wal-Mart representatives, but he was traveling on Friday and said that he had not yet responded to the meeting request. Pete Gutwald, director of the Department of Planning and Zoning for Harford County, was not available Friday and officials in his department said they were not aware of a scheduled community input meeting for Wal-Mart.

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However, Harford County Subdivision Regulations only require that P&Z be notified two weeks prior to the date scheduled by the developer for such a meeting, which, in this case, would be July 5th. Gutwald has said previously that the site in question is zoned for business and is large enough to accommodate a Wal-Mart Super Center. Wal-Mart has not responded to repeated requests for comment about the companys plans. Speculation that a store opening in Bel Air would be accompanied by the closing of the nearby Abingdon store has not been confirmed. A community group formed to oppose Wal-Mart in the Bel Air location, the Bel Air South Community Foundation, is rallying members to attend the July 19th community input meeting to voice their concerns. The group has gathered 400 signatures on an online petition. The petition opposes the store on the grounds that it will hurt existing businesses, increase traffic congestion and may add to crime in the area. Morita Bruce, president of Friends of Harford, which describes itself as the citizens voice for responsible land use, cautioned that the purpose of a community input meeting is for the developer to tell the community about the planned development. She said that the public can ask questions and raise concerns, but input from the community can be used, or not, as the developer sees fit. Bruce said that the developer is required to report to P&Z that the meeting was held and provide notes of the input received, but she said that such notes can vary widely in the level of detail recorded.
(Reprinted, with permission from The Dagger, www.daggerpress.com, some changes were made)

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July 2012
Dates to Ponder:
Martinis and Moonlight Cruise July 3, 2012 9:00pm - 10:30pm Chesapeake Heritage Conservancy, 121 N. Union Ave, Havre de Grace.. $40/person. Relax in the moonlight of the full moon with martinis and friends. Reservations required. 410.939-4078 www.skipjackmarthalewis.org Abingdon Elks Bingo July 3, 2012 7:00pm Join us at the Abingdon Elks Lodge on the first and third Tuesday of every month for Bingo. The Lodge opens at 6:00pm with a special menu. Bingo starts at 7:00 PM with special games and a progressive pot. The Lodge is located at 600 Harford Boat Club Road just off Route 40 in Abingdon. Call 410.676-2626 for more information or check us on the Web. Website Bel Air Independence Day July 4, 2012 6:45am - 10pm Celebrations in various locations around Bel Air. Morning events include Pancake Breakfast, Turtle Derby, Frog Jumping, Hamster Races, Horseshoe Pitching, Bicycle Rodeo, Uncle Sam Says and Watermelon Eating. Evening events are the Parade and Fireworks. Sponsored by the Bel Air Independence Day Committee, Inc. 410.893-4444

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Independence Day Open House July 4, 2012 9am - 12pm Hays House, 324 Kenmore Avenue. Special activities. Tour the 1788 house. Period music by the Catherine Street Consort. Sponsored by the Hays House Museum. FREE. 410.838-7691 First Fridays July 6, 2012 5:00pm 800pm Office and Main Streets. FREE outdoor celebration of live music downtown; beer & wine garden; refreshments; merchants participating with specials. Sponsored by the Bel Air Downtown Alliance. www.downtownbelair.com or call 443.823-1797 Lend a Hand, Learn a Lot, Lug a Little July 7, 2012 9:30am - 11:30am Eden Mill Nature Center, 1617 Eden Mill Road, Pylesville. FREE. The public is welcome to work alongside Master Gardeners in Eden Mill's educational gardens in exchange for a free bag of vegetables. Bring your plant and gardening questions and a willingness to lend a hand with various caretaking tasks, and the MG's will gladly share their vast knowledge of all things green! Experience working vermiculture, raised bed and container gardening techniques. 410.836-3050 www.edenmill.org Guided Tours of Tudor Hall July 8, 2012 1:00pm and 2:00pm 17 Tudor Lane, Bel Air. Visit The Home Of The Maryland Booths. The historic Tudor Hall is a fascinating piece of our nation's history. When you visit, you'll connect to the story of the Maryland Booths who left their mark on America forever. You'll walk where they walked, lived, played, worked and dreamed. When you visit, history comes alive. The property and first floor of Tudor Hall will be open to visitors. The cost is $3.00 for those age 13 and older. The gift shop includes books which delve into the absorbing history of the Booths. Reservations SpiritsOfTudorHall@gmail.com.

The Abingdon Community Council monthly eNews will be sent a little later this month July 8th. The editor has gone fishing!

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Next Meeting: July 23, 2012

(From 6:30pm -7:30pm at the Abingdon Public Library, 2510 Tollgate Road, Abingdon, MD 21009)

We Need You! YOUR VIEW DOES COUNT!

Members:
Cynthia Hergenhahn, Chairperson C. David Copenhaver Carlin Cook Earl Grey Gregory A. Beaty Recording Secretary: Donna Copenhaver

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