The next general membership meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at the Belvedere Condominiums, lobby level.
Meet your new board members and join us as we begin the New Year with a discussion of new ideas and goals for 2016. Meetings begin promptly at 7:30pm and all are welcome, members and non-members alike.
We Want You!A message from Brian Levy, the newly elected President of the MVBA: I want to thank everyone for their support as I and the other members of the Board take on the challenge of leading the MVBA. Over the last several months I have heard many ideas for how we can improve the neighborhood, and I know that I and other members of the board have a number of our own ideas that we’re looking forward to sharing with you. However, the truth is there is only so much those of us on the board are able to do, and always more we as a community can be doing. That’s why I’m asking now, and I’ll continue to ask throughout this upcoming year, for not just your support, but your participation. Please consider joining one of our many committees. Please consider becoming a block captain. Please consider getting involved in any way you are able. We are blessed to reside in one of the greatest communities within our city, and I know that together, we can make it even better. Brian Levy, MVBA President Looking for Someone to Chair the MVBA Liquor Review CommitteeAfter his many years of service, Steve Johnson is looking to step down as chair of the MVBA Liquor Review Committee. The mission of the Liquor Review Committee is to monitor applications and transfers of licenses, and to investigate complaints of existing licensed establishments. If you would be interested in chairing this important committee, please email president@mvba.org Board Vacancies and New Board MembersSince our last general meeting, the MVBA Board sadly saw the departure of three of our board members. Board members Steve Ruckman and Jason House resigned, as did Corresponding Secretary Jane Polanka. After soliciting interested parties in December, and speaking with interested candidates, the Board voted to appoint Lance Decker and Julie Canard to the open board of director positions, and Matthew Muir to the corresponding secretary position. These individuals will serve in these positions for the remainder of the year until next November’s election. Notice of Vote Regarding the Disbandment / Creation of a New Standing Committee1. It has been proposed that the Sanitation Committee and the Property Stewardship Committees be reconfigured under a single Committee which will be called the Clean and Beautiful Committee. 2. It has been proposed that a new Community Service Committee be created. *Under the bylaws the creation of a new standing committee and the disbandment of any standing committees must be approved by the general membership. As always, everyone is welcome to attend the general membership meeting, but according to the bylaws only members in good standing will be allowed to vote. New Block Captain InitiativeAfter many years of discussion, we are establishing the Block Captain initiative to improve two-way communication and to help make our Mount Vernon community stronger. Join us at the first 2016 MVBA general membership meeting this coming Tuesday, January 19th as we discuss this new initiative and provide everyone the opportunity to sign-up to be a community Block Captain. This program should really open up the lines of communication and allow information to be more thoroughly disseminated from the board as well as collect information from the entire Mount Vernon community. This would include all types of information such as reporting safety issues, trash violations, damaged trees, poorly maintained properties, as well as gathering great ideas or needs for community improvement, and most importantly, bringing our neighbors closer together to build a stronger community. We look forward to presenting this exciting initiative to everyone at the upcoming meeting and look forward to your participation. MVBA Safety CommitteeThe MVBA Safety Committee held its first meeting of 2016. The committee came up with some very ambitious goals and ideas to help make Mount Vernon safer. Here are a few items the Safety Committee is working on: 1. Increase Segway patrols of police officers by raising $5,000 quarterly. It only takes 100 people to donate $50 each quarter; do so today at mvba.org. Every donation helps us reach our goal! 2. Gating Alleys where possible 3. Increase Exterior Lighting on Businesses and Residential Properties Turn that Stoop Light on! Leave your Front Room/Street Level Lights Lit and open your shutters and drapes! 4. Increase Residential and Business Cameras. Do you have exterior cameras? If so, register them with MVBA as they may become useful to BPD if an incident occurs in your area. Email Safety@MVBA.org if you have exterior cameras at your home or business. 5. Arrange a Mount Vernon Community in Ride-A-Long with Baltimore Police Central District See Something, Say Something, Post it! Keep your neighbors informed by posting alerts to Mount Vernon SafetyFacebook page. If you are a business owner/manager, please email us your emergency contact information. If an incident happens at your business after hours, BPD needs to reach you and needs your emergency contact information. Email your business and contact information to Safety@MVBA.org so we can add you to our BPD Emergency Notification list. The next safety meeting will be held at Hotel Indigo at 6:00pm on Monday, January 18th About the Mount Vernon Safety CommitteeThe Mt. Vernon safety committee is dedicated to helping ensure the safety of all our residents, visitors, and employees of neighborhood businesses. Through the Midtown Community Benefits District surtax, Midtown is able to hire off duty police officers to patrol Mount Vernon on Segways. If you’d like to help enhance these efforts, please make a contribution now, on-line. All contributions will be used to increase the number of safety patrol by police officers. As reference, it costs $320 for a four hour shift by two officers on patrol. So make a contribution today, and quarterly if possible, to help increase the number of patrols right here in our very own Mount Vernon. We have big opportunities to help prevent crimes from happening, but can only do so with your financial contribution. Please donate today. If you would like to donate, visit www.mvba.org and click on Safety Donations. You can donate using Master Card, Visa, and Discover. |
DPW Offers Important Service Reminders about Christmas Tree Pick-up and MulchingDPW will offer curbside collection of trees from Tuesday, December 29, 2015 through Friday, January 29, 2016. Residents should set out trees on their regularly scheduled trash collection day at the same location where their trash is collected. Tree Mulching Trees must be free of tinsel, decorations, nails, or any other foreign material. Residents may bring their own bags or containers if they wish to collect mulch for their own use. Citizens are encouraged to continue to recycle wrapping paper and recyclable packaging from gifts. For more information about recycling please call 311 or visit publicworks.baltimorecity.gov City shuts down work on parking lot in Mount VernonIt was reported that PMI Parking was paving an extension to its current lot on the corner of Charles and Eager Street without a City Council ordinance and approval from the historic preservation commission. Baltimore’s housing department shut down the work on the PMI-controlled site at 1010 Charles Street where the former Chambers Building was recently demolished. City code prohibits the demolition of properties for the purpose of surface parking. Contractors were in the process of paving the land when a city housing inspector issued a stop work order in December. If the owners are unable to obtain permits for their project, city laws require that they undo the work. Elections scheduleIf you are wondering what the election schedule for the presidential and mayoral elections are, see below. MVBA plans to hold a mayoral candidate forum in February if sufficient candidates can be scheduled. 2016 Primary Presidential / Mayoral Election 2016 General Presidential / Mayoral Election New Businesses in Mount VernonBrew House No. 16 After an 18-month renovation, Brew House No.16 finally opened late last year in the 800 block of North Calvert Street. The signage and interior design are stunning while preserving the integrity of the historic firehouse, thanks to the vision of architect Harry Hummel, one of the partners in the endeavor. Harry’s partner and son, Ian Hummel, is the German-trained master brewer who has already crafted a number of beers with local flair, including a paw paw fruit-infused ale and a small-batch collaboration with Brewer’s Art. Chef Adam Snyder has created both a pub fare and dinner menu that focuses on creative interpretations of locally-sourced ingredients and flavors. A Sunday Brunch menu was also recently announced. Flavor NOTE: Flavor will be hosting our next MVBA tree fundraiser on January 22nd 5:00-9:00 Flavor recently opened in the former site of the Midtown BBQ on East Center Street. The restaurant has been completely re-modeled. The stylish, modern bistro, run by executive chef Julia Belton and her wife, Vanna, incorporates the old — vintage red-brick wall, wainscoting and carved wood fireplace — with the new. A simple white-and-gray color scheme creates an airy feeling in the narrow room, fronted by a bar with a dining area in the rear. The white faux-leather chairs, set around dark wood tables, are as plush as they look. The menu focuses on shareable small plates and creative cocktails such as peach-strawberry daiquiris made from local fruit and lemons. The wine list features mostly California and Italian offerings with a nod to other regions. Several draft and bottled beers are available. Restaurant week begins January 22 and runs through January 31. Be sure to support the participating Mount Vernon RestaurantsCity Café If you would like a coy of the printed newsletter, Click Here. |