Friday, April 12, 2013
The cameras would be paid for by an Abell Foundation Grant and monitored by CitiWatch.
The Charles Village Community Benefits District is moving ahead with plans to install crime surveillance cameras in the neighborhood. A $132,000 Abell Foundation grant to pay for 12-crime surveillance cameras is included in the district’s proposed fiscal year 2014 budget. The district provides security and sanitation services by charging a surtax to property owners in communities such as Charles Village, Abell and Waverly Main Street. "Like other areas of the city, CVCBD has an unacceptable crime rate. The CVCBD is combating it in every possible way including the installation of cameras," David Hill, the district’s executive director, wrote in an email. Last year, the district also began to pay off-duty police officers to patrol the …
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
The district has hired two off-duty Baltimore police officers to patrol the neighborhoods that make up the district.
The Charles Village Community Benefits District’s new safety program will be hitting the streets Wednesday trying to crackdown on persistent crime in the neighborhood. The district has hired two off-duty Baltimore police officers to patrol the neighborhood in an attempt to decrease crimes, such as prostitution, that have been a consistent concern for neighbors. "The community was really pushing to bring back the off-duty officers like we had in the past," said Diana Mitchell, Community Safety Program coordinator. Previously the benefits district had a full security program, but that was scrapped several years ago because of concerns about the cost and the program’s effectiveness. In recent years the district has focused more of its paid …
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Prostitution in Charles Village has been a continuing concern for some residents.
Baltimore police will explaing to residents how they can better fight prostitution in their neighborhoods at the Charles Village Community Benefits District offices Thursday. The meeting of the Prostitution Task Force, which was put together by the Northern District police, residents and community associations, will be meeting at 6 p.m. to discuss how residents can be more effective combating this particular crime. "We want [residents] to call 911, but we want them to call with the appropriate information," said Diana Mitchell, coordinator of the district’s safety programs. Mitchell said residents need to know to collect information, such as license plate numbers, as opposed to calling police about scantily clad people they believe are …
Thursday, June 14, 2012
The lots in the 3000 block of Vineyard Lane were often a magnet for illegal dumping.
The vacant lots at 3014 and 3016 Vineyard Lane on the border of Waverly and Abell has been a magnet for illegal dumping. Tree stumps, trash and automobiles have all been ditched in the lots and repeatedly cleaned out by the Charles Village Community Benefits District. "Over the years the property has been used as a straight dumping ground. As you can see this morning, somebody had a car towed here, so we’re battling that. But in the past commercial buildings have dropped off trash here, we’ve had all sorts of dumping that’s happened over the lot," said Diana Mitchell, the benefits district’s community safety programs coordinator. But starting on Thursday, with help from United States Naval Academy midshipmen through the city's …
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Waverly Main Street will now appoint two members to the Charles Village Community Benefits District board.
A bill allowing the Waverly Main Street to appoint members of to the Charles Village Community Benefits District board was passed by the City Council, despite the objections of a council member who represents the area. Previously the Waverly Merchants Association appointed two members to the benefits district board, but that group is now defunct. As the association wrapped up its affairs, it jointly appointed two members currently sitting on the board with Waverly Main Street. From here on out, the main street association will have the responsibility to appoint members. Last week, when the council voted to move the bill onto a final vote, Councilman Carl Stokes, who represents parts of Charles Village and Remington, spoke out against the …
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
The Charles Village Community Benefits District and Baltimore City currently don't have an agreement spelling out the basic services that must be provided.
Some residents in the Charles Village Community Benefits District believe it can’t collect the surtax it currently charges residents because it does not have a “baseline agreement” with the city. A baseline agreement is an arrangement between the city and district outlining the basic services the city will provide, such as trash pick-up and police patrols. Christian Wilson, during a presentation Tuesday night on the district’s financial plan for fiscal year 2013, argued the Baltimore City Charter requires the baseline agreement, and that the surtax can not be collected without one being in effect. David Hill, executive director of the benefits district, said during the meeting that the district does not currently have a baseline agreement …
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Some business owners on Greenmount Avenue say they aren’t getting their money’s worth from the Charles Village Community Benefits District.
Some business owners along Greenmount Avenue say they are tired of paying a surtax for increased clean-up and security and not getting those services from the Charles Village Community Benefits District. Casey Jenkins, owner and chef at Darker Than Blue Café, has been vocal about his disappointment about the crime and grime along Greenmount Avenue. The situation has worsened to the point that Jenkins said he is considering moving his acclaimed restaurant. But Jenkins hasn’t given up hope of finding solutions to the issues along Greenmount. He just no longer believes the benefits district —which charges 12 cents per $100 of assessed value to property owners in the Charles Village area for security and sanitation services—can provide enough…
stungunmike
10:32 pm on Thursday, April 18, 2013
until there are cameras everywhere. The issue is who has access to the camera feeds. If they are public cameras, the public should have access to the feed. We don't want private cameras in public places anymore than we want public cameras in our private places. more ›