Bel Air Town

W. Eugene Graybeal, former chairman of the Bel Air town commissioners and a hardware store owner, died Saturday of complications of Parkinson's disease at Hart Heritage Home in Forest Hill. He was 83 and lived in Bel Air.Long active in Harford County politics, Mr. Graybeal was a town commissioner and member of the Harford County Board of Education in the 1980s. He also was chairman of the Harford County Charter Board in the 1970s.From 1950 to 1981, he co-owned and ran Courtland Hardware, a store much recalled for its oiled, aromatic pine wood floors.

At any given time, it's fair to say there are at least a few properties on the market in Harford County that could be described as historic, if the definition of historic simply means old. One such property was brought to the attention of the Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners last week when a representative of its owner approached the commissioners about the possibility of the town buying the mansion. The house in question, owned by Judith Graybeal Eagle, is on 2.85 acres near the entrance to the Liriodendron Mansion, a noteworthy property owned by Harford County and operated as part of the county parks system.

The developer of Bel Air Town Center, a new shopping center in Bel Air, has filed for bankruptcy protection.Columbia-based McGill Development Co., a large commercial real estate developer in the Baltimore area, filed for Chapter 11 under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code on July 22. McGill filed for reorganization along with two of its subsidiaries.In the filing, McGill Development Co., a general partner in various limited partnerships that own and operate shopping centers, listeddebts of $52.8 million.

James Francis "Shirt-sleeves" O'Neill, a retired lawyer who had served as mayor of Bel Air in the early 1970s, died of cancer Monday at Stella Maris Hospice in Timonium. He was 86. "Jim was a character, spontaneous, funny and off the wall sometimes but not all the time," said Todd Holden, a former Aegis reporter and photographer who was a longtime friend. "He used to ride a minibike when gas went through the roof, and always had a Red Baron white scarf around his neck as he made his way around town," said Mr. Holden.

Florio N. "Fran" Franetovich, a retired attorney who helped write the Harford County charter and was a former Bel Air town commissioner, died of cancer Monday at Stella Maris Hospice. He was 80. A native of Union City, N.J., he was the son of immigrant Croatian parents, telling his children that he was born in the back of his uncle's barbershop. He served in the Army from 1945 to 1946 and left military service as a staff sergeant. He earned an accounting degree at Upsala College in East Orange, N.J., and while working at the Effanbee Doll Co., he met his future wife, the former Kathleen Henemier.

MEISSNER PARADE Welcome home Olympic figure skater Kimmie Meissner at a grand parade in her honor tomorrow in Bel Air. The parade, which kicks off at 4 p.m. from the corner of Churchville and Main streets and travels north on Main Street, honors the 16-year-old skater, who finished in sixth place at this year's Olympic Games in Turin. In addition to Meissner and her family, others participating in the parade will include members of the Bel Air police department and Bel Air fire department, the Fallston High School Band, Bel Air town commissioners, Harford County Sheriff R. Thomas Golding, Harford County state delegates, representatives from Meissner's training site, Ice World, and a Bel Air public works department employee steering a snow plow along the parade route.

Columbia-based McGill Development Co., among the larger commercial real estate developers in the Baltimore area, filed for Chapter 11 under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code Monday.McGill's filing, along with the reorganization filing of two of its subsidiaries, illustrates the tough times faced by shopping center developments that opened during the recession.McGill is the owner and operator of Bel Air Town Center at U.S. 1 and Route 24 and the Roberts Field Shopping Center in Hampstead. Both opened within the past year, and McGill had difficulty finding tenants, according to the developer's bankruptcy lawyer, Mitchell Stevan of Weinstock, Stevan & Harris in Baltimore.

WITH SEVERAL nominations decided by default, voters in the two predominantly Harford County state legislative districts have few choices in the Sept. 10 primary. District 35A: No Democratic primary. In the GOP race, incumbents Barry Glassman of Churchville and Joanne S. Parrott of Fallston are being challenged by David W. Shrodes of Pylesville, chairman of the Harford County Liquor Control Board. All three have long careers of public service. But Mr. Shrodes has accepted contributions from people with ties to the liquor board, from other board members and from a lawyer who frequently represents licensees.

Bel Air is about to start construction of a new road designed to help alleviate traffic congestion at one of Harford's busiest intersections: U.S. 1 and Route 24.This is news that should make Mickey Dietz and thousands of Harford motorists happy.Mr. Dietz is one of the 21,000 or so motorists passing through the intersection daily.He said he spends 15 minutes sitting at the intersection in the middle of the town and county's chief shopping area as he tries to make a simple right turn from Route 24 to U.S. 1. Mr. Dietz lives off Moores Mill Road near U.S. 1."

The election of three Bel Air town commissioners will be held Tuesday with a crowded field of 11 candidates, including two incumbents.This is the second election in a row that has produced a large number of hopefuls for the four-year positions on the town board. Two years ago, seven candidates entered the race.All of this suggests a high level of civic awareness and involvement in the town of Bel Air, the Harford County seat. That's probably true in terms of public issues, although it is not reflected in voter turnout.

As taken from the pages of The Aegis dated Thursday, July 12, 1962: The Town of Bel Air grew by 249 acres as a result of a property annexation acquired by the Commissioners of Bel Air. The property known as "The Homestead," a 300-acre farm, was divided into three parcels. One was owned by the Bel Air Methodist Church, one by the Hanover-Baltimore Corporation and the remainder under contract to the Homestead Development Company, whose plan was to construct a large housing development.

Moroccan runners returned. Megan DiGregorio repeated. And a massive crowd ran Sunday in the 31st annual Bel Air Town Run. Mouhcine Outaleb, a 33-year-old restaurant worker from Morocco via Westchester, Pa., won the men's race in 14:47. He matched strides with 2010 winner Dave Berdan over much of the 5K route before pulling away in the final half mile to win by 40 meters. Berdan, of Baltimore, finished second in 14:54. Rachid Ait-Bensalem, also from Morocco, finished third in 15:48.

From The Aegis dated Thursday For several months, the town experimented with making portions of those streets one way before deciding to make the experiment permanent. North Main became one-way north from Lee to Gordon streets. Lee became one-way east from Bond to Main streets.

Florio N. "Fran" Franetovich, a retired attorney who helped write the Harford County charter and was a former Bel Air town commissioner, died of cancer Monday at Stella Maris Hospice. He was 80. A native of Union City, N.J., he was the son of immigrant Croatian parents, telling his children that he was born in the back of his uncle's barbershop. He served in the Army from 1945 to 1946 and left military service as a staff sergeant. He earned an accounting degree at Upsala College in East Orange, N.J., and while working at the Effanbee Doll Co., he met his future wife, the former Kathleen Henemier.

MEISSNER PARADE Welcome home Olympic figure skater Kimmie Meissner at a grand parade in her honor tomorrow in Bel Air. The parade, which kicks off at 4 p.m. from the corner of Churchville and Main streets and travels north on Main Street, honors the 16-year-old skater, who finished in sixth place at this year's Olympic Games in Turin. In addition to Meissner and her family, others participating in the parade will include members of the Bel Air police department and Bel Air fire department, the Fallston High School Band, Bel Air town commissioners, Harford County Sheriff R. Thomas Golding, Harford County state delegates, representatives from Meissner's training site, Ice World, and a Bel Air public works department employee steering a snow plow along the parade route.

WITH SEVERAL nominations decided by default, voters in the two predominantly Harford County state legislative districts have few choices in the Sept. 10 primary. District 35A: No Democratic primary. In the GOP race, incumbents Barry Glassman of Churchville and Joanne S. Parrott of Fallston are being challenged by David W. Shrodes of Pylesville, chairman of the Harford County Liquor Control Board. All three have long careers of public service. But Mr. Shrodes has accepted contributions from people with ties to the liquor board, from other board members and from a lawyer who frequently represents licensees.

Nearly 500 Bel Air residents have united in opposition to a proposal to build a Super Kmart Center, a department store and grocery complex on two adjacent properties on Route 24 across from the Motor Vehicle Administration.Opponents contend the project would send pollutants from construction site runoff into Plumtree Run, worsen traffic on Tollgate Road, bring crime to the community and reduce property values.Leaders of the Fairwind Farms, Tollgate Estates, Ponderosa and Fox Bow communities are spearheading the fight.

W. Eugene Graybeal, former chairman of the Bel Air town commissioners and a hardware store owner, died Saturday of complications of Parkinson's disease at Hart Heritage Home in Forest Hill. He was 83 and lived in Bel Air.Long active in Harford County politics, Mr. Graybeal was a town commissioner and member of the Harford County Board of Education in the 1980s. He also was chairman of the Harford County Charter Board in the 1970s.From 1950 to 1981, he co-owned and ran Courtland Hardware, a store much recalled for its oiled, aromatic pine wood floors.

When Mary Gale crossed the finish line of last week's Constellation Classic 1-mile fun run in 8 minutes, 20 seconds, it was a far cry from the 6-minute miles that she had been accustomed to running.But those faster runs had come a year and a half ago, before Gale suffered a traumatic brain injury in an automobile accident.Gale knows she is lucky to be walking, much less running.Doctors had given her a 50-50 chance to live. She was in a coma for over a week. When she awoke, she was unable to walk and it took her three weeks to take her first, tentative steps.