Bird River

A 35-foot-long barge has moved into eastern Baltimore County, where it is carving out a new channel for boaters in the Bird River and Railroad Creek. The $1.3 million project, begun in October after repeated requests from waterfront communities, will create a channel to allow recreational boaters to safely navigate the two waterways. "Everybody in the community is really excited over the dredging," said Paul Eurice, president of the Harewood Park Community League. The waterways have become increasingly shallow due to buildup of silt, according to David A.C. Carroll, director of Baltimore County's Department of Environmental Protection and Resource Management.

Baltimore County officials say a sewer overflow that discharged an estimated 16,800 gallons of waste into a tributary of White Marsh Run was discovered this past week. County health department officials said the tributary flows to the Bird River, and that said the overflow resulted from a vandalized eight-inch sewer line. County utility crews contained the overflow with a pump, but officials said that due to it occurring in a wooded area, between Gunpowder Crossing Lane and Pulaski Highway, the overflow went undetected for two weeks.

A developer claims he would be "protecting the land" by building up to 400 houses in conservation land near Bird River ("Battle lines form over site near bay" May 25). He must use the same logic as the Vietnam War officer who explained that it was "necessary to destroy the village in order to save it. " Chris Yoder, Baltimore The author is chair of the Greater Baltimore Group of the Sierra Club.

Baltimore County is set to resume testing certain recreational waters for harmful bacteria, two years after budget cuts ended the monitoring. The county is mandated by the federal government to sample water at public bathing beaches - those with lifeguards and shower and restroom facilities, county health department spokeswoman Monique Lyle said. Now, it plans to expand testing to recreational waters that are not required to be monitored, including Back River, Bear Creek, Bird River and parts of the Patapsco River.

Baltimore County officials say a sewer overflow that discharged an estimated 16,800 gallons of waste into a tributary of White Marsh Run was discovered this past week. County health department officials said the tributary flows to the Bird River, and that said the overflow resulted from a vandalized eight-inch sewer line. County utility crews contained the overflow with a pump, but officials said that due to it occurring in a wooded area, between Gunpowder Crossing Lane and Pulaski Highway, the overflow went undetected for two weeks.

A 68-year-old White Marsh man was killed in a one-alarm fire at his home yesterday morning despite a neighbor's rescue efforts. About 50 Baltimore County firefighters were called to the 11200 block of Bird River Grove Road about 3:50 a.m. after neighbors reported the fire, said Capt. Glenn Blackwell, a Fire Department spokesman. Blackwell said flames were shooting from most of the windows and the roof of the two-story house when firefighters arrived. Firefighters found the victim, Thomas N. Hayes, a short time later.

On summer mornings, Dorothy Hinnant drinks coffee on the front porch of her home in the Loreley Beach area of White Marsh. She savors the quiet neighborhood and, she says, the occasional glimpses of bald eagles soaring over nearby Bird River. But she worries that her peace will soon end. Across the street from her home, developers plan to pave over a 15-acre wooded area that has been abandoned since the Pulaski Drive-In Theater closed decades ago. CarMax, which operates a car lot at another location in White Marsh, intends to repair and auction cars to dealers on the site.

Six Baltimore County councilmen introduced a resolution last night calling for a commission to study council redistricting, a process in which they faced strong criticism last spring from community groups who believed there wasn't enough public input. Council Chairman Stephen G. Samuel Moxley, a Catonsville Democrat, said the commission will be appointed next month and will likely include community activists and former elected officials. The resolution sets a target of May 1 for the commission to make its report, potentially allowing amendments to the county's charter to be on the November ballot.

For three decades, Myrtle and William Wright enjoyed a tranquil life along Bird River Road in eastern Baltimore County's countryside.But then came the midnight riders.In what police strongly suspect is retaliation against residents who successfully fought a proposed NASCAR speedway near their homes, vandals have made death threats, destroyed lawns and wrecked mailboxes along the peaceful two-lane road bordering White Marsh and Middle River.In one incident, vandals killed a family's pet rabbit and stole 10 others from an outdoor pen. On another night, someone threw two dead cats on the front lawn of a Bird River Road resident with small children.

James Withrow has taken his house off the market, Linda Felts may lose her dream home, and Russell Rose is not sure how much longer he will have his backyard vegetable garden.The neighbors along Bird River Road in the Middle River area are angry that their homes could be demolished because they are in the path of one of five routes proposed for Route 43, a $60 million highway connecting White Marsh with the Middle River corridor."Our lives are completely on hold by what the state is doing here," said Felts, 38.They plan to argue against the highway at a public hearing in Essex on Wednesday night, launch a petition drive and lobby state and county officials to keep the highway from being built.

With all the recent press over the proposed redevelopment of the Solo Cup site in Owings Mills, the casual reader would think this is an isolated issue that boils down to one community that will see new traffic patterns or new places to shop. But Solo Cup is just one piece of a conversation that will affect neighborhoods across Baltimore County. A conversation that is expressed in upzoning (to allow more intense development on a property) and downzoning (to allow less). A conservation that is expressed in community desires and developer dollars.

The Baltimore County Council member from Middle River said Thursday that she is opposed to allowing a riverfront housing development on conservation land in her district, which would be the largest project ever outside a long-standing growth-control boundary. Cathy Bevins said she plans to vote against a zoning change on farm and wooded land along Bird River in Middle River that was opposed by the county's environmental agency, local preservationists and most neighbors. The requested change would allow hundreds of houses to be built on land where three homes are now allowed.

After many years of frustration, the map accompanying the story about waterfront development near White Marsh ("Battle lines form over site near bay," May 25) forces me to ask: When is The Sun going to provide graphics containing useful information pertinent to the story? For example, the article describes 292 acres of woods and fields now zoned for conservation. Wouldn't a topographic map or aerial view have been a better depiction of the land and the surrounding area? And how about introducing actual property lines rather than a dot indicating the general area?

A developer claims he would be "protecting the land" by building up to 400 houses in conservation land near Bird River ("Battle lines form over site near bay" May 25). He must use the same logic as the Vietnam War officer who explained that it was "necessary to destroy the village in order to save it. " Chris Yoder, Baltimore The author is chair of the Greater Baltimore Group of the Sierra Club.

On summer mornings, Dorothy Hinnant drinks coffee on the front porch of her home in the Loreley Beach area of White Marsh. She savors the quiet neighborhood and, she says, the occasional glimpses of bald eagles soaring over nearby Bird River. But she worries that her peace will soon end. Across the street from her home, developers plan to pave over a 15-acre wooded area that has been abandoned since the Pulaski Drive-In Theater closed decades ago. CarMax, which operates a car lot at another location in White Marsh, intends to repair and auction cars to dealers on the site.

A 35-foot-long barge has moved into eastern Baltimore County, where it is carving out a new channel for boaters in the Bird River and Railroad Creek. The $1.3 million project, begun in October after repeated requests from waterfront communities, will create a channel to allow recreational boaters to safely navigate the two waterways. "Everybody in the community is really excited over the dredging," said Paul Eurice, president of the Harewood Park Community League. The waterways have become increasingly shallow due to buildup of silt, according to David A.C. Carroll, director of Baltimore County's Department of Environmental Protection and Resource Management.

After many years of frustration, the map accompanying the story about waterfront development near White Marsh ("Battle lines form over site near bay," May 25) forces me to ask: When is The Sun going to provide graphics containing useful information pertinent to the story? For example, the article describes 292 acres of woods and fields now zoned for conservation. Wouldn't a topographic map or aerial view have been a better depiction of the land and the surrounding area? And how about introducing actual property lines rather than a dot indicating the general area?

Baltimore County is set to resume testing certain recreational waters for harmful bacteria, two years after budget cuts ended the monitoring. The county is mandated by the federal government to sample water at public bathing beaches - those with lifeguards and shower and restroom facilities, county health department spokeswoman Monique Lyle said. Now, it plans to expand testing to recreational waters that are not required to be monitored, including Back River, Bear Creek, Bird River and parts of the Patapsco River.

A 68-year-old White Marsh man was killed in a one-alarm fire at his home yesterday morning despite a neighbor's rescue efforts. About 50 Baltimore County firefighters were called to the 11200 block of Bird River Grove Road about 3:50 a.m. after neighbors reported the fire, said Capt. Glenn Blackwell, a Fire Department spokesman. Blackwell said flames were shooting from most of the windows and the roof of the two-story house when firefighters arrived. Firefighters found the victim, Thomas N. Hayes, a short time later.

Six Baltimore County councilmen introduced a resolution last night calling for a commission to study council redistricting, a process in which they faced strong criticism last spring from community groups who believed there wasn't enough public input. Council Chairman Stephen G. Samuel Moxley, a Catonsville Democrat, said the commission will be appointed next month and will likely include community activists and former elected officials. The resolution sets a target of May 1 for the commission to make its report, potentially allowing amendments to the county's charter to be on the November ballot.