Community Council

FINKSBURG IS a prime area for economic growth in Carroll County, lying along Route 140 next to Baltimore County and near the Interstate 795 spur of the Baltimore Beltway. The county commissioners are considering rezoning land in that area for a 530-acre industrial park, part of an intensive effort to boost the business tax base.But Finksburg is still mostly a community of single-family homes and open fields, and highway businesses that serve local residents.The transformation would greatly affect the lives of residents who fear that Finksburg would become, as one homeowner put it, "the service entrance of Carroll County."

A massive state effort to expand I-95 in Baltimore and Harford counties and add toll lanes, which appeared to be on hold for several years because of the recession, could be cranking up again, to the concern of Joppa area residents who would be in the midst of the project area, known as Section 200. Potential new developments about I-95 were discussed briefly during the monthly meeting of the Joppa-Joppatowne Community Council Monday night at...

Jean M. Yarborough, a community activist and founder of the Park Heights Networking Community Council, died Sunday of cancer at Stella Maris Hospice in Timonium. She was 79. For the past 24 years, Mrs. Yarborough worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for residents - adults and children - of the city's Park Heights neighborhood, which had been her home since 1983, when she moved there from Columbia. In 1987, she established the Park Heights Networking Community Council, an umbrella organization that worked with other nearby neighborhood associations, and three years later she founded YAMD - Young Adults Making a Difference - an educational program for children and teenagers.

A lush garden erupting with organic vegetables, food displays that rival an upscale grocer's and sleek weatherization projects that slash energy bills — these may not seem like the typical projects of an agency that aids the poor. Yet these concepts are the reason the Community Action Council was honored by the county Tuesday with the first human-rights award it had ever given to an organization. CAC, a longtime county nonprofit, aims to blend its assistance to low-income residents with top-flight customer service, organizers say. This approach was launched when Bita Dayhoff took the helm in October 2009, and she is credited with making sure this philosophy has expanded and been imparted to all employees.

These government-related public meetings have been scheduled: WEDNESDAY Zoning hearing examiner's public hearing 6:30 p.m., County Council chambers, 212 S. Bond St., Bel Air. 410-638-3349. Zoning Case: 5484. Kelly & Geraldine McGill, 2628 Rocks Road, Forest Hill. www.co.ha.md.us/council/zoning.cfm. Darlington/Dublin Community Council 7:30 p.m., Wilson Center, 1024 Main St., Darlington. 410-836-3883. THURSDAY Whiteford/Cardiff/Pylesville/Street Community Council 7 p.m. Highland Senior Center, 708 Highland Road, Street.

A massive state effort to expand I-95 in Baltimore and Harford counties and add toll lanes, which appeared to be on hold for several years because of the recession, could be cranking up again, to the concern of Joppa area residents who would be in the midst of the project area, known as Section 200. Potential new developments about I-95 were discussed briefly during the monthly meeting of the Joppa-Joppatowne Community Council Monday night at...

FINKSBURG — The Finksburg Planning and Community Council will host elections and an update of its by-laws at its Thursday, May 26, meeting, at 7 p.m. at Finksburg Library, Old Westminster Pike. Candidates are: secretary, Chris Gayo; treasurer, Alice Altstatt; members at-large, Gary Kerns, Matt Tiahrt, Michael Davis and Frank Lago. Also, by-law changes will be voted on at the meeting. A copy of the proposed by-laws is available at Finksburg.org. Jim Joyner

Councilman Carl G. "Dutch" Holland, still condemning his predecessorfor losing touch with the people, has begun organizing a "community council" to keep him close to his constituency.Holland, R-Pasadena, sent out letters to about 100 community associations last week, asking each to choose a representative to attend monthly community council meetings. Some recreation councils also were invited.The idea, Holland said, is to keep a grass-roots connection with the District 3 by letting community leaders discuss concerns with himon a regular basis.

Editor: Over the last three months, the Bush River Community Council has discussed, informed and taken action on many issues concerning the Bush River area. We have worked with the Harford County Council and the Harford County Executive's office to discuss the concerns of Perryman residents over the proposed bridge into Perryman, concerns over trash and debris at our parks and in the Bush River, especially railroad ties floating in the river. The council is working with Harford County Parks and Recreation to take an active role in keeping our parks clean.

FINKSBURG — The Finksburg Planning and Community Council will host elections and an update of its by-laws at its Thursday, May 26, meeting, at 7 p.m. at Finksburg Library, Old Westminster Pike. Candidates are: secretary, Chris Gayo; treasurer, Alice Altstatt; members at-large, Gary Kerns, Matt Tiahrt, Michael Davis and Frank Lago. Also, by-law changes will be voted on at the meeting. A copy of the proposed by-laws is available at Finksburg.org. Jim Joyner

When Bita Dayhoff first became president in October 2009 of the Community Action Council, the food bank for Howard County, she was not pleased with what the organization was giving to its clients. She felt it was not providing a sufficient amount of healthful food choices, so she made it her project to change that. "In the end, what was being put on their dinner table didn't include any fresh produce and vegetables, which is what I would have liked to have on my table for my children," Dayhoff said.

During the county furlough week, Dec. 28-31, the Community Action Council of Howard County will move its operations to Dasher Green Head Start Center, 6680 Cradlerock Way in Columbia, and the North Laurel-Savage Multiservice Center, 9105 All Saints Road in Laurel. Call 410-313-6440 for more information.

Ten years after a failed incorporation attempt, leaders in Edgewood are reviving efforts to make a town out of the area that is home to 23,000. About 40 people gathered to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of incorporation at an Edgewood Community Council meeting last week. For a lesson from the past, they watched an hourlong video of a 1997 Harford County Council meeting during which community activists proposed incorporating Edgewood and council members overwhelmingly rejected their proposal.

Residents of Harford County's most populated unincorporated area are mulling becoming the county's largest municipality. At a meeting tonight, community leaders in Edgewood, an area of 23,000 residents along the U.S. 40 corridor at the southern end of the county, will discuss incorporating. Edgewood is represented on the County Council, but some residents say they believe they lack a local voice in what happens to their community. The Edgewood Community Council will take up the issue at its meeting tonight as a tentative exploration of the process, said Jensen Robinson, president of the 14-member council.

Jean M. Yarborough, a community activist and founder of the Park Heights Networking Community Council, died Sunday of cancer at Stella Maris Hospice in Timonium. She was 79. For the past 24 years, Mrs. Yarborough worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for residents - adults and children - of the city's Park Heights neighborhood, which had been her home since 1983, when she moved there from Columbia. In 1987, she established the Park Heights Networking Community Council, an umbrella organization that worked with other nearby neighborhood associations, and three years later she founded YAMD - Young Adults Making a Difference - an educational program for children and teenagers.