Infrastructure

Developer Michael Beatty pressed the Baltimore City Council to approve the issuance of $107 million in bonds to pay for infrastructure at Harbor Point, saying Thursday that the prime real estate would remain a gravel-covered lot without city-financed roads and sewer pipes. Finding private investment to construct buildings at the site is difficult enough without having to raise money for utility hookups and parks, Beatty told reporters at a morning news conference. "Without infrastructure here, you can't build buildings," he said.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake got a rare opportunity to throw a question at former President Bill Clinton, courtesy of Bloomberg Businessweek -- and she used it to ask how the nation can stimulate a "more serious, bipartisan" discussion on infrastructure investment. In a piece published this morning called "What would Bill Do?" Clinton took questions from five business and civic leaders. Rawlings-Blake, a fellow Democrat, was the only elected official in the mix. "Cities and towns across America are struggling with the issue of crumbling infrastructure and how to finance new investment," Rawlings-Blake writes.

I hope that driving on the newly repaved sections of Interstate 95 - without paying tolls - will be a reminder to everyone of how well-maintained infrastructure (highways, bridges, water and sewer lines) make life for all of us more comfortable as well as safer. The U.S. is seriously behind in maintaining and upgrading its infrastructure, much of which was built in the decades after World War II. For the last 20 years we have been starving our public sector by cutting taxes to the point where we now worry about not having enough money even to pay our police, firefighters and teachers.

The commentary "Put people ahead of cars" (June 5) was very stimulating and well written. I have been saying something similar for years. I do believe the focus is a little misdirected. While all the author's points are valid, and I have great respect to for them, I think it might be a little off. The auto is isn't going away. The percentage of people interested in biking to work is very small. The focus of the piece is to put infrastructure to accommodate transit, biking and walking where the people are. I would suggest we might be better by turning that equation upside down and putting people where the infrastructure and population centers already exist.

The state's infrastructure projects should be near the top of our list of priorities, so why weren't they done when the federal government spent almost $1 trillion in stimulus money ("The slow drip of infrastructure crisis," July 31)? Instead state officials used the money to fund overspent state budgets and bankrupt energy projects run by friends of President Barack Obama. Shame on them for wasting our hard-earned money and now crying about it. They should step aside and let some real leaders in. Lyle Rescott, Marriottsville

The Maryland legislative pre-session gas tax drumbeats have certainly begun in earnest, as your recent editorial substantiates ("Pump up the economy," Nov. 25). Not much has changed regarding increasing the gas tax from our or our customers' perspective, the motoring public. Gas prices are still extremely high, and our economy is still in struggle mode. Volatility of gas prices still exists and the brief respite at $3.50 a gallon - if you consider $3.50 a bargain - could quickly be erased.

A group representing civil engineers reported that Maryland's transportation and water systems are in dire need of billions of dollars of repairs and upgrades as it released a study giving the state's infrastructure an overall grade of C-minus. The report Tuesday by the Maryland section of the American Society of Civil Engineers issued grades ranging from a B-minus for the state's bridges to a D for its storm-water systems. Frank Kaul, president of the state chapter, said the results were "not acceptable," adding that Maryland has been putting off investment in aging infrastructure for too long.

There's a P3 in your future. Maryland is poised to join 34 states and key federal agencies in transforming the way government works. The new mantra, "P3," is shorthand for public-private partnerships. Maryland's P3 legislation, championed by Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, enables state agencies to engage business in planning, financing, building and operating public projects, from roads and rail to schools and other infrastructure. These could offset up to 10 percent of the state's capital budget, or $300 million annually, and create thousands of jobs.

America is at its best when our guiding principles of free enterprise and giving people a helping hand work together. The free enterprise system created our national wealth and employment opportunities. However, free enterprise also eliminated 3 million American jobs in the 2000s while creating 2.4 million new jobs overseas. Meanwhile, Apple set new records for "legal" tax evasion. The free enterprise system is focused on creating jobs for minimum wages, not necessarily in the U.S. That implies that the best opportunities for creating jobs are in the public sector.

President Obama pledged to make job creation a top priority in his State of the Union address, and his appearance at a Highlandtown machine shop last Friday confirmed it. But while his proposed $5,000-per-new-job tax credit for small businesses sounds helpful, it's a relatively paltry incentive and ripe for abuse from firms that are bound to find ways to collect the credit without necessarily expanding their payroll. If voters are angry that so much money went to bail out banks, will they necessarily be excited by the prospect of small businesses getting a one-year $33 billion hand-out and Social Security discount?

Developer Michael Beatty pressed the Baltimore City Council to approve the issuance of $107 million in bonds to pay for infrastructure at Harbor Point, saying Thursday that the prime real estate would remain a gravel-covered lot without city-financed roads and sewer pipes. Finding private investment to construct buildings at the site is difficult enough without having to raise money for utility hookups and parks, Beatty told reporters at a morning news conference. "Without infrastructure here, you can't build buildings," he said.

Welcome back to work. If you are like most Americans, Memorial Day weekend was not only a solemn occasion to recall the men and women of the U.S. armed forces who gave their lives in service to their country but also an opportunity to take some time away from the job, hit the road and see a bit of America with the family. And chances are, as this was one of the biggest travel weekends of the year, the state of the nation's roads, bridges and airports did not go unnoticed. They are, to put it mildly, in failing condition and getting worse.

Maryland's newest member of the House of Representatives introduced his first bill on Wednesday, a new infrastructure funding proposal that has won bipartisan support in an otherwise divided Congress. Rep. John Delaney, the Potomac Democrat who has represented Maryland's 6th Congressional District since January, is proposing to allow U.S. companies to repatriate a portion of their overseas cash, tax free, if those companies invest in a new bond program that would be used to pay for highways, energy projects, school buildings and other infrastructure.

A strong and sustainable 21st century economy can only be built from the bottom up. And today, as President Barack Obama visits Baltimore, it is this fact that will drive us to join with him to renew a call for Congress to focus on common-sense investments that create middle-class job opportunities now and reward America's economic future. Here in Baltimore, when it comes to economic development and jobs, the future of our local economy is heavily dependent on three critically important areas that require continued, targeted investments: public education, infrastructure, and job skills and readiness.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. asked Friday for another rate increase, three months after winning approval for higher charges, and company officials said they expect to seek more in the future. It's the third time in as many years that BGE has requested higher distribution rates. If approved, the typical residential customer getting both electricity and gas would pay about $72 more a year for distribution. Company officials said they expect to ask for frequent rate increases as they seek reimbursement for more aggressive tree-trimming, infrastructure upgrades and other work aimed at improving service.

There's a P3 in your future. Maryland is poised to join 34 states and key federal agencies in transforming the way government works. The new mantra, "P3," is shorthand for public-private partnerships. Maryland's P3 legislation, championed by Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, enables state agencies to engage business in planning, financing, building and operating public projects, from roads and rail to schools and other infrastructure. These could offset up to 10 percent of the state's capital budget, or $300 million annually, and create thousands of jobs.

For the second time in five days, the city is dealing with two sizable water main breaks that are disrupting service, snarling traffic and shedding light on Baltimore's aging infrastructure. A 30-inch pipe at East Madison Street near Guilford Avenue broke Monday shortly before 8 a.m. and sent water gushing down Guilford Avenue as well as Fallsway. Businesses and institutions in a 12- to 14-block area either lost water altogether or saw pressure drop for a few hours, including at Mercy Hospital, Our Daily Bread and Center Stage . As the city worked to restore water pressure to most buildings in the downtown area, a 16-inch pipe broke in Essex, on Philadelphia Road at Rossville Boulevard, affecting water service to Franklin Square Hospital and Essex Community College, which canceled classes for the day. Kurt Kocher, spokesman for the city's Department of Public Works, said crews were responding to the new break, which is part of the city's water system.

A vote by the Baltimore County Council on Monday will bar new development at Green Spring Station in Lutherville for the near future. Developers cannot build near intersections graded "F" under the county's "basic services maps," which identify deficiencies in public infrastructure throughout the county. The council approved the maps Monday. The intersection of West Joppa and Falls roads near Green Spring Station — which has shops, restaurants and offices — had been labeled failing for about a decade, and the planning board recommended "F" again this year.

The overview of the Plan Howard 2030 General Plan states: "The purpose is to articulate policies and actions to move us to further sustainability while enhancing the quality of life. " The question is: What is Howard County's true vision? I ask because as comprehensive rezoning has taken place to date, it appears the vision is to merely grow, grow, and develop, regardless of inadequate infrastructure. Refer to Section 8 of Plan Howard 2030 — "Public Facilities and Services" as infrastructure comprises not only roads and schools, but other categories such as transportation, police, fire, health services, water and sewer, solid waste, etc. The Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance should be expanded to include all these categories to achieve accountability.