Parking Problems

The Baltimore County school official who was at the helm during the air quality debacle at Deer Park Elementary School has been reassigned temporarily, but even if she is demoted, she isn't likely to feel any financial loss.Faith C. Hermann -- the former schools facilities director -- will not only retain her $78,000 salary through June 30, but also is guaranteed virtually all of that salary for two more years, because of a school system rule that protects administrators' earnings.The idea of Hermann making top dollar has drawn criticism from some in the system -- including some of the estimated 18 facilities officials who will lose jobs in a countywide restructuring.

Residents of Berrywood South fear that a proposed development of seven houses next to their Severna Park community would cause traffic and parking problems.Anarex Inc. of Millersville has submitted a plan to county officials for the single-family houses on 4.28 acres on the east side of Robinson Landing Road. The houses would cost from $200,000 to $300,000.Members of the Berrywood South Community Association said they are concerned that the 24-foot-wide road is not large enough to accommodate the traffic or the cars that would be parked on its sides.

The slaying of one of their own has left several Antique Row merchants worried about the future of the historic shopping district, troubled in recent years by crime, parking woes and competition from shops in the suburbs."

Self-described sports enthusiast Ronald Mizia coaches a Little League baseball team and is pleased that softball fields are coming to his East Columbia neighborhood.But he foresees a potentially dangerous curve in the plan: traffic congestion and inadequate parking.Mr. Mizia and other residents in the Hopewell and Elkhorn neighborhoods of Columbia's Owen Brown village have told their village board and Howard County's Department of Recreation and Parks that county plans for two new groups of playing fields might increase traffic and cause parking problems.

Lorraine Eitel expects a crowd at her house Mother's Day, but she's not looking forward to it.The Ferndale resident and her husband, who live a stone's throw from a light rail stop that lacks a parking lot, constantly battle commuters whose cars crowd both sides of Broadview Boulevard.The problems don't stop with weekdays, she said. Orioles fans also use the side streets to park and then ride light rail to Camden Yards, and Mrs. Eitel is sure May 14 will be particularly bad. The Orioles play a home game Mother's Day."

NEW YORK -- New York City, in its latest proposal, has offered to create what one official called a "theme park" atmosphere at Yankee Stadium with stores and restaurants around the complex and with new roads leading to new parking garages at the ballpark, officials familiar with the plan said yesterday.The proposal was presented Monday by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to George Steinbrenner, the team's principal owner, who had objected to an earlier plan because he said it failed to address traffic and parking problems that burden the stadium.

When attorney Fred Howard Silverstein has a case in Howard District Court, he tries to arrive about 45 minutes early -- not to consult with clients or witnesses, but so he can find a parking space."

The Baltimore CFLs will start three new players on offense tonight against the Calgary Stampeders, but the offensive key still figures to be the improvisational ability of quarterback Tracy Ham.Despite nine dropped passes in last week's 28-20 victory over the Toronto Argonauts, Ham threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns. The Canadian Football League's most prolific running quarterback ran only sparingly -- four times for 17 yards.Coach Don Matthews said this week it may be necessary for Ham to generate more rushing yardage.

Weekend visitors in downtown Annapolis don't have to fight traffic and haggle for a parking spot in front of their favorite store or restaurant anymore: The trolley is here.Shuttle service from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium to downtown began two weeks ago, and business owners say the idea of leaving the driving to someone else seems to be appealing to the weekend crowds."On the first Saturday, we parked about 100 cars, and those people used the trolley," said Jerry South, general manager of Towne Park, the company running the service.

For Nathan and Dianne Fowler, the Cloverberry housing development in Taneytown is synonymous with bad planning and parking woes.After six years of using the same parking space near their town house at 421 Clover Court, they were told the space belongs to their neighbor."