Projects

I applaud The Sun for its recent editorial on income inequality ("Labor reawakens," April 27). The increasing income inequality in this country affects the ability of families to survive, much less thrive, on what they earn from minimum wage jobs. The editorial highlighted a labor strike by Chicago low-wage workers and their "Fight for 15" rally. Yet the fact that Baltimore workers are organizing around "fair development" was mentioned in only one sentence. I wonder why The Sun did not find it important to cover the local "reawakening" here by reporting on the Fair Development Rally and March held April 20th.

The state agency charged with overseeing Maryland's public school construction projects was found to have lacked proper monitoring of contracts, projects and maintenance inspections, according to a legislative audit. The audit, released Friday, examined the fiscal and managerial operations of the Interagency Committee on School Construction (IAC) primarily in fiscal year 2011, when the agency approved 355 district-level contracts totaling $566 million - $249 million of which was state funding.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's recently released 2012 State of the Bay Report tells us the health of the Chesapeake Bay has improved 14 percent since 2008. But that doesn't tell the whole story. Throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, we hear about local governments, businesses and citizens rolling up their sleeves to reduce pollution from all sectors: agriculture, sewage treatment plants, and urban and suburban runoff. They are working to restore local rivers and streams.

Now that the 2013 Maryland General Assembly session is in the rear-view mirror, few who travel the roads in our state can deny that one of the most important accomplishments this past session was putting in place a long-term solution to the state's enormous transportation funding challenges. With the funding package approved, at least one part of a looming crisis was solved - providing new revenue for much-needed state transportation projects. However, as the voice of Maryland's cities and towns, the Maryland Municipal League is concerned that what has not yet been resolved is the need for a lasting, more permanent solution on funding future municipal transportation projects.

A $1.5 million federal grant will help pay for rebuilding the downtown Annapolis City Dock, including upgrades to stormwater management controls to reduce frequent flooding. "City Dock is arguably the city's most important asset, and first and foremost, we need to be responsible stewards of the assets we have," said Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen. An overall $12.5 million rehabilitation project for the dock involves stabilizing and rebuilding 700 linear feet of City Dock's bulkhead, as well as the stormwater measures and upgrading slips used by transient boaters who visit Annapolis.

A wind power project proposed on the lower Eastern Shore that's struggling to overcome objections from the Navy has a new, airborne worry - bald eagles. Federal wildlife biologists say the population of the once-rare national bird has grown so much that there are about 400 bald eagles along the mid-Atlantic coast, including 30 nests within 10 miles of the project in Somerset County, and three in the immediate vicinity. Declaring the area "extremely attractive" to the birds, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has warned the developer of the Great Bay wind project that it "appears to present significant risk to eagles" and urged it to scale back its plans.

In a pair of working gloves with the Ravens logo emblazoned on the front, San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee painted broad brush strokes at a West Baltimore police station Friday to make good on a bet. Had the Ravens lost to the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake would have traveled to the West Coast to complete a day of service, which was the wager she and Lee made on the February game. "I think San Francisco is a lovely city, but I am glad I did not have to go there in payment of a debt," said Rawlings-Blake, who traded in her signature high heels for a pair of wedge booties for the day of activities.

Maryland regulators have approved a 24-turbine "wind farm" project to be built near Frostburg, the third land-based project in the state. The Maryland Public Service Commission gave the OK on Wednesday to Synergics Wind Energy, an Annapolis company that has a 20-turbine project near the West Virginia border. When it proposed the new project, the company said it hoped to begin building in April and finish by the end of the year. Synergics could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Four Maryland organizations won the right to raise $135 million for community development projects by selling federal tax credits, the Treasury Department said Wednesday. The New Markets tax credits help developers fund projects intended to add jobs and bring other improvements to distressed areas. Investors purchasing the credits from New Markets recipients receive a break on their federal income taxes. The local recipients are Baltimore-based CDF Development, a Cordish Cos. affiliate that intends to invest in retail and mixed-use projects; Baltimore-based Harbor Bankshares Corp., which will offer below-market-rate loans to projects in low-income neighborhoods; Columbia-based ESIC New Markets Partners, which focuses on health care centers, healthy-food options and mixed-use developments; and Bethesda-based Mid-City Community CDE, whose investments will include transit-oriented businesses.

Long Reach residents should make use of the election being extended one week to Saturday, April 27 and vote for Russ Swatek as the CA Council rep. Russ served previously in this position from 2009-2011. He was honest, informative and concerned about how and on what our assessments were spent. He solicited our opinions on project expenditures, concerned about environmental issues with these projects, and the value they would bring or detract from the community. Everything sounds great when CA describes these projects as "vibrant.