Trotter Road

Trotter Road residents are angry and discouraged by the County Council's vote Tuesday against a plan to make the quiet country road a dead-end.They say it has become a thoroughfare between Routes 108 and 32.Residents say they will demand routine police patrols to catch speeders and vow they'll work in the 1994 election to make sure County Council Chairman Paul S. Farragut, who sponsored the resolution to keep Trotter Road open, doesn't remain their representative."We're...

"Choose Civility" has been a theme of Columbia and Howard County for a few years now, and until recently it seemed a very apropos statement for the area. Howard County was an oasis in a desert. I work in Montgomery County, and driving there is like driving through a mine field. Washington, D.C., is even worse, maddeningly Big Brother-like. I take a deep breath and relax when I get back home to Howard County, this oasis of civility. When I heard about the speed camera program, I was so disappointed.

Neighborhoods change. To the residents of Trotter Road, that simple truth probably sounds about as empty as the promises they were given a little over two years ago by Howard County officials.At the time, residents were concerned about the advent of River Hill, Columbia's final village, and the increased traffic it would cause on Trotter Run as people tried to gain access to a rerouted Route 32. The solution, accepted by the County Council at the time, was to close off Trotter Road on both sides of Route 32, creating two dead-end streets.

The Glenwood library, 2350 Route 97, Cooksville, will sponsor a meeting of its contemporary-fiction book club at 7 p.m. tomorrow. Members will discuss Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. The Western Howard County Seniors Book Club, a group of retired women known for its lively discussions of contemporary fiction, will meet at the library at 10 a.m. Wednesday. The group will discuss The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. New members are always welcome. Registration is not required. Books are available at the branch.

Shane Pendergrass, D-1st, is expected to be elected chairwoman of the County Council tonight, replacing Paul R. Farragut, D-4th.Mr. Farragut would not confirm that Ms. Pendergrass will be the next chair, but he said he would not seek a second term. He said he wants to devote more time to his job at the Port of Baltimore.Although council members decide in advance -- sometimes weeks in advance -- who they will elect as officers, they are coy about revealing their choices. The number of votes a member gets is always a closely kept secret.

A county citizens group challenged the school board's choice of a 50-acre site between Trotter Road and Route 108 for the western high school at an administrative law hearing last week.A final decision on the appeal by the Trotter Road Citizens Association rests with thestate Board of Education. The state board lacks legal authority to dictate a change of school location, but it could order the county board to look at alternative sites.Administrative Law Judge Charles W. Fowler promised a quick decision after hearing arguments Wednesday on a motion to dismiss the casefiled by school board attorney Michael S. Molinaro.

Trotter Road over the Middle Patuxent River will be closed for five days, starting Dec. 27, to allow construction of a concrete culvert channeling water under the roadway.James M. Irvin, Howard County public works director, apologized for any inconvenience to motorists, but he said the work was scheduled for the week when schools are closed between Christmas and New Year's.The road will be open, at least partially, by the end of Dec. 31, the fifth day, Irvin said.A detour will reroute traffic at Route 108 to Great Star Drive to Summer Sunrise Drive.

The County Council voted unanimously last night to amend the 1990 General Plan and let residents in Columbia's newest village use Trotter Road as an escape route.Until last night, the General Plan had called for Trotter Road to become a dead end on both sides of a rerouted Route 32 that is yet to be built.Residents in the Pheasant Ridge neighborhood of River Hill -- Columbia's newest village -- had told the council that unless the southern portion of Trotter Road was kept open, their children would be transferred to new schools and they would be endangered in an emergency.

The Future of Trotter RoadIt's frightening when the press agrees with that position.Ann Jones KochEllicott City

POLICE LOG* Clarksville: 6000 block of Trotter Road: Someone entered a home by prying open a second-floor window Thursday or Friday, but police said nothing was taken.

Days End Farm Horse Rescue of Lisbon will hold its holiday party from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Dec. 8 at Ten Oaks Ballroom in Clarksville. Tickets are $35 a person plus a gift for the horses; after Tuesday, the cost is $40 a person plus a gift for the horses. Tables for 10 people are available. The ticket price includes an appetizer buffet with beer, wine and soda. A cash bar also is planned. The band After Hours will play golden oldies (rock 'n' roll from the 1950s-1980s) for dancing. Door prizes will be awarded throughout the evening, and a 50/50 raffle will be available.

The River Hill High School Boosters will present their 10th Dance and Silent Auction, celebrating the school's 10th anniversary, from 8 p.m. to midnight Dec. 1 at Ten Oaks Ballroom in Clarksville. The theme is "Celebrating 10 Years of Excellence." Beer, wine, dinner, a disc jockey and dancing are included. The event is for adults only. The cost is $50 a person. Tables of 10 are available. Information: Diane McDermond, 410-531-9151, or Tonette Matsunaga, 410-531-5501. Photos on display at book signing Author Fred Glueckstein will share true stories and photographs of well-known celebrities, artists, writers and horses in a talk about his book, Of Men, Women and Horses, at 7 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Glenwood library.

The River Hill High School drama department will present the Michael Frayn comedy Noises Off at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15, 16, 17 and 18; 2 p.m. Nov. 18; and 3 p.m. Nov. 19 in the school auditorium. Drama teacher Pam Land will direct, with help from student directors Sheyda Alemzadeh, Allison Baker and Amanda Ogorzalek. Joe Blasko will direct construction of a set designed by students Mike Leon and Lauryn Fantano; a crew of more than 25 students will build the set and props. Tickets are $8 in advance; $10 at the door.

The Howard County Bird Club will sponsor a field trip to Alpha Ridge Park and Landfill in Marriottsville to look for sparrows and early winter arrivals at 8 a.m. Saturday. Rare birds can sometimes be seen at the landfill. The trip involves moderate to difficult walking through the fields; boots are recommended. The group will meet at Alpha Ridge Park, on the south side of Route 99, about a mile west of Marriottsville Road. Beginners are welcome, and there is no cost. Information: 410-461-3361 or http:--www.

County Executive James N. Robey, Fire Chief Joseph A. Herr and members of the West Friendship Volunteer Fire Department will participate in a groundbreaking for the new West Friendship Volunteer Fire Station at 3 p.m. today. The station, which will be located at the southeast corner of the intersection of routes 99 and 32. Will provide easy access to routes 32 and 70, and surrounding communities. Fire-prevention open house today The Fifth District Volunteer Fire Department in Clarksville will hold its annual fire prevention open house from noon to 3 p.m. today.

The Lisbon Volunteer Fire Company will hold a basket bingo at 7 p.m. Friday at the Lisbon Volunteer Fire Company hall, 1330 Woodbine Road, Lisbon. Doors open at 6 p.m. Prizes are filled Longaberger baskets, pottery and wrought-iron items. Tickets are $15 in advance; $18 at the door. Information or to purchase tickets: Joan Bennett, 410- 489-4933 or Doris Bowman, 410- 489-4821. School board sets informal meeting The Board of Education of Howard County will hold a "Coffee & Conversation" session from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday in the media center at Mount View Middle School, 12101 Woodford Drive, Marriottsville.

A story in Sunday's Howard County Sun incorrectly characterized the second option in County Council Chairman Paul Farragut's proposal for dealing with increased traffic on Trotter Road.The option would require that the new road servicing the Pointers Run subdivision intersect with Trotter Road and continue west to a planned road scheduled to run parallel to Trotter Road. This arrangement would allow traffic from the Village of River Hill in Columbia to use Route 32.Mr. Farragut said he plans to introduce the legislation Nov. 2; a public hearing would be held Nov. 16.The Sun regrets the errors.

ALFRED ARSENAULT hates the street in front of his home. Old Frederick Road, between Rogers Avenue and the bridge across the Patapsco River at the Baltimore County line, "is a narrow, twisting, hilly road with a well-deserved speed limit of 25 mph," he said. However, drivers wishing to avoid the Baltimore Beltway often use it as a shortcut from Baltimore County to U.S. 29. Arsenault noted that traffic is heavy during rush hours, with drivers exceeding the speed limit. "To this recipe for disaster, mix in school buses picking up the kids who live along the road.

Developers planning subdivisions in eastern Howard County or projects that require conditional-use permission must meet with neighbors before submitting plans to the county. The next meetings are: Monday at 6 p.m. at Fisher, Collins & Carter Inc., 10272 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, about a proposal for two units on 2 acres at 10151 Rodona Drive. Wednesday at 5 p.m. at 8651 Stonehouse Drive, Ellicott City, about a proposal for three units on 2.482 acres at that site, a re-subdivision of lot 309, Daniels Mill Overlook.