Village Residents

When Andrew Krawiec left for work one recent morning, a small area of land bordering his back yard in Columbia's Long Reach village was lushly green with new spring growth. When he went home for lunch, it was a barren patch of dirt."I couldn't believe it," said Krawiec, who lives on a cul-de-sac on Youngsea Place. "Nobody discussed this with us -- no one even asked us about it. Who made this decision?"Krawiec and his neighbors soon learned that the Columbia Association's (CA) open space management department -- at the urging of two residents from a neighboring cul-de-sac -- cleared the land because its dense undergrowth allegedly had become a haven for teen-agers.

Lt. Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend strolled through Columbia's Long Reach Village Center yesterday afternoon with county police officials and village residents as part of her tour of 36 proposed crime "hot spots" in Maryland.County Police Chief James Robey hopes to get Long Reach village designated as a "hot spot" -- a move that would bring a federal grant of between $35,000 and $200,000.The money would fund state troopers in assisting county police in the neighborhood, installation of better street lighting throughout the village and other crime-prevention programs, Robey said.

WHEN A POLICE OFFICER issues an order to stop, most of us obey. Those who don't usually find themselves in trouble. Failure to obey seems to be at the heart of the case that ended up with Fabian Gray, a 16-year-old Meade Village resident, being hospitalized with a variety of injuries.Eyewitness accounts differ, but every one seems to agree on a few facts. Last Friday afternoon, the teen-ager was riding a dirt bike on Meade Village Circle back and forth at speeds of up to 60 mph. Sgt. Brian Heger, with the Youth Activities Program in the western Anne Arundel County community, stepped onto the street to talk to the teen.

I FEEL THAT I must respond to the Nov. 30 editorial, "Schism in the 2nd District."It was an abomination riddled with innuendo and conjecture.I thought that I was reading something prophesied by a psychic. The Sun can now read minds? Not only did it speculate about who we would or would not represent, it even manufactured the reason why. But I'm not upset.I'm not upset because The Sun put a lot of credence into a strained relationship that developed as a result of the 1995 election between the New Democratic Club (NDC)

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON has been happier for a number of our less fortunate neighbors, thanks to food drives sponsored by two west Columbia villages.Anne Darrin, village manager for Dorsey's Search, estimates that she delivered the equivalent of four laundry baskets of food to Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center.The food was left by village residents under the Giving Tree in Linden Hall.Residents also contributed wrapped toys and mittens for clients of Grassroots.Darrin noted that this year's food drive got a head start in October, with more than 150 cans of food donated by children who attended the village's Halloween party.

CHARLES VILLAGE residents who are afraid they will be ignored by a City Council delegation whose power emanates from East Baltimore have a right to feel threatened.That's unfortunate, but it is the truth. The aloofness of incumbent 2nd District council members Paula Johnson Branch and Robert L. Douglass show they are still angry that the New Democratic Club-2, which draws core support from Charles Village, did not ++ endorse them in the 1995 elections.Now that they have gotten fellow east-ender Bernard C. Young appointed to the seat vacated by new city real estate officer Anthony J. Ambridge, the council members may ignore the other part of the district.

SATURDAY MORNING brought the buzz of saws and the grinding of a wood-chipper to Fallriver Row Court in Harper's Choice -- the sounds of Columbia Association maintenance workers Jeff Schneider and Ray Buarque helping residents trim trees and clean up piles of yard waste. By afternoon, they had hauled away two truckloads.It all started with an anonymous tip to village covenant adviser Carol Jacobson from a neighborhood resident who was tired of people dumping their trash in the open space behind the townhouse development.

IT'S CLEANER AND SAFER, but not as clean and safe as residents want it to be. That may be the best assessment of the Charles Village special benefits district a year after it was created. The additional property tax residents voted to impose on themselves has been used to hire seven full-time security guards and three sanitation workers to supplement services provided by the city. The extra workers are getting good reviews, but they can't solve every crime and grime problem in the community.

A BANNER on the old Astor Court apartment building at St. Paul and 25th streets in Baltimore announces that it has been reborn as "The New Goucher Village Apartments."The name reflects the area's recent designation as the Old Goucher College Historic District, anchored by the original buildings of Goucher College, which moved to Towson in the 1950s.But in less than a year, the 72-year-old apartment complex itself could be history.The four-story structure is a possible site for a branch of Rite Aid Corp.

A home improvement fair sponsored by the Village of Wilde Lake will be presented from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Slayton House.The fair is part of the Revitalization Project that has begun in the village.The pilot program will address issues facing the aging community.It is a joint project of Howard County, Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., Comcast, the Rouse Co., the Columbia Association, NationsBank, Columbia Bank, Wilde Lake Village Board and village residents.The fair will feature contractors offering a variety of services.