1999-2000 Accomplishments - Winter 2001

Working to Protect and Improve the Quality of Life of our Region's Citizens
 

BRTP Update

BMC provided technical and staff support to the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) in developing the 1998 update to the Baltimore Regional Transportation Plan (BRTP). The Transportation Steering Committee released the 1998 update early in 1999. Almost immediately, work began on the 2001-2002 update to the plan, as required by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1992.

Regional Development Advisory Committee

The 1998 update to the BRTP proposed spending $12 billion on highway and transit system operations and maintenance, and $4 billion on new facilities out to the year 2020. Based on current county master plans and development trends, the result would likely be more highway congestion and little change in transit ridership over the next two decades.

A Regional Development Advisory Committee, headed by local developer Donald Manekin, was commissioned to review planning and development practices of the last half-century and recommend ways to reverse current trends. The committee of real estate and development experts issued their report in October of 2000.

The theme of the report is "Advance to the Center." The committee recommended focusing new growth and redevelopment in Baltimore City and the "inside-the beltway" communities, the core of the region, as well as in existing city and town centers, such as Westminster, Bel Air and Annapolis.

Specifically, the committee advocates mixed-use development and efficient land use, with workable transit connections. Water taxi service could be integrated into the transit system to serve developing neighborhoods circling Baltimore Harbor.

Planners and developers also need to understand market forces, including demographic trends and the impact of technology on the way we live. Neighborhoods need to be safe places with good schools and affordable housing for everyone. Finally, local policies and regulations should be reviewed and revised, if necessary, to support development goals.

MPO for the Baltimore Region

The Transportation Steering Committee (TSC) had been the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the Baltimore region since 1992. In 2000, the MPO was reorganized as the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB). The members of the BRTB include the Mayors of Annapolis and Baltimore City; the executives of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford and Howard counties; the president of the Carroll County Board of Commissioner; and the secretaries of the Maryland Departments of Transportation, Planning and the Environment.

In July, 2000, the BRTB adopted bylaws that describe the form, function and rules of procedure for the group. The BRTB meets monthly, with the elected officials attending at least four meetings a year, and offers opportunities for public comment and participation.

Transportation Opportunities

In 1997, for the first time, BMC's Board of Directors adopted a list of regional transportation priorities, which included such things as improvements to the Baltimore Beltway and double-tracking the Central Light Rail line. The list was taken to the 1998 Maryland General Assembly as well as the region's representatives in Congress, and many of these projects were funded.

Following on the success of that effort, the Baltimore Regioinal Transportation Board appointed a Transportation Opportunities Committee (TOC) to set regional priorities in 2000. Chaired by former Maryland Transportation Secretary William K. Hellmann, the TOC included members from the private sector and community organizations.

The TOC's recommendations included maintaining our regional assets, such as the Beltway; initiating a regional vision process; adopting a regional transportation needs agenda; working with the Greater Baltimore Committee to advance the region's transportation agenda; improving transit service and connections; developing Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) applications; expanding resources for bicyclists and pedestrians; and establishing a regional transportation management association.

The transportation and emergency response agencies in the Baltimore region are working cooperatively to improve their management of traffic incidents. Traffic incidents, ranging from fender-benders to hazardous materials spills, are major sources of highway congestion. Responding to incidents in a more coordianted way will help keep traffic moving and minimize delays.

Working as the Baltimore Regional Operations Coordination Committee (B-ROC), the group seeks to enhance operational coordination among jurisdictions; response agencies, such as police, fire and public works departments; modes of transportation, such as highways and transit; and kinds of facilities, such as local roadways and interstate highways. A single incident may require police and fire response from neighboring jurisdictions, or from specialized units such as the Medical Examiner. B-ROC is working to resolve conflicting goals and missions among operating agencies, enhance mutual support and resource sharing, and develop a protocol for assigning responsibility for response tasks. Jurisdictions and agencies participating in the B-ROC project include:

Access to Jobs

Transportation is about connecting people with opportunities, and one of those opportunities is employment. Development patterns have resulted in the creation of many entry-level jobs in outlying suburbs, where they are accessibly only by automobile. Many urban job applicants do not have access to a car.

The BRTB recommended that $1.4 million in funding requests be included in a statewide application for federal Job Access and Reverse Commute program. The program seeks to increase collaboration among transit providers, human service agencies, employers and affected communities to provide transportation to connect people with jobs.

Working on behalf of the BRTB, BMC staff also began work on a Regional Job Access and Reverse Commute Transportation Plan. The plan will identify gaps in existing services and set priorities to fill the gaps. The plan will be completed in FY 2001.

Telework

Most of us are used to leaving home to go to work, but BMC's 1999 Baltimore Regional Telecommuting Baseline Study shows that more and more people in the region are letting work come home to them. BMC expected to find about two percent of the workforce working from a home office or telework center. Instead, 3.6 percent of Baltimore area workers, or about 50,000 people, were teleworking.

BMC is promoting telework in the Baltimore area with a $300,000 grant from the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT). The grant is the core of the Telework Partnership with Employers (TPE), which provides qualified employers with the services of a telework consultant to help set up and operate a telework program.

In September of 2000, the TPE was recognized by the International Telework Association and Council as one of its "2000 Stars of Telework" for clearly and effectively demonstrating the benefits of telework to the community.

By the end of 2000, eight employers in the Baltimore area were participating in the TPE. Within four years, MDOT hopes to eliminate eight million vehicle trips annually through telework.

Air Quality

While metropolitan Baltimore recorded only four violation days in 1999 and just one in 2000, the Environmental Protection Agency still classifies the region as a severe non-attainment area for ground-level ozone. Since 1995, BMC has supported voluntary actions to reduce ozone-producing emissions. BMC and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments chartered ENDZONE Partners in 1997 and provide staff support for partner activities, including Ozone Action Days.

In the summer of 1999, BMC produced a 13-week radio program called "An Hour on the Air" in cooperation with ENDZONE Partners. The 60-minute program, which was simulcast on WOL in Washington and WOLB in Baltimore, featured guest experts who shared practical information about reducing air pollution. Listeners were able to call in with questions.

In both 1999 and 2000 BMC worked closely with WJZ-TV to recruit sponsors for a cooperative summer TV campaign. WJZ produced commercials featuring popular weather forecaster Bob Turk urging viewers to take transit and avoid using gasoline lawnmowers and oil-based paint on bad air days.

In 2000, ENDZONE Partners changed its name to Clean Air Partners.

Clean Commute Week

Most of us hop into the car in the morning and drive to work alone, bemoaning the fact that traffic seems to be getting worse all the time. Still, the prospect of finding a different way to get to work seems like more trouble than it's worth.

In 1997 BMC proclaimed one week in May as Clean Commute Week, a time to explore alternatives to driving alone. In 1999 and 2000, BMC again partnered with the Maryland Department of Transportation, State Highway Administration, Mass Transit Administration and Maryland Department of the Environment to promote clean commuting. Residents were urged to use transit, share a ride, or walk or bike to work at least once during the week.

A highlight of Clean Commute Week 2000 was Bike to Work Day, on May 19. About two dozen cyclists gathered at the Hard Rock Café in Baltimore's Inner Harbor for free coffee and donuts on their way to work.

BMC staff recruited clean commuters at spring fairs and festivals, and encouraged people to complete a pledge form. Everyone who turned in a pledge form was eligible to win one of the prizes donated by local sponsors. The pledge form also captured information about the length of the daily commute. In 2000, alternative commuting saved about 53,000 miles of vehicle travel in one week in the Baltimore region.

One of the ways to reduce highway congestion and air pollution is through ridesharing. As a bonus, people who share a ride to work can save money and eliminate the stress of having to drive every day.

In 1998, the Maryland Mass Transit Administration (MTA) awarded BMC a grant to administer a rideshare program for Baltimore County. Through media campaigns and employer visits, BMC's rideshare coordinator recruits workers to register for free rideshare matching. Information about an applicant's trip origin, destination and work schedule is entered into a regional computerized database for matching. Applicants then are given contact information for potential matches, and make their own rideshare arrangements.

In 2000 BMC received an MTA grant to continue to provide rideshare matching in Baltimore County, and to expand its program into Carroll County.

Census 2000

The US Constitution requires an accurate count of the population every ten years. The census is used to redraw legislative districts and reapportion Congressional seats. Census figures are also used to help determine where federal dollars are spent. Generally speaking, more populous areas receive a greater share of federal aid.

The Baltimore area lost significant federal funding because of undercounting in the 1990 census. To help ensure a complete count in 2000, BMC staff worked closely with the federal Census Bureau to coordinate activity at the state and local level in the Baltimore region.

BMC uses census data to help project population, household, and employment trends over the next 30 years. Such projections enable local jurisdictions to plan for highways, water and sewerage service, schools and adequate housing. Population projections also help attract private investors to areas targeted for economic development.

BMC's MetroResearch unit will analyze the 2000 census data as soon as it is released by the Census Bureau, and will posts summaries of data for the metropolitan region at www.baltometro.org.

Crime Analysis

When the International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA) met in Towson in October of 1999, representatives of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council and the Anne Arundel and Baltimore County Police Departments were on the agenda to share their expertise in computerized crime mapping. All are participants in the Baltimore-Washington Regional Crime Analysis System (RCAS). The RCAS is one component of a regional approach to fighting crime that also earned BMC a Meritorious Achievement Award from the National Association of Regional Councils at its 1999 Annual Meeting.

BMC staff has a long history of providing technical support to law enforcement agencies in the Baltimore-Washington region. In conjunction with the Baltimore County Police Department, BMC developed a computerized mapping program to track criminal activity. BMC adapted the program, known as SLAM (Street Level Activity Mapping), for use by other jurisdictions.

In September of 2000, BMC was awarded a Byrne Grant by the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention. The grant enables BMC to provide smaller law enforcement agencies in Maryland with computer hardware, software, training and technical support to fight crime with the intelligence gained from crime mapping.

Carroll County School Redistricting

As our population grows, so does public school enrollment, prompting new school construction. As new schools prepare to open, attendance boundaries need to be adjusted. Over the years, Carroll County had made piecemeal adjustments to accommodate construction, renovation and relieve overcrowding. With three new schools scheduled to open by 2003, the Carroll County Board of Education undertook a comprehensive review of its school districts.

Using the region's computerized basemap and geocoding, BMC was able to calculate enrollment at each school based on proposed boundaries and the home location of students. During committee meetings, BMC was able to use the computer to redraw

boundaries on the fly. This provided immediate feedback on boundary change proposals and accelerated committee deliberations. BMC also prepared presentation maps for public hearings that were part of the ten-month process.

The adopted plan relieves overcrowding, eliminates the need for another middle school for at least six years, and makes for smoother student transitions from elementary to middle to high school.

BMC subsequently held a statewide conference on the use of GIS technology for school redistricting.

Y2K

In early 1999, most of us had one thing on our minds: What would happen at midnight on December 31st? We'd all heard the dire predictions that computers everywhere would fail, affecting everything from the national power grid to our own VCRs.

BMC convened a series of meetings with state and local emergency management teams and public affairs officers. Together, we evaluated the potential threats and developed regional plans for preparedness, public education and emergency response.

As it turned out, the lights stayed on and civilization as we know it didn't end. As a bonus, the Baltimore region is now better prepared than ever to face blizzards, hurricanes and just about any other kind of disaster.

BRCPC

Everybody likes to save money. Taxpayers, in particular, like to know that government is making their tax dollars go as far as possible. The Baltimore Regional Cooperative Purchasing Committee (BRCPC) is charged with doing just that. Local jurisdictions realize cost savings by pooling their purchasing power, and cut administrative costs by eliminating duplication of work.

In January, 1999, BRCPC hired a part-time coordinator to seek out and develop additional opportunities for cooperative savings. Seven new contracts were established, with members documenting savings in excess of one million dollars. BRCPC also posted information about members, current contracts, and bidding opportunities on its own section of the BMC website.

In late 1999, the BRCPC began structuring a bid for the cooperative purchase of electricity. Baltimore City assumed the lead, agreeing to include all local governments in the Baltimore Metropolitan area. The bid pool represented nearly 3200 electricity accounts and $54 million per year in payments for electricity.

Approximately 400 accounts were able to switch to lower cost electricity in early November of 2000, for savings of more than $1.3 million over the 16-month contract.

Other cooperative purchases in 2000 saved an additional $100,000.

The Regional Information Center (RIC) is a special library operated as a partnership between the Enoch Pratt Free Library and BMC, featuring regional and urban planning materials. The RIC is the place to go for information about local demographics, economic development, transportation planning, land use, environmental issues, and building permit data reports. The RIC also can provide customized demographic profiles for any location in Maryland for a modest fee, and sells BMC publications.

In addition, the RIC responds to approximately 200 requests for information each month.

The RIC is open to the public by appointment only between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Water Quality

More than three-quarters of our region's residents get their drinking water from the three reservoirs owned and operated by the Baltimore City Municipal Water System. Maintaining the historically fine quality of public drinking water is high on the list of regional priorities.

As a member of the Reservoir Watershed Protection Program, the Gunpowder Watershed Coalition and local tributary teams, BMC seeks to raise awareness of water quality, improve the Chesapeake Bay, and provide technical support for watershed protection among our member jurisdictions.

In June of 1999 and 2000, BMC co-sponsored a Secchi Dip-In at Baltimore Harbor. Volunteers at various stations around the harbor dipped a black and white disk into the water. The disks are attached to calibrated ropes. Using the markings on the rope, volunteers could determine the clarity of the water.

In April of 2000, BMC participated in the Gunpowder Earth Day Festival at Oregon Ridge Park. The BMC display included a large map showing the major watersheds in the metropolitan area. Visitors were able to locate their homes on the map and learn in which watershed they live.

2012 Olympics Bid

The Olympic games present a coveted opportunity to showcase a region's attributes before a global audience. The Washington Baltimore Regional 2012 Olympic Coalition is working to secure that opportunity for our region.

The process is arduous. The coalition was required to submit a bid to the U. S. Olympics Committee (USOC) in 2000. The USOC will select one city to be considered by the International Olympics Committee (IOC), who will make the final decision.

BMC staff provided information to assist in preparing the bid and secured letters of support from the Maryland Democratic Party and Maryland Republican Party. In addition, the BMC Board of Directors sent a letter of endorsement.