Hood Neighbors

FNP Article: Hood to open new outdoor athletic facility next year

2009-02-17T14:14:00.002-05:00

The Frederick News Post recently published an article about its plans to construct and open new athletic facilities next year. The article even includes a color sketch showing what the athletic fields would look like after construction is completed. Some important blurbs from the article:

Hood president Ronald Volpe said the outdoor facility will include a turf field, bleachers that will seat between 400 and 500, locker rooms and a pressbox.
The entrance will be located off Magnolia Ave. There will be a plaza at the entrance. The fields will be located where the existing fields are.
...
Meanwhile, the school still plans to build a new indoor facility, which will be located next to the outdoor field. It would replace the outdated Gambrill Gym.
Originally, Volpe hoped that facility would be all brick like the other buildings on campus. But the cost to build such a facility would be between $25 and $30 million, and he realized the school could not raise that much money.
Instead, they plan to build a facility with only a brick facade. Volpe said it would cost between $12 and $15 million.

Hood College responds to neighbor's concerns about proposed locker facilities

2009-01-12T15:28:00.003-05:00

Tim and Tracey, Hood College neighbors, received a response from Hood College to a letter they recently sent to Hood College regarding the proposed locker facilities and lighting:

Tim and Tracey,

Thanks for your letter of January 6, 2009. We take the concerns of our neighbors seriously and attempt to mitigate intrusion upon the neighborhood whenever reasonably practicable.

Let me address the two issues you raised:

As to the location of the proposed locker facilities - we are currently redesigning this area in response to a request raised at the Planning Commission Hearing to retain the trees that border the NW entrance gate and the roadway immediately inside the campus. The redesign maintains the majority of the existing stand of trees. Further, it reduces the visual profile of the west end of the locker facilities as seen from Magnolia Avenue.

Our design team is working on the proposed exterior profile, finishes and landscaping to incorporate this structure into the campus environment. We'll be glad to share this with you when the designs are further developed. I'd also like to point out that this corner of the campus poses several challenging design considerations. The available area for placement of this structure is limited due to the location of the enlarged athletic field, a water line easement owned by the City, a setback requirement along Magnolia Avenue, an existing roadway oriented east to west that borders the existing site, existing mechanical equipment and as I previously mentioned the desire to blend this structure with the campus. Given all these constraints, I believe that the proposed design is a good solution for the campus and for the neighbors.

Regarding lighting on the temporary parking lot – I am surprised to hear that you have not seen any changes to the lighting on the temporary lot. When I met you at your home, we noted that there were four fixtures that were generally oriented in such a way as to be seen from your backyard. We reoriented two of these fixtures 180 degrees to face away from your property. A third fixture on the fence separating the two lots was completely removed. The last fixture near the center of the south fence cannot be relocated for safety reasons and is the sole remaining fixture that faces your property.

After receiving your email I walked the site again early this morning while still dark. I noticed two things. First, there is an existing lamp pole that provides security lighting around the Hodson Science Center which can be seen from your property. I would estimate that it is at least 200 feet from your home. This pole was installed as part of the Hodson Science Center Construction several years ago. We’ll look at what may be done in this area as part of the new parking lot construction, but no changes can be made for this lamp pole at this time. Second, I noticed a small amount of glare from the edge of two fixtures that sit at an oblique angle away from your property. I think it may be possible to “shield” these two fixtures without compromising campus safety.

I will be glad to meet with you to show you the changes we made to the temporary parking lot lighting. Again thanks for sharing your concerns with us.

Rick

Neighbor writes to Hood about new locker facilities

2009-01-12T15:19:00.003-05:00

Tim, one of the Hood neighbors, recently wrote to Hood College regarding the proposed locker facilities to be located near Magnolia and Atlantic Avenues:

Mr. Richard A. Kahley
Director of Facilities Planning and Special Projects
Hood College
401 Rosemont Avenue
Frederick, MD 21701

Dear Mr. Kahley,

I am writing to request further consideration on the part of the College and its design team that the proposed locker facilities be re-situated on the site to retain the trees along the entry drive off of Magnolia Avenue. Though not the primary entrance to the College, its formal presence is an asset to the neighborhood and implies a sense of deference from the College to its neighbors. As a neighbor and an architect, I believe that the removal of the one row of trees to make way for a utilitarian structure significantly alters the entry in a negative way and implies a lack of consideration. Upon walking the site and viewing City’s Spires GIS Map (with aerial photo), the general area of the building appears to be within a triangulated “dead zone” not part of a standard playing field – an area which appears to be large enough to allow for an adjustment to the building’s location and/or configuration. If this is indeed the case, I would request that the design be reconsidered in the interest of retaining the presence of the existing entry drive. In addition, I would also ask that the design team consider use of brick or some other siding material other than board and batten siding for the portion of the proposed building that abuts Magnolia Avenue. Such a revision would be more complementary to the residential buildings on the street and would be a positive gesture to the neighborhood.

And finally, I would be remiss if I did not express my continued concern regarding the existing and future parking lot lights. We have not noticed any adjustments / improvements to the temporary lighting since meeting with you in November, and would like to inquire as to the status of the changes that we were told to expect. Regarding lighting for the future parking lot, I continue to request that the globe-style lights specified be equipped with reflectors or other devices for minimizing the “light-house” effect and the upward light pollution of that area of campus. Though I realize they are not required per your Site Plan approval, I believe they represent a simple solution to concerns raised by a member of the community and would demonstrate the College’s professed desire to be a good neighbor.

I appreciate the time and effort that you have spent working with the community as a representative of the College and hope that my comments/requests will be received with serious consideration.

Sincerely,

Tim Daniel, AIA

Concerns with raucous tenants at 505 Magnolia

2009-01-07T09:28:00.001-05:00

Friends -

There has been some conversation amongst the neighbors over the last several weeks regarding the tenants occupying the house at 505 Magnolia Avenue. Serious concerns about raucous behavior, partying, underage drinking?, loud noise late at night into the early morning hours, trash buildup around the house, numerous vehicles, parking in the driveway blocking the sidewalk, trash can situated in the front yard, public urination, and the list goes on. The property has taken on a decidedly disheveled appearance. While we are all sensitive to the current real estate market, other rental situations exist amicably in our immediate vicinity without the negative impact we are experiencing from the tenants at this address.

I have contacted our NAC liaison Stephanie Davis for some advice. She confirms that neighbors should not hesitate to call the police non-emergency telephone number to report any problems. That number again is: 301-600-2102. Another possible contact is William Dukes, Division Manager of Code Enforcement for the City of Frederick. His telephone number is 301-600-3825. His email address is wdukes@cityoffrederick.com .

Stephanie also suggested that we contact the mayor and alderman as the city has an ongoing discussion concerning rental licensing, although no official action has been taken at this time. mayor@cityoffrederick.com; dkuzemchak@cityoffrederick.com; dkoontz@cityoffrederick.com; mhall@cityoffrederick.com; aimhoff@cityoffrederick.com; psmith@cityoffrederick.com

One of our neighbors was able to secure an email address for the property owners. Please forward your concerns to me and I will pass them on to the owners. Hopefully we can work together to mitigate this undesirable situation.

Kim Madden for Hood Neighbors
405 Magnolia Avenue
Frederick, MD 21701
hood-neighbors@comcast.net
hoodneighbors.blogspot.com

Notes from the 11/19 NAC Meeting

2008-11-20T07:51:00.002-05:00

Kim was able to go to the November 11, 2008 NAC Meeting. Her notes and thoughts follow below. Thanks, Kim!

-------------------------

I notified the group that Gabrielle Collard at the City of Frederick had requested that Hood College come back to the NAC meeting this month to present proposed changes to their site plan which is already underway. With the short notice, only a few neighbors were able to attend.

General Information --

There were 396 call for service resulting in 14 arrests in NAC 6. Of these 10 were traffic related, one each for assault, vagrancy, theft, and domestic disturbance.

There were 513 calls for service resulting in 11 arrests in NAC 9. Of these 2 were traffic related, 2 for trespassing, 1 assault, 1 fraud, and 1 juvenile-theft.

There have been a rash of break-ins in these areas, and throughout the city during the day time. Access to the properties has been primarily through an unlocked door, or sliding glass door which is not properly secured. The BP Service Station on 7th Street across from Hood College has been burglarized on three separate occasions recently.

Remember the non-emergency number for the police is 301-600-2102. Report anything that seems unusual or out of place.

Alderwoman Donna Kuzemchak has put forward a "Large Vehicle Ordinance". Basically it is designed to remove vehicles over a certain size from parking on residential streets. This also covers trailers, buses etc, the thought being that these are an impediment to traffic flow, visibility and so forth. There is a second aspect which covers "Excess Vehicles", designed to combat residences which have large numbers of vehicles crowding the streets, drives and yards of some neighborhoods. It would prohibit people from parking cars on lawns and other unpaved areas as well. This is still in the draft stage, and will be presented to the Mayor and Board of Alderman at the December 18th meeting for consideration and approval. Questions about this plan may be submitted to Kelly Russell at the City Police.

We are waiting for some follow-up information from Stephanie Ambush the NAC Liaison about our options for traffic calming, signage, parking, etc. These procedures come through the City Traffic Engineer. Stay tuned for updates.

Hood College --

Rick Puller and Rick Kahley from Hood College were in attendance to present the adjusted site plan to the NAC meeting. The College intends to construct two single story buildings, approximately 1,000 square feet each, on the north side (the left side as you go into Hood College through the Thomas Gate from Magnolia Avenue) of the roadway facing the existing athletic fields. The athletic fields are at some future point slated to be converted to artificial turf. The buildings would be arranged perpendicular to Magnolia Avenue. Specific building materials have not been identified. These buildings (home and visitor) would house thirty lockers each, with two rows of benches, showers, toilets, hand sinks. There would be no interior meeting space or room for food concessions. They would be entirely surrounded by a concrete pad, larger on the field side where the team(s) would gather. Security lighting would be needed, but has not been clearly defined yet. Internal fencing for the field would be added, as would "considerable" landscaping/screening to meet the site plan requirement.

The College has asked the City to permit the temporary opening of an existing curb cut on 7th Street for use by all construction traffic. All work vehicles would use this point of entry in the northwest corner, near the hospital. Construction would start sometime this summer after graduation in mid-May, slated for completion by the fall 0f 2009.

The site plan will come up for final review/approval at the December 8th Planning Commission Meeting.

A small artist's rendering of the proposed locker room facilities as seen from Magnolia Avenue, looking toward Coblentz Hall was shown at the meeting. Apparently this drawing was "hot off the press". I do not know if it will be available for further viewing. Please contact Rick Kahley at Hood with questions about this project. Kahley@hood.edu , or 301-696-3545.

My immediate reaction was that this proposal is not unreasonable on its face. Hood College seems to be taking the well-being of the neighborhood into account, most especially as it considers the impact of construction traffic. The structures appear to be low, with relatively minimal streetscape impact. Without more certain details regarding aesthetics, landscaping, and lighting in particular, it is difficult to be entirely comfortable with the project -- but no alarms are going off at this moment.

Thoughts?

Keep those emails flowing to Rick Puller (Safety and Security) at Hood College. He is following up on the information you are sending regarding parking and speeding issues -- Puller@hood.edu, or 301-696-3548.

Additional Information on the New Locker Room Facilities

2008-11-20T07:48:00.003-05:00

Additional information from Erik, one of our fellow Hood neighbors:

Ian / Kim,
Erik just stopped by the City Planning office to take a look at the amended plans. A pair of single-story, 13'x68' structures are shown on the north side of the access drive perpendicular to Magnolia. This drive is the extension of Atlantic at the masonry gate. The locker room buildings will be parallel to the drive between the gate and the existing chiller enclosure/bleachers. There will be a concrete apron around the perimeter and no additional or reduced parking spaces. I don't see any reason to be concerned that this late modification will impact the traffic or parking situation.

Thanks, Erik, for taking the time to look over the plans and sharing his thoughts with us, and to Ian for passing this on!

Locker Room Facilities Added to Hood Expansion Plans

2008-11-18T07:29:00.001-05:00

To all Hood Neighbors -

A bit of a surprise in tonights email. Please see the message from Gabrielle Collard at the City of Frederick regarding the NAC meeting on Wednesday.

Apparently Hood College is going to present a change to their "parking lot plan", which now includes "locker room facilities". I am going to attend the meeting, and will report to the group, but would appreciate anyone else who can possibly make it on such sort notice to come as well.

The meeting will be held in the same room as before, third floor of the Talley Recreation Center at 7pm.

Thanks,

Kim Madden for Hood Neighbors

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: hood-neighbors@comcast.net
To: "Gabrielle Collard"
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 9:13:52 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: Hood College Final Site Plan

Ms. Collard-

While I appreciate your effort to keep our group informed, I hardly feel that this is adequate notice for us to fully participate in the process. I am forwarding your email to the Hood Neighbors group, and while I will make every effort to attend the NAC meeting, I question the timing of Hood's decision to change the scope of their plans.

Kim Madden for Hood Neighbors

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gabrielle Collard"
To: hood-neighbors@comcast.net
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 1:20:24 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Hood College Final Site Plan

Ms. Madden

I just wanted to let you know that I have requested that Hood College revisit the NAC at the upcoming meeting this Wednesday evening- the 19th. They have decided that while they have a pending site plan application, they would like to expand the scope of the plan to include the installation of new locker room facilities on the athletic fields located off of Magnolia.

Due to the change in the site plan, I felt it appropriate to provide an update to the NAC so that any interested resident is aware of all of the proposed changes. Please let me know if you have any additional questions/concerns.

Thanks

Gabrielle

Some Traffic Statistics for Magnolia Avenue

2008-10-27T07:47:00.002-04:00

From an email sent to Kim Dunne by Lt. Richard Hetherington, Patrol Division Commander, Frederick Police Department:

-------------------------------

Good morning. I have been copied on several e-mails regarding the issues surrounding Hood College. I understand that the issues were brought up at the most recent NAC meeting and that Hood College is going to try and address the issues that they can. We will make every attempt to address the parking and speed issues and I recall that Chief Dine made you aware of our speed enforcement efforts througho ut the City. In additon to that I wanted to share some other numbers with you. As you may or may not know we have portable speed signs that we post around the City in response to speed complaints in an effort to get traffic slowed down. Those signs were placed around Magnolia Ave. on several occasions and I wanted to share with you the results of that effort.

Between July 23 and July 27 there was a speed monitoring device set up in the 500 block of Magnolia Ave. viewing traffic northbound. There was a total of 3,642 vehicles observed. The average speed was 23.6 miles per hour with 85% of the vehicles traveling less than 29 miles per hour. Of the 3,642 only 20 were observed traveling in excess of 39 miles per hour. Of the 3,642 vehicles observed 2,321 were traveling below 25 miles per hour. The most highly traveled time period was between noon and 1:00 p.m.

Between July 23 and July 25 there was a speed monitoring device set up in the 500 block of Magnolia Ave. viewing traffic southbound. There was a total of 2,509 vehicles observed. The average speed was 24.1 miles per hour with 85% of the vehicles traveling less than 29 miles per hour. Of the 2,509 only 5 were observed traveling in excess of 39 miles per hour. Of the 2,509 vehicles observed 1,505 were traveling below 25 miles per hour. The most highly traveled
time period was between 5 and 6:00 p.m.

Between July 30 and August 22 there was a speed monitoring device set up in the 500 block of Magnolia Ave. viewing traffic northbound. There was a total of 2,879 vehicles observed. The average speed was 23.2 miles per hour with 85% of the vehicles traveling less than 29 miles per hour. Of the 2,879 only 5 were observed traveling in excess of 28 miles per hour. Of the 2,879 vehicles observed 1,900 were traveling below 25 miles per hour. The most highly traveled time period was between noon and 1:00 p.m.

Between July 30 and August 15 there was a speed monitoring device set up in the 500 block of Magnolia Ave. viewing traffic southbound. There was a total of 6,452 vehicles observed. The average speed was 24.1 miles per hour with 85% of the vehicles traveling less than 29 miles per hour. Of the 6,452 only 26 were observed traveling in excess of 29 miles per hour. Of the 6,452 vehicles observed 3,822 were traveling below 25 miles per hour. The most highly traveled time period was between noon and 1:00 p.m.

Between August 27 and September 13 there was a speed monitoring device set up in the 500 block of Magnolia Ave. viewing traffic northbound. There was a total of 6,313 vehicles observed. The average speed was 23.0 miles per hour with 85% of the vehicles traveling less than 28 miles per hour. Of the 6,313 only 21 were observed traveling in excess of 39 miles per hour. Of the 6,313 vehicles observed 4,395 were traveling below 25 miles per hour. The most highly traveled time period was between 5 and 6:00 p.m.

Between August 27 and September 16 there was a speed monitoring device set up in the 500 block of Magnolia Ave. viewing traffic southbound. There was a total of 5,413 vehicles observed. The average speed was 22.8 miles per hour with 85% of the vehicles traveling less than 28 miles per hour. Of the 6,313 only 21 were observed traveling in excess of 39 miles per hour. Of the 6,313 vehicles observed 3,748 were traveling below 25 miles per hour. The most highly traveled time period was between 3 and 4:00 p.m.

We will continue to monitor and enforce traffic violations in this area in an effort to address your concerns about speed and safety. If you have any questions about the above date or would like to discuss this further please do not hesitate to contact me.

Lt. Richard Hetherington
Patrol Division Commander
Frederick Police Department
100 West Patrick St.
301-600-1228
rhetherington@fredco-md.net
Web: www.cityoffrederick.com/police

Results from the 10/15 NAC meeting

2008-10-23T08:40:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone --

As you know, a NAC 6/ NAC 9 meeting was held on October 15th at the Talley Recreation Center. There was a very good turnout of our interested neighbor group members. Also in attendance were: Chief Kim Dine city police, our "beat" officer S.E. Maples and partner, Stephanie Ambush city NAC liaison, Steve Johnson from the city Traffic Engineering Department, Rick Puller Director of Campus Safety and Richard Kahley Finance and Administration Facilities Hood College.

What we learned:

For the period September 17th to October 14th:
The police responded to 471 calls for service resulting in 11 arrests in NAC 6
The police responded to 375 calls for service resulting in 10 arrests in NAC 9

City of Frederick has a feature on the website which lists/pinpoints incidents, and you can sign up for email alerts. Go to www.cityoffrederick.com and link to the police website - Spires GIS's Crime Map.

For traffic complaints of all types, speeding , parking, etc. call the non-emergency number for the police 301-600-2102. You will report the problem to the on-duty supervisor, who will relay it for action.

We will have to be persistent in our calls to get any action. The police voiced empathy for our situation, but at the same time stated they do not monitor or take action on these situations without significant citizen input.

It was also noted that typically "people perceive that cars are speeding when they really are not. The Chief admitted that the flashing speed monitor signs move around the city. They are frequently out of service because they are battery operated, and replacing batteries is not a priority.

Response to parking and traffic violations is very much complaint driven. If we want action- we must complain.

Anyone who attended the breakfast at Hood College heard the position of Hood College. The new information is that if you have an issue with a vehicle that you can identify as a Hood College student, faculty/staff member or service vehicle, record the information and call Rick Puller at 301-696-3548, or email him the information at puller@hood.edu. He has promised to follow up with every identified "offender"to try to dissuade them from the objectionable behavior.

If you have questions or concerns about construction/development expansion on the Hood campus, contact Richard Kahley. He can be reached at 301-696-3545, or by email at kahley@hood.edu.

From the traffic engineers office we learned that crosswalk signals are to be installed soon at the intersection of 7th Street and Fairview Avenue. They favor signage in our area with "No parking here to corner" over yellow painted curbs. If you have a handicapped parking permit, you qualify for designated reserved handicapped parking in front of your residence. We must go through a formal process to request any change to our streets in regards to parking restrictions, traffic calming, signals and signage, speed reduction, etc. Essentially we need to consider what we would like to see happen, and petition the city for action. You can go to www.cityoffrederick.com, look for Departments, then click on Engineering, click on Traffic. Thoughts? Comments?

The next NAC meeting will be at the Talley Recreation Center on November 19th at 7:00pm on the third floor.

As a matter of "housekeeping" I have had to adjust our email address. Please make a note that the correct email address is now hood-neighbors@comcast.net. The dash between hood and neighbors is new.

Thanks so much to all who attended and have forwarded comments to me. Keep it coming! It would be helpful if you would indicate on any email to me whether or not we have your permission to post it to our blog site.

Kim Madden for Hood Neighbors

City of Frederick's Letter to Hood College With Parking Lot Concerns

2008-10-20T13:31:00.002-04:00

The City of Frederick sent a letter to Hood College (PDF format) on October 10, 2008 listing some major concerns with Hood College's planned parking lot.

Nearly all of this letter is in technical terms; I'm not too sure I understand this. (Comments and translations are welcome.) However, apparently Hood College has already completed transformation of a set of tennis courts to a parking lot, and is now (belatedly?) seeking approval from the City.

Concern with Adequate Landscape Screening / Setback

2008-10-20T08:42:00.003-04:00

From an architect / planner who lives on Magnolia across from the Hood College athletic fields. Many thanks, Erik.

All Hood neighbors should be concerned about an error in the City's Land Management Plan that would permit the college to place a high density residential, industrial (steam plant), or athletic facility anywhere along the campus perimeter adjacent to the neighborhood without adequate screening or setback. Article 605.d & .e and Table 605.3 of the LMC currently only requires Level I screening between R6 and IST zones. This is effectively just one white pine tree every twenty feet at the property line, with no fence or setback. The back of the hospital property along Park Avenue is an example of how bad this could look.

A text amendment should be effected that includes the IST use with the M1, M2 & MXE uses in this table and thus requires Level III or even IV screening (heavy and wide landscape buffer, 6' masonry wall) between residential neighborhoods and float ing institutional zones. Any Alderman can sponsor this amendment, and it shouldn't be too difficult to persuaded our NAC representative to assist us with this simple modification. Hood's acceptance of this change would be an excellent opportunity to demonstrate their oft-state intention to be a good neighbor. It would require no significant current or future capital cost from them but offer an enormous reassurance to us that the residential character of our area remains intact.

Erik was able to supply us with a copy of the relevant City of Frederick Land Management Code section, which I've uploaded for all to view.

Notice of Upcoming Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) Meeting

2008-10-03T21:04:00.001-04:00

To All Hood Neighbors -

Many of you have emailed to ask "what is our next step"? To that end, I sent an email to Chief of Police Kim Dine yesterday evening, asking some very pointed questions about who to contact for help with our neighborhood concerns. I am forwarding his response to my email, which includes the very important news of an already scheduled Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) meeting on October 15th, 7pm at the Tally Recreation Center (the armory). [This meeting involves both NAC 6 and NAC 9.]

Please mark your calendars to attend this meeting if at all possible. Because of our interest, and the number of emails all echoing the same frustrations, Chief Dine has requested that the City of Frederick send a representative from the Planning and Traffic Departments to be at this meeting. This email thread was originally copied to Mayor Holtzinger, President Volpe, and others. I do not know at this time if Hood College will send a representative to this meeting.

This may be our first real opportunity to voice our concerns in front of the people who have the authority to actually effect some changes. I will send out a reminder notice as the meeting approaches.

Thanks to all of our Hood Neighbors who have taken the time to post comments to our blog, contact our local officials, and have indicated a willingness to participate in this process.

Kim Madden for Hood Neighbors

hood-neighbors@comcast.net

405 Magnolia Avenue

Frederick, MD 21701

A Third Letter to the Chief, and yet another Response

2008-10-03T14:06:00.003-04:00

Another letter to the Police Chief:

Kim:

Let me express our gratitude for taking the leadership role in watching over the needs of our neighborhood.

You are so right - this is Deja Vu all over again. Hood has always gotten just what they want through use of an aggressive attorney.

Coming onto Rosemont from N. College Parkway has become dangerous because visibility to the right is non- existant. The added exit from Hood onto Rosemont hasn't helped.

Students parking in front of my house and along our street-on both sides creates a hazard as the street-like Magnolia is so narrow that traffic coming both ways is " hary ". Perhaps many streets should be one way.

It is frustrating to come home and find that there is no place to park.

Perhaps signs limiting parking to two hours might help.

Hood made an effort several years ago to get students to park in the lot near their chapel but students were not so inclined.

In any case, deep appreciation for your close involvement. Glad to see you are bringing the police into the problem.

Bob Tansey

Friendly Neighbor

And here's the police chief's response:

Dear Bob:

Thanks for your email. Captain Grubb and I just discussed this morning the meeting that was held last year on this issue. Since then, as you probably know, the City Traffic Engineer left and I am thinking some of what he indicated he (the City) could perhaps work on perhaps did not occur in the transition. We are going to try and rekindle this discussion with Devon Hahn, the current traffic engineer, who does a wonderful job. I am not aware of how much she has been brought into the loop on these issues.

Thanks, as always, for taking the time to email us and work with us!

KCD

Another Letter to the Chief, and a Response

2008-10-03T07:51:00.007-04:00

Another letter to the Frederick Police Chief (italics as in original):

Dear Chief Dine -

My name is Kim Madden, residing for the last twenty-two years at 405 Magnolia Avenue. Like Mr. Muldowney and many of my neighbors, I attended the recent Presidential Breakfast at Hood College. It was reminiscent of other meetings I have attended over these many years. I attended a NAC meeting some time ago regarding most of these same associated issues with traffic, parking, and Hood College. Several of my neighbors also attended that meeting, as did some representatives from Hood College. Many thoughts and ideas for improving the troubled situation were brought out that evening. Absolutely nothing changed or improved as a result of that meeting. The public position of the College then, and now, is that our issues with parking, traffic flow, speeding, littering, and so forth are areas to take up with the City of Frederick. The problems of two years ago, were the problems of two years before that, and are the exact same problems we face today with one notable difference - they are much, much worse.

You mentioned that you meet regularly with citizens during monthly meetings. When is the next meeting for our area? Does it require special planning or notification? What can we do to set up a date for the Hood Neighbors to address the appropriate entities with their concerns? Who can we direct our questions to? Who can guide us through the options of traffic calming, stop signs or other traffic signals, curb painting, residential parking designation and permits etc.?

I will look forward to your response.

Sincerely

Kim Madden for Hood Neighbors

hood-neighbors@comcast.net

405 Magnolia Avenue

Frederick, MD 21701

And here's the Police Chief's response:

Dear Kim:

Thanks for your response and thanks for taking the time to express your (continued) concerns. I am now more sorry than ever that I was unable to attend the breakfast. In any case, I do recall the meeting of last year as well. What I think potentially occurred since then is that the City Traffic Engineer who attended that meeting left employment with the City and I fear much of what was discussed perhaps was not fully passed on. In any case, that is the past and we (the City, all of its agencies and all stakeholders) certainly look forward to working with all parties to try and improve the situation.

As you noted, we (the City not just the PD) meet monthly with each Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC). All the information regarding the NAC process is on the City Website, including time,location, etc. The area we are talking about I believe is included in Neighborhood Advisory Council 6 and Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) 9, which now meet together at the Talley Recreation Center at Baker Park. The next meeting is October 15th at 7 pm. By way of this email, I am copying Ms. Stephanie Ambush, who is in charge of Citizen Outreach for the City. Ms. Ambush can request that someone from the Planning and Traffic Department be there to hear and discuss your concerns. Ms. Kelly Russell is the citizen volunteer who oversees this meeting from the citizen end of things. She is the coordinator for NAC 9. I am also copying Ms. Russell. This is the type of meeting where you can pose the quest ions you raised in your email and begin to get answers. Obviously this is a problem solving process and depending on the issue can take time, but over and over again we have found it to be productive on many fronts. Due to the intensity and complexity of this issue, it may well be that a separate meeting with residents and officials from the College may help, similar to the meetings held in the past.

Thanks again for contacting me. I hope this information is helpful.

KCD

Kim C. Dine
Chief of Police
Frederick Police Department
Frederick, Maryland
100 West Patrick Street
Frederick, Maryland, 21701
www.cityoffrederick.com/police
telephone:301-600-2106
email:kdine@fredco-md.net
facsimile: 301-600-2720

Frederick Police Chief's Response

2008-10-03T07:37:00.000-04:00

Frederick Police Chief Kim Dine's response to a letter written by Patrick Muldowney is reprinted below, with formatting edited slightly:

Dear Mr. Muldowney:

Thank you for your email and for taking the time to express your concerns about growing traffic issues in the City. Obviously you are correct in that the City and its challenges continue to grow - all positives in most respects. With that growth, traffic issues and concerns continue to grow as well. We are extremely cognizant of that fact. We meet with residents across the City monthly (in our Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) meetings and other neighborhood meetings) and hardly a meeting goes by where traffic concerns do not come up as part of the discussion. I certainly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and concerns as it is this kind of interaction that we want to foster and nurture. Quite often, it is through emails and interaction and feedback from the NAC meetings where we learn where the most egregious traffic issues (as well as other concerns) are taking place.

While I am also glad you have not been involved in our enforcement efforts, I am a bit surprised that you have not seen them in action. In fact, some folks think we are too aggressive in terms of our traffic enforcement. Regardless, I can tell you that they are on-going and very aggressive, as well as multi-faceted in terms of the City's approach to these issues. They include:
application of traffic calming efforts by the City engineer, to include speed humps, traffic circles, etc.
use of electronic speed signs by the FPD, to slow traffic and provide statistical data
implementation of our Red Light Photo Enforcement Program, which we started about 5 years ago, and through which hundreds of violations are issued monthly
and lastly, what we call traditional enforcement by our officers, which includes radar use, traffic stops, etc., which actually is very aggressive.
Some statistics for moving violations issued by our officers, not including the Red Light numbers I mentioned above:
2005 -- over 10,000 moving citations
2006 -- over 10,000 moving citations
2007 -- over 11,000 moving citations
2008 - year to date -- over 9000 citations
Since 2005, we have issued over 41,000 moving citations to folks driving in Frederick. We engage in these efforts all over the City. We will continue these efforts and will also continue to interact with our residents on a constant basis to learn about their concerns. Aggressive traffic enforcement not only obviously addresses traffic issues, but has shown to be a very effective crime fighting tool as well. We have also done a number of things inside the agency to facilitate and enhance our responsiveness to each neighborhood. For example, if you go on the City website or our police website, you can directly contact supervisors we have assigned to each NAC, to immediately facilitate problem solving efforts.

I hope this at least somewhat addresses the issue you raised. If not, I am very glad to meet and/or discuss further. Thanks again for taking the time to email me and discuss your concerns.

Thanks.
KCD

Kim C. Dine
Chief of Police
Frederick Police Department
Frederick, Maryland
100 West Patrick Street
Frederick, Maryland, 21701
www.cityoffrederick.com/police
telephone:301-600-2106
email:kdine@fredco-md.net
facsimile: 301-600 -2720

Letter to Frederick Police Chief from a Resident

2008-10-02T13:03:00.000-04:00

A resident recently sent this letter to the Frederick City Police Chief. He gave permission to share this letter with us:

Dear Chief Dine,

I have been a resident of Frederick City since 1996 and my family currently resides at 503A Magnolia Avenue. Frederick is a growing, thriving and exciting community and we enjoy the quality of life that the city offers, but as you know, with this growth comes many challenges. The purpose of this correspondence is to address a particular challenge of growing concern, that being traffic enforcement, or lack thereof.

When I moved to Frederick, speed enforcement was commonplace on main thoroughfares within the city, particularly on those that dissected residential neighborhoods. However, over the past several years, despite the increased traffic I cannot recall once having seen the Frederick City Police Department conducting speed enforcement operations. Specifically, Magnolia and Fairview Avenues have become main thoroughfares between Rosemont Avenue and 7th Street, due mainly to the growth of Frederick Memorial Hospital and Hood College.

To exacerbate the problem, the enrollment at Hood College has far exceeded parking capacity on campus and as a result, overflow has spilled onto the neighborhood streets. Cars often line both sides of the street some of which routinely block driveways and encroach on intersections. Quite frankly, Magnolia Avenue is a recipe for disaster, essentially becoming a two direction, single lane main thoroughfare. This congestion doesn't seem to impede the high rate of speed of many vehicles. Despite numerous calls to the Police Department voicing our concerns, we have not seen any response. I would also think that regular traffic enforcement would generate revenue for the city, particularly during a time when budgets are under significant pressure.

Please take this letter in the vain in which it is meant, that being the concern for the safety of the families in our neighborhoods. I welcome any input that you may have.

Sincerely,

Pat Muldowney

Summary of Oct 1st Breakfast Meeting

2008-10-02T07:50:00.000-04:00

This is from a slightly edited email circulated to Hood residents by Kim. We welcome your thoughts, comments, and concerns -- please post them as comments to this post.

-----------------------------------

Dear Hood Neighbors:

A significant number of people turned out for the meeting at Hood College, despite the scheduling challenges presented by the early morning timeslot. President Volpe and several key members of his "senior staff" were on hand. The prepared remarks by President Volpe covered the history of the College, the financial difficulties of previous years, the current state of the campus and student body, and finally the "Master Plan."

Among the interesting facts we learned:

Hood has approximately 1,500 undergraduate students- a number they consider optimal
140 students are residing in leased apartments due to a lack of on-campus housing There are roughly 1,000+ graduate students

President Volpe stated emphatically that there are no decisions regarding the Master Plan.

Despite that declaration we were also informed:

A "quiet" fund-raising campaign is underway for the new athletic facility
One tennis court has been repurposed for a parking lot, the remaining tennis court to be similarly altered during the summer of 2009.
A roadway to connect these new lots to an exit will be created in front of the Science Center with traffic dumping onto Rosemont Avenue via Ferndale.
Talks with the city are underway to address the hazards of the Ferndale/Rosemont intersection with the possible remedy of extended cement curbing into the roadway to route traffic
Discussions have been held with an outside developer as regards the townhouse dorms sited on Magnolia Avenue
Pricing information has been gathered pertaining to an artificial surface for the new athletic field
Consideration has been given to utilization of 7th Street as a point of entry, but the existing curb cuts into campus are not viewed favorably by the city because of hospital traffic
These items are all included in the Master Plan

It was in my opinion unfortunate that President Volpe's remarks ran so long that there was a woefully inadequate time for questions from attendees. I had to leave the meeting at 9:20 am, without having a chance to ask any questions. I hope that those of you who could attend will take the time to post your own reactions to today's meeting on our blog. That link is hoodneighbors.blogspot.com .

Once we have digested the information from the meeting, we need to decide what our next steps should be. What would you like to see happen? Should we involve the city? Would you utilize a list of telephone numbers to report parking infractions, traffic/speeding concerns, etc? Are you interested in pursuing residential designated parking for your street? Gather your thoughts and share them with your neighbors.

Google Map of Upcoming Changes at Hood College

2008-09-29T08:19:00.000-04:00

We created an interactive Google Map showing what kind of changes Hood College plans to make. This way, residents are more easily able to see the changes and how the changes may relate to their homes and nearby streets. You can zoom this map and click on each blue box for further information.

A caveat: the dimensions and measurements are extremely approximate, and should be taken with a (small) grain of salt! Any updates will be reflected in this map.

View Larger Map

Hood President Volpe's Oct. 1 Invitation

2008-09-29T08:13:00.000-04:00

Some neighbors had not gotten the Sept. 16, 2008 letter from Hood College President Volpe inviting residents to an Oct. 1, 2008 breakfast meeting to discuss the College's upcoming changes. We're reprinting the letter in its entirety below:

Dear Hood College Neighbor,

Please join me and members of my senior staff for a special Presidential Breakfast for Neighbors on Wednesday, October1, 2008, from 7:30 to 9:00 am in the Whitaker Campus Commons. My staff and I will share with you recent developments at the College and our plans for the future.

As you may know, the past year has been another exciting one for Hood. In October our Board of Trustees will consider how the College will address future housing and parking needs on campus. As our neighbor, you are a very important constituency, and we would like to keep you informed. We want to make sure we are doing everything we can to remain a good neighbor.

I hope you can join us for this breakfast meeting on October 1. Please R.S.V.P. to Zoe Welsh at (301) 696-3130 or welshz@hood.edu.

Sincerely,

Ronald J. Volpe, Ph.D.

President

Hood College plans new buildings and parking lots

2008-09-27T21:12:00.001-04:00

According to a Master Plan approved by the Hood College Board of Trustees in June of 2007, Hood College plans to add:

two sets of townhouse-style dorms along Magnolia Avenue (demolishing two houses at the corner of Magnolia Avenue and Belmont Avenue)
several tennis courts in between the two sets of dorms along Magnolia Avenue
an aquatics center just to the east of the townhome-style dorms
a 100-space parking lot between Gambrill Hall and Hodson Science and Technology Center (replacing the tennis courts there)
two residence halls on either side of Coblentz Hall
a 100-space parking lot to the east of Coblentz Hall near Hospital Drive
additional entrances / exits on Hospital Drive
an extension of Hospital Drive to Park Avenue
an all-season turf NCAA playing field and bleachers just to the north of Coblentz Hall
a recreation, education, athletics, and convocation facility near Hospital Drive and 7th Street
a softball dugout and bleachers along 7th Street
landscaping along Rosemont Avenue

In addition, according to the Master Plan, Hood College plans to:

relocate Williams Observatory closer to Magnolia Avenue and Atlantic Avenue
renovate Gambrill Hall as a recreation center

Click to see a larger version of this photo

This Master Plan is on display on a stand in Alumnae Hall. As neighbors of Hood College, we are concerned about the expansion. How many additional students will the new dorms house? Where will they park? How much light and noise pollution will result on the side streets near Hood College? Where will the construction traffic flow? What will the impact be of the additional students and service vehicles to the surrounding area?

To answer our questions, President Volpe and his staff will meet with residents at a breakfast session on October 1. Please attend if you are interested, and if you cannot and you have questions or concerns, please leave comments on this blog or email your questions at hood-neighbors@comcast.net. In addition, please join the Hood Neighbors mailing list by emailing hoodneighbors@comcast.net. Hope to see you at the October 1st breakfast session.

Additional photos with closer views of the Master Plan will be posted on this blog soon, as well as any additional information we receive.