The Calvin Ball Bulletin District Two February 2013 Edition Inside this issue: Welcome! There are many exciting BGE Smart Meters 1 opportunities on the horizon. As Know of any great community the Council prepares for events? Please share them with me Money Matters Fair 1 Comprehensive Rezoning, Budget by emailing and much more, I wanted to take a [email protected]. Citizens’ Budget 2 moment and share with you my Hearing latest newsletter highlighting If you are not already signed up to informational programs, services receive this newsletter, email Taste of Long 3 and area events happening within “subscribe” to Reach our District Two community and [email protected] and I Training Workshops 3 will be happy to add you to our for Minority beyond. distribution list! Businesses Dr. Calvin Ball, District 2 Columbia Cleans 4 Day BGE to Begin Deploying Smart Meters! WomenFest 4 Comp Zoning Public 5 In March, BGE will begin deployment of smart meters in Howard County. Installers will knock on Hearing customer’s doors prior to the installation and a doorhanger will be left at the location informing the Financial Assistance 6 customer that the installation has occurred. Corner The MD Public Service Commission recently determined that an opt-out provision will be created for customers who do not want a smart meter. The conditions around that program will be determined at a later date, but the Commission did rule that a customer who opts out will be required to bear some cost as the utilities will need to maintain parallel systems for meter reading and billing purposes. Until such time as the Commission issues its opt-out order, BGE continues to defer installation of smart meters for those customers who make a written request to BGE. That procedure is outlined at the link below under the topic “Common Questions.” This link also provides a great deal of detail about the smart meter program. http://www.bge.co m/learnshare/smartgrid/smartmeters/pages/smart-meters.aspx In preparation, BGE will host two open houses where customers can meet with BGE representatives to ask questions and obtain information about the program: Tuesday, February 26, 2013 6:30-8pm at the Elkridge Senior Center, 6540 Washington Blvd in Elkridge and Tuesday, March 3, 2013 6:30-8pm at The Gathering Place, 6120 Day Long Lane in Clarksville, MD. For more details, call 1-800-685-0123. th 7 annual Money Matters Fair 2013! Kick-off Financial Education month with a fun-filled line-up of activities and classes to learn smart ways to stretch your money! This fair will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2013 from 10am-1pm at the East Columbia Branch Library, 6600 Cradlerock Way in Columbia. The fair includes free tax preparation for income qualified individuals, free credit reports and credit counseling and free financial planning. The event will also feature hands-on activities, information and resources for personal finance, financial aid for college, retirement, etc. For more details, call 410- 313-3105, email [email protected] or click here. 1 nd 2 Annual Elkridge Food Pantry Food Drive! Support Long Reach High School in their efforts to raise much needed donations to benefit the Elkridge Food Pantry! Contributions are being sought for all items including proteins and ready to eat soups (except beans). Collection boxes are available at the Long Reach High School, 6101 Old Dobbin Rd, Columbia, MD 21045. The deadline to donate is Friday, March 1, 2013. For questions, please contact Mrs. Whiddon at [email protected] or call 410-313-7117. th 7 Annual BumbleBee Celebration! Have you heard the latest buzz? Howard County Library System is sponsoring its seventh annual BumbleBee, a grade level spelling bee held within your school. This special event will be hosted on Monday, March 4, 2013 at 7pm in the Miller Branch Library. As children learn to read, write and spell it is only natural that there are a few bumps along the way, which is why Howard County Library System is offering the BumbleBee for young students. A companion initiative to the HCLS Spelling Bee for students in grades one through three, the BumbleBeeSM motivates students to improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, and develop the self-confidence needed to speak effectively in front of an audience. The BumbleBee also prepares students for the HCLS Spelling Bee. Grade level winners from all schools attend the HCLS BumbleBee Celebration. For more details, call 410-313-7750. Quit Smoking Today! Is someone you know or love still smoking? The Howard County Health Department can help! We are pleased to offer a new Tobacco Cessation Class that begins on the first Wednesday of each month and is held for four (4) consecutive Wednesdays for 1 hour and 15 minutes (morning and evening classes are available). Medication and physician evaluation are dispensed as needed. An optional 15 minute breathing and relaxation segment is offered at the end of each class. The next session begins March 6, 2013. Classes are FREE to all who live or work in Howard County! Call 410-313-6265 for more info. th 9 Annual HCLS Spelling Belling Bee Celebration! As a part of A+ Partners in Education, Howard County Library System (HCLS) invites public and private schools, as well as home school associations, to participate in the HCLS Spelling Bee, a countywide bee for students in grades four through eight. The HCLS Spelling Bee will be held on Friday, March 8, 2013 at 7pm at Reservoir High School. The winners of individual school bees held in the fall and winter compete in the HCLS Spelling Bee in March and the champion advances to the National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC. Schools interested in participating should complete this online form. For more info, call 410-313-7750. The HCLS Spelling Bee is sponsored by BB&T and the Friends of Howard County Library, and organized under the rules of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. nd 2 FY14 Citizens’ Budget Hearing! Howard County Executive will host his second Citizens’ Budget Hearing for the FY2014 budget cycle on Monday, March 11, 2013 at 7pm in the Banneker Room of the George Howard Building, 3430 Court House Drive in Ellicott City, MD. Beginning Monday, February 25th, residents were invited to sign-up online to speak at the hearing. From the same link, residents will also have the option to provide online budget testimony; however, residents are reminded that internet testimony is considered public information and, as such, is subject to the Maryland Public Information Act. Residents who do not wish to sign-up online will still be able to signup in person on the night of the public hearing beginning at 6pm. Speakers must sign up individually. One person may not sign up for several testifiers. The list of County Government departmental requests for the FY2014 Capital and Operating Budgets can also be viewed online beginning Monday, March 4th. An interpreter for people who are deaf or hard of hearing will be available, if requested, seven days prior to the Citizen’s Budget Hearing. Call the Department of Citizen Services at 410-313-6400 or use Relay (7-1-1) between 8am-5pm. If you need additional accommodations to attend the Hearing or for more information, contact the Budget Office at 410-313-2077. 2 Taste of Long Reach! Please join us for a fun evening on Friday, March 8th at 7pm and enjoy great food and beverages from our area restaurants and caterers! This is a great evening to mingle with the staff members and other parents and friends in the Long Reach community. All are welcome but you must be 21 to attend. There will be food stations, beverage stations, a silent auction, raffle auctions, door prizes and a DJ with dancing. Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 after March 1st. Online ticket sales can be purchased here. Proceeds support Long Reach High School and for more info, please call 410-313-7117or email Debra May at [email protected]. Members Sought for Equal Business Opportunity Commission! Howard County is currently seeking two individuals, a minority and a disabled individual, to serve on the Equal Business Opportunity Commission. Members assist the efforts of the county in procuring goods and services from minority business enterprises, women business enterprises and disabled business enterprises pursuant to the County’s Equal Business Opprotunity Program, and to monitor the activities of the Economic Development Authority to determine its efforts to include equal business opportunity concerns in its activities and programs. To be eligible, candidates must be 18 years or older and be able to attend the Board’s meetings which are held at least four times annually in the Gateway Building, 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive in Columbia. Applicants should send a resumt and a brief letter explaining why they want to serve to: Howard County Government, Office of the County Executive, Attn: David Lee, 3430 Court House Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21043. Names of eligible applicants will be submitted to the County Executive for approval and then to the County Council for confirmation. The deadline to apply is Friday, March 15, 2013. For more details, call 410-313-6370 or click here. Training Workshops for Minority, Woman-Owned & Disabled-Owned Businesses! The Maryland Procurement and Technical Assistance Program (MD PTAP) provides counseling services at no cost to small business owners. Additionally, they provide training workshops for business to help them acquire the skills needed to pursue government contracts. The Program's goal is to assist Maryland small businesses prepare for and engage in the procurement process with federal, state, and local government agencies.