The Greater Timonium GGTTCCCC Community Council Volume XI Issue II 9b Ridgely Rd., Box 276, Timonium, Maryland 21093 March 2009 http://www.gtccinc.com President: Eric Rockel, 410-252-8439 Treasurer: Frank Regan, 410-337-5070 Secretary: Katie Barone, 410-561-1848 Membership: Marge DiNardo, 410-252-3378 Newsletter: Frank Regan, 410-337-5070 ***** NEWSLETTER ***** President’s Message – Eric Rockel Still Going Strong at Age 350! No, this is not a column about someone who has found the fountain of youth. Age 350 refers to the fact that Baltimore County officially celebrates its 350 th anniversary this year. The political subdivision that started out by including most of the geographical area of the upper Chesapeake Bay, including all or parts of present day political subdivisions Anne Arundel, Howard, Harford, Carroll and Cecil Counties, as well as Baltimore City, is today the home for approximately 800,000 persons in a variety of communities, urban, suburban and rural in nature. We have a number of wonderful landmarks within the Greater Timonium area, including the buildings that constitute “antiques row” in Cockeysville, old workers homes in Ashland that have been converted to upscale residences, the Pot Spring manor house, the Victorian village of Lutherville and the Hampton Mansion, just outside the bounds of the GTCC. County Executive Jim Smith and the County Council kicked off the official celebration at ceremonial Court Room Number 5, in the Old Court House in Towson, during January, and the County plans on having a number of events throughout the remainder of the year. One way to keep up with the activities is through logging on to www.bc350.org . The site records various events and offers all citizens the opportunity to share their memories by posting blogs about their remembrances. You can also find out information about a new book on County history, written by Dr. Barry Lanman of UMBC that is being funded by Baltimore County and the Historical Society of Baltimore County. At GTCC, we have been fortunate to hear from local historians John McGrain and Louis Digges at prior meetings. I hope that many of our GTCC members will contribute to the celebration in one form or another. One of the many reasons for trying to shape the future is our respect and admiration for the people and events of the past. GTCC General Meeting – Wednesday, March, 11th, 2009 The GTCC will hold their ‘ Next Meeting’ on Wednesday , March, 11th, 2009 at the Cockeysville Library Meeting Room , on Greenside Dr., Cockeysville with meetings STILL beginning promptly at 7:00 PM . Annual GTCC Membership Dues – Marge DiNardo GTCC ‘2009’ Membership dues of $50 dollars for the year are due at this time. We had a great response from (51) Associations contributing their Annual Membership dues payment last year! Dues notices for 2009 have been mailed out this past week so if you haven’t received one or if you need a copy, please don’t hesitate to let us know. So far, we have received (37) dues paying responses through February! Please send your 2009 dues payments to GTCC, 9b Ridgely Rd., Box 276, Timonium, Maryland 21093 . Thanks to all our contributing Associations for all their dedicated support for the ongoing work of the Greater Timonium Community Counsel! GTCC The purpose of the GTCC is to coordinate a united council of Community Associations to enhance and protect the quality of residential life within the community. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ NOTICE ! ! ! CALENDAR 2009 NOTICE ! ! ! ****** Meeting Schedule ****** Board of Directors 7:00 pm – 9:00pm General Membership 7:00 pm – 9pm January 14, 2009 February 11, 2009 March 11, 2009 April 08, 2009 May 13, 2009 June 10, 2009 July – No Meeting August – No Meeting September 09, 2009 October 14, 2009 November 11, 2009 December 09, 2009 All Meetings are NOW Scheduled at the “ COCKEYSVILLE LIBRARY ”, on the DATES NOTED ABOVE ! ! ! Agenda and Speakers - GTCC March 11th, Meeting - Tentative Schedule…… 1. Introductions 2. Treasurer’s Report 3. Membership Report 4. Cockeysville Precinct, Baltimore County Police Department 5. Lutherville Volunteer Fire Company, Capitol Campaign Update - Kiki Worthington 6. Cockeysville Library Expansion - Mollie Fein 7. Councilman Bryan McIntire – Legislative Update and News on the County Government 8. Old Business a. Report on Sign Variance Hearing, PSA Financial b. Speed Camera Legislation, Maryland General Assembly 9. New Business a. Redevelopment on Aylesbury Rd. b. Other Matters 10. Adjournment Volunteers Needed – Jones Falls Watershed Association - Eric Rockel In conjunction with the Jones Falls Watershed Association, we are looking for volunteers to help clean up the Roland Run stream in the area south of Timonium Road. The clean up is scheduled for Saturday, April 4 from 9:00 AM to Noon. Participants will meet at Business Park Drive, between Aylesbury Road and Greenspring Drive. Clean up supplies will be provided. Don’t miss this opportunity to better our community and get a little exercise. The Captain’s Corner – Captain Martin Lurz We have invited our Cockeysville Precinct”7” Commander, Captain Marty Lurz, to provide us with an article for our newsletter in the form of ‘The Captain’s Corner’ on any issue(s) that he feels might be of interest to our membership. The following article this month is from Captain Lurz: Warmer weather (hopefully!) is just around the corner. As I’ve written before – believe me, it bears repeating – “deception thefts” and “deception burglaries” seem to increase countywide as the weather warms up. Please take a moment and review the information below and be aware of the method of operation of these burglars and thieves and - MOST IMPORTANTLY - share this information with your neighbors and families. The elderly and vulnerable adults are the most likely victims of these crimes. Deception burglaries and thefts have one common theme - to get the homeowner distracted by getting them to walk into another room, or, more frequently, asking the homeowner to step outside and then getting them to move to the side or rear of the house (out of view) while a second suspect enters the house through the unlocked door and steals whatever is quickly accessible to them. This second suspect is almost always out of the house before the homeowner re-enters. Here's how it works: The first suspect will come to the door, knock on the door or ring the doorbell, and use some type of ruse to win the confidence of the homeowner. For example, the suspect may tell the homeowner that he works for a fence company that is installing a neighbor’s fence. The person may say that he doesn’t want to violate the property line and may ask the homeowner to step outside with him and examine a portion of their property. If the homeowner does step outside, he or she will generally leave the door unlocked and the first suspect will escort the homeowner around the back - out of view - of that door. This is when the second suspect, who was nearby but out of sight, will enter the house and steal smaller items that are easy to grab and conceal quickly. After about ten minutes, the first suspect and the homeowner will walk back into the house AFTER the second suspect has slipped out. It may not be immediately apparent that items were stolen from the house (i.e. money and credit cards from a purse or wallet, jewelry, etc.) There is also an “in house” scam in which the suspect claims he is from BGE or the Water Department and needs to get to the basement to investigate a "problem in the lines." When the homeowner walks that person down to the basement, the second suspect enters and steals the valuables. How can this be prevented? I believe that awareness is the key…let your families, friends and neighbors, especially the elderly, know about this type of crime. Please remember - and make sure your neighbors know too - DO NOT let anyone that you do not know and trust into your house. Employees of BGE and the City Water Department carry photo ID and do not mind being challenged for proof of employment. My suggestion is that you don't stop there - CALL the appropriate agency for verification while the person waits outside . Make sure that you call the number in the phone book for verification. DO NOT call the number given by the person who knocks on your door as that could be the cell phone number of the second suspect who will tell you, yes, it's perfectly OK to let that person into your house! So, call the listed number in the phone book. And, if you are really suspicious, tell the person that you are calling 911. A legitimate employee will wait for the police... the deception burglars and thieves won't wait. Call 911 immediately to report suspicious activity. Memorize the suspect's appearance (scars, marks, anything unusual.) If a vehicle description can safely be obtained (look to the license plate number...write it on your hand if you have to) provide that to the 911 operator so the officers can start looking right away. Be alert, be aware and be curious. Make that call to 911. Finally, don’t forget that our Precinct 7 website is operational! If you haven’t visited the site in a while, check in on us. You will find crime prevention tips, an overview of upcoming events in the precinct, and a link to our “Officer of the Month” section. There is also a "Precinct" email address for you to contact to pass along your questions and concerns. You may access our website by going to Baltimore County's main page: www.baltimorecountymd.gov and choosing the "Public Safety - Police" links, then select "Police Overview" on the next page, click on "Precincts" and then choose Precinct 7, or access our page directly at: www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/police/pc07/index.html Captain Martin Lurz Precinct 7 The Librarian’s Corner – Mollie Fine, Cockeysville Branch Manager “Hello ” …… from the Branch Manager at the Cockeysville Library.