ASK ANY 100 Brooklyn Park residents for their opinions on the Church Street revitalization project and you're likely to get 100 different answers. While all seem to welcome the improvements, it seems as though no one is 100 percent satisfied with them.
On Tuesday, residents will have a final chance to express their views. Beginning at 1:30 p.m., Cecila Fabula, director of community and constituent services for the county executive's office, and Walter Chitwood, chief administrative officer of the county executive's office, will walk the length of Church Street. With them will be a representative of the county Department of Public Works.
Their mission will be to note problems and the issues that residents raise before the county assumes control of the street from the state.
"This is a monumental task," said Fabula. "Once the county takes over, we will be responsible for correcting any mistakes, and there just isn't any money in the budget for that. The contract stipulates that the state is to make corrections, and we want to make sure that they take care of everything."
Fabula agrees that Church Street looks good on the surface, but for those who live near it, problems are everywhere.
"If you just drive down, it's, 'Wow, this looks really nice,'" she said. "But if you've lived there for two years through all the dirt and backfill dirt that was full of stones and glass, it's not so good. There have been a multiplicity of individual complaints. The topography just isn't up to capacity. In front of my property, the water can't possibly get to the drains, and I've yet to have the state explain how water is supposed to run uphill."
(One of the most common complaints is that the curbs extend too far into the traffic lanes. The curbs at Ballman Avenue had to be rebuilt to accommodate buses that travel through the neighborhood. As a resident and daily Church Street commuter, I have experienced many occasions where traffic is backed up because cars cannot safely turn into the side streets. )
The walk through is the "last-ditch attempt to correct this," Fabula said. "We would like for the citizens to come out and talk to us. There's no guarantee that anything will happen, but we are going to try."
Residents who cannot be there for the walk are asked to call Fabula at 410-222-1785.
"If we have the address, we can make note of it. But after the 18th, it will be too late," Fabula said.
Art on exhibit
The work of local artists Richard Maxwell and Beverly Williams will be on display tomorrow through July 8 at Chesapeake Arts Center, 194 Hammonds Lane.
Maxwell enrolled in painting classes at O'Malley Senior Center in 1992. There, teachers Marty Lenhoff and Kathy Kneuss helped him discover a passion for painting portraits. Williams began studying painting at the senior center in 1995. Her instructors are Lenhoff, Kneuss and Sandy Bernard.
Maxwell and Williams have had work displayed at the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare in Washington. Williams' work is also on display at the county Department of Aging.
A reception will be held from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. tomorrow. Admission to the exhibit and the reception is free. Information: 410-636-6597.