At Howard County Councilwoman Mary C. Lorsung's final meeting yesterday as head of the Columbia revitalization planning committee, she assured members that her presence is not necessary to guarantee the group's success.

"This is not my thing, it's the community's thing," said Lorsung, who will retire from office next month. "If this is to move forward, it is the responsibility of the community to make sure that happens."

The leadership of the revitalization committee was handed over yesterday to County Council member-elect Kenneth S. Ulman, who will succeed Lorsung in District 4 and take office Dec. 2.

The pair, both Democrats, had strained relations during the election; Lorsung backed Ulman's challenger in the primary, Mary Kay Sigaty. Yesterday, they sat side-by-side at the committee meeting, with some apparent tension.

The committee, which Lorsung founded seven years ago, meets quarterly with residents, senior county representatives and business officials to discuss infrastructure concerns in west Columbia's aging neighborhoods.

Residents in Wilde Lake, Hickory Ridge, Harper's Choice, Town Center and the Beaverbrook subdivision near Columbia report items that need repairs, such as cracked sidewalks and broken streetlights.

Before the meeting, Ulman said he has "every intention" of continuing the committee and having it become more "proactive."

He said he initially wants to talk with residents about ways the committee has succeeded and how it can be improved.

Ulman said the committee likely will play a major role in his effort to improve Columbia's older neighborhoods.

"Neighborhood revitalization and improving our older schools and properties and infrastructure remains my top priority," he said. "And how much of a role this committee plays in that remains to be seen."

As a way to offer incentives for revitalization, Ulman said he would like to see the county adopt a pilot program of offering tax credits for remodeling older homes.

"I really believe that we're fighting a national trend, which is when neighborhoods get old, oftentimes in many places they become undesirable places to live," Ulman said. "So the crux of our challenge is how to make sure that doesn't happen in Columbia."

The committee has been instrumental in projects that include renovating the Faulkner Ridge community center and replacing 4,000 feet of deteriorating underground Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. cable.

Bryant Woods praised

Lorsung pointed to the effort in Wilde Lake's Bryant Woods neighborhood - where housing, lighting and landscaping improvements are under way - as an example of the committee's success.

"The community has been just absolutely amazing in their efforts," she said before the meeting.

And residents want to make sure the committee does not lose its momentum with the change in council representation.

"We want to keep our community engaged," said Vince Marando, chairman of the Wilde Lake Revitalization Committee. "We don't want to have committee meetings and then have this fall through a black hole."

At yesterday's meeting, Marando presented a survey of Wilde Lake village, in which 50 residents walked the streets, paths and open space areas to take notes of damaged infrastructure, including graffiti and potholes.

The residents took photos and created diagrams to illustrate where repairs were needed.

The last time Wilde Lake residents conducted a thorough infrastructure survey was 1995.

Representatives from the other four communities represented on the committee also presented quarterly reports, which included concerns about drainage problems and improving lighting.

Lorsung said the committee works because the residents and county and business officials are equal partners in addressing concerns.

"This is about doing stuff," she said before the meeting. "It's not about doing studies, it's not about producing lots of paper, it's not about wearing people out with endless meetings and brainstorming sessions and money for consultants. It's about sitting around the table and saying, 'This community has identified this as a problem.'"

At the end of the meeting, residents and committee members signed a poster created for Lorsung, showing before and after pictures of repaired items, including deteriorating sidewalks and damaged utility boxes. They lauded Lorsung and her assistant, Gail Hare, for their efforts.

"We're a better community for the work that you have done," said Columbia Association President Maggie J. Brown.