[Chat] Baltimore Youth Hostel

Fri May 23 09:41:24 EDT 2003

As I vaguely remember reading about it in the Sun, the hostel had to close 
because they were to be sued for accessibility.  The building is old and has 
no elevator.  What used to serve those who could climb stairs now can serve 
noone.

Linda

----Original Message Follows----
From: Emil Volcheck <volcheck at acm.org>
Reply-To: Chat at charlesvillage.info
To: Charles Village Chat List <Chat at CharlesVillage.info>
Subject: [Chat] Baltimore Youth Hostel
Date: 23 May 2003 00:55:53 -0400

Folks,

in case you haven't heard, Baltimore once had its own
youth hostel downtown.  It's no longer operating, but a group
is attempting to restore it.  I just discovered a mailing
list for supporters.  Please read on.  Their website is

http://baltimorehostel.org .

--Emil

-----Forwarded Message-----

From: baltimorehostel Moderator <baltimorehostel-owner at yahoogroups.com>
To: volcheck at acm.org
Subject: File - revised artmobile post
Date: 23 May 2003 04:24:23 +0000

Thanks for subscribing to the group list of the Friends of the
Baltimore Hostel.  To access the group site, go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/baltimorehostel.  From there, you can
view our calendar, manage your own subscription, view links to our
press coverage and relevant info on the web and add your own, and
view our archive of messages.

Please read on to catch up on what we're doing, and if you'd like
to create or join a discussion, simply send your e-mail to
baltimorehostel at yahoogroups.com.

Help save the old Baltimore Hostel
___________________________________
The Baltimore Hostel on Mulberry St. needs help! The historic
building used to be a great place for students and other travellers
to stay in while visiting Baltimore, but it's been closed for three
years due to a need for renovation and new management. There are
currently no hostels in the Baltimore area at all, and for such an
affordable city to live in, there are ironically no cheap places to
send travellers to for the night when they're turned away from the
hostel.

The Friends of the Baltimore Hostel is a group of volunteers in the
early stages of planning and organization, but there are four main
aspects to speak of now:

* Re-opening the Hostel
* Outreach & Meetings
* Organizing Ourselves
* Renovations

Re-Opening the Hostel
___________________
What brings most of us to the table is fond memories of hostel and
travel experiences on the one hand, and our love for our homestown of
Baltimore on the other.  What invigorates our group is the idea of
getting the hostel up and running again.  There are lots of big and
small steps we need to take to make it happen.  Chances are, you and
people you know have resources or expertise that would make some of
those steps possible.

We've had some real success with getting people out to clean up
the building, getting the press interested, and finding ways to
communicate amongst ourselves.  We've had interest from educators
who want to put their students to work on the project.  We've had
people signing up to stay informed about our plans.  We have a long
way to go to opening our doors, but the idea of it inspires us to
press forward.

Some of things we need to address are legal matters of incorporation
and tax status, building maintenance and operation, raising the
necessary funds for basic renovation and operation, reaching out to
interested people and organizations in Baltimore and to other hostel
organizations, communication amongst ourselves to coordinate our efforts,
programming for the public such as travel workshops and bike/walking tours,
and of course, a business plan for running a great hostel.

Outreach & Meetings
___________________
All of our meetings are open to everybody.  As long as you keep your
subscription to this groups list, you will be given at least a two day 
notice
of an upcoming meeting.  If you want to know sooner, view the calendar on 
this
site, or send an e-mail to baltimorehostel at yahoo.com.  You'll get an 
auto-reply
with the next meeting information.

We're always happy to have new people and new ideas. If you can't come, 
please
tell other people who may be interested. Meetings are held at the hostel
building, 17 W. Mulberry St.

There are many people who support the cause but who don't want to go
to meetings or don't have the time for it. You can still help! One
way is to spread the word to others about the hostel project, or to
try to get the organization you work for involved, or think of a
creative way to help that would work for you.

Organizing Ourselves
___________________
The Friends of the Baltimore Hostel is a young group, begun only a few
months ago, but already we're evolving from a loosely assembled group to
an orgazniation with a mission and plan.  This is where our discussion is 
focused at this stage in e-mails and meetings.

Many of us are new to what we're doing.  Don't be shy!  If you can help us 
tap
into a resource, even just by sending the group an e-mail about an
experience you've had, or by sharing this e-mail group with a friend
who's a retired plumber, or who has a business in the neighborhood that
would profit from the hostel's opening, or who has worked in a hostel
in another city, anyone who could help, don't hesitate!  We're only as
strong and experienced as our members and supporters.

Renovations Later, Planning Now
_____________________________________

The big challenge will be to get the funding in place for major renovations
to the building.  The renovations could be on several different levels 
depending on funding, anywhere from a bare minimum to fully accessible with 
elevators to a historic restoration. If you've never been to the building, 
come by and have a look during a meeting or work party, or come to an 
upcoming walking tour.  We'll send notices to our subscribers as events and 
meetings are planned.

Hope to see you there.

...............................................................................
The Baltimore Hostel is at 17 West Mulberry St. at Cathedral St.
(Mount Vernon, by the Pratt Central Library)

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