[Chat] RE: [Discussion] Peabody Heights/CVCBD/CVCA

[crg]

Jenny,

Peabody heights also has wonderful parties and gatherings.

They often have speakers at the meetings such as Paula Branch Johnson, Salem
Reiner from JHU, and policemen from the northern district.

And they always have cookies, tea, and coffee at the meetings.

It's a wonderful group.

I joined about two years ago.

Christine Gray


-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion-bounces at charlesvillage.info
[mailto:Discussion-bounces at charlesvillage.info] On Behalf Of Wilson
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 11:35 AM
To: Charles Village Discussion List
Cc: Wilson
Subject: [Discussion] Peabody Heights/CVCBD/CVCA

Good morning Jenny:

Allow me the opportunity of answering your questions.  I was the former
Chair of Peabody Heights Resident Homeowners Alliance, Inc. and am presently
the Vice Chair.

Peabody Heights was formed almost four years ago as a adjunct community
association to address issues of particular concern to resident homeowners
and other long-time residents of a small section of the Greater Charles
Village area.
 The CVCA's
 boundaries are very large, encompassing many areas and with members of any
number of diverse interests and needs, businesses as well as residents,
students as well as landlords, etc.  We, like AIA, felt that there were
specific needs of resident homeowners that might not be met by the sometimes
conflicting desires of a larger and more diverse membership covering many
types of neighborhoods, commercial as well as residential. 
We felt that a smaller,
 more homogeneous membership would be better served when addressing the
particular needs of those  members to our elected officials.  If owning
one's home is the greatest investment one has, protecting that investment as
well as protecting the investment of one's life as a resident of that home,
is of great importance.
We also realized that there are others who live here as a choice and wish to
preserve the residential nature of our community and they are members as
well.

Peabody Heights Alliance is not the "main group" fighting the CVCBD.  When
the CVCBD was up for reauthorization we took a vote of our entire
membership.  The result was that with one exception, our members
 voted to oppose the reauthorization of the CVCBD.   

As for the opposition to the CVCBD, there are many reasons for this.  Some
people are angry because they are paying an extra tax and are not getting
the supplemental services they feel they were promised, because the streets
and dirty and the area no safer than without a surtax. 
Others because it did not meet the
requirements of the mandated legislation that allowed it to be established,
prefering only pretend to  address issues of economic development, which is
not mandated in the legislation.  Let us not confuse " marketing" which is
mandated in the legislation with "economic development", because there is a
vast difference between the two.  Some are particularly upset because it is
far easier for the City to look to the CVCBD than to separate community
associations for support for projects the City wants such as development,
good or bad.  Don't forget, the CVCBD really doesn't want to buck the City
on behalf of the community because the CVCBD must ask the City, not the
community, to reauthorize them.  Equally services  mandated and sold to the
community as crime and grime were not being met. 
Charles Village is no cleaner
 or safer with the introduction of the CVCBD, so there is no reason to
continue to tax ourselves for services that we do not get.  Others point to
the many instances of unequal treatment and discrimination by the CVCBD,
even  of those paying the surtax.  

Because Peabody Heights' members chose to oppose reauthorization, which was
our rights as citizens, and because others of us have vehemently opposed the
CVCBD also as citizens, we have been accused of a vast  amount of things,
some even resorting to malicious lies about my character.  The good Peabody
Heights has done, including getting pedestrian lighting on 26th St. to
aleviate crime there, having an elderly neighbor's house painted so that she
was not fined by the City and could continue to live in her home, fighting
Rootie Kazooties, and  list after list of such accomplishments to improve
and preserve what we call "The Historic Heart of Charles Village",  as well
as the good people involved in the CVCBD oppposition, some of whom have
worked for the good of the community for decades, have been attacked. 

Both groups, Peabody Heights Alliance and the "Better Charles Village
Coalition" (BCVC) which opposes the CVCBD  consist of active, concerned
individuals who have attempted to make Charles Village a safer, cleaner
place  in which to live.  BCVC stands firm in its desire to make the CVCBD
abide by the mandated legislation and to have it work legally or to have it
dissolved.  By being the Citizen Wachdogs, spending countless hours
reseaching  how this all came about and the many things that have gone on
without community knowledge, by proding, by  contact with legislators, and
even by lawsuits, we have achieved some positive changes at the CVCBD
although these do not as yet go far enough to protect the community. 

In fact, lastly we are your neighbors to the south and west of Abell.

Christian H. Wilson

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