Ruxton Riderwood Lake Roland Community Plan Meeting

The Ruxton Riderwood Lake Roland community is having an input and community plan meeting on Wednesday, July 14, 2010.

The meeting will be held at 7:30 pm at Blakehurst Retirement Community.

Blakehurst is located at 1055 West Joppa Road, Towson, MD 21204.

From the RRLAIA Neighborhood News:

The Plan identifies areas in need of improvement and locations in need of preservation. The wide variety of topics include traffic, schools, public safety, development, open space, bike and pedestrian routes and much more.

I look forward to seeing and hearing more of the Ruxton Riderwood Lake Roland Community Plan to even better our wonderful Towson neighborhoods.

Architectural Walking Tour of Sheppard Pratt in Towson

Wednesday, July 7, 2010 at 9:30 am, there will be an architectural walking tour of Sheppard Pratt in Towson.

Carol Allen, the President of Historic Towson, Inc. will lead the tour around the historic property.

Historic Towson, Inc. is a non-profit organization that is

“dedicated to preserving the architectural heritage of the community. It works with individuals, neighborhood associations and business to foster an awareness of historic preservation and to find methods to make it possible.”

Historic Towson, Inc. almost shuttered a few months ago.

This is being held in conjunction with the Ruxton-Riderwood-Lake-Roland-Improvement-Association and is one of the many things both organizations have to offer Towson residents.

Join in on Wednesday morning and find out about historic Towson and the old buildings that make up Sheppard Pratt’s rich background.

East Ruxton and West Towson Neighborhood Walk April 14

The Ruxton-Riderwood-Lake Roland Area Improvement Association announced the East Ruxton and West Towson Neighborhood walk on Wednesday April 14, 2010 from 9:30-11 am.

Participants will meet at the Baltimore County Board of Education located at 6901 North Charles Street, Towson, MD 21204. The entrance and parking lot is off Greenwood Road, which runs from West Joppa Rd to North Charles St.

The West Towson neighborhood tour will include areas known as Kalmia Park, Greenwood Meadows, Gunners Range, and Chestnut Hills.

The tour will highlight “historic properties from the 18th century Gott family land grant as well as many handsome 19th century estates owned by Towson’s first wealthy industrialists”, according to the RRLRAIA Spring Newsletter.

Dogs are welcomed if they are leashed.

Enjoy the spring weather and learn more about this great West Towson neighborhood!

West Towson Elementary School Boundaries Meeting March 10 and West Towson Homeowners

On March 10, the Baltimore County Board of Education had a final meeting before their March 23 vote on the boundaries of the new West Towson Elementary School.

This meeting, unlike the one in January, which had hundreds of attendees with many speaking about the boundary options, this one had very few, and only four Board of Education members available.

Loni Ingraham of the Towson Times covered the hearing, and described it as very tame in comparison to other sessions.

The scenario that has been recommended by the panel for the vote is the West Towson Scenerio G, as depicted in the 4th page of this document provided by Towson Families United.

It is a relief to have these meetings behind us and will be nice to be able to move forward, knowing where children will be attending school in the fall. Most West Towson homeowners were in the same position as my family, where in any of the scenerios, our district would be changed to the West Towson Elementary School, so we were not as affected as others.

I can understand the irritation and passion over where someone send their child to school, but redistricting can ALWAYS happen, and at least the Baltimore County Board of Education gave Towson residents the opportunity to have their voices heard.

This redistricting is part of why Maryland Realtors® are not allowed to talk about the quality of schools when helping someone with the purchase or sale of a home. Most also recommend calling your local school board or looking online (like www.bcps.org for Baltimore County Public Schools) to find a school district. You cannot safely choose a home solely because of a school district because you never know when the attendance boundaries might be changed.

Towson Residents Help Determine West Towson Elementary School Boundaries

Over 300 people attended the meeting at Loch Raven High School last night about where the boundaries may be drawn, and which children in Towson may be redistricted to the new West Towson Elementary School.

The Towson Families United group, which is “A coalition of parents and residents seeking a long-term solution to Towson’s overcrowded schools”, reports on their site that four different options were presented, and then the attendees were split into smaller groups to discuss what factor was most important to them in making a boundary change, and each individual was asked to choose which of the four they would prefer to see. The data collected will be sent to an independent research facility for analyzing and the results sent to the committee for further review.

The boundary committee making these recommendations to the Baltimore County School Board is run by Central Area Assistant Superintendent Barbara Walker, and is comprised of parents, community representatives (for example, there is one from the Ruxton Riderwood Lake Roland Improvement Association and one from the Rodgers Forge Community Association) , teachers, and Administrators.

A formal recommendation will be given to the Baltimore County School Board by school officials on February 9, 2010 at its regular Board Meeting. After that point, another meeting will be held for public commentary on February 24, 2010 at Loch Raven High School.

The final decision will be announced March 9, 2010 at 7:00 pm.

It is wonderful that Towson residents are given this opportunity to voice their opinions and be such a large part of this large decision making process. It makes it more and more prevalent why living in Towson is such a great thing!

Ruxton Riderwood Lake Roland Association’s Holiday Party in the Woods Saturday December 19, 2009 *UPDATE CANCELLED*

**UPDATE DECEMBER 18, 2009, THE HOLIDAY PARTY HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO THE SNOW FORECAST**

Live in Ruxton, Riderwood, or Lake Roland areas in Towson?

Join the Ruxton Riderwood Lake Roland Area Improvement Association Inc (RRLAIA) at their Holiday Party in the Woods this Saturday, December 19, 2009 from 4-6 pm at the Olde Rugby Field in Ruxton between Robert E. Lee Park & the Light Rail (make sure to park on L’Hirondelle Club Road) to spend time with your neighbors, cook hotdogs over the fire, and roast marshmallows…and enjoy a special visit with Santa Claus!

A few hints to make your evening even more enjoyable:

1) Bring a flashlight — it gets dark around 5!

2) Dress warmly — it will get cold quickly!

3) Don’t bring pets — as it gets dark, they will be hard to control/manage, and the Association requests none be there.

So bundle up & come out for a great time with your neighbors and your community association!

Ruxton-Riderwood-Lake Roland Area Improvement Association’s Dumpster Day Saturday, November 14, 2009

Do you live in the Ruxton, Riderwood, or Lake Roland area?

Well, join the RRLRAIA (Ruxton-Riderwood-Lake Roland Area Improvement Association) for its’ Dumpster Day this Saturday from 8 am -12 noon at Riderwood Elementary School.

To be held rain or shine (right now the forecast is calling for the rain to end Friday and Saturday should be just cloudy), this is a great opportunity to get rid of some of the “junk” we all have somewhere in our Towson homes! There are some limitations — they will not accept large tree stumps, appliances, tires, paints, pesticides, or hazardous materials, but that is usual for a dumpster restriction.

The other great news is that they will have a truck from Goodwill Industries there so you can donate items in good condition to the charity — clothing, furniture, and the like.

A great event to have sponsored by our Association. Thank you, RRLRAIA!

Fall Festival at Graul’s at Ruxton Village Shops — Another Great Reason to Live in Towson

The Graul’s Market at Ruxton Village Shops will be having its Fall Festival this Saturday, September 26, 2009 from 11 am – 3 pm.

The Festival benefits the Maryland Humane Society, and you will be able to meet pets who are available for adoption!

The Festival will showcase live music, kids’ entertainment, pit beef, crabcakes, plus local food samples. A good time sure to be had by all, this is a don’t miss event for this Towson neighborhood!

The Ruxton Village Shops, located at  7701 Bellona Avenue in Ruxton, include Graul’s Market, Graul’s Wine Shop, Wilmington Country Store/ The Pink Crab, and Needles and Threads of Ruxton.

Towson Real Estate : Robert E. Lee Park to be restored — will this help Towson House Values?

There is a special section of Baltimore County, hidden from immediate view, where dogs and people alike used to frolick amongst the grass and swim in the lake. That place is Robert E. Lee Park, right on Lake Roland, in Baltimore County, off Falls Road.

The park had been closed off, as the pedestrian bridge was closed, making the trails unusable. The pedestrian bridge will be replaced, and a legal dog park put in place. Read more