Towson Swim Club May Not Open
January 31, 2012 by Marney Kirk
Filed under Baltimore, Baltimore County, Blog, Towson, West Towson
Towson Swim Club says it needs 135 more members or plans for the swim club will have to be scrapped.
The new members need to sign up by Feburary 29, 2012 or the project will be terminated.
According to the Towson Patch article about the issue, the Club has $318,000 in funds raised by members joining, but in applying for a new loan, plus paying for an engineering contract, they need to secure more members to make it happen.
The cost, according to the paperwork from their website, is $1,975 per household plus $250 application fee and $275 initiation fee. The charter membership may be transferable when you sell your Towson home.
Summer fees range from $495 individual memberships to $685 family memberships, with lower Senior memberships also available.
The Towson Swim Club was originally slated to open Memorial Day 2011. It was then postponed to Memorial Day 2012 when a private investor backed out. Now the opening has been pushed back another year to 2013, and only if 135 new members join by February 29, 2012.
I do truly hope that West Towson homeowners can come together and get this pool financed. It would be a wonderful additional bonus to living in West Towson.
Baltimore County Public Schools Considering West Towson Elementary School Enrollment Cap
September 3, 2011 by Marney Kirk
Filed under Blog, Towson, West Towson
West Towson Elementary School has been open for one school year, and already administrators with the Baltimore County Public School system are considering an enrollment cap.
Unlike other campuses, where trailers & other mobile units can be brought in to help give more classroom space, the West Towson campus shares its’ space with Ridge Ruxton School, and does not have that ability.
West Towson Elementary is designed for 451 students, and the projected enrollment for the 2011-2012 year is over 500. Just before school started, 463 were actually enrolled. More details are in an article in the Towson Patch.
A cap means that if a certain grade were full, yet someone who lived in the school district wanted to attend, they could not, and would be sent to another school with space in that grade level.
This could affect Towson house values, if you aren’t certain that even if you live in the district, your child would definitely attend the school. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Kenilworth Summer Film Series 2011
May 31, 2011 by Marney Kirk
Filed under Baltimore, Baltimore County, Blog, Towson, West Towson
Kenilworth Mall in Towson has free Friday night movies to bring people out & enjoy time together!
From theshopsatkenilworth.com
Put on by the Fells Point Surf Shop, these events are happening twice a month.
The first movie will be The Social Network on June 3rd. Movies will be held in the lower level parking lot, and will begin when it gets dark (the plan is 8:45pm).
June 17 will be Despicable Me, July 8 – The Tourist, July 22 – Inception, August 5 – Toy Story 3, and August 19 – Pirates of the Caribbean.
Bring your own chair & come out to relax & enjoy some popular movies this summer. Another great reason to live in Towson!
The Shops at Kenilworth mall is located at 800 Kenilworth Drive, Towson, MD 21204.
Towson Roundabout Construction
May 17, 2011 by Marney Kirk
Filed under Baltimore, Baltimore County, Blog, Towson, West Towson
The Towson Roundabout will be undergoing some construction, and it may cause some delays as you travel through Downtown Towson over the next few months.
Towson Circle image from State Highway Administration
Construction has begun but it is just the first phase, which doesn’t affect traffic as much, since the first five phases only have closures overnight from 9pm to 5am, and will not have closures over the weekend.
The last phase, six, is due to come late summer, with the project due to end at the end of the summer.
Here are the phases as they are scheduled.
Thank you to Delegate Susan Aumann for sharing this information and photo of the construction site with her Towson constituents!
Phase 1: Close right lane on westbound East Joppa Road to right lane northbound Dulaney Valley Road (MD 146)
Phase 2: Close right lane on southbound Dulaney Valley Road and detour northbound York Road (MD 45) north of roundabout
Phase 3: Close right lane on southbound York Road (north of roundabout) and detour westbound Allegheny Avenue and West Joppa Road (one-way section)
Phase 4: Close right lane on northbound York Road south of roundabout; close left lane on southbound York Road south of roundabout; close left lane on northbound Dulaney Valley Road; and detour northbound York Road north of the roundabout
Phase 5: Close right lane northbound York Road south of the roundabout, detour eastbound East Joppa Road; and close left lane of westbound East Joppa Road
Phase 6: Weekend Roundabout Closures: Close and Detour Entire Roundabout on one or two weekends for final paving work and installation of new pavement markings – projected to occur late summer 2011
So every night, it appears there will be lane closures in Towson, which can cause traffic backups. Your best bet is to avoid the area from 9pm-5am Sunday-Thursday, and as it gets closer to the end of the project, to avoid the area on the weekends.
Dumpster Day at Riderwood Elementary School
April 29, 2011 by Marney Kirk
Filed under Blog, Towson, West Towson
The Ruxton-Riderwood-Lake Roland Area Improvement Association (RRLRAIA) has their annual Dumpster Day this Saturday, April 30, 2011 from 8am-noon at Riderwood Elementary School.
Not only will there be a Dumpster, but The Loading Dock will be there to accept building materials like cabinetry, lighting fixtures, and flooring materials for reuse instead of dumping.
Goodwill will also be there to accept donations!!!!
So if you live in the area, clean out your closets, your garage, your shed, your attic, and make it to Riderwood Elementary on Saturday morning, and donate and dump to clean out your Towson house!
Towsontown Spring Festival 2011
April 27, 2011 by Marney Kirk
Filed under Blog, Towson, West Towson
The 44th Annual Towsontown Spring Festival is this weekend, April 30 & May 1, 2011.
towsontownspringfestival.com
The Festival kicks off with Towson Gardens Day on Thursday the 28th from 10am-3 pm with Wine & Jazz from 5-7 at the Historic Courthouse Garden. Friday night showcases a concert by Mood Swings from 5:30-9pm.
Saturday, the festival runs from 10am-7pm and Sunday is 1pm-7pm.
My son had a great time at last year’s Towsontown Spring Festival at the Moon Bounces and Carnival Games areas — and loved seeing the ponies. These activities are an extra charge, but children love it!
He also loved seeing the firetrucks that both block off the streets and are there for show.
The food is wonderful — the smells wafting through Downtown Towson are amazing!
The Freedom Fun Zone, sponsored and staffed by the Maryland National Guard will have NASCAR racing cars to view as well as inflatable obstacle course and Halo Jumper.
Mix 106.5 has their stage with $2 entry, and Crushing Day plays Saturday 1-3pm, 2U from 3:30-6:30, and Sunday, Mobtown Saints from 1:30-3:30, and Reagan Years from 4-6:30.
Z104.3 is having a Singfest — a singing contest where the winner wins $300 and a trip to the next American Singing Competition!
98 Rock has their Beer Garden for $2 entry, where music & bands play.
There is so much going on, and so many activities for the weekend.
Come to Downtown Towson this weekend and enjoy the fun!
Southland Hills and Towson University
March 28, 2011 by Marney Kirk
Filed under Baltimore County, Blog, Towson, West Towson
Southland Hills neighborhood is right on the cusp of Towson University, near the corner of Towsontown Boulevard and Bosley Avenue.
Located right behind the Old Towson Jail, which is due to become the Towson Swim Club, the neighborhood has seen a number of changes recently.
The most recent change is that Towson University Public Safety building is due for a major addition to begin this summer — much larger than the one on the master plan in 2009.
It will add much more parking and take over where the tennis courts used to be right on Towsontown Boulevard.
The big question to the nearby homeowners is whether it will affect Southland Hills house values and their current quality of life and neighborhood. That is yet to be determined, possibly unable to do so until the new TU building is finished.
Contact me for both West Towson house values and Southland Hills house values. I live nearby!
602 Meadowridge Road Towson
February 28, 2011 by Marney Kirk
Filed under Baltimore, Baltimore County, Blog, Homes For Sale, Ruxton, Towson, West Towson
602 Meadowridge Road is a five bedroom cape cod in the Riderwood Ridge neighborhood of Towson, MD.
**UPDATE! House went under contract in less than a week on the market!**
Meadowridge Rd is a cul de sac street located just off the bridge from West Joppa Rd that crosses N. Charles St. The next street over is Greenwood Rd, where the Baltimore County Board of Education sits. It is on the cusp of both the Ruxton neighborhood and the West Towson neighborhood.
602 Meadowridge Rd had recent work done, including a large kitchen with beautiful granite counters and cabinets, and a mud room with built-in cabinets. An addition was done to create three bedrooms on the second floor, one of which is a master bedroom with bath, and laundry room.
It has a screened porch overlooking the large, level back yard.
602 Meadowridge Rd is the first house to come on the market on the street since the last house sold in 2002!
Contact me for more information on 602 Meadowridge Rd or other West Towson homes for sale. I live in the area and know it well!
Listing Courtesy of Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.
Speedbumps on Greenwood Rd in Towson
February 27, 2011 by Marney Kirk
Filed under Baltimore, Baltimore County, Blog, Towson, West Towson
If you have driven down Greenwood Road in Towson in the past week, you may have noticed three new speedbumps along the road.
This was to slow down traffic in & out of both the parking lots to the Baltimore County Board of Education, and from Joppa to Charles St.
Two of the speedbumps are near each other near Joppa Rd, around the bend that is already very narrow, and the third is close to the newer light at Greenwood and Charles St across from the West Towson Elementary School.
So, be cautious and slow down as you drive along Greenwood, and save your car’s shocks!
Towson High School Named Blue Ribbon School of Excellence
February 11, 2011 by Marney Kirk
Filed under Baltimore County, Blog, Towson, West Towson
Towson High School was named a Maryland Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.
It was one of six named in Maryland in 2010, and is the 15th school in Baltimore County to receive the honor, and the third Baltimore County High School to do so.
According to the Baltimore County Public Schools article:
Blue Ribbon School designation is a state and national program that recognizes schools that meet rigorous standards developed by the Maryland State Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education.
Towson High School students are 98% proficient or above in Mathematics and 99% in English, according to the Maryland State Department of Education tests, and even Newsweek has named the school to its annual list of the best high schools in the nation for the past few years. In 2010, it was ranked #334.
This could help Towson house values as many homebuyers may look to the high school’s current zoning district to try to send their children to the school.
What buyers need to be aware of, is that school districts can be adjusted at any time, as many Towson homeowners found when West Towson Elementary School was opening.
Meanwhile, CONGRATULATIONS to Towson High School students and staff! Your hard work is definitely shining through!
