Planting Trees in Barclay

It may feel chilly (or downright cold!) outside today, and you may find it hard to imagine yourself enjoying the outdoors, but only a month ago the sun was shining on a group of volunteers who were just delighted to be out planting new trees in the Barclay neighborhood. Telesis Corporation, along with a multitude of community partners, led a tree planting in Calvert Street Park on November 13. Annie Jamieson, a project manager with Telesis, was kind enough to send us some thoughts on her experience planting trees in Barclay.

What is your position with Telesis? Can you briefly describe Telesis' relationship with the Barclay neighborhood?

I’ve been a project manager at Telesis Corporation for the past year. In addition to Baltimore, I’m working on affordable housing projects in Pittsburgh, PA and Newark, NJ.

In January 2006, Telesis was selected by Baltimore Housing and members of the community to lead the revitalization effort for the Barclay/Old Goucher neighborhood. Since then, Telesis has participated in an extensive planning process with community residents, neighborhood organizations, local developers, social service providers, city officials, local foundations, and potential funding partners. Telesis’ vision for Barclay is a stable, healthy, safe, equitable, and livable neighborhood with quality open spaces, community facilities, and employment opportunities.

In June 2010, we began construction on the first phase of the redevelopment plan. This phase includes 72 rental units, eight of which overlook Calvert Street Park; and 30-35 homeownership units, the first 20 of which are directly adjacent to or just to the north of the park.

Why was this tree planting important to Telesis?

Beginning in 2006, the Neighborhood Design Center (NDC) and Landscape Architect Liling Tien of Pela Design worked with community residents and groups to create a landscape design for Calvert Street Park. The park is a focal point in the neighborhood and offers an exceptional opportunity to realize many of our redevelopment goals while creating a beautiful environment for residents.

While Telesis is, at its core, a housing developer, we believe a successful and stable community includes not only housing, but beautiful streetscapes and places for residents to enjoy the outdoors. Utilizing the NDC design to plant trees in the park and nearby street tree pits was a simple way to make a great impact in the neighborhood.

Planting new trees not only increases the neighborhood’s tree canopy, but aids in storm-water management, creates a healthier living environment, provides opportunities for local residents to get involved, and answers the community’s desire to improve the park.

How many trees did you plant, and where? Who participated?

We planted a total of 39 native trees in Calvert Street Park and empty street pits in the blocks surrounding the park.

In addition to planting new trees, neighborhood children planted 60 bulbs in the park with the help of our landscape architect, Sharon Bradley. Our contractor, Southway Builders, Inc. also donated their time and removed three invasive shrubs in the park.

15 Cub Scouts from Pack 725 and their parents, community residents, TreeBaltimore, Neighborhood Design Center, GHCC, and Telesis all came out to volunteer.

Photo montage assembled by Lowell Larson

Besides just planting trees, what do you think you accomplished this weekend?

While it’s clear that the new trees make Barclay more beautiful, what is most important is that the community was involved. While Telesis and our partners continue to revitalize this neighborhood, small accomplishments along the way, like planting trees, signify progress and growth and let the community see firsthand how their neighborhood is transforming.

In an urban environment, where most children do not have regular access to back yards and playing fields, it was wonderful to see children outside using shovels and wheelbarrows on a beautiful fall day. Neighborhood children learned the difference between soil and mulch, how to plant daffodil bulbs, and helped to dig holes for trees they can watch grow over the years.

Street trees were planted and quickly watered by eager residents who filled up buckets from their kitchens. Residents promised to water and look after the new trees on their blocks. One store owner came out of his café, extremely happy that new trees would soon grace his sidewalk, and thanked us and agreed to water the trees.

The simple “thank yous” and promises to care for the trees brought the neighborhood together and fostered a sense of community pride.

What did you feel best about at the end of the day?

At the end of the day, I felt best about the fact that the children from this urban community got to experience planting a tree. Standing on top of the mulch pile, shovel in hand, one child said, “My mom is going to be so proud of me. I’ve never planted a tree and I’ve never done community service before.” The children finished the day with dirty hands and jeans and learned all about trees—why their roots need room to grow, why we needed to add compost and why mulch should not touch the tree trunk. It was great to know that we had exposed the children to something new that they could return to and take pride in after many years.

How much time had you spent in Barclay before the tree planting? Did you learn anything new about the neighborhood while you were planting trees this weekend?

My time in the Barclay neighborhood was pretty limited before the tree planting. I worked for Telesis from 2006-2007 and took part in the first community design meeting. That was a powerful event because the community really had the chance to think about how they could have a voice in the neighborhood transformation. Now that I’m back at Telesis, I’ve been to the neighborhood to photograph our properties and attend our groundbreaking ceremony this past June.

It’s always good to be in the neighborhood—it’s a very welcoming place!

Any other thoughts you'd like to share?

I’d like to thank many of the people and organizations who helped make this event successful: Hieu Truong from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Kristen Humphrey from the Neighborhood Design Center, Liling Tien from P.E.L.A Design, Inc., Greater Homewood Community Corporation, Anne Draddy and Charlie Murphy from TreeBaltimore, Sharon Bradley from Bradley Site Design, Inc., Peter Merles from Midtown Community Benefits District, Southway Builders, Inc., Tree-Mendous Maryland, Hollins Organic Products, Inc., Charles Village Community Benefits District, Cub Scout Pack 725 and their families, and all the community members!

A special thank you is also in order for Peter Duvall of GHCC who put an incredible amount of time and effort into this community event!

Take the Baltimore Neighborhood Energy Challenge!

Ever wondered how you could reduce your monthly energy bill?  Today we learned about a great new program called the Baltimore Neighborhood Energy Challenge (BNEC).  Although Roland Park is the only target neighborhood in Greater Homewood right now (others include Reservoir Hill, Greater Lauraville, C.A.R.E., Park Heights, Fulton Avenue, Mount Washington, and Ten Hills), anyone can start using the BNEC website to plan energy-saving projects in their home.  

The BNEC is a nine-month pilot program of the Baltimore Office of Sustainability and the Baltimore Community Foundation.  The goal is for residents of these neighborhoods to share knowledge and motivation to conserve energy and money.  Target neighborhood residents who register on the website receive a free pledge kit and can connect with their neighbors and access their BGE information on the BNEC website.


Even if you don't live in a target neighborhood, it's fast and simple to enter your address, verify a few details about your home, and start saving a list of projects to increase your energy efficiency.


To see how you can reduce your carbon footprint, save money, and help create a more sustainable Baltimore, check out BNEC's website and take the pledge!

Block Project Report: Richnor Recycles!

Written by Sam Chalfant

Not only was last Saturday the first official day of summer for Baltimore City Public School Students, it was the Richnor Springs Neighborhood Association’s summer kick-off block party.


This summer’s block party had a special theme: Richnor Recycles! As many Baltimoreans know, the city begins to operate under a One-Plus-One waste pickup system on the 14th of July. Under this new system, garbage will only be picked up once per week instead of two times per week and recycling will be picked up once a week instead of once every two weeks.

Richnor Springs wants to make sure their community is ahead of the game as Baltimore City makes this transition. The neighborhood association utilized grant money provided by the Greater Homewood Community Corporation Block Project Grant and a Cleaner Greener Baltimore Recycle More grant to address the need for increased recycling at this year's block party. At the event, 40 lucky residents were presented with free recycling bins to assure that they are ready for July 14th. In addition to free bins, Tonya Simmons, Recycling Coordinator for the Department of Public Works was on hand to speak about the new One-Plus-One system and field questions from community members. Ms. Simmons' knowledge of the new system proved invaluable as residents were able to learn all about the why, what, where, and when of One-Plus-One.


All the standard fun that accompanies a neighborhood block party was also on display last Saturday. Two barbecue grills pumped out toasty hot dogs for all. The kids (as well as some adults) got sugar overloads from fruity ice pops. Residents of Richnor Springs enjoyed the opportunity to socialize with each other and listen to music and, despite forecasts to the contrary, the seemingly constant rain of the past month was nowhere to be seen on Saturday. Kudos to Richnor Springs for hosting such a fun and informative event!

A Fifth Grader Reacts to Guilford Elementary/Middle School's Tree Planting

Written by Michelle Beverly, 5th Grade Student, Guilford Elementary/Middle School.

On Friday, April 24, all 5th graders enjoyed planting the trees. I have heard from many 5th graders that they loved the activity. This is what we did: first, we saw how big the tree [to be planted] was. Then, we dug a hole big enough to plant the tree. I found over 100 worms, so I put some back to help the tree grow. I also asked [my classmates], was it fun at the time? They said yes. By the time we finished our first tree we moved on. Mr. Sam needed some help with five more trees. Mr. Sam asked if I could round them up and of course I said yes. I got all the 5th graders to come on over and help me finish, but there was one tree we forgot. But bad news, we had to go and we couldn't plant the other tree -- I was a little upset about having to go but really planting the trees was worth it because it made Guilford School a beautiful place, so thank you!

Medfield Heights Elementary Hosts Sixth Annual Green Thumb Day

written by Catherine Bates

Medfield Heights Elementary School held our sixth annual Green Thumb Day on April 23rd. In honor of Earth Day, the school sets aside a day to spend outside in our schoolyard working to get ready for the gardening season. This year, not only did students spend time in our school’s outdoor learning areas to celebrate Earth Day, but fifth graders planned and lead other activities throughout the school as well.

The fifth grade taught the Pre-K classes to make bird feeders out of pine cones, lard, and birdseed; led the kindergartners in painting bird houses, bat boxes, and butterfly boxes to be placed in our gardens; led the third grade in making boxes for bottles and can recycling in the classrooms; and helped the fourth graders write skits about being energy efficient. While all these activities were going on, students were also working in the garden with Rick Hobbs from Irvine Nature Center, one of Medfield’s most active partners.

The day began with Rick Hobbs instructing the Medfield Heights fifth and second graders on the proper way to plant shrubs and flowers and about the basic ideas behind our schoolyard habitat. These students spent the morning working in front of the school in the outdoor classroom, which is made up of a butterfly and bird garden, and spent the afternoon working in the back of the school instructing the other grades on planting and mulching.

Overall the students of Medfield worked beautifully together! I was so impressed with the students’ ability and excitement to work in teams while digging holes, working hard to get shrubs out of their pots and into the ground, and to spread around fresh mulch. There is no doubt Medfield’s awesome fifth graders lead by example! They not only planned activities for the school in teams, but they lead their younger peers with excitement and maturity, and of course Irvine Nature Center could not have been more helpful! Medfield is so lucky to have such a great partner!

Medfield just received their recertifictation as a Maryland Green School last week and continues to work to educate our students on the way their actions affect their school, their community and their planet. Green Thumb Day is just one example of the school’s continued efforts.

Attention Community Leaders! Recycling Education Grant Opportunity

Did you celebrate Earth Hour by turning out your lights on Saturday evening? Well, here's another way you can help the planet and get your community on board! Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF) is partnering with the Mayor's Cleaner, Greener Baltimore Initiative to offer grants to community organizations, Community Relations Councils, and neighborhood umbrella groups who want to get the word out about Baltimore City's recycling program.


The City of Baltimore anticipates that significant education and outreach will need to be done to help residents take advantage of recycling opportunities, including the proposed One Plus One solid waste pick-up schedule of one day a week trash collection plus one day a week recycling collection.

Goals of this grant are to:
• Get more people recycling through neighborhood driven efforts
• Find out how many more people are recycling as a result of the neighborhood driven efforts
• Get people comfortable with recycling
• Provide recycling education to residents
• Provide accessibility to recycling bins if necessary

If you have a great idea for getting your neighborhood engaged in recycling, contact Aisha Samples, Program Assistant at BCF, at asamples@bcf.org or 410-332-4172 ext. 145. But hurry! The deadline for initial applications is Monday, April 6.

Interested in doing more to promote recycling in your community? Here are some more ways you can make a difference:
• Identify up to 5 households in your community who do not recycle who would be willing to try with the help of a “recycling coach”. Contact Hope Williams at hope.williams@baltimorecity.gov if you are interested in doing this;
• Discuss recycling at your community association meetings and include information about recycling in communications with your community. Recycling literature is available from the Initiative;
• Talk to neighborhood stores about being a bin sales site. Interested stores should contact Hope Williams;
• Sell recycling bins. BCF has a loan fund available for community groups that would like to purchase a large quantity of recycling bins to make it easier for your residents to purchase the bins.

Apply Now for a Block Project Grant!

Participants in a 2006 block project in Ednor Gardens-Lakeside

It's never too early to think about sprucing up your block for springtime!

GHCC is accepting applications now for resident-led block improvement projects. Ten approved projects will receive up to $750 of funding. Click here to read more about the grants and download the application.

If you have questions or want to find out more, please contact Audrey Stevens, Community Resource Coordinator VISTA, at 410-261-4927 or astevens@greaterhomewood.org. Applications are due by 4:30 p.m. on March 31.

These grants are made possible by the support of the Baltimore Community Foundation.

Community Greening Resource Network Accepting Applications

By Sarah Krones, Community Greening Resource Network Coordinator, Parks and People Foundation

A community planting project in Medfield

An initiative of Parks & People Foundation and Maryland Cooperative Extension, the Community Greening Resource Network (CGRN) is a membership program supporting Baltimore City community gardeners and greeners. By coordinating the resources available in our city, CGRN creates a comprehensive and consistent network so it’s easier to maintain the valuable green spaces in our communities.

There will be four CGRN sites around the city. At these sites, CGRN hosts for its members:

• Four annual Give-Away Days (providing seeds, compost, vegetable seedlings, bulbs, perennial flowers)
• Tool Banks with hand tools to borrow
• Workshops held by gardeners and Baltimore City greening organizations on gardening and greening related topics.

CGRN also provides to its members a 20% discount on renting power equipment, the "See Green" Newsletter (with a shared calendar of events, articles and more), networking opportunities, and annual celebrations.

CGRN is accepting applications for 2009 this fall! It is $10 for a year for a Community Garden Membership and $5 for an Individual Membership. You can find an application and more info at www.parksandpeople.org, or contact Sarah Krones at Parks & People Foundation at 410-448-5663 x 114, sarah.krones@parksandpeople.org.