The following letter was sent by Gina A. Kazimir to Harford County Executive Barry Glassman and each member of the Harford County Council. A copy was provided to The Dagger for publication:
Dear Mr. Glassman and Members of the County Council:
I am writing regarding Resolution 12-15, declaring the Mt. Soma property surplus and conveying it to Maryland American Water Company. I have grave concerns and significant questions about this resolution, questions which I would like to ask and which I feel should be addressed before this resolution is considered.
1. Why is this property being declared as surplus? In the 1999, 2004 and 2012 Master Plans this property is designated as a park, with a trail providing loop access to the Ma & Pa Trail. This property is inside the Development Envelope, and the last thing we have a surplus of in that area is open, green park space! What, therefore, is the reasoning for deciding that one of the last remaining vestiges of open land for public use is excess and no longer needed?
2. If a reservoir is actually needed, why is the land not being simply leased strictly for that use? Or, alternately, why not sell ONLY the amount needed for the reservoir, with a requirement to keep the rest of the property as a park as it is designated? Why is the entire parcel being conveyed?
3. The price for which the property is being offered is shockingly low to anyone living near Bel Air. IF the land is truly surplus, why were competitive bids for it not solicited?
4. Part of the Mt. Soma property has already been lost to an apartment complex and its access road, which accrues no public benefit. Why is this property – parkland, not surplus per multiple iterations of the Master Plan – being considered for sale with no restrictions on its use? Are any guarantees being put in place to ensure that it is ONLY used as a reservoir, which could be considered a public benefit, and not in any other way other than as parkland?
5. Has Maryland American Water proven fully that a reservoir or water impoundment area is indeed viable on this property? If not, will the company be required to do so before acquiring the property? If the land proves inappropriate for such use, what then happens?
6. The resolution does not indicate ANY restrictions on the land use. Why not?
7. With the Master Plan review currently underway, isn’t this an exceptionally poor time to be declaring rare open space within the Development Envelope to be surplus? Would it not make considerably more sense to, at the very least, wait until some citizen input is received and the new Master Plan is developed? Why the rush to sell?
Water is a public benefit. But this resolution seems only to confer private benefits to a for-profit corporation, one that isn’t even headquartered in the state, let alone in Harford County! Does this resolution truly benefit the citizens, or is it just another example of our government putting corporate and special interests above those of the people?
I look forward to your response, and hope that you will either withdraw, or vote against, this resolution as currently presented.
Gina A. Kazimir
Bel Air, MD 21014
All very good questions and all of which have not been clearly answered. Since when does the county buy and hold any land and with almost no public comment sell to developers or private business at an almost giveaway price?
These are all valid questions.
Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss. Looks like we got fooled again! Campaign contributions may be in play
This is truly one of the most incisive and insightful letters to public officials I have ever read.
If Ms. Kazimir’s name seems familiar, it’s likely due to her recent (and sadly failed) effort to win a seat
on the County Council.
Let’s hope the victors in that election consider fully her very serious questions, and refuse to rubber stamp Mr. Glassman’s end round effort to provide an early
gift (at the public’s expense) to the corporate/development community.
Okay, so how does this effect teachers, which are the most important people in the county?
Just wait until the next drought. The citizens in the area served by Maryland American would be wishing that the County had given the property to the water company. Maybe Ms. Kazimir, will be first in line to volunteer to have her water turned off because of the lack of supply.
Better yet, charge Maryland American 5 million dollars for the property and let them increase everyone’s water bill by $1,000 per year. MAWC will be making a significant investment in the construction costs of the reservoir in addition to the purchase price of the property. This isn’t just some under the table deal to buy a gold mine at a landfill price. It is a capital investment for the benefit of the Bel Air and surrounding communities.
Right now Belair has plenty of water – no reason to give away public property unless once again our county leaders are less interested in open space or parkland than making sure water shortages at some future place in time stop the never ending onslaught of development – watch for these guys wanting to tinker with the development envelop – that is where we’re headed. So it’s a gift to a developer ensuring future gifts to developers and with complete disregard for a watershed. This is like a giant chess game where developers and the county leadership hold all the cards, make the rules up as they go and set up the board in advance so they get to “check mate” every time. Gina K. should have won that last election and I’ll support her in the future. It’s not about stopping all development it’s about responsibility and transparency. I know not all our county leaders are involved in these games, but unfortunately top leadership is and we voted these fools in. This is our fault.
Right now Bel Air does have enough water… but have you been watching California. The stopped dams, reservoirs and other things that did not keep the land completely natural. The time to plan is ahead. Baltimore has to much control over our water and this will help change that. I agree that a lease or reserving some of the land around the reservoir. But our constant fight against all growth leads to long term trouble. Build this now, not when we are told on only flush the toilet on odd or even days.
Don’t be dense. California’s water woes are not due to storage capacity.
Correct. They have the storage capacity, they lack the resource to fill the capacity.
In part, but Calf. water issues are also in knowing their problems Calf still lets rain water wash out to the ocean. Like the 300 billion gallons in the Sacramento Delta. Non-growth activist prevented this one, and 300 billion gallons would mean a lot to Calf. farmers. But in 2008 their water problem was not that bad.
Bel Air has plenty of water? Where have you been living the past few years? Read this:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/harford/belair/ph-ag-bel-air-moratorium-lifted-1205-20141202-story.html
The Maryland Department of the Environment and Harford County put a moratorium in effect in 2013 because Winters Run was a known problem with capacity. Personally, I’m not worried about it. I live in the rural area with a well and have plenty of water. But it is good for the community and all of Harford County to have the additional capacity if and when it may be needed.
Seven valid points. Thanks for the information Gina! 🙂
I understand the need for protecting the long term water source for the community and now is the time to do that, while we are not in a drought situation, but there need to be caveats. Property not needed for the water retention facility should be maintained in open space and the historic structures on the site retained and protected. This property dates to 1715 and from a cultural history standpoint is one of the county’s important resources. The need for open space/green space in this corridor is critical for current and future generations. Restrictions are needed to assure that this area is retained. The County’s adopted Master Plan and numerous adopted policy documents very specifically show this area as open space, parkland and a historic resource. The State’s required Sustainability Plans support its retention as green space. Sometimes the history of a parcel gets lost when new administrations come in and it is critical that this does not happen with this property. It is too important.
Agreed. That entire Winters Run corridor is not only physically beautiful, but it’s chock full of history with multiple historic structures on the site we’re talking about now and others within the same proximity. Easy to figure why with Winters Run being a much needed source of water so people put up homesteads there because it made sense. Not just “people stuff” either because access to water brings wildlife and I’ve seen several bald eagles up and along that area in the past couple years, and a Baltimore Oriole last year. Jeez why can’t we just leave the Winters Run corridor alone as a park or at least lease that property for use as a reservoir and only what’s needed – the rest to be preserved as it should be as open space, parkland. it’s a watershed for god’s sake.
Update: Mr. Glassman’s office acknowledged receipt of my letter. Mr. Vincenti sent an actual response with information. No other Council member replied at all. I have been informed by Mr. Vincenti that there are plans to add amendments that address some concerns, but not the major question – why sell now, with a Master Plan review underway, and why sell ALL of the land? I am advocating for studies to be done to determine if the site is appropriate and exactly how much land is needed, and then for only that amount to be sold, or better yet, leased, for the strict purpose of a reservoir or water impoundment area. The one thing we do not have a surplus of in Bel Air is open land, and we need to demand that our government not sell off what scarce properties exist without proven, secured, intelligent public benefit.
If only there was a legal means that if one day the county needed the property back they could some how just condemn it and take ownership.
If only.
Can anyone elaborate exactly where the Mt Soma property is? Provide a map link? Have never heard of “Mt Soma” in Bel Air.
Tried to find a link for you on the Harford website and couldn’t. Better to have an exact dimension than general reference but that the best I have. If you know where the old Grace Lodge is…stone structure right along route 1 and sort of across from the Country Life Farm – not exactly across but in that area and along the Winters Run. The fact they originally wanted to link this parcel up with the existing Ma and Pa trails gives you a good idea of where this is. Property was owned by the Amos family, original and prominent settlers to the county. There was a time that if you weren’t an Amos you were a Bull, long time ago but that’s why it matters. There’s a history of our county that is just being dug up plowed under – troubling to anyone I think that has interests in open space or history. There’s no money to be made in preservation so our existing power structure in this county generally doesn’t care.
The parcel isn’t even close to where the original MA& PA rail line ran. If you go to this site you can clearly see in 1955 the area was farmed right up to the banks of winters run and you can even see the water companies dam. You people wanting to preserve harford county really have no clue what it once was. The one thing it wasn’t is rolling hills of acres and acres of old forests. It was mainly heavily tilled acres of farm land.
http://www.historicaerials.com/
Are you trying to say because it was tilled once it means it’s not part of the watershed and/or is not in a region rich in early history? When you answer that perhaps explain who claimed this property is next to the old train line. Ma and Pa trail as it exists sometimes does, other times doesn’t follow the old line particularly the section that leads to Annie’s playground.
It is roughly here:
39.515665, -76.372042
It was the family name for the property and does not show up most anywhere else.
It the property you see with all the bulldozers on it across from Country Life Farm. You can’t miss it if you drive to Rte1 from Old Joppa Road.
This may help clarify some issues. Note this article indicates substantial studies are needed to determine suitability, also. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/harford/belair/ph-ag-reservoir-1217-20141216-story.html#page=1
In the future the resevoir will be needed. Look at Lock Raven. It is still parkland but serves water to Baltimore. The effort can be made to connect the trail in the deal.
Every once in a while we have eagles on our farm especially if a deer is killed along the road. We also have a few hawk, many groundhogs, foxes, etc.
Harford County already gets its water from Baltimore.
Yeah okay, a few times/days in the past decade they pumped some susqie water over for whatever reason
A further update: Mr. Perrone also replied this afternoon, saying:
“To do this right, I believe Maryland American Water Company should first identify the land they would actually need. The property should then be subdivided, and that portion sold at auction to make sure the County gets a fair price for the land.
This way the remainder of the property – including the historic barn and foundation site – retains its parkland designation and remains in County hands.”
I will be attending the Council meeting this evening. I hope Mr. Perrone and Mr. Vincenti are able to be heard since they seem to be listening to the concerns that have been raised. Thank you, gentlemen.
Gina – kudos to you and hats off. No matter what happens you cared. Damn you should have been election.
Lets let big government buy everything, thank god we got that toxic waste dump in havre de grace.
What the hell it’s all free! Barry could you please exercise eminent domain on Gina and Money trees house we need park land and my dog needs a place to poop.
Resolution 12-15 Update: It took two hours to hear all of the citizens concerns about selling the Mt Soma property. 22 people signed up to speak, and nearly all opposed the resolution in its current form.
The Council has proposed amendments that help, but for me they are not enough. There is a convoluted plan that requires Maryland American Water to sell any land not used for a reservoir back to the county. My question is why buy it to start – which Mr. Perrone also asked in a different way – and also what guarantee is there that the County would come up with the funds to pay for a buyback. Just ask the deputies about how good the County is about actually finding promised funds!
I also do not feel that a thorough risk assessment has been done regarding the feasibility of leasing the land and not selling it. We don’t know how the Council will act, but I hope that they will reject this current resolution and work toward one that truly protects the citizens and our open space.
Harford County has plenty of water and could supply the Town of Bel Air and shut down Maryland American. Only thing stopping it is a political favor.