Why the City of Baltimore needs to come up with 5000 Trash Cans for the Harris Creek Watershed Residents!

The Harris Creek Watershed (246) Stormwater Plan has now been completed and is waiting the final comment period before seeking Funds to carry out many of the Stormwater Projects identified in the Plan. To develop Success in this Plan,the Community of 17 Neighvborhoods will need to become more involved. This will never be accomplished until there is a Major Cultural Change needed to bring the City of Baltimore and the Residents of the 246 Watershed more together. Input from the Residents indicated that their Number One Concern was the Trash Issue......Trash that was allowed to build up (over many months and possibly years) in the Backyards of the many Vacant Houses in the Watershed Area. This also extended to the many Vacant Lots in the Watershed. Trash Collection that did tahe place at times took on a subculture of its own with the residents being told to place their Trash Bags at the ends of the Alleys to allow the City to pick them up at this location. What's wrong here?   Trash Bags are illegal in the City and are easily broken into by Rats that create Health Problems.

Recently,The Harris Creek Watershed Group was able to convince the City to do a Major Trash Sweep in the Watershed. What was discovered was astonishing to those of us who toured the Back Alleys to find Trash that obliviously was neglected for months. It was not hard to find. It raised the Question of Baltimore being made up of two Cities.....one that got needed Services .....and one that got less Services. Why is this so Important?    One reason is that with this Major Trash Sweep,we were able to see a significant reduction of Trash going into the Baltimore Harbor at its Outlet on Boston Street in Canton......and dropping the hint that if we Clean Up our Strrets in Baltimore in this Watershed....and extend this logic to the other 25 Outlets into the Baltimore Harbor,we may one day soon see a Cleaner and Safer Baltimore Inner Harbor.

 The second reason has to do with Fairness and Justice.....and how we can use this to our advantage. With this Major Trash Sweep,we were able to buy about 500 Tash Cans to replace some of the Trash being put out in Trash Bags..........We think that we can get Citizens (residents) to do more if we can get more Trash Cans (5000 or more). Sure,we can continue to criticize and blame,but here is a chance to perhaps change what has been going wrong in the past....and get off to a fresh start.  We think that the City owes this to the residents of the Watershed for their performance in the past that helped to create many of these mini-landfills in the Backyards.  

       We can be Silent no longer.   We need to speak up   This is a Fairness Issue that can be turned around . We can create a better Community by promoting Justice.    Raymond D.Bahr MD

Action Steps for the Harris Creek Watershed Project

   The Community and Watershed Plan is out for a 30 day Comment Period.   Meanwhile,we need not be collecting dust under our feet,but become fully engaged in building Community that will sustain the Watershed Efforts.   In the graphic cartoon depicting the Journey that we took to successfullly develop the Watershed Plan,we listed "Cleaning" first.....followed by "Greening" as the way to develop a strong Community. As one observor once stated,"you build Community by promoting fairness and justice".....and this is what we intend to do.   We will start with (1) "Cleaning".....and continue our Efforts to rid the Backyards and Alleys of Trash by a constant bombardment of DPW 311 line reporting SRs or Service Reports (they have two weeks to clean these sites up)......(2).We will get rid of the Trash Bags in the 246 Watershed and replace them with metal Trash Cans. It is incredible that we have let City Services allow Trash to be placed in plastic Bags at the front of the Alleys to be picked up by DPW workers. This underground subculture way of dealing with  Trash in this way needs to stop. The continued damage that comes with Bags of Trash easily being broken into and serving as a food source for RATS and the Health Problems associated with this activity can no longer be tolerated. It is a Preventable Problem and our Mayor and City Council Members need to be part of this Solution.   Placing Trash in Trash Bags can best be stopped by providing metal and durable Trash Cans. We are asking for 5000 Trash Cans that freely be made available to residents in the 246 Watershed . The cost here is very cheap ($14 each) when contrasted with the Benefit that it will bring.....(3) We will be requesting an Opportunity to sit down with Director Al Foxx,the New DPW Director to discuss New Ways to take care of Trash Pickup in the 246 Watershed.   Presidents of at least three Neighborhood Associations have requested a Change in Trask Pickup and would like to see Front of the House Trash Pickup......this way,they can see who is putting out the Trash the right way.....and try to influence those doing it the wrong way (ex.Trash Bags).......This would be a Great Way to get Community Members policing their own Neighborhoods. We hear always the Criticism that the Residents need to step to the plate and do more.  Well,here is an inexpensive way to get the Ball Rolling....by providing Free Trash Cans.....and listening to New Ways to do a Better Cleanup Operation.


 As we continue the Cleaning Phase,we can start to promote more Greening Activities and give  Pride to the Community of 17 Neighborhoods by providing City Farms,places to have Events to engage the Youth,Faith based activities etc.  Part of the Watershed Plan will be to eventually hire a Community Director to oversee many of these Activities. Some of this is unclear at the present time,but what is Important is that the Development of the Harris Creek Watershed Plan is about to unfold as the Funding Opportunities become available under the Newly Formed Watershed Alliance.

    Respectfully,Raymond D.Bahr MD