MrEd
Conductor
For many decades, visitors arriving in Baltimore by train from the north have received a rude greeting: a panorama of urban decrepitude with block after block of boarded-up homes lining the Amtrak tracks on the city's east side.
The Greater Baltimore Committee wants to change that.
The business advocacy group is calling on the city and Amtrak to work together to create a more attractive gateway to improve Baltimore's image and the quality of life in the neighborhoods along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.
GBC Chairman Charles O. Monk II, managing partner of Saul Ewing's Baltimore law office, told the committee's annual meeting Tuesday night that the railroad corridor is an unsolved problem in the transformation of Baltimore's east side.
"It serves to disguise to outsiders that the east side and Baltimore are on the rise," he said. "Rail travelers see only the mostly vacant and boarded homes — many of them owned by the city — that are right next to the track."
The condition of the corridor has been the subject of discussion among business leaders, many of whom, like Monk, travel by train in the Northeast Corridor.
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http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/...4219,full.story
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An Amtrak spokesman said he was not aware of any current discussions about the gateway.
Monk said the problem is not just one of Baltimore's image. He said noise and dirt from the railroad detracts from the quality of life and safety in neighborhoods near the line.
"One of the things we do around the Beltway is put up noise barriers and security barriers," he said. "It's not just about hiding the bad but about [highlighting] the good," he said.
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Simple and cheap fix....build an ivied covered wall along the tracks just high enough where travelers can see the skyline but not the slums!
Baltimore can't afford to pick up trash twice a week much less beautify the entire northeast corridor within the city limits. If you can't fix it cover it up !!!
The Greater Baltimore Committee wants to change that.
The business advocacy group is calling on the city and Amtrak to work together to create a more attractive gateway to improve Baltimore's image and the quality of life in the neighborhoods along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.
GBC Chairman Charles O. Monk II, managing partner of Saul Ewing's Baltimore law office, told the committee's annual meeting Tuesday night that the railroad corridor is an unsolved problem in the transformation of Baltimore's east side.
"It serves to disguise to outsiders that the east side and Baltimore are on the rise," he said. "Rail travelers see only the mostly vacant and boarded homes — many of them owned by the city — that are right next to the track."
The condition of the corridor has been the subject of discussion among business leaders, many of whom, like Monk, travel by train in the Northeast Corridor.
...
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/...4219,full.story
..
An Amtrak spokesman said he was not aware of any current discussions about the gateway.
Monk said the problem is not just one of Baltimore's image. He said noise and dirt from the railroad detracts from the quality of life and safety in neighborhoods near the line.
"One of the things we do around the Beltway is put up noise barriers and security barriers," he said. "It's not just about hiding the bad but about [highlighting] the good," he said.
...
Simple and cheap fix....build an ivied covered wall along the tracks just high enough where travelers can see the skyline but not the slums!
Baltimore can't afford to pick up trash twice a week much less beautify the entire northeast corridor within the city limits. If you can't fix it cover it up !!!
