November 4, 2023

On Monday, I joined elected officials and community leaders including Governor Moore, Comptroller Lierman, Mayor Scott, and Council President Mosby as MCB Real Estate released the developer's vision for Baltimore’s Harborplace. For too long, Harborplace has languished without the critical private sector leadership to help this jewel of the Inner Harbor realize its potential.

As I’ve said consistently, no City has a thriving midtown and uptown without a thriving downtown. A Harborplace that is rebuilt with residents, multimodal transit, and visitors in mind has the potential to spur the economic development that Baltimore needs to remain competitive in our 21st century economy.

That’s why I’ve worked with my colleagues in the 46th District Delegation to allocate $37.5M in State funds to restore the Inner Harbor Promenade over the last two years. That funding will support the public infrastructure and amenities around the Inner Harbor through projects like Rash Field Park’s redevelopment, as well as ensuring the climate resiliency of this vital asset regardless of sea level rise.

I am thrilled that Baltimore City and seven surrounding counties have been designated a National tech hub, one of thirty-one regions across the country selected to spur technology-related manufacturing and commercialization. The highly competitive designation is forecast to have a $4.2B economic impact on the region and add more than 50,000 jobs by 2030.

The program aims to diversify technology investments beyond Silicon Valley, Boston, and New York, which currently attract 80% of tech funding. Baltimore’s hub will focus on applying artificial intelligence and biotechnology to health data for applications such as diagnostics and drug development.

I applaud the outstanding leadership of the Greater Baltimore Committee and its coalition partners, including the State of Maryland, for bringing this powerful economic engine to our region. This once-in-a-generation opportunity will attract significant resources, businesses, and jobs to the Baltimore area, placing it at the forefront of the booming tech industry.

Recently, I had the chance to visit the Frederick Douglass - Isaac Myers Maritime Park Living Classrooms campus in Fells Point with Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. I was thrilled to witness firsthand the transformative power of education and hands-on experiences provided by Living Classrooms. Specifically, Project SERVE addresses high recidivism rates and barriers to meaningful employment for returning citizens in Baltimore City.

Participants spend nearly six months in the program, where they are provided with training, resources, and pay to obtain sustainable living-wage employment. Living Classrooms’ re-entry program has made a significant impact on the lives of hundreds of individuals in Baltimore. The 46th District Delegation has been proud to support their work through capital and operating funding in recent years.

The Capital Debt Affordability Committee recently approved an increase in State borrowing for the next year to respond to a projected structural deficit in the future and the need to improve schools, aging buildings, and infrastructure.

The new recommendations call for nearly $8.8 billion in borrowing over the next five fiscal years — an increase of 30% over the same period as envisioned by the legislature in December.  The State contemplates issuing $1.75 billion in bonds in each of the next five budget years, though we will have to closely evaluate the financial viability of that recommendation depending on borrowing interest rates.

The residents of Curtis Bay have long struggled to address the environmental impact posed by industries in their community.  Last December’s explosion at the CSX terminal rocked the neighborhood and blanketed the area with coal dust. I am closely monitoring the upcoming CSX air permit renewal to ensure that community concerns are addressed to the extent of the law.

Last month, Curtis Bay Energy, the largest medical waste incinerator in the country, was fined $1 million as a criminal penalty for improper disposal of biohazardous materials by Maryland’s Office of the Attorney General. The company will also pay over $700,000 into a Supplemental Environmental Project fund to complete environmental improvements around South Baltimore and affected communities. It is one of the largest penalties ever levied in an environmental violation case.

My office has also been deeply ingrained in the efforts around the new recreation center for the Curtis Bay community. I will continue to seek input from the community on its placement to ensure that it provides much-needed support, activities, and community spirit. Curtis Bay and all of South Baltimore deserve to be a healthy and thriving community–one in which its residents are confident that their wellbeing is a top priority.

One of my incredible teammates in our Fightin’ 46th District’s Delegation, Delegate Robbyn Lewis, organized a transit tour last week, welcoming almost three dozen lawmakers and State officials to ride through the City on public transportation.  Her goal? To show lawmakers what it feels like to navigate as many constituents do–on foot, on the bus and on rail–so that policy decisions adequately address the lived experience of those dependent on public transportation for employment, food, and health care.

More than a year after two new speed cameras were installed on Interstate 83, car crashes have significantly decreased. The Baltimore Banner analysis of state vehicle-crash data and the City’s citations shows the number of crashes has dropped significantly since March 2022, at a time when Maryland roadway fatalities are at their highest in a decade.

A stretch of Maryland Route 450 was recently renamed after former Maryland Senator Ed Reilly who represented the area in the Maryland Senate for nearly 14 years before retiring at the start of this year. Senator Reilly approached our work in Annapolis with a bipartisan approach that supported all Marylanders, regardless of jurisdiction or party affiliation. He served as Senate minority whip from 2011 to 2013 and on the Anne Arundel County Council from 2002 to 2009.

Baltimore’s squeegee collaborative program has resulted in an 83% decline in squeegee-related calls for service. Borne from months of discussions with squeegee workers, business leaders, social workers, and city officials, the program worked to address the root cause of what drives young people to an underground economy. The program banned squeegeeing at six busy intersections throughout Baltimore and connected about 40 youths to jobs or school.

The Maryland Department of Health will receive a $2.5M grant from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for Disease Control and Prevention to increase the general understanding and awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias and to help Maryland implement its Alzheimer’s roadmap. 

The 50-year tradition of the Mayor's Christmas Parade will return to Baltimore on December 3. The 2.5-mile parade starts at Falls Road and Cold Spring Lane, and will go through the Hampden community, along 36th Street. The parade is sponsored by community associations and businesses in the area.

I invite you to stop by the Brooklyn Library on November 6 for an  Open House unveiling a new shared-use path to Masonville Cove, an educational and recreational community treasure in South Baltimore. The new Cove Connector will provide easier access to the nation’s first Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership.

If there is anything we can do to help, please do not hesitate to contact my office via email, bill.ferguson@senate.state.md.us, or by phone, 410-841-3600.