VesselVanguard Announces Intent to Locate at Prime Downtown Property

A web-based boat management service says Ego Alley is the best place for its business.

A company that’s bringing the business of boat management into the smartphone age has its sights set on opening downtown along Ego Alley. VesselVanguard, a company that’s had a foot in Annapolis for years, plans to locate its headquarters in Annapolis at a property that could soon become the hottest new retail real estate in downtown—the former Fawcett’s boating supply store. City officials are currently in the process of easing the sale of the property to several investors, who plan to tear down the old building and construct a new one in its place—one conducive to multiple tenants. VesselVanguard’s president Don Hyde said he’d like to be one of those tenants, and is already in talks to make that happen. “Ego alley is the centerpiece for …

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Peggy Kimbo Way New Name for Downtown Avenue

City and state officials honored Kimbo's contributions to the city at a ceremony Saturday morning.

Maryland Avenue in downtown Annapolis was formally renamed in honor of a fixture of the area for nearly a half-century, Ethelda "Peggy" Kimbo. Kimbo, a lifelong Annapolitan, was a warm, familiar face to thousands who graced the old Little Campus Inn, a tavern that is now the home of Galway Bay. She died in 2011, and in March, the Annapolis City Council unanimously approved legislation to rename Maryland Avenue to Peggy Kimbo Way to celebrate her legacy. "Not only was Ms. Kimbo a favorite of students and others who frequented this long-favorite location on Maryland Ave., she was a mentor and source of support to African-American Midshipmen from the first day at the Academy. Her support and encouragement to the Academy Midshipmen earned her …

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City Website Redesigned with Mobile Devices in Mind

New features being added will tell visitors how many parking spots are actively available.

A revamped website for the City of Annapolis launched this week, offering speedy access to city information for those on mobile devices. City spokeswoman Rhonda Wardlaw said a growing contingent of the website's visitors aren't sitting behind a desk, they're on their phones. "We did analytics of our visitors and learned that one in every four people visiting our site were from a mobile device," Wardlaw said. "So we knew we needed a site that would look good on mobile devices." The city's webmaster Inna Young had been working on the redesign project for well over a year before unveiling the design online Monday. The new site boasts a "responsive Web design," which means that whatever device you're viewing the city's website from, the pages …

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Residents Balk at Proposed Parking Regulations

Eastport boat owners are angry about a proposed ordinance that would restrict where any motorized vehicle could be parked on a person's property.

A new ordinance that would restrict where Annapolis homeowners could park their cars and boats has Eastport residents fuming. "Making a new law just because a few folks that are in violation of common sense and courtesy is like using a cannon to kill a mosquito," said Kathryn Weber. The ordinance, proposed by Alderman Ross Arnett (D-8th Ward), would limit the storage of any motorized vehicle "to garages, streets, or city authorized driveways or parking lots within a residential zoning district." The fine would be $25 for the first violation, and $25 per violation per day for repeat or continuous violations. Arnett said members of the Eastport Civic Association came to him and made a request that something be done about automobiles parked …

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Market Space Repaving Starts Monday

Parking on Market Space will be limited or non existent during the week of Oct. 22 as Annapolis workers repave the street.

United Way Honors Annapolis For Employee Donations

The city received the United Way of Central Maryland's 2011 Stellar Growth Award for having a significant jump in both donations and the number of employees donating.

Annapolis was honored for its "stellar growth" in fundraising for the United Way of Central Maryland at Monday night's City Council meeting. The Stellar Growth Award is presented annually to an organization that achieved outstanding growth in donors and dollars, according to the United Way of Central Maryland's website. City employees donated 67-percent more in 2011 than they did in 2010, and the number of employees who participated doubled, said Mark Furst, president of United Way of Central Maryland. Mayor Josh Cohen accepted the award on behalf of the city and said given the cutbacks, layoffs and furloughs that city employees have endured, this achievement was, "even more remarkable." Cohen praised the work of Annapolis' community …

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Mayor, Aldermen Oppose Court Decision on Citizens United

Mayor Josh Cohen and seven of Annapolis' eight aldermen signed a petition asking Congress to pass a constitutional amendment for campaign finance reform.

City officials waded into national politics by signing a letter asking Congress to pass a constitutional amendment to help curb political spending and contributions. The letter—which is written on Mayor Josh Cohen's city letterhead—asks Congress to overturn the 2010 Supreme Court decision known as Citizens United, which removed the cap on the amount of money corporations and unions can spend on political campaigns. "I'm turned off by the state of national politics," Cohen said. "The tone has become so bitter and polarized." It's a tone he attributes to the rise of Super PACs—independent political action committees like Karl Rove's American Crossroads which is reported by Bloomberg Business Week to have spent about $300 million on this …

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VIDEO: Mayor Talks Transportation and Taxes

Annapolis' mayor talks about some of the major changes to transportation in his monthly video address.

Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen's monthly update for August 2012 includes information about new speed cameras, bus stop shelters, circulator trolley ridership and parking garage rates and amenities. Read more about the issues Cohen discusses in the video by clicking on the articles below: Annapolis Circulator Celebrates One Year of Service Parking Rates Rise in Annapolis Aug. 20 City To Add Speed Cameras Around School Zones City Unveils New Plan For Navigating Downtown

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Once-a-Week Trash Pickup Starts Sept. 10

Here are four things every resident with city trash and leaf services needs to know before a private company starts picking up your trash.d

City residents should have found a flier around their doorknob this week alerting them to new trash-collection dates that start Sept. 10. Solid-waste disposal, which includes trash and leaf pickup, will be turned over to Bates Trucking and Trash Removal. The privatization of city trash passed as part of the budget for fiscal year 2013, and it included some significant changes to how trash collection is handled in Annapolis. Before Bates starts picking up your trash, here are four things you need to know. No. 1—Know your new collection day. The day city employees have traditionally picked up your trash and recycling will now be the day that Bates makes its once-a-week pickup from your curb. So if the city picked up your recycling on Monday…

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City To Add Speed Cameras Around School Zones

Annapolis is working with a private company to assess which of its school zones have the greatest need for speed cameras.

School zones around Annapolis could soon be adorned with new cameras to catch speeding drivers. “Our goal is to improve safety around school zones," Mayor Josh Cohen said in a press release. “Annapolis has many walkable neighborhoods, but speeding complaints are common, particularly near routes that kids use regularly. These cameras will help deter speeding near schools and improve safety for our kids." The city reached out to RedSpeed, a private company that studies traffic areas and installs speed cameras. RedSpeed will assess and identify potentially dangerous school zones around Annapolis over the next several weeks. The city plans to publish the results. Annapolis won't know how many cameras are needed until after the study finishes, …

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