Tuesday, February 7, 2012
A series of office relocations and technical upgrades are designed to help make Annapolis government more accessible.
The first phase of office relocations intended to make Annapolis government more user friendly is set to start Wednesday. Mayor Josh Cohen announced in a release that the changes are designed to create a “one-stop shop” by putting all permitting, inspections, fire marshal and planning and zoning functions under one roof. The plan includes: “This office move is an important step to advance our priority of making City Hall a more user-friendly place for business persons and residents alike,” Cohen said in the release. There will be a disruption to phone and computer service in the Office of Law and City Clerk’s office during the transition from Wednesday to Feb. 13. Officials said office staff will make every attempt to check messages. The …
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Mayor Cohen assures residents the popular Newman Street playground will be relocated or rebuilt as part of proposed construction project.
The city’s plan to build a new parking garage along Compromise Street in downtown Annapolis quickly raised concerns among residents who said the project could claim a popular playground. As reported in The Capital, the parking garage is proposed to be a cooperative effort combined with the upcoming construction slated for Annapolis Elementary School. Residents and parents of children at the school grew worried enough over the fate of the playground that they started circulating a petition calling for the city to protect the Newman Street play area and basketball courts. Mayor Josh Cohen recently addressed the situation in his blog, saying he would not support any project that doesn’t relocate or rebuild the playground, hopefully even …
Friday, December 9, 2011
Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen visited with second-graders to help them with their annual community-building project.
Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen is used to fielding a flurry of questions, but not necessarily like this. During a visit Thursday morning at St. Anne's School of Annapolis, Cohen shared his thoughts with a group of second-graders on what it takes to build a healthy and successful community. Second-grade teachers Emily Kolarich and Sara Wallace have been working with the students on an annual project about communities. Students are immersed in the topic throughout all of their subjects, such as reading and math, and it culminates in a scale model community of their own design. Cohen visited to help the students shape their visions. He also answered a few hard-hitting questions like: "Part of it is listening," Cohen told the students in response …
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Roughly 30 people, many wearing green shirts and holding signs, urged council members not to approve a managed competition process for bidding out solid waste services.
Wearing a green American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) shirt, Kevin Brown stood outside the steps of City Hall before Monday night’s city council meeting. With him were roughly 20 public works employees prepared to speak out against the possibility of privatizing the city’s solid waste services. Many of them were wearing the same green shirt and holding signs. “We’re fighting for our jobs,” said Brown, who was born and raised in Annapolis and has worked in the city’s refuse services for 23 years. As Patch reported in September, city officials have proposed a “managed competition process” to determine whether to continue using city staff or contract out city waste disposal services. Monday night, it was up to …
Friday, October 14, 2011
The city displayed the first of two boat with hybrid diesel-electric-solar propulsion systems, made possible through grants.
You've heard of hybrid cars, but now, the city of Annapolis has a hybrid boat patrolling its harbor. In a press conference Thursday afternoon, Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen and Harbormaster Flip Walters unveiled the first of two hybrid diesel-electric-solar propulsion systems mounted on Harbormaster boats. The first boat, on display Thursday afternoon, will be used to collect mooring fees and as a water rescue boat as needed, city officials said. The second boat is the city's pumpout boat, which is currently being converted to an identical system. That boat is scheduled to be ready in January, officials said. The boats are not new, but were repurposed with the hybrid systems, city officials said. The entire process took about four years. …
Friday, July 29, 2011
Annapolis officials are encouraging local restaurants to think green and local.
The city of Annapolis has launched a new way for local restaurants to go green by highlighting meals that are made from locally grown food. The next time you eat at a local restaurant, look for a Green Plate Special logo next to items on the menu. That designation means that at least 50 percent of that dish's ingredients are grown from local farms. Mayor Josh Cohen announced the green initiative on Thursday at Level: a small plates lounge on West Street. The establishment is known for serving locally grown foods “from the farm to the table.” Cohen said the program is just starting up, but there are already several restaurants in town doing precisely what the Green Plate program hopes to accomplish. Customers of local establishments are …
John Jay
10:05 pm on Tuesday, February 28, 2012
So Josh who is paying the freight? Is this your ripcord deal that lends to your exit wealth? Who gets it Hyatt? Parks? pathetic. more ›