November 7, 2013

In case you missed it

brought to you by, The Abingdon Community Council

7-Step Plan to Address Emmorton Elementary Traffic Woes

County Sheriff's Office addresses public safety concerns at Bel Air South area school

The Harford County Sheriff's Office, after a recent meeting with school and county officials, has announced that seven steps will be tried to deal with the traffic issues in the area of Emmorton Elementary School. The sheriff's office also said that when the traffic program is fully implemented, there would still only be one crossing guard assigned to the school. The seven steps, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office, are: A crosswalk will be moved from the townhouse side of Tollgate Road and Montrose Way to Montrose Way at Clydebank Drive; The speed limit in the designated "School Zone" will be reduced from 35 mph to 25 mph; A "No U-Turn" sign will be installed in front of school; Reflective signs will be posted in the circle to alert drivers; A hand held stop sign will be issued to the guard to increase the visibility to drivers; "No stopping or standing" signs will be installed at the corner of the school entrance on Tollgate Road; and "No parking" signs along Tollgate Road adjacent to the parks and recreation field will remain.

More students are walking to Emmorton Elementary this year following changes to school busing policies made over the summer. Cuts to the Harford County Public Schools budget request led to a decrease in school buses allotted to pick up students in the area. At a school board meeting on Oct. 14, parents complained about their children crossing the "extra-wide roundabout" at Montrose Way and Tollgate Road. Issues were also raised about the driving behavior of parents who are now driving their kids to school in the morning. According to some concerned residents, parents driving their children to school have been exceeding the speed limit and hitting U-turns in the street after dropping them off. But Capt. Jon Krass, of the Harford County Sheriff's Office, said recently that on average, most drivers near Emmorton Elementary are obeying the speed limit. He said a study was recently completed in the area to measure the average speed of drivers. "We aren't seeing a speed issue on Tollgate Road," Krass said. "It's the volume of cars. The roundabout slows people down and people are going the speed limit."
Source: exploreharford.com by Krishana Davis, kdavis@baltsun.com. Some changes were made ****************************************************************************

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Abingdon Library Offers Free 3D Printer To County Residents

Jeneanne Mittman shows off the minion she made using the Abingdon Library's 3D printer. (Photo courtesy of Harford County Public, The Aegis / November 5, 2013)

An orange angry bird, chess pieces the size of your hand and a minion from the hit animated film "Despicable Me" are just a few of the 3D objects Harford County library patrons have been printing lately. The Abingdon branch of the Harford County Public Library is one of the first places to offer free access to a 3D printer. And people are taking full advantage of the cutting-edge technology. The branch was gifted the 3D printer about a month ago from Dr. Stephen "Drew" Wilkerson, associate director of special programs, vehicle technology directorate at Aberdeen Proving Ground, according to Mary Hastler, library director for Harford County Public Library. She said she is excited to bring the technology to people in Harford County. "This is something I've wanted to do for about a year," Hastler, who considers herself an early adopter of technology, said. "While on vacation in Florida I got a personalized iPhone case created with a 3D printer and thought I had to bring it to the library." 3D printing, or additive manufacturing as the process is also known, allows the user to sketch or draw an object and then print a three dimensional life-size version through a layer-by-layer technique. Reports show 3D printing users around the globe are creating everything from simple trinkets to working homemade prosthetic hands, to rifles. Wilkerson worked with Bob Kavetsky, president of Energetics Technology Center, an independent non-profit promoting science, technology, engineering and math operation in southern Maryland, to secure a grant for the printer, as well as the colored filaments, which are used to create the objects. "I think this is going to be life-altering technology, the way the computer was," Wilkerson said. "It's going to change the world we live in." Wilkerson said he first became interested in 3D printers after hearing about a library in Colorado where students were using a 3D printer to generate craft trinkets and objects from their imaginations. "My goal is to put two printers in every library branch in Harford County," Wilkerson said. "Lots of people in Harford County don't have the money to buy 3D printers. This will help to level the playing field." Small 3D printers, which can be used in the home, retail for about $2,000. The 3D printer at the Abingdon branch sits near the circulation desk and is available to users during regular branch hours. It contains about six color filaments and Hastler said you can hardly hear it working. "It's very quiet," Hastler said. "It's a very slow process. Almost everything takes about 20 minutes to be created and it doesn't interfere with the staff working right next to it or anyone studying nearby." The filaments are made of PLA, polylactic acid, which is made of corn starch, thus it is bio-degradable under commercial composting conditions. "There's no toxic fumes and it doesn't smell like anything," Hastler said. The Abingdon branch printer is being used mostly to print small objects like key chains, bracelets and thimbles, but Wilkerson said he anticipates users will begin to craft more complex objects. So far, Wilkerson has already taught a class at the branch on the basics of using the 3D printer. On Nov. 9th, he will be holding another seminar teaching the process of turning a cell phone photo into a 3D object and basic 3D computer aided drawing software. "We're always trying to see what we can bring to our customers, so Harford County is up on the latest technology," Hastler said. "Digital literacy is important."
Source: exploreharford.com by Krishana Davis, kdavis@baltsun.com. Some changes were made. *****************************************************************************

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Important November dates to Ponder!

Veterans Day County Holiday November 11, 2013 Harford County Government offices will be closed. Harford Transit buses will NOT be available. Community Input Meeting (More Traffic in Abingdon!) November 14, 2013 6:00pm-8:00pm Ramada Conference Center 1700 Van Bibber Road, Edgewood, MD 21040. Create an outparcel to the existing Target @ Constant Friendship Business Park. See attached file 11/14/2013 for additional information. Harford County Public Schools Elementary Teachers Planning time Elementary students dismissed 3 hours early. November 15, 2013 Community Input Meeting (More Traffic in Abingdon) November 21, 2013 6:30pm-7:30pm Abingdon Public Library. Riverwoods at Tollgate A concept site for a multi-use project in the Constant Friendship Business Park. This project will consist of the following: Climate Control Storage Facility, 72 unit Housing for the Elderly mid-rise building, 84 unit Garden Apartments and 4000 sq.ft. Community Building. See attached file 11/21/2013 for additional information. Abingdon Community Council Meeting November 25, 2013 6:30pm-7:30pm Abingdon Public Library, 2510 Tollgate Road, Abingdon, MD 21009 Thanksgiving Holiday - Harford County Public Schools students dismissed 2 hours early! November 27, 2013 County Holiday Thanksgiving Day November 28, 2013 Harford County Government offices will be closed. Harford Transit buses will NOT be available. Thanksgiving Holiday - Harford County Public Schools and Offices closed! November 28-29, 2013 County Holiday Day after Thanksgiving November 29, 2013 Harford County Government offices will be closed. Harford Transit buses will NOT be available. Small Business Saturday November 30, 2013 Celebrate and support the small businesses in your local community. Hours vary by store. Please go to www.downtownbelair.com for more information

Members:
Cynthia Hergenhahn, Chairperson C. David Copenhaver Carlin Cook Earl Grey Gregory A. Beaty Joan Hamilton Recording Secretary: Donna Copenhaver

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