June 24, 2025

1. Call to Order
President Nadine Bowen called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.

2. Crime and Safety Update
Officer Washington from the Baltimore Police Department provided an update on recent crime activity in the neighborhood.

3. Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs (MOCA)
Rebecca Mark, Jewish Community Liaison, introduced herself and shared an overview of MOCA’s services available to residents. She encouraged community members to reach out with questions or concerns at moca@baltimorecity.gov.

4. Legislative Update
Maryland State Delegate Mark Edelson summarized the outcomes of the 2025 legislative session, which concluded in April. Residents with questions can contact him directly at mark.edelson@house.maryland.gov.

5. Proposed Housing Bill 25-0066
Councilmember Zac Blanchard introduced and discussed Bill 25-0066, a housing bill he supports. He answered questions from attendees and encouraged residents with additional concerns about this or other local issues to reach his office at zachary.blanchard@baltimorecity.gov.

6. FHSNA Announcements

• There will be no community meetings in July or August; meetings will resume on September 30.

• The incoming board has been confirmed, and their new term will begin in August.

• Stay tuned for details about a fun back-to-school gathering hosted by FHSNA.

• Dumpster Day will be held on June 28 at the Digital Harbor High School parking lot.

 Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 PM.

May 27, 2025

• President Nadine Bowen called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM

• Upcoming Events
  * The Garden Club is seeking volunteers to help with the corner planters, on June 7 at 9am.

• Crime and Safety Update
  Baltimore Police Officers Sergeant Rivera and Officer Wiggins provided an update on recent crime activity in the neighborhood.

• Legislative Update
  Senator Bill Ferguson and Delegate Luke Clippinger shared updates on the accomplishments of the Maryland General Assembly following the conclusion of the 2025 legislative session in April.
  Residents with questions are encouraged to reach out directly to Senator Ferguson (bill.ferguson@senate.state.md.us) or Delegate Clippinger (luke.clippinger@house.state.md.us).

•  Parking Issues
  Cindy is working with the Parking Authority to resolve parking citations that may have been issued in error. Send your email to federalhillsouthna@gmail.com

  • For citations issued between May 1-14: Send your name, address, and a photo of the citation.

  •  For citations issued after May 15: Send your name, address, a photo of the citation, and proof of an active permit.

• School Partnerships

St. Ignatius Loyola Academy’s President Alex Zequeira and Digital Harbor High School’s Principal Mavis Jacksonspoke about their schools and encouraged the community to engage with the schools in a variety of ways. Opportunities include: Coaching, Tutoring, Mentoring, Sponsoring students or activities, Volunteering with student clubs

April 29, 2025

·       Nadine promoted upcoming events:

o   Digital Harbor is hosting a comedy night on May 2 as a fund raiser

o   SOBO Day is on May 4 at the BMI

o   FHSNA is hosting a wine party on May 22 at Holy Cross Church (tickets available on FHSNA website)

·       Baltimore Police Sargeant RiveraSargeant Rivera gave an update on the recent crime in the neighborhood. The police dropped off flyers on burglary prevention tips for the home. 

·       The DOT asked the community for recommendations on how to make Cross Street, especially the area around Digital Harbor, safer for the students and the neighborhood.  

o   They did a traffic flow study and would like feedback from the community

o   Send your recommendations and ideas to dot.engagement@baltimorecity.gov and use “Federal Hill” in the subject line

o   DOT will present their recommendations in June

·       South Baltimore Gateway Partnership gave an update on upcoming events:

Keys to Capacity Workshop: Making Informed Decisions Regarding Nonprofit Compensation

Thursday, May 8, 2025: 6:00 – 8:00pm (virtual)

Full workshop schedule: https://sbgpartnership.org/workshops/

EJJI’s Reel Rewards program is now open! The 2025 season runs April 26-July 26 and incentivizes catching invasive fish species in the Baltimore Harbor. See https://www.ejji.org/reel-rewards for more information.

·       Collin White, FHSNA safety coordinator, gave updates

o   There is a safety meeting the first Tuesday of every month, 7-8pm, and all are welcome to attend at the BPD Southern District Station

o   FHNA received a $40,000 grant for the sheriff’s department to have additional police during special events and game days through the end of June.  They are re-applying for the same grant to continue the additional patrol.

o   Join the BPD for a community safety walk on May 14, starting at 5:30pm, starting at Federal Hill Park. 

o   Reminder to sign up your cameras with the BPD

·       Teri Saff, garden club president, talked about the upcoming plans for the Garden Club

o   On May 10, the group will work on beautifying the planters on the street corners

o   If your assigned planters on the street corners need attention or if you want a planter on your street corner, send an email to Teri at saff123@comcast.net. She can provide soil and whatever you need for your planter

o   The Garden Club is planning another Green Your Blocks competition. More details to follow

o   Bids were submitted from several landscaping companies for proposals to make improvements at Henry Street Park. If you have ideas to help make the park nicer, reach out to Teri.

·       Nadine reminded everyone about board election coming up on May 27.   She asked for board nominations and everyone nominated members of the current board for their current position. 

Meeting ended at 7:35pm. 

March 25, 2025

Meeting started at 7:00pm by Nadine Bowen

Nadine welcomed BPD officers Wiggins and Washington who gave an update on recent crime in the FHSNA neighborhood. There were 2 petty theft crimes reported. The officers stated that over the last few months, reported crimes have dropped significantly. An audience member questioned what this drop in crime was attributed to. The officers said the South Baltimore Camera Network has been instrumental in assisting the police force in tracking down purpetrators of crimes. It has become known that individual caught on camera will be turned in. This was very encouraging information.

Nadine shared results of the 1201 Wall St vote. 88.2% voted against giving a letter of support to Mark Sapperstein. 11.8% were in favor of giving Mark a letter of support. She also shared Information about a variety of flyers sent from the Mayors Office of Community Affairs; Emergency Response Certification Training, Support for Federal Workers Impacted by Government Transition and Hiring Event for Baltimore City Recreation & Parks.

Colin White, ccw0105@gmail.com was announced as the new Safety Chair for FHSNA. Teri Saff,  saff123@comcast.net, was announced as the new Garden Club Chair. Colin and Teri will be reaching out to those interested in volunteering alongside them. 

Shamir Cole-Butler from Residential Permit Parking, RPP, presented information about how to signup for the new Virtual Parking Permits that take effect May 1, 2025. A grace period will be in effect for the first 2 weeks of May to be certain all residence have had a chance to get their permits acquired. Which means enforcement will begin May 15, 2025. DOT has begun 24/7 enforcement of parking regulations. This will help discourage people from taking parking spaces from residents. Another reason RPP is moving in the direction of virtual passes is to stop fraud and abuse of the system. She gave a quick tutorial and flagged a multitude of questions from the audience. 

Shamir asks that we be patient as the small crew of 5 employees in their office goes through each account to approve them. Keep in mind the entire month of April is slated for Area 19 renewal and we will have a 14 day grace period May 1-14 to ensure all accounts have been processed. If you have questions about your renewal, call the RPP office 443-573-2838. 

Jessica Diaz from South Baltimore Gateway Partnership, SBGP, gave information about upcoming grant deadlines.

Join us for the next hybrid FHSNA community meeting on April 29, at 7:00pm.  For those who want to attend in person, we will meet at St. Ignatius Loyola Academy. Doors open at 6:30pm for social hour.

If you have suggestions or topics to include at our next meeting, please let us know!

Meeting Adjourned at 8:10pm

February 25, 2025

Meeting started at 7:00pm by Nadine Bowen

Nadine welcomed Baltimore Police Sgt. Rivera who gave an update on the recent crime in the neighborhood.  We were thankful to hear no crimes were listed in our neighborhood for this past month. Sgt. Rivera reminded us of safety tips; locking car doors & not leaving anything of value in vehicles. 

States Attorney Ivan Bates spoke to the neighborhood and gave an update on what his team is working on and what progress they have made since he’s taken office. He encouraged everyone to reach out to his office with any questions.

Throughout the meeting, all members were given a link to vote on whether they are for or against the proposal to
rezone and change the variance to build 50 apartments atop the 1201 Wall Street Garage.  Members checked in at the desk to obtain a link to the ballot. Results will be announced at the end of the week to allow for members who weren’t at the meeting to submit their vote. 

Rebecca Mark, with the Mayor’s office of community affairs, MOCA, introduced herself and she will join us in person at next month’s meeting.  Her email is Rebecca.Mark@baltimorecity.gov.

Area #19 parking will be virtual this year.  Be on the lookout for more information on how to renew your new virtual resident and virtual permits. 

Colline Emmanuelle from South Baltimore Gateway Partnership, SBGP, gave us some helpful reminders of the ability to apply for grants from SBGP.

Join us for the next hybrid FHSNA community meeting on March 25, at 7:00pm.  For those who want to attend in person, we will meet at St. Ignatius Loyola Academy. Doors open at 6:30pm for social hour.

If you have suggestions or topics to include at our next meeting, please let us know!

Meeting Adjourned at 7:55pm