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Health & Fitness

Bowleys Quarters Community Association: Our Beginning and Our Mission

This blogs describes the beginning of the BQCA, our goals and activities and a brief summary of our history.

Bowleys Quarters is a unique waterfront and residential community in eastern Baltimore County offering diverse home designs, many recreational opportunities and outstanding natural resources. 

We are THE representative community association - open to diverse viewpoints, transparent organizational participation, unparalleled representation, and a proactive commitment to protecting eastern Baltimore County's natural, agricultural and scenic resources. 

The Association has a strong commitment to keeping residents informed on issues that affect the overall community, including presenting a comprehensive overview of all perspectives and impact statements relative to the greater Bowleys Quarters community's quality of life.

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We are targeting the following issues:

  • Proactive and cooperative development role with local County agency staff and elected officials
  • Classic smart growth issues - sound approaches to land use; creative housing     opportunities and choices; reduction in resource consumption; and preservation open space, farmland, natural beauty and critical environmental areas
  • Monitor and shape local policies, zoning and regulations
  • Act as the eyes and ears of Bowleys Quarters to watch over development proposals and public agency actions which directly affect the quality of life in our community.

 Having experienced indifference or intolerance of diverse opinions at an existing community association within Bowleys Quarters, a group of visionary individuals gathered together to cultivate a truly representative community association open to diverse points of view, transparent organizational participation, unparalleled representation and a proactive commitment to protecting eastern Baltimore County's natural, agricultural and scenic resources. 

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This core group of organizers subsequently developed a mission statement, by-laws and the necessary legal and statutory status relative to a truly functioning organization.    

 An inaugural community meeting of the Bowleys Quarters Community Association (BQCA) was held (Jan. 22, 2008) at the St. Mathews Lutheran Church on Red Rose Farm Road.  The standing room only crowd of 125-plus individuals heard introductions, overviews of issues, a call to action and an opportunity to engage in spirited discussions with subject matter authorities. 

Many individuals found the experience and membership to be "energizing, enlightening, empowering and impressive."  Membership in the "new voice" of our community continues to grow as the community learns that the BQCA is committed to keeping residents informed on issues that affect the overall community, including presenting a comprehensive overview of ALL perspectives and anticipated impact statements relative to our community's quality of life. 

 In an effort to keep everyone informed, BQCA publishes and disseminates a monthly newsletter and maintains a web site - "BQCA.org," and holds monthly "general membership meetings." 

Various pot luck dinners, fundraisers, social excursions, quarterly community clean-ups, sponsorships of concerts, school scholarships, etc. are held throughout the year in order to maintain visibility, increase credibility and provide a forum for ALL of the community. 

Of interest have been the comments from various County Council members as to the impact we are having in Bowleys Quarters; contacts from surrounding neighborhood community associations who have adopted our marketing and communication strategies; and the endless emulation from the earlier improvement association of record in Bowleys Quarters.  We continue to welcome your comments, your participation, your support and opinions.  We are committed to presenting unbiased, balanced perspectives relative to issues facing our community. 

 Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 28th at 7PM with a Pot Luck Dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. at St. Matthew Lutheran Church located at 3620 Red Rose Farm Road.

The scheduled guest speakers are Mike Caruthers of Somerset Construction Company to provide updates on the Route 43 Project and John Forbes the Superintendant of the Crane Power Plant with updates on the emission controls and the pending merger of Exelon and Constellation Energy. We will also be discussing Bill 36-11 which will be voted on by the County Council in July and there will be updates on the Galloway Creek PUD and the Variation of Standards.

 

 

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