GUN FIGHT AT BLANDAIR PARK

My kids were playing in the back yard on Memorial Day when they came running into the house shouting that someone was shooting a gun.  Several kids then appear through the trees from Blandair Park with airsoft machine guns and 9mm airsoft pistols.  Knowing that they are probably just shooting plastic bullets I grabbed my camera to record the chaos.  Of course there was no park ranger to be found as plastic BBs rain through the park and into neighbors back yards.  I have several pics but here is a good one as I take cover behind a deck fence as a kid raises his 9mm airsoft pistol as if to cap someone.  Just another crazy day at the park!

INVASION OF OUR BACK YARDS

So after Howard County Recs and Parks removed about half of the trees and buffer behind or house it is some 3 weeks later and no new trees have been planted.  Now because of the large paths they cut into our back yards here is what we have to look forward to every day!  Stop the invasion.  Fix this mess HOCO RECS AND PARKS!

FIX THIS MESS AS IT GOES ON ALL DAY!

Digging for gold at Blandair!

Do you think these holes dug all over the park are safe?  It appears that the contractor is replacing a lot of trees that died.  They left the holes like this all weekend.  Many we're filled with water because of the rain.  I even saw a kid down in one.  Maby they have a new theme "Come to Blandair Park and Break a leg!  Check out the picture!

NOT WORM HOLES

HOCO REMOVES THE TREES

On Friday I returned home from work to find about half of the wooded buffer behind my house removed.  This is not what I was expecting in the landscape plan, but understand that some of the trees were dead or in bad shape.  Now I have a very open view of Blandair Park.  At least the dead trees were covered with vines and blocked some of the light and noise.  The county needs to plant a lot of trees as a few 8 foot tall trees will not cut it.  So far I am not impressed, but will wait and see what they do.  They have a lot of work to do.  No amount of trees will block all the amplified noise though and even when the trees are planted it will take 10 years or more to fill in to actually be a little effective.  What a mess.     

So we had a big community meeting a few days ago with Recs and Parks.  They came out to the community and placed flags of where they wanted to plant trees.  We had them pull up some because they were to close to our house and they moved them back.  Recs and Parks returns a few days later and put the flags back!  Are you kidding me!  My concern is that as trees are planted closer and closer to the houses our sight lines are decreased and it will invite more crime.  There is already a lot of crime.  We asked that trees be planted closer to the fields, but it appears at least for now that they are not doing that as no flags were placed.  Crazy thing is an additional tree or two behind each house will not stop the people from defecating and peeing in out back yards.  50 trees would not help with the amplified noise issue.  Maybe in 20 years it will be blocking the light, so we are in a wait and see with the landscape plan.  The landscape plan I fear will not solve much. 

 

Now the county has put up a sign as if to blame the fans for the noise.  Its not the fans that we are complaining about.  Its the AMPLIFIED AIRHORNS AND PA SYSTEMS!  The county is  are trying to shift the main issue and blame others. 

 

SO NOW HOWARD COUNTY RECS AND PARKS IS TRYING TO MUUFFLE THE NOISE.  HOW ABOUT JUST GET RID OF IT.  AIR HORNS HAVE NO PLACE NEXT TO HOUSES.  HORNS GOING OFF FOR UP TO15 HOURS A DAY IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!

SOUND PROOF: TIRED OF THE LIES

When your local government is not even honest with you it is time to stand up for the truth.

WE LIVE UNDER A LOCAL GOVERNMENT THAT IS INVADING OUR HOMES WITH AMPLIFIED SOUND

PROOF THAT WE WERE MISLED

HERE IS PROOF THAT THE COUNTY MISLED THE PUBLIC ABOUT AMPLIFIED NOISE AND NEVER MENTIONED THIS IN ANY OF THE PLANNING MEETINGS LEADING UP TO THE PARK BEING BUILT.  THE QUOTE BELOW IS FROM THE RECREATION AND PARKS ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES ON FEBRUARY 19, 2013.   JOHN BYRD THE HEAD OR RECS AND PARKS IS REFERENCED BELOW:

PAGE 3:  "Mr. Byrd stated that some of the neighbors felt that there was a bait and switch situation, and they were never told that there would be amplified sound.  Had they known, they would have never agreed to the Park.  Mr. Byrd continued that he had gone back through the minutes of the planning committee and there was nothing specific mentioned about amplified sound." 

STOP THE NOISE

ATTENTION HOWARD COUNTY RECREATION AND PARKS, JOHN BYRD, CALVIN BALL, KEN ULMAN, AND OTHER HOWARD COUNTY OFFICIALS.  ALL WE ARE ASKING FOR IS A LITTLE PIECE AND QUIET FOR THE NEIGHBORS LIVING AROUND BLANDAIR PARK.
OUR REQUESTS ARE REASONABLE:
1.  REMOVE THE AMPLIFIED NOISE TO INCLUDE THE AIR HORNS AND PA SYSTEM.
2.  TURN OFF THE LIGHTS AT 10:00 PM.
3.  ADDRESS THE CRIME AROUND BLANDAIR PARK.  PART TIME PARK RANGERS DO NOT CUT IT!