Worthington Elementary School PTA ready for the new school year

By Cathi Higgins
Posted: August 18, 2008

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Old Frederick Road Railroad Crossing Maintenance

By Cathi Higgins
Posted: August 13, 2008

CSX Railroad will begin planned maintenance on the railroad crossing at Old Frederick Road and Hollifield Road in Ellicott City on or about Aug. 11. The project was originally scheduled to begin Monday, Aug. 4. Weather permitting, the project was expected to be completed by late afternoon Aug. 13.

Each day the crossing will be closed to traffic from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. While the road is closed, traffic will be detoured via Old Frederick Road, Rogers Avenue, U.S. Route 40, Rolling Road, Fairbrook Road, Johnnycake Road and Hollifield Road.

Variable message boards and signs will be posted to alert the public of this road closure and detour information. Should the project be delayed, signs will be posted to alert motorists. Additionally, a recorded message at 410-313-3637 will carry details and updates.

For questions or concerns about this project, contact Lisa Brightwell, Public Works Customer Service, at 410-313-3440 or via e-mail at publicworks@howardcountymd.gov.

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New Continuing Care Retirement Community Approved for Ellicott City

By Cathi Higgins
Posted: August 12, 2008

A rendering of what The Lutheran Village at Mller’s Grant will look like when completed. (Rendering courtesy Carroll Lutheran Village).

On July 24, the Maryland Department of Aging, under Secretary Gloria Lawlah, granted Carroll Lutheran Village, of Westminster, approval to proceed with the development of The Lutheran Village at Miller’s Grant, a faith-based, nonprofit continuing care retirement community in Ellicott City.

Geary K. Milliken, president and CEO of Carroll Lutheran Village, said the approval now means the company can move forward in collecting deposits for houses and apartments that will be built on a 50-acre site just off Frederick Road.

Initially there will be 250 apartments, ranging in size from 862 to 1,726 square for one-bedroom to two-bedroom units with a den, and a mix of 13 single-family and duplex homes, ranging in size from 1,624 to 1,741 square feet. Also included in the initial phase will be 39 assisted living units, 13 skilled nursing beds, a community center that houses two restaurants and many amenities, among them an indoor heated swimming pool and fitness center reflecting the health and wellness programming of the community.

The Maryland Department of Aging and financing institutions also stipulate that building cannot begin until 184 of the homes and apartments have been reserved with a fully refundable 10-percent deposit of the entrance fee.

According to Steve Stewart, Director of Marketing, “Strong interest has already been generated by this project, making it likely that we can reach the magic number of 184 pre-sold units in 18 to 24 months and therefore be ready to open by 2012,” said Steve Stewart, marketing director at Carroll Lutheran Village.

The land and seed money for this project were donated to Carroll Lutheran Village by the Grey Rock Community Inc., Board in April 2005. Its principal, Paul Miller, was fulfilling the wishes of his father and mother, Charles E. and Grace Westphal Miller, who set aside the land to benefit the Ellicott City community. Paul Miller said that he is “finally seeing the fulfillment of my family’s dream” with this Department of Aging’s decision.

Informal talks between Paul Miller and Geary Milliken had started in 2003.

For more information, call 410-465-2005 or visit the marketing office at 9078 Chevrolet Drive, in Ellicott City, to view floor and site plans.

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Folly Quarter Teacher Commands Space Shuttle

By Cathi Higgins
Posted: August 10, 2008

Folly Quarter Middle School teacher Sherri Morisco lived out a childhood dream in participating in Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Folly Quarter Middle School Science Teacher Sherri Morisco can’t wait for school to start to tell her students how she fulfilled her childhood dream this summer.

Morisco attended Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., after learning about it from John Quinn, Howard County Public Schools’ Secondary Science Coordinator.

“Little did he know that I had wanted to attend Space Camp since I was 9. Growing up, ‘astronaut in training’ pretty much was my life,” she said.

Morisco ttended teacher workshops with ninety educators from twelve countries where they participated in simulated shuttle missions, experienced four times Earth’s gravity and launched rockets.

During her first shuttle mission she was given the role of CAPCOM, the
the sole person with communication links between the shuttle and mission control. She was Commander for her second mission responsible for entire shuttle, including take off and landing. She said “It was quite a taxing, stressful job. Every minute of it was pretty much amazing.”

Boeing sponsored the event giving teachers from across the globe an experience they could not get anywhere elsewhere. Together the “campers” worked on creating thermal protection shields for missions, got to meet Hoot Gibson, a former astronaut, and prepared to be teachers in space.

“It was one of the best weeks of my whole life,” Morisco said.

Morisco, who has been at Folly Quarter for three years, teaches sixth-grade earth science and seventh-grade life science and is excited to return to school to implement what she learned in her classroom.

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Enchanted Forest Birthday and Employees Reunion

By Cathi Higgins
Posted: August 6, 2008

Clark’s Elioak Farm celebrates the Enchanted Forest’s 53rd Birthday and the first annual Enchanted Forest Employees Reunion Aug. 16 and 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All former employees are invited to attend and encouraged to bring copies of photos from the Enchanted Forest Amusement Park. There will be special albums to fill with the photos and a photo contest.

To celebrate the birthday new attractions are being introduced — the Dish and the Spoon, the Three Men in the Tub, and more. Meet Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, and Alice in Wonderland. Visit your favorite petting farm animals, ride a pony and take a hayride. Listen to fairy tales and get your face painted by Laura Renee Davis of Nouveau Face Painting.

See vintage Enchanted Forest photos and a DVD of the Enchanted Forest or own a “Piece of the Park” by purchasing either a one-of-a-kind stone from the wall around Cinderella’s Castle painted by resident Enchanted Forest artist Monica McNew-Metzger or a shard from “Willie the Whale” framed in a wooden box.

Clark’s Elioak Farm’s 2008 season runs through Nov. 2. For more information, call 410-440-0295.

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