Last Updated on July 31, 2026
Just a year ago, I began as your Residents’ Council Presi-dent and have had the privilege of sharing my thoughts with you about Charlestown, the Council’s activities and my own activities. I appreciate all the positive comments I received from you about these articles. This is my last article, and I want to share with you just some of the many accomplishments achieved by the various committees of the Council during this year. I am very proud of all the Chairs and members of committees who have seen problems that needed solving and worked to do just that.
Two sub-committees of Resident Life, Accessibility and Low Vision, have worked with Health Services and Maintenance and Engineering to improve the quality of life. Just to name a few improvements: Accessibility has gotten grab bars installed in all public bathrooms and is working to get more automatic doors across campus.
Low Vision has had distinctions made in the carpeting on the stairways, increased interior lighting and ob-tained large print menus and magnifying glasses for use in the dining rooms.
Health Services created a Substance Abuse working group that presented three free lectures on the brain and abuse, and sponsored an ELLIC presentation on falls prevention in the elderly.
The Conservation committee has worked to educate the community on recycling, water and electric conserva-tion and is planning to start resident composting in the fall.
The Safety and Security Committee has worked on pro-jects with the Security department to reduce the risk of traffic hazards, falls and scams and to promote firearms safety.
The ten Capital Expenditures (CapEx) 2027 proposals (ways the community feels our capital funds should be directed) that came from the residents to the com-mittees (and were then forwarded to the Finance de-partment) covered safety, accessibility, energy use, and practical means of getting things done.
Our first Cap Ex 2027 proposal was to renovate the au-ditorium. Because the initial plan was just a basic paint to bring it into the 21st century, Art proposed to the Council that a special committee be formed to study the needs. The committee was divided into two parts— the people who did the technical applications and the view-ers who had a variety of requirements to optimize their experience in the auditorium. They came up with a com-prehensive list of changes and voiced a requirement that residents be involved in the whole process of reno-vation.
In the restaurants, we have seen many changes from placemats on the tables and more plant-based recipes, to healthier vegetables, lactose-free ice cream, and grain bowls – just to name a few. These changes have been influenced by the Dining committee and the Die-tary Focus subcommittee.
Through the Communications committee, we have been kept up to date on the new Connect 3 that is now in all buildings, improved signage, movie streaming, carts for sale, and when the next Tech Bar will be. Our resident website, ccicharlestown.org, has all the information any resident could want.
Our Legislative and Political Committee had multiple meetings for us with legislators from our state delega-tions and, prior to the Baltimore County primary, 13 of the 15 candidates were here, discussing their plans for the county in front of a full house of residents.
The Grounds committee helped plant more than 50 trees, monitor our outside lighting, and keep eliminating invasive plants. The Housekeeping committee has successfully gotten most residents to use a plastic can to hold their trash bags and not use plastic bags when re-cycling.
Each of these committees does so much more than most people realize. They are our neighbors, working for us all to have a comfortable, safe environment to enjoy. If you are on a committee or are a volunteer, thank you. If you are not yet part of a committee, they are open to whomever wants to attend a meeting and get involved. A monthly calendar is posted on the bulle-tin boards and on ccicharlestown.org.
IMPORTANT AUGUST MEETINGS:
Residents’ Council Meeting: Tuesday, August 4. New officers will be elected. Refreshments available. Auditorium at 3:00 p.m.
Council Elections: Wednesday, August 5. Vote at a res-taurant near your apartment. See brochure for details.
Association Meeting: Monday, August 10. New council members and officers to be installed. Refreshments available. Conference Center, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Stephanie Leddy, President