Westminster and state officials cut the ribbon on downtown sidewalk retrofit project Westminster and state officials joined together Tuesday morning to cut the ribbon on over 200 new disabilities-compliant sidewalk curb cuts throughout downtown Westminster By Kevin E. Dayhoff Tuesday, November 05, 2013 http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2013/11/westminster-and-state-officials-cut.html Westminster city officials and representatives from four Maryland state government departments gathered together Tuesday morning in front of the Westminster Recreation and Parks Family Center on Longwell Avenue to celebrate, and cut the ribbon, on an unprecedented groundbreaking $318,000 partnership that resulted in the completion of 214 new or rebuilt ADA-compliant curb ramps in the downtown area.

1. Westminster and state officials cut the ribbon on downtown
sidewalk retrofit project By Kevin E. Dayhoff, Tues., Nov. 05, 2013
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2013/11/westminster-and-state-officialscut.html Labels: Westminster File Sidewalks Trails Friday, November 15, 2013
Westminster and state
officials cut the ribbon on
downtown sidewalk
retrofit project
Westminster and state
officials joined together
Tuesday morning,
November 5, 2013 to cut
the ribbon on over 200
new disabilitiescompliant sidewalk curb
cuts throughout
downtown Westminster
Westminster and state officials cut the ribbon on downtown sidewalk retrofit project By Kevin E. Dayhoff,
Tuesday, November 05, 2013 page 1

2. Westminster city officials
and representatives from
four Maryland state
government departments
gathered together
Tuesday morning in
front of the Westminster
Recreation and Parks
Family Center on
Longwell Avenue to
celebrate, and cut the
ribbon, on an
unprecedented
groundbreaking
$318,000 partnership
that resulted in the
completion of 214 new
or rebuilt ADAcompliant curb ramps in
the downtown area.
“What a wonderful
project this is and with
so many partners, said
Westminster mayor
Kevin Utz in prepared
remarks for the
occasion, after he was introduced by Mark Vernarelli, spokesperson for the
Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
“With these partners 4 curb ramps were reconstructed, 64 curb ramps were
modified and 164 new curb ramps were installed…” Because of this
partnership, “over 200 ADA Compliant curb ramps now exist in Downtown
Westminster,” explained Utz.
Utz read-off a long list of state secretaries and dignitaries who traveled from
state offices in Baltimore and Annapolis for the occasion; including MD
Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary Gary
Maynard, Deputy Secretary J. Michael Stouffer, Public Safety Works
Coordinator John Rowley, Director of Corrections Felicia Hinton, and Facility
Administrator Leonard Rice.
Westminster and state officials cut the ribbon on downtown sidewalk retrofit project By Kevin E. Dayhoff,
Tuesday, November 05, 2013 page 2

3. Also present were
Department of Disabilities
Secretary Catherine
Raggio, Deputy Secretary
George Failla, Jr., and
Access Maryland Director
Cari Watrous as well as
MD Department of
Housing & Community
Development: Assistant
Secretary Carol Gilbert,
Director of Community
Programs Cindy Stone,
and Project Manager Dona
Sorce.
Along with Tony Romano,
a representative of Romano
Concrete Construction and
Ronnie Townes, 21, an inmate who helped build the curbs; MD Department of
Labor, Licensing and Regulation Coordinator, Career and Technology Programs
Ken Weeden, Field Director of Correctional Education Jack Cunning, and
David Bordley were there to cut the ribbon and discuss the unprecedented city,
state and private partnership.
According to information
provided by the
department of public
safety, DPSCS, the project
was “Grant-funded thanks
to work by the Maryland
Department of Housing
and Community
Development … The curb
project is the largest
project of its kind ever
done by inmates in the
DPSCS Public Safety
Works community project
initiative. The inmates
learned concrete skills
from Romano Concrete, a
longtime and valued partner with DPSCS.”
Westminster and state officials cut the ribbon on downtown sidewalk retrofit project By Kevin E. Dayhoff,
Tuesday, November 05, 2013 page 3

4. Westminster mayor Kevin Utz was
joined by Westminster Common
Council president Dr. Robert
Wack, council member Tony
Chiavacci, city administrator
Marge Wolf, public works director
Jeff Glass, police chief Jeff
Spaulding, , Community Programs
Specialist Sandy Anderson, city
engineer Mike Matov, assistant
street superintendent Wayne
Reifsnider and recreation and
parks director Abby Gruber.
Planning for the project began in
earnest after a similar, but much
smaller partnership was called to Glass’ attention in the summer of 2012. “We
submitted the grant application on August 27,” said Anderson. “The actual
work on the sidewalks began last May.”
“I’m very pleased that what
initially started as a
conversation with
Secretary Maynard and
Secretary Skinner has
become a model
partnership between the
City of Westminster and
three state agencies –
Disabilities, Public Safety
and Corrections, and
Housing and Community
Development,” said MD
Dept. of Disabilities
Secretary Catherine
Raggio. “As a result of this
partnership, we now have sidewalks that are safer and more accessible for
individuals with disabilities, seniors and others.”
Westminster and state officials cut the ribbon on downtown sidewalk retrofit project By Kevin E. Dayhoff,
Tuesday, November 05, 2013 page 4

5. “DPSCS worked with
the MD Dept. of Labor,
Licensing, and
Regulation to secure the
partnership with
Romano Concrete--with whom DPSCS
inmates previously
worked on the Eastern
Shore at Cambridge in a
similar but smaller
project,” according to
information provided by
DPSCS. “This project is
the first to give inmates
DLLR on-the-job
certifications.”
“It’s been a great
project… It’s made a big
difference for (getting
around) downtown,”
said Glass. Wolf and Utz agreed. “Everybody was a winner,” said Wolf.
Maynard called the inmate restorative justice initiative, “groundbreaking.”
“This is our largest community curb project yet,” said the DPSCS secretary.
“Our inmates have built or rebuilt more than 200 curbs, getting valuable skills
training from Tony Romano and his concrete tradesmen, and helping this nice
town become more accessible in the process.
Westminster and state officials cut the ribbon on downtown sidewalk retrofit project By Kevin E. Dayhoff,
Tuesday, November 05, 2013 page 5

6. “We call projects like these Public Safety Works ‘restorative justice’ programs,
because they allow inmates who want to pay society back with a really
meaningful way to do that.
“On any given day, we have more than 350 inmates out across the state of
Maryland doing meaningful projects. Right now, inmates are rebuilding a
skipjack on the Eastern Shore, gleaning fresh produce for the Maryland Food
Bank, planting millions of oyster spat, restoring battlefields, cemeteries and
playgrounds, and helping cities and non-profits with all kinds of projects they
couldn’t do otherwise.
“We are very serious about this particular kind of project here in Westminster--where inmates get actual skills training from professional tradespeople. We’re
having inmates trained in hazardous materials abatement and they’re taking
down the old House of Correction prison in Jessup, a deconstruction that’s
saving taxpayers at least five million dollars compared to the cost of demolition.
It’s the only project of its kind in the country.
Westminster and state officials cut the ribbon on downtown sidewalk retrofit project By Kevin E. Dayhoff,
Tuesday, November 05, 2013 page 6

7. “These skills should serve the inmates well and give them a leg up on jobs
when they get out and go home. I would love to talk to you today about how
Public Safety Works might be able to help your agency or non-profit.
Maynard also elaborated upon how the
partnership with the city gave the prison
inmates an opportunity to learn job skills.
“We may be in charge of keeping people
locked up,” continued the secretary, “but
what we really want is to set people free;
to free them from addictions and anger
issues, give them education and job skill
training, and turn them into productive
taxpaying citizens. After all, almost all
inmates will one day be getting out.”
“We are very serious about this particular kind of project here in Westminster--where inmates get actual skills training from professional tradespeople,”
remarked Maynard.
“This project, however, is about so much more than curbs and concrete,” said
Utz in agreement. “With this project, the Department of Labor, Licensing and
Regulation (DLLR) provided training for the inmates. With this project the state
corrections department has provided construction experience and positive
community participation for the inmates. With this project the inmates have
received certification from the DLLR for on the job training. With this project
the inmates participated in a major community project.
“Maynard was all smiles as he thanked the city and invited city officials to talk
about more opportunities for partnerships. “Thank you again for this wonderful
collaborative effort, and thank you, Mayor Utz, for allowing the Dept. of Public
Safety and Correctional Services to perform this important work in
Westminster.”
Utz added, “At this time I’d like to personally thank the inmates for their hard
work. Their work was crucial to the success of this project. Concrete lasts a
long time. We hope that the experience gained from this project will last even
longer. Thank you.”
*****
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Westminster and state officials cut the ribbon on downtown sidewalk retrofit project By Kevin E. Dayhoff,
Tuesday, November 05, 2013 page 7