Monday, July 30, 2007

If the weather gets better we can get together...

Just a couple of quick item to share.

First, the county council just passed the package of green building legislation, which made the people I work with rather happy (me too, but not, apparently, Jessie). I'm sure you'll get all the details from the local papers in the next couple days.

In other county news, the Department of Planning and Zoning introduced an RSS feed today. If, like me, you can't get enough information about planning, zoning and development matters (really, who can't?), you'll love it. I'd say it's a safe bet that you'll soon see a DPZ RSS widget on this blog sometime soon.

And finally, if there's one thing we aren't left wanting for in Columbia it's meetings. Indeed, the glut of Columbia-related events makes it hard for most normal people to keep track of everything. Well, the good people at the Columbia Association have made keeping tabs on the packed schedule a bit easier with this new, online calendar, which is surprisingly sophisticated and powerful. The only drawback: No more excuses for missing meetings.

6 comments:

Cathy Hudson said...

The CA's calendar is awesome!!! Does anyone know whether the software is available or was it customed designed? It is exactly what I am looking for for county wide citizen use. (particularly for environmental groups/events/meetings)

Anonymous said...

County wide? It looked like CA events only.

Anonymous said...

Cathy:

As the Senior Systems Engineer (Derrick Semeneh) with the Columbia Association I can answer your question regarding the CA Calendar.

The calendar was COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) software. However we extensively customized it.

If you're interested in the base product, please visit...

www.mhsoftware.com

Please note CA does not endorse nor are we affiliated with www.mhsoftware.com in any way. We're simply providing the information at your request.

To answer the other question, currently we have calendars for every Village Center, and nearly every Columbia Association facility (Sport & Fitness, etc). Keep an eye on the calendar as we plan to continue to add departments to it!

Please let them know that the Columbia Association referred you.

Enjoy!

PS: I found this log when reviewing our website stats, this page was one of the referrers great site.

Anonymous said...

Well done County Council! Congratulations!!
Let's not lose sight of the forest AND the trees by going easy on the bigger picture, however. This is a great first step, but just a step. Let's not let this small success lull us into a false sense of complacency.

Our watersheds are still a real mess locally and beyond and can be improved in spite of naysayers who believe the current status is the inevitable consequence of our populated location. There much doable work to be done, environmentally speaking in many areas.

DPZ, Hayduke, CES, et al, please make sure this new legislation is not used as a new & improved loophole for developers to create unintended consequences environmentally. Please be sure that Howard County is not left holding the bag (or the EPA fines) on approved projects that were/are not well thought out.
Be careful to make sure EIS (environmental impact studies) are done by those without a vested interest in the outcome. Hopefully this legislation is a tool that represents the “real deal” in terms of positive outcomes, but the proof will be in the proverbial pudding. Your constituency is watching closely.
Good Luck & Best Wishes!

Anonymous said...

How's that for responsiveness from CA?

Thanks, Derrick!

Cathy Hudson said...

Derrick,
Thanks so much for the info. I really appreciate your quick response!!
Cathy