New Community Group Forming in Arbutus

A group of Arbutus homeowners have formed a new community improvement association to tackle issues they feel are not addressed by other organizations.

"We are in hopes of promoting positive change by improving the physical and social conditions of our neighborhood," says Nikki Marlatt-Young, one of six core members who met last weekend at Leon's on East Drive to begin organizing Arbutus Improvement Association.

The core organizers will meet once more in April before unveiling AIA and opening the group to the public in May.

Initially AIA is seeking membership in the area of Arbutus roughly between Sulphur Spring Road and Elm, west of Oregon Drive - a townhouse community near Arbutus Elementary School.

"We didn't want to take on too much at once," Marlatt-Young says.

As AIA grows, the organization may expand its scope to include larger residential areas of Arbutus, she adds.

Plans call for AIA to meet monthly, although a regular meeting place has not been chosen.

The group will allow residents to come together to address issues that affect quality of life and home values in the Arbutus area.

"Our community has had a lot of problems," Marlatt-Young says. "It's beginning to deteriorate. People are moving out. We want to clean up the neighborhood and bring people together as a community again."

Years ago Arbutus had an improvement association, which fell into inactivity. There is also the Arbutus Business and Professional Association, which as its name implies represents the area's commercial interests, as well as the Arbutus Community Association, an all-male private club that operates Town Hall and sponsors special events such as the Santa House and other projects in the community.

Marlatt-Young says that AIA will work closely with ABPA and ACA, as well as other neighboring improvement associations in Relay, Halethorpe, Violetville, Lansdowne and Baltimore Highlands.

For further information about AIA, contact Marlatt-Young at 410-300-8699 or arbutusimprovementassociation@yahoo.com