Last fall, we announced that Baltimore high school students had the opportunity
to design a Red Line station through a partnership with The ACE Mentor Program.
In May, over 250 students, parents, mentors, directors, and corporate sponsors
of the ACE Mentor Program of Baltimore gathered at the B&O Railroad Museum
in Baltimore to unveil the students' conceptual designs for the Red Line light
rail station and celebrate the ten scholarship winners. Presenting schools
included: Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Carver Center for Arts & Technology,
Carver Vocational-Technical High School, Digital Harbor High School/Oakland
Mills High, Eastern Technical High School, McDonogh School, Mount De Sales
Academy, Mount Saint Joseph High School, New Town High School, and the
REACH! Partnership School.
The Architecture, Construction, Engineering Mentoring Program (ACE Baltimore)
is a unique partnership of architects, construction managers, engineers, designers,
professional organizations, high schools and universities, whose objective is to
give high school students the chance to explore careers in the building professions.
This year, students selected a stop along the proposed Red Line route. Through
a semester-long series of after-school discussions and hands-on workshops
conducted by over 100 mentors from 23 Baltimore-based firms, students were
guided through the design, engineering and construction of a real-life transit
station.
The MTA worked with ACE Baltimore to help students understand how the character
of the station, pedestrian access, safety, and parking are key factors to consider at
a transit station. Students and mentors were provided with an exclusive site tour of
the MTA Metro Subway operations center, visiting everything from the railway to
the control room. They heard from guest speakers and practiced hands-on skills
for how to analyze the social and economic impacts of the project. Greater than
the technical aspects of station design, the students also learned that community
is a critical element, and that the most effective way to design a station is to
work with the people who live nearby.
In 2010, ACE Baltimore celebrated its 7th year in Baltimore in partnership with
the City of Baltimore, and awarded over $20 thousand in scholarships to local
high school seniors pursuing their education in Architecture, Construction and
Engineering disciplines. More than two-thirds of ACE alumni currently major in
these fields or are already employed in the industry. Special thanks to MTA for
being a sponsor to ACE Baltimore through a $5,000 donation of which $2,500
supported scholarships.
STATION DESIGN IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
The ACE project served as a great model for the upcoming creation of Station Area
Advisory Committees (SAAC). You can participate in the process by volunteering to
serve on your area SAAC. The nomination process is open until August 25.
For more information about SAAC, its nomination and selection process,
and to download a nomination form, visit the MTA Red Line website.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Please join us at one of Baltimore's many festivals to learn more about the
Sunday Farmers Market Under I-83 June 6, 2010
Red Line project. Representatives will be on hand to answer your questions.
St. Nick's Greek Folk Festival June 10-13, 2010
St. Anthony Italian Festival June 12-13, 2010
Tour Dem Parks June 13, 2010
African American Heritage Festival June 18-20, 2010
Latino Fest June 26-27, 2010
