There was a milestone hit this week at the Maryland Live! Casino at Arundel Mills.

Workers completed the exterior work of the $500 million gaming palace and 8-story parking garage, set to open in June. The topping-off ceremony took place Wednesday at the site, located around back of the mammoth mall off of Route 100 in Hanover.

Developer and owner David Cordish signed his name on a steel beam that was lifted to the building’s crown as part of the completion of the outside work.

By mid-June, officials estimate that 3,000 slot machines and electronic table games will greet patrons at the 300,000-square-foot casino and restaurant space owned and operated by the Cordish Co. of Baltimore. Another 1,750 machines will be added by the fall.

The casino development has been in full swing at the site since Anne Arundel County voters approved the plan in November 2010 on a referendum vote. Plans to build a casino in Baltimore City, roughly 15 miles away at a site near M&T Bank Stadium, are stalled.

Cordish officials say 2,500 workers are helping to build the casino at Arundel Mills and the casino is expected to employ another 1,500 when it opens.

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Saturday in Fulton, homebuilders Miller & Smith will unveil their Fells Point Collection of houses in Howard County’s Maple Lawn during a celebration called “the big reveal.”

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Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has pledged to seek a three-cent increase in the bottle tax this year as a way to help raise $300 million to help fund school construction and renovations.

In her first State of the City address since she was elected to a full term last fall, Rawlings-Blake challenged the City Council to pass legislation raising the bottle tax from two cents to a nickel next year “to be real” about helping to fix many of the city’s decaying schools. Other proposed revenue streams include revenues from slots parlors.  Both would be used to help secure $300 million in bond sales for the construction.

“State budget experts have warned that these financing proposals need more vetting — and so, together we must exercise due diligence,” a draft of Rawlings-Blake’s speech given Monday afternoon at City Hall said.

“The special interests and lobbyists will tell you there’s another way, but they won’t tell you how — they can’t. We need to be real. This is a big problem that requires shared sacrifice. It can’t be fixed with accounting gimmicks. It’s a new tax and its one we need to pass now to invest in our kids and our future.”

The mayor pushed the first bottle tax two years ago amid a bruising fight with the council and city businesses.

In her speech, she also highlighted her plan, unveiled late last year, to increase the city’s population by 10,000 over the next 10 years. She said the city is creating community job hubs in “areas with high unemployment and poverty, fully funding our one-stop career centers and adding year-round job opportunities for young people” and pledged to continue full funding of the Neighborhood Main Streets program as a way to help support small businesses.

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Members of the International Brotherhood of Mythical Creatures  are taking matters into their hands, hooves and paws.

The group released a statement from the North Pole on Monday afternoon officially declaring Kegasus, Lord of the InfieldFest at the Preakness, is missing.

Organizers of the event hinted at similar concerns earlier this month when they announced this year’s musical headliners, but skirted the question of the return of the centaur.

(As far as advertising campaigns go, this one seems to be on target with organizers’ desire to attract a younger, hipper crowd. It also avoids the fear of Jimmy Learned, president of Elevation Ltd., the advertising company that has been running the Preakness’ campaigns for the last two years: “doing vanilla work.”)

The Leprechaun and The Easter Bunny have launched campaigns to claim Kegasus’ title, much to the dismay of the council, which forbids members “from performing the duties of another member,” according to the statement.

“The IBOMC plans to convene an emergency board meeting to review its bylaws concerning the matter,” the brotherhood said.

No date for the meeting was announced.

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Tax increment financing in the district surrounding Harbor Point could change just as Exelon Corp. prepares to build its Baltimore headquarters there. McCormick & Co. Inc. also announced this week they will be opening a retail store at the Light Street Pavilion this summer. Those stories and more in this week’s business top 5.

1. Lawsuit filed to void state lab construction contract at EBDI – by Melody Simmons

A lawsuit seeking to void the $170 million construction contract awarded for a new state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene lab at the East Baltimore Development Inc. site was filed Monday as plaintiffs charge that the contract was awarded to Turner Construction Co. without competitive bidding.

The 82-page suit was filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court against the state Department of General Services, DGS Assistant Secretary Michael Gaines, the Maryland Economic Development Corp., Forest City-New East Baltimore Partnership LLC and Turner Construction by Arnold M. Jolivet, his wife, JoAnn, the Maryland Minority Contractors Association Inc., and JCM Control Systems Inc., a minority-owned business based in Baltimore County. Jolivet is managing director of the contractors association.

2. Exelon’s $250M Harbor Point project to include retail and residences – by Melody Simmons

Exelon Corp.’s new building on the city’s waterfront in Harbor Point will be part of a $250 million development and will attract about 4,500 permanent jobs, company officials said Wednesday.

Details of the project were unveiled Wednesday by Exelon executives and the developer, Harbor East Development Group LLC, less than a week after the energy giant announced it planned to build a tower reaching up to 20 stories on a 27-acre tract that once held the AlliedSignal chemical plant.

3. Changes to Harbor Point TIF district proposed – by Melody Simmons

In the wake of Exelon Corp.’s decision to locate its Baltimore headquarters at Harbor Point, the city’s development agency is seeking to fast-track consideration of broadening the scope of a 27-acre tax increment financing district there approved a year ago.

The move is part of sweeping changes proposed for Harbor Point that include the $120 million building and a new roadway and bridge crossing over Central Avenue and linking the now cobblestone street to the headquarters, Baltimore Development Corp. officials said Friday.

4. McCormick to launch first retail store at Inner Harbor – by Maria Zilberman

Sparks-based McCormick and Co. Inc. is venturing into retail, launching its first store this summer in the Light Street Pavilion at Harborplace.

The “McCormick World of Flavors” 3,800-plus square foot-center will showcase the company’s products as well as hold cooking demonstrations by McCormick’s chefs and celebrity chefs using the firm’s products. There will be a gift shop and interactive family activities, such as finding your personal flavor profile and tracking the origin of spices.

5. TIF use could grow in Maryland with new legislation – by Melody Simmons

Legislation to expand the use of tax increment financing in certain growth areas of the state is expected to be introduced in the General Assembly next week, according to Jon Laria, chair of the Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission.

During a hearing before the House Environmental Matters Committee on Tuesday, Laria said the bill would allow for “more tools in the toolkit” to attract development and help promote smart growth with TIFs.

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Last week’s announcement that Giant Food was leaving its long-time location at the Rotunda to relocate to the site of a Fresh & Green’s  store less than a mile away sparked intense speculation about the future of the Rotunda as a retail center.

The mall has been a gathering place in north Baltimore since 1971 and has ebbed and flowed with several eateries, boutiques and shops over the years. Today it is nearly vacant.

Plans unveiled five years ago to pump $70 million into the site to redevelop it into a mixed-use space to include a hotel, expanded retail and office space, 302 apartments, 12 townhomes and 44 condominiums stalled. Now comes word that Giant is clearing out its shelves and moving on.

The future of the food store has kept the Rotunda’s owners, New Jersey-based Hekemian & Co., on hold for years, said Chris Bell, senior vice president for development.

Bell said Giant has been in limbo to remain at the site since 2009 — even as plans were underway to expand the size of the store there from 35,000 square feet to 70,000 square feet.

“We have been sitting on our hands since then waiting for Giant,” Bell said Friday.

What is the status of the changes at Rotunda today?

“It’s on more than ever,” he said. “The response we’re getting from the real estate community and the citizen community is excellent. We’ve heard from every major brokerage house, wanting to know when we are going to put our tenant mix together. We are starting the process to redo the program right now.”

City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke’s office said a community meeting is being planned in the next month to discuss the future of the development Hekemian reps.

“There have been a ton of calls,” said Jermaine Johnson, an aide to Clarke. “Most of them are of the sentiment that now that Giant is leaving, what can be done? They think it could bring in new life here. I don’t think people are distressed.”

Johnson said many are talking up an idea to lobby Trader Joe’s to locate a store in the old Giant site, bringing the grocer’s eclectic and affordable offerings closer to Hampdenites and Roland Parkers.

“That seems to be the fan favorite,” Johnson said, of the calls to City Hall.

Johns Hopkins University, which purchased the former Zurich insurance office complex located next door, is not interested in adding the Rotunda to its real estate holdings.

Spokeswoman Tracey Reeves said this week that is simply not in the institution’s future.

“Johns Hopkins has not purchased the Rotunda nor are we interested in buying it,” Reeves said in an email.

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KLNB Retail will be the sales broker for the proposed Aberdeen Station, a retail center now on the drawing board for a site near the Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Harford County’s latest commercial strip is expected to have four to six free-standing retailers using 70,000 square feet of space. The merchandising mix is expected to include a food store, convenience store/fuel station, bank and sit-down restaurants. Developer Frankel Properties expects to break ground on the project this year for a 2013 target completion date.

Aberdeen Station will be located on 10 acres on Route 40 near the Route 715 intersection.

“Retail development in the Aberdeen Proving Ground marketplace has not kept pace with the accelerated growth of Class A commercial office space over the past several years and the resultant influx of new employees to the region,” said Patrick A.M. Miller, a principal at KLNB. “The 2.5 million-square-foot APG Command Center was completed last fall, and a multitude of developers have delivered and leased several million square feet of additional space both within and just outside the gates of Aberdeen Proving Ground over the past several years. The immediate marketplace remains underserved for day-to-day retail amenities including various restaurant concepts, soft and hard goods and basic amenities.”

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This week, the Board of Public Works voted to rename the Jeffrey Building at 16 Francis Street in Annapolis in honor of Fred L. Wineland, a former state delegate and senator and secretary of state from Prince George’s County.

The Jeffrey Building was built in 1965 and is home today to the state’s Department of Planning, Department of Veterans Affairs and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security.

Wineland was a World War II veteran and served in the Pacific. He was secretary of state for Maryland from 1971 to 1982 and also served on the Maryland Port Commission.

“Fred Wineland served Maryland for more than 40 years in elected and appointed capacities with the highest degree of ethics and concern for Marylanders’ well-being,” said Department of General Services Secretary Alvin C. Collins. “In view of Mr. Wineland’s service and dedication, it is wonderful that the Board of Public Works has voted to bestow this honor on such an outstanding citizen.”

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Movie goers will revel in the news this week that the historic Senator Theatre is moving forward with its renovations, thanks to a $300,000 state tax credit.

Look for the Art Deco theater on York Road to add two screens, a wine bar and new seating in the big house that will now hold 600 seats. The upgrades will be complete renovations to the theater

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TIDBITS: The Mall in Columbia announced this week a new Sketchers sneakers and casual shoes store will open there in May …  Everyman Theatre officials say they are continuing efforts to raise money to help pay for the new house at 315 W. Fayette St., now under renovation and construction … Yet another corner drug store? A new Walgreens will be dedicated in Towson on Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. at 939 York Rd.

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What’s so great about Wegmans Food Markets? According to a recent report by Fortune magazine, the mega-grocer and specialty foods store has never laid off an employee.

That’s good news for Marylanders, who are awaiting the opening of a Wegmans in Columbia in June, with additional plans for a store in Owings Mills.

“When Wegmans Food Markets has to eliminate a position, they make sure they find the displaced employee another job that they will be passionate about within the company,” the report said.

“When their Britton Road store in Rochester, N.Y. closed last summer, they offered all of the store’s employees a job at another location in the same city. Within two weeks, all 250 employees from the Britton Road store knew exactly what they were going to be doing.”

The Rochester, N.Y.-based chain opened a store in Hunt Valley in 2005 and another in Abingdon in mid-September. There are also locations in Lanham and Frederick.

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Racking up “likes” on Facebook or Twitter followers could help a group of University of Maryland students win $5,000 toward a cause of their choice and a private jet to Atlanta for courtside seats at an NBA game.

The two prizes are part of a contest announced at last Saturday’s men’s basketball game, when the Terps got a video message from actor Kevin Bacon.

The university has teamed up with the film star for the “Do Good Challenge,” aimed at encouraging students to engage in philanthropy.

“What we’re trying to do here is get a lot of people out doing good, and to promote giving and make a difference at the same time,” said Robert Grimm, who is directing the challenge and also directs the University’s Philanthropy and Nonprofit Management program.

Eleven groups registered in the first 48 hours, Grimm said.

Students can start their own projects, work with an existing student group, or work with a nonprofit.

“I want to see how you can use your creativity to encourage social change,” Bacon said in his video message.

Students have until March 26 to submit a statement explaining the impact they’ve had and what they’ve learned.

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A lone insurance adjuster stood by what was left of a dilapidated row house in Johnston Square Thursday morning, taking photos for what certainly will be an upcoming claim.

The address in ruins was in the 800 block of E. Preston Street, just south of the historic Greenmount Cemetery. It was part of a $5.3 million rehab project of scattered vacant houses in the community, funded mostly with federal stimulus money. Mi Casa, a Washington-based nonprofit, is the developer of the project.

Thursday, what’s left of the house littered the site, with nail-studded beams loosely hanging in a perilous position from the top story, aimed at the sidewalk below.

What exactly happened, though, is in dispute.

Top city housing officials including Commissioner Paul T. Graziano said Wednesday they did not know of the collapse of the structure.

Graziano’s spokesperson, Cheron Porter, said in an emailed statement Thursday: “Mi Casa’s end of group structure at 818 E Preston completely collapsed. It is fenced off and the debris is contained on site. They had permits, and it seems they were onsite and handled the incident themselves. They have not taken any additional action (re: new permits to reconstruct). The go forward issues are not principally code enforcement ones. They will have to appropriately permit the rebuild, or the razing of the foundation.”

A neighbor across the street on Thursday described how the rowhouse “just collapsed” one day last month, sending a loud boom across the community.

The insurance adjuster, said he was informed that the house had collapsed on Jan. 20, “and thank God, no one was in it or near it.” It went unreported for a couple of weeks, he added.

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