Baltimore’s entrepreneurs want a helping hub, according to a study released earlier this month by the Innovation Allian ce of Baltimore.

More than 85 percent of the 170-plus people surveyed said they would use a “hub,” a communal space for meetings, mentoring and educational programs to connect the area’s entrepreneurs.

The hub would removes barriers “to community and connectivity” and “could not only fill the gaps identified in the survey, but emerge as a new model that measures itself by job generation and wealth creation that is replicable and sustainable,” the report said.

The Alliance also held a town hall meeting with entrepreneurs, investors, attorneys and other community members and professionals.

The $75,000 study was paid for by Baltimore’s Abell Foundation. Burtonsville-based Facility Logix conducted the study and provided recommendations, including how the proposed hub should operate.

You can see the full report here.

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City officials and mid-town community activists are preparing to open a new dog park at Centre and Howard Streets.

Howard’s Park, a tiny sliver of green near the light rail station on Centre Street, will soon open as an off-leash island for four-footed friends of all sizes. The park will be fenced off this spring and separated into three sections, one for large dogs, one for smaller dogs and a place in between for dog owners to “gather and socialize,” according to a community newsletter from the Mt. Vernon-Belvedere Association.

Planners for the park are hoping to raise an additional $5,000 for the effort to complete construction, the newsletter said. Already, the city, the MVBA and the Mount Vernon Place Conservancy have contributed to the new park.

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New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg gave $5 million to the Open Society Institute-Baltimore on Thursday to help fund a local effort that aims to help keep city teens in school and boost graduation rates.

Bloomberg’s gift will help underwrite OSI’s Accelerated Pathways Initiative, part of the nonprofit’s education and youth development project.

The Accelerated Pathways Initiative is a five-year program that works with pre-K through high school students to support school reforms, create new schools and foster learning in and outside of the classrooms, OSI officials said.

It creates “rigorous, supportive and accelerated high school options in Baltimore that will significantly increase graduation rates and post-secondary success, particularly for the city’s African American male students,” an OSI statement released Friday said.

“Mayor Bloomberg shares our deep commitment to ensure that all children have access to a challenging academic program and the encouragement and support they need to graduate well prepared for successful futures,” said Diana Morris, director of OSI-Baltimore, who is also serving as acting executive director of the Open Society Foundations’ U.S. Programs.

Bloomberg, a 1964 graduate of the Johns Hopkins University, with a degree in electrical engineering, was visiting Baltimore for the dedication of the $1.1 billion Johns Hopkins Hospital facility Thursday.

Part of the new hospital building in East Baltimore, the Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children’s Center, was named in honor of the mayor’s mother. Bloomberg is a major donor to  Hopkins.

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The city’s Board of Estimates will hold its annual Taxpayers’ Night on Wednesday beginning at 6 p.m. at the War Memorial Building near City Hall.

The event is a public forum on the proposed 2013 budget of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, which will also be the topic of several public hearings before the City Council this spring.

Facing a $48 million budget deficit, Rawlings-Blake last month proposed the $2.3 billion operating budget that calls for a reduction of the municipal workforce by eliminating 231 positions that are now vacant.

The budget proposes to lower the property tax rate by 2 cents per $100 of assessed value.

The proposed budget also has several cuts; the mayor also has proposed to close three fire houses in the city, some recreational centers and a reduce hours for some public libraries. City workers and retirees would pay more for health benefits and current employees would not receive a cost-of-living raise under the proposal that would take effect on July 1.

Taxpayers’ Night gives citizens a chance to voice concerns about the city’s budget proposal before the Board of Estimates. The board is headed City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young, and also includes Rawlings-Blake, City Comptroller Joan Pratt, Director of Public Works Alfred Foxx and City Solicitor George Nilson.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the War Memorial Building, located at 101 N. Gay St.

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The new – though mostly unaltered – look of the Baltimore Ravens was released Tuesday by Nike, which has taken over from Reebok as the official manufacturer of gear for all 32 NFL teams. The most visible change for Baltimore’s team is a purple ribbon along the jersey’s previously all-black collar.

At a New York City event on Tuesday, Nike presented the “Elite 51“  uniforms, which, among other things, the company says are lighter than their predecessors.

The new gear will be available for pre-order online starting April 15. The Ravens Nike jerseys will be available at the Sports Legends Museum on West Camden Street in Baltimore  starting April 26, and at other authorized retailers starting April 27, said Patrick Gleason, media relations manager for the team.

The jerseys available at the Ravens’ online store are $92, $125 and $325, depending on if the jersey is a “replica,” “premium,” or “authentic” model. If Nike’s online store is any indication, jersey prices are changing: both the lower and middle end jerseys will see a bump in price, to $100 and $135, respectively, while the highest end jersey, Nike’s “Elite” model, is $250.

But, those won’t necessarily be the costs across the board, Gleason said.

“As of right now, there will be an adjustment in price,” he said, adding that “prices can/will vary depending on the retailer, and that includes buying from Nike.com, our team stores or any official NFL-apparel retailer.”

Only the Seattle Seahawks uniform underwent a makeover.

Photos from Nikeinc.com

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After an agonizing, nail-biting wait, the search is over: Kegasus is back.

When the Maryland Jockey Club announced the headliners for this year’s Preakness InfieldFest, its officials evaded questions about the return of the beer-drinking centaur who was the mascot of last year’s event.

In February, a mysterious, anonymous campaign to replace Kegasus with the Easter Bunny or the Leprechaun launched.

Today, MJC announced that Kegasus will again be the face of the event.

But it doesn’t end there for the half-man, half-horse mythical creature: Standing tall at Kegasus’ side will be UniCarl, a “part human, part unicorn, part personal assistant and part personal trainer,” according to a statement by MJC.

“We are honored to work hand-in-hand with the Maryland Jockey Club to evolve last year’s campaign, bringing a fresh look to what’s become a fun and engaging icon,” said Jimmy Learned, president and founder of Washington, D.C.-based Elevation Ltd., the advertising company that has been running the Preakness’ campaigns for the last two years.

“We have again created a campaign that will galvanize that younger demographic. It speaks their language. We are all looking forward to yet another legendary InfieldFest.”

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Baltimore’s quasi-city agency that oversees development has posted a detailed job description for its soon-to-be-vacant head job following the retirement of M.J. “Jay” Brodie last month.

The Baltimore Development Corp. is seeking a “well-qualified economic development official” as president and CEO, a post that also holds a seat in the cabinet of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the job posting on the BDC’s website says.

Rawlings-Blake will hire a replacement for Brodie, who is stepping down after 16 years, subject to approval of the City Council.

The ideal candidate, the job posting says, will have “strong leadership qualities and possess thorough knowledge and experience in urban economic development, a passion for business and real estate development, and demonstrate a successful track record in the strategic planning, implementation and completion of complex projects, business negotiations and organizational restructuring.”

Among the other duties, the candidate is responsible for:

– Creating a strategic economic development plan with the BDC board of directors, mayor’s office and public and private partners
– Recruiting new businesses and supporting existing businesses that create job opportunities for city residents
– Providing business assistance and opportunities for minority- and women-owned and small businesses
– Facilitating new commercial development projects in Baltimore
– Actively and strategically marketing Baltimore as a premier urban location to do business and real estate development
– Actively advocating for public policies and development projects that support Baltimore’s economic growth

Brodie’s salary in 2009 was $204,175, according to the latest federal documents with BDC compensation on file.

Applications will be accepted through April 6, the posting says.

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A moratorium on placing liens on city houses solely for unpaid water or sewer charges will be introduced Monday night at the Baltimore City Council following a scathing audit that showed widespread problems in the city’s billing system.

City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young and City Councilman Carl Stokes said Monday they planned to introduce a resolution to halt listing properties in the city’s annual tax sale based solely on unpaid water or sewer charges for up to two years. In May 2010, 851 properties were included in the city’s tax sale based solely on estimated readings for a year or more.

An audit of the water and sewer billing process found the Department of Public Works had over-billed up to 70,000 customers, which will result in refunds totaling more than $4 million. Other homes with new water meters had not received water bills for three years, the audit found.

The audit also found that the department relied on estimated meter readings for a year or more in more than 18,000 properties — and that 2,600 customers received estimated bills for at least four-and-a-half years.

“I’ve encountered too many constituents on fixed incomes who routinely have to choose between feeding their families and buying needed medication or paying improperly estimated water bills, which if left unpaid have the danger of forcing them into homelessness,” Young said in a statement. “It’s time we do something serious to remedy this situation which has driven too many Baltimoreans further into poverty.”

Young’s office said he plans to introduce later this month an ordinance to enforce the moratorium through a change in city law.

The audit also found that a quarter of the total, adjusted water billings over the past three years were the result of estimated billings, which totaled $31.7 million. Some customers complained that efforts to correct the billing errors resulted in over-billings.

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The Board of Estimates, Baltimore’s spending panel, will hear Wednesday a protest from resident and community activist Kim Trueheart on an agenda item she called “foul” and “awful.”

Trueheart, who said she has been coming to the Board of Estimates’ weekly meetings since August, filed a protest to the $20,800 request by the Department of Recreation and Parks for a driver for agency administrators and staff.

“I think in an austere budget crunch, justifying a wasteful, potentially abusive measure like that, in light of closing recreation centers, is completely inappropriate and lacks fiscal discipline,” she said.

Though Trueheart said she does not expect the board to reject the item, she is looking for the chance to have her concern heard.

For at least the last two years, the BOE has approved a driver for the agency, according to the board’s online minutes.

“It’s a new year,” Trueheart said. “If we’re really pinching pennies, then this kind of decision making is in really poor taste.”

Gwendolyn Chambers, a spokeswoman for the Department of Recreation and Parks, said the agency does not comment on personnel matters.

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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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