Ladies and gentlemen, get your coin purses ready: The first 100 slot machines arrived Wednesday at the Maryland Live! Casino in Hanover.

Having the machines up and running on the casino floor “really brings some reality to how close we are to the completion of this project,” said Rob Norton, president and general manager.

“Every day, pretty much from here all the way to the latter part of April, we will be moving machines and continuing to expand the casino floor,” he said.

About 2,000 machines are being stored at a nearby facility — Norton isn’t disclosing just where that is — where they are tested and configured before being brought to the casino, located at the Arundel Mills mall.

The slots will include Monopoly, “Wheel of Fortune,” “Sex and the City,” “The Wizard of Oz” and Hot Shots, as well as a full line of quick hit and progressive machines, and electronic game tables.

The casino is slated to open with 3,100 slot machines in June. By the fall, the $500 million casino will reach full capacity, touting 4,750 slot machines – the most of any casino in the state.

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A city commission voted Tuesday to add two downtown buildings on the city’s Westside to the list of Baltimore City Landmarks.

The Baltimore Commission on Historical & Architectural Preservation voted to add the old Baltimore Equitable Society Building at 21 N. Eutaw St. and the Turnbull Building at 311 and 313 W. Baltimore St. to the list after a brief hearing Tuesday near City Hall.

The old Baltimore Equitable Society Building is located across from the Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center. It is now Alewife, a restaurant and pub owned by Bill Carr.

The Turnbull Building, located around the corner, is being converted to 18 apartments by owner Ibrahim Sheikh.

The vote by CHAP means both designations will move on to the city’s Planning Commission for approval to the list. If that is received, the proposals will be forwarded to the City Council for a vote.

The Baltimore City Landmarks list holds structures that have historical significance to the city, said Kirby Fowler, president of the Downtown Business Partnership of Baltimore.

Criteria for selection to the list includes “the quality of significance in Baltimore history, architecture, archeology, engineering,” according to the CHAP website.

Photo: Beer in Baltimore

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Tough decisions are being made in Annapolis about the state budget, and the long-time director of the Walter’s Art Museum announced he would be stepping down. Those stories and more in this week’s business top 5.

1. Analyst: ‘Doomsday Budget’ would cost 500 state jobs – by Alexander Pyles

Hundreds of state jobs would be eliminated and agencies would face across-the-board budget cuts should the Maryland Senate choose to pass a so-called “Doomsday Budget,” according to the state’s director of the Office of Policy Analysis in the Department of Legislative Services.

“I am not going to say the world would come to an end if all of this were to come to pass,” Warren G. Deschenaux told the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee Tuesday. “But it would be a different world.”

2. Beatty sealing Harbor East’s deals – by Melody Simmons

Days before Exelon Corp.’s Feb. 1 announcement that it had chosen to build a $120 million tower at Harbor Point, a frantic, last-ditch effort was underway by some in the local development community to steer the company toward the city’s central business core.

The flurry included a failed attempt by Pikesville developer Stephen Gorn to gain a $41 million payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, tax break at the site of the former McCormick & Co. spice plant — a quest that raced through the board of the Baltimore Development Corp. and into the office of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake at lightning speed.

3. Walters’ Vikan to step down as director – by Maria Zilberman

The best thing about the Walters Art Museum, according to Gary Vikan, is a Saturday afternoon.

“You just stand in that lobby and watch parents and children and young couples, African Americans, Hispanics — this is what a museum should be,” said the Mount Vernon museum’s director.

Vikan, 65, has served in his position for 18 years and has been with the museum for 27. He will step down at the end of June 2013, or once a successor is found, the museum announced Wednesday.

4. Editorial: Progress at Harborplace – by Daily Record staff

There are encouraging signs of renewal amid the noise and sawdust at Harborplace, the Baltimore waterfront’s aging, iconic centerpiece that turns 32 years old this summer.

While the extreme makeover is still a work in progress and some current tenants have closed temporarily because of the renovations, Harborplace officials say they are on schedule to unveil a spiffed up and —most important — 95 percent-occupied Light Street Pavilion in time for Memorial Day weekend.

5. Bethesda-based HMSHost will keep its travel plaza protest alive – by Alexander Pyles

Lawyers for the losing bidder on a project to renovate two Interstate 95 travel plazas will try to convince the Board of Public Works on Wednesday that the Maryland Transportation Authority violated procurement law in the bid process.

The board could vote on the contract award during its regular meeting Wednesday morning in Annapolis.

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Two local firms have won design kudos in the Wood Works Wood Design Awards.

Ayers Saint Gross Inc. recently won the commercial wood design category for the Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center and Smith Education Center in Charlottesville, Va.

The design uses wood as the primary building material to complement the brick architecture of Jefferson’s historic and grand house, Monticello, and it reflects the surrounding natural beauty of the property.

The King Hall Galley Renovation in Annapolis won the interior beauty of wood category.

The awards are given in eight categories and entries were submitted from design and architectural firms in 20 states.

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How’s this for personal service?

Charm City Concierge has just inked a deal to serve the seven General Growth Properties properties in the Columbia Corporate Center that are leased and managed by Cushman & Wakefield.

The CCC will add to its team of 40 for this effort that will help GGP secure, retain and expand relationships with tenants, a release send this week said.

“Our goal is to be of service to the people that are most important to GGP,” said Tina Urquhart, president of Charm City Concierge. “We do this by getting to know their tenants personally and providing memorable service experiences that improve their lives and enhances their work environment.”

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NAI KLNB recently sold a 44,800-square-foot warehouse and distribution building located at 225 Talbot Road in Chestertown for $1.47 million.

Jim Caronna, Principal for NAI KNLB represented both the buyer, KRM Development and the seller, 225 Talbot Road LLC.

The site was formerly occupied by the Wisco Envelope Co. as a mid-sized manufacturing plant. Under the new owners, the building will be used by the Dixon Specialty Products Division of Wisco to manufacture industrial hose couplings and accessories.

“We were in need of a well-maintained building with an expansive and flexible floor plate that would be suitable for creating a manufacturing plant,” said Ron Athey, president of KRM Development, the real estate division for the Dixon Valve Co. “It was also important for the facility to be large enough to incorporate a warehouse element. In addition to the strategic location of 225 Talbot Road, this building satisfied each of our requirements,” he added.

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The University of Maryland Faculty Physicians has signed a lease for 8,182 square feet at 5500 Knoll North Drive in Columbia for a new University of Maryland Orthopedics outpatient center.

The facility will join Columbia Medical Practice, US Physical Therapy, 1st Choice Chiropractic, Audiology First, Earl Wilkinson MD, LabCorp, Chesapeake Oncology, St. Agnes Hospital Cardiology and Johns Hopkins Cardiology at the Columbia Medical Campus near the intersection of Routes 175 and 29.

The University of Maryland was represented by CBRE broker David Fields, while Montecito Medical hired brokers Kim Penny and Laura Westervelt, also with CBRE, for the transaction.

“University of Maryland is a recognized leader in the healthcare industry, and its Orthopedics Program is ranked as one of the nation’s 50 best by U.S. News & World Report. We could not be more pleased to welcome the physicians to their new location in Columbia Medical Center,” said David McNeil, MMAC Senior Vice President, Asset Management.

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TIDBITS: A temporary pedestrian bridge is now open on Fort Avenue where the $6 million bridge replacement work has been gridlocking the Locust Point peninsula near the new McHenry Row development for months now. The new bridge is expected to be completed in early summer … Merritt Properties has leased 8,763 square feet to the healthcare management firm Strategic Health Solutions LLC at 8830 Stanford Boulevard in Columbia. Jamie Campbell, Liz Tarran-Jones, Vince Bagli and Steve Shaw negotiated the deal for Merritt … School construction updates: Bidding is open for the $10 million renovation and addition to Stoneleigh Elementary School in Baltimore County. Meanwhile, the $58 million project to build a modern, new Carver Center for the Arts and Technology in Towson is nearing completion. A nostalgic walk-through the old school is being planned for alumni before that building is razed this summer to make way for new playing fields … New owners of what used to be Sanders’ Corner on the scenic, rural Cromwell Bridge Road are preparing to reopen the restaurant as McFaul’s IronHorse Tavern at Sanders’ Corner. Target date to begin serving brunch, lunch and dinner (and a variety of beers) is early May … Besides the butterflies and dandelions now showing early spring glory, many Rita’s stores are now open for business again.

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Sprinkles Cupcakes, the Beverly Hills-based bakery that started a dessert revolution, may have just done it again.

By Friday, the company hopes to have its first cupcake vending machine up and running, dispensing its palm-sized treats 24 hours a day.

The first one will be at the original Beverly Hills store, but the company plans to install the pink ATMs in every city with a Sprinkles bakery, spokeswoman Nicole Schwartz said.

Though that doesn’t bode well for Marylanders — our closest Sprinkles is in D.C. — it got me thinking: What local favorite would you want at your dispensing disposal?

My vote might go to Dangerously Delicious Pies, especially when sour cherry’s on the menu.

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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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Changes are coming to the Rotunda in Hampden and to the Light Street Pavilion at Harborplace, and East Baltimore residents rallied again in protest of EBDI. Those stories and more in this week’s business top 5.

1. Rotunda changes loom – by Melody Simmons

Outside the stately Rotunda development in Hampden Tuesday evening, the late winter sun set against a clear sapphire sky, offering a peaceful view.

Inside, the scene was less serene.

A group of local residents and business owners gathered for a meeting on the future of the mixed-use development that opened in 1971 as a retail hub in North Baltimore.

2. A big renewal for Harborplace – by Maria Zilberman

Right now, there is sawdust and only a handful of retail stores and restaurants open for business.

But come Memorial Day weekend, officials are hoping that an invigorated — and 95 percent occupied — Light Street Pavilion will greet Inner Harbor tourists.

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Last week, 27 multi-unit properties in the Mt. Vernon Historic District were auctioned by Alex Cooper Real Estate — an event that included 50 registered bidders and a renewed air of optimism about the market.

The bankruptcy auction, held in Towson at the Alex Cooper office, centered on several apartment houses along Calvert and St. Paul streets, and on other historic streets in center city, many three- and four-story stately brick buildings that hold up to 2,100 square feet of space.

Auctioneer Paul Cooper reported that the buildings that sold went for up to $60,000 per unit with a 25-day close. Some were bought back by lenders. Locations like 10 E. Biddle St. sold for $388,500; 1210 N. Calvert St. for $220,500 and 802-804 Cathedral St. for $630,000.

“The pace of bidding and activity” of the auction rivaled 2005, Cooper reported.

In addition, Cooper said a 24-unit apartment project on Melrose Avenue between York Road and Charles Street was also auctioned last week and attracted 18 registered bidders.

“I see a definite uptick of investors into the marketplace,” he said, of both auctions.

Two days prior to the Mt. Vernon auction, bidders were required to submit bids in writing, and some started as low as $100,000. That paced the sales, Cooper said, at a fast-moving clip.

Overall, it was an example that the investment market is ramping up locally again, Cooper said.

“It was like taking orders at a deli at lunch time,” Cooper said jokingly, of the Mt. Vernon auction.

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A new branch of the upscale BRIO Tuscan Grille opened March 2 at the busy corner of Pratt and Calvert streets, a prime restaurant space that’s been vacant for five years since Legal Seafood closed.

The restaurant’s menu features a variety of Italian fare including soup, salads, pasta, steaks and grilled fish, chicken and lamb and pork chops.

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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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The 416-acre private business park at Aberdeen Proving Ground is growing.

A three-story, Class “A” office building has broken ground, and owner St. John Properties Inc. says it expects new tenants to move in this fall.

The 75,000-square foot building will be located at 6190 Guardian Gateway within the Government and Technology Enterprise, or GATE, project, a business community located inside the Harford County Army base.

This fall, when the building is completed, St. John will have built a total of 10 office and research and development buildings within three years at the site, totaling more than 625,000 square feet of space.

“We continue to see demand at the GATE as firms look to join or expand their presence inside the fence line of APG,” said Matt Holbrook, regional partner for St. John Properties.

“Through the recent Base Realignment and Closure Act process, APG has emerged as the nerve center for the Army’s technological development and procurement activities,” he said. “We also see strong interest from government contractors and other agencies that want to join the APG community and co-locate with their federal customers. Only the GATE location provides this connection to the APG community.”

The new building has been designed to achieve LEED Silver Certification for environmental sustainability. Features will include a high-efficiency HVAC  system, high-performance windows, sustainable lavatory fixtures, a white thermoplastic polyolefin roofing system, significant open space and wetland/forest preserves and drought-tolerant landscaping.

Overall, St. John has capacity to build up to two million square feet of Class “A” multistory and single-story office space at the GATE and has a 10-year build-out plan for the site.

Existing tenants there include the Boeing Co., CACI, General Dynamics, L-3 Communications, Raytheon, Science Applications International Corp. and Telford Aviation.

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