By Melissa Brown
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
What do sustainability, a suicide prevention task force, and a Whole Foods have in common? They’re all ideas proposed by students and community members at Project Towson last Thursday.
Project Towson, which was sponsored by Towson University’s Office of Civic Engagement, allowed students and community members to speak about how they would change Towson for the better.
“This was already in effect and inspired by TEDx talks,” said Kevin Albano, the coordinator of civic engagement at Towson University and an organizer of Project Towson. TEDx talks, where students have the chance to speak to their peers about various ideas, have been held at Towson in the past but this event is more Towson-focused.
“I hope that people watching it get inspired and see what civic engagement is all about and taking an idea and putting it into action,” Albano said. In addition to the event being held on campus it was also being live-streamed.
Democratic Sen. James Brochinspoke about how Towson fits in with the bigger Maryland community, especially with the development of Towson Row, a new development in downtown Towson that is set to be completed in 2019.
“In this drive that a lot of developers have to put every square inch of concrete in, there are no plans to alleviate traffic [in the development for Towson Row], which as most of you know is a nightmare,” Brochin said. “My vision would be to enhance open space and not let developers drive the process.”
Nancy Hafford, the executive director of the Towson Chamber of Commerce, said Towson Row will be home to restaurants, apartments, and a Whole Foods.
“Nine years ago there was no traffic around the streets of Towson and that was horrible. We had storefronts closing all over the place,” Hafford said. “This university growing at the rate that it has brought a lot of great businesses into Towson; and not just businesses, people want to live here in Towson.”
“Senator Brochin was right, there’s going to be a lot of traffic, but I’d rather have traffic than empty streets like we had before,” Hafford said. “Now, we have 100 restaurants within a one-mile radius that you can pick and choose from and we have Nacho Mama’s coming in that I’m excited for.”
Towson Row was not the only issue discussed, though.
Senor Ceanne West said the university should create a suicide task force.
“What do we, Towson students, faculty and community members, do to stop this tragic loss of life?” Ceanne asked. “The idea I’m proposing to you today is Towson University’s own suicide prevention task force.”
The proposed task force would work with the counseling center to educate people about suicide, she said, adding that the task force would also offer students a crisis training class so they could intervene if someone they know may be suicidal. West hopes that if put into place, the task force would help reduce the stigma that surrounds mental illness.
Project Towson had nearly 80 people in attendance as people came and went in-between speakers.
The audience consisted of university officials, including interim president Timothy Chandler, and students who were curious about the event.
The event, which was also held during Towson’s 150th anniversary, gave people the chance to explain how they would transform Towson over the next century. At each of the seats there was a piece of paper where people could write how they would transform Towson.
“People don’t just want to open businesses here, they want to live here,” Hafford said.