On Mar 25, 2010, at 6:07 PM, Cheston, Ned wrote:

Joel, the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee included $25,000 for the Watson Telescope project in the capital budget. The committee also added language to the bill that requires all bonds to be expended within 2 years.

Ned - That's fabulous!! Thanx for all your help in guiding HAL and me through the process. Expending funds within two years will be no problem. I'm confident we'll be shovel ready this year. We're currently working on plans with Tim Sosinski, principal of Arium AE in Columbia , to begin the certification process with the County. Another arm of County government awaits me. I'm cautiously optimistic that our next step will proceed at the same smooth and rapid pace as the Bond Bill. (You're probably chuckling that I'm a dreamer, but I can be hopeful...)

Joel

Read Joel's Testimony prior to this announcement

11-21-09 Galliean Nights Star Party and HAL Observatory Announcement :

Did you miss the event? Now you don't have to. Click on one of the two links below to view a 30min video of the event. These will take a minute before they start playing!

Observatory Announcement - Streaming Flash (320x240)
Observatory Announcement - Streaming Flash (640x480)

Once again, the members of HAL showed their support and interest in the observatory project by their huge presence at the star party last night. This is what makes HAL a special organization and one well worth being a member of. (sorry for that sentence structure!) I want to thank all of you for being there and demonstrating to the county and state officials that the club will come through on its commitment to the observatory.

I especially want to thank Joel for the great presentation and organization for the event. The red lights worked far better than I had hoped to indicate the approximate site and location of the building, and to illuminate the entrances to the parking lot. The little tent was a nice touch (luckily it wasn't needed to ward off raindrops!), and the cake was great (thanks Sally!). Last night will go down in the history of HAL as one of our red letter days.

We had a great night celebrating our future followed by some rather nice observing conditions. Now the real work begins. If you can provide ANY assistance to the project -- design, construction, electronics, anything -- please join us and share your expertise with us. Even if you don't think you can contribute technically, there will be times when we will need people to simply help with their physical strength, or to run errands, etc. We are responsible for the construction, so we expect to put in some sweat equity. The exciting times are going to continue!

Wayne

Update Feb 13, 2009 (from Joel Goodman) : I met this morning with Joe Rutter, who is on the design team for Waverly West, the senior housing community to be built just east of Alpha Ridge Park. He and his group are sensitive to our request for them to utilize full cut-off lighting in their development. We are in the process of getting specs on their proposed road lighting fixtures. As an aside, Joe showed me star charts he drafted on linen in the 1970's for Paul Watson at the Maryland Academy of Sciences - small world.

I then went to meet with Mary Kay Sigaty, chair of the Howard County Council and a founder and former member of HAL. Mary Kay is extremely supportive of our observatory project, and she was enthusiastic and encouraging. She supported my plans to appear before the County Council at their April budget hearing and stated that, even in tough economic times, you never know where funds can come from. She promised to look at the budget more closely for ways to include funds for us to pour our slab. She was supportive of the idea of phasing in the Alpha Ridge park improvement plan and perhaps even getting the observatory built before the bathroom is built (since that has approximately a 200K pricetag). She also encouraged HAL to promote a Model Lighting Ordinance as this is the only way builders and government agencies will conform to smart lighting solutions in the future.

Lastly, I contacted a reporter at Patuxent Publishing, Mike Santa Rita, who has written about HAL's efforts in the past. He will be speaking with his editor about doing a feature on HAL, IYA2009, and light pollution education.

Update March 2008: A major Columbia Maryland-based architectual and engineering firm has agreed to contribute their services to the project by performing the design and blueprint work for the HAL Observatory. This is a major milestone and significant contribution to the project.

Update December 2007: Changes to Howard County's budget have resulted in the construction phase of the Department of Recreation and Parks' planned upgrades at Alpha Ridge Park being postponed until June 2009. Before HAL can build the Observatory, Recreation and Parks has to complete the site preparation work, and because of the budget changes it doesn't look like that will occur until June 2009. Summer of 2009, then, appears to be our target for the Observatory's construction.

Update November 2007: Over recent months, HAL and the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks have begun discussing the specific plans for the overall upgrades at Alpha Ridge Park, as well as the specifics of HAL's Observatory. HAL has also begun looking for a Maryland-certified architect or engineer that can translate our CAD renderings and blueprints from a similar observatory in Florida into final, code-compliant, blueprints. We hope to find one willing to produce the final blueprints either at cost or on a pro bono basis.

Update May 2007: The HAL Observatory makes the news in the May 1st edition of the Baltimore Examiner.
Click here to read the article (PDF).

Update February 2007: HAL's Board of Directors, based on information provided by the Observatory Site Selection Committee and from feedback of HAL members, decided to select Alpha Ridge Park as its preferred observatory location. The Board noted that the key advantages in the Alpha Ridge site include its proximity to I-70, its reasonable distance from major population centers, its wonderful lines of site, and reasonably dark skies. Alpha Ridge has in place sufficient infrastructure including parking, a paved entrance, bathrooms, a security gate, and good signage - and is well maintained by the Department of Recreation and Parks. Unlike several other Howard County parks, Alpha Ridge is not designated a Regional Park and therefore cannot have lighted ball fields, ensuring a minimal lighting environment for years to come. The Department of Recreation and Parks has planned a modest upgrade to the park, and HAL intends to pursue partnering our observatory project with that upgrade.

Update December 2006: The Observatory Site Selection Committee has completed its evaluation of the potential Observatory site locations, and has narrowed the choice to three candidates. Each location candidate has certain advantages and disadvantages, and the Committee presented all information and analysis on the three locations at the December 2006 meeting. Summary information from the Committee's presentation is available here - Site Survey. Weighing the options as described in the presentation, and based on feedback from members, HAL's Board of Directors intends to make a final selection from the three candidates in February 2007.

Update November 2006: Generous donations from HAL members resulted in HAL raising the necessary funds to complete the purchase of the 15 foot ProDome. On November 10th and 11th, HAL members Avery, Malcolm, Eddie, and Dwane successfully completed the pick-up, transfer, and nearby storage of HAL's new dome. Obtaining this large and robust dome, at a cost substantially less than new, marks a significant milestone in HAL's observatory project. Congratulations are in order. In addition, the Observatory Site Selection Committee has narrowed the site option list down to just a select few, and will be presenting its findings to HAL's Board of Directors and all HAL members at the December meeting, on 12/21/06.

Update October 2006: The Observatory Site Selection Committee's preferred site at West Friendship park is unavailable due to planned future development. The Committee has now begun evaluating alternative sites. Observatory donations from HAL members have been strong, and an early November pick-up of the observatory dome is likely.

Update September 2006: The Observatory Site Selection Committee has completed its evaluation of the 32 sites and found the one at West Friendship to be superior to the others in nearly all respects. The Committee has now begun to discuss the possibility of locating the HAL Observatory there with the property owner, Howard County, as well as the organization currently leasing the property, the Howard County Antique Farm Machinery Club. In addition, HAL has entered into an agreement to purchase a used 15 foot diameter ProDome from a seller in Columbus, Ohio. HAL is now seeking donations, and anticipates obtaining the dome in November 2006.

Update August 2006: The Observatory Site Selection Committee has received a list of 32 potential site locations from the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks, and has begun systematically evaluating them.

Update July 2006: HAL's Board of Directors passed a resolution to create an Observatory Fund account. The new account will be to fund the expenses related to building the HAL Observatory, and to keep the funds separate from HAL's operational account.

Update June 2006: HAL's Board of Directors passed a resolution to create the Observatory Site Selection Committee. Joel Goodman agrees to head the Committee. The purpose of the Committee is to evaluate potential locations for an observatory, and make recommendations to the Board of Directors.