Top Five Stories from 2011 in Odenton

Wow, 2011 was a pretty busy year in Odenton. We had throngs of new workers coming to Fort Meade, big buildings coming out of the ground all over town, and a lot of flooding and power outages during the summer.

Here are five of the biggest stories Odenton Patch covered during 2011. Will 2012 be just as eventful?

– With the retail and for-sale housing market still a little soft, developers got busy this year building hundreds of units of apartments. There are projects and , and another one proposed across from the fire station on Annapolis road. People should start moving into these units sometime in 2012.

– 2011 was the year that nearly 5,000 federal workers arrived at Fort Meade as a result of the base realignment and closure activities. Patch started off the year with a on everything from traffic to home values. Then there were stories about the and other offices. Odenton Patch also covered the debate in the area. The growth at Fort Meade isn’t done, so look for more coverage in 2012.

– In September, Patch interviewed a number of small business owners in town to find out how they’re doing in the tough economy. , as many owners said they’ve barely been hanging on for several years now. Will 2012 be the year things turn around?

' – It was the day after the remnants of Tropical Storm Irene blew through, and I went out to survey the damage. There was water everywhere, and as I cautiously drove east onto Route 175 I came upon a heartbreaking scene. Near the intersection of Route 3, there were several homes underwater, with people shuttling back and forth in a small motorboat. Cathleen Lanning and her family were . The houses remain vacant and uninhabitable.

– It was fun following the Arundel volleyball team as it made it (again, ugh.) This was a group of very talented and hard-working athletes. It will be interesting to see if coach Ashley Yuscavage can rebuild the team in 2012 and get it back on a championship path.

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