Rebuilding an Ellicott City That is Better Than Ever
By Amanda Loudin and Martha Thomas
When a natural disaster as devastating as the July 30 flood hits, it’s hard not to look back and reflect on the events. But Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman is all about looking forward, focusing on how the historic Main Street district can repair, restore and return to action as soon as possible.
The task may have seemed insurmountable in the immediate aftermath of the flood, yet Kittleman has maintained a positive outlook. “I’ve been incredibly impressed,” he says. “This is a strong community that dusts itself off and stands up to the hard work at hand. It’s been inspirational to watch.”
That’s not to say there isn’t an almost dizzying amount of work to be done. Infrastructure, from roads and parking lots to building foundations, still await repair. BGE installed a new gas line that runs the length of Main Street. Retail and business owners have been hard at work, rebuilding their spaces and restocking inventory. President Obama signed a federal declaration of emergency in mid-September.
As of early October, many of Main Street’s businesses had reopened, close on the heels of a concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion, where more than 60 bands rallied in support of Ellicott City’s reconstruction. Through all the challenges, the people of Ellicott City have been inspiring, Kittleman said in an online video. “They shoveled and scooped and scrubbed. They showed incredible resilience.”
The gradual reopening of Main Street means that some partially and some fully restored parking lots are available for visitors. Cars are also able to drive through Main Street, reopening a convenient route between Howard and Baltimore counties.
Along with the numerous returning business, plenty of new enterprises are moving to Main Street. Anthony Cordo, executive director of Howard County Tourism and Promotion, is excited about the changes. “Some of the upstairs spaces are being converted into incubators for small businesses,” he says. As buildings are renovated and upgraded, he points out “We have an opportunity to focus in a way we never could before.”
Cordo sees an opportunity in the historic town to become more than a day tripper’s destination. With so many visitors to the region for conventions and meetings, he suggests, “We also have the opportunity to create a vibrant night life.”
In the meantime, Kittleman has requested funds from the federal government and is awaiting the results of studies into how such a flood can be prevented in the future. “It’s too early to point to an exact cause,” he says. “We have a hydrologist checking areas out and hope that definitive answers will help to shape a plan.”
He points out that a storm like the one on July 30 was historic; the damage from a storm so severe is nearly impossible to completely prevent. “There’s no question, however, that we need to do a better job preparing for storms in the future,” Kittleman admits. With federal funding, the county will be better able to study the issue.
The large scope of restoration means that efforts will easily run into the new year. While there have been numerous fundraising efforts for individual businesses, the umbrella organization under the county’s website may be the best place for people interested in helping to go.
“The community has been so generous,” says Cordo. “It was gratifying to see how people come together; in adversity you see their true colors.” In the meantime, he says, the best thing to be done for those displaced by the flood “is to get them back into their spaces.” *
