Appreciative for hospital’s prompt response to dumping concern
On Oct. 28, a beautiful Friday morning on Wicomico Street in La Plata, a cement mixer truck dumped the last little bit of its load across from my front door onto one of the four empty lots across from my home. I had seen a growing number of these cement mole hills pop up in this area since the University of Mar yland Charles Regional Medical Regional Center bought the residential zoned properties and razed the homes that once occupied them. I watched as the cement was deposited and the driver then hosed out the chute sending more sludge and muck out onto the ground. Bright citizen that I am, I realized this probably should not be happening here. Isn’t this area in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed? Are there cement or construction yards or any place where maybe the water is captured and cleaned and the cement recycled?
I took some pictures, greeted the driver and asked him who had authorized him to dump cement and clean his truck right here. He gestured toward the hospital from the top of his truck and told me, “The Big Boss over there. He owns all this,” ending his remark with a wave of his arm that encompassed the block upon which the hospital sits.
Now for many of us living on Wicomico Street anything “hospital” is a sensitive subject. We did not like to see those homes demolished to make a parking lot someday. Right then those cement mole hills turned into mountains of irritation. I called La Plata Town Hall and left a message about what I’d seen. Mr. Aaron Mosrie, assistant manager of inspections, returned my call that very afternoon as well as forwarding my concerns to his contact at the hospital. Within minutes of hanging up with Mr. Mosrie, Lauri Cress, director of facilities services at the hospital, called me. She spoke with me several times over the next few days to gather information and assure me she would do all she could to address my concerns. Mr. Mosrie and Ms. Cress were prompt, courteous, and concerned about this situation. I appreciated the time and effort they went to to correct the problem and the kindness they showed to me. In less than a week, I noticed the cement mole hills were gone and the area was smoothed over as was my mountain of upset. So, I’m back to making the best of neighboring with the hospital and I’m glad I called La Plata Town Hall.
Kathy Cox, La Plata