Bill would halt building in Ellicott City watershed
The Howard County councilman who represents Ellicott City said he plans to introduce emergency legislation next month to halt for a year the issuance of building permits in the watershed of the Patapsco River tributary that has overflowed its banks and flooded the historic mill town twice in the last two years. The socalled Tiber Branch Watershed Safety Act will “pause development” and give county officials time to carry out infrastructure improvements planned since the first flood in 2016 and evaluate what occurred during the flood last month, Councilman Jon Weinstein said in a statement Friday. Weinstein proposed a similar, ninemonth moratorium on building in the watershed after the 2016 flood, but it died at the council. This time, he said, the historic center of the town, which lies low near the Patapsco and is surrounded by rapidly elevating topography on all sides, is “extremely sensitive to the dramatic storms that we are seeing in the area with great frequency and intensity.” The bill will be introduced July 2 and voted on July 27. It would take effect immediately if passed. A public hearing will be held on July 16 at 7 p.m. in the Banneker Room of the George Howard Building, at 3430 Court House Drive in Ellicott City. of Maryland, College Park in 2006. He joined the Army in 2008. While serving in Afghanistan in August of 2012, he was credited with saving many lives by shoving a suicide bomber to the ground, hindering the effectiveness of an attack that killed four men. In November of 2015, President Barack Obama awarded him the highest military honor for his life-saving efforts in Afghanistan. He was seriously injured and medically retired in 2015. He will serve on Nov. 11 as grand marshal of the New York City Veterans Day Parade in Manhattan, which is run by the United War Veterans Council. The parade’s featured service branch this year is the U.S. Army and it is honoring the 100-year anniversary of World War I. “It is a great honor to serve as the Grand Marshall of the 2018 NYC Veterans Day Parade,” Groberg said in a statement. “Just 100 years ago, more than 41 million lives were lost during World War One. France, one of our greatest allies, lost well over a million citizens. As a naturalized United States citizen born in France, I truly appreciate ‘The American Dream,’ and understand the importance and value of the bonds we share with our allies. As our history has shown us, alliances are forged by brave men and women willing to sacrifice their lives for the greater good of the nation and the world. God Bless America and her allies.” The executive director of the United War Veterans Council, Mark Otto, said Groberg’s “heroism in uniform and continued commitment to our veterans embodies the very essence of what service to our nation is about.”