Howard County Executive Calvin Ball was recently joined by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to break ground on the Waterloo Fire Station. The agreement reached between Ball and Hogan culminated after nearly six years of negotiations and will allow construction to begin. The state only charged Howard County $1 for the land, so $3.5 million in cost savings could be used to fund flood mitigation projects in Ellicott City.
The almost 6-acre site, next to 7777 Washington Boulevard, Jessup, will be the site of the new fire station, which is needed to support the growth of residential housing in the area and heighten emergency response time. The station will be strategically located to improve response times to all emergencies in the areas of Waterloo, Jessup, East Columbia and surrounding communities. The station will accommodate both emergency medical service units and fire suppression apparatus.
More on the flood mitigation work being conducted in Ellicott City can be found at www.ecsafeandsound.org/flood-mitigation-options