August 29, 2019
Media Contact:
Scott L. Peterson, Director of Communications, Office of Public Information, 202-277-9412
The State only charged the County one dollar for the land, so $3.5 million in cost savings could be used to fund flood mitigation projects in Ellicott City
JESSUP, MD – Today, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball was joined by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to break ground on the Waterloo Fire Station. The agreement reached between County Executive Ball and Governor Hogan culminated nearly six years of negotiations and will allow construction to begin. The State only charged the County one dollar for the land, so $3.5 million in cost savings could be used to fund flood mitigation projects in Ellicott City. Photos of the event can be found here. Video can be found here.
“The new Waterloo Fire Station represents an important win-win for public safety in Howard County,” said Ball. “We will be able to improve our emergency response services, while also investing in a safer future for Ellicott City. I want to express my appreciation to Governor Hogan for partnering with us to make this deal happen. I also want to thank Comptroller Franchot and Treasurer Kopp for supporting this important project.”
"Today is a shining example of all levels of government working together to make our citizens and our communities safer,” said Governor Hogan. "Once complete, this site will be home to the first fire station in the eastern part of Howard County in 25 years, which will support vital services and improve response times to all emergencies in Waterloo, Jessup, East Columbia, and the surrounding communities."
“The construction of this new fire station is the result of a lot of planning and teamwork between the county and the state,” said Howard County Fire Chief Christine M. Uhlhorn. “We are grateful to County Executive Ball for his committed support of public safety. The addition of this station will positively impact our community as it will allow us to more effectively respond to emergencies and improve our response times.”
The almost 6-acre site next to 7777 Washington Boulevard in Jessup will house the new fire station, urgently needed to support the growth of residential housing in the area and provide the best possible 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 done in Ellicott City can be found here.