By Caryn Altman
The Baltimore County Council announced last night that the county has abandoned plans to build a road-salt storage dome at the Loch Raven Technical Academy, bowing to pressure from a neighborhood group that opposed the proposal.
The announcement came at a meeting in which community members who had organized an effort to stop the plan packed the courtroom wearing shirts with the the phrase #HaltTheSalt on them.
Councilwoman Cathy Bevins, D-District Six, who represents the neighborhood where the facility would have been built, made the announcement at the meeting.
“It has been a long process, but I am happy that we were able to work with a county executive on this issue and the members of the Loch Raven Village community will not have to worry about this anymore,” Bevin’s said as she held up a #HaltTheSalt flier.
The proposal to place the salt dome in Loch Raven Village came after Baltimore County sold its original storage space for it in 2013. Loch Raven Technical Academy was just two miles away from the original site.
Residents feared that if the salt dome were to be moved to the Loch Raven Technical Academy grounds it would result in loud snowplows during the winter months right near their homes. The county also discussed putting the salt dome near a sports field, but residents were worried in that instance they would lose their spot for Independence Day fireworks.
The president of the Loch Raven Village association that opposed the plan, Jason Garber, who was the driving force for the campaign, expressed a great deal of gratitude towards the council.
“I want to thank you Councilwoman Bevins for your support of opposing the salt dome,” Garber said. “The salt dome being near a school is not the appropriate place for it. Thank you all council members for working behind the scenes, I have extended this to Councilwoman Bevins and Councilman [David] Marks.”
Councilman Todd Crandell, R-District Seven, said that Loch Raven Village is not the only part of the county being faced with hardships when it comes to the placement of new infrastructure getting in the way of communities.
“Jason you did mention tonight that a few communities are facing the hardships that you and I have been dealing with,” Crandell said. “I want to echo your sentiment that the administration has worked well with us, which has been very beneficial for the county.”
There is still no word on where the salt dome will be placed now.