ELLICOTT CITY — (WMAL) The residents and business owners of old town Ellicott City received two pieces of good news Wednesday – one involving time, and the other involving money.

The Maryland State Board of Public Works approved a $2.5 Million dollar program to provide no-interest and low interest loans to rebuild homes and businesses that were damaged by flooding last month. That money will be helpful once the Main Street area is again accessible and available for reconstruction. And that’s where the time comes in.

Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman has announced a plan to allow all property owners five straight days – beginning tomorrow – to access their properties to conduct any further repairs or cleanup that they can get done.

After that period, the entire area shall be closed for approximately three weeks, so highway, utility and public works crews can make repairs to power lines, sewer lines, damaged roads, retaining walls and other areas damaged by the July 30th flood.

Kittleman tells WMAL there are no guarantees, but the county hopes to have the Main Street area for pedestrian access by around September 16th. After that point, parking lots will be repaired so cars can again access the area –  the next step towards restoring the historic town.
Copyright 2016 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: Allan Kittleman Facebook page)