CRITICAL STORM INFORMATION

ALERT as of 11:30 PM on Friday, Jan 29: Phase II of the Snow Emergency Plan will be lifted on Saturday (Jan 30) at 12pm (Noon) in Baltimore City. Once Phase II is lifted, citizens will be able to resume parking along designated snow emergency routes. Effective at this time, Mayor Rawlings-Blake is also ending her declaration of a local state of emergency. (see DOT press release below)

I continue to be in constant contact with all City agencies and the Emergency Operations Center throughout the duration of the storm response efforts, in order to address constituent requests and provide you with the most current information: (https://costelloforbaltimore.com/critical-storm-information). This blog post will be updated as new information and alerts become available. Less frequent updates will also be provided on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/CouncilmanETC/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/CouncilmanETC).

Emergencies requiring Police, Fire, or EMS should continue to be directed to 911. Service requests, including snowy / icy roads and water outages should be directed to 311, please write down the SRN, and make me aware. I may be reached at eric.costello@baltimorecity.gov or on cell at 443-813-1457. We will also be monitoring office voicemail at 410-396-4816. I ask that everyone try to remain safe and be patient as we move through the next few days. Lastly, please lend a hand if possible and continually check in on neighbors that elderly, disabled, or in need.

Topics Covered Below

1. Plowing and Treatment of Streets
2. Public Transportation
3. Parking
4. Residential Permit Parking (RPP) – Areas 8 (Otterbein) and 30 (South Baltimore)
5. Traffic
6. DPW – Trash / Recycling / Mechanical Street Sweeping / Storm Drains / Fire Hydrants
7. Residential Snow Removal
8. Additional Attached Documents

1- Plowing and Treatment of Streets

• The City made tremendous progress through Friday, as of 7pm today (Friday), 99% of all city streets are passable for motorists
• Throughout the weekend, snow crews will continue removal operations.  Citizens whose streets are not passable at this time should call 311 or use the 311 application to request service.
• Snow removal efforts will be focused in city neighborhoods and along major gateways to remove piles of snow and clear parking/travel lanes as we prepare for schools to reopen on Monday.  Citizens who utilized parking at designated city school lots during the Phase II emergency should remove their vehicles by 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 31, 2016.
• I have driven most streets in the 11th District over the past two days, every request submitted by my office has been resolved. My understanding is that every single street in the 11th District is passable at this point. If that is not the case, please contact 311 immediately, write down the SRN, and make me aware. I may be reached at eric.costello@baltimorecity.gov or on cell at 443-813-1457. We will also be monitoring office voicemail at 410-396-4816.
• Other conditions, such as icy roads, snow-covered fire hyrdants, and blocked in alley ways, driveways, etc., should be reported to 311.

2- Public Transportation

• All modes running on regular schedules. Minor delays should be expected.

3- Parking – please see below for a list of places confirmed for where: 1) parking is restricted; 2) parking is free; and 3) parking is available for a paid fee.

• Locations you may NOT park include:
  • Snow Emergency Routes – Until 12pm (Noon) on Saturday (Jan 30), parking is prohibited on designated Snow Emergency Routes. Snow Emergency Routes are clearly marked with black and white signs. Citizens that park along these designated routes obstruct the movement of snow plows and hinder the City’s snow removal efforts. Any vehicles that are parked along these designated roadways will be relocated. Citizens with questions concerning the location of their vehicles should call 311. Please view the Snow Emergency Route Map to determine which streets are restricted, please be sure to zoom in using the zoon tool on the top left of the map. There was confusion created when DOT removed this map from their website, I have ensured that it is now available, at the same hyperlink.
  • Baltimore Museum of Industry (BMI) – parking privileges have expired.

• Locations you may park for FREE include:
  • ​Schools – At my request, Dr. Thornton (BCPS CEO) has agreed to allow residents to park in all BCPS school lots, regardless of whether the Snow Emergency is lifted. Parking privileges are granted under the following conditions: 1) the parking lot is currently plowed (I believe all are); and 2) residents remove their vehicles by no later than Sunday, Jan 31 at 6:00pm. Vehicles remaining in the lots after this time are subject to towing. School Parking Lots in the 11th District include:
    • Digital Harbor HS – 1100 Covington St
    • Eutaw-Marshburn – 1624 Eutaw Pl
    • Federal Hill Preparatory – 1040 William St
    • Francis Scott Key – 1425 E Fort Ave
    • Furman L. Templeton – 1200 Pennsylvania Ave
    • Mt. Royal Elementary – 121 McMechen St
    • New Hope Academy (Joseph C. Briscoe Building) – 900 Druid Hill Ave
    • Renaissance Academy High / Booker T. Washington Middle – 1301 McCulloh St
    • Samuel Coleridge-Taylor – 507 W Preston St
    • Sharp-Leadenhall – 150 W West St
    • Thomas Johnson – 100 E Heath St
    • St. Ignatius – 300 E. Gittings St
  • Horseshoe Casino Parking Garage (approximately 800 spaces) – I have secured an extension of parking privileges of the 5th and 6th floor of their parking garage, through Sunday evening at Midnight.
  • ​Camden Yards / M&T Stadium (approximately 500 spaces) – I reached out to Stadium Authority and requested an extension of parking privileges through Sunday at Midnight. According to Stadium Authority: “Parking privileges have been extended through Sunday at Midnight at a minimum. We’ll give 24 hours advance notice.” The following parking locations are available on a first-come, first-serve basis (please see the attached map for more information):
    • Lot R (W.West Street at Russell Street Service Drive)
    • Lot A-Annex (Russell Street at Lee Street.
    • Lots G & H (Underneath the MLK/395 overpass only).  It is important not to park beyond the overpass structure as this lot is being used for city snow storage and the staging of storm-related utility service and maintenance vehicles.
  • Under Armour – All Campus Lots (approximately 425 spaces) – I have asked Under Armour to support the City in its snow removal efforts, and they have kindly agreed to provide free parking to residents on all campus lots. Parking is available tonight (Wednesday) and Thursday night, from 5pm – 7am the following day. Under Armour is encouraging their Teammates who live in the neighborhood to keep their vehicles parked on campus parking lots and off of the street so that the City may accelerate its snow removal efforts.
  • Latrobe Park (40 spaces) – Snow removal of the Latrobe Park parking lot, adjacent to Andre Street, is completed, and I’ve secured privileges for residents to park there through Sunday at midnight.
• Locations you may park for a PAID FEE include:
  • Paid Parking Garages – there are several options throughout the 11th District for paid parking, however it could be pricey for the duration of the storm clean-up.
    • The Parking Authority has a number of parking garages available, please see the map attached below.
    • Fitzgerald Garage – 80 W. Oliver St., between Maryland and Mount Royal Avenues
    • Maryland Avenue Garage – 1111 Maryland Ave., between Biddle and Chase Streets

4- Residential Permit Parking (RPP) – Areas 8 (Otterbein) and 30 (South Baltimore)

• Decals and Visitor’s Passes are set to expire on January 31. I have secured a grace period of 12 days (I was hoping for 14). Current Decals and Visitor’s Passes will expire on February 12, giving residents time to purchase new ones at the Parking Authority, remove their expired decals, and affix their new decals. More information is in the Press Release below.

5- Traffic

• Snow removal efforts continue, as described above.
• When planning any trip, please consider likely delays.

6- DPW – Trash / Recycling / Mechanical Street Sweeping / Storm Drains / Fire Hydrants

• If your trash collection day was Tuesday (Jan 26), your make-up date for missed trash collection is Saturday (Jan 30). Front collection only, where streets are accessible.
• If your trash collection day was Wednesday (Jan 27), your make-up date for missed trash collection is Monday (Feb 01). Front collection only, where streets are accessible.
• DPW has confirmed that they will be picking-up Christmas Trees on the make-up dates of Saturday (Jan 30) and Monday (Feb 01), as well as through the end of next week on normally scheduled trash collection days.
• There is no recycling pick-up this week or next. Missed recycling collection will not be made up, so that DPW may focus on back log of trash collection.
• Beginning on Tuesday (Feb 02), and continuing through Friday (Feb 05) rear trash collections for trash will depend on whether the alleys are clear enough for the trucks and workers to work safely in them.
• Street sweeping, bulk trash collection, and rat abatements remain suspended through Sunday (Jan 31).
• Residents should continue to work to locate and clear the storm drains in their streets and alleys. As temperatures rise above freezing and the snow melts during daylight hours, the stormwater system can only drain water away if the inlets are kept open.
• Please make sure hydrants are clear of snow and accessible.

7- Residential Snow Removal – Baltimore City requires that snow be cleared away from sidewalks fronting any residential or commercial building, occupied or vacant, or any empty lot.

• The City will be enforcing and citing commercial properties. Several citations were issued to commerical properties today; it is strongly recommended that all businesses take necessary steps to clear their sidewalks.
• The City is not proactively enforcing for residential properties, but is responding to 311 service requests and issuing warnings.
• See press release from HCD below for further clarification.

Specifics of the law follow:

• ​​(a) Every person must keep the gutters leading to, and the pavements or sidewalks situated in the front, rear, or sides of the premises, free from ice and every obstruction of any kind. After any snowfall that results in an accumulation of snow on the ground: (1) every person using or occupying in any manner, or for any purpose, any house, store, shop, stable, or tenement of any kind; (2) every person having charge of any church or public building of any kind; and (3) the owner of any unoccupied house or unimproved lot situated on any paved street, lane, or alley in the City, must remove and clear away the snow or cause it to be removed and cleared away from the foot pavement fronting the house, store, shop, stable, church, building, or lot.
• (b) Time and Manner: The snow must be removed and cleared away: (a) within 3 hours after the snow has stopped falling; or (b) if the snow stopped falling between 3 p.m. and 6 a.m., before 11 a.m.
• (c) The snow must be removed and cleared away in such a way as not to obstruct the passage of water in the gutters.
• Reference: (City Code, 1879, art. 47, §125(2nd sen.); 1893, art. 48, §147(2nd sen.); 1927, art. 32, §65(2nd sen.); 1950, art. 24, §144(2nd sen.); 1966, art. 19, §151(2nd sen.); 1976/83, art. 19, §177(b).) (Rev. Ords. 1858-033; Ord. 66-871; Ord. 88-047; Ord. 99-548.)

8- Additional Attachments