Ellicott City’s Safe and Sound plan was supposed to be just that—a blueprint for making the historic mill town safer and sounder after devastating floods in 2011, 2016, and 2018. But nearly six years after it launched, the plan is staring down a $110 million funding gap.
Originally announced by County Executive Calvin Ball in 2018, the Safe and Sound initiative outlines seven major flood mitigation projects. Two ponds are done, and two more projects—including the massive North Tunnel—are under construction. But the remaining projects, like the Maryland Avenue culverts and two more stormwater ponds, are still stuck in planning. That’s despite the fact that four historic Main Street buildings were already demolished to make way.
The total cost for Safe and Sound hovers around $430 million. With $320 million already allocated, the county is hunting for grants, loans, and possible FEMA funding to bridge the shortfall.
Council Chair Liz Walsh, who represents Ellicott City, says she’s alarmed by the lack of clear funding to finish the job. “This place requires a special kind of management,” said longtime resident Gayle Killen. “You can’t just send in a big contractor and say, ‘Clean it up.’”
The clock’s ticking—and so is hurricane season. The Council votes on the capital budget May 21.
