A ditch cleaning project in the works for 10 years finally got approval to move forward Thursday.
Residents petitioned in 2004 to have a four-mile section of waterway near North Baltimore cleaned of
brush and trees. Like other similar projects, obstructed flow has caused flooding to nearby properties.

Seven extensions were given for time since the initial hearing, mostly the result of CSX’s construction
in the area that made it necessary to put it on hold, said Duane Abke, who represented the drainage
division of the county engineer’s office and explained the process.
“Everybody’s had 10 years to complain about it,” said property owner John Gazarek. “This took 10 years to
get this done, which is way too long.”
Commissioners gave their OK following a final hearing Thursday attended by a handful of residents who
either wanted to kick the effort into gear or learn more about the share of the cost they’ll have to
pay. Others wanted to see watershed maps to verify that they should indeed have a responsibility to
contribute.
“I want to be a team player, don’t get me wrong,” said John Kelley, who has multiple parcels involved in
the project.
“It just seems like a whole lot of money.”
Some owners will see higher bills than others because of features specific to their land. Their cost
shares are also determined by where they are on the channel, or how much of the ditch they use, Abke
said.
While many people in North Baltimore have extremely small shares of the cost, some as low as 15 cents,
there’s a minimum charge of $10.
To accommodate those with much larger bills coming, the costs will be spread out over 10 years. Once the
project is complete, the ditch will be on the county’s maintenance schedule, creating some ongoing costs
in addition to those for the cleaning.
Of the $290,000 total estimated cost of the project, about $90,000 is in special assessments which are
applied not to the entire list of property owners but are unique to certain parcels — a bridge onto
someone’s land, for instance.
If contractors don’t offer a price better than the estimate — which precisely is $289,732 — engineers
will take a step back and consider why their figures were low.
“The bids have to come in at or below our estimate. If they come in higher, we have to go back (and)
reassess,” Abke said.