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Berlin, Ocean Pines News Worcester County Bayside Gazette Logo Berlin, Ocean Pines News Worcester County Bayside Gazette

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Construction to close Flower Street

(Dec. 1, 2016) Flower Street in Berlin will be closed for several weeks during construction of a new stormwater culvert there starting Monday.
According to a Nov. 23 press release from Tow Hall, the work will address flooding and improve water quality in “receiving waters that discharge into the coastal bays.”
In the release, Town Administrator Laura Allen said the project would cost an estimated $285,000 and would be “substantially complete by the end of December.”
Elaborating on the project during a council meeting on Monday night, Allen said at least one lane of Flower Street should be open by Christmas.
“We’re anticipating a road closure from the 5th of December for about two-to-three weeks, depending on the weather,” she said. “There may be a single-lane closure for some period after that.”
Allen said the town is working on a detour plan and that updates on the road closure would be posted on the town’s website and Facebook page, and through the CodeRED emergency notification system.
Administrative Services Director Mary Bohlen also provided an update on the town’s efforts to improve stormwater discharge overall.
She reported that the town has obtained more than $1.8 million in grants from the state’s Community Development Block Grant program ($800,000) and FEMA ($1.09 million) and is working on three phases of stormwater improvements, starting on Flower Street where the current project and other work is budgeted for at $635,000.
Berlin will next work on improvements on Williams Street, with a budget of $364,500, then finish in the area of Graham, Grice and Nelson streets with a $688,844 budget.
The price tag for all three projects was estimated at more than $1.9 million, with all but $55,000 covered by grant money.
A large wetlands pond was recently constructed behind the multipurpose building on Flower Street, and improvements in that area will finish with construction of the culvert this month.
Stormwater consultant Darl Kolar said the town was in the permit process of the last two phases, both of which should be finished next year.
“The culvert installation on Flower Street, I think, will have a tremendous impact,” he said.
Councilman Dean Burrell agreed, adding a note of caution that it might be difficult at first to gauge the success of the improvements without the aid of a major rainfall.
“I know it’s hard for the public to assess something that’s not happening, and because it’s not happening, we might overlook it, but that culvert is going to have a big impact,” he said.
A public hearing on the Community Development Block Grant was opened and closed without comment.
Written comments can be submitted to: town of Berlin, attn. CDBG comments, 10 Williams street, Berlin, Maryland 21811. Emails can be sent to mbohlen@berlinmd.gov.
Additionally, comments can be made by phone at 410-641-4313 or faxed to 410-641-2316
To sign up for CodeRED, click the link at the top of the town’s website at www.berlinmd.gov.