HoCo Police Enforce Ban, Meetings Virtual, RTA On Modified Route

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Effective Wednesday, some county services will be cut back in order to protect the employees' health and help curb the spread of the new coronavirus in the community. Starting at 8 a.m. March 18, non-emergency county offices and facilities will be closed to the public until further notice. Some employees will be working from home.

The Howard County Police Department will be actively enforcing Gov. Larry Hogan’s Executive Order banning all gatherings of 50 people or more. Police officers will ask those in violation to voluntarily disperse and if individuals do not comply, they will be subject to arrest and/or fines.

“It is essential that we provide continuous operations throughout this crisis. County government public services will be offered throughout this pandemic, but we are moving what we can online and via phone,” said County Executive Calvin Ball in a press release. “I encourage our residents to check our website frequently for updates and continue to follow public guidance on gatherings, meetings, and events.”

The following services and offices are fully operational:

• All emergency services including police, fire and emergency medical services 
• Inspections of buildings, roads, traffic lights and other infrastructure 
• Trash and recycling collection
• County parks (though residents are urged to stay off playground equipment, as their cleanliness cannot be guaranteed) 

The Howard County Department of Inspections, Licenses & Permits will function remotely, delivering services online. Customers who are unable to use online services or who have service requests that cannot be conducted via mail will be by appointment only. Call (410) 313-2455, option #4 for more information and direction. The department will continue to inspect construction projects and properties with modified processes to limit person to person contact.

Department of planning and zoning (DPZ) will accept applications, related documents, forms and plans via email to planning@howardcountymd.gov or through direct mail to Howard County Planning and Zoning, 3430 Court House Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21043. Checks can be sent through direct mail. For assistance from the DPZ Public Service Counter, including checking out or returning plan drawings for redlining purposes, please contact 410-313-4395. For all other general inquiries related to development plans or projects, community planning, agricultural preservation, historic preservation, historic preservation applications, and demolition form contact 410-313-2350 or email planning@howardcountymd.gov. Contact information for individual programs can be found on the website, as well as applications, forms and fees. Plan review will continue through the electronic submission process (PDox).

Residents with general department of public works customer service inquiries can send their inquiries via e-mail or telephone at 410-313-4400. The department of community resources and services headquarters at 9830 Patuxent Woods Drive, Columbia, are closed to the public. Phone appointments can be made via 410-313-6400. Multi-service center services will be conducted online or via phone at 41-313-0220.

All recreation and parks indoor facilities, as well as headquarters at 7120 Oakland Mills Road Columbia, are closed to the public. If you have a question, call 410-313-4700.
Registration for summer classes and day camps be done online here or via phone 410-313-7275.

The office of human rights will suspend all outreach events and public hearings before the adjudicating body of the Human Rights Commission until further notice. Intake appointments for complaints of discrimination will be conducted remotely; members of the public wishing to schedule appointments should call 410-313-6430. Online complaints can be filed at Online Complaint.

The Howard County Council will be closed to the public until further notice. For more information, please contact council representatives at 410-313-2001. April and May hearings before the zoning board, board of appeals, council hearing examiners and the alcohol beverages hearing board are postponed until further notice.

Howard County Police Department is encouraging residents to file reports online or by phone to limit officer’s exposure during this time. Online reports can be filed at tinyurl.com/hcpdreprts. To make a report by phone, call 410-313-2200.

The Regional Transit Authority fixed route will operate on an enhanced Sunday schedule during the week and weekend starting Wednesday and run till further notice. Buses will run from 8:29 AM till 6 PM and provide one-hour headways on the following routes, 301, 302, 401, 403, 404, 405, 407, 408, 409, 501, 502 and 503. On vehicles with two doors, passengers are to board at the rear door unless a passenger requires a ramp. All fixed route and mobility fares will be temporarily suspended during the service modification.

RTA operations has proactively initiated an enhanced wipe-down service of all buses and paratransit vehicles to include disinfecting areas with high passenger touchpoints. Professional Lysol IC Disinfectant Cleaner Concentrate is being used on all surfaces including handrails, fare boxes, seats, seat backs, windows, doors and floors. All full size buses are using AC/Heat units on high fan to draw the cleaning solution through the ventilation system. Paratransit contracted cabs are using a Lysol spray after each passenger and have hand sanitizers on board. We ask that all riders use proper social distancing of six feet when on the bus.

Howard County has announced that the planning board hearing planned for Thursday will now be hosted virtually at 7 p.m. The hearing will be livestreamed online for those interested in watching remotely. Residents who wish to provide oral testimony, can do so via web conferencing, and are requested to sign up online by noon on March 19. Those who sign up online will receive instructions and a call-in attendee code. For detailed instructions on providing oral testimony (via webex), please visit the Planning Board website. Written testimony can also be submitted to planning@howardcountymd.gov and should be submitted by noon on March 19.

Starting today, the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) began providing three meals each weekday free to anyone under 18 and to any HCPSS student regardless of age at the following locations from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. There is no application, enrollment, or fee for this program.

School sites:

• Howard High School, 8700 Old Annapolis Road, Ellicott City
• Oakland Mills Middle School, 9540 Kilimanjaro Road, Columbia
• Swansfield Elementary School, 5610 Cedar Lane, Columbia
• Cradlerock Elementary School/Lake Elkhorn Middle School, 6680 Cradlerock Way, Columbia

Mobile Sites:

• Laurel Woods Elementary School Parking Lot, 9250 North Laurel Road, Laurel
• Ducketts Lane Elementary School Parking Lot, 6501 Ducketts Lane, Elkridge
• Bushy Park Elementary School Parking Lot, 14601 Carrs Mill Road, Glenwood
• Monarch Mills Apartments, 7600 Monarch Mills Way, Columbia
• Forest Ridge Apartments, 5890 Stevens Forest Rd, Columbia

Read More:

• 3 New Coronavirus Cases Identified In Howard County
• MD Governor Orders Restaurants, Bars, Gyms, Theaters To Close
• Free Lunches, Breakfast Available To Howard County Students
• High-Risk Shoppers Get Special Grocery Store Hours: Coronavirus
  
• First Responders Will Wear Special Gear During HoCo's Coronavirus

###a>###a>###a>###a>