Howard County puts climate action plan into place | 11 TV Hill - WBAL TV Baltimore

Howard County puts climate action plan into place | 11 TV Hill

11 TV Hill: Meeting Howard County's climate action plan goals

FIVE YEARS LATER, THERE’S STILL IMAGES NO ONE IN MARYLAND CAN FORGET. ELLICOTT CITY POUNDED WITH HEAVY RAIN IN WHAT WAS DESCRIBED AS A 100 YEAR FLOOD FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2015. HOWARD COUNTY HAS AN ACTION PLAN TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE. COUNTY EXECUTIVE CALVIN BALL EXPLAINS HOW HE INTENDS TO MEET ITS GOALS. PLUS, SOME OF THESE BUSINESSES, IT’S THEIR VERY FIRST STOREFRONT THAT THEY’RE OPENING AND THOSE STOREFRONTS ARE IN THE CENTER OF DOWNTOWN BALTIMORE. WHAT STARTED AS A PANDEMIC ERA IDEA HAS BLOSSOMED INTO A THRIVING PROGRAM. WE’LL CHECK IN WITH THE TEAM BEHIND BOOST. WHOA, WHOA. AND LATER IN THIS MORNING’S POSITIVELY BALTIMORE, SOMETHING POSITIVELY DELICIOUS THE BALTIMORE FOODIE GIVES US A GLIMPSE INSIDE HIS NEW COOKING COMPETITION SHOW THAT’S COMING TO VERY LOCAL AND HELLO, EVERYONE. I’M JASON NEWTON. WELCOME TO 11 TV. HILL HOWARD COUNTY KNOWS FIRSTHAND THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN A SHORT SPAN OF TWO 100 YEAR FLOODS. THEY DESTROYED PARTS OF HISTORIC ELLICOTT CITY. AND THAT’S WHY COUNTY EXECUTIVE CALVIN BALL REVISITED THE COUNTY’S CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. THIS WAS ONE OF THE MANY TOPICS OF OUR CONVERSATION EARLIER THIS WEEK. JOINING US NOW IS HOWARD COUNTY EXECUTIVE CALVIN BALL. THANKS FOR COMING BY. GOOD TO SEE YOU. HEY, GREAT TO SEE YOU, AS ALWAYS. WE MADE IT TO THE SUMMER ONCE AGAIN. THAT’S RIGHT. AND THAT MEANS THAT A LOT OF KIDS, ALL KIDS MOSTLY OUT OF SCHOOL, RIGHT NOW. YOU GUYS ARE WORKING HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE’S SOME ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER. WHAT DO YOU HAVE HAPPENING IN HOWARD COUNTY? WELL, WE HAVE OUR YOUTH ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMING OR YEP, GRANTS. AND WE HAVE AWARDED 13 NON PROFITS AND WE’RE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH THEM TO HAVE ACTIVITIES MAINLY FOR OUR 10 TO 18 YOUTH FOR THE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SUMMER AND ESPECIALLY ON WEEKENDS. AND EVENINGS WHEN THERE ARE A LOT OF CHALLENGES. SURE. AND I KNOW ONE THING THAT’S ALWAYS IMPRESSED ME, AT LEAST GROWING UP THROUGHOUT HOWARD COUNTY, WAS THAT YOU ALWAYS HAD SOMETHING THERE. THERE’S ALWAYS BEEN THE WATER PARKS, YOU’VE BEEN THE LAKES. IT’S BEEN A VERY NICE CENTENNIAL PARK AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF. YOU HAVE THE AMENITIES THAT I THINK SOME COUNTIES DON’T HAVE. WELL, NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE SO MANY OF THE AMENITIES, BUT WE HAVE THE PARENTS WHO ARE OFTEN ABLE TO TAKE THEM BACK AND FORTH. WE HAVE SOME TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND NOW WE’VE EVEN LAUNCHED A YOUTH ENGAGEMENT LEADERSHIP WORK GROUP. ABOUT 25 KIDS OR YOUNG PEOPLE FROM AGES 15 TO 25 WHO ARE GOING TO ADVISE US ON THE NEXT STEPS FORWARD. WHAT’S THE HOPE FOR YOU FOR FOR YOUNG KIDS IN HOWARD COUNTY? BECAUSE AS WE TALK ABOUT AMENITIES, SURE, YOU STILL HAVE THE SAME HURDLES EVERYBODY ELSE HAS. WELL, I THINK THE HOPE IS THAT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ARE SEEING THEY’RE HEARD AND THEY HAVE THE ACTIVITIES THAT CAN HELP THEM NOT ONLY HEAL FROM THE CHALLENGES OF THE PANDEMIC WHERE A LOT OF THEM WEREN’T ABLE TO HAVE THE SOCIAL INTERACTION, BUT LITERALLY GROW TO BECOME THEIR VERY BEST SELVES. ALSO, ONE OTHER THING THAT YOU’VE BEEN DOING A LOT WITH IS CLIMATE CHANGE, AND THAT’S BEEN A DISCUSSION AND THE BUZZWORD FOR A LONG TIME. YOU PUT OUT AN ACTION PLAN. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR HOWARD COUNTY RIGHT NOW? OUR HOPE FOR ACTION PLAN FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCY IS THE FIRST ONE IN HOWARD COUNTY SINCE 2015 AND THE FIRST ONE EVER TO HAVE THINGS LIKE ENVIRONMENTAL, SUSTAINABLE. WE FOCUSED ON EQUITY AND WE ARE SO EXCITED. IT IS ACTUALLY ONE OF OUR 51 NACO AWARD WINNING PROGRAMS. THE AVERAGE COUNTY WINS MAYBE 5 TO 10. NACO AWARDS EACH YEAR. WE WON 51, AND ONE WAS FOR THIS CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. DO YOU FEEL LIKE THERE’S STILL A LEARNING CURVE WHEN IT COMES TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND THAT DISCUSSION? THAT’S A TOUGH ONE TO HAVE. I THINK FOR SOME FOLKS. WELL, I THINK WE’RE SEEING THE INCREASING INTENSITY AND FREQUENCY OF STORMS, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY. BUT I THINK WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN TO MAKE IT BETTER. ONE THING ALSO, YOU’RE DEALING WITH THAT THE CITY IS ALSO DEALING WITH IS COMPLETE STREETS. AND I CAN UNDERSTAND WHERE SOME OF THE THE ANGST COMES FROM. DRIVERS DON’T WANT TO GIVE UP PARKING SPOTS. CYCLISTS WANT A SAFE PLACE TO RIDE. YOU GUYS ARE DEALING WITH TWO. YOU’RE VERY WALKABLE COUNTY, BUT THERE HAS TO BE SOME LEARNING THERE TOO, I WOULD IMAGINE. WELL, WE LAUNCHED OUR FIRST COMPLETE STREETS POLICY IN 2019, AND EVER SINCE THEN, WE’VE BEEN INVESTING, IN FACT, JUST MOST RECENTLY, THE SAFE COMMUNITIES GROUP. I THINK THE COMPLETE STREETS OF AMERICA GAVE US 100% SCORE ON OUR COMPLETE STREETS AND ONE OF OUR COMPLETE STREETS PROJECT WAS ONE OF THE ONES THAT ACTUALLY WON ANOTHER NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES AWARDS. OKAY. HOWARD COUNTY, ESPECIALLY IN COLUMBIA, IT WAS ALWAYS A HIDDEN GEM. IT’S NOT SO HIDDEN ANYMORE. I’VE DRIVEN THROUGH THIS DEVELOPMENT IS HAPPENING AND IT’S REAL THERE. TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THE COUNTY HAS BEEN GROWING AND SPECIFICALLY IN THAT AREA. WELL, WE ARE ONE OF THE MOST DESIRABLE PLACE TO LIVE, FRANKLY, IN THE WORLD. THERE ARE PEOPLE ADVERTISING RIGHT NOW AND OTHER COUNTRIES COME TO HOWARD COUNTY AND COME TO COLUMBIA AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE NOT ONLY HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND WE HAVE THE WONDERFUL QUALITY OF LIFE, BUT WE ARE WELCOMING COMMUNITY. ALL RIGHT. 4TH OF JULY IS COMING UP. THIS AIRS ON SUNDAY. ANYTHING YOU WANT TO PLUG THAT’S COMING UP FOR YOU GUYS, HOW YOU CELEBRATE IT. WE WILL HAVE OUR FIREWORKS AT THE LAKEFRONT. WE WILL HAVE FOOD TRUCKS. IT’LL BE SO MUCH FUN. IT’LL BE SAFE. AND WE WILL NOT ONLY CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE, BUT CELEBRATE A

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11 TV Hill: Meeting Howard County's climate action plan goals

Five years later, the images of flooding in Ellicott City are something no one in Maryland can forget. Ellicott City was pounded with heavy rain in what was described as a 100-year flood.For the first time since 2015, Howard County has an action plan to address climate change. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball explains how he intends to revisit the county's climate action plan and meet its goals.| RELATED: Ellicott City flood mitigation progresses 5 years later

BALTIMORE —

For the first time since 2015, Howard County has an action plan to address climate change. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball explains how he intends to revisit the county's climate action plan and meet its goals.

| RELATED:

Five years later, the images of flooding in Ellicott City are something no one in Maryland can forget. Ellicott City was pounded with heavy rain in what was described as a 100-year flood.

For the first time since 2015, Howard County has an action plan to address climate change. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball explains how he intends to revisit the county's climate action plan and meet its goals.

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| RELATED: Ellicott City flood mitigation progresses 5 years later