City Officials

Back in the late 1700s, when Baltimoreans got their water from nearby streams, springs and wells, every household was ordered to keep two leather buckets filled to fight fires. That precaution might come in handy again, as the water main break Monday near the Inner Harbor delivered a disruptive reminder to downtown businesses and commuters of just how decrepit the regional system supplying the vital liquid has become. For years, there have been about 1,000 breaks annually in the 4,500-mile network of underground pipes that carries water to 1.8 million residents in the city and parts of Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Howard counties.

A 120-year-old water main that broke and flooded downtown streets will disrupt traffic for at least three weeks, said city officials who reminded residents that such disruptions are frequent because of the aging infrastructure beneath Baltimore. As crews surveyed a gaping hole caused in part by a water main that burst under Light Street, other workers had been dispatched to Fells Point where another pipe broke, forcing the city to close part of Fleet Street and cutting water service for a time to about 30 businesses and homes.

Regarding your recent editorial advocating holding city elections on the presidential cycle, it doesn't make sense to only partially correct a situation that everyone agrees needs to be fixed ("Straightening out city elections," July 6). None of Baltimore's elected officials met with their constituents to discuss this election-cycle issue before they selfishly voted their preferences. The arguments for moving city elections to the gubernatorial cycle significantly outweigh the arguments our elected officials voted to help themselves.

Elected officials from East Baltimore want to block the $1.8 billion urban renewal project in Middle East until more neighborhood residents and minority contractors are hired and displaced residents can benefit from the revitalization. Members of the Eastside Leadership Team criticized the 88-acre project for what they said was slow progress and a poor record of minority hiring during a news conference Wednesday outside the offices of East Baltimore Development Inc, the nonprofit leading the large-scale redevelopment just north of Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Two city water meter readers turned in phony numbers in at least two neighborhoods in recent months, the Department of Public Works acknowledged Tuesday, leading to more inaccurate billing by an agency that has been troubled by aging infrastructure and high error rates. As the Bureau of Water and Wastewater tries to correct the mistakes, residents who were undercharged are seeing a spike in their water charges - and officials say they must pay. The latest twist in the city's water billing problems, which have affected at least one in 10 local homeowners, did not go over well in the North Baltimore neighborhood of Homeland, where residents were already angry about the unusually high charges.

It's a recurring source of tension between reporters and government officials: How quickly do agencies have to release public information? That issue arose recently in emails between city officials that were obtained by The Baltimore Sun through a public records request. The Sun was working on a story about tax credits and orally requested copies of letters sent to several homeowners. Dorothy Reed, a manager in the Bureau of Revenue Collections, asked for a written request, and one was emailed to her shortly before 5 p.m. on a Friday.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blakesaid Wednesday that the city would not increase spending on the Baltimore Grand Prix to ensure the Labor Day weekend race comes to fruition. "I'm hopeful that with Indy's involvement that it will happen," Rawlings-Blake said of the three-day racing festival. City officials and Indycar executives have been trying for weeks to hash out a deal to continue the race.  Downforce Racing, the team city leaders picked to organize this year's race, is divided by internal strife and has not sold tickets or marketed the event.  City officials chose Downforce following the financial collapse of the group that put together the inaugural race last year.

Baltimore city fire officials are investigating the cause of a fire that started on the roof of a rowhouse in Pigtown Sunday afternoon. Fire officials responded to a call about a fire at 1169 Sargeant Street at 4:21 p.m., said Fire Captain Roman Clark. When officers arrived smoke was billowing from the roof and the occupants had evacuated. The fire had spread to the two neighboring homes as well, Clark said. The fire was extinguished quickly but extra time was needed for cleanup because more water than typical was used to extinguish the fire, Clark said.

Downforce Racing, the new operator of the Baltimore Grand Prix, missed three of the five benchmarks that it agreed to have complete by March 15 under its contract with the city, a spokesman for the mayor said. The race organizer and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's administration are still working out the terms of three agreements that were scheduled to be complete by Thursday, according to Ryan O'Doherty, a spokesman for the mayor. Technical information in the ticket escrow agreement, which will govern how the city collects its share of ticket proceeds, is being checked for accuracy, he said.

City officials are looking at the feasibility of establishing a community garden in Laurel, which could be available for planting in spring 2013. The effort, spearheaded by council member Frederick Smalls and supported by Mayor Craig Moe, is in response to Laurel residents who asked that a community garden be established, according to city officials. The Parks and Recreation Citizens Advisory Committee will review various requirements for a community garden, including where it could be located; the size of individual plots; and fees, rules and regulations for participants.