The problem: When a leaning street lamp was removed in Northeast Baltimore, a one-way sign went with it.

The back story: There were many casualties of the snowstorms that slammed Baltimore in February, but the one-way sign behind Bon Mikulka's house was collateral damage.

Mikulka lives on Harford Road at Orlando Avenue, and the streetlight that illuminates the alley behind his house frequently takes a beating.

"People always take the corner too shortly," he said. "They've been hitting the thing for years."

The blows during the winter storms finally proved too much. "It really got whacked a couple of times. It was leaning at a 45-degree angle," Mikulka said.

After the snows melted, a crew took down the pole but didn't take it away. "Initially they didn't even disconnect the electricity," he said. "They laid it in my backyard and electric wires were stretched across the sidewalk."

Finally, someone removed the downed pole — and the one-way sign that was posted on it, which told drivers exiting the alley which way traffic moves on Orlando.

Mikulka's neighbor, Theresa Barczak, said she made 11 calls to 311 and Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. to report the problem, especially after thefts of items from her car and porch. "After three calls [to 311] they referred me to BG&E;," she said. After several more calls to BGE, a manager told her that the city provides the bases for streetlights, so she resumed calling the city.

Finally, she called Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's office and was told that the city had ordered 1,180 bases and the light would be installed by Aug. 5.

She didn't contact 311 about the missing one-way sign until Wednesday, when she noticed a number of drivers headed the wrong way.

Mikulka, however, had already e-mailed Watchdog about the light and the one-way sign, and Watchdog called Adrienne Barnes, spokeswoman for the city's Department of Transportation, which oversees streetlights.

As of Wednesday, a temporary one-way sign had been placed on Orlando, although it had already moved once from one side of the street to the other. "I'm sure sooner or later somebody's going to carry away the thing," Mikulka said Thursday.

Barnes said the delay stemmed from procurement issues. However, crews installed two temporary poles on Orlando Avenue, and permanent replacements were to have been in place by Friday, she said, as well as the permanent one-way sign.

"With these light poles, we constantly have to order those," she said. "They're constantly having to be replaced."

However, if residents report the problems to 311, "we will go out and do a temporary fix until such time that we can get the permanent fixture in place," Barnes said.

"We're still waiting for the base," she said. "But at least we made it safe."

Barczak said that the new streetlight was not lit. Barnes said the Department of Transportation works with BGE to get the lights on, but the light should have been electrified.

Who can fix this: Richard Hooper, chief of maintenance for the Baltimore Department of Transportation, 410-396-1686. City residents should call 311 to report problems.

— Liz F. Kay

Need help?

Is there something in your neighborhood that's not getting fixed? Tell us where the problem is and how long it's been there by e-mailing watchdog@baltsun.com or calling 410-332-6735.