A spat between Harford County and the city of Havre de Grace has landed in Circuit Court, where a judge has ordered the parties to immediately resolve their differences and allow work to continue on a long-planned upgrade to the water treatment plant in the city's downtown.
The $7.7 million joint city and county project will take 18 months and shut down a prime parking lot along the city waterfront. The city along the Susquehanna River is a tourist destination, particularly during the summer, and the city has no parking garage.
"They are talking about taking parking space from the heart of Havre de Grace," said Daniel W. Lee, owner of MacGregor's Restaurant, whose patrons rely on the municipal parking lot. "That could be as many as 600 people a day who will not park, dine and shop."
Faced with a crowd of angry business owners, Mayor Wayne Dougherty imposed a stop-work order Monday. The county asked the court yesterday to lift the order.
Every day the contractor is not allowed to work could cost at least an additional $5,000, officials said. The city is paying for 40 percent of the project that involves construction of a three-story addition to compact sludge, a byproduct of the treatment process.
"The mayor is suing his own citizens," said County Executive David R. Craig, a former Havre de Grace mayor. "He has not solved the problem, only pushed it back a few days."
The county is willing to help find a solution, said Craig, who also has met with business owners.
"This is a major construction project, half-owned by the city, that has to happen for the safety and welfare of everyone," he said. "The county is committed to helping the city solve this problem."
The county is discussing more flexible fencing and phasing in aspects of project with the contractor, as a well as a way to leave a one-way driving path and add a few parking spaces, Craig said.
Business owners said they should have been consulted before signs closing the parking lot were posted late last month and fences installed soon afterward.
"We were very encouraged that the mayor has stepped up to rectify this situation," said Tom Fitzpatrick, a former city planning commissioner.
The mayor said public safety prompted his action. Fencing off the waterfront area would make it nearly impossible for emergency vehicles to access, but he added, "I took business concerns seriously."
The nearest alternative parking is "a football field away and not handicap-accessible," Fitzpatrick said. "We have 56 spaces that will disappear for 18 months with about 24 of those disappearing forever."
Both sides are expected in court this afternoon to offer possible resolutions.
mary.gail.hare@baltsun.com