BALTIMORE — Thames Street in Fells Point may be bumpy, but it is beautiful..
And the iconic "Belgian block" paving style is part of what gives the neighborhood its historic charm.
But in what advocates are calling an "unacceptable degradation," the city recently slapped patches of hot asphalt over parts of the street.
Advocates speak out against recent work done on Thames Street in Fells Point
"With no warning or no notice," said Jeffrey Dewberry, vice president of the Society for the Preservation of Federal Hill and Fells Point.
The group penned a letter to the Mayor's office and the city Department of Transportation on Thursday to express their concerns.
They've been asking for comprehensive repairs to Thames Street for the better part of a decade, but they say - this is not what they had in mind.
"Fells Point was slated for demolition back in the 60s, and it was saved through preservation efforts here," Dewberry said. "And to just kind of come in here willy nilly and just throw down some asphalt without, number one, consulting the Comission for Historic and Architectural Preservation (CHAP) and let alone us, the Society for Preservation of Federal Hill and Fells Point, that handles a lot of the aspects of historic preservation in the neighborhood is just disheartening."
“We asked for a comprehensive repair," Dewberry added. "There's multiple dips. It's not corresponding to the historic railroad tracks anymore, so we asked the city to come up with a plan to do that. I believe it was around about $2 million to do that and that comprehensive assessment was done almost 10 years ago at this point and we just saw no action on it.”
Dewberry says the DOT has violated the city's code, which requires any repairs of a historic street or structure be reviewed by the CHAP before they begin. CHAP's guidelines also mandate that historic pavings such as Belgian block be preserved.
The society says not only does this move "undermine public trust" but it "constitutes a serious breach of established protocols."
"This kind of stuff doesn't happen in other historic cities and historic districts. This doesn't happen in Charleston. This doesn't happen in Savannah," Dewberry told WMAR-2 News.
Councilman Mark Parker represents Fells Point. He tells WMAR-2 News:
"The City of Baltimore has made important commitments to the preservation of our many historic communities across the city, embedded in our policies and practices. The Preservation Society and other key community leaders in historic Fells Point are to be commended for drawing attention to this matter and ensuring that the city abide by those commitments. I share their concerns and am committed to finding an appropriate resolution."
The Preservation Society is asking the DOT for a plan to address their concerns; so far they haven't heard anything.
We're also waiting to hear back.
