Harford County Council Moves Back Home; Returns to “Black Box” 2 Years after Structural Damage Forced Eviction

From the Harford County Council:

The Harford County Council will be returning to 212 S. Bond St., also known as the “Black Box,” on Jan. 17, 2013, two years after being forced to leave due to structural damage. The building has since been repaired. This move comes as a welcome change for both the Council and its constituents, as the temporary office at 18 Office St. lacked accessibility to the public and proximity to other County government offices.

Improved accessibility is one of many positive benefits of the return as 212 S. Bond St. has accommodations for residents with limited mobility and plenty of parking, both of which were unavailable at 18 Office St. In addition, the staff to the People’s Counsel, hearing examiner, and Zoning Board of Appeals as well as the Office of the County Auditor will be in the same location as the Council, centralizing constituents’ access to services provided by the legislative branch of Harford County government.

The Council will be located on the second floor of 212 S. Bond St., sharing the building with the Department of Public Works Division of Highways and Water Resources on the third floor. The Office of the County Executive, the Treasury Department, the Department of Economic Development, and the Department of Planning and Zoning are located immediately across the street at 220 S. Main St., making it much easier for constituents visiting Bel Air to access the executive branch of government as well as the legislative branch.

The second floor of 212 S. Bond St. contains approximately thirty-three work spaces, including a large conference room, which can seat fourteen people, a public meeting room, which can seat eight, and a multipurpose room for larger community meetings. The office space will also provide flexible centralized meeting space for the People’s Counsel, People’s Counsel Citizens Advisory Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Harford Cable Network, Budget Advisory Board and several other public committees and advisory boards that report directly to the County Council. When the move is complete later this week, decades of legislative files will also be re-located from several different locations under one roof thus securing them for future generations and improving our statutorily required document retention.

The Council welcomes the opportunity to provide greater public access and encourages our volunteer boards and commissions to utilize the new office space for greater public participation and outreach.

“On behalf of the Council, I would like to thank Vice-President Richard Slutzky, Council Administrator, Pamela Meister, and Chief of Facilities, Tim Myers, for facilitating this move and a smooth transition from our temporary facility back into the black box,” said Council President Billy Boniface.

For more information about the Harford County Council please contact Council President Billy Boniface at 410-638-3343.