Howard County officials will host a presentation Jan. 10 for builders who want to submit a plan to redevelop the Long Reach Village Center in Columbia.

The session will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the former Dollar Buys space at the center, 8775 Cloudleap Court, Suite 10. Those attending should RSVP to Patti Restrepo at patricia.restrepo@chartwellenterprises.com.

The county and Chartwell Enterprises, a commercial real estate services firm retained to evaluate proposals, will provide a presentation, then answer questions about the request for proposals issued by the county in December.

People unable to attend the presentation can still submit a proposal; the discussion will be distributed electronically along with all other information as part of the formal process.

The deadline to submit a proposal is 4 p.m. March 1. County officials say they expect to have a developer and preferred proposal identified in late spring.

Updated details can be found at bit.ly/2ij2lHA.

Long Reach Village Center opened in 1974 and has lost many tenants in recent years, including its anchor Safeway grocery store in 2012.

The county purchased the 7.7-acre Village Center site in 2014 and 2015 under the Urban Renewal Law for the purpose of revitalizing the property.

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development recently named Long Reach a Maryland “sustainable community,” a designation that makes the village center eligible for state programs such as Neighborhood BusinessWorks, Community Legacy and the Strategic Demolition Fund.

Public meetings set on watershed assessment

Howard County’s Department of Public Works will hold two public meetings to discuss findings from an assessment of the main stem of the county’s Patuxent and Patapsco river watersheds.

Officials say the assessment measured current environmental conditions and identified restoration opportunities that could be considered for county projects — which would be designed to improve water quality in streams and rivers, and ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay.

Projects being considered include: stream restoration; water quality treatment; stormwater management ponds; reforestation and stabilizing existing storm drain outfalls.

The assessment was split into five study areas: the South Branch Patapsco River; Lower North Branch Patapsco River; Brighton Dam/Triadelphia Reservoir; Rocky Gorge Reservoir and Upper Patuxent River watersheds. A map is available at howardcountymd.gov/SWM.

A meeting to discuss the South Branch Patapsco River and Lower North Branch Patapsco River watersheds will be held 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23, at the Gary J. Arthur Community Center, 2400 Route 97, Dayton Room, Cooksville.

A session to discuss the Brighton Dam/Triadelphia Reservoir, Rocky Gorge Reservoir and Upper Patuxent River watershed will be held 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Roger Carter Community Center, 3000 Milltowne Road, Ellicott City.

An RSVP is requested, but not required, for those planning to attend. RSVP with Christine Lowe at cslowe@howardcountymd.gov.

— Baltimore Sun Media Group

Linden Chapel Road stormwater upgrades

A project to improve a retention pond in the vicinity of 11812 Linden Chapel Road in Clarksville is expected to begin on or about Jan. 9, according to county officials.

A new concrete riser structure and trash rack will be installed in the pond and the existing pipe beneath Linden Chapel Road will be lined to protect the pipe from corrosion. Weather permitting, the project is expected to be completed by mid-March 2017.

The project is not expected to affect traffic.

Signs will be posted near the site to advise motorists and pedestrians of the construction.

For details, contact Lisa Brightwell at 410-313-3440 or email publicworks@howardcountymd.gov.

— Baltimore Sun Media Group

Libraries seek to fill vacancy on trustee board

The Howard County library system is seeking to fill a vacancy on its board of trustees.

The trustee will serve as a volunteer for five years and address concerns and needs of residents in the southeastern portion of Howard County regarding the upkeep of the library, policy proposals and budget approvals. Candidates must live in the district.

Anyone interested can send an application and a resume by Jan. 13 to HCLS Board of Trustees Nominating Committee, c/o Stephanie Shane, executive assistant, Howard County Library System, 9411 Frederick Road, Ellicott City 21042. For more information, call 410-313-7772.

— Andrew Michaels, Baltimore Sun Media Group