Resort Exploring Storm Drain Art

Resort Exploring Storm Drain Art
A storm drain in Gaithersburg is pictured being painted by volunteers. File Photo

OCEAN CITY – Officials say they will explore a storm drain art program in Ocean City.

In Wednesday’s meeting of the Ocean City Coastal Resources Legislative Committee (Green Team), Ocean City Environmental Engineer Jenelle Gerthoffer presented members with a potential art installation project for the town’s storm drains. She said the proposed storm drain art program would bring attention to water pollution.

“As all of you know, the water from our street goes straight into the bay,” she said. “Sometimes people forget. Visitors also may not know it or may forget.”

Gerthoffer said similar programs have been enacted in cities across the U.S., including in Gaithersburg, Md., where the program has been turned into an art contest. While Green Team members initially pitched the idea of decorating beach trashcans as an educational effort to reduce litter, she said a storm drain art program could be a more feasible option.

“Maybe we can do something more like this since public works didn’t like that idea, since the grabbers on the trash trucks would destroy the art,” she said.

Gerthoffer said discussions were preliminary. But if implemented, she said the town could work with students and volunteers or with the Ocean City Development Corporation.

“I know they have a pretty heavy hand on the downtown artwork,” she said. “But this is a super preliminary conversation. I wanted to bring it up as a potential idea.”

Sandi Smith of the Maryland Coastal Bays Program said a similar program was pitched years ago, and the town had dismissed the idea. Officials agreed more input was needed from the town’s public works department.

“If they don’t like it, it’s a no-go,” said Councilman Peter Buas.

Committee members, however, said they liked the concept.

“It’s fun,” Smith said. “There’s a positive vibe to it.”

Gerthoffer agreed.

“I think it’s an eye-catching way to remind people that this water, this trash will go straight into the bay at this point,” she said.

Gerthoffer this week also presented committee members with an update on the Adopt Your Drain program, which is set to begin this year.

Similar to popular resort cleanup programs such as Adopt Your Beach and Adopt Your Street, officials say Adopt Your Drain would task volunteers with cleaning areas around storm drains.

“So the idea behind Adopt Your Drain would be to start this in the Montego Bay area, kind of as a case study, and see how it goes,” Gerthoffer said in May. “That’s where we get a lot of our drainage complaints, and it’s also an area of town where there’s a lot of density.”

About The Author: Bethany Hooper

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Bethany Hooper has been with The Dispatch since 2016. She currently covers various general stories. Hooper graduated from Stephen Decatur High School in 2012 and the University of Maryland in 2016, where she completed double majors in journalism and economics.