Boom expected to be repaired by end of week

by Ben Boehl

    One of the signature achievements of the Back River Restoration Committee (BRRC) is a trash boom in place along Back River between the Eastern Boulevard and I-695 bridges.    
    The purpose of the boom is to collect bottles, paper  and other trash from washing into Back River, but as BRRC president Don Albright said, the trash boom is not meant for trees.
    Last week’s heavy storms brought a large volume of trees and tree debris into the water, and the boom was damaged on Monday, June 10.
    “With all the water from the rain, the high tide brought in the trees,” Albright explained.
    Boom manager Clark Testerman said this is the third year for the boom and the first time this year that it was damaged.
    He said the boom was damaged three times in 2012 and two times in 2011.
    The boom is 600 feet long, and an anchor is placed every 50 feet to help keep it stable. Testerman added the anchors were helping, but the trees were too much.
    “The boom was working on Monday,” Testerman said. “Then it was raining bad at 5 p.m. and the lower boom had been compromised.  It was such a mess.”        
    Testerman said that the boom has been temporarily fixed and it was fortunate that on Thursday, June 13, the thunderstorms were not as severe.
    Tony Kotecki, BRRC vice president, said the boom has helped over the last three years, as there has been limited trash coming into the river, but agrees with Testerman and Albright that trees are too much for the boom to handle.
  

Griffin awarded grant for service to community

by Nicole Rodman

    Former Bethlehem Steel electrician Edward Griffin was devastated when he was laid off after the company was sold in 2003.
    For 12 years, he worked at the company and the shipyard until he got the news that he was out of a job.
    “I repaired ships, ran cable, installed equipment and set-up equipment for all the other craftsmen to complete their work,” Griffin told The Eagle.
    Though he was facing hard times, Griffin did not wallow in misfortune.
    Rather, he pulled himself up and, using his skills and determination, went from jobless to job creator.
    Now, he works to give back to those who seek the same chance.
    After losing his job at Bethlehem Steel, Griffin, a Baltimore City resident,  worked for Comcast while earning his associate’s degree in electrical engineering at Baltimore City Community College.
    After facing layoffs again in 2010 while working as a driver for a human services agency, Griffin and a few fellow workers decided it was time to start a business of their own.