“Removal of the Fence has not been Authorized by the City”

John Schlichting

John Schlichting, director of Gaithersburg’s planning and code administration, has released a statement in response to code enforcement questions about the sediment pond  at a construction site where a 10-year-old boy drowned on Jan. 13.

“The City is in the preliminary stages of its review of the circumstances of this tragic incident.

“The body of water where this incident occurred is designated as Pond #1 in Neighborhood 1 at Crown Farm and is within the City limits of Gaithersburg.  It currently serves as a dual purpose pond, acting as both sediment control and stormwater management.  After construction of Neighborhood 1 is completed, it will be converted to solely a stormwater management pond.

“While fencing was not required by the City Code, the City of Gaithersburg did require the installation of 42” safety fencing for Pond #1 as a condition of the erosion and sediment control plan approval process, which took place in 2010.  City inspectors confirmed installation of the safety fence around Pond #1 at the beginning of construction and at subsequent inspections.    Removal of the fence has not been authorized by the City.”

About Sonya Burke

Sonya Burke is the Multimedia Manager at Montgomery Community Media (MCM). You can email story ideas at sburke@mymcmedia.org or reach her on Twitter @SonyaNBurke.

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