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A mile from Key Bridge collapse, a Dundalk marina offers first responders a place to refuel and recharge

Amanda Yeager, The Baltimore Sun on

Published in News & Features

His business is one of several in the Dundalk area that have rallied to help after Tuesday’s disaster, even as the impact of the bridge’s collapse on the communities directly surrounding it remains unclear.

Kimberly Scroggins, the president of the Greater Dundalk Chamber of Commerce, said the business group was in the process of reaching out to members to see how they’ve been affected. On Facebook, the organization encouraged followers to donate to the local fire department’s food drive.

Scroggins said she recently spoke with one business owner who had chosen to open in Dundalk because of its proximity to the Port of Baltimore.

“We have a lot of members who rely heavily on import and export,” she said. “The biggest inconvenience will be going around the Beltway.”

Businesses in Northern Anne Arundel County, on the other side of the bridge, face uncertainty, too.

Beth Nowell, CEO of the Northern Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce, said the extent of the fallout is, for now, unclear.

“This is a devastating incident, especially due to the human extent and financial impact of this tragedy that is going to hit businesses and residents,” Nowell said. “I think this is the tip of the iceberg. We haven’t seen the immediate impact; the impact will come and it is coming.”

Shipping companies located in the county will undoubtedly be affected. So will bars and restaurants who drew traffic from both sides of the bridge.

“People who would have blown across the bridge for dinner might not go,” Nowell said.

 

Anne Arundel County-based customers of Key Brewing Co., a craft brewery located a short drive from the bridge that shared its name, will now have a much longer trip if they plan to pay a visit. But on Wednesday the brewery was focused on a fundraiser for longshoremen and other workers impacted by the bridge collapse and subsequent closure of Baltimore’s port, said Molly Korman, who along with her husband Nick Volk was helping to plan the benefit event.

Korman and Volk, who own Old Eastern Ink Shop, a Timonium-based screenprinting company, linked up with the brewery, which was looking for a way to help in the wake of the collapse. The couple, who have connections in the local music scene, are pulling together a concert Friday evening at the brewery, with a donation table and proceeds from a T-shirt with a Key Bridge design raising money for dock workers’ unions.

“It’s a silly little T-shirt, but the proceeds can help you do big things,” Korman said.

“When you feel helpless, you want to do something,” said Volk.

At the Anchor Bay East Marina, Del Sordo said he’s heartened by the opportunity to help.

“I could never do what they do,” he said of first responders. “But what we can do is fix stuff. What we can do is provide 24-hour fueling and a place to have a nice hot meal that for the most part they don’t have to pay for.”

“That’s a pretty cool way to support everyone around here.”

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©2024 The Baltimore Sun. Visit at baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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