Downtown Ellicott City will soon see more pedestrian, parking and stormwater improvements as the county kicks off a series of new public works projects next month, County Executive Ken Ulman announced Wednesday.

The county plans to connect Ellicott City's downtown shops and restaurants with the circuit court house by way of a staircase that will work its way up a hill leading away from Main Street.

Workers will build a retaining wall containing a specially designed staircase adjacent to parking lot E, which is located behind Ellicott Mills Brewing Co. on Main Street, county officials said. The court house's parking lot is open for visitors to the historic district to use on evenings and weekends, and for special events.

At the edge of Lot E, the county plans to build a new crosswalk across Main Street linking Lot E to businesses across the street.

By better connecting the court house area and Main Street, we will open up new areas and make this historic community more walkable and more functional, Ulman said in a statement. This attractive staircase and better signs will direct parkers and pedestrians to convenient areas nearby they may not have thought about using.

Lot E's surface will also be reconstructed to incorporate stormwater-capturing bioretention areas and to plant native trees and shrubs, officials said.

The retaining wall, staircase and lot resurfacing will cost $1.5 million, county officials said.

The project comes a few months after Howard County planning officials held a series of three workshops designed to give Ellicott City residents an opportunity to offer input on improvements they would like to see to the historic district. Workshop attendees cited pedestrian safety, parking and stormwater management as major concerns.

County officials said they are looking at the feasibility of adding extra crosswalks along Main Street.

Other projects slated to begin soon in downtown Ellicott City include repairs to a stone wall in parking lot C that collapsed after a train derailment in August 2012 that claimed the lives of two local young women. Officials said the repairs were expected to begin in April.

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Ulman announces plans for staircase connecting downtown Ellicott City and court house

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Bumpass Hell Trail in Lassen Volcanic National Park. The family of a 9-year-old boy who died at the park in 2009 settled with the federal government for $3.5 million. (Avital Binshtock)

February 20, 2014, 8:08 a.m.

A Northern California family who watched a retaining wall give way and crush their 9-year-old son to death in Lassen Volcanic National Park several years ago has settled with the federal government for $3.5 million.

During a family outing in 2009, Tommy Botell Jr. was sitting on a wall near a hiking trail with his sister when it collapsed. Sections of the wall fell on them as the two children tumbled about 30 feet and their parents struggled to grab them.

"Mommy, I can't see," Tommy told to his mother as he died in her arms, according to the Sacramento Bee.

The wall had deteriorated and rolled over Tommy and crushed his brain stem.

Perceived unethical conduct clouded the lawsuit filed on behalf of Botell's family. At one point, U.S. Magistrate Judge Gregory G. Hollows said park Supt. Delores Koontz did not fix the wall despite knowing it was dangerous, and then tried to cover up her mistakes after Tommy Botell's death.

"This was a horrific event that no family should have to endure. Our grief and loss were compounded by the refusal of the Park Service to accept responsibility and to act responsibly during the lawsuit," according to a family statement issued through an attorney.

Nonetheless, U.S. Atty. Benjamin Wagner said that "as the settlement agreement indicates, it is in no way intended to be, and should not be construed as, an admission of fault or wrongdoing on the part of Park Service employees."

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Family of boy killed at Lassen volcanic park settles for $3.5 million