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GC Commissioners Approve Four New Water/Sewer Master Plan Amendments

The Garrett County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved the inclusion of four new amendments to the Garrett County Water and Sewer Master Plan. They pertain to the Overlook Ridge subdivision, Thayerville Public Water System, and Mountain Lake Water System.

Following a public hearing on the amendments, the commissioners signed a resolution to include the additions in the master plan. No members of the general public voiced their support for or objection to the amendments at the hearing.

Garrett County Public Utilities director Linda Lindsey said Pete’s Drive LLC, developer of the Overlook Ridge at Deep Creek Lake Condominium Subdivision, plans to construct a private water system to serve dwellings in that development. The community will consist of 8 family dwellings, 6 duplex units, and 16 townhouses for a total of 36 dwelling units.

The project will be constructed in three phases, which will begin with the single family homes.

The proposed water system will consist of two production wells, a raw water line from the wells to the control building, and potable distribution lines and appurtenances within the development.

Lindsey noted that the system will include three 2,500 gallon fiberglass storage tanks, and the total estimated daily withdrawal at full build-out is 9,450 gallons per day.

Construction, operation, and maintenance will be borne by the developer, and operation and maintenance of the system will be financed by the condominium association through its annual budget.

The project is located within the Thayerville Water Service Area, which was created last June. Upon completion of the proposed public water system that will serve that area, the Overlook Ridge development will be required to connect to the public system and abandon the private supply.

Overlook Ridge developers also plan to construct a sewage collection system. This project will be completed in two phases and will include sewer lines, a 9,000 gallon emergency holding tank, and a sewage grinder pumping station.

The cost of constructing this infrastructure will also be borne by the developer. Operation and maintenance of the on-site system will be financed by the condominium association through its annual budget.

Sewage treatment will be provided at the Deep Creek Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant, Lindsey noted.

The third amendment provides for the inclusion of the Thayerville Public Water System into the master plan. On Jan. 19, the commissioners awarded a contract to Rummel, Klepper & Kahl, which will provide design and construction phase engineering services.

The county has applied for financial assistance through the Maryland Department of Environment for the proposed system. For the purpose of the funding application, the total project cost – which includes administrative, engineering, construction, land, rights of way, and contingencies –was estimated at $11,229,000.

Read the rest of the article here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Dennis Hannibal – Western Maryland Appraisals – Deep Creek Lake

I wanted to profile my good friend Dennis Hannibal, who is a local appraiser here in Garrett County & Deep Creek Lake. We had a great conversation about the real estate market the other day at my Railey Realty office. He is a wealth of information and I highly recommend him for all of your appraisal needs!

Dennis Hannibal
Western Maryland Appraisal Services
Mc Henry, Maryland (md)
301-387-7446

dehannibal@verizon.net

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Western Maryland – north, south, west, but not east?

Frederick N. Rasmussen talks about the age old debate of whether Maryland is Northern or Southern in the Baltimore Sun. I got a kick out of the following about Western Maryland:

“Maryland is in many ways three states in one – all below the Mason-Dixon line, to be sure. Residents of far off Western Maryland, closer to Pittsburgh than Baltimore, tend to follow those professional sports teams. I remember being at Deep Creek Lake in the early 1980s trying to find a Baltimore newspaper and instead being confronted with stacks of Pittsburgh papers.”

Read the rest of the article here.

It’s true that most here tend to cheer more for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins, & Pirates, though there are some of us who share our love of Pittsburgh sports with at least one other ‘Maryland’ team – my weakness is the Washington Redskins 🙂 So the way I look at it, my two favorite football teams have 9 Super Bowls between them! I have come to think of my teams as the Steelskins:

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Casselman, Potomac River fishing

Mr. Neuland mentions fly fishing for trout in Garrett County, specifically the Casselman & Potomac Rivers. Garrett County is famous for its trout fishing streams & rivers. From the Frederick News Post:

Town Creek: The water was pristine
Originally published March 28, 2010

By Dan Neuland
Today’s Sportsman

I HAVE LIVED in Maryland for more than 20 years and am ashamed to admit that I had never fished Town Creek until last year. For years, I have traveled I-68 through Allegany County on my way to fly fish the popular trout fisheries in Garrett County, driving right over Town Creek without stopping to sample the waters.
Last March, I took the opportunity to do a little early morning turkey scouting in Green Ridge State Forest, and combined the outing with some afternoon fly fishing in the delayed-harvest trout fishing area on Town Creek.

Before leaving home, I checked the Maryland Freshwater Sportfishing Guide online for information on tackle restrictions and printed the driving directions from the Department of Natural Resources website.

Like the other delayed harvest areas in western Maryland, such as the Casselman River and the North Branch of the Potomac River, Town Creek is managed as catch and release with artificial lures or flies only restrictions in the fall, late winter and throughout the spring.

Read the rest of the article here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

The Lake Effect makes up for Battle of the Bands

TheTowerLight.com talks about a local Garrett County band, the Lake Effect:

The Lake Effect makes up for Battle of the Bands
By Lauren Slavin

Published: Sunday, March 28, 2010
Updated: Sunday, March 28, 2010

The Lake Effect by Alan Dovell / The Towerlight

The back-to-back blizzards the first week of February pushed the date for the Campus Activities Board’s annual Battle of the Bands up a few weeks, but unfortunately not far enough for all four members of Garrett County, Md. based The Lake Effect. Bassist Rob Glotfelty and drummer David Valenta were snowed in during the competition for a Tigerfest opening slot. But the band has moved on and looks forward to releasing their first album “Right, By Accident.”

The band opened for We the Living, who performed at a CAB-sponsored concert on March 26. “I think they kind of felt bad for us, they wanted to give us an opportunity to play,” guitarist and vocalist Darryl Glotfelty said.

But the concert worked to their benefit, allowing them to perform before a nationally-recognized group and sell tickets to their CD release at Recher Theatre on April 9. The Lake Effect’s members also sold T-shirts and allowed students to sign up for their mailing list, which entitled them to a free song.

Read the rest of the article here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Wisp, Bear Creek All Set For Warm Weather Recreation

OntheSnow.com talks about the Wisp & the warmer weather activities available:

Mar 29, 2010 Mary Jo Tarallo, Associate Editor

Fly fishing is among many summer recreations at Wisp and Bear Creek.

At A Glance
Where: Wisp Resort;

Info: More Information
Wisp Resort in Western Maryland and Bear Creek in Pennsylvania are two mid-Atlantic resorts that have a strong line-up during the summer months.

The man-made white water facility at the top of Wisp is unique in the region. Beginners and experienced paddlers can enjoy white water rafting and kayaking on the re-circulating water course. The venue hosts the Open Canoe Slalom Nationals and North American Championships will take place Aug. 6 – 8.

The Adventure Sports Center International runs the water facility. The group also offers rock climbing, bouldering, mountain biking, hiking, and geo-caching on a 550 – acre forested reserve.

The Wisp Resort features a championship 18-hole golf course, fly fishing, paintball, disc golf, and boating on nearby Deep Creek Lake.

Read the rest of the article here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Carmel Cove Inn mentioned in Washington Post as best travel deal

A blurb from the Washington Post mentioned Deep Creek Lake & Carmel Cove as the best travel bargain on land:

— Carmel Cove Inn, on Western Maryland’s Deep Creek Lake, is offering 25 percent off weekend rates (two-night minimum) and 35 percent off weekdays. With the Spring Getaway Special, deluxe double rooms are $146 on weekends and $114 on weekdays; rate is usually $175. Add 11 percent in taxes. Valid through April. The lodge-style inn has a fishing and swimming dock, canoes, tennis, billiards and bicycles. Guest rooms come with fireplaces and whirlpool baths. Info: 301-387-0067, http://www.carmelcoveinn.com.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Garrett County approves revised wind farm project plans

Garrett approves revised wind farm project plans
Megan Miller
Cumberland Times-News

— OAKLAND — On Tuesday county officials approved a revised project plan for a proposed Garrett wind farm, putting developer Constellation Energy one step closer to building an electrical substation and 28 wind turbines atop Backbone Mountain near Eagle Rock.

The Maryland Department of the Environment halted work last week on the site of a planned electrical substation along Eagle Rock Road due to issues with water runoff and erosion controls. MDE spokeswoman Dawn Stoltzfus said an erosion and sediment control fence at the site had been improperly installed, and the project plan was inadequate to handle the volume of water flowing from the site.

The Garrett Soil Conservation District’s approval of Constellation’s revised plan is the first step toward resuming construction. Stoltzfus said she expected the silt fence would be fixed Tuesday and an MDE inspector will visit the site Wednesday to look over the changes and give the necessary approval to proceed.

Crews began clearcutting timber and building access roads on the substation site in mid-March. Clearcutting and other preliminary work has continued at the proposed wind turbine sites, strung along the mountain ridge northeast of the substation site.

Stoltzfus said MDE is investigating whether or not to bring penalties against Constellation.

The Garrett Soil Conservation District’s decision came on the same day that county residents and Constellation representatives spoke in support of the project at the Garrett County Commission meeting.

David Wagner, manager of the Commercial Analysis Group with Constellation Energy, said afterward that he plans to attend commission meetings regularly to keep a close connection with the community as the project moves forward.

Marvin White, a farm owner who said four turbines are planned for his property, told the commission he supports the project because it will create well-paid jobs and allow the county to produce clean energy.

“A lot of people are against these wind turbines, but do you want to build a nuclear powerhouse or a big coal powerhouse up there? Which would you rather see?” White said. “This county was built on cutting timber and coal mining.”

But other neighbors have voiced their opposition to the project, especially since construction work began in recent weeks.

Eric Robison, whose Eagle Rock Road home sits nearly adjacent to the substation site, filed a formal public information request with the county on Tuesday seeking documents including a copy of the site plan overview and the county’s review of the Constellation project under the Garrett County Sensitive Areas Ordinance.

Robison, who owns a construction company, said he’s concerned that the project plans have not been thoroughly reviewed by county, state and federal officials for their environmental impact on those areas.

Under state law, county officials have 30 days to respond to the information request.

Constellation Energy plans to build 28 wind turbines atop Backbone Mountain in Garrett County. The state Department of the Environment stopped work last week due to issues with water runoff and erosion controls.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

What a difference 2 weeks makes – Stockslager Area Deep Creek Lake

A few weeks ago, I took these pics of the Stockslager Rd area as the lake level was lowered (because of flooding risks) and there was still ice and snow everywhere. Well, today I went back and saw just how much the lake has risen in just a few short weeks:

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Stream-River – exploring Garrett County & Deep Creek Lake

I just listed a lakefront house on Stockslager Rd today, and on the way back, I wanted to snap a few shots of the bridge that crosses Deep Creek. Not the Deep Creek Lake bridge, but the small little stream/river/creek that is the namesake of Deep Creek Lake. I plan on exploring more this summer, but I wanted to share some of the cool photos that I got today. It’s tough to see the water as the trees are all grown up and it’s very wooded, but you can see that it’s there. This is the stream that pickups the runoff from the Deep Creek Dam and dumps that water into the Youghiogheny River. You’ll notice the smaller steel bridge that used to be there, as well. The trees have grown up through it. Stay tuned – I hope to hike the stream down to the Yough and report back here ina few weeks when the leaves are out in full bloom. Enjoy!