From deepcreektimes.com:
The judge did not make a decision regarding the mini-marina ordinance as expected on June 1. A public notice appeared in last week’s Republican stating that Deep Creek Marina has submitted an application to rent boats out of the Lakeside Club/Service Center location on Deep Creek Drive. Written public comments will be accepted until Monday June 17 and can be sent to: Deep Creek Lake Recreation Area, 898 State Park Road, Swanton, MD 21561.
Matthew Bieniek Cumberland Times-News
ROCKY GAP — Rocky Gap Casino Resort made $776,133 in revenue from slots and table games during the 10 days it was open in May, state gaming officials said.
The casino opened May 22. More than $600,000 of the revenue was from the slots side of the operation, which took in $648,365.59.
“Gross gaming revenue per unit per day was: $106.39 for slot machines and $1,161.52 for banking table games. Rocky Gap Casino Resort operates 554 slot machines and 10 banking table games,” according to a press release from the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission.
Allegany County Commission President Michael McKay said it was too early to start thinking about the potential revenue to the county. McKay said he wants to see what happens over a two- to three-year period, at least, before making any judgments.
“With the projections and the May numbers it is too soon to forecast success or have apprehension,” McKay said. “I’m optimistic and excited by the early results.” McKay said he took it as a good sign that it was hard to find parking when he stopped at Rocky Gap on business. But he offered further words of caution.
“We need to be fiscally prudent. … It’s premature to start commenting and premature for the county to start talking about spending the revenue,” McKay said. The county and the casino company have a payment in lieu of taxes agreement in place that will pay the county at least $295,000 a year.
Slot machine revenue from Rocky Gap included a contribution of $272,315.55 to the state’s education trust fund and local impact grants of $17,830.05. Lakes Entertainment earned $324,128.81, according to commission records. Total table game revenue was $127,767.50.
Rocky Gap helped save the day, or month, for state gambling revenues.
“In a year-to-year comparison — excluding Maryland Live, which opened in June 2012 and Rocky Gap Casino Resort — May 2013 casino revenue decreased from May 2012 by $1,206,766 or 8.29 percent. The addition of Maryland Live and Rocky Gap Casino Resort, however, brought a year-to-year net benefit to the state of $36,599,254. May’s figures brought total fiscal year 2013 gross revenues to $511.1 million,” according to the press release. The Maryland Live Casino is in Anne Arundel County.
Lakes Entertainment controls subsidiary Evitts Resort LLC, which owns the casino.
Lakes also held its 2013 annual shareholders meeting June 5 at Rocky Gap. Shareholders elected a five-member board of directors consisting of Lyle Berman, Timothy Cope, Neil I. Sell, Ray Moberg and Larry C. Barenbaum. Berman is the chief executive officer of the company and Cope is the chief financial officer. The information was reported, as required, to the federal Securities and Exchange Commission.
Contact Matthew Bieniek at mbieniek@times-news.com.
6/11 ***Update: The bear is now home safely after employees with the State Highway Administration discovered it in a ditch. New Germany State Park staff extend a huge thank you to all who helped spread the word!***
When staff arrived to work at New Germany State Park on June 6, they discovered the park’s bear statue had gone missing. The chainsaw-carved bear that once stood at the entrance welcoming visitors had apparently been stolen overnight.
The carving (pictured) was donated to the park in 2010 by a local artist named John “Sacco” Carter. Anyone with information on the theft is asked to call the Maryland Natural Resources Police at 1-800-825-PARK or 1-410-260-8888.
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The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) will begin a resurfacing project on U.S. Rt. 219 (Third Street) in Oakland on Monday, June 10. The work is expected to take about two weeks, weather permitting.
SHA will resurface Rt. 219 between Oak and East Orchid streets. In addition, work crews will restripe the roadway to add a southbound left-turn lane on the highway between East Pennington and East Center streets.
This change, added to the project in response to citizen requests, will improve traffic flow by creating a separate lane for traffic making left turns into McDonald’s and Sheetz and onto East Center Street, noted Anthony Crawford, District 6 engineer.
“As crews start work out on the road, we ask for drivers to use extra caution and allow some additional travel time to get through the work zone,” he said. “This is a relatively short-term project, so it is all the more important to remain alert since every day there will be changes.”
Working hours for the project are tentatively set for 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. During those hours, a flagging operation will be in place to alternate the traffic direction on Rt. 219/Third Street, and parking will be prohibited along the roadway.
“Motorists should anticipate delays and use extra caution in the work zone,” Crawford stressed. “When the work is complete, the daily average of more than 11,000 motorists who use this section of U.S. 219 will travel on a smoother, safer pavement surface with fresh, bright lines.”
The work is being performed by Keystone Lime Company Inc. of Springs, Pa., under SHA’s $4 million areawide paving contract in Garrett County.
Anyone with questions about traffic operations along Rt. 219 or other state numbered routes in Garrett County may call SHA’s District 6 office at 301-729-8400 or toll free at 800-760-7138.
The Garrett County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a $73.1 million operating budget for fiscal year 2014. This figure does not include capital expenditures and debt service. Pdf file here.
The FY ’13 operating budget was $72.5 million, excluding capital expenses.
“Both operating and capital budgets for fiscal year 2014 show that Garrett County chooses to operate within its means, just as a household or business would have to do in order to remain solvent,” Commissioner Gregan Crawford said.
He added that the county is still able to meet its fiscal responsibilities and continues to deliver an acceptable level of services, which is prudent during this time of budgetary cuts.
The commissioners also voted unanimously to keep the real property tax rate at $.99 per $100 of assessed value for all areas of the county except Mountain Lake Park. Because of a tax differential agreement with the county, that town’s rate will be $.927. Both rates include a special fire tax levy of $.034 and a Garrett County Landfill bond tax of $.02.
Property tax revenue for FY ’14 is projected at $43.4 million. Because of a small increase in assessable property values, this is $114,714 more than the county garnered in FY ’13. In their budget document message, the commissioners called this increase “insignificant.”
“The three budgets that we’ve been directly involved in as the board of county commissioners have been quite a challenge,” said Commissioner Jim Raley. “In essence, all the new revenues to the county over the three years have been distributed primarily to backfill the loss of state revenues to the Board of Education and, this year, to the Health Department, both of whom provide vital services to our population.”
He said the county needed to grow its economy and population, work to retain its young people, and find ways to increase its revenue stream.
“It’s easy to say, ‘Just raise taxes and that will fix the problem,'” Raley said. “But when does it end – that vicious cycle of government reaching into the pockets of citizens who are just making it or businesses that are struggling to keep their doors open.”
Though it seems small, he indicated, a two or three cent tax increase greatly affects their bottom lines, resulting in homes being repossessed and businesses closing.
In addition to property taxes, the county’s other revenue sources include grants, various permit fees, and income taxes. The county’s Financial Services office projects that about $11.1 million will be garnered from income taxes in FY ’14, which is an increase of $1 million compared to FY ’13.
This photo was taken by Lisa Broadwater, manager of the Grantsville office of The Republican, during a scheduled release of water on the Savage River Saturday. This release, and two more scheduled for July and September, were arranged via a collaborative effort by the Upper Potomac River Commission, NewPage Corporation, G&S Coal, Precision Rafting, Savage River State Forest staff, Garrett College, and Adventure Sports Center International.
Michael A. Sawyers Cumberland Times-News
OAKLAND — As “Outdoors Maryland” celebrates its 25th year on Maryland Public Television, the Oakland resident who launched the series in 1988 met with the Times-News Thursday to recall the early days and salute the heights to which the show has risen.
After more than 700 shows, “Outdoors Maryland” has won 37 Emmy Awards and is currently nominated for two more.
“I had watched a show called ‘Outdoors Arkansas,’ and I liked it and I knew that we could do it even better in Maryland,” said Glenn Tolbert, then employed by MPT and living in Owings Mills. “But it would be expensive and first I had to sell the idea of producing a one-hour pilot.”
Tolbert said he was somewhat surprised when Department of Natural Resources gave him and MPT an immediate green light and the necessary money.
“I got out a map, picked various regions of the state and started to choose stories and locations. I had never even been to Garrett or Allegany counties, so that took some research.”
Tolbert’s research was of the on-the-ground, up-close-and-personal variety. He had beer money and he put it to work.
“I went to restaurants and bars in the two counties and asked local people what they did in the outdoors and where they did (it). And, yes, some of the money was used to purchase liquid incentive so people would provide me with the information I needed.”
The pilot show was an unqualified success, according to Tolbert.
“It opened with a float on the Pocomoke River and closed with bears in Garrett County. The other parts of Maryland filled in the middle.”
Tolbert said the premiere of the pilot show was watched by Gov. William Donald Schaefer and lady-friend Hilda Mae Snoops. Also in attendance were various elected state officials and numerous staff from state agencies.
“When it was over there was rousing applause and we were on our way,” Tolbert said.
Tolbert produced the show for 10 years. His approach was a natural one.
“We used music if it was needed, but I’d rather let viewers hear the birds chirp or the river babble. My goal was to have viewers see and hear Maryland’s outdoors, to love it and treat it with sacred tenderness.”
Tolbert said he felt good about the fallout from the show. “People would see a show about Garrett County and say ‘Oh, wow. You mean that’s in Maryland?’”
Tolbert said he felt bad about the fallout from the show. “I have always been concerned that the show brought more people to Western Maryland and somehow lessened the quality of the outdoor experience.”
“Outdoors Maryland,” which airs on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m., was originally produced by Tolbert using a film crew of three.
“Comparing the equipment from then to now is crazy,” he said. “Our recording unit was in a large, heavy box that it took one person to carry. We would hook it to the camera with a long cord.”
Tolbert said his crew was “unbelievable.”
“We couldn’t afford a helicopter so one of them would climb the highest tree to get an aerial shot. They’d cross rivers, whatever it took.”
During filming, Tolbert found himself in some difficult positions, including flat on his back in the Little Youghiogheny River after slipping and falling.
“Walking in that river was like stepping on buttered rocks,” he said.
Another time he got caught in a severe lightning storm on the Eastern Shore as a nearby tree was struck.
Tolbert said he hopes that his work and the efforts of those now producing “Outdoors Maryland” create not only an enjoyment of the state’s natural landscape, but a reverence for it. He said he always enjoyed working with employees of the Department of Natural Resources and always sought out the most enthusiastic individuals for interviews.
“Most of them love what they do,” he said.
Tolbert, originally from El Paso, Texas, said he had envisioned the East as pretty much paved over and was thrilled when he discovered its natural beauty.
“I have always been fascinated by the mystery of nature,” he said. “You know, you see the trees in the forest and the different shades of light between them off into the distance and you want to go there, to feel it, to see it, to try to understand it. I wanted that to be ‘Outdoors Maryland’ and I wanted to take the viewers with me into the different shades of light.”
Tolbert said he sees that the show’s current staff is continuing the program in that spirit.
Asked to detail the parts of Maryland and the outdoor activities he and his crew exposed to viewers during his decade with the program, Tolbert paused.
“I can’t think of anything we missed,” he said.
Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.
3:22 p.m. EDT, June 5, 2013
Visit the Spruce Forest Artisan Village at Penn Alps in Grantsville, Md., for Family Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 15. This free event will feature interactive and hands-on activities for children and families.
Spruce Forest Artisan Village and area partnering organizations will create opportunities to experience life in the 1800s. Take a class in a log one-room schoolhouse presented by Allegany County Historical Society. Listen to stories in the Miller House Museum related by members of the Miller family, and tour the Swiss-style Yoder House.
Learn about herbs and cooking by making a bouquet garnis with the Somerset Historical Society. Children will love the take-home craft hosted by the Springs Historical Society and the plants they get to pot in containers made from recycled materials sponsored by Garrett County‘s Master Gardeners.
The proposed Fourmile Ridge wind project in eastern Garrett County has gone beyond the 60-day appeal process for the Federal Aviation Administration’s interim decision in February that all 24 proposed wind turbines are presumed to be a hazard to air navigation.
Project developer Synergics hasn’t resubmitted the project to the FAA, according to Jim Torrington, chief of the Garrett County Permits and Inspections Division.
FAA approval was hinging on the decommissioning of the Grantsville VOR/DME system, which drew opposition from Ed Kelley, manager of the Garrett County Airport, and the Maryland Aviation Administration.
VHF omnidirectional radio range is a type of short-range radio navigation system that enables pilots to determine their position and stay on course by receiving radio signals transmitted by a network of fixed ground radio beacons.
VOR/DME refers to a combined radio navigation station consisting of two beacons placed together.
Following comments and suggestions from the County Permits and Inspections Division, Synergics has revised its sediment and erosion control plan as well as the stormwater management plan, which includes about 90 plan sheets, according to Torrington.
The Maryland Public Service Commission approved the Fourmile wind project in April, and Frank Maisano, spokesman for the Synergics project, had previously said construction will begin as soon the permits are issued by the county.
Projects like Fourmile Ridge, that have been in the PJM queue, which deals with interconnections to the electrical grid, are exempt from the legislation that was recently passed that requires wind turbines in the county to comply with certain setbacks, according to Torrington.
Other wind projects in the county are moving forward.
Construction on 20 wind turbines near Friendsville that are part of EDP Renewables North America (Horizon Wind Energy) Winding Ridge will likely begin next year, according to Torrington.
EDP Renewables North America was issued a determination of no hazard by the FAA in 2011; the determination is only good for 18 months, said Torrington.
EDP Renewables received an extension on the FAA determination that is set to expire in November 2014 unless construction is started.
New Dimension Energy Company LLC, a subsidiary of FloDesign Wind Turbine Corp., has received approval from the county board of zoning appeals to construct a meteorological tower in the Deep Creek Watershed, according to Torrington.
The company hopes to build nine wind turbines between Bittinger Road and Bowman Hill Road.
The FAA also determined that two proposed MET towers — one at Garrett College and one in the Piney Run Dam area near Frostburg — have been determined to be of no hazard to air navigation.
The determination was issued to Associated Wind Developers LLC, of Plymouth, Mass., with the one at Garrett College to be used for a year-long wind study and the other for a proposed two-megawatt wind turbine near Frostburg.
The projects will be funded with a grant through the Maryland Energy Administration Game Changer Program, according to Torrington.
The program was created to provide cost-sharing grants for innovative clean energy generation technologies and market strategies in Maryland, according to the MEA website.
The projects are funded based on their ability to help the sate meet its renewable energy portfolio standard of 20 percent by 2022, and the grant recipients’ progress toward that goal will be evaluated for two years following their award.
Contact Elaine Blaisdell at eblaisdell@times-news.com.
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