Who I Am
My name is Jay Ferguson, and I am a lifelong resident of the Deep Creek Lake area. I am also co-owner of the real estate side of Taylor Made. I have been in the real estate business for 21+ years now and I LOVE what I do! I have to say, my career really took off when I co-founded the real estate side of Taylor Made in 2014. Its been an amazing experience, building a real estate company from the ground up and achieving so much so quickly! In August 2016, we purchased Long & Foster Real Estate Deep Creek, where I had started my career in 2000. In 2018, we on-boarded virtually every agent from Coldwell Banker Deep Creek Realty as they closed up shop and the real estate family grew even more! We now have over 40 sales agents and have expanded to West Virginia and Pennsylvania, as well. Taylor Made is the #1 vacation rental company at Deep Creek with over 475 vacation rental homes, and over one hundred thousand yearly visitors. Its amazing what we have accomplished using the principles of honesty, teamwork and customer service!
Personally, my wife Jessica and I enjoy traveling and especially spending time in the outdoors, hiking and exploring the many diverse areas that Garrett County is naturally blessed with. We have raised two wonderful children here, Kayleah (22) and Noah (13). In the summer, we love spending time on the water with friends & family and enjoying the lake life! We are both active in our church, our community & local school activities, and we fill our schedule with plenty of volunteer efforts. I currently serve on the board of directors for Habitat for Humanity. I am proud to say that I was named Deep Creek Time’s Favorite ‘Community Champion’ in 2019. I was also named Garrett County Realtor of the Year in 2018-19, as well.
I really enjoy promoting my hometown. I am very proud of the resort area that has developed over my lifetime and look forward to growing the area even more! Deep Creek Lake has been described as ‘The Lake Tahoe of the east', and I think that speaks volumes about the potential to own property here! Deep Creek Lake isn't really a town or city by itself; it's comprised of three towns: Oakland, Swanton & McHenry, Maryland. I am very passionate about my hometown and am impressed with how many people know about it as we travel around the country. Deep Creek Lake is an amazing place to visit and even better place to live! During the pandemic in 2020, our market exploded and more and more people left their primary residence in the city to live here permanently. With distance learning in schools and tele-commuting becoming the ‘norm’, many more people were drawn to the area to ‘live where they love to play’.
Why You Want Me Working for You: In addition to being an owner, I am consistently one of the top-producing agents in the entire area and the Associate Broker of record for Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations & Sales. I have 21+ years of experience and I am a problem solver. There aren’t many situations that I have not encountered and I have a strategy for almost every scenario that you may encounter. I
have extensively trained in all areas of real estate & emerging technologies, and also have trained as an appraiser, as well as served as a full-time Broker. I have a strong knowledge of the industry, as well as many trusted local contacts & affiliations that allow me to perform at a very high level and deliver results. I have a great deal of respect for my peers in this industry and have strong working relationships that I would love to put to work for you.
Call me to discuss your situation - I know I can be of great service to you & others you care about!
Honesty. Integrity. Results.
The Lady Huskies advanced to the Maryland 1A State Semifinals after a dominating 10-0 win against Surrattsville this past Friday.
Their semifinal game will be this Friday, November 8, at 5:00pm against Liberty High School. The game will be at Tuscarora High School, 5312 Ballenger Creek Pike, Frederick, MD. Make plans now as the Lady Huskies need your support, so get your friends and family and head to Frederick this Friday!
Garrett County continues to face unprecedented drought conditions and the wildfire threat has increased significantly in the last 2 weeks. Please refrain from burning at this time.
To reduce the risk of wildfires, the Garrett County Health Department, in coordination with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forest Service and Garrett County Emergency Management, is instituting a ban on outdoor burning effective immediately. This burn ban extends to all regulated burning. Campfires are not classified as regulated burning, but caution should be taken to lower overall fire risk. The public is encouraged to minimize potential factors for fire risk until environmental conditions improve.
Tips to reduce risk include: 🔹Do not leave campfires unattended. 🔹Utilize a fire ring or other containment device. 🔹Extinguish the fire when you are finished. The ban will remain in effect until the county receives an adequate amount of precipitation or a ground cover of snow. Questions can be directed to Environmental Health of the Garrett County Health Department by calling 301-334-7760 or by emailing environmental.health@maryland.gov.
The Ruth Enlow Library of Garrett County serves the community with five branches:
Oakland (Main): 6 North Second Street, Oakland, MD 21550 Accident: 106 South North Street, Accident, MD Friendsville: 315 Chestnut Street, Friendsville, MD Grantsville: 102 Parkside Drive, Grantsville, MD Kitzmiller: 288 West Main Street, Kitzmiller, MD Each branch offers a variety of resources, including books, online materials, DVDs, and diverse programs for all ages. For more information on operating hours, events, and services, please visit their official website: RELIB.NET
McHenry, MD – A year ago, the Garrett College women’s soccer team had no home field, no experienced players, no bench to speak of, and no idea what they would be facing in NJCAA Region 20 competition.
What a difference a year makes.
Second-year head coach Brandon Jackson had built a 2024 squad that features nine sophomores and 14 freshmen, providing plenty of depth and experience. The Lady Lakers will also get to play a full home season on their turf field, which was only available for their final three home games last year upon field completion.
“The biggest difference this year is having my first-ever returning class coming back,” said Jackson. “It’s also nice to know that the returners have all experienced the first-year challenges and can take on a leadership role in helping our freshman class.”
The Lady Lakers have two returning all-NJCAA Region 20 players, including second-team defender Cheyenne Zack (Niles, Ohio) and honorable-mention midfielder Sydney Weeks (Oakland). The remaining returners are goalkeepers Sara Tabuena (Sitges, Spain) and Johnna Collins (Deer Park), midfielder Allison Harrold (Rockwood, PA), and forwards Cara Stout (Morgantown, WV), Natalie Warne (Oakland), and Courtney Milner (Huddersfield, England).
The ninth sophomore – Nevaeh Hambosky (Connellsville, PA) – played her freshman season at Potomac State College of West Virginia University in 2022.
“I expect Nevaeh to be a goal-scoring threat for us,” said Jackson, noting Hambosky scored 14 goals during the season with the Catamounts.
Jackson’s 14 freshmen include four international players. Combined with Milner and Tabuena, that gives GC six international players on its 2024 squad.
“There’s a lot of competition when it comes to international players,” said Jackson. “I worked to sell them on our vision and told them I’m a holistic coach. I care about them as players, as students, and making sure they also enjoy their experience.”
The best of the bunch among the international students may be Austrian Victoria Kovazh, whom Jackson described as “a phenomenal left winger with a lot of speed.”
Defenders Ruby Molloy (Manchester, England) and Sofia Mesrobian (Mississauga, Canada), and midfielder Chloe Mccaul (Cork County, Ireland) round out the international contingent.
The Lady Lakers have also added goalkeeper Kayla Moore (North Marion, WV).
“Kayla comes from a very small school, but she’s 5-9 and super-athletic,” said Jackson. “I think she’ll be a tremendous goalkeeper.”
Other newcomers include midfielders Katelyn Leaman (Millersville, PA), Madison Jones (Kansas City, Kansas), Skye Leasure (Williamsport), Jacquelyn Jeffreys (Uniontown, PA), and Laci Slick (Inwood, WV); forward Danielle Brobst (Oakland), defenders Izzy Shafer (Preston, WV) and Alissa Breeding (Mount Savage), and central defender Jorjalyn Ward (Philippi, WV).
The Lady Lakers travel to CCBC-Essex on September 3rd to open their season with a 3 p.m. game against the region’s reigning champion. Essex nipped the Lady Lakers, 1-0, in the region quarterfinals last year.
GC plays at region rival Allegany College of Maryland on September 5th in a 4 p.m. contest.
GC opens its home season September 12th with a 3 p.m. match against Anne Arundel Community College.
Jackson heads into Season 2 confident the Lady Lakers are ready to make a statement.
“I would not be shocked if we finish in the top four in the region this year,” said Jackson. “We’d like to make a nice splash and let the region know that Garrett College women’s soccer is here to stay.”
State Police, Sheriff’s Office, Oakland PD, DNR all participate
Multiple law enforcement agencies teamed up with Garrett College last Wednesday and Thursday to offer “active-shooter” training.
The training, led by the Maryland State Police (MSP) and its Emergency Response Team, included both classroom and live-scenario components. A total of 35 officers from MSP, the Garrett County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the Oakland Police Department participated in the training.
“The classroom training helped familiarize our employees with what an active shooter situation might look like and how to respond,” said Chris Painter, Garrett College’s director of facilities, capital projects, and security. “The live-action scenarios, with our employees as role players, helped them understand what law enforcement expects of them in those situations.”
Painter – a former assistant special agent in charge of the Federal Air Marshal Service’s VIPR Teams, which trained extensively on active-shooter events and scenarios – said hosting the training at GC permitted local law enforcement to become more familiar with the campus.
“By training at the College, local law enforcement will have a better understanding of the campus layout should they ever have to respond to an active-shooter situation,” said Painter.
A total of 49 Garrett College employees – including GC President Richard Midcap – participated in the activities.
“You would like to think that an active-shooter situation can’t happen here – but that’s just not the case,” said Midcap, recalling the 2015 mass casualty event at Umpqua Community College in rural Oregon that left 10 dead. “The best way to prevent or minimize a situation like that is to train for it.”
The training emphasized the Avoid, Deny, Defend (ADD) – also known as Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) – options available to individuals involved in an active-shooter situation. Presenters noted that each active-shooter situation is different, and individuals have to determine in the moment what strategy provides their best option for success.
MSP also provided an Emergency Stop the Bleed training. The training was designed to provide individuals with the basic skills to effectively assist a victim with a serious bleeding injury, including applying a tourniquet to extremities when a wound is “spurting or squirting” blood.
“A significant bleed can bleed out in 4-6 minutes unless it’s treated,” said MSP Sergeant William Jansen, who serves as a flight paramedic and tactical paramedic. Jansen demonstrated how to apply a tourniquet and use other emergency equipment contained in a basic Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK).
Garrett County Public Schools also provided EMS and first-responders with a training on how to deal effectively in emergency situations with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The training was led by Dr. Chelsie Manges, GCPS director of the Department of Special Education.
Garrett County Government is urging all residents to participate in an important inventory of water service line pipes connected to our public water systems. This initiative aims to identify and replace any lead pipes.
Your involvement is essential for several reasons. Completing this inventory will allow the government to apply for the necessary funding to replace any hazardous lead lines that may be discovered. This proactive approach is crucial for maintaining the health and safety of all residents and meets Federal and State government requirements.
Please check for lead pipes within your home. Guidance on how to identify pipe materials, including lead, is available here:
Locate Your Water Service Line: Check the lowest level of your home—this could be the on the exterior, basement, a utility closet, or a crawl space. Look for a pipe entering through the floor or low on the wall.
Test with a Magnet: Hold a magnet near the pipe. A magnet will not stick to lead pipes, but it will stick to galvanized steel, which is a different material.
Penny Scratch Test: If the magnet did not stick, scratch the pipe with a penny. If the scratched area reveals a shiny silver metal, it may be lead. Lead is a soft metal and scratches easily.
Complete the Survey: Visit this link to access and complete the online survey: GarrettCountyMD.gov/WaterLine. Please provide information about the types of pipes present in your home, regardless of the material.
Your participation is vital and will directly impact the improvement of our public water infrastructure.
For more information or for any questions, please contact Siera Wigfield at swigfield@garrettcountymd.gov or 301-334-7477.