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Public says: Don’t divide communities in redistricting

Legislating across borders difficult, but not impossible, lawmakers say

by Sarah Breitenbach, Staff Writer

ANNAPOLIS — As legislators prepare to address the shape of political districts, they are hearing a common refrain from the few citizens who populate public hearings on the topic: Don’t divide communities.

Opponents of the current congressional map say the districts snake around the state in shapes even a salamander couldn’t fit into, grouping unlikely communities under the same representative. The committee tasked with making redistricting recommendations also is hearing the court-drawn state legislative districts disenfranchise communities by drawing boundaries down the middle of cul-de-sacs and across county lines.

“What we’ve done with our maps is we’ve made Maryland into the Balkans,” said William H. Campbell, a Howard County resident who spoke at the redistricting hearing Tuesday evening in Columbia. “We have Croats and Serbs and Bosnians and Slovenians, and because of that I think the politicians feel they have carte blanche to do and say as they please.”

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Number 1 Moved To New Home

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Sep. 1, 2011

With appropriate pomp and circumstance, the noble Number 1 fire truck of the Oakland Volunteer Fire Department, a 1930 American LaFrance pumper, was on Tuesday officially housed in its new home, the soon-to-be-opened Garrett County Museum of Transportation. The museum, a project of the Garrett County Historical Society and funded significantly by the Naylor Family Trust, is set to be officially launched later this month, although the doors were opened for the firefighters and many residents who attended the evening ceremony. While some were saddened at the thought of Number 1 no longer being driven, officials explained that the engine can indeed still be used in parades and other events, as it now has a special gas tank that can be quickly attached or removed as needed. (The vehicles in the museum cannot have any gasoline in them, for fire safety.) Photo by John McEwen.

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McHenry Property Owners Object To Mandatory Water Service Hook-Up

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Sep. 1, 2011

The Garrett County commissioners held a public hearing on Saturday morning at Garrett College to receive comments on proposed fee and policy changes to the McHenry Water System. About 200 people attended the two-hour event, with more than 20 voicing their concerns. Most objected to a waterline connection mandate.

Chairman Gregan Crawford said over 1,500 postcards were mailed to McHenry area property owners, notifying them about the hearing.

“This is part of the standard DPU policy from this point on,” Crawford said about the Department of Public Utilities informing people about such events.

The proposed changes include reducing the connection fee from $2,800 to $2,000 and allowing property owners up to five years to connect to the system. Those who do so within that time period could spread the connection cost over a 15-year period at a 1 percent interest rate. After the five-year deadline, the term would be 5 percent for 10 years. This amortization policy would apply only to McHenry Water System connections.

“These proposals change the amortization flexibility, time frame, and payment structure, and significantly lower the connection rates,” Crawford said.

Though the hearing was about connection/user fees and the connection/amortization policy, most of the public comments centered on the fact that numerous property owners will now have to abandon their private wells and pay the county to install water lines to their homes, connect them to the McHenry system, and supply them with water.

“This was crammed down our throats,” said Kim Knox, who lives off Pysell Road.

Several speakers indicated their wells are in good working condition and provide good tasting water. Some wondered if the public system would provide enough water/water pressure for household use and fire suppression.

“I’ve never, since this started, felt like I knew what was going on,” said Pysell Road property owner Marie Broadman about the expansion project.

The previous board of county commissioners held a public hearing on Dec. 7, 2010, on expanding the McHenry Water Service District to include Sandy View Court, Winding Estates Drive, Grand Estates Drive, Quiet Quail Way, Golf Drive, Ruffed Grouse Lane, Sandy Shores Road, Fern Loop, Wisp Mountain Road, Fantasy Lane, Barbara’s Way, Susan’s Way, Marsh Hill Road, Pysell Road, Deep Creek Drive, Gravelly Run Road, Ridgeview Valley Development, Sweet Rewards Development, a portion of Mosser Road, the Garrett County Airport property, and McHenry Business and Technology Park.

No written or verbal commentary about the proposal was received at the hearing, and Commissioners Ernie Gregg and Fred Holliday approved the boundary changes.

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Stoner Set As Autumn Glory's Grand Marshal

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Baseball player Tobi Stoner will be the grand marshal of Garrett County’s 44th annual Autumn Glory Festival Grand Feature Parade scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 15. The parade is set to begin at 1 p.m.

A native of Garrett County, Stoner attended Southern High School, where he was a first-team, all-area infielder and pitcher. During his tenure at SHS, the Rams won back-to-back area titles and had a 43-4 record in Stoner’s last two seasons. He played at Garrett College before attending Davis and Elkins College (W.Va.). There he was named Male Athlete of the Year in 2006.

That same year, Stoner was drafted by the New York Mets in the 16th round and played for the Mets’ double-A affiliate in Binghamton, N.Y., and its triple-A team in Buffalo, N.Y. Stoner was called up to the New York Mets in 2009. He is currently playing in the triple-A division.

Stoner will be holding a Meet and Greet at 11 a.m. during the Autumn Glory Craft and Gift Sale at the exhibit hall at the Garrett County Fairgrounds, Sunday, Oct. 16.

The Autumn Glory Craft and Gift Sale is presented by the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Susquehanna Bank. The 44th annual Autumn Glory Festival commemorative posters will also be available for purchase that day at the exhibit hall for $10 each.

The Autumn Glory Festival will run from Oct. 12 through 16 in Garrett County with a kick-off reception at Wisp Resort and two large parades, concerts, an Oktoberfest celebration, the Maryland State Banjo, Mandolin, and Fiddle championships, art exhibits, the Western Maryland Tournament of Bands, and antique and craft shows, as well as other events and amusements.

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Wait-and-see: Reintroduction of elk to state

Michael A. Sawyers

The Cumberland Times-News Fri Sep 02, 2011, 09:37 AM EDT

CUMBERLAND — The possibility that Rocky Mountain elk could be reintroduced into Garrett and Allegany counties has gotten the attention of many people, most of whom are taking a wait-and-see attitude.

A week ago, the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced that a 12-month study would begin to determine whether or not elk could live in Western Maryland and whether or not residents there want the animals to be reintroduced.

Elk have been gone from Western Maryland’s landscape for more than 200 years.

Gary Fratz could be considered to have a multi-directional interest in a possible reintroduction. Fratz is a farmer near Accident in Garrett County as well as a citizen member of the Maryland Wildlife Advisory Commission that consults with DNR.

“I don’t have a problem with it if the elk won’t be really damaging to crops,” Fratz said. “We’ll have to see what the ag community thinks about it. We’re all in a learning process right now.”

Fratz grows soybeans, oats, pumpkins and sweet corn, all of which are dined upon by deer and bear.

“We’ve found ways to live with that,” Fratz said.

State Sen. George Edwards, a co-chairman of the state’s Legislative Sportsmen’s Foundation, said he is all for taking a look at the possibility.

“The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is paying for the study ($125,000), so let’s see what is says,” Edwards said Tuesday morning. “The hunters I’ve talked with would like to have elk. We’ll have to see what other local people think, especially the farmers.”

The dates of public meetings and surveys have yet to be established.

“It would be amazing to see an animal like that in Maryland,” said A.J. Fleming, president of the Garrett County chapter of Quality Deer Management Association. “Not everybody can afford to go out West to see or hunt elk,” Fleming said.

“But if the average white-tailed deer eats 1 ton of food a year, how much would a 700-pound bull elk eat?”

Fleming posed that question in regard to farm crops as well as competition with deer for available nutrition.

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has no plan to actively reintroduce elk, but is getting them anyway.

“We have elk in our southwestern counties that have crossed the border from Kentucky,” said DNR spokesman Paul Johansen. “And we have developed a plan to monitor and manage them.”

Johansen said elk, especially immediately after relocation, are very mobile and he would not be surprised if any animals put in Western Maryland would cross the North Branch of the Potomac River or the Preston County line.

“We are very appreciative that the Maryland Wildlife & Heritage Service has already coordinated with us,” Johansen said. “We trust the judgment of the Maryland biologists.”

Johansen said his main concern is crop damage and collisions with vehicles should elk enter West Virginia.

Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com

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SavageMan Set For Sept. 16-18; Volunteers Sought

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SavageMan Set For Sept. 16-18; Volunteers Sought

Aug. 25, 2011

The fourth annual “Tri-To-Win” SavageMan Triathlon Festival will take place on Sept. 16 to 19, with the starting and finishing point located at Deep Creek Lake State Park. Organizers are currently recruiting volunteers to help with the international race.

The SavageMan Triathlon Festival, a charity event that benefits the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation, has been touted internationally as “the world’s most beautiful – and most ‘savage’ – triathlon.” Athletes from around the world are already registered for this year’s contest, according to Greg Safko, president of the foundation and lead organizer for the triathlon.

“The most critical ingredient in staging a successful triathlon is the active participation of enthusiastic, energetic and committed volunteers,” Safko said. “And our volunteers are tremendously appreciated by all our athletes, professional and amateur alike, who come from around the world to compete in this ‘Savage Race to Fight a Savage Cancer.'”

All volunteers will receive a complimentary volunteer T-shirt and cap, and will be invited to the post-race party. Volunteers will be advised as to how to obtain the gifts. Complete information and an application can be found online at www.savagemantri.org/volunteers.html.

A number of volunteer positions are available. Some of these include the setup crew, which will work each day from Thursday, Sept. 15, through the end of the weekend event. (Persons may choose a day to work, or be there each morning.) Volunteers are needed for course marking, parking guides, packet pick-up, body marking of the athletes, transition area guides, course support for all three legs of the race, finish line support, Westernport Wall success tracking, a tear-down crew on Sunday, and a clean-up crew on Monday.

Volunteering roles that require training, special equipment, certifications, or specific skills are photographers, medical personnel, kayakers, lifeguards, bikers, and videographers, among others.

For more information, persons may call Dick Zimmerman, the regional volunteer coordinator, at 240-405-4700, or contact organizers by e-mail at volunteers@savagemantri.org.

All race proceeds go to the melanoma foundation, named in honor of the late Joanna M. Nicolay. Her daughter, Denise Nicolay Safko, said the volunteers touch many lives.

“Not only are they and the community supporting the athletes, they are proving a way for many of the participants to honor someone whom they’ve lost, or who is battling cancer,” she said. “It is really an inspiration to me.”

For more information about the organization, persons may visit www.melanomaresource.org.

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Getting ‘lean’: Garrett commissioners look to trim county’s budget

Angie Brant

Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Wed Aug 31, 2011, 11:04 PM EDT

OAKLAND — Garrett County commissioners have approved a plan they believe will help offset a projected revenue shortfall and increase the efficiency and productivity of county government.

In the next month, the commissioners will appoint nine individuals to serve on an Efficiency Task Force. The task force will implement “lean” practices in the county government.

The lean concept is a systemic approach that identifies problems and establishes corrective actions to increase efficiency in an organization.

Lean practices have been implemented in five counties throughout Maryland.

According to Gregan Crawford, chairman, this concept has been successful in the private sector for many years. He believes the implementation of the concept in Garrett County governmental operations will offer a better return on taxpayers’ dollars.

“This was the next logical step. We have looked at and completed many cost-saving initiatives and we believe this can only help our efforts,” Crawford added.

Crawford and his colleagues, Commissioners Bob Gatto and James Raley, unanimously approved the proposal at their August meeting. The next step will be to appoint members of the county work force and community to the panel.

The current proposal calls for the panel to be comprised of nine members, with five individuals from county government and four appointments from the commissioners.

However, based on the initial response to this proposal, the board of commissioners is considering the creation of subcommittees to allow greater involvement from both employees and residents.

The county has already enjoyed the results of lean practices following the elimination of 25 positions through attrition.

Through attrition, the county has seen a savings of $1.5 million and has been able to restructure and reorganize many departments, eliminating many cases of duplication of services.

Garrett County Administrator Monty Pagenhardt said the county’s employees have risen to the challenge and “continue to provide quality public service with less personnel and financial resources.”

The commissioners agree that the dedication of the employees will be key to the implementation and success of this endeavor.

“We are looking for solutions from the bottom up, solutions from the employees who perform the jobs. They know what works and what doesn’t,” Crawford said.

Raley said the county has seen success in shared services with the Garrett County Board of Education and sees the potential for even greater savings as different options are considered.

“We need to operate government like people operate their household budgets in this tough economy, by cutting back and makings changes,” Raley said. “It can be as simple as turning off lights when you leave a room or turning off computers. We are looking at every option that can help save the county money.”

Several Garrett County businesses meet each month to discuss improving efficiency in the private sectors. As guests of these meetings, Gatto said the board of commissioners have begun to look at the process in a different light, gaining insight from what is working in the private sector and how to adapt those practices to serve county government.

“Lean is not just about working harder, it is about working smarter,” Gatto said. “We are seeing how those companies are working to be more productive and it is giving us a fresh perspective on how we can do things.”

Gatto has said it is easy to raise taxes, but he feels a more efficient government should be the first priority as the county looks to the future.

“We’re trying to plan for the worst, but are hoping for the best,” Crawford added. “Raising taxes is the last resort.”

The commissioners’ next scheduled public meeting is Sept. 13, beginning at 9 a.m. The commissioners’ plan is to have Efficiency Task Force members in place by Oct. 1. Commissioners would like to see the task force hold an organizational meeting before Oct. 21 and compile a list of recommendations by Jan. 31, 2012.

Contact Angie Brant at abrant @times-news.com

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State Marcellus commission will meet in Garrett

Matthew Bieniek

Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Mon Aug 29, 2011, 11:21 PM EDT

MCHENRY— The county with the most to gain, or lose — depending on who you talk to, on both the economic and environmental front, will host the next meeting of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission.

The meeting is set for Oct. 7 in Room CE-224 (the Continuing Education Building Lecture Hall) at Garrett College in McHenry. The meeting is currently scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and run until around 4 p.m.

State Department of the Environment staff are preparing briefings on liability and revenue issues, said Brigid Kenney of the MDE. The meeting will be the second one for the committee following the initial meeting at Rocky Gap in early August. The meetings are open to the public.

Among Garrett County members on the shale commission are county commissioner James Raley, Sen. George Edwards, Shawn Bender of the Garrett County Farm Bureau and Paul Roberts, a Garrett County resident, citizen activist and owner of Deep Creek Cellars winery.

The liability and revenue issues brought a number of comments at the first meeting. The liability issues concern how the state can assure repairs to roads and land damaged by drilling as well as funding should a disaster occur, among other concerns, commission members said. Commission members are also trying to figure out the best mechanism for permitting costs and taxation and how tax revenue should be divvied up.

Chairman David Vanko, a dean in science and mathematics at Towson University, has said commission members would have a steep learning curve.

Some commission members have advocated a baseline scientific fact-gathering, possibly paid for by the natural gas industry. One problem has been that it’s impossible to tell if methane in the water of some Pennsylvania communities occurred naturally or because of gas fracking, mainly because no studies or measurements took place before fracking began.

The commission will present recommendations by the end of the year on legislation to tax drilling and establish liability standards.

Recommendations on best practices for natural gas exploration and production are to be delivered by Aug. 1, 2012, and a final report including environmental impacts of drilling is to be issued by Aug. 1, 2014.

Marcellus shale formations throughout the Eastern U.S. harbor large untapped natural gas resources.

The total value of the natural gas in Allegany County’s Marcellus shale could be close to $15.72 billion, with the average well earning $65,000 to $524,000 yearly, University of Maryland Extension staff has said.

In order to get the gas trapped in Marcellus shale to the surface chemicals, water and sand are pumped underground to break apart rock formations and free the gas.

Critics are concerned about the impact on groundwater and drinking water. The technique would likely be used if drilling began in Western Maryland.

A process used in Canada, though, uses carbon dioxide gas, which is believed to have less significant environmental impact.

Vanko has said he hopes consensus can be reached on most of the issues the committee is expected to review.

Contact Matthew Bieniek at mbieniek@times-news.com

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Gas not the only factor in Labor Day plans

By CALEB CALHOUN

caleb.calhoun@herald-mail.com

5:01 p.m. EDT, August 31, 2011

With gas prices lower now than they were in July and Labor Day approaching, area residents Wednesday talked about costs, crowds, congestion and even crime shaping their plans to travel over the holiday weekend.

Dick Gaylor of Boonsboro said that he planned to stay home over the weekend because gas is still too high for him to travel.

“I have a camper, and I can’t afford to travel with it like I used to because gas is so high,” he said. “Even though the prices have gotten a little better, it’s still hard when my camper is only getting about 10 miles to the gallon.”

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Commissioners Hold Hearings To Prepare For Fiscal Year 2013

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Aug. 25, 2011

The Garrett County commissioners are already preparing for the Fiscal Year 2013 budget and beyond, though FY 2012 is less than 2 months old. They held five brief public hearings Tuesday afternoon on proposed increases for recordation, admissions and amusement, hotel rental, title/leasehold interest transfers, and overdue property taxes.

“I don’t want you to believe that it’s a done deal,” Commissioner Jim Raley said about raising taxes. “I want you to know that we’re here to listen.”

About 30 people attended the hearings, primarily members of the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce.

Commission chair Gregan Crawford stressed the hearings were mainly to garner information and to prepare for the future, especially the General Assembly session in January 2012. Three of the five taxes would require legislation in order for the commissioners to be able to increase them, if needed, in the future.

“2013 will probably be a far greater challenge to the county, budgetwise, than 2012 was,” Crawford said.

He indicated that the county may see a drop in property assessments, there may be a shift in teacher pension obligation from the state to the county, and there will be less state funding for education. He noted that the county’s capital projects and employee roster have already been greatly reduced.

“We’re trying to plan for the worst, but are hoping for the best,” Crawford said. “I don’t know whether we’re going to change any of the rates or not, but adjusting tax rates is never popular, especially in recessionary times. I’m still not convinced it’s the correct pathway at this point. Raising taxes should only be as the last resort.”

He added that it is hard to ask people to pay more taxes when the county needs to continue to look internally to see what it can do to raise revenue and trim expenses.

With that in mind, the commissioners will form an Efficiency Task Force to find ways to save money, yet maintain services.

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Author: ilovedeepcreeklakerealestate

Public says: Don’t divide communities in redistricting

Number 1 Moved To New Home

McHenry Property Owners Object To Mandatory Water Service Hook-Up

Stoner Set As Autumn Glory's Grand Marshal

Wait-and-see: Reintroduction of elk to state

SavageMan Set For Sept. 16-18; Volunteers Sought

Getting ‘lean’: Garrett commissioners look to trim county’s budget

State Marcellus commission will meet in Garrett

Gas not the only factor in Labor Day plans

Commissioners Hold Hearings To Prepare For Fiscal Year 2013

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