OAKLAND — Gov. Martin O’Malley announced $5.5 million in grants to local boards of education recently, including $235,000 for Garrett County for the Digital Learning Innovation Award.

The funding is designed to increase the use of digital technology in education and to help students earn college credits and career certification while in high school.

“The purpose of the grant is to support the Telepresence project to provide the ability for students, teachers and professionals throughout Garrett County Public Schools and the world to synergize without the restraints of location or walls,” said State Superintendent of Schools Lillian Lowery at a news conference outside the Statehouse in Annapolis.

O’Malley and Lowery announced six grant winners under the Early College Innovation Fund and seven under the Digital Learning Innovation Fund.

Other school districts awarded were the SEED School of Maryland and Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Kent and Washington counties.

The Garrett County proposal will take advantage of the county’s new fiber connectivity between the schools and to the Internet.

“The grant will also provide for student computers at elementary schools still using older computer labs,” said Chuck Trautwein, Garrett’s computer resource teacher. “This technology will enable increased collaboration and sharing of resources between Garrett County schools.”

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CUMBERLAND — David Cox and Janet Wilson, the school superintendents for Allegany and Garrett County, respectively, along with Garrett College President Richard MacLennan, gave an update on the challenges currently facing education at a meeting Thursday of The Greater Cumberland Committee.

“We are moving toward having assessments that increase the demand of our kids cognitive skills. It’s been long overdue,” said Wilson, during the luncheon at the Cumberland Country Club.

Wilson and Cox gave a joint talk on the new curriculum and testing assessments being implemented in Maryland’s public schools known as Common Core, which is being phased in with the goal of the new system replacing traditional assessments by 2015.

For years, Maryland students were assessed by two tests: Elementary and middle school students took the Maryland Standard Assessment and grades 9 through 12 were given the High School Assessments.

Before Wilson and Cox spoke on the Common Core, MacLennan gave committee members in attendance an overview of the challenges facing education today.

MacLennan said the demand for workers with some level of higher education is continuing to rise.

“About two thirds of all employment will require some college education,” he said.

An estimated 81 million Baby Boomers will leave the job market, according to MacLennan, in the next 18 to 20 years, creating a high demand for educated workers.

“There is a sense of urgency here,” said MacLennan.

He also spoke on the skyrocketing student loan debt.

“Last year, student loan debt surpassed credit card debt nationally. It is closing on $1.12 trillion now. It increases by $2,853 every minute,” said MacLennan.

MacLennan stressed the need to close the gap between employer needs and workplace readiness through education.

“We are 16th in the world in our graduation rate. Today, 13 million attend a community college while only 25 percent will earn an associate degree within four years,” he said.

MacLennan also said that early college access during high school is critical.

“We know that those who get some college-level exposure while in high school will do better in college and are more likely to graduate,” he said.

Following MacLennan’s presentation, Cox and Wilson explained the Common Core assesment for K-12 students, known as the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.

Wilson and Cox both think that Common Core can add to the quality of Maryland’s public education standards.

The educators pointed out that Maryland has ranked number one in the U.S., based on six levels of criteria, by the trade publication Education Week, for the last five years.

“The old testing was basically multiple choice questions with the students regurgitating the content,” said Cox.

The educators said the new PARCC testing will stress analytical, abstract and quantitative reasoning.

The tests will stress the coordination between math and science and language arts by requiring the student to defend or argue their answers using their technical language.

“The students will use computers and utilize models as well,” said Wilson.

Wilson described moving from the traditional MSA and HSA testing method to PARCC as “going from the rural dirt road to the highway.”

The educators said the Common Core has been vetted by business, researchers and education.

“This is the most monumental change I have seen in 33 years in education,” said Cox.

Greg Larry can be contacted at glarry@times-news.com.

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OAKLAND — A portion of Senate Bill 370, which deals with setback requirements for wind turbines, was deemed unconstitutional by Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler because it would have given adjacent neighbors zoning authority.

Gansler sent a letter in May to Gov. Martin O’Malley saying that certain provisions of that bill are unconstitutional and can’t be enforced, said Monty Pagenhardt, county administrator, during the commission meeting on Tuesday.

“The bill will proceed, as it was written into law during the last session, except those certain provisions of the bill that were declared unconstitutional,” said Pagenhardt.

“There is a bill right now that is ready to be drafted by the department of legislative services that will address the certain provisions that pertain to setbacks and variances. That will be amended during the 2014 General Assembly,” he said.

The provision of the bill that was deemed unconstitutional deals with an adjoining property owner’s consent to a variance for a wind turbine setback requirement, according to the letter.

“While it is our view that this consent provision is likely to be unconstitutional, we believe that it can be severed from the bill,” wrote Gansler. “There are also other legal problems relating to this variance provision that should be corrected in the next session of the General Assembly.”

By requiring the consent of all adjoining property owners prior to applying for the variance, the bill has given neighboring property owners the power to determine whether or not a variance from setback requirements for wind turbines would be detrimental to the public health and welfare, according to the letter.

“Thus, it is our view that such delegation of zoning authority to individual landowners is of doubtful constitutionality,” read the letter.

Gansler suggests that, should the county approve the bill in spite of the defect, that they should administer the law as if adjoining property owners’ consent is not required.

State Sen. George Edwards is aware of the defect with the bill and indicated that the matter should be placed on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting and open to public comment, according to Pagenhardt.

Commissioner Jim Raley stressed that all the setbacks in the bill are legal but the variances aren’t.

The bill provides for a minimum setback for a wind turbine of, “no less than two and half times the structure height,” in the county.

“I think (Edwards) views that (the bill is) salvageable, there are certain sections that are already enforceable on new future projects,” said Raley.

The portions of the bill that are enforceable don’t apply to wind systems that have submitted a specified interconnection application to the PJM before March 1.

Oakland area resident Eric Robison, who testified for the bill, suggested that additional language in the bill should be amended.

Robison suggested that a portion of the bill dealing with the definition of setback distance be amended to non leased property line.

The current definition of a setback distance is the distance measured from the base of the tower of a wind turbine in a wind system to any residential, commercial, public or agricultural building in all directions.

“This would allow those property owners that didn’t enter into a lease the full lease of their land,” said Robison. “I think that the county should open this back up to some type of transparent stakeholder participation in how that language would come forward.”

Robison suggested that the county utilize the same process that the Department of Planning and Land Development uses when when determining  wind turbine setback regulations.

Edwards negotiated the terms for setbacks in the bill with the Maryland Energy Administration and in doing so changed the initial setback, according to Robison.

The setback was changed from property line to occupied structures, buildings and out buildings.

The change in the initial setback allows for energy development to occur at a property line which in turn allows for wind turbines to go in adjacent property close enough to experience possible ice throw from the turbines, according to Robison.

Robison said that after looking at any documents in the county pertaining to setbacks that they were all done within the property line, with the bill being the exception.

Contact Elaine Blaisdell at eblaisdell@times-news.com.

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MCHENRY — As the summer tourist season winds down at Deep Creek Lake, the Maryland State Highway Administration is looking ahead with a $1.6 million project to repair a deteriorated concrete wall along U.S. Route 219.

“The wall is structurally sound, but the worn concrete and exposed rebar detract from the attractiveness of the scenic Deep Creek Lake area,” SHA District Engineer Tony Crawford said. “These repairs will spruce it up in time to help put the area’s best face forward for the International Canoe Federation’s Canoe Slalom World Championships that will be held at Deep Creek Lake in September 2014.”

The project includes major repairs to the 1,356-foot-long wall that runs along the southbound shoulder of U.S. 219 at Fox Den Road. Work will begin in mid-September and proceed through the fall months until weather necessitates a closure, then will resume in spring with completion expected in early summer, weather permitting.

Motorists should expect shoulder closures throughout the duration of the project. During most of the work, both traffic lanes will be maintained and work will take place behind barriers on the southbound shoulder. However, at times, short-term lane closures with flagging will be necessary to allow crews to set up a barrier wall, receive deliveries or complete concrete pours. Whenever possible, these flagging operations will be scheduled for times with the least impact to the public.

Access to residences along Fox Den Road will be maintained at all times. Advance warning signs, cones, drums, variable message signs, barricades and flaggers will guide motorists through the construction zone.

SHA’s contractor for the project is Charles J. Merlo of Mineral Point, Pa.

This project was made possible with funding from the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act of 2013.

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Dates: August 30, 2013 – September 02, 2013
Location:

Wisp Outdoors Equipment Blow Out Sale

Friday, August 30 thru Monday, September 2

9am – 5pm – Wisp Outdoors Adventure Park

Wisp Outdoors Rental Equipment: Limited supply.

Come early for the best selection adn save big $$$$!

Sale equipments includes but not limited to
Kayaks,
Canoes,
Mountain Bikes,
Paddleboards and Accessories.*

Click here for additional product information and pricing

*Products are in limited supply and based on availability and subject to change.

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Blue Moon Rising Open House

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