Category:garrett county
Door Entry Systems and School Resource Officers in Garrett County Public Schools
Garrett County Public Schools have been proactive in implementing additional security measures in all
schools over the past six months. New door security hardware and the incorporation of School
Resource Officers (SROs) have been put in place for the opening of schools on Monday, August 26
The school system has placed cameras and video recording equipment, access control door entry
systems, and entry intercoms/buzzers at all schools to provide additional security for the students, staff,
and visitors. Also, the security software will allow for a keyless entry system for all employees and
will allow the schools to be locked at all times during the school day.
Parents and guardians who want to access a particular school will need to ring the buzzer at the front
door entrance. Office staff will communicate through the intercom system and, if approved, will grant
access to the building. A photo identification may be required.
The Garrett County Commissioners have funded two full-time School Resource Officers (SROs) for
the upcoming school year: one for the northern end of the county and one for the southern end.
Sheriff Robert Corley will have the overall responsibility for Lt. Clark Warnick and Deputy Tim
Sanders. Lt. Warnick and Deputy Sanders are full time law enforcement officers of the Garrett County
Sheriff’s office and will have offices in the schools. Their daily law enforcement and educational
activities will be coordinated with the local school administration staff.
Mrs. Cynthia Downton, President of the Garrett County Board of Education, stated, “The safety and
security of our students and staff are paramount to the Board of Education. We appreciate the support
of the Garrett County Commissioners, Garrett County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maryland State
Department of Education for their support of these important safety initiatives. In addition to these
measures, we remind our school staff and community members to continue to be vigilant regarding
strangers around school grounds or in our schools.”
County schools get good progress report
New security measures, resource officers in place in Garrett County schools
For the Cumberland Times-News Cumberland Times-News
OAKLAND — Garrett County Public Schools have installed new door security hardware and incorporated school resource officers for the opening of schools.
The school system has placed cameras and video recording equipment, access control door entry systems, and entry intercoms/buzzers at all schools to provide additional security for the students, staff and visitors. The security software will allow for a keyless entry system for all employees and will allow the schools to be locked at all times during the school day.
Parents and guardians who want to access a particular school will need to ring the buzzer at the front door. Office staff will communicate through the intercom system and, if approved, will grant access to the building. A photo identification may be required.
The Garrett County commissioners have funded two full-time SROs — one for the northern end of the county and one for the southern end. Sheriff Robert Corley will have the overall responsibility for Lt. Clark Warnick and Deputy Tim Sanders, who have offices in the schools. Their daily law enforcement and educational activities will be coordinated with the local school administration staff.
“The safety and security of our students and staff are paramount to the board of education,” said Cynthia Downton, president of the Garrett County Board of Education. “We appreciate the support of the Garrett County commissioners, Garrett County Sheriff’s Office and the Maryland State Department of Education for their support of these important safety initiatives. In addition to these measures, we remind our school staff and community members to continue to be vigilant regarding strangers around school grounds or in our schools.”
Fall Foliage Forecast: Best Chance for Vibrant Display in Mid-Atlantic
By Jillian MacMath, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer
August 28, 2013; 7:41 AM
As summer comes to a close and fall weather ushers in the changing of leaves, this year’s most vibrant display of foliage will occur across the mid-Atlantic. Meanwhile, surrounding regions may be hindered by flooding rain and unseasonable temperatures.
“Most important is really what happens at the end of September and beginning of October into the middle of October. That’s really the crucial period,” according to Dr. Marc Abrams, professor of Forest Ecology and Physiology at Penn State University.
Abrams began observing how weather conditions affect fall foliage more than 25 years ago.
The AccuWeather.com 2013 Fall Forecast predicts near-normal temperatures and precipitation for the mid-Atlantic region, allowing bright, colorful leaves.
Citizen Shale issues response to state’s Marcellus report
From Staff Reports Cumberland Times-News
OAKLAND — Citizen Shale has completed its on the Governor’s Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative draft report on Best Management Practices for Marcellus Shale Development in Maryland.
“Many of you realize that the cart was placed in front of the horse in the development of the BMPs,” wrote Eric Robison, president of Citizen Shale. “The state of Maryland’s decision to compile BMPs before many other studies were completed seems to suggest that the state is moving forward with development of regulations without specific facts regarding the outcome of those studies.”
Robison suggested that a comprehensive way to form the BMPs would have been to fund a risk analysis, which would have guided the studies and scope for each. After those studies were completed, then the BMPs should be compiled, noted Robison.
The report is the second of three reports requested by Gov. Martin O’Malley’s safe drilling initiative. The primary focus of the report regarded environmental protection of potential drill sites.
“There are many areas within the BMPs that have what many would suggest are gold standards, but equally there are areas that lack informed decisions or have established industry guided recommendations,” wrote Robison. “Due to the complexity of the BMPs, Citizen Shale attempted to compile on areas that appeared to lack the gold standard approach to development of natural gas in the state of Maryland.”
Should hydraulic fracturing come to the state, one regulation to be implemented will be a mandatory Comprehensive Gas Development Plan to be done by any energy company applying for a permit to drill in the state.
“Though limiting clustered development to certain areas, Comprehensive Gas Development Planning requirements will ultimately create more intensive ‘sacrifice zones’ in the areas where this highly concentrated development takes place,” stated Citizen Shale in its .
The CGDP will cover a report on the location a company wishes to drill, how it will construct the well, materials that will be involved in drilling and other aspects in the production of the gas.
During a previous public forum, Christine Conn of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources explained the purpose of the CGDP is to allow the DNR and Maryland Department of the Environment, as well as other stakeholders, to recommend any changes to the company prior to drilling. Maryland would be the first state to mandate a CGDP by a government agency as a prerequisite for applying for a permit.
“There needs to be an external review process from MDE and DNR for permitting, siting, construction and operation of all pipelines and ancillary development outside of the CGDP process,” states Citizen Shale in its . “This can be addressed in the 2014 legislative session as a bill for the PSC (Public Service Commission) to adopt permitting for rural gas gathering lines within the state.”
As an organization, Citizen Shale hasn’t taken a position on fracking but has tried to stay within its mission of encouraging dialogue and supporting comprehensive efforts to protect individuals and communities from the wide-ranging impacts of shale gas development, said Robison.
The public comment period for the BMP draft report has been extended through Sept. 10. The report can be found at www.mde.state.md.us and a copy of the draft report is available at the Ruth Enlow Library in Oakland and the Frostburg Community Library.
On behalf of MDE, the Regional Economic Studies Institute of Towson University as part of the Maryland Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative is conducting a survey and it can be found at http://resisurvey.resiusa.org/surveydata/ContingentValuation.htm
on the BMP can be made to the MDE at msac@mde.state.md.us
To view Citizens Shale’s in their entirety, visit http://citizenshale.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Citizen-Shale-BMP-.htm.
3 make short list for Garrett judge
Governor to have final say
From Staff Reports Cumberland Times-News
OAKLAND — The Trial Courts Judicial Nominating Commission for Commission District 5 has chosen three names to forward to the governor for consideration for the position of Garrett County District Court judge.
Stephan Moylan, Raymond Strubin and Daryl Walters were found to be legally and most fully qualified for the appointment to district court, according to a letter from the Administrative Office of the Courts to the governor.
The commission selected the nominations via a secret written ballot Aug. 20. Prior to the vote the commission conducted extensive interviews and reviewed all available information on the candidates.
Moylan is assistant public defender for the state of Maryland. Strubin is with the Garrett County District 12 Office of the Public Defender and Walters is master for the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Maryland.
The names will be forwarded to Gov. Martin O’ Malley, who will make the final appointment. There is no time frame for O’Malley to make the appointment, according to Kathleen Stafford, administrative clerk for Allegany County District Court. Hopefully, he makes the appointment soon, she said.
The district court judge position was left vacant following Judge Leonard Eiswert’s mandatory retirement, effective March 21.
GC Solid Waste & Recycling Public Informational Meeting - Apartment & Condominium Recycling Requirements
Press Release
August 27, 2013
The Garrett County Department of Solid Waste & Recycling announces a public informational meeting to discuss apartment and condominium recycling requirements
Owners of apartment buildings or condominiums that have 10 or more units are reminded that they will be required to provide recycling to their tenants by October 1, 2014. House Bill 1 that was passed during the 2012 legislative session requires owners or condominium councils of owners to provide for the recycling of metal containers, plastic containers, glass containers and paper. They are also required to provide for the removal of these materials for further recycling.
Garrett County Solid Waste and Recycling will need to adopt an amendment to its 10 year Solid Waste Management plan in order to comply with this recently passed legislation. As part of that process an Informational meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday September 18, 2013 in the Commissioner’s meeting room at 7 pm. The purpose of the meeting will be to provide a review of the proposed amendment, discuss the impact on owners and tenants, and to offer the opportunity for questions.
A copy of the draft language for the amendment is available on-line at garrettcounty.org/solid-waste-recycling, at the landfill office, and at the Grantsville branch of the Ruth Enlow Library.
Concerned citizens or owners are welcome to attend the meeting, send e-mail to dwbaker@garrettcounty.org or contact Garrett County Solid Waste by phone at 301-387-0322.
Franchot Releases Economic Report Of Schools Starting After Labor Day
Citing the benefits to Maryland families, small businesses, and tourism overall, Maryland comptroller Peter Franchot released this week an economic impact report completed by the Bureau of Revenue Estimates regarding a post Labor Day start date for all Maryland public schools.
Alongside Ocean City mayor Richard Meehan, Senator James N. Mathias Jr., and numerous members of the local business community, Franchot announced that a delayed school start in Maryland would result in an additional $74.3 million in direct economic activity, including $3.7 million in new wages, and a separate $7.7 million in state and local revenue.
“The chance for families to spend precious time together and to build lifelong memories during that final, end-of-summer vacation has been lost by the decision to begin school a week, or even 10 days, before Labor Day,” said Franchot. “Not only does this cut into the opportunity for Marylanders to spend more time together as a family, but it also has a negative impact on small businesses. In these tough economic times, we need to do all that we can to support small businesses and promote economic activity, not cause unnecessary harm to them for no apparent reason.”
With Maryland having nationally renowned vacation destinations like Ocean City, Deep Creek Lake, and Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, tourism is the fourth largest industry in the state. With Maryland welcoming over 32 million domestic travelers annually in recent years, the tourism sector employs more than 340,000 Marylanders.
While Labor Day weekend in Maryland is most commonly associated with family trips to resort destinations, it also coincides with other major events occurring throughout the state, including the Maryland State Fair in Timonium, the Grand Prix of Baltimore, and four weeknight home games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Instead of reducing the 180-day school year, Franchot says he is confident that the state’s school systems would be able to adjust their calendars throughout the academic year without losing time for instruction in the classroom. The flexibility of adjusting winter and spring breaks or eliminating some of the school closure dates scattered throughout the school calendar would be left to each of Maryland’s 24 school systems, he said.
“This isn’t just necessary because of the $7.7 million in state and local tax revenue it would create for the priorities we care about, or the $74.3 million in direct economic activity it would generate in the midst of a sluggish recovery,” said Franchot. “Beyond the money or economic impact, it’s about Maryland families who save up a little each paycheck in order to spend one week each year in Ocean City or Deep Creek Lake, or catch an Orioles game, or visit the Maryland State Fair before the children return to school.”
Commissioners Approve Updated Floodplain Management Ordinance
The Garrett County commissioners approved updates to the county’s Floodplain Management Ordinance and related maps, following a public hearing on the issues Tuesday afternoon at the courthouse in Oakland. Also during their regular public session, the commissioners awarded bids and heard an update report from the Garrett County Department of Economic Development director.
Director John Nelson, GC Department of Planning and Land Development, said the updates to the Floodplain Management Ordinance and Flood Insurance Rate Maps were necessary to keep the county in compliance with National Flood Insurance Program regulations. The revised documents and subsequent revised flood insurance rates become effective on Oct. 2.
Nelson noted that, overall, there was a reduction in the number of designated flood plains in the county’s new ordinance and maps, compared to previous documents. The reduction is mainly the result of new mapping tools.
Permits and Inspections chief Jim Torrington noted the county has been in the process of studying and revising its ordinance for about four years. The county first joined the National Flood Insurance Program in 1976 under emergency status and became a part of the regular program in June 1985. Local, state, and federal officials created the county’s first floodplain study and maps at that time, using national data from 1929.
“Many of those maps are still in place today,” Torrington said.
He added that the county’s first Floodplain Management Ordinance was adopted in 1989 and was readopted in 1991. The document was reviewed again in 1994.
Economic Impact of Post Labor Start for Maryland Public Schools
Currently, all Maryland school districts begin the school year earlier than Labor Day.While the majority of Maryland’s twenty-four school districts begin one week prior to Labor Day,some begin even earlier. After weighing the number of additional school days by affected households, Maryland school districts would average an additional 8.7 days of summer vacation if the next school year began on September 3,the day after Labor Day…
…Under Maryland law,schools are required to be open for at least 180 actual school days and a minimum of 1,080 school hours.In order to adhere to the statute, this report assumes additional summer vacation days added to an individual school district would be accounted for during each school district’s current school year calendar.Thus, the school calendar change would allow for an expansion in the number of summer vacation days, as opposed to a shift from one part of the summer to another.
