Category:garrett county

BOE Approves CARC As New Graduation Site

The Garrett County Board of Education approved decisions on school graduation ceremonies during Tuesday’s scheduled board meeting. The board elected to hold graduation for both Northern and Southern high schools at the Community Aquatic and Recreational Center (CARC) at Garrett College. Furthermore, the board also approved a date of Saturday, June 1, for graduation ceremonies.

Paul Edwards, director of secondary education, noted that both high schools requested to move the graduation site to the CARC for several reasons, including unlimited seating at the CARC; weather concerns removed since graduation would be inside; and that the facility is air-conditioned.

Both principals met with senior class officials and teachers and are supportive of the change. School officials decided that they wanted to hold graduation on a Saturday instead of Sunday, as in the past. Dr. Richard MacLennan, president of Garrett College, was supportive of the change and would allow the BOE to use the facility without a fee.

The BOE, along with school officials, agreed to have Southern High School’s graduation ceremony at 10 a.m., followed by Northern High’s graduation at 3 p.m. The schools agreed to swap time frames every year.

More here.

Fun things to do this weekend at Deep Creek Lake 3-15-13

Comedy Blast

Friday Mar 15, 2013

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GC Commissioners Approve Recycling Plan Amendments

The Garrett County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved three amendments to the county’s 10-year Solid Waste Management and Recycling Plan (2004–2014). As required by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), the new regulations pertain to methods for recycling in public schools, recycling light bulbs, and recycling electronics.

Manager Dave Baker, Garrett County Department of Solid Waste and Recycling, noted that though the amendments are new state requirements, his department has already implemented them.

“They’ve been up and running for some time,” Baker said.

Kim Madigan noted that one of her first jobs as recycling coordinator for Garrett County was to start a school program.

“We’ve been recycling since 2005 in our schools,” she said.

Working in conjunction with school and board of education personnel, Madigan said it took her a little over a year to get the initiative up and running. She described the end result as “excellent.”

“I’m very proud of that program,” Madigan said.

The 10-year plan calls for Garrett County schools to collect, but are not limited to collecting, #1 and #2 plastics, cardboard, mixed paper, tin cans, aluminum cans, magazines, and newspaper. The Board of Education is responsible for picking up the materials biweekly from each school.

Garrett College is also required to collect office paper, #1 plastics, aluminum cans, toner cartridges, light bulbs, motor oil, tires, and batteries.

Madigan said her department also came up with a strategy to collect fluorescent light bulbs (4-inch lamps, 8-inch lamps, and U-tubes), compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), and non PCB ballasts for recycling. That program has been in place since May 2010.

Currently the program is limited to individuals (Garrett County residents), not businesses. In addition, because of potential mercury exposure, bulbs (unbroken) are only accepted at the county landfill. The bulbs must be given to a landfill employee, who then places them in a properly ventilated 10-foot by 10-foot shed. The materials are stored in the MDE approved shed until they are ready for shipment to a recycling contractor for processing and recycling.

In the event of bulb breakage, landfill staff must contact MDE and follow guidelines set forth in the Mercury Spill Emergency Response Manual.

Baker indicated that it is currently cost prohibitive for the county to construct bulb collection sheds at all of the county’s refuse collection sites.

The county has also been accepting electronics for recycling for several years. This initiative started as a pilot program through a grant from MDE. Madigan noted that electronics are accepted at four of the county’s refuse collection/recycling sites.

More information about recycling in Garrett County is available at garrettcounty.org or by calling Madigan at 301-387-0322.

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$22K Awarded In POS Funding For Avilton Playground

Gov. Martin O’Malley and the Board of Public Works yesterday approved Program Open Space funding for a recreational project in Garrett County. A $22,000 grant was awarded to the Avilton Community Association to install additional playground equipment and to construct a new pavilion at the community’s public playground.

“Whether your children play sports at their community ball field, your family bikes at their local park, or you play tennis with friends at a nearby court, Program Open Space projects benefit all of us,” said O’Malley.

Since 1969, Program Open Space has provided funding for the state to preserve 362,737 acres for open space and recreation areas. Of this, 41,697 – more than 10 percent – have been preserved within the past five years under the O’Malley-Brown administration.

The three-member Board of Public Works comprises O’Malley (chair), Treasurer Nancy Kopp, and Comptroller Peter Franchot. The BPW is authorized by the General Assembly to approve major construction and consultant contracts, equipment purchases, property transactions, and other procurement actions.

More here.

Schools’ chief recommends denial of charter application

Riverside Academy would increase financial burden on school system

Elaine Blaisdell Cumberland Times-News

OAKLAND — Garrett County Superintendent of Schools Janet Wilson is recommending that the Board of Education deny an application for a proposed charter school in Kitzmiller. Six committees reviewed the application submitted by Kitzmiller Charter School Initiative Inc. and, for the most part, the analysis of the application yielded unfavorable recommendations, ac-cording to Wilson’s recommendation.

“I concur with the analysis and subsequent recommendations made by members of the six review committees,” Wilson wrote in her recommendation “Although my recommendation to deny the charter school application could stand alone, the addendum to this recommendation also ad-dresses the fiscal implications of granting the charter application during a period of declining student enrollment and unprecedented financial hardships for the Garrett County Public Schools.”

Wilson noted that granting the application for Riverside Academy would increase the financial burden on the school system as a whole and would result in the need of further school closings, student redistricting, reductions in force of staff and the continued inability to meet negotiated employee pay scales.

“What is clear and compelling is that there will be a significant impact to all Garrett County public schools and all students should Riverside Academy become a reality,” wrote Wilson.

Under Maryland law, a county board of education must fund a public charter school with an amount “that is commensurate with the amount disbursed to other public schools in the local jurisdiction,” according to the state Department of Education.

The doors to Dennett Road and Kitzmiller Elementary closed permanently in May of last year and Bloomington Elementary closed in 2011.

“These closures represent 20 percent of the 15 schools that served Garrett County in fiscal 2011,” Wilson wrote. “These closures, as well as corresponding reductions in force and other significant reductions or eliminations of programs, while painstakingly difficult for the elected Board of Education, were necessary to ensure the ability of the Board to continue to meet its obligations of providing a free quality education program to all children of Garrett County.”

The closing of Dennett Road and Kitzmiller elementary schools saved about $1 million and $279,000, respectively, helping to close a shortfall of $2 million.

The school board will vote on Wilson’s recommendation during a special meeting on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Southern Middle School.

To read the recommendation in it’s entirety, visit the BOE website at www.ga.k12. md.us.

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

Legislation would pave way for expansion of Garrett hospital

Groundbreaking on $23.5M project expected in spring

Matthew Bieniek Cumberland Times-News

OAKLAND — If bills introduced by Garrett County legislators become law, financing for expansion of Garrett County Memorial Hospital will be available at a lower interest rate than that obtainable by the hospital going it alone.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. George Edwards and Delegate Wendell Beitzel, will allow county commissioners to borrow up to $15 million on behalf of the hospital by issuing bonds.

The county won’t be paying on the bonds though, said County Administrator Monty Pagenhardt.

The bank will pay bondholders directly.

“The hospital will pay back the entire amount,” Pagenhardt said.

The county will act as a conduit for the funding, allowing the loan to be “bank qualified” and backed by the full faith and credit of Garrett County, resulting in a lower interest rate.

“The county would be arranging for the financing of those bonds and, through the county, they could get the bonds at a much cheaper rate,” said Beitzel.

The hospital project includes a new four-story addition to the existing hospital with a focus on improvements to in-patient units and an additional 42,000 square feet of major renovations.

The total cost of the project is $23.5 million and includes a $15 million request from the county and $8.5 million in cash contributions and fundraising, hospital officials have said.

Groundbreaking is expected in the spring.

Garrett County requires the approval of the General Assembly to borrow large sums.

The money being borrowed for the hospital does not affect a separate bond authorization available to the county, said Pagenhardt.

Hearings on the bills are scheduled before the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee on Feb. 13 at 1 p.m. and before the House Appropriations committee on Feb. 12 at 1 p.m.

The hospital also continues to pay off two other bonds, one from 2004 in the amount of $1.4 million and one from 2007 in the amount of $3 million, Pagenhardt said. Those bonds also funded hospital improvements.

Contact Matthew Bieniek at mbieniek@times-news.com. Staff Writer Elaine Blaisdell also contributed to this story.

Garrett commissioners adopt watershed ordinance

Elaine Blaisdell Cumberland Times-News

OAKLAND — Garrett County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a Department of Planning and Land Development recommendation to rectify a conflict in the Deep Creek Watershed Zoning ordinance.

“Apparently, there have been over the years a course of hundreds of text amendments that have been made to the Deep Creek zoning ordinance,” said Commissioner Jim Raley during a public meeting held Tuesday. “I don’t want to see us be inconsistent with state law. I don’t want to see us doing things that are procedurally incorrect.”

The purpose of the amendments is to change two sections to make the ordinance consistent with Land Use Article 66B.

“I also want to make it perfectly clear that I want a full review, to the extent possible, of any text amendment that comes before us,” said Raley. “Obviously, I know there still has to be a public hearing.”

Raley asked the planning commission to review his and see if procedurally something could be put into place place to add a small hurdle to a text amendment.

“I don’t want to see the text amendment becoming a substitute for something more comprehensive,” said Raley. “… it can be easier to go with a text amendment change than it would be with a full zoning amendment. I do see some future text amendments on the horizon that I think can be very substantive.”

Both Chairman Robert Gatto and Commissioner Gregan Crawford echoed Raley’s sentiments.

“This doesn’t mean we are going to rubber-stamp every text change that comes through,” said Crawford.

The commission also voted, with Crawford abstaining, to adopt the Deep Creek Lake Shoreline Stabilization Projects Incentive Program. Crawford said the decision should have been tabled until the results of Phase II of the Deep Creek Lake sediment study are known.

“Without knowing the results … we’re looking at what we could do up front,” said Raley.

The program is similar to the sprinkler incentive that was adopted by the commission several months ago. The program will provide a $1,600 incentive payment for construction of a structure for shoreline stabilization, according to John Nelson, director of Planning and Land Development. The incentive will be paid with carryover funds from last year.

“I think the intent of the Board of Commissioners wasn’t necessarily to try to come up with incentive to cover the cost of the permit fee but actually the cost of that construction,” said Nelson.

“The incentive requires full construction and requires that the structure pass inspections by the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources,” said Raley.

The program is for the current fiscal year and, thus far, eight to 10 applications have been made for shoreline stabilization projects, according to Nelson. The program will encourage people to stabilize the shoreline to protect it from further erosion and sedimentation that is caused by the surface of the lake, said Nelson.

The commission also voted to give $500 to the Northern High School agriculture department to grow grass for the shoreline project and to allow Southern High School to be included, if interested.

Commissioners expected to decide on Deep Creek watershed zoning amendments

Plans for proposed wind project to be reviewed

Elaine Blaisdell Cumberland Times-News

OAKLAND — The Garrett County commissioners will decide today whether or not to move forward with a planning commission’s recommendation to amend the Deep Creek Watershed Zoning Ordinance. During the recent circuit court hearing on Bill Meagher’s mini-marina, it was noted that there was a conflict in the ordinance and that some changes needed to be made.

“This conflict between the ordinance and the state statute was discovered during the current litigation involving the zoning text amendment for the boat rental service business approved earlier this year,” wrote John Nelson, director of Planning and Land Development, in a December letter to the commissioners. “The Planning Commission has concluded that the discrepancy should be rectified.”

The commissioners voted at the Jan. 8 meeting to hold the public comment period open and delay the decision until today.

St. Moritz Properties LLC, Bill’s Marine Service Inc. and Silver Tree Marine LLC are suing the Garrett County Board of Zoning Appeals, county commissioners, Lakeside Commercial Properties LLC and William Meagher, owner of the Lakeside Creamery, in regard to previous amendments in the ordinance.

“Had the findings of fact been performed correctly and in a timely fashion, then the county would not be facing a lawsuit today,” wrote Carol Jacobs, president of Aquatic Center Inc. in a letter to the commissioners. “The findings of fact are required in every county in Maryland. If findings of fact had been performed prior to making a decision, in the mini-marina case, then the outcome might have been different.”

One of the proposed changes to the amendments would require the commissioners to make findings of fact that include present and future transportation patterns on the highway in the area where the purpose and effect of the proposed amendment is to change the zoning classification.

“The transportation pattern and the carrying capacity of the lake should have been studied,” wrote Jacobs.  “The transportation pattern and accidents on Garrett Highway should have been evaluated. Public safety is now at risk.”

Aquatic Center Inc., Bills Marine Service Inc., Deep Creek Lake Enterprises Inc., Silver Tree Marine LLC and St. Moritz Properties LLC filed a petition for a judicial review of the county’s decision to amend text in the Deep Creek Watershed Zoning Ordinance for boat rentals. The mini-marina doesn’t offer any of the services associated with a marina. During a hearing in December in circuit court, Judge Jim Sherbin dismissed the judicial review. Also during the hearing a declaratory judgment and an administrative agency appeal were consolidated and a hearing was set for March 29.

Also on the agenda for today’s meeting, the Department of Planning and Land Development will hold a county review of concept and site development plan of the proposed Fourmile Ridge wind project in eastern Garrett County near Frostburg. Synergics has submitted both a concept plan and site development plan.

Both plans are part of the county’s stormwater management ordinance process, which requires three phases of submission.

On Jan. 14, Synergics Wind Energy LLC and Fourmile Wind Energy LLC filed a request for a waiver of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity requirements for a tap line to serve the project, according to a Maryland Public Service Commission filing. Synergics is requesting the waiver be granted by April 1 to allow construction to begin immediately on the line.

Also on the agenda the Department of Public Utilities will provide a review of the western conveyance water and wastewater; approval of the Garrett County Hazard Mitigation Plan; and adoption of the Deep Creek Lake Shoreline Stabilization Projects Incentive Program policy.

The meeting will take place at 11 a.m. in Room 207 in the Courthouse.

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