garrett county – Page 67 – Jay's Real Estate Blog

US Second-Home Sales Soar as Fractional Market Slumps

New research from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows vacation-home sales in the US rose 7.9% to 553,000 in 2009. Although well off the market peak of 1,067,000 sales in 2006, this represents the first time in three years the US vacation-home market has seen a lift.

Although the median sales price for vacation homes has increased to $169,000, up from $150,000 in 2008, this “may reflect increased sales in higher priced markets, particularly in areas of Florida and California where prices became highly attractive for buyers over the past year”, according to NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun.

Read the rest of the article here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Exploring Garrett County- Mount Zion and Backbone Mountain

Over Easter weekend, my father and both my kids accompanied me to the Sharpless family (my father’s side) cemetery on Mt Zion, off of Backbone Mountain. My grandfather passed away about a year ago, and this was originally the stomping grounds of the Sharpless family in Garrett County. If you haven’t seen Mt Zion, the views are amazing, there’s a lot of history in this area and it’s a beautiful area of the county. It’s also the road to the boat launch (on the Maryland side) of Jennings Randolph Lake. There is a great deal of coal here, and the strip mining is very evident. I took some photos of the coal mining, as well.

When looking around the grounds and cemetery, you will find the original tombstone of Michael Paugh, who served under General George Washington in the Revolutionary War. His family placed a plaque here, and it goes on to say:

1777 – Michael Paugh fought in the American Revolutionary War under General George Washington, spending the historical winter at Valley Forge Pennsylvania under George Washington;s command. After the war, Michael received allotments of land and settled in what is today known as Mt Zion, Garrett County, Maryland.

I’m not sure where the Sharpless family figures in to this story or why the graveyard is here, but I’ll be exploring that part of the family tree in the near future. In the meantime, here are some photos of the beautiful area of Mt Zion:

From Mount Zion, Backbone Mountain, Lost Land Run, Ramps!

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Casselman, Potomac River fishing

Mr. Neuland mentions fly fishing for trout in Garrett County, specifically the Casselman & Potomac Rivers. Garrett County is famous for its trout fishing streams & rivers. From the Frederick News Post:

Town Creek: The water was pristine
Originally published March 28, 2010

By Dan Neuland
Today’s Sportsman

I HAVE LIVED in Maryland for more than 20 years and am ashamed to admit that I had never fished Town Creek until last year. For years, I have traveled I-68 through Allegany County on my way to fly fish the popular trout fisheries in Garrett County, driving right over Town Creek without stopping to sample the waters.
Last March, I took the opportunity to do a little early morning turkey scouting in Green Ridge State Forest, and combined the outing with some afternoon fly fishing in the delayed-harvest trout fishing area on Town Creek.

Before leaving home, I checked the Maryland Freshwater Sportfishing Guide online for information on tackle restrictions and printed the driving directions from the Department of Natural Resources website.

Like the other delayed harvest areas in western Maryland, such as the Casselman River and the North Branch of the Potomac River, Town Creek is managed as catch and release with artificial lures or flies only restrictions in the fall, late winter and throughout the spring.

Read the rest of the article here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Garrett County approves revised wind farm project plans

Garrett approves revised wind farm project plans
Megan Miller
Cumberland Times-News

— OAKLAND — On Tuesday county officials approved a revised project plan for a proposed Garrett wind farm, putting developer Constellation Energy one step closer to building an electrical substation and 28 wind turbines atop Backbone Mountain near Eagle Rock.

The Maryland Department of the Environment halted work last week on the site of a planned electrical substation along Eagle Rock Road due to issues with water runoff and erosion controls. MDE spokeswoman Dawn Stoltzfus said an erosion and sediment control fence at the site had been improperly installed, and the project plan was inadequate to handle the volume of water flowing from the site.

The Garrett Soil Conservation District’s approval of Constellation’s revised plan is the first step toward resuming construction. Stoltzfus said she expected the silt fence would be fixed Tuesday and an MDE inspector will visit the site Wednesday to look over the changes and give the necessary approval to proceed.

Crews began clearcutting timber and building access roads on the substation site in mid-March. Clearcutting and other preliminary work has continued at the proposed wind turbine sites, strung along the mountain ridge northeast of the substation site.

Stoltzfus said MDE is investigating whether or not to bring penalties against Constellation.

The Garrett Soil Conservation District’s decision came on the same day that county residents and Constellation representatives spoke in support of the project at the Garrett County Commission meeting.

David Wagner, manager of the Commercial Analysis Group with Constellation Energy, said afterward that he plans to attend commission meetings regularly to keep a close connection with the community as the project moves forward.

Marvin White, a farm owner who said four turbines are planned for his property, told the commission he supports the project because it will create well-paid jobs and allow the county to produce clean energy.

“A lot of people are against these wind turbines, but do you want to build a nuclear powerhouse or a big coal powerhouse up there? Which would you rather see?” White said. “This county was built on cutting timber and coal mining.”

But other neighbors have voiced their opposition to the project, especially since construction work began in recent weeks.

Eric Robison, whose Eagle Rock Road home sits nearly adjacent to the substation site, filed a formal public information request with the county on Tuesday seeking documents including a copy of the site plan overview and the county’s review of the Constellation project under the Garrett County Sensitive Areas Ordinance.

Robison, who owns a construction company, said he’s concerned that the project plans have not been thoroughly reviewed by county, state and federal officials for their environmental impact on those areas.

Under state law, county officials have 30 days to respond to the information request.

Constellation Energy plans to build 28 wind turbines atop Backbone Mountain in Garrett County. The state Department of the Environment stopped work last week due to issues with water runoff and erosion controls.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Lawmakers want suspension of state forest alcohol ban

Lawmakers want suspension of state forest alcohol ban
Michael A. Sawyers
Cumberland Times-News

Cumberland — CUMBERLAND — Numerous state senators and delegates, including the District 1 delegation, have written to the Maryland Forest Service asking Director Steve Koehn to suspend a policy that prohibits alcoholic beverage consumption within state forests.

Although the ban has been in place for about four months, its existence just recently came to public attention by way of articles in the Times-News. Koehn said the ban was enacted administratively and did not require a public meeting process.

In a March 25 letter, the elected officials wrote to Koehn, “It is problematic, to say the least, that we must become aware of such a broad and sweeping policy change through media reports rather than an open dialogue with your office.

“Although we agree that there is good intent behind the alcohol ban, we are concerned that your department did not feel it was necessary to hold public meetings … Further, such a policy may have a chilling effect on the sale of licenses and other related fees.”

The representatives go on to request a suspension of the ban until public meetings are held to discuss it.

Koehn said Monday morning via e-mail that he had not yet received the letter and, thus, could not react to it.

There are 138,288 acres of state forest in Maryland, 83 percent of which lie in Allegany and Garrett counties, according to numbers posted on the agency’s Web site.

Alcoholic beverage merchants such as Bill Schoenadel of Bill’s Place in Little Orleans and industry representatives such as John Stakem of Frostburg have objected to the new prohibition.

Stakem, who is president of the Allegany County Liquor Dealers Association, said he will travel to Annapolis on Wednesday in an attempt to be heard.

Sgt. Art Windemuth of the Maryland Natural Resources Police said Monday that during 2009 officers dealt with 12 incidents in Savage River State Forest and 59 in Green Ridge that are categorized as criminal and/or alcohol. An exact breakdown of how many definitely were related to the consumption of alcohol was not available.

Windemuth said alcohol-related incidents can range from underage drinking to assaults and other violent crimes.

The average number of officers who are available to patrol state forests along with their other duties is five in each of Allegany and Garrett counties, he said.

A little over a year ago, the Maryland Park Service prohibited strong drink in day-use areas, and in November expanded the ban to campgrounds. According to an online statement by the Department of Natural Resources, the ban is also in place for wildlife management areas.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Water runoff issues stall Garrett wind farm construction

Problems expected to be quickly resolved
Megan Miller
Cumberland Times-News

Cumberland — DEER PARK — Construction on Western Maryland’s first wind farm could resume within days, despite some residents’ protests, pending a green light from the Garrett Soil Conservation District and the Maryland Department of the Environment.

Twenty-eight wind turbines, measuring about 415 feet tall, are slated to go up along Garrett County’s Backbone Mountain, in an area south of Deer Park near Eagle Rock.

Work began March 16 on the project, owned by Baltimore-based Constellation Energy. Workers clearcut several acres of timber from the mountainside before MDE halted construction after one week, pointing to major issues related to water runoff, erosion and sediment.

MDE spokeswoman Dawn Stoltzfus said construction was halted because of “sediment-laden water” flowing from the site, which the project’s erosion and sediment controls could not adequately manage. She said the developer cannot proceed until an engineer revises the plans and they are approved by the Garrett Soil Conservation Office.

“The volume of the water on the site appears to be more than the controls they have in their current plan,” she said. “That’s why it’s really important to have an engineer work up a new plan, because sediment from stormwater runoff is a serious threat to water quality.”

Soltzfus said a second major problem related to an erosion and sediment control fence, called a “super silt fence,” that was not installed at the required depth of at least 8 inches below the ground’s surface.

Constellation is already working to correct the issues and move forward with construction. On Monday the developer’s revised plans reached the Garrett Soil Conservation District office. District Manager Shaun Sanders said his office hadn’t yet completed its formal review of the revised plans, but after preliminary review they looked “about 90 percent adequate.”

Sanders said some parts of the revised plan related to sediment control were returned to the developer for further changes, but he expects that Constellation will comply with the additional requests and that his office will complete its review of the plans within one or two days after the final version is submitted. Constellation has until April 5 to submit the final plan revisions.

Constellation spokesman Larry McDonnell said the developer has worked out a solution to the issues with input from all relevant agencies, including MDE, the Garrett Soil Conservation District and the Army Corps of Engineers.

“The issues appear to be resolved, if not today then hopefully by tomorrow,” McDonnell said.

McDonnell said he had few specifics on the plan revisions but said the silt fence will now be anchored by up to 12 inches of stone.

Soltzfus said MDE “may or may not” enforce penalties on Constellation for operating out of compliance with state regulations.

MDE halted the construction after receiving complaints from neighboring residents that Constellation’s erosion and sediment controls did not comply with state environmental law.

Eric Robison, who lives adjacent to the project and is the owner of a construction company, said he examined the site and the project permits and believed that the controls “weren’t even remotely correct.”

Robison and other nearby property owners also object to what they say was a complete lack of review of the project’s impact on environmentally sensitive areas.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

More Google for Garrett County

I got my 3 seconds of fame in this Google video 🙂 Great job Brian Oxford on the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVqjahld-9I&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Garrett County Agencies May Get Reimbursed For Storm Costs

Mar. 25, 2010

Local agencies may be eligible for federal disaster declaration funding to cover part of their recent snow removal costs, Director Brad Frantz, Garrett County Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management, told the county commissioners on Tuesday. The county received more than 262 inches of snow this winter.
Frantz said it does not appear that the county will be eligible for funding for the Dec. 18-19, 2009, winter storm. Only eight Maryland counties are expected to receive cleanup reimbursement for that weather event.

“However, it does look like we will be eligible for some reimbursement for the period of Feb. 5 through 14,” Frantz said about one of last month’s many storm systems.

County departments and towns will be asked to submit data to Frantz’s office pertaining to costs involved during that period. He and planner Virginia Smith will then compile the information into a spread sheet and forward it to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

FEMA representatives will then visit the county, review the original documents, and determine if the claims are valid.

Frantz noted, however, there are two thresholds that the county has to meet before it can qualify for the funding: snow amount and cost per capita. The director indicated there may be some debate over the snow amount qualification, but the county would have no problem reaching the per capita threshold.

“There’s the state per capita, I think, of $6.8 million that has to be met to get a federal declaration, and then there’s a county, based on population, threshold,” Frantz said. “Ours is $96,000+ that has to be met. We’ll have no problem reaching that for that period (Feb. 5-14).”

After FEMA verifies the documents, the county will host an applicants’ briefing to review filing procedures. Departments, agencies, and towns will be asked to look at their paperwork and determine what days during the declaration period they incurred the most costs.

“Whatever the greatest expense they had for any 48-hour window will be what’s eligible for reimbursement,” Frantz said.

Therefore, for example, the Garrett County Roads Department’s request period may differ from Loch Lynn’s.

Commissioner Fred Holliday asked if the discrepancies could hurt the county’s chance of getting funding.

“No,” Frantz said. “That actually helps us maximize what’s eligible for reimbursement.”

Read the rest here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Garrett County has the lowest foreclosure rate in Maryland – Gazette.net

Legislation requires lenders to help stem foreclosures
State had 10th highest rate in U.S. last month
by Kevin James Shay | Staff Writer

Foreclosures jumped to 5,732 in February across Maryland, up 9.6 percent from January and 80.5 percent from a year earlier, according to Irvine, Calif., data company RealtyTrac. Maryland’s rate of one foreclosure filing for every 407 households was the 10th highest in the nation, up from 13th in January and 16th a year ago.

Prince George’s County continues to lead the state in the number and rate of foreclosures with 1,789 filed last month, or one for every 179 households. Baltimore city and the counties of Frederick, Charles, Calvert and Kent also had foreclosure rates above the state average. Garrett County had the lowest rate in the state last month, with only eight foreclosures or one filing per 2,378 housing units.

Meanwhile, foreclosure filings across the nation slowed last month. They were down 2.3 percent from January and up only 6.2 percent from a year ago.

Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D) went on the offensive last week to lobby for legislation that would require lenders to work with homeowners to modify their loans before filing foreclosure orders. The businesses would have to send homeowners a detailed explanation of requirements for the lenders’ loan modification program and a loss mitigation application, among other items.

The lenders would have to file affidavits stating that a loan modification review had been done and the reasons they denied modifying the loan. They would also have to document that alternatives other than foreclosures were considered. Homeowners who have not received the loan modification review would be able to request a foreclosure mediation session.

“This legislation will provide homeowners a chance to explore any and all options to find a positive resolution and remain in their homes,” Brown said in a speech at the Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church in Fort Washington, according to his office.

Kathleen Murphy, president and CEO of the Maryland Bankers Association, also testified last month, saying she was concerned that a loss mitigation analysis would be required before a foreclosure could be filed, according to an Associated Press report. A foreclosure filing often prompts borrowers to talk about loss mitigation, Murphy said.

Among states, Nevada’s rate of one per 102 households led the nation last month, while Vermont posted the lowest rate with one filing per 39,077 units.

Foreclosures in Maryland are increasing despite state officials claiming that a counseling and legal program has provided more than $5.5 million in assistance and helped about 11,000 homeowners avoid foreclosures since mid-2007. The state has also enacted other measures, such as a mortgage fraud protection law and a streamlined loss mitigation process with six of the largest servicers in Maryland.

Factors for the increase in foreclosures despite efforts to remedy the situation include the sour economy, according to a recent analysis by the state Department of Legislative Services.

“Despite the impact of extensive state legislative and consumer outreach efforts … total foreclosure activity in Maryland continues to increase as state residents feel the effects of rising unemployment and declining home values,” the department reported.

Home sales rise

The volume of existing homes sold in Maryland rose by almost 20 percent in February from February 2009, but the average sales price of about $280,000 was down by 7 percent, according to the Maryland Association of Realtors.

The extended and expanded federal homebuyer tax credit is helping fuel sales in Maryland, according to the trade group. The $8,000 credit for first-time homebuyers runs until April 30 for signed contracts and June 30 for closings. There is also a tax credit of up to $6,500 for certain existing homeowners who purchase a replacement principal residence.
If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

More Garrett County seniors eligible for property tax break

Commissioners extend 50 percent credit

Megan Miller Cumberland Times-News

Cumberland — OAKLAND — A recent act by the Garrett County Commission could give more residents a tax credit on their county tax bills, starting this tax year.

Currently, county residents who qualify for the state Homeowners’ Property Tax Credit program, are 65 or older, and have lived in Garrett for at least 10 years, can also receive an additional credit of 25 percent of the state credit amount to apply to their county tax bill.

But the income threshold and tax bill guidelines to qualify for the state program left out a portion of Garrett’s low-income seniors who “probably suffer more than anyone else in trying to pay their taxes,” according to County Administrator Monty Pagenhardt.

Now residents who don’t meet the requirements for the state program can qualify for a county credit if they are 65 or older, have lived in Garrett for at least 10 years and have a combined gross household income of $25,000 or less. That extends a county credit to people whose incomes are low, but whose tax bills aren’t high enough to meet the state program guidelines.

“This goes over and above the state’s guidelines,” Pagenhardt said. “It’s not that much money for the county, about $8,300 in lost revenue, but the commissioners felt they wanted to do something to benefit that segment of county residents.”

Those seniors who qualify for the expanded county program will receive a 50 percent credit on their county real estate and landfill taxes, but their state taxes will not be affected.

Pagenhardt said the three commissioners agreed unanimously on the action, which makes about 32 more households eligible for county tax relief.

Wendy Yoder, director of financial services, said residents must still fill out the state application to be eligible for either the county and state credits or the new county credit program.

Applications are due by Sept. 1 for the tax bills that will come out in the summer, she said. The application forms are available online at http://www.dat.state.md.us/, at the State Department of Assessments and Taxation office in the Garrett County Courthouse, or by calling that office at (301) 334-1950 and requesting a form by mail.

For more information contact the county staff at (301) 334-8970.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Category: garrett county

US Second-Home Sales Soar as Fractional Market Slumps

Exploring Garrett County- Mount Zion and Backbone Mountain

Casselman, Potomac River fishing

Garrett County approves revised wind farm project plans

Lawmakers want suspension of state forest alcohol ban

Water runoff issues stall Garrett wind farm construction

More Google for Garrett County

Garrett County Agencies May Get Reimbursed For Storm Costs

Garrett County has the lowest foreclosure rate in Maryland – Gazette.net

More Garrett County seniors eligible for property tax break

Commissioners extend 50 percent credit

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