GC Commissioners Approve State's Purchase Of 600 Acres Of Local Land
The Garrett County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved the sale of three privately owned parcels of land totaling more than 600 acres to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. According to law, state acquisitions over 100 acres require the approval of the commissioners, explained DNR western region program administrator John Braskey, land and acquisition and planning.
Located on Backbone Mountain beside Potomac State Forest land, the first property is a 315-acre tract currently owned by Mountain Maryland Minerals LLC/Thomas Moran. The tentative purchase price is $615,000.
The second property is located along Pea Patch Lane. Owned by Robert Rounds, this site is 106 acres of farmland that is surrounded by the Savage River State Forest. The proposed price is $405,000.
The third tract, owned by Gerard Kursvietis, is 181 acres and is located in the Spring Lick Run area of Savage River State Forest. Braskey said this property is still under negotiations.
“All of these properties would be open, of course, to the public,” he said. “All these properties would increase hunting opportunities in Garrett County. They will be managed like our other properties.”
He added that Rounds’ property is near a wildlands, but has been assured by Forest Service officials that the site will not become a wildlands.
Commissioner Bob Gatto asked if the state approaches landowners about purchasing their properties.
“I don’t go out and try to solicit any properties,” Braskey said. “One other thing, the Department of Natural Resources does not do condemnation, eminent domain. We only buy from willing sellers.”
He estimated that 95 percent of the acquisitors are initiated by real estate agents, land managers, or the property owners themselves. Braskey added that the state is often the only party interested in purchasing the properties. He noted that the state tries to get the mineral rights to the properties that it purchases.
Braskey is a former Garrett County commissioner and was instrumental in getting the state law passed in the 1980s that requires the commissioners’ approval of DNR acquisitions over 100 acres. He said the law also applies in Allegany County.
More than 86,500 acres, or 18 percent, of Garrett County land is now owned by the state. Commissioner Jim Raley indicated this is the highest percentage of all Maryland counties.
“These properties are being purchased with POS (Program Open Space) funds, which gives certain rights for the properties being open to public use,” he said about the Moran, Rounds, and Kursvietis lands.
He indicated, however, he has concerns about how accessible those properties will actually be to the public.
“They say they are going to be free access to everybody – they’re free access with a whole set of rules and regulations that come down, that sometimes change in the future,” Raley said. “That’s been part of my frustration, of finding that limited access sometimes does take place.”
He said he has several specific examples of this problem that he plans to share with the DNR secretary, John Griffin. The commissioners will meet with Griffin on April 12 in Annapolis to discuss a variety of issues.
The commissioners’ next public session is scheduled for Tuesday, April 16, at 4 p.m. at the courthouse.
Short sale - 1200 MOUNTAINVIEW DR - GA7815223 - $849k
At one point, this was listed well over $1 million dollars and has one of the best views you can find of Deep Creek Lake:
PRICE REDUCTION! Breathtaking Views of Deep Creek Lake distinguish this 4 bdrm. 3 1/2 bath Contemporary home at the top of Mountainside from all others. Features include designer Kitchen with Sub-Zero, Luxor cabinetry, “lite touch” whole home halogen illumination, Viking range. Totally upgraded home with outrageous views, cherry flooring, incredible MBR/MBA. Shown by app’t only.
http://www.deepcreeklake.com/RealEstate/JayFerguson/detail.aspx?id=GA7815223
New listing - Lakefront chalet - 345 HINES DR - $549k - GA8046033
345 HINES DR
SWANTON, MD 21561 
| Lakefront chalet with 5 bedrooms in a peaceful, quiet cove with 161 feet of frontage on Deep Creek Lake. Incredible lake and mountain views, hot tub, boat slip, located on an oversized/wooded 1.65 acre lot. Incredible lakefront value! Great location for families and friends! |
| Contact Jay Ferguson @ 301-501-0420 or DeepCreekLaker@Gmail.com for more information or to setup a private showing for this property. |
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Listing # GA8046033 |  |
Log chalet for sale 229 ROCK LODGE RD - GA8043935 - $349,000
229 ROCK LODGE RD
MC HENRY, MD 21541
| Rock Lodge Road, 3-Level Log Home with beamed cathedral ceilings. 5 BR 3 baths with plenty of room for entertaiing and enjoment!, Wood floors throughout & 2-stone faced gas fireplaces. Large Front Deck, partially covered with hotub, and grilling area. Enjoy summertime nights at the firepit in the back yard. Dock slip rental available through owner. 2013 rental fee paid. Established Vacation Rental |
| Contact Jay Ferguson @ 301-501-0420 or DeepCreekLaker@Gmail.com for more information or to setup a private showing for this property. |
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Listing # GA8043935 | |
Closer to spring
The weather is improving here in Garrett County, and the snow is slowly melting. Beautiful blue sky day over the weekend at Deep Creek Lake:
First day of spring in Garrett County
I took this photo on the first day of spring…the lake is still frozen and a snowstorm broke out afterwards.
Through portrayal of Marylander, actress will revive War of 1812, its importance
Garrett County youngsters will attend performances Friday
For the Cumberland Times-News Cumberland Times-News
MCHENRY — The Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area in Garrett County and Garrett Lakes Arts Festival will present a Star Spangled 200-sponsored event, Maryland in the War of 1812 — A Living History Event.
The project focuses on bringing the commemoration of the War of 1812 to Garrett County middle school students and also provides opportunities for residents and visitors to participate in Maryland’s Star Spangled 200 activities. The project is made possible by the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission.
Award-winning actress and Smithsonian scholar Mary Ann Jung, playing Rosalie Stier Calvert, will provide an interactive presentation. The performance will explain the importance of the War of 1812 and how that era affected the newly independent United States of America.
On Friday, performances will be held at Garrett College for fourth-, fifth- and eighth-grade Garrett County students.
Rosalie Stier married George Calvert in 1799 and became mistress of his plantation, Mount Albion. When her father died, he left his plantation in Bladensburg, Riversdale Plantation, to her — not her husband, which was the custom. Participants will learn what it meant to be in charge of two growing plantations in early 1800s Maryland.
Audience members will become the British versus the Americans to better understand the important war and relive the dramatic Battle of Bladensburg — and find out how close it came to Calvert’s beloved Riversdale. “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key, who married Calvert’s friend Polly, will be included in the performance.
Educational resources re-lating to the war will be purchased for middle school teachers, including books, videos and a traveling trunk, created by the Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum. The trunk focuses on life during the war for all Marylanders and contains 11 lesson plans and many hands-on objects, including flint and steel kits, period clothing and games, and books.
The Maryland in the War of 1812 — A Living History Event will be the grand finale for the project. The free celebration, scheduled for May 17-18 at the Garrett County Fairgrounds, will include War of 1812 speakers and re-enactors; period music performed by musicians and singers in period garb; and displays and education information, including a U.S. Navy display covering its involvement with the War of 1812. Event hours are 5 to 8 p.m. May 17 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 18.
More information is available online at www.visitdeepcreek.com or by calling 888-387-5237.
Land Purchases Would Expand Md. State Forests
Posted: Apr 03, 2013 8:42 AM EDT
OAKLAND, Md. (AP)- The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is considering land purchases that would add about 600 acres to state forests in Garrett County.
Land conservation specialist John Braskey said Tuesday that the three proposed purchases may come before the state Board of Public Works for final approval this summer or fall.
The Garrett County Commissioners signed off on the offers Tuesday.
The commissioners’ meeting minutes indicate that a parcel owned by Mountain Maryland Minerals LLC would add about 315 acres to the Potomac State Forest near Altamont. It’s appraised at $615,000.
Two other parcels held by individuals would add a total of 287 acres to the Savage River State Forest. They include a 181-acre parcel near Grantsville appraised at $405,000. The price of the smaller parcel is under negotiation.
US Senator Barbara Mikulski Spoke on Job Growth to Garrett County Area
By: Bejoy Joseph
Updated: March 27, 2013
Garrett County Head Start will close for month
Sequestration forces officials to take action
For the Cumberland Times-News Cumberland Times-News
OAKLAND — Garrett County Head Start and Early Head Start operations will close for one month in 2013 as the result of the federal government’s budget seque-stration.
Garrett County Community Action Committee an-nounced these actions to accommodate the federal government’s mid-year im-poundment of fiscal 2013 funds. More than 70 employees will experience layoffs or furloughs so that $300,000 can be eliminated. The nine-month Head Start program will close April 12. The 12-month Head Start option will conclude July 12.
Three hundred children and their families and 57 Community Action employees will be impacted by the Head Start action alone, Duane Yoder, president of Garrett County Community Action, said. Other cutbacks will affect the weatherization, senior citizen, housing and core organization activities, according to Yoder.
“The federal reductions occurred in the middle of the federal budget year so we have to absorb these reductions in a very compressed time frame,” Yoder said. “We have already reduced the days of operations for facilities such as the Flowery Vale Senior Wellness Center, eliminated most of our federally assisted energy conservation services and, starting in the fall, will need to reduce our emergency housing assistance to prevent homelessness.”
Patty Gallagher, chairwoman of the Head Start Parent Policy Council, said parents are scrambling to find quality child care they can afford as a result of this unexpected news. The council is working with parents to make the transition to the summer break as easy as possible. The Wrap Around Child Care Center in Oakland operates during the summer, and parents are being assisted in obtaining child care vouchers.
Lowell Bender, who chairs the Community Action Board of Directors, expressed concern the closings will seriously impact the school readiness of Head Start children entering kindergarten.
“We have invested energy and money in trying to make sure that every child is fully ready and the Garrett County scores are among the highest in the state,” he said. According to Mark Colaw, who directs Community Action’s Early Child Education Department, both Head Start programs will resume in September.
On Wednesday, Senator Barbara Mikulski met with Garrett County Commissioners and local officials.
Mikulski spoke to Garrett County officials about how the United States government can assist in bringing economic and job growth to the area. She says it will have to start with national and state governments working together in developing local infrastructure.
“To improve our jobs is for Congress to pass an Infrastructure Bank where state and local governments can be able to build the highways, byways, and waste water treatment that will then be important, not only to public health and public safety, but jobs,” says Senator Mikulski.