Department of Natural Resources increases use of radar, cameras to take on poaching
SALISBURY — To better monitor the Chesapeake Bay and reduce poaching, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources is moving toward enhanced and increased surveillance.
Later this year, the Maritime Law Enforcement Information Network is scheduled to go online. The network, which will consist of camera and radar units, is part of an initiative to upgrade the Maryland Natural Resources Police’s fleets.
“This will give us 24/7 surveillance of areas in the Chesapeake and it provides us with information about what’s going on out in maritime waters,” said Lt. Art Windemuth, NRP spokesman. “It allows us to better protect our maritime structure that is so vital to the state’s economic success.”
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Garrett to discuss transportation projects
Commissioners, roads department and Maryland Coal Association will meet to talk damage done by heavy truck traffic
Elaine Blaisdell Cumberland Times-News
OAKLAND — A meeting to discuss the status of Westernport and Lower New Germany roads will be held between the Maryland Coal Association, Garrett County commissioners and administration from the county roads department toward the end of the month, according to General Roads Superintendent Jay Moyer.
At a commission meeting in February, Moyer said it would be costly to fix the two roads and that the coal companies that regularly use the roads weren’t willing to foot the bill for repairs.
A majority of road damage in the county is caused by heavy truck traffic, said Moyer, especially in areas where there are coal or wind turbines.
All major road projects are on hold until the issue with Westernport and Lower New Germany roads gets resolved, said Moyer.
Moyer said if the issue was to be resolved, it would take up a major portion of the budget. He estimated road paving costs to be between $1.5 million and $2 million.
For fiscal 2013, which begins July 1, the county approved $2.3 million for overlay and $500,000 for asphalt, according to the budget.
Commissioners discussed the possibility of placing a weight restriction on the road during their February meeting.
“If we put weight-limit restrictions on the road, the trucks are going to travel another road,” said Moyer. He said restrictions could put the coal companies, as well as those hauling timber, out of business.
The commissioners have limited authority without zoning in place, said Garrett County Commission Chairman James Raley during the February meeting.
Currently, a draft land management ordinance is being considered by commissioners. The draft ordinance is available for public viewing and comment on the county’s website.
Current road projects taking place in this budget year include standard paving of Lakeshore Drive at Deep Creek Lake and Swanton Hill Road between Swanton Road and state Route 135, said Moyer.
Moyer also said foremen from the Oakland, Accident and Grantsville roads department sites are responsible for compiling and prioritizing road needs, putting those in dire need of repair at the top of the list and those that can wait a few years at the bottom of the list.
“With the loss of highway user funds three years ago to the tune of $5 million, we have a limited number of roads we can pave every year,” said Moyer.
The county has a five-year paving plan that is listed each spring and revisited each winter. The plan is fluid and things can be moved around as needed, according to Moyer.
Contact Elaine Blaisdell at eblaisdell@times-news.com
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Janet S. Wilson Selected as Garrett Public School Superintendent
Janet S. Wilson Selected as Garrett Public School Superintendent
Janet S.Wilson, Ph.D. was offered the position as public school superintendent. She accepted the position during a phone conversation earlier today.
Wilson, a 2011 graduate of Notre Dame of Maryland University, currently serves as the chief academic officer of Allegany County Public Schools and was formerly the assistant superintendent. She is a ‘master’ in the public education arena beginning her career in 1984.
Interim superintendent, Sue Waggoner graciously accepted the temporary post last school year upon the unexpected retirement of Dr. Wendell Teets.
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3rd annual Garrett County Gran Fondo
http://www.GarrettCountyNews.com
The 3rd annual Garrett County Gran Fondo in scenic and mountainous western Maryland will be held on June 23, 2012. Garrett County and the Deep Creek Lake area boast some of the finest and most challenging cycling in North America, and in just two years of sold-out rides the Garrett County Gran Fondo has established itself as a premier North American coast Gran Fondo.
Registration for the 2012 event is open. The Garrett County Gran Fondo is limited to 1200 participants total across all five of the rides. As of May 31, only 100 registrations remain, so do not delay in registering as a 3rd consecutive sell-out is imminent.
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Eight fire companies founded association
From Staff Reports Cumberland Times-News
WESTERNPORT — Organized on Sept. 15, 1912, by eight companies, Frostburg, Mount Savage, Chapel Hill, Cumberland Hose, GoodWill-Lonaconing, Midland, Tri Towns and Potomac No. 2, the local fire and rescue association was originally known as the Allegany County Association.
Peter McFarland, GoodWill-Lonaconing, served as the first president, and to date, 86 men and women representing 28 departments in the two-county area have followed in his footsteps.
In order to strengthen and unify the voice of the firefighters of Allegany and Garrett County, the Allegany County Association and the Garrett County Association joined together to form the Allegany-Garrett Counties Volunteer Firemen’s Association on Aug. 14, 1930.
As a result of the growth of the association over the years, the organization formally changed its name to the Allegany-Garrett Counties Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association on June 2, 1990.
Today, the association represents 36 companies, 24 from Allegany County and 12 from Garrett County.
Over the years, this association has hosted the Maryland State Firemen’s Association twice, 1951 and again in 1955.
Eight members of the Allegany-Garrett Counties Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association have led the MSFA, including John Stump, Cumberland, 1898; Peter McFarland, GoodWill-Lonaconing, 1908; Conrad Herpick, Cumberland, 1919; James McAlpine, GoodWill-Lonaconing, 1922; Cromwell Zembower, LaVale, 1951; David E. Kirk, Bowling Green, 1953; Robert Shimer, Potomac No. 2, 1988; and Robert E. Knippenburg, Midland, 1998.
The local association provided the MSFA with eight treasurers that covered a span of almost 100 years, from 1908-2003. William Wilson, Midland, served a tenure of 30 years from 1945-1975, followed by David E. Kirk, 1975-1990; Bob Saville, Bowling Green, 1990-2001; and John Shuhart, Barton, 2001-2003.
J. Francis Fatkin served a 26-year tenure on the MSFA Board of Trustees. Robert H. Shimer, Potomac No. 2, served eight, including two as chairman of the trustees, and Robert E. Knippenburg was appointed to Board of Trustees upon the death of Shimer in 2003, for the remainder of his unexpired term.
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‘Better road, cleaner streams and less cost’
Instructors share techniques to reduce erosion, lessen sediment
Michael A. Sawyers Cumberland Times-News
FROSTBURG — Dirt and gravel roads throughout the region can expect to get some environmentally sensitive maintenance from those who attended a recent training session on the campus of Frostburg State University.
And, the techniques taught by instructors from the Center for Dirt & Gravel Road Studies at Penn State are also less expensive than traditional ones. The idea behind the training is to keep sediment from running into streams and rivers.
“Who could be against that? Better road, cleaner streams and less cost,” said Donnelle Keech of The Nature Conservancy. That organization, paired with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources sponsored the training.
Sixty-five attended the two-day training, some representing distant agencies such as the Anne Arundel Soil Conservation District.
“We can help with some funding to get people started using these techniques,” said instructor David M. Creamer. “When we know we have had an impact is when they start to use those same techniques with their own dollars.”
Traditionally, erosion on roads was corrected by digging up the entire roadbed and placing a 100-foot pipe beneath it, according to Creamer. The center teaches an approach whereby a 20-foot pipe is inserted through a bank on one side of the road, providing equal or superior erosion control.
Creamer tells students not to use more equipment than necessary because it would be “like picking your nose with your elbow.”
Bo Sliger is the maintenance chief for the Potomac-Garrett State Forest where he and his crew of three have 25 miles of dirt and gravel roads in Garrett County.
“Our road work is pretty much dependent on getting grants,” Sliger said. “We have gotten a number of them, mostly for $30,000. Our forest roads get used not just by motor vehicles but by ATVs, hikers and others.”
This week, the forest crew will be maintaining Piney Mountain Road near Cranesville. Snaggy Mountain Road is another that requires regular attention, Sliger said.
As the manager of the Allegany County Soil Conservation District, Craig Hartsock works with private landowners to help them maintain roads.
“Every farm has a farm lane or a woods road with bridges or stream crossings,” Hartsock said. “We have cost-sharing programs to help them improve roads and reduce erosion.” These projects are contracted, he said. “We have up to 200 of those projects a year.
“We also approve all forest harvest roads for loggers,” Hartsock said. “There are 40 or 50 of those every year.”
One inch of rain that falls in an hour can cause 13 to 54 tons of sediment to be discharged into streams, according to the maintenance specialists. The techniques taught by the center are meant to reduce that discharge. In the case of the Potomac River drainage, that would mean less sediment flowing to the Chesapeake Bay.
Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com
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Opportunities for local artists
6:01 p.m. EDT, June 3, 2012
GRANTSVILLE, Md. -—
Spruce Forest Artisan Village at Penn Alps in Grantsville, Md., provides studio space for three guest artists in traditional or contemporary art or craft media each month during the summer and fall season.
Guest artists are part of a larger educational program in which working artists open their studios to Artisan Village visitors. Guest artists pay a small fee that covers utilities, but then have access to the studio seven days a week for the month. Resident and guest artist studios must be open and artists working on their craft five days a week, during which time artists may sell their wares.
“Being a guest artist is a great opportunity because I am able to expand my audience,” said Lenore Lancaster, an award-winning artist who has shared her colored pencil drawings with visitors to Spruce Forest for five years. “Working in my own studio or even doing weekend craft shows doesn’t allow me to really talk to and get to know the customers. The setting here is really intimate and because of that sales are good.”
Spruce Forest Artisan Village is home to a number of historic house museums, art studios, galleries, an 1800s grist mill and is adjacent to the Historic Casselman Bridge which will celebrate its 200th birthday next year. The three studios available to artists are housed in historic buildings.
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'Old Lil' helps honor Allegany-Garrett Fire & Rescue Association
News-Tribune
Posted Jun 04, 2012 @ 05:24 PM
Westernport, Md. —
WESTERNPORT – “Old Lil,” Keyser’s 1914 fire truck, was among many fire trucks and EMS units that moved up Main Street in Westernport during the parade Saturday in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Allegany-Garrett County Fire and Rescue Association.
The association held its convention Saturday in Westernport, hosted by Potomac Fire Company No. 2.
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More Deep Creek Lake, Md. Boat Rentals Eyed
June 5, 2012 10:27 AM
OAKLAND, Md. (AP) — The Garrett County Commissioners are considering a proposal that would increase the availability of boat rentals on Deep Creek Lake.
The board is set to consider on Tuesday a zoning amendment requested by the owner of the Lakeside Creamery ice cream shop. It would permit boat and personal watercraft rentals at his business and other locations that lack marina services.
Creamery owner Bill Meagher says he would only rent out watercraft. He would not sell fuel or boats, store boats or make boat repairs.
At least four businesses on the lake currently offer watercraft rentals from their marinas.
The county planning commission is recommending approval of the plan.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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Increase to Non Resident Withholding Rate on Property Sales
By: Mike Kennedy
June 1st, 2012
Category: Deep Creek Lake Real Estate, Garrett County Real Estate
Effective June 1st the withholding rate for non-Maryland residents who sell property in the state of Maryland is increasing 0.25% to 7.00%. This withholding does not apply to Maryland residents.
Garrett County has numerous property owners who aren’t full time residents of Maryland that own vacation homes and real estate on or around Deep Creek Lake. Some owners are full time residents from northern Virginia, Washington D.C, and Pennsylvania that will be affected by this law change.
It’s important to note this is not a new tax. It’s simply a withholding. The withholding is calculated as follows at settlement;
The net amount of the purchase price of the house being sold less closing costs less any mortgage balance x 7%.
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