Beitzel Bill Takes Tough Stance On Wildlife Poaching
Feb. 16, 2012
Del. Wendell R. Beitzel (R–Dist. 1A) last week filed House Bill 1052, a measure that will give the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) the increased ability to provide harsher penalties for those individuals who illegally poach wildlife.
“As an avid hunter, I am very troubled to hear stories of individuals who have failed to hunt game responsibly,” Beitzel said. “Everyone has heard of stories of hunters who poach at night, hunt out of season, ignore game bag limits, or who illegally trespass on another person’s land in search of game.”
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Over the last several years, Beitzel has joined with Del.Barbara Frush (D–Anne Arundel / Prince George’s counties) on the measure that would give the DNR greater authority in regard to enforcement against poaching.
This year, Beitzel has taken the lead in sponsoring the bill. The bill would allow for an administrative hearing process in which the DNR could hold a hearing to decide whether the hunter’s license should be revoked for a period of time. Current law only provides for a judicial process.
“Currently, the same judges that deal with domestic issues and DUIs must also address these hunting violations,” Beitzel said. “As a result, lenient penalties are often given to egregious offenders. This bill would give the DNR authority to revoke hunting privileges after a conviction on charges for game violations.”
More here.
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United Way grant will open adventure activities to pupils in Garrett County
Planners hopeful partnership improves attendance, high school graduation rates
For the Cumberland Times-News Cumberland Times-News
MCHENRY — Students at Grantsville and Accident elementary schools and Southern Middle School will be able to attend after-school adventure activities beginning April 19.
The Garrett College Adventure Sports Institute, Garrett County Health Department and Board of Education are developing the program through a grant to the health department from the United Way of Garrett County.
United Way officials see an opportunity to improve public school attendance and ultimately promote high school graduation rates, according to a news release from Garrett College.
The grant proposals was developed by staff from the health department and Adventure Sports Institute, according to Michael Logsdon, director of Adventure Sports at Garrett College. “The program will involve an ASI professional staff and an ASI student major who will coordinate a set of adventure initiatives and challenges,” he said.
The adventure program will be conducted after classes mid-week on the campuses of each of the three schools. “As a culminating activity, after-school participants from each school will separately spend a Saturday on the grounds of New Germany State Park, participating in a smorgasbord of activities, including rock climbing, a nature hike, orienteering, mountain biking and canoeing,” Logsdon said.
ASI has joined forces with the health department and the board of education in previous endeavors. The Transitional Age Youth program is offered by a partnership between the college, board of education and the Garrett County Core Service Agency. The program targets boys and girls who are facing challenges in staying on course for a successful future.
Logsdon said he believes that this type of adventure activity programming can be very effective in helping the younger students develop a more positive attitude and increasing focus and confidence.
“It is also a great opportunity for the Adventure Sports students to gain real-world experience working with youth under the supervision of professional staff. We are looking forward to launching this new project,” he said.
For more information, contact Logsdon at 301-387-3333.
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Repairing Heavily Traveled Coal Truck Routes Could Cost Millions Of Dollars
Feb. 16, 2012
Garrett County Roads Department personnel discussed the deteriorating condition of Lower New Germany and Westernport roads with the Garrett County commissioners last Tuesday. Repairing those roads could cost millions of dollars.
A recent video taken from the passenger’s side of a vehicle traveling on Westernport and Lower New Germany roads was shown.
“We have an extreme amount of damage occurring to these two roads,” Moyer said.
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He indicated there are two things adding to their demise: heavy truck traffic traveling to and from coal mines, and unusual winter weather cycles in which road surfaces keep freezing and thawing.
“When that occurs, it also causes deterioration to the underlying clay that’s underneath the road,” Moyer said. “It softens it up, makes the road surface flexible.”
The video showed repair work under way on a section of Westernport Road. Crews had to remove the crumbling asphalt, excavate several feet below the road surface, and rebuild/stabilize the underlying strata, before new pavement could be reapplied.
“They have to dig down to as solid ground as possible, and then they use a mixture of riff-raff and crusher-run stone to try to tighten that up and seal that in,” Moyer said.
He noted, however, that a major problem with maintaining roads right now is asphalt and bituminous concrete cannot be purchased this time of the year.
“So, we’re using what’s called cold mix, which is not the best thing to use this time of year for patching,” Moyer said. “It’s just a temporary fix.”
The superintendent noted that in 2008, the county paved the entire 18 miles of Westernport Road at a cost of $493,754.
“That’s materials only,” he stressed. “That does not include equipment and labor.”
Since 2008, because of constant truck traffic, the Roads Department has spent another $76,700 in repairs to Westernport Road, including patching and drainage work, according to Moyer.
County engineer Dwight Emory estimates the cost of bringing Westernport and Lower New Germany roads up to actual “coal-hauling” standards at $9 million. The only road in the county that currently meets that standard is Wilson Road, which was developed and is maintained by Mettiki Coal.
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MACo Supporting Local Lawmakers' BOE Funding Bills
Feb. 16, 2012
Garrett County commissioner Gregan Crawford announced yesterday that the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) has voted to support House Bill 660/Senate Bill 586 – Education – State Aid – Grant to Limit Decreases in Funding. Crawford is a member MACo’s board of directors and Legislative Committee.
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The proposed legislation, which was introduced by Sen. George Edwards and cross-filed in the House of Delegates by Delegates Wendell Beitzel, Kevin Kelly, and LeRoy Myers, was drafted for the purpose of requiring the state to provide a certain grant to a county board of education for fiscal years 2013 through 2015 if certain funding provided to a county board decreases by not more than 5 percent.
Approval of this legislation by the Maryland General Assembly would equate to additional funding for the Garrett County Public School System, estimated to be $1 million. The Garrett County Board of Education is estimating a loss of state revenue for FY 2013 of $2.7 million. Favorable review of this legislation by the General Assembly and the governor would reduce the predicted deficit, according to county administrator Monty Pagenhardt.
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He's Been Working For Almost A Week
Feb. 16, 2012
Bill Sandusky, owner of Frozen Assets, is visiting the area again and creating some impressive ice art despite almost too-warm temperatures. He has the benefit of a refrigerated truck (from Larry Wagner) to house his works of art, which he can carve out at an impressive pace. He arrived in Garrett County last Friday and has been working since. His sculptures will be displayed throughout Oakland this weekend during the fifth annual Winter Fest, a celebration of the season.
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The weather may be a tiny bit warm for the event, but Sandusky said he is not worried, noting that the ice will hold up for some time, even if the temperature is a little above freezing. A great deal of events and activities are slated throughout the weekend, starting Friday night and continuing on through Sunday afternoon. Sandusky will create some pieces as folks look on. There will be food, contests, games, and other activities for all ages. For a complete schedule and further information, persons may go to the web site oaklandwinterfest.com. Photo by John McEwen.
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As gas tax increase looms, county infrastructure projects can stagnate for years
To build everything currently on the counties’ wish lists would cost about $12 billion
by C. Benjamin Ford, Staff Writer
Since at least 1987, when Jay Moyer was on the Oakland town council in Garrett County, the relocation of U.S. 219 to bypass the town was listed as the county’s top priority in the annual letter to the state Department of Transportation.
Each year the county put it on the wish list of transportation projects to the state to consider funding, and each year the request itself was bypassed by the state for other projects on other counties’ wish lists.
Two years ago, Moyer, now the county’s general roads superintendent, asked Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) about the project.
“He told me the state didn’t have the money for it,” Moyer said. “He told me that right to my face. He pulled his pockets right out of his pants and said, ‘Does it look like I have the money for it?’”
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Garrett school board delaying decision on elementary school closings
Vote to come during April 24 meeting
Elaine Blaisdell Cumberland Times-News
OAKLAND — The final decision on whether to close Dennett Road, Friendsville and Kitzmiller elementary schools will come during a special meeting April 24, the Garrett County Board of Education voted at its Tuesday meeting.
Delaying the decision will allow time for additional funding opportunities and to allow the committees additional time to work, according to Sue Waggoner, interim superintendent of schools. Advisory committee reports will be presented at the next board meeting on March 13.
“Because of pending legislation and other assistance, possibly, I would like to recommend that the superintendent’s recommendation not be made until April 10, because it will be after the close of the legislative session,” said Waggoner.
House Bill 660 and Senate Bill 586, proposed by Sen. George Edwards and Delegates Wendell Beitzel, Kevin Kelly and LeRoy Myers Jr., limit the board’s losses in state funding to 5 percent for the next three years. If the bill passes, it will cap losses at $1.5 million, according to Larry McKenzie, the board’s director of finance.
The Senate bill also asks that the study done by the Maryland State Department of Education include the impact on state funding of declining enrollments in local school systems with small enrollments.
“We are hoping that the bill does something for rural counties in the future. We can’t be the fifth-wealthiest county in the state with 46 percent farms,” said Waggoner.
Board vice president Charlotte Sebold encouraged all county residents to support the bill and write letters, stating, “It’s going to be heard.”
The hearing on SB 586 will be brought to the Senate Budget and Tax Committee on Wednesday at 1 p.m. in Annapolis, according to Sebold.
Angel Simms, a teacher at Dennett Road Elementary School, asked board members if they had talked to other counties about how they are cutting costs. Simms noted that she called 14 counties to ask if they closed schools and how they are saving money.
“I have talked to 14 counties. None of them had said they had closed schools. Some of them laughed. They think it’s a laughable idea that you would close a school,” said Simms. “When I started realizing that they are not closing schools and they are not firing all these teachers, I asked what are they doing.”
Some of the schools raised the co-pay for health insurance from $10 to $20; made a 5 percent cut to all programs; took furloughs; cut all salaries across the board; offered early retirement incentives; and placed a freeze on buying new maintenance equipment, according to Simms.
“To me, the things you want to think about cutting first are the things that kids aren’t going to notice,” said Simms. “The first thing they are going to notice is that their school is closed and their teachers are gone. So that’s the last thing you want to cut.”
The board is talking with other counties to try to find any kind of money savings, according to Thomas Carr, president.
“We do go down (to Annapolis) and lobby and will be going down for the March 15 (Maryland Association of Boards of Education) lobby day,” said Carr. “We are on the road a lot talking to people.”
The board also voted to honor a retirement incentive for employees even though there are fewer certificated employees then originally planned. The retirement letters that were sent to 158 eligible employees called for 15 certificated employees and three noncertificated employees. Only 10 certificated employees and nine noncertificated employees ex-pressed an interest in the retirement incentive.
The retirement incentive would save an estimated of $400,000 to $500,000, according to Waggoner.
The county commissioners had encouraged the board to review retirement incentives as a way to reduce staff numbers without eliminating new employees.
“We are going to look and see if we can absorb those positions,” said Waggoner during the board meeting.
Applications for a new superintendent are being received by the Maryland Association of Boards of Education. The board will meet with association representatives on March 14, said Carr. Interviews for the position will begin March 31; the second round of interviews will be conducted April 21; and final interviews will take place May 16-18.
“We have six applications in hand and possibly another one. At that point (in May), we desperately hope to have a new superintendent,” said Carr.
Waggoner had accepted the interim position for a year when former Superintendent Wendell Teets retired.
Contact Elaine Blaisdell at eblaisdell@times-news.com
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BOE Pushes Back School Closure Vote
Feb. 16, 2012
The Garrett County Board of Education informed those attending its Tuesday meeting that in light of new legislation being brought forward in Annapolis, it was delaying its decision on the potential closure of three county schools – Broad Ford, Kitzmiller, and Friendsville elementaries.
Originally, Sue Waggoner, interim superintendent of schools, was scheduled to make a recommendation to the board on the closure issue on Feb. 14. That recommendation will now occur at a meeting in April.
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“We’ve delayed our decisions to allow our advisory committees and our elected state officials more time to do their work,” stated Waggoner before an audience in the cafeteria of Southern Middle School.
The bills currently being proposed by Wendell Beitzel, Maryland state delegate, and George Edwards, state senator, – House Bill 660 and Senate Bill 586 – would cap cuts in state aid to Maryland school systems at 5 percent from the previous year’s budget.
These measures come after Maryland’s new state-aid formula has assessed Garrett County as the state’s fifth wealthiest, in spite of the large percentage of local children who qualify for free and reduced lunch. The assessment has presented the BOE with a loss in funds of around $3 million.
If passed, the new law would reduce the school system’s current losses by an estimated $1.1 million. Similar losses would be capped the following year; however, it is believed that by 2015, as the school system takes measures to reduce its expenditures, the loss limitation would no longer apply to Garrett County.
Waggoner and Larry McKenzie, the school system’s director of finance, expressed their plans to travel to Annapolis next week (Feb. 22, 1 p.m.) to testify in favor of the senate bill. That process will be repeated in the coming weeks to support the house bill.
“This situation is unfair to our county,” said Waggoner. “This legislation would do much to help Maryland’s rural communities.”
Waggoner stated that she has met with Senator Edwards to discuss the ongoing process. She also relayed a message from Delegate Beit-zel, who has requested that citizens send their stories, , and concerns to officials in Annapolis.
Pending any new decisions made at the state level, the superintendent’s recommendation is now scheduled to come on April 10, after the board has heard from the school advisory committees on March 14. The board’s final decision on the fate of each school would then come on April 24 at a specially called meeting.
It was also reported that 19 of the 158 eligible school employees have accepted the board’s retirement incentive. On the superintendent’s recommendation, the board voted to accept these retirements, which will save the school system approximately $450,000 in fiscal year 2013-14.
The board also recognized Southern High 10th grader Lindsey Murray, who designed last year’s BOE Christmas card, as well as the Garrett County FIRST LEGO League teams which collectively took first-place finishes in three major categories at a recent state tournament.
“We are so proud of how these students have represented Garrett County,” stated Waggoner.
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Closing Dennett Road would be major blow
Cumberland Times-News
My name is Kaitlin Shaffer. I went to Dennett Road Elementary School for five years: first through fifth grade. I am very distressed to even think about Dennett Road closing.
If Dennett Road closes, over 320 children will be taken out of a learning environment they are used to being in. Plus, they will be taken away from their friends, because the students of Dennett Road School would be split between three different schools.
The third graders would suffer the most, though. They would be expected to attend Dennett Road in third grade, a different elementary school in fourth grade, and possibly the Middle School in fifth grade!
Three schools in three years will not allow these children to make the connections with fellow students and teachers that they need to have a successful learning environment.
Now, onto the fifth grade situation. I have been informed that the Board of Education is thinking of putting fifth grade at the middle school in the tiny pods in between classrooms.
Those pods are five-sided and can fit 15 people in them at the max. There simply isn’t enough room or lockers for those students in addition to the sixth, seventh and eighth graders that are already there.
I also have heard that the second choice is to take the fifth graders and distribute them among Crellin, Yough Glades, and Broadford schools and close the schools the students came from. If this is done, the class sizes would be huge, which I know from experience isn’t good either.
I am in sixth grade honors classes at the middle school. My teacher’s job is made more difficult due to a very large class size of 29 students.
We have to learn lessons very fast so we can complete our state curriculum, and if there is something you don’t understand and want some help you are faced with a choice, go up to the teacher and wait for a long time because there are so many other kids in line.
Or, try to figure it out by yourself, which doesn’t always go so well. There is the option to go for tutoring in the mornings, but when there is homeroom, you sit in the back with about 20 people in the classroom.
If fifth grade is placed at the other elementary schools in Oakland, their classes will be much like mine.
In my fifth grade year, I had 20 students in my class and it was a lot easier to get help and learn because my teacher, Ms. Simms, didn’t have to divide her time between nine extra students.
I had a wonderful connection with her, because she simply had more time to get to know me.
So, if Dennett Road closes, those kids are deprived of that. And if the school closes, it doesn’t just affect fifth grade, it affects the entire community! Some excellent teachers will lose their jobs, everyone is forced to move somewhere else, and all the schools will be overcrowded. So it just causes problems for everyone.
I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to read my letter. I hope that the Garrett County Commissioners and the Garrett County Board of Education will truly consider my thoughts, as I am just one of hundreds of students who feel this way.
Kaitlin R. Shaffer
Oakland
