Wait-and-see: Reintroduction of elk to state
Michael A. Sawyers
The Cumberland Times-News Fri Sep 02, 2011, 09:37 AM EDT
CUMBERLAND — The possibility that Rocky Mountain elk could be reintroduced into Garrett and Allegany counties has gotten the attention of many people, most of whom are taking a wait-and-see attitude.
A week ago, the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced that a 12-month study would begin to determine whether or not elk could live in Western Maryland and whether or not residents there want the animals to be reintroduced.
Elk have been gone from Western Maryland’s landscape for more than 200 years.
Gary Fratz could be considered to have a multi-directional interest in a possible reintroduction. Fratz is a farmer near Accident in Garrett County as well as a citizen member of the Maryland Wildlife Advisory Commission that consults with DNR.
“I don’t have a problem with it if the elk won’t be really damaging to crops,” Fratz said. “We’ll have to see what the ag community thinks about it. We’re all in a learning process right now.”
Fratz grows soybeans, oats, pumpkins and sweet corn, all of which are dined upon by deer and bear.
“We’ve found ways to live with that,” Fratz said.
State Sen. George Edwards, a co-chairman of the state’s Legislative Sportsmen’s Foundation, said he is all for taking a look at the possibility.
“The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is paying for the study ($125,000), so let’s see what is says,” Edwards said Tuesday morning. “The hunters I’ve talked with would like to have elk. We’ll have to see what other local people think, especially the farmers.”
The dates of public meetings and surveys have yet to be established.
“It would be amazing to see an animal like that in Maryland,” said A.J. Fleming, president of the Garrett County chapter of Quality Deer Management Association. “Not everybody can afford to go out West to see or hunt elk,” Fleming said.
“But if the average white-tailed deer eats 1 ton of food a year, how much would a 700-pound bull elk eat?”
Fleming posed that question in regard to farm crops as well as competition with deer for available nutrition.
The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has no plan to actively reintroduce elk, but is getting them anyway.
“We have elk in our southwestern counties that have crossed the border from Kentucky,” said DNR spokesman Paul Johansen. “And we have developed a plan to monitor and manage them.”
Johansen said elk, especially immediately after relocation, are very mobile and he would not be surprised if any animals put in Western Maryland would cross the North Branch of the Potomac River or the Preston County line.
“We are very appreciative that the Maryland Wildlife & Heritage Service has already coordinated with us,” Johansen said. “We trust the judgment of the Maryland biologists.”
Johansen said his main concern is crop damage and collisions with vehicles should elk enter West Virginia.
Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com
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SavageMan Set For Sept. 16-18; Volunteers Sought
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SavageMan Set For Sept. 16-18; Volunteers Sought
Aug. 25, 2011
The fourth annual “Tri-To-Win” SavageMan Triathlon Festival will take place on Sept. 16 to 19, with the starting and finishing point located at Deep Creek Lake State Park. Organizers are currently recruiting volunteers to help with the international race.
The SavageMan Triathlon Festival, a charity event that benefits the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation, has been touted internationally as “the world’s most beautiful – and most ‘savage’ – triathlon.” Athletes from around the world are already registered for this year’s contest, according to Greg Safko, president of the foundation and lead organizer for the triathlon.
“The most critical ingredient in staging a successful triathlon is the active participation of enthusiastic, energetic and committed volunteers,” Safko said. “And our volunteers are tremendously appreciated by all our athletes, professional and amateur alike, who come from around the world to compete in this ‘Savage Race to Fight a Savage Cancer.'”
All volunteers will receive a complimentary volunteer T-shirt and cap, and will be invited to the post-race party. Volunteers will be advised as to how to obtain the gifts. Complete information and an application can be found online at www.savagemantri.org/volunteers.html.
A number of volunteer positions are available. Some of these include the setup crew, which will work each day from Thursday, Sept. 15, through the end of the weekend event. (Persons may choose a day to work, or be there each morning.) Volunteers are needed for course marking, parking guides, packet pick-up, body marking of the athletes, transition area guides, course support for all three legs of the race, finish line support, Westernport Wall success tracking, a tear-down crew on Sunday, and a clean-up crew on Monday.
Volunteering roles that require training, special equipment, certifications, or specific skills are photographers, medical personnel, kayakers, lifeguards, bikers, and videographers, among others.
For more information, persons may call Dick Zimmerman, the regional volunteer coordinator, at 240-405-4700, or contact organizers by e-mail at volunteers@savagemantri.org.
All race proceeds go to the melanoma foundation, named in honor of the late Joanna M. Nicolay. Her daughter, Denise Nicolay Safko, said the volunteers touch many lives.
“Not only are they and the community supporting the athletes, they are proving a way for many of the participants to honor someone whom they’ve lost, or who is battling cancer,” she said. “It is really an inspiration to me.”
For more information about the organization, persons may visit www.melanomaresource.org.
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Getting ‘lean’: Garrett commissioners look to trim county’s budget
Angie Brant
Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Wed Aug 31, 2011, 11:04 PM EDT
OAKLAND — Garrett County commissioners have approved a plan they believe will help offset a projected revenue shortfall and increase the efficiency and productivity of county government.
In the next month, the commissioners will appoint nine individuals to serve on an Efficiency Task Force. The task force will implement “lean” practices in the county government.
The lean concept is a systemic approach that identifies problems and establishes corrective actions to increase efficiency in an organization.
Lean practices have been implemented in five counties throughout Maryland.
According to Gregan Crawford, chairman, this concept has been successful in the private sector for many years. He believes the implementation of the concept in Garrett County governmental operations will offer a better return on taxpayers’ dollars.
“This was the next logical step. We have looked at and completed many cost-saving initiatives and we believe this can only help our efforts,” Crawford added.
Crawford and his colleagues, Commissioners Bob Gatto and James Raley, unanimously approved the proposal at their August meeting. The next step will be to appoint members of the county work force and community to the panel.
The current proposal calls for the panel to be comprised of nine members, with five individuals from county government and four appointments from the commissioners.
However, based on the initial response to this proposal, the board of commissioners is considering the creation of subcommittees to allow greater involvement from both employees and residents.
The county has already enjoyed the results of lean practices following the elimination of 25 positions through attrition.
Through attrition, the county has seen a savings of $1.5 million and has been able to restructure and reorganize many departments, eliminating many cases of duplication of services.
Garrett County Administrator Monty Pagenhardt said the county’s employees have risen to the challenge and “continue to provide quality public service with less personnel and financial resources.”
The commissioners agree that the dedication of the employees will be key to the implementation and success of this endeavor.
“We are looking for solutions from the bottom up, solutions from the employees who perform the jobs. They know what works and what doesn’t,” Crawford said.
Raley said the county has seen success in shared services with the Garrett County Board of Education and sees the potential for even greater savings as different options are considered.
“We need to operate government like people operate their household budgets in this tough economy, by cutting back and makings changes,” Raley said. “It can be as simple as turning off lights when you leave a room or turning off computers. We are looking at every option that can help save the county money.”
Several Garrett County businesses meet each month to discuss improving efficiency in the private sectors. As guests of these meetings, Gatto said the board of commissioners have begun to look at the process in a different light, gaining insight from what is working in the private sector and how to adapt those practices to serve county government.
“Lean is not just about working harder, it is about working smarter,” Gatto said. “We are seeing how those companies are working to be more productive and it is giving us a fresh perspective on how we can do things.”
Gatto has said it is easy to raise taxes, but he feels a more efficient government should be the first priority as the county looks to the future.
“We’re trying to plan for the worst, but are hoping for the best,” Crawford added. “Raising taxes is the last resort.”
The commissioners’ next scheduled public meeting is Sept. 13, beginning at 9 a.m. The commissioners’ plan is to have Efficiency Task Force members in place by Oct. 1. Commissioners would like to see the task force hold an organizational meeting before Oct. 21 and compile a list of recommendations by Jan. 31, 2012.
Contact Angie Brant at abrant @times-news.com
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State Marcellus commission will meet in Garrett
Matthew Bieniek
Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Mon Aug 29, 2011, 11:21 PM EDT
MCHENRY— The county with the most to gain, or lose — depending on who you talk to, on both the economic and environmental front, will host the next meeting of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission.
The meeting is set for Oct. 7 in Room CE-224 (the Continuing Education Building Lecture Hall) at Garrett College in McHenry. The meeting is currently scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and run until around 4 p.m.
State Department of the Environment staff are preparing briefings on liability and revenue issues, said Brigid Kenney of the MDE. The meeting will be the second one for the committee following the initial meeting at Rocky Gap in early August. The meetings are open to the public.
Among Garrett County members on the shale commission are county commissioner James Raley, Sen. George Edwards, Shawn Bender of the Garrett County Farm Bureau and Paul Roberts, a Garrett County resident, citizen activist and owner of Deep Creek Cellars winery.
The liability and revenue issues brought a number of at the first meeting. The liability issues concern how the state can assure repairs to roads and land damaged by drilling as well as funding should a disaster occur, among other concerns, commission members said. Commission members are also trying to figure out the best mechanism for permitting costs and taxation and how tax revenue should be divvied up.
Chairman David Vanko, a dean in science and mathematics at Towson University, has said commission members would have a steep learning curve.
Some commission members have advocated a baseline scientific fact-gathering, possibly paid for by the natural gas industry. One problem has been that it’s impossible to tell if methane in the water of some Pennsylvania communities occurred naturally or because of gas fracking, mainly because no studies or measurements took place before fracking began.
The commission will present recommendations by the end of the year on legislation to tax drilling and establish liability standards.
Recommendations on best practices for natural gas exploration and production are to be delivered by Aug. 1, 2012, and a final report including environmental impacts of drilling is to be issued by Aug. 1, 2014.
Marcellus shale formations throughout the Eastern U.S. harbor large untapped natural gas resources.
The total value of the natural gas in Allegany County’s Marcellus shale could be close to $15.72 billion, with the average well earning $65,000 to $524,000 yearly, University of Maryland Extension staff has said.
In order to get the gas trapped in Marcellus shale to the surface chemicals, water and sand are pumped underground to break apart rock formations and free the gas.
Critics are concerned about the impact on groundwater and drinking water. The technique would likely be used if drilling began in Western Maryland.
A process used in Canada, though, uses carbon dioxide gas, which is believed to have less significant environmental impact.
Vanko has said he hopes consensus can be reached on most of the issues the committee is expected to review.
Contact Matthew Bieniek at mbieniek@times-news.com
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Gas not the only factor in Labor Day plans
By CALEB CALHOUN
caleb.calhoun@herald-mail.com
5:01 p.m. EDT, August 31, 2011
With gas prices lower now than they were in July and Labor Day approaching, area residents Wednesday talked about costs, crowds, congestion and even crime shaping their plans to travel over the holiday weekend.
Dick Gaylor of Boonsboro said that he planned to stay home over the weekend because gas is still too high for him to travel.
“I have a camper, and I can’t afford to travel with it like I used to because gas is so high,” he said. “Even though the prices have gotten a little better, it’s still hard when my camper is only getting about 10 miles to the gallon.”
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Commissioners Hold Hearings To Prepare For Fiscal Year 2013
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Aug. 25, 2011
The Garrett County commissioners are already preparing for the Fiscal Year 2013 budget and beyond, though FY 2012 is less than 2 months old. They held five brief public hearings Tuesday afternoon on proposed increases for recordation, admissions and amusement, hotel rental, title/leasehold interest transfers, and overdue property taxes.
“I don’t want you to believe that it’s a done deal,” Commissioner Jim Raley said about raising taxes. “I want you to know that we’re here to listen.”
About 30 people attended the hearings, primarily members of the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce.
Commission chair Gregan Crawford stressed the hearings were mainly to garner information and to prepare for the future, especially the General Assembly session in January 2012. Three of the five taxes would require legislation in order for the commissioners to be able to increase them, if needed, in the future.
“2013 will probably be a far greater challenge to the county, budgetwise, than 2012 was,” Crawford said.
He indicated that the county may see a drop in property assessments, there may be a shift in teacher pension obligation from the state to the county, and there will be less state funding for education. He noted that the county’s capital projects and employee roster have already been greatly reduced.
“We’re trying to plan for the worst, but are hoping for the best,” Crawford said. “I don’t know whether we’re going to change any of the rates or not, but adjusting tax rates is never popular, especially in recessionary times. I’m still not convinced it’s the correct pathway at this point. Raising taxes should only be as the last resort.”
He added that it is hard to ask people to pay more taxes when the county needs to continue to look internally to see what it can do to raise revenue and trim expenses.
With that in mind, the commissioners will form an Efficiency Task Force to find ways to save money, yet maintain services.
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McHenry Water System Hearing Slated Saturday
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Aug. 25, 2011
The Board of Garrett County Commissioners will hold a public hearing this Saturday, Aug. 27, at 9 a.m. in the Garrett College auditorium to consider changes to the water connection/user fees and the connection/ amortization policy for the McHenry Water System.
Interested persons will be heard at the hearing on the necessity or advisability of the proposed policy and rate change.
For more information, persons may call the commissioners’ office at 301-334-8970.
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PlanMaryland for Dummies: What Is It, Why Do I Care?
By Kym Byrnes
Over the next 20 years, there will be nearly 1 million more people, over 400,000 additional households and more than 600,000 new jobs in Maryland, according to the PlanMarylandwebsite.
PlanMaryland is the state’s first plan for sustainable growth and development. It will emphasize planning that encourages Maryland residents to be more efficient and less wasteful of valuable resources, according to thePlanMaryland website.
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County United Way to recognize contributors
The Cumberland Times-News Sun Aug 28, 2011, 10:39 PM EDT
FROSTBURG — County United Way will host the Annual Community Caring Awards and campaign kickoff on Wednesday, an event that will honor a number of local individuals and businesses. The event will be held at Lane Center at Frostburg State University.
Pam Jan, president of the board of directors of County United Way, has announced this year’s award recipients, whose contributions will be recognized at the kickoff event.
Allegany County: Kathy Getty, regional president for Susquehanna Bank, co-chair of the annual campaign and past president of the CUW board; and CSX Transportation, long-standing corporate and employee supporter of United Way and special events.
Garrett County: Commissioner Ernie Gregg, immediate past chair of the executive committee and board; and Garrett Partnership for Children and Families, for being a pioneer organization in collaborating to provide community impact services with other organizations.
Hampshire County: Angela McQuaid, volunteer teen-court coordinator and co-chair of this year’s United Way campaign, and the Hampshire Wellness Center, for being the host of many health initiatives throughout the year.
Mineral County: Gary Wilson, past chair of the executive committee, former campaign chair and retired CEO of Burlington United Methodist Family Services, and Dominion Energy, corporate and employee supporter of United Way and special events.
In order for an individual to be nominated for this award, the person must reside in the home county and demonstrate a long-time commitment to volunteering and donating to the United Way and/or community partners. The business must meet the same criteria, in addition to encouraging workers to support the United Way by suggesting volunteer opportunities and/or conducting an employee campaign for contributions through payroll deduction.
The kickoff event will feature music by the Mountain Ridge Jazz Band, under the direction of David Kauffman. Aramark will prepare the menu. The awards were designed by Simon Pearce.
For reservations, contact the County United Way at 301-722-2700.
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Commissioners To Form Task Force To Begin "Lean" Government Plan
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Aug. 25, 2011
The Garrett County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to form an Efficiency Task Force that will seek to implement the concept and practices of a “lean” county government.
During their public meeting on Tuesday, Chairman Gregan Crawford spoke about the pending revenue shortfall that Garrett County government is projecting for the next three- to five-year budget cycles.
County administrator Monty Pagenhardt presented a statistical and projected revenue/expenditure outline. He noted that the county’s budget has decreased from $100 million in recent years down to $73 million. In addition, the county’s employee roster has decreased by 20 percent.
Crawford then proposed that the Board of Garrett County Commissioners create the task force.
“Lean seeks continuous improvement within an organization and is facilitated by a systematic approach to identify problems and achieving efficient solutions that in turn create better outcomes for employees and the constituents that they serve,” Pagenhardt explained Wednesday in a press release.
Crawford proposed nominating a committee composed of nine members: five from county government and four appointed by the commissioners. He suggested that the committee by appointed and organized by Oct. 1, that its first meeting take place no later than Oct. 21, and that its initial recommendations be presented to the commissioners by Jan. 31, 2012.
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