>Lots of rain ahead; flood watch in Garrett
>
The dry, crisp, clear air that made the quarter moon so sharp in the sky just before sunrise today will give way on Thursday to increasing clouds and a significant rainstorm.
Forecasters out at Sterling are expecting 1 to 2 inches of rain here late Thursday into Friday as a storm system now over the southwestern states moves east along the jet stream and crosses our region on Friday. There’s even a chance for thunderstorms breaking out Friday morning southeast of wherever the low finally decides to track.
That’s a lot of rain. The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for Garrett County, in extreme Western Maryland, in effect from Thursday afternoon through Friday morning. Out there. forecasters expect 1 to 1.5 inches of rain to be augmented by an additional half-inch of snow melt. That could flood streams and creeks and low-lying areas.
“A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING BASED ON CURRENT FORECASTS. YOU SHOULD MONITOR FORECASTS AND BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FLOOD WARNINGS. THOSE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLOODING OCCUR.”
>Two-year delay proposed in shale gas drilling
>Officials want more time to study risks in Western Maryland
By Timothy B. Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun
8:48 p.m. EST, February 23, 2011
O’Malley administration officials told state lawmakers Wednesday that they need up to two years more to study the risks of drilling for natural gas in Marcellus shale deposits in Western Maryland before deciding whether to let the controversial practice go forward.
Testifying before the House Environmental Matters Committee, Robert M. Summers, Maryland’s acting secretary of the environment, said he and other administration officials plan a comprehensive evaluation of the potential health and environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing, the technique used to extract gas from shale layers far underground.
“We want to make sure we thoroughly understand what we’re doing, what the consequences would be, before we proceed,” Summers said. He and John R. Griffin, Maryland’s secretary of natural resources, spoke in favor of a bill that would impose a temporary moratorium on drilling until adequate safeguards are in place to prevent contamination of drinking-water wells, pollution of mountain streams and other problems.
>Officials asked to invest in trail system
>Garrett group wants $500,000 for Continental Divide Loop
Kristin Harty Barkley
Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Wed Feb 23, 2011, 07:42 AM EST
OAKLAND — A group that wants to create a connected trail system in Garrett County is asking the Garrett County Board of Commissioners for $100,000 a year for five years to get the project off the ground.
Mike Dreisbach, vice president of Garrett Trails, said the payoff could be exponential.
“Allegany County got $500,000 from commissioners for their section of the Great Allegheny Passage,” said Dreisbach, who also serves on the Mountain Maryland Trails board.
“It came, basically, from hotel/motel occupancy tax. Their half-a-million-dollar investment gets them between $5 (million) and $6 million a year now in direct and indirect spending in that little 22-mile stretch. … We’re asking you to invest in tourism,” he said at last week’s public meeting.
Commissioners are in the process of drafting the county’s fiscal 2012 budget, which should be available for public perusal in the next few weeks. Considering the state budget crisis and the national recession, funding is expected to be extremely tight.
Garrett County’s hotel tax is 5 percent and generates about $1.5 million a year. Last year, county officials asked the state legislative delegation to introduce a bill that would allow them to raise the tax to 8 percent, but later retracted the request because of opposition from business owners.
Last week, Dreisbach and Garrett Trails President Steve Green gave a 20-minute presentation to commissioners, all of whom are new to the board this year.
Garrett Trails, which formed more than a decade ago, is developing plans for a trail network approximately 150 miles long that will connect many of the county’s towns to the Great Allegheny Passage. One segment, being called the Continental Divide Loop, would come off the passage at Meyersdale, Pa., to Penn Alps Restaurant, and then off the passage at Confluence, Pa., and eventually to Friendsville.
“The trail offers amazing and spectacular views,” said Dreisbach, adding that it would include some water routes, as well as opportunities for hiking and biking. “We envision this as an opportunity for people to say, ‘I did the loop.’ The draw of that is pretty spectacular.”
Garrett Trails received a $30,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission last summer and hopes to begin construction on some segments later this year.
“We have a lot of momentum going, a lot of interest,” said Green, co-owner of High Mountain Sports.
Last year, close to 85,000 people used the Great Allegheny Passage, a 135-mile trail from Cumberland to Duquesne, Pa. In 2010, the GAP generated about $85 million in revenue. In 2009, about 66,000 people used the trail, generating about $65 million, Dreisbach said.
“It’s had a big impact on all the businesses along the trail,” said Dreisbach, who owns Savage River Lodge. “It’s brought new businesses to the area. … When we talk about our Continental Divide Loop, we’ve got a similar thing. Actually, we’ve got some better things up here. We’ve got the history, all the scenic things. We never really tied everything together. It’s really a great opportunity for us.”
Green and other Garrett Trails representatives at-tended Mountain Maryland PACE events this year, trying to gain support from local and state officials.
“It really does boil down to, we need money,” Dreisbach told commissioners last week. “There are private people out there who are wanting to put money into it, but they’re wanting to see some ownership from the government and other people in the county. We’d get more traction in this whole process if we could just get some investment.”
Contact Kristin Harty Barkley at kbarkley@times-news.com
>Groundbreaking set for gas line
>(Source: The Dominion Post (Morgantown, W.Va.))By Michelle Wolford, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.
Feb. 23–KINGWOOD — A groundbreaking is set for a gas-gathering line proposed nearly a year ago.
Ken Magyar, director of business development for Superior Appalachian Pipeline Co., told Preston County Commissioners on Tuesday that a ceremony is planned for 11 a.m. March 1 to kick off the project. Those attending are to park at the VFW Post on W.Va. 26 in Bruceton Mills.
“We will not start work until the back half or later in March,” he said. The 16-mile pipeline, which begins on Coal Lick Road about 2 miles north of Albright, will connect with a Columbia Gas transmission line in Pennsylvania. The underground line will collect gas from area wells and transport it to Pennsylvania…
…Also Tuesday, commissioners:
Agreed to provide a letter of support for Tom McKee who is developing a portfolio for his plan to construct a vintage motorsport park and museum in Terra Alta. McKee said the complex would incorporate historical exhibits with vintage motorsport events, including motorcycles, cars and planes and take advantage of tourism efforts already under way at Deep Creek Lake, Md., Canaan Valley, Alpine Lake and Nemacolin Woodlands in Pennsylvania.
>Deep Creek ice has unseen hazards
>SWANTON — The Maryland Park Service reminds all snowmobilers, fishermen and cross-country skiers of the potential for unseen safety hazards on Deep Creek Lake, particularly at night. An area of ice has been removed near Uno Chicago Grill on U.S. Route 219 to create open water for the Special Olympics Deep Creek Dunk.
Ice has also been removed along the shoreline of the Discovery Center for ice rescue and cold water diving training for emergency services personnel conducted by the Maryland State Police. These areas will remain unsafe for quite some time and will be marked with reflective traffic cones.
Surface conditions under bridges are often particularly hazardous and snow drifts or pressure ridges can act as ramps, causing sleds to be-come airborne.
Snowmobiles must be registered for use on the lake. Permits are available by mail or at any of the local state park offices.
For information on ice conditions, call the park headquarters at 301-387-5563 or the Discovery Center on weekends at 301- 387-7067.
>Seasonal Dock Rentals at Traders Landing on Deep Creek Lake
>
Steve Green
High Mountain Sports
Steve@HighMountainSports.com
P.O. Box 85
Mc Henry, MD 21541
Ph: 301-387-4199
Fax: 301-387-2103
>Price drop! 3 Lakeview Ct-Villages of Wisp-GA7522191
>
Winter Views of Deep Creek Lake. Ski In/Out. Established Rental Being Sold Turn Key. Well maintained unit with cedar plank walls in living room. Hot tub included. Entry on main level.
Contact Jay Ferguson @ 301-501-0420 or DeepCreekLaker@Gmail.com for more information or to setup a private showing for this property.
Listing # GA7522191
$265,000
>Existing home sales rise, prices hit 2002 low
>(Reuters) – Sales of previously owned U.S. homes rose unexpectedly in January, but prices tumbled to the lowest in nearly nine years, an industry group said on Wednesday.
The National Association of Realtors said sales climbed 2.7 percent month over month to an annual rate of 5.36 million units from a downwardly revised 5.22 million pace.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected January sales to fall 2.1 percent to a 5.24 million-unit pace from the previously reported 5.28 million units in December.
Compared with January last year, sales were up 5.3 percent. The median home price fell 3.7 percent from a year-ago to $158,800, the lowest since April 2002.
>Delegation testifies at mountain naming hearing
>Local representatives against new monikers for Negro, Polish
Elaine Blaisdell
Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Wed Feb 23, 2011, 07:59 AM EST
CUMBERLAND — City council members were in agreement at Tuesday’s public work session that population growth, in particular, residents with college degrees, is one of the key components in regard to the economic development of the city.
“I think population growth is critical,” said Mayor Brian Grim.
“I think it’s number one. We need to rebrand the city (with education) from it’s image as a post-industrial town,” said councilman, David Kauffman. “Post-secondary education is the very population that is going to grow the city. The misnomer to this growth is that we are doing it to get jobs. Education in and of itself is an industry, it’s the fifth largest industry in the country.”
Councilman Nick Scarpelli suggested actively working with the already existing education facilities like Allegany College of Maryland and Frostburg State University to expand their programs.
“I still feel we should utilize the talents in the area. We have many people who serve on boards at both the state and federal level that bring something to the table,” said Scarpelli. “We have a willing citizenry and we should use those resources to move forward.”
“I have no desire to undercut the educational institutions already in place. We should ask them if they want to be a part of this initiative,” added Kauffman.
Kauffman suggested seeking help from local officials and the state delegation on the education initiative in order to “prevent Cumberland from being the poorest county in the state.”
“It is going to taken a Herculanian effort on the city’s part to get legislation involved in education,” said resident Larry Jackson.
Councilwoman Mary Beth Pirolozzi said statewide broadband and the reuse of Memorial Hospital are also important for development.
“Statewide broadband is very important. We need it to make a lot of things happen,” said Pirolozzi. “One piece that is a drain is the Memorial Hospital reuse. Filling or selling it needs to be on the top of our radar screen.”
Also discussed during the meeting were they city’s finances.
“Cuts in the highway user revenue have caused us to look at our finances more closely,” said Pirolozzi. “We need to look at the use of our TAN (Tax Anticipation Note), how to eliminate our reliance on it and look at leaner government that is more responsive and less expensive. We need to work at being more accountable and look at the bottom line. We need to establish cash reserve opportunities that go back into a percentage to reduce budget to maintain a constant yield.”
Pirolozzi also suggested reducing finances by looking at personnel in regard to potential retirement and contractual positions and by combining services with the county, especially in regard to taxing and permits and planing.
“We need to make it a one stop shop,” she said.
“I want to make the message clear that we have no desire to cut jobs or people,” added Kauffman.
Grim suggested capping top salaries (setting a range on salaries) in order to alleviate fianancial prolems.
Contact Elaine Blaisdell at eblaisdell@times-news.com
>Western Md. legislators defend mountain names
>
Western Maryland legislators waited for their turn to speak on Tuesday as Sen. Lisa A. Gladden, at left, D-Baltimore City, urged a state Senate committee to pass her resolution to rename Negro and Polish mountains. The Western Maryland lawmakers are, from right: Sen. George C. Edwards, Del. Wendell R. Beitzel, Del. Kevin Kelly and Del. LeRoy E. Myers Jr. (By Andrew Schotz, Staff Writer)
By ANDREW SCHOTZ
andrews@herald-mail.com
9:41 p.m. EST, February 22, 2011
E-mail Print Share Text Size hm-western-md-legislators-defend-mountain-names-20110222
ANNAPOLIS — Western Maryland lawmakers Tuesday defended the names of Negro and Polish mountains, trying to torpedo a Baltimore City state senator’s attempt to “fix” history.
The name battle has been a lively side issue in a legislative session dominated by budget issues and a same-sex marriage debate.
Sen. Lisa A. Gladden, D-Baltimore City, has proposed having a commission suggest new names for Negro Mountain in Garrett County and Polish Mountain in Allegany County.
