Hebden promises ‘things will definitely change’
Jeffrey Alderton
Cumberland Times-News
— OAKLAND — If elected as sheriff, Democratic candidate Skyler Hebden, who is running unopposed in the primary election, would review “everything in the power of the sheriff’s office.”
A resident of Garrett County for the past six years, Hebden said he is about “full disclosure” and would bring positive change to the sheriff’s office that he said will not occur if he is not elected.
“Everything needs to be looked at, the total operation of the office, including the performance of each and every officer,” said Hebden, who is employed in the county as a technology consultant.
“I would also like to improve the efficiency in court service, how they service the court and bring back the community into the sheriff’s office with more disclosure to the public.
“I would also organize the department to conduct community activities to give teenagers activities to do to help them make good decisions, promote good values and help keep them out of the system. A more proactive approach is needed and there are things we can do in this regard without expense to taxpayers.
“I would also like to develop a voluntary police force to support the sheriff’s office and the officers. Qualified volunteers would assist the office in carrying out nonpolice duties, clerical help and volunteer services. This has been successful in other places. There are different models of volunteer service out there to consider to supplement the existing service that would not require a certified police officer.”
Concerning the relationship of the sheriff’s office with Maryland State Police, Hebden said, “I don’t know what issues there have been in the past but there needs to be a great relationship between the sheriff’s office and Maryland State Police — informational and physical. It needs to be a relationship that is beneficial to both sides and is maintained.”
Hebden said he has not been employed in law enforcement or the criminal justice system but has operated his own business in the past. “My not having any background in these areas is neither an asset or a detractor. It allows me a unique perspective, gives a different look at how the office is administered — no ties, an outsider perspective that allows a more analytical approach to fiscal responsibility and the physical duties. I am a basic conservative and look to limit wastes. I do believe there are excessive wastes in the department now,” said Hebden.
Hebden said he has been talking to residents throughout the county and he plans to make door-to-door contact in the coming weeks. He views posting campaign signs throughout the community as an unnecessary expenditure, a waste of resources and a source of environmental pollution. “You won’t see a lot of signs from me. I take the one-on-one approach in visiting the community,” he said.
“Garrett County is a great community. I feel the sheriff’s office should offer some alternatives to better benefit the citizens. One thing I guarantee — if I am elected, things will definitely change, and if I am not elected, things will not change. They will continue the way they are by electing people who were from the office or who are in the department with the same mind-set as the people who have served in the department.
“If you continue to elect the same type of people, you are going to get the same type of results. For anyone who wants to see a change, I’m here for anyone who wants that change.”
Hebden, 28, resides in Garrett County with his wife and one child.
Landowners File Petition Against Roth Rock Project
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Aug. 12, 2010
Landowners residing near or adjacent to the wind turbine project of Synergics Energy Services LLC at Roth Rock just south of Red House have filed a petition asking for judicial review of the actions or inactions of three local agency heads.
Named as defendants in the petition, filed last Friday in Garrett County Circuit Court, are Reggie Breeding, stormwater management engineer for the Permits and Inspection Division, Planning and Land Development of the Stormwater Management Office; James Torrington, chief of that same agency; and John Nelson, director of the Garrett County Department of Planning and Land Development.
The petition alleges that the officials have failed to enforce the county’s stormwater management ordinance. Specifically, it alleges that Breeding has not conducted any inspections on the site of the Synergics wind project, nor has he submitted any written reports of inspections, which is in violation of the ordinance.
Further, it alleges that Breeding’s supervisors, Torrington and Nelson, have also violated the ordinance by not directing Breeding to conduct the required inspections, and that they have failed to enforce the ordiance by not suspending or revoking the permits that were granted to Synergics.
It notes that the ordinance provides that any grading permit may be suspended or revoked for various reasons, including: a violation occurs, site runoff characteristics change, or construction does not comply with the approved plan.
The petition states that “multiple violations have occurred on the Synergics wind project … which have been noted in a complaint filed by Eric Robison to Scott Boylan, the division chief of the Maryland Department of the Environment.”
Ecosystem Health Report Card To Be Created For Deep Creek
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Aug. 12, 2010
About 150 people attended Saturday’s “State of the Watershed” forum, sponsored by Friends of Deep Creek Lake, a local nonprofit group addressing ways to protect, preserve, and restore the watershed. The 2½-hour information-packed event included overviews of research that has been or will be conducted about the lake.
“It was clear from the turn out, and high level of attentiveness to often detailed presentation, those who attended want to know what is going on at the lake, want to urge governmental actions to addresses various issues, and are willing to be a part of watershed protection efforts,” said Barbara Beelar, Friends of DCL director.
Attendees included Del. Wendell Beitzel, Sen. George Edwards, and Secretary John Griffin, Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Beelar said Griffin’s presence at the event gave a serious air to the gathering and gave a strong signal that the state, which owns the lake, has come to realize the need for action on watershed protection, conservation, and restoration.
“I am very heartened by the turnout for the forum and the interest in the well being of the lake expressed today,” Griffin said.
He said he believes the lake is “generally okay,” but acknowledged there is work to be done and that precautions need to be taken to ensure that development and tourism do not damage the very thing that is attracting the visitors.
Griffin pledged his commitment to be more focused on lake related issues and that his agency would support adoption of best management practices for watershed protection.
The forum included an overview of all available research and water monitoring of the lake that has been conducted by various agencies in the past. Beelar noted, however, that a comprehensive analysis of the watershed has never been conducted.
To remedy that, EcoCheck, a team affiliated with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will create a “report card” on the state of the watershed. Funded by a Chesapeake Bay Trust grant, the report will be released this fall.
Published annually, report cards help monitor changes in a watersheds over time. In addition to “grading” the watershed, the DCL report will include ways in which property owners can help improve its score.
EcoCheck has also created reports for the Chester River, Chesapeake Bay, and other watersheds in the state.
The team’s Dr. Heath Kelsey gave an overview on the work that will be done to collect and analyze all the current lake data. His tentative plans include dividing the lake into three separate areas.
One section is the area south of Glendale Bridge, where the watershed is more open, has multiple coves, is impacted by agricultural uses, and is the location of many older homes.
Another is the “town center” area in McHenry, and the last sector covers the deeper, cooler sections of the lake, where streams and the lake are more tree covered and water flows more naturally through releases from the dam, according to Beelar.
She noted that the great differences among these sectors of the lake lead to differing but equally valid reports about the health of the lake.
The director said much of the forum focused on particular issues relating to the lake south of Glendale Bridge, “where water quality and recreational decline are manifesting.”
Bruce Michael, head of science services for the Department of Natural Resources, announced at the forum that a new DNR sediment plan for Deep Creek Lake will be developed.
“This plan will focus on the section of the lake south of Glendale Bridge and in particular in nine coves which have been identified as problematic,” Beelar said.
She noted that DNR research has determined between 11.7 to 33.8 acre-feet/year of sediment is deposited into the lake annually and that over 99.9 percent of all sediment that enters the lake remains.
To address this growing problem, DNR will begin creating its sediment plan. The first phase will involve mapping the bottom of selected coves to develop baseline data.
“With this and other data, DNR will determine where dredging is needed and develop a plan for funding and implementation, estimated within three years,” Beelar said.
Griffin informed the audience that the Watershed Improvement Trust Fund can be used to pay for the dredging. This fund receives the 5 percent tax levied on the sale of every boat sold in the state of Maryland. None of these funds have been used at Deep Creek Lake, Beelar noted.
“Unfortunately,” she added. “Secretary Griffin reported the fund is now low on monies due to slow boat sales due to the economic down turn.”
Anthon Allred from the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) also presented findings of the recent Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report on phosphorus impairment in the lake and its tributaries. This work and presentation in the public forum are a part of the TMDL requirements under the federal Clean Water Act. The report will be available for public review and comment by mid-August.
“Twelve years ago the lake and tributaries were listed as impaired for phosphorous,” Beelar noted.
Phosphorous is a nutrient that contributes to water quality decline through supporting intrusive submerged aquatic vegetation growth and algal blooms. It comes into the lake through agricultural runoff, septic system leaks, tributary and shoreline erosion, road run off, storm drains, and other hard surfaces in the developed areas, the director explained.
“While the data show the overall lake is no longer impaired by high levels of phosphorous, MDE is concerned about the section of the lake south of Glendale bridge,” Beelar said.
MDE will be conducting on-going sampling in this section of the lake and expanding current work to include sites in the various coves.
“If high phosphorous levels are found through this sampling, remediation actions will be required,” Beelar said.
Allred encouraged county and state governments to work together to develop a watershed improvement plan to address existing problems.
Alan Klotz, DNR Fisheries, and Charles Poukish, Maryland Department of the Environment’s Fish Kill and Algal Bloom Division, gave the audience an overview of the recent fish kill. The incident took place in the section of the lake south of Glendale Bridge.
“While it (the investigation) is still going on, the scientists have settled on the theory that the very high water temperatures in the lake down to about 20 feet stressed fish populations, especially the cold water ones,” Beelar said. “Forced to deeper depths, they encountered low levels of dissolved oxygen levels in which they could not survive. Bacteria and parasites have been found on these fish.”
Lee Karrh, head of DNR’s Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Division, made a presentation on his team’s work this year. The members are diving and sampling sites around the lake to determine the kinds and massing of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). They will also be doing an overflight with a specialized camera to conduct mapping of the SAV beds in the lake.
Karrh explained to the audience the benefits of SAV grasses for the health of the lake, including filtration of sediment, habitat for fish, and stabilization of the bottom sediment. A number of audience members, especially those from coves in the southern end of the lake, talked about the problems they have with reduce
d recreational use because of the grasses.
One concerned person brought a sample of grasses that have recently appeared off his dock in Thousand Acres.
Another person expressed her feelings about SAVs by stating, “I don’t care whether they are good for the lake, I want to get rid of all of them.”
Secretary Griffin responded, “I understand that while grasses are sign of healthy lake, they are a nuisance, and I promise to find a way to achieve a balance between natural resources protection and recreational use.”
The largest audience response of the day came when someone reminded Griffin that Garrett County pays into Chesapeake Bay improvement projects through the “flush tax,” but no funds are devoted to addressing real problems in the lake.
Friends of DCL chair Steve Kallmyer concluded the forum by giving a summary of the event.
“This forum has been a major, hopeful step forward,” he said. “It is a watershed moment in the history of the lake. The secretary and other top state agency officials have come to learn and share their work. Lake stakeholders have come to learn about the state of the watershed and what can be do to protect it. Clearly, we can work together to assure a bright future for our watershed.”
Griffin echoed that assessment.
“All of us from state government were very impressed with the constructive from the assemblage, and we should probably done this every so often in the future,” he said.
Beelar said important documents from the forum will be posted on her group’s web site (www.friendsofdcl.org) by mid-August, including the DNR Sediment Plan and the TMDL Report, which will be open for public comment for one month.
Friends of DCL will be making a DVD of the forum for those who were not able to attend.
Chamber To Host Candidate Forum At Garrett College
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Aug. 12, 2010
The Legislative Committee of the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce is planning to host a Candidates’ Forum on Saturday, Aug. 28, in the auditorium of Garrett College in McHenry.
The format of the program will be question-answer rather than that of a political debate. Pre-selected questions will be directed to and answered by each candidate who is in a competitive race in the September 14, 2010, primaries and/or November’s general election.
According to committee chair Shane Grady, the chamber and The Republican newspaper invite citizens to submit questions that will be considered for the forum.
“It is our hope that the program will be an excellent opportunity for the candidates to disseminate their platform and ideas, and also help Garrett County’s registered voters make their selections at the ballot box,” Grady said.
The schedule for the forum will be as follows: candidates for sheriff from 10 to 11 a.m.; candidates for county commissioner from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; candidates for House of Delegates from 1 to 1:30 p.m.; candidates for Senate from 1:30 to 2 p.m.; and candidates for register of wills from 2 to 3 p.m.
The format will include 90-second introductions, 60-second responses to questions, and 90-second closing statements.
Persons who have questions to be considered for the forum are invited to submit them by e-mail to jessica@garrettchamber.com or by telephone to Jessica at 301-387-2050.
Inadequate Funding Leads To Closing Of Partners After School Programs
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Aug. 12, 2010
The Partners After School (PAS) programs in Garrett County are once again facing elimination despite best efforts on the part of all community partners to sustain them. This includes all of the following PAS programs: Accident, Friendsville, Grantsville, Kitzmiller, Loch Lynn, and Southern Middle School.
For more than 10 years, the Local Management Board/Garrett County Partnership for Children and Families Inc. has supported after-school programming in schools and community sites in Garrett County. 21st Century Community Learning Centers funding from the Maryland State Department of Education supported the majority of the PAS programs for six
years, from 2004 to 2009. When the 21st Century funding was not renewed last year, the Garrett County commissioners allocated $125,000 in emergency funding for the programs.
An additional $125,000 was secured through a Community Development Block Grant from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. The quick response of the commissioners and MDHCD allowed all six of the programs to continue operation throughout the remainder of last school year and this summer, serving approximately 250 Garrett County youth.
“This is a real tragedy for Garrett County youth and families,” said Rodney Glotfelty, Garrett County health officer. “PAS programs have served the needs of hundreds of families over the past 10 years, and their absence will definitely be felt.”
“The PAS programs provided a safe, supervised, and enriching environment for children during the high-risk after-school hours when many parents are still working,” said another spokesperson. The programs offered comprehensive programming that focused on academic achievement and school success, and positive youth development.
Community partners worked diligently during the past year to locate alternative sources of funding to maintain the programs, according to Crystal Stewart, director of the Partnership for Children and Families. However, despite the submission of a number of grant applications, including resubmission for the 21st Century grant, adequate funding has not been secured.
“Local partners are committed to this project, and will continue to try to find funding to reopen the programs,” said Stewart. “Unfortunately, for now, all programs will be closed until further notice.”
For additional information, persons should contact Stewart at the Garrett County Partnership for Children and Families Inc. at 301-334-1189.
GC Board Of Education Approves Calendar For Possible Closures
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Aug. 12, 2010
The Garrett County Board of Education discussed and finalized a calendar that will be followed for the possibility of closing one or more elementary schools. The plan presented by superintendent Dr. Wendell Teets at this week’s meeting was approved with several amendments.
It is already projected that the student populations will be down by 100 students in the next year, eliminating nearly $1 million in federal funding. The county budget will be set by the end of December, and the state funding will be known no later than January. Federal funding will not be finalized until approximately June of 2011.
Dr. Teets will present the board with a recommendation for potential schools to be considered by the Sept. 4 board meeting. It will be then that advisory groups will be organized to study and evaluate the recommended schools. The advisory committee will consist of administrative personnel and parents.
A public hearing will be set at the Oct. 12 meeting in order to inform the public of the pros and cons of each school under consideration. A report will be given on each school by the advisory group, and a report and recommendation will be presented by Teets. By Oct. 14, letters will be mailed to the schools in consideration, and a notice will be submitted to the local media.
Reports will be given at the Dec. 14 board meeting, with the following factors having impact on proposed closings: student enrollment trends, age and condition of school buildings, transportation, educational programs, racial composition of the student body, financial considerations, student relocations, impact on the community in the geographic attendance area of the schools proposed to be closed and school(s) to which students will be relocated, and other factors enumerated by Teets or the advisory group found to be relevent.
“It is one of the toughest aspects of this job,” said Teets, “but as much as it hurts me to close a school, it hurts when we can’t support our current staff and students as a whole.”
The proposed calendar slated the board making a final decision by the December meeting; however, after much deliberation, it was decided that March would be a more beneficial time to decide, as state and county budgets will be set by then.
“By November, we will have a lot of information to ponder, but we won’t know what money we’re getting,” commented board member Rodney Durst. “I would be uncomfortable making a final decision without first knowing the budget.”
“Postponing a decision may make it difficult to meet certain personnel requirements and deadlines,” said Teets before agreeing that the March deadline would be more appropriate.
Several parents and concerned citizens were present at the meeting to voice their opinions on the matter. Many felt that not all avenues are being explored to keep the smaller community schools open. Some only requested that the board explore every option before making the decision to close any of the schools.
“Garrett County ranked 18th in overall wealth when I first became an administrator,” said Teets, in an attempt to explain the financial dilemma the board faces. “We are now ranked 8th, which means we receive much less federal funding.”
Garrett County Fair - Railey Realty display booth
If you were at the Garrett County Agricultural Fair yesterday, you know first-hand how hot & muggy it was! I volunteered to work the Railey Realty booth in one of the exhibit barns. Very little heat escapes those barns, but it was well worth being there. Our best handout seemed to be the frisbees 🙂 I got to see a lot of friends & families exploring, though the attendance overall was low at the fair – I think the looming storm clouds made people think twice about coming. For the record, it didn’t rain at all until I was on my way home at 9:02pm and even then, it sprinkled.
It was 86 degrees at 6pm last night – which is much warmer than a typical night at the fair. I got to partake in my favorite fair cuisine – a Lions club chicken dinner. Once again, they delivered the goods with a perfectly moist and impeccably seasoned chicken. If the weather holds out, we’ll be attending again this evening with the kids in tow. I still need to have some Rotary fries and a Farm Bureau milkshake 🙂 If you weren’t already aware, tickets at the gate are $10/each. BUT, Slopeside Exxon is selling books of 6 tickets for $30 – definitely a $$$ saver.
Something I really enjoy is looking at the photographs that are entered – there are great pics and I uploaded a video to Facebook (of course, the I Love Garrett County & Deep Creek Group page) of all the photos – quality stuff! I got to talk to Donnie Storch from Bills Marine Service and he almost had me talked into a dune buggy looking Razr (?) for off-roading, etc….that’s all I need. Best part – it’ll go 70 mph. I also spent a lot of time talking to my neighbors in the exhibit barn – Paula & Tim Thomas, who is running for county commissioner. Very friendly folks who seemed to know EVERYBODY.
We have several friends who entered goats & livestock – I’m personally looking forward to seeing Noah interact with all of the farm animals tonight 🙂 He’ll be 3 years old in a week and I think he’ll get to ride some rides this year, too!
Go to the fair! Here is a link to the schedule.
Candidates’ campaign expenses can get costly
Michael A. Sawyers
Cumberland Times-News
— CUMBERLAND — An election can cost the candidate just about as much as he or she wants it to, say those who have been through the campaign process.
The campaign and the costs are over for Brian Alderton, a first-time candidate who was elected in June as Frostburg’s commissioner of water, parks and recreation.
Because he was running for a seat in a small town with a limited number of voters — he won 555 to 409 — Alderton said he decided to personally finance the effort.
“Although I have lived in Frostburg all my life, I needed more name recognition here,” Alderton said. “My jobs with the board of education were in just about every town but Frostburg, places like Flintstone and Westernport.”
Alderton said the bulk of his campaign money was spent on signs and advertising.
“I had 100 signs printed at Printers Inc. and I wasn’t sure if I could get all of them placed by Election Day, but I did, with help from family and friends.”
His sign colors? Red, white and blue.
Alderton said he financed his own campaign so that he would not be beholden to donors. “If it was a bigger race in a bigger setting I would have probably set up a foundation,” he said.
The success of President Barack Obama’s campaign use of Facebook was not lost on Alderton, who realized it was as cheap as kissing babies and applied it to his rural municipal setting.
“Before I even filed, I announced on Facebook that I would run and by the end of the first day we discovered a lot of people knew about it,” he said. “The beauty of it is that it was not an expense.
“The Times-News ads in the Frostburg Express really worked. We started hearing from people right away about them. It was an easy way to get our info out.”
Toss in a few signs on his and his mother’s cars and Alderton said he probably spent about $1,000. “It wasn’t a conventional campaign. I’m not a big-time campaigner. I don’t think I’ll ever be governor.”
Wendell Beitzel campaigns this summer over a more expansive area, all of Garrett County and the George’s Creek portion of Allegany County in his effort to be returned as a state delegate. He has also been a county commissioner.
“The first time I put out a lot of signs because I was a first-time candidate for the House,” Beitzel said. “I probably won’t have as many out this time. They are sitting in my garage right now and are ready to go.”
There is no rush for Beitzel to force the campaign. His only challenger is of the other party, Democrat, so he and James Stanton will skip the primary and lock horns in November.
“A lot of people don’t realize how much money you can spend on transportation, for gas and upkeep of your automobile as you campaign,” Beitzel said.
“The first time I ran I went door to door. If nobody was home I’d leave a door hanger with my contact information. One candidate for county office told me she put 5,000 miles on her car just driving around the county going to voters and to events.”
Besides the expense for signs, Beitzel and his backers fork over cash for other promotional material such as brochures.
Beitzel said his single biggest cost was for advertising on radio and in newspapers. “I considered using billboards, but eventually decided against it,” he said. Ditto for TV. “I didn’t think that would be useful,” he said.
An ample amount is spent on food and drink for political fundraisers, according to Beitzel, though some of the goods are donated.
“Also, when you go to a charity event like a cash bash or gun bash or quilt raffle it’s hard to say ‘no’ when someone asks you to buy tickets,” he said. “One time I got a call in Annapolis from the Barton fire company and they wanted to know where to send my money I’d won in a raffle. I told them to keep it for the fire department and found out some time later it was $300.”
Jen James, director of advertising at the Times-News, said that an online ad (www.times-news.com) for Champ Zumbrun, a candidate for Allegany County commissioner, was clicked on 196 times in June and 125 times in July.
“Each reader then spent 3 1/2 minutes reading his bio and his campaign information,” James said. “That’s excellent. Think about how much time you have to read a billboard as you are driving by it.”
James said she expects views of the ad to increase as the Sept. 14 primary election nears.
Phil VanTreuren, a city councilman in Amherst, Ohio, writing on the website artofmanliness.com, said, “The candidate with the largest donor base usually wins the race — not only because it allows him to spend more on the campaign trail, but because it’s a good indicator of how much local support he has. Raising money might be a distasteful part of campaigning for new candidates, but it’s a necessity if you can’t afford to finance your campaign from your own wallet.”
The campaigns and expenditures have likely come to an end for Robert Schadler, who is in the last months of 16 years as a state legislator from Mineral County, W.Va.
Schadler’s attempt to switch from an elected state position to the role of circuit clerk for Mineral County ended recently when he did not survive the primary election.
Schadler’s status as a veteran campaigner came by way of eight two-year terms and all the handshaking and banquet attending that went with them.
“We used the standard things, yard signs and advertisements,” Schadler said. “Of my eight times running for state office, I was only unopposed once. Another time, my supporters believed that I had a little stiffer competition than usual, so we included TV ads with WHAG.”
As a state delegate, Schadler’s voter base lived from Keyser to Wiley Ford. But as a candidate for circuit clerk, he sought votes from throughout Mineral County.
“We had to find some new yards for signs, but that wasn’t too tough,” he said.
Will the school bus driver and funeral home employee run for office again?
“I’m thinking mostly about retirement right now,” he said.
DNR fishing report - Outdoors Girl blog
FRESHWATER: Trout fishing in the western portion of the state can offer some respite from the heat and plenty of peace since most trout waters are shaded and running cool.
Warm water has made fishing difficult at Deep Creek Lake. has been tough due to warm water temperatures and a lingering fish kill. The upper Potomac River can offer some fun fishing for smallmouth bass in the 12-inch to 14-inch range. The feisty little fish are jumping on a wide variety of lures, such as tubes cast into some of the deeper pools.
Largemouth bass fishing continues to be best in the early morning and late evening hours. Any kind of shade in the form of old docks, overhanging brush or thick grass will be a good place to target. Cool feeder creeks will also attract them.
Bluegills will be holding near lily pad fields or grass edges, offering some good fishing with a light fly rod and rubber-legged poppers, or on a spinning rod with a simple bobber and worm or cricket bait.
Mortgage rates hit fresh lows on soft economy
By Lynn Adler
NEW YORK | Thu Aug 12, 2010 10:52am EDT
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Home loan rates set new lows in the latest week on more evidence of a soft U.S. economy and high unemployment, home funding company Freddie Mac said on Thursday.
The average 30-year mortgage rate fell to 4.44 percent in the week ended August 12, the lowest since Freddie Mac records began in 1971. The prior record low was 4.49 percent a week ago, which was well below 5.29 percent a year ago.
Record low mortgage rates have lifted demand to refinance loans and buy homes. But the pace has nonetheless been tepid with unemployment flirting with 10 percent, consumer confidence dim and lending standards restrictive.
The refi applications index remains at least 40 percent below the peak seen last year.
Fifteen-year mortgage rates dropped 0.03 percentage point to average 3.92 percent, the lowest since records began in 1991. And five-year Treasury-indexed adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) at 3.56 percent also set a record low, dating back to 2005.
