New Home Sales Jump in June, Pace Remains Slow
Published July 26, 2010
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Sales of new homes jumped last month, but it was the second-weakest month on record. The lackluster economy has made potential buyers skittish about shopping for homes.
New home sales rose nearly 24 percent in June from a month earlier to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 330,000. May’s number was revised downward to a rate of 267,000, the slowest pace on records dating back to 1963. Sales for April and March were also revised downward.
The housing market had boomed earlier in the year on the strength of federal tax credits. Since they have expired, the number of people looking to buy has dropped even with the lowest mortgage rates in decades.
Despite the month’s increase, sales are still down 72 percent from their peak annual rate of 1.39 million in July 2005.
New homes sales made up about 7 percent of the housing market last year. That’s down from about 15 percent before the bust. Weak sales mean fewer jobs in the construction industry, which normally power economic recoveries.
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Trying to be Laser quick
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…were the young captains of these Laser sailboats, who competed in the Laser Junior Regatta at Deep Creek Lake this past weekend. This competition, along with the Laser Adult Regatta and the Women’s Flying Scot Regatta, were all held by the Deep Creek Yacht Racing Association, with races being conducted on both Saturday and Sunday. Winning the junior event was Josh Bullock, followed by John Benhart, Jessica Burnham, and Nate George. Weather conditions for sailing, as well as multiple other sports on the Mountaintop, have been nearly ideal so far this summer. Although a bit warmer than usual, still comfortable compared to the conditions in many other parts of the state and East Coast.
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Board Of Education Members Question 2010 Maintenance Plan
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Jul. 22, 2010
With discussions of possible school closures on the horizon, the Garrett County Board of Education recently faced controversy over the 2010 Education Facilities Maintenance Plan that was presented by Jim Thomas at the recent board meeting. Thomas is the director of facilities and maintenance for all area schools, and the plan outlines ratings for each school to describe the quality of the facility.
At the start of the meeting, when the agenda was being discussed, it was suggested by board member Thomas Carr that it be added to the agenda a brief discussion about where things are headed with the upcoming school closure issue. Board member Jim Raley commented that it would not be fair to the public to add something “so critical” to the agenda after the original agenda was sent out.
Formal discussion has yet to take place on this issue, and plans are set for the August meeting to address the concerns. The amendment was withdrawn and the original agenda was approved unanimously by the board.
Thomas then took the floor to present the changes recently made to the maintenance master plan, with the ultimate goal being that the board approve the changes and the plan would then be submitted to the state. Thomas and eight other employees give input on the stability and conditions of the facilities currently in use by the county school system.
Raley voiced one of his conerns over the plan, noting that certain facility ratings have dropped drastically in the last year. When comparing the 2009 ratings and the 2010 ratings of Kitzmiller Elementary School, for example, a total of 15 areas dropped from fair or good condition to poor. Raley questioned whether this had something to do with the impending closing of this or other schools.
“I have trouble believing that this document will not become part of a case,” said Raley.
“What you’re saying about our staff is they’ve got some kind of hidden agenda or motive going on,” said member Rodney Durst.
Read the rest here.
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MDE Fines MLP Couple For Alleged Wetlands Violation
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Jul. 22, 2010
The Maryland Department of the Environment has announced 25 recent major enforcement actions seeking penalties totaling $1.2 million for alleged violations of MDE requirements for water, air and radiation management, and land.
A Mountain Lake Park couple was among those cited. Michael and Dawna Ashby paid $1,500 to the Maryland Nontidal Wetlands Compensation Fund on May 7 to resolve alleged nontidal wetlands violations, including failing to obtain MDE authorization for disturbing 400 square feet of emergent wetlands and 1,800 square feet of wetlands buffer.
Corrective actions have been completed, according to an MDE press release.
“The Maryland Department of the Environment’s top priority is to protect public health and our environment, and a consistent baseline of enforcement actions prevents further pollution and risks to public health,” said MDE Secretary Shari T. Wilson. “The vast majority of Maryland businesses which are in compliance deserve to have environmental laws fairly applied across the board.”
State law requires that prior to performing construction activity, a person obtain and implement a Soil Conservation District-approved erosion and sediment control plan for any proposed land clearing or earth disturbance greater than 5,000 square feet, which must be maintained for the life of the project.
It is unlawful for any person to introduce soil or sediment into waters of the state or to place soil or sediment in a condition or location where it is likely to be washed into waters of the state.
State law requires that property owners notify MDE before conducting any work in tidal and nontidal wetlands, their buffers, and waterways of the state. MDE assesses the impact of any work on tidal and nontidal wetlands and, if appropriate, will issue a permit authorizing the work.
For more information, persons may visit http://mde.state.md.us
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Final Slate Of Political Candidates Noted By GC Board Of Elections
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The final slate of local candidates for the September primary elections has been released by the Garrett County Board of Elections.
Republican state senator George Edwards will have no competition in his bid to retain his position, while Delegate Wendell Beitzel will be challenged in the general election in November by Democrat James R. “Smokey” Stanton.
Challenging incumbent District I county commissioner Ernest Gregg will be fellow Republican Gregan Crawford. Leroy Bernard Sr. had entered the race, but has withdrawn. The winner of the GOP primary will face Democrat Eric Robison, who is unchallenged, in the general election.
Filing for District II county commissioner on the Republican side are incumbent Fred Holliday and Jim Raley. There are no Demo-crat candidates.
In county commissioner District III, Republican incumbent Denny Glotfelty will face Robert Gatto, Louis Newcomb Jr., and Timothy Thomas in the primary. Squaring off in the Democratic race will be George Falter and Bill Welch.
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All Garrett County Schools Achieve Adequate Yearly Progress On MSAs
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Jul. 22, 2010
The Maryland State Department of Education recently released system level results regarding Maryland School Assessment (MSA) and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Results show that all Garrett County elementary and middle schools achieved AYP. This indicates that a significant number of students scored at the proficient and advanced levels in reading and mathematics on the MSA and Alternate MSA.
This also shows that no schools in Garrett County have been identified by the MSDE as needing improvement. As well as the overall population, in order to meet the federal guidelines of No Child Left Behind, students in specified subgroups, including racial/ethnic classifications, students eligible for free or reduced price meals, and students with special needs must also meet the AYP goals. According to the test results, all of these groups of students in Garrett County successfully met their goals.
“The [Board of Education] members and I are so proud of our students, teachers, staff, principals, and central office administrators for this outstanding performance,” said Dr. Wendell Teets, superintendent of GC schools. “Our students [lost] to snow 17 days of instruction immediately before the MSA testing, and still every school made AYP with no school in any type of improvement status.”
MSA math scores at all elementary and middle school grade levels improved in 2010 compared to 2009 results. Math at the 8th grade level had a 10.4% gain from last year, which is recorded as the biggest improvement at any level. Seventh grade tests had 90.4% of the students scoring proficient/advanced. All other grade levels scored in the 80% to 88% proficient range on the MSA math exam.
In reading, grades 4, 6, and 8 improved in 2010 compared to 2009, with grade 8 having the largest percentage gain of 13.8%. In grades 3, 5, and 7 scores dropped by less than 2 percentage points from last year. Grades 4, 5, and 6 had more than 90% of the students scoring proficient/advanced in reading.
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Grab A Lawn Chair
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and head to Friendsville Community Park for the Youghiogheny River Festival this Saturday, July 24, from 3 to 10 p.m. for some musical entertainment by Rob Smith, singer and songwriter for Smith & Roberts; the Sugarfoot Stompers; and the Remedy. Come early and participate in events such as an electrofishing and stream ecology demonstration by Maryland DNR Fisheries manager Alan Klotz; the Scales and Tales Program by Maryland DNR Parks Service; drumming with Dances of Universal Peace; a nature walk with Kevin Dodge, director of the Natural Resources and Wildlife Technology Program at Garrett College; children’s art activities; a scavenger hunt; and 50/50 rubber ducky races. Bring a camera and join the Mountain Top Photography Club in Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk during the festival, or enter the art and photo contest sponsored by YRWA and the Garrett County Arts Council. Participate in the first ever Boater Swap by bringing unwanted boater gear, or take a raft ride down the Yough between the Friendsville Bridge and Park, courtesy of Wilderness Voyageurs. Handmade soy candles, jewelry, print art, and other various arts and crafts will be available for purchase. Food vendors will be selling steak and cheese sandwiches, fresh corn on the cob, baked goods and bubble tea. All proceeds will benefit the non-profit Youghiogheny River Watershed Association. Admission is $7 for adults, $3 for children ages 6-12 and free for children under age 6. The Watershed Association expresses its appreciation for the sponsors of the event: Adventure Sports Center International, Keystone Lime, and Friends of Deep Creek Lake. Anyone interested in more information may e-mail YoughWatershed@gmail.com, search the Youghiogheny festival on Facebook, or visit http://www.youghioghenyriverfestival.info/
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Sewage Spills Occur At Deep Creek; DPU, Commissioners Resolving Issue
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Jul. 22, 2010
A 42,000-gallon sewage overflow that occurred at Deep Creek Lake last week was caused by an electrical malfunction at a pump station, according to Garrett County Department of Public Utilities director Linda Lindsey. She and the Garrett County commissioners met on Tuesday and came up with a solution to help counteract future malfunctions.
The spill took place along the lake near the intersection of Garrett Highway and Lake Shore Drive at about 7 a.m. on Sunday, July 11, at Pump Station 2-2. A nearby resident reported the incident to DPU at about 9:30 a.m. Lindsey estimates the overflow duration to be a total of three hours.
She said a short in a power cord that supplies Pump No. 1 kicked out the station’s main breaker. When the generator started, it should have kicked on Pump No. 2 or a bypass pump. But because of the main breaker being kickoff, the generator detected a “dead short” and shut down to “protect itself.” This caused the pumps not to work, leading to the overflow.
“It’s just a freak thing that happened to the electric line,” the director said about the malfunction.
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Hundreds of dead fish found in Deep Creek Lake
Megan Miller
Cumberland Times-News
— DEEP CREEK LAKE — The mysterious deaths of hundreds of fish in Deep Creek Lake have prompted an investigation by state environmental officials and a warning to lakegoers to avoid all contact with fish carcasses.
As of Thursday afternoon, approximately 200 fish had been found dead in and around the lake, in what Maryland Department of the Environment spokeswoman Dawn Stoltzfus called “a localized, sustained fish kill.”
“At this time, no evidence suggests a threat to human health; however, visitors and residents are advised to avoid touching, swimming with, or coming into close proximity to any dead fish,” MDE officials stated in a news release.
Stoltzfus said the first dead fish began appearing Saturday.
The cause and exact location of the fish kill is still unknown. It appears to have occurred in the deepest part of the lake, Stoltzfus said, because most of the dead fish have been large adults. Shallower waters do not seem to be affected, at this point.
Many fish have washed up on the beach in the Green Glade Cove area, but that could be due to the direction the wind blows off the lake.
“Where they’re ending up isn’t necessarily where the fish kill is happening,” she said.
The majority of the dead fish have been yellow perch, but walleye, smallmouth bass, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, bluegill, chain pickerel, Northern pike and crayfish carcasses have also been found.
MDE and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources have launched an investigation into the cause of the fish kill. Investigators will conduct water quality, carcass and fish feces testing, and a diagnostic analysis of affected species.
On July 11, an electrical malfunction at a pump station caused 42,000 gallons of sewage to overflow along the shore of the lake, near the intersection of U.S. Route 219 and Lake Shore Drive. But Stoltzfus said investigators have not yet found evidence that points to any specific cause for the fish kill, including the sewage spill.
Fish kills are a very unusual occurrence at Deep Creek Lake. MDE only has record of one other such incident, in 2004, in which an individual reported 78 dead yellow perch. When investigators arrived at the lake, they did not find any fish carcasses or any evidence that pointed to a cause for a fish kill.
People who find dead fish in the lake area or have information about anything that could have contributed to the ongoing incident should contact MDE at 443-482-2732.
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Jim Raley seeks Garrett County commission seat
Cumberland Times-News
— FINZEL — In announcing his candidacy for Garrett County commissioner in District 2, Jim Raley (R) stated that, “For too long, citizens’ input has been ignored and when they are willing to speak out they are often chastised and belittled for standing up for their rights as taxpayers. This must change!”
A longtime force in Garrett County, Raley has been a teacher (24 years); a member of the Garrett County Board of Education (13 years); and administrator. He has served 33 years with the Eastern Garrett County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association, of which he currently serves as president of both organizations. He also serves on the board for the park located in Finzel.
Having been involved in all aspects of budgeting and employee oversight, Raley is concerned that the Garrett County budget continues to increase and the county continues to spend taxpayers’ money on “pay as you go” projects, while cutting vital services. “While it is great the county can afford to save enough money to fund multimillion dollar projects,” Raley stated, “the current taxpayers are bearing those costs through increased assessments and higher taxes. The county boasts of having little indebtedness. However, the reason for this is simply that the money is generated from real estate taxes and they have increased over $14 million in the past four years. The time to lead is now during this economic turndown!
“Because of the pay as you go attitude, this year the county eliminated 26 positions,” Raley continued, “and those were living wages and benefits which enabled families to live and work in Garrett County. We must look towards bonds for our long-term projects and look to maintain jobs for our citizens and grow our county and economic strength.”
Raley concluded, “With the county cutting jobs to fund capital projects, our economic future is grim and our youth will not be able to live and work in Garrett County, our school enrollments will continue to decline and our economic base will continue to dwindle.”
This election will likely be determined in the primary on Sept. 14 as there is no Democratic opponent seeking the office.
Jim Raley has lived in Garrett County for 47 years in the Finzel area with his wife, Susan, where they raised their two children, Sharee and Ainsley. Raley can be contacted at 301-707-1061, at susanral@comcast.net or Jim Raley’s Facebook page.
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