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Community Action Awarded $50,000 "EmPower" Grant

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Apr. 22, 2010

Gov. Martin O’Malley announced last Wednesday that Garrett County Community Action was among the recipients for round one of the “EmPower Clean Energy Communities” grant program. The initiative helps local governments and nonprofits fund energy efficiency projects specifically for low to moderate income Marylanders.
Community Action will use its $50,000 grant to help purchase energy efficient appliances for a new 36 unit housing development currently being constructed in Oakland called Liberty Mews.

The EmPower grants, overseen by the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA), are providing a total of over $3 million this fiscal year, broken into two rounds, to local governments and nonprofits across Maryland. The first round of these funds will be used to perform energy makeovers to save money for at an estimated 1,000 low and moderate income Maryland families.

O’Malley also announced the start of round two for additional counties who did not exhaust their available funding for projects in round one.

“These grants are an example of exactly the type of efficiency projects we had intended for Maryland communities and families when we entered into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the nation’s first multi-state collaborative carbon cap-and-trade program,” said O’Malley. “These grants are another step forward in our goal to make Maryland’s future cleaner, greener, and more sustainable for all our citizens.”

Approximately $2 million in grants are being awarded in round one to a wide variety of projects that are expected to jumpstart energy savings and decrease monthly electricity bills. The MEA is providing a total of 24 grants to 13 Maryland counties in round one, with projects ranging from an energy efficiency retrofit of the Annapolis Boys and Girls Club building in the St. Ambrose Senior Community in Baltimore City, to supporting the efforts of the National Association of American Veterans to weatherize homes of low to moderate income veterans in Prince George’s County.

“The Maryland Energy Administration is thrilled to be able to help hundreds of Maryland families reduce their energy bills with investments in their homes that will save them money today and for years to come,” said MEA director Malcolm Woolf. “This marks yet another big step forward in meeting Governor O’Malley’s EmPower Maryland goal of 15 percent reduced energy consumption by 2015.”

Read the rest of the article here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Ground Broken For Community Athletic Recreation Center

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Numerous officials were on hand Wednesday to celebrate the groundbreaking for the Garrett College Community Athletic and Recreation Center (CARC) on the McHenry campus. The $23 million complex will house two swimming pools and a physical therapy facility run by Garrett County Memorial Hospital, plus a gymnasium with event seating for 2,000 people. The first phase, which is the 32,000-square-foot aquatics center, is to be completed by the fall of 2011. The gymnasium will be in phase two. Senator George Edwards, one of yesterday’s guest speakers, was instrumental in securing $17 million from the state of Maryland for the project. The remaining funds are being provided by the county.

The county commissioners initially voted against the project, but reversed that decision after both an outcry from several thousand residents, and a reworking of the funding plan accomplished by college officials. Pictured at the event, from left, are Edwards; Jerry Zimmerman (who helped rework the funding plan); Commissioner Ernie Gregg; Josephine Gilman (who worked with Zimmerman); Dr. Jeanne Neff, interim president of Garrett College; Dusty Huxford, community partner, Manta Ray Swim League; Wendell Teets, superintendent of Garrett County schools; Linda Sherbin, chairperson of the Garrett College board of trustees; Don Battista, president/CEO of Garrett County Memorial Hospital; Catherine Patterson, GC student representative; David Whale, Grimm Parker Architects; Delegate Wendell Beitzel; Commissioner Fred Holliday; and Chuck Hess, CEO of Hess Construction. Click on the photo to see a conceptual drawing of the new facility, and to view a video of part of the ceremony. Photo by John McEwen.

See the video of the ceremony here (Video Glenn Tolbert).

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

County Commissioners Hold Constant Yield Hearing, Propose $.99 Tax Rate

The Garrett County commissioners held a constant yield hearing Tuesday morning in their public meeting room at the courthouse in Oakland. Eight members of the general public attended the event.

Garrett County Department of Financial Services director Wendy Yoder explained that the constant yield rate is calculated by the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation for each taxing authority in the state. It represents the real property tax rate for the coming fiscal year that will generate the same amount of tax revenue that was garnered during the current year.

“As assessments increase, the constant yield tax rate decreases,” Yoder said. “When a tax authority plans to impose a real property tax rate that is higher than the constant yield tax rate, that taxing authority must advertise the tax increase and hold a public hearing.”

The commissioners are proposing to maintain the current property tax rate of $.99 per $100 of assessment in Fiscal Year 2011. At that rate, the county expects to realize a 5 percent increase, or about $2.2 million, in additional revenue in FY ’11.

If the county wanted to maintain the same amount of revenue in FY ’11 as it did in FY ’10, the property tax rate/constant yield rate would be $.9433.

Yoder noted that the county’s assessable base is expected to increase by about $211,416,000 in the coming fiscal year. Local property owner Charles Mills asked if this included new home construction. Yoder said it did not.

Mills noted, therefore, that the county probably will see more than a 5 percent increase in revenue next year. He also noted that taxes for his Deep Creek Lake property have gone up 300 percent in the last 10 years alone.

Mills acknowledged that the property probably has increased in value, but questioned the dramatic increase in taxes.

“That’s a very large percentage per year over a 10-year period,” he said. “I have no idea where the money went.”

Mills said he was having a tough time figuring out where the 30 percent increase a year in revenue is going.

Read the rest here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Karen Myers offers Wisp Resort & Lodestone Update @ Railey Realty


Karen Myers was one of our guests at this week’s Railey Realty sales meeting. I worked with Karen when I first got into the real estate business in 2000. She is a WEALTH of information and one of the most creative entrepreneurs that I have met. In case you did not know, she is one of the owners of Wisp Ski & Golf Resort, Mountaineer Log & Siding, and is a partner in DC Development, which is developing Marsh Mountain & the Lodestone Golf Course.

She shared a multitude of information with us, and here are some bullet points:

  • Wisp Ski Resort was profitable in July & August of 2009 – it’s very difficult for a ski season to remain profitable in the summer months. She also mentioned that Wisp is the 6th largest employer in all of Garrett County, with approx. 125 full time employees. During the winter months, that number swells to a staggering 750 employees!
  • The Lakeside Club is operational on Deep Creek Drive. ‘Re-callable’ memberships are available for $37,500. This basically gets you a ‘country club style’ setting on the lake, offering lake access, kids play area, showers & mens/womens locker rooms, swimming, dining & drinks.
  • The Lodestone golf course will be opening in June. All 18 holes will be playable. Hale Irwin will be here July 10, 2010, for a sort of grand opening. The course is intended to be private, but they are offering ‘trial use’ memberships starting at $2,000 for the season. (Check with them for specific rates/packages). She also mentioned that the large amount of snow that we got this year helped the golf course grass to grow in much better than they expected.
  • Customers interested in real estate at Wisp Resort, or vacation rental guests are permitted to play the course for $125, and Wisp Golf Club members are offered a chance to play M-Th for $100.
  • Plans still exist for a ‘Mountain Top Village’ surrounding the ASCI whitewater course on top of Marsh Mountain. The plan is to have commercial shops and more dining options for vacationers, locals and skiers.
  • She also mentioned an exciting new addition to the Wisp Outdoor Center, but swore me to secrecy – stay tuned, it sounds exciting!

Some interesting trivia that she shared with us: DC Development has developed a total of 540 lots since 1994. Exactly 1/3 of those are built on. Imagine the total tax base that number has added to the county coffers?

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Lake Maryland Real Estate Sales, Homes For Sale, Water Front, Ski-in / Ski-Out – Jay Ferguson – Railey Realty – Garrett County

EASIEST real estate search engine to use, and the best listings in Garrett County & Deep Creek Lake, courtesy of Railey Realty:

Deep Creek Lake Maryland Real Estate Sales, Homes For Sale, Water Front, Ski-in / Ski-Out – Jay Ferguson – Railey Realty – Garrett County

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

New home sales in March rocket past expectations – Washington Post

New homes sales in March shot up 27 percent from their record lows in the previous month, as home buyers rushed to take advantage of the government’s purchase credit before it expires at the end of this month.

Sales rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 411,000, the biggest monthly jump in 47 years and the strongest month since July, the Commerce Department said this morning.

The sales figure blew past forecasters’ estimates, which expected an annual sales rate of 330,000.

The other good news is that the median sales price of a new home rose slightly compared with last year, up 4 percent to $214,000.

The downside to this good news is that the housing market remains in distortion, thanks to the continued government incentives. We won’t get a clean number on home sales until June, because May will be the first month when homes are sold without any sort of government incentives (assuming that Congress does not extend the credit again).

Read the rest here:
Economy Watch – New home sales in March rocket past expectations

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Ski Harbor at Deep Creek Lake – Community Profile


Ski Harbor is a lakefront condo & townhouse community at Deep Creek Lake. One of the coolest features of this community is the land it sits on – a 1,200+ feet peninsula on the shores of Deep Creek Lake. You can always find a quiet spot to sit and read, picnic or just think. Lots of different amenities: indoor swimming pool, sauna, tennis court, beach volleyball, basketball court (I’ve even witnessed street hockey!), swing sets, benches, canoe & kayak racks and more. There are dock slips available, lake views from almost anywhere on the property, 2 no-wake zones (great for kayaking & fishing), and acres of grassy, level lakefront common area. You have MEGA views of Wisp Ski Resort & the Bear Claw tubing park, as well as wide body views of McHenry cove from the point of the peninsula.

There are 2-4 bedroom condo’s & townhomes available for sale or for vacation rentals. Its location near Wisp & on the water offers a ‘rental friendly’ location that is sure to impress your visitors, family & friends. You can get a 2 bedroom condo in the low $200k’s!

Another great perk is a front row seat to fireworks. The Wisp always sets off the 4th of July fireworks from the Bear Claw tubing park, and I as I mentioned, the view is AMAZING! McHenry cove fills up with hundreds of boats, all lit up at night, and it’s quite a sight to behold.

If you are in the market for a great lakefront vacation home or centrally located condo, Ski Harbor is one place that you will definitely want to explore!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtnNElkxxfo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00]

Properties for Sale in Ski Harbor

Railey Realty Real Estate Blog – Ski Harbor

Ski Harbor News, Updates, Rentals

WSJ NEWS ALERT: Home Resales Jumped 6.8% in March

Existing-home sales rose 6.8% in March, slightly more than economists had expected, to a 5.35 million annual rate. First-time buyers purchased 44% of all homes, lured by the government’s tax-credit program. The supply of unsold homes fell to eight months, down from 8.5 in February.

Read more here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

HAPPY EARTH DAY! Deep Creek Lake & Garrett County Dirt for sale!

Celebrate Earth Day 2010! Buy some genuine Deep Creek Lake & Garrett County dirt 🙂 There are some great lots and land available for sale, ranging from view lots, farms, acreage, hunting land, building lots, lakefront property, lake access parcels, riverfront land and large recreational tracts. ANY KIND OF DIRT YOU WANT, I can help you find it!

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Smileys Funzone at Deep Creek Lake – DCL FUN!

I was chatting on the phone last night with my good friend Megan Redinger, who is the manager at Smileys Funzone at the lake. For those of you who know Megan, she is a sweetheart & one of my best friends – a true ‘Garrett County All Star’. She also pointed out that the folks at Smileys happen to be fans of this blog 🙂 And the Funzone has ALWAYS been a cool place to hang out for kids (and big kids) of all ages. It was always a central meeting point for kids who went to school at Northern & Southern schools. I practically grew up there, worked there for a summer or two, and have a lot of fond memories of it. In fact, my wife, Jessica, and I met at Smileys when we were teenagers – who knew that we would get married one day? Anyway, I wanted to profile Smileys Funzone here and share a cool video that is ‘virally’ making it’s way around Deep Creek Lake, Garrett County & beyond. Also, I LOVE the fact that they have a Railey Realty race car. (WARNING – shameless real estate plug) I’ve always heard that it was one of the fastest cars on the tracks, so if you really need to WIN, the Railey Realty car won’t let you down 🙂

They have a very creative website, and it screams FUN! You can take a virtual tour here. Some more from their website:

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Smiley’s Funzone & Pizzeria
75 Fort Drive, McHenry, MD 21541
Phone: (301) 387-0059
Fax: (301) 387-0049
www.smileysfunzone.com

Indoor & Outdoor Amusements at Smiley’s
You can never smile or laugh enough! So whether you’re inside at Smiley’s arcade games or outside on our adventure rides, you’ll hear lots of squeals and outright laughing out loud! Don’t be afraid to join in – there’s a game and attraction just waiting to tickle your funny bone.

Indoor Amusements
Rain or shine there is always fun to be had at Smiley’s Fun Zone! Come play at Smiley’s, fun for the whole family!

•Arcade Games
•Old Time Photos
•Parties
•Pizzeria Restaurant
•Lakeside Creamery

Outdoor AmusementsCome play outdoors at Smiley’s Fun Zone! Fun for the whole family with views of Deep Creek Lake!

•Go Carts
•Bumper Boats
•Batting Cages
•Laser Tag
•Mini Golf
•Play Ship

And finally, the viral video. That guy in the costume looks familiar…:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VynuluBlt6M&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00]

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350