February 2012 – Page 7 – Jay's Real Estate Blog

Pittsburgh native Wallisch is savoring his X Games gold in slopestyle event Read more: Pittsburgh native Wallisch is savoring his X Games gold in slo

By Karen Price, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, February 3, 2012

Tom Wallisch scored the highest marks in the history of the slopestyle event to win gold at the X Games in Aspen, Colo., last week, but he took his first jumps ever as a pint-sized skier at Wisp Resort in Garrett County, Md.

The Pittsburgh native graduated from Chartiers Valley in 2006 and headed west for the University of Utah and, of course, more snow. In the nearly six years since, Wallisch has become one of the best slopestyle skiers in the world.

It’s a distinction he admits isn’t typical of someone who grew up in Western Pennsylvania. But the 24-year-old resident of Salt Lake City said that’s the beauty of slopestyle, a discipline that involves performing tricks on terrain park features such as rails, walls and jumps. You don’t need to have access to the biggest, steepest mountains to do it.

Read more: Pittsburgh native Wallisch is savoring his X Games gold in slopestyle event – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/lifestyles/fitness/s_779727.html#ixzz1loJPpaf2

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State Of The State A Prelude To Tough Legislative Session Ahead

Feb. 2, 2012

by Dave Nyczepir

Capital News Service

ANNAPOLIS – Gov. Martin O’Malley made his case for job creation and same-sex marriage Wednesday, promoting his most ambitious agenda to date in his sixth State of the State address.

O’Malley stressed his administration’s goal of growing the middle class and family-owned businesses, labeling this year’s budget a jobs budget.

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To balance that budget, the governor has proposed $800 million in spending cuts and reductions this year, but his new job creation initiatives would require new taxes on everything from income to gas. Cuts alone won’t do it this year, he said.

“In fact, to achieve balance over the last three years, we have relied almost entirely on cuts,” O’Malley said. “But with 84 cents of every dollar we invest allocated to public education, public safety, and public health – and with one of the smallest state government workforces in the country – every passing year leaves fewer and fewer responsible options for budget cutting.”

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Funding for regional disaster operations on chopping block

By Kevin Rector, krector@tribune.com

February 7, 2012 | 9:43 a.m.

When Howard County decided it wanted a system for disseminating emergency information to its citizens via text message, it tapped into a pool of federal funding to create NotifyMeHoward, which launched in November.

When the H1N1 flu virus posed serious threats to the area’s population in 2009, jurisdictions in the region — including Howard — collectively stockpiled the drug Tamiflu in case of an epidemic.

And if a large-scale terrorist attack were to occur in the Port of Baltimore, emergency responders from Howard and other local counties would be able to quickly coordinate assistance efforts with city responders, thanks in large part to the region’s interoperable Central Maryland Area Radio Communications system.

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BOE Postpones School Closure Advisory Meeting

Feb. 2, 2012

The Garrett County Board of Education has announced that it will postpone its special meeting for the presentation of the Dennett Road Elementary, Friendsville Elementary, and Kitzmiller Elementary advisory committee reports.

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The special meeting for these advisory committee reports to the Board of Education will be rescheduled for a date to be announced after the board’s regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 14.

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Keeping streams, waterways clean will help bay

The Times-News reported in December on Maryland’s efforts to reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay and how Allegany County did its part by submitting a local plan to the Maryland Department of the Environment (“State’s bay cleanup plan to EPA concerns clean water advocates,” Dec. 20, Page 1A).
More recently, I read that our legislative delegation to Annapolis has been talking about the importance of Chesapeake Bay cleanup and making sure funding is available to get the job done “Beitzel’s bay cleanup bill hearing set: Delegate wants Chesapeake funds used ‘for their intended purposes’,” Feb. 2, Page 1A).
But while we hear a lot about the need to restore the Chesapeake Bay to good health, we also need to remember how important it is to make sure our local streams and waterways aren’t polluted.
For example, after every large storm event we read in the newspaper about thousands of gallons, sometimes tens of thousands of gallons, of polluted water running into our waterways from combined sewer overflows.
Problems like these demand our attention and need to be corrected. This is what our local Watershed Implementation Plan is all about — identifying and implementing practical solutions that will correct real problems.
Here in western Maryland we are fortunate to have high quality water in rivers and streams like Fifteen Mile Creek in eastern Allegany County and the Savage River in Garrett County that residents and visitors alike can enjoy. Let’s be sure we protect these treasures.
I’d like to commend the team led by Angie Patterson in the county’s Department of Community Services for all the hard work they did on Allegany County’s plan. Work like this is often thankless, not easy to get done, and many of us in the community aren’t even aware that it’s going on.
Our rivers and streams and the Chesapeake Bay weren’t polluted overnight, and it will take time and effort from everyone to clean them up — and yes, money, too.
We appear to be off to a good start, but we know there’s more to be done.
Let’s hope our government officials will stay focused on the big picture — clean water in our local rivers and streams and ultimately in the Chesapeake Bay.
Dale Sams
Cumberland

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Local legislation offered on slots, alcohol licenses

One bill would allow up to five slot machines for area nonprofits

Matthew Bieniek Cumberland Times-News

CUMBERLAND — Several bills relating to Garrett and Allegany counties have recently been filed by Sen. George Edwards and Delegate Wendell Beitzel. One of the more far-reaching bills, Senate Bill 466, filed by Edwards, would allow nonprofit organizations in both counties to have up to five slot machines.
Edwards filed the bill after requests from veterans groups during public delegation meetings before the General Assembly session opened last month.
At that meeting, John M. Martin, a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Oldtown, was among those supporting the idea.
“We would like to be on a level playing field with the other organizations in the state of Maryland,” Martin said. The machines are already allowed in some counties on the Eastern Shore, he said. “It would be another source of income for the county,” he said. The added funds would help the VFW and the rest would be distributed to the many charities the VFW supports, he said.
Senate Bill 205 tweaks the already existing “Correctional Officers Bill of Rights” with language already used for Cecil County and St. Mary’s County officers.
Essentially, the bill allows local authorities to transfer or reassign officers as long as the transfer is not punitive and is in the best interests of managing the facility, according to the Department of Legislative Services.
Beitzel has filed several bills relating to Garrett County.
House Bill 222 would give the Garrett County Board of License Commissioners discretion in handling offenses relating to nudity or sexual displays that occur at a licensed establishment.
The board, who asked Beitzel to file the bill, is the authority for issuing or suspending liquor licences in the county.
Current law requires the revocation of the license without regard to the circumstances.
If the bill passes, the board could decide on less severe penalties than revocation if the circumstances warranted a lesser penalty. Beitzel said the issue is rare in Garrett County.
House Bill 224 would give Garrett County commissioners the ability to raise the maximum hotel rental tax rate to six percent, up from the current five percent maximum. Edwards has filed a companion bill — Senate Bill 333.
In fiscal year 2009, those taxes raised $1,426,900 for the county. Garrett County commissioners asked Beitzel to introduce the bill. Those funds are used for tourist promotions and other county projects, Beitzel said. The delegate emphasized that the bill does not raise the tax, but does give commissioners the option.
House Bill 512 allows the Garrett County Sanitary District to charge a late fee for unpaid water and sewer bills.
Currently, no late fee may be assessed, Beitzel said. The only option for late bills has been to turn off the water, but in the county, many homes are on public sewer but not public water.
While a lien can be placed against the property, it is usually a lengthy process to get a payment. It also would allow the district to require payment of those fees before reconnecting water service. The rate of the late fees would be set by Garrett County commissioners.
Contact Matthew Bieniek at mbieniek@times-news.com

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Unseasonably warm Garrett hunting trip

Posted: Sunday, February 5, 2012 12:00 am | Updated: 10:41 pm, Sat Feb 4, 2012.

By Andy Aughenbaugh Times Outdoors Columnist | 0 comments

“Where is all the snow?” I asked myself.

Driving west on Interstate 68 and turning off onto Md. 495 in Garrett County, the mountains of snow banks I am accustomed to seeing during this time of the year, where not present. A mere 3-6 inches of snow dusted the ground. Even the evening temperature was not the single digits typical of January in Garrett County.

The next morning we awoke to a skim of ice on the few inches of snow covering the ground. The trees would have glistened beautifully in the early sunrise. That is if the sun was out. A dense fog hung in the sky instead. There would be no finding direction by following the sun on this morning. We would have to pay attention to and follow the terrain if we wanted to keep from getting lost.

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Let it snow (please?): Ski resorts hoping the rest of winter is more wintry

Sunday, February 05, 2012
By Lawrence Walsh, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Unseasonably warm weather across the Midwest and Northeast this winter has dealt a blow to local and regional resorts for the first half of the snowsports season, delivering less natural snow and sustained snowmaking temperatures than in most years.

Still resort officials at Seven Springs, Hidden Valley, Wisp and Holiday Valley are staying the course, making snow at every opportunity and offering all-inclusive, money-saving packages to fill rooms and slopes.

And they’re crossing their fingers for more “normal” winter weather for the rest of the season.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207930-287.stm#ixzz1loKhYYjx

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County's Liability Insurance Premium Decreases By 18%

Feb. 2, 2012

The Board of Garrett County Commissioners’ annual liability insurance premium decreased by 18% between fiscal year 2010-2011 and fiscal year 2011-2012, county administrator Monty Pagenhardt announced on Tuesday.

The Local Government Insurance Trust (LGIT), the county’s liability insurer, offers membership, longevity, and loss control credits toward the annual premium. The credits for FY 2011-12 accounted for $98,639 in savings to the county, according to Pagenhardt.

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“The premium is allocated yearly to the county departments, and the credits were deducted from the department’s portion of the annual insurance premium,” he said in a press release.

LGIT also offered for the first time a $1 million limit for excess liability at no additional charge to entities with primary liability coverage, providing additional security for liability coverage.

“This saved the county an average of $8,000 on the annual insurance premium,” Pagenhardt said. “Additionally, claims and losses for liability have been down for all county departments, which contributes to the decrease of the insurance premiums. County management and employees keep safety in mind, and this shows with the decline of claims and lowered premiums.”

He noted that the county has not been advised by LGIT or other insurance agents of any major increased to the insurance premiums for FY 2012-13.

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Beitzel, Edwards Pursuing Natural Gas And Oil Leasing Legislation

Feb. 2, 2012

Del. Wendell R. Beitzel (R–Dist. 1A) and Sen. George C. Edwards (R–Dist. 1) announced yesterday they will offer legislation regarding the recordation of natural gas and oil leases during the 2012 Maryland General Assembly session in Annapolis.

“Based largely on discussions with local officials and concerned citizens, we believe that the current statutes regarding the recordation of leases for natural gas and oil should be addressed this session,” Beitzel said.

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One of the measures being pursued by the legislators from western Maryland, who represent almost exclusively the area in which the Marcellus shale formation is found, would require court clerks to file an intake sheet with natural gas and oil leases. Current law provides that a clerk cannot reject an otherwise completed lease based solely on the lack of an intake sheet.

“These sheets will be used by the folks in the land records department to properly index the properties leased by natural gas and oil companies,” Edwards said. “With this important change in the law, people can more easily find these records.”

Another bill being offered by Beitzel and Edwards would require the recordation of leases of oil and natural gas, and stipulate general information to be included within the leasing documents. Other states, including Ohio, already have similar provisions on the books, according to the local lawmakers.

“It has been reported to us that some individuals who have entered into these leases were caught off guard with some of the provisions found in the fine print that bind them indefinitely to the lease provisions,” Beitzel noted. “Though legislation cannot be crafted to safeguard everyone from every provision, this measure will put into place some very important protections for landowners who enter into these leases.”

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Month: February 2012

Pittsburgh native Wallisch is savoring his X Games gold in slopestyle event Read more: Pittsburgh native Wallisch is savoring his X Games gold in slo

State Of The State A Prelude To Tough Legislative Session Ahead

Funding for regional disaster operations on chopping block

BOE Postpones School Closure Advisory Meeting

Keeping streams, waterways clean will help bay

Local legislation offered on slots, alcohol licenses

Unseasonably warm Garrett hunting trip

Let it snow (please?): Ski resorts hoping the rest of winter is more wintry

County's Liability Insurance Premium Decreases By 18%

Beitzel, Edwards Pursuing Natural Gas And Oil Leasing Legislation

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