Anti-Obama mood even hits cardboard regatta
August 7, 2012 | 4:55 pm
Paul Bedard
Washington Secrets
The Washington Examiner
They didn’t win, but the “shipbuilders” of the Nobama made their point at the Deep Creek Cup in western Maryland.
Like other silly boats entered in the first ever Deep Creek Cup staged a week ago in the western Maryland resort area of Deep Creek Lake, the “Nobama” wasn’t expected to win the race. But, to much applause, it easily made the point its builder was striving for: sinking support for the S.S. Obama.
“The country can’t afford another four years of Barack Obama,” said “shipbuilder” Dave Niesslein, a prominent dentist from nearby Farmington, Pa. “He’s an idiot.”
Niesslein’s “Nobama” was entered in the July 28 races along with other cardboard and funny looking vessels made from junk. He used a 16-foot ladder, rusted bike and whatever he could get his hands on to build it. The four-man boat moved with the help of two oars, one named “Hope,” the other “Change.”
On Tuesday, he told Secrets, “it was all show and no go, just like Obama. We used all sorts of stuff that was supposed to work but didn’t.”
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Debt refinancing saving Garrett County $1.8M
Commissioners approve Energy Conservation Plan
For the Cumberland Times-News Cumberland Times-News
OAKLAND — The Garrett County commissioners have taken action to save the county $1.8 million in interest costs for water and sewer projects over 20 years, according to a news release.
The commissioners unanimously approved the issuance of a debt refinancing package of $35 million at 3.5 percent interest through Susquehanna Bank.
The refinancing consolidates 12 bonds totaling $25.85 million as well as other debts the Garrett County Sanitary District had incurred to finance three water and sewer projects.
The projects include $8.22 million for the Thayerville water system, $55,000 for the Jennings sewer pump station and $875,000 for Mountain Lake Park/Loch Lynn Heights water system, according to Linda Lindsey, director of the department of public utilities.
Lindsey credited Public Utilities Assistant Director Jeff Broadwater for spearheading the debt restructuring and said, “We haven’t consolidated all our debt like this before, but this is more advantageous to the county.”
The board also unanimously ap-proved an Energy Conservation Plan, which replaces a 1993 plan, designed to curb county facilities’ energy consumption by 5 percent this fiscal year and up to 15 percent by 2015.
The plan targets electricity, fuel oil, natural gas, propane and water/sewerage.
An Energy Conservation Team, with representatives from nine county departments, includes Commissioner Robert Gatto. The team and the county’s Facilities and Maintenance Department will work with the commissioners and county administrator in establishing energy guidelines and communicating them throughout county government facilities.
“This is a great initiative and very timely,” said board chairman James Raley. “By approving this plan, it becomes our plan, which ties in nicely with our LEAN management.” Spearheaded by Commissioner Gregan Crawford, LEAN management was established to create more value while using fewer resources and also has a county committee,
The new Energy Conservation Plan outlines immediate, short- and long-term measures for energy conservation and recognizes that third-party energy audits and/or energy accounting software programs may be needed to effectively measure consumption.
County Purchasing Agent Brian Bowers said the county has “modeled its goals after the state’s,” referring to the Empower Maryland initiative of reducing energy consumption by 15 percent statewide by 2015.
Some of the plan’s energy-saving ideas include:
• Turning off lights to save up to 20 percent of lighting expenses.
• Removing one or more lamps from multiple lamp fixtures.
• Turning off computers when not in use.
• Raising or lowering thermostats one degree.
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Wisp Gets One-Month Reprieve, Not Two
August 10, 2012 11:04 am
By First Tracks!! Online Media
Deep Creek Lake, MD – A bankruptcy court has given the owners of Maryland’s only ski and snowboard resort a one-month extension on its deadline to submit a financial reorganization plan.
D.C. Development LLC, the owners of Wisp Resort near McHenry, had asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Greenbelt, Md., for a two-month extension to today’s deadline to submit its reorganization plan, arguing that it needed more time to negotiate with two unidentified potential buyers of the resort. The court on Thursday agreed instead to extend the deadline to September 10.
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Maryland Home Sales Fall in June
August 13, 2012 (Chris Moore)
Monthly sales of existing single-family homes and condominiums fell in Maryland during June as a shrinking housing inventory left buyers with fewer choices according to the latest housing data from the Maryland Association of Realtors® (MAR).
An estimated total of 5,122 existing single-family homes and condos were sold in the Old Line State in June. That was 3.9 percent lower than the 5,328 homes sold in May but was still 3.5 percent higher than the 4,949 homes sold in June 2011.
The median sales price for an existing home in Maryland increased by 1.0 percent in June to $261,772, up from $259,207 in May and was 7.8 percent higher than the median price of $242,796 in June of last year.
Of the 24 counties and cities that provide data for the monthly report, thirteen reported gains in home sales or were unchanged over the previous year with Talbot County (+68.2 percent) reporting the largest increase of counties with over 20 sales while Garrett County (-20.0 percent) posted the largest monthly decline in sales.
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Garrett school board rethinking building transfer
Debt remains for construction at former Dennett Road facility
Elaine Blaisdell Cumberland Times-News
OAKLAND — A decision whether to rescind a portion of a vote taken April 24 to transfer Dennett Road School to Garrett County government is on the Board of Education’s Tuesday meeting agenda. The transfer is being reconsidered because of a $140,214 construction debt that has eight years remaining, said Janet Wilson, superintendent of Garrett County schools.
“The board is looking at holding on to the building in light of debt. We are looking at ways in which the building could be used to enhance educational opportunities for all students,” said Wilson.
The business portion of the meeting, in the board’s central office, will be held at 6 p.m. Public comment is accepted at both 4 and 7 p.m.
After the board filed the necessary paperwork to transfer the school with the Maryland Public School Construction program and upon receipt of that paperwork, Robert Crocetti, director of finance, informed the board of the debt, according to Wilson.
“Crocetti notified us that there were two construction projects with remaining debt relative to the facility. The debt represented a 15-year Maryland state bond maturing in FY 2019,” said Wilson.
The debt was for two capital improvement projects — one in 2000 for wiring, with about $16,000 in debt remaining, and one in 2001 for a boiler, with about $106,804 in debt remaining. Interest applies in both projects.
“It was a good catch by Dr. Wilson not to transfer the building to the county,” said County Administrator Monty Pagenhardt.
The former Dennett Road school building could potentially be used for a maintenance building, for a shared (board and county) information technology department, a satellite food service or as a Head Start for Garrett Community Action, Pagenhardt said.
“The county didn’t have plans for the building but it was always in the back of our minds to use it as a maintenance facility,” said Pagenhardt.
The potential uses for the building will be presented during Tuesday’s meeting, Wilson said.
“The school will remain closed to student attendance,” she said.
Dennett Road and Kitzmiller elementary schools closed May 30, following the board’s April vote to do so in a cost-cutting measure. The county voted Tuesday to allow Garrett County Community Action Committee to continue to use the former Kitzmiller school for Head Start.
“The library is still currently utilizing the school (Kitzmiller) building. I know there is a request out by a group to use the building for an after-school program,” said commission chairman Jim Raley. “We have no certainty as to when the building is going to be transferred to us. We do have money in the budget to sustain the school for this particular school year because we anticipated that it would be turned over to us in a period of time.”
Also during Tuesday’s board meeting, Rodney Reckart, who was appointed to Rodney Durst’s District 3 seat on the board, will be administered the oath of office. Durst recently resigned his post.
Other agenda items include the awarding of school bus contracts; application for a public charter school; a food and nutrition services bid; an update on Yough Glades elementary school; a State Highway Administration archeological investigation and the Bethel School deed.
Contact Elaine Blaisdell at eblaisdell@times-news.com.
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Garrett seeks ‘Most Beautiful Person’
For the Cumberland Times-News
OAKLAND — The 2012 Garrett County’s Most Beautiful Person contest is accepting nominations until Aug.24.
The Most Beautiful Person contest is for those who have enriched the lives of county citizens by their acts of kindness and concern.
Each year, county leaders conduct a search for unsung heroes who selflessly assist those around them. They are volunteers of any age whose acts of goodwill have previously gone unnoticed. These “Beautiful People” make a difference in Garrett County by donating their time and talent to help those in need.
This is the 26th year of program, which hosted each year by the Board of Garrett County Commissioners.
Those who know of someone who continuously contributes their time and talent to enhance the quality of life and community spirit in Garrett County can send in a nomination form so they can be honored at the annual Garrett County’s Most Beautiful Person awards presentation.
Nomination forms are available on the web at www.garrettcounty.org or by calling Carol A. Riley-Alexander at 301-334-8970. Those nominating a candidate are reminded the award is based on volunteer service only.
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ASCI To Host U.S. National Canoe & Kayak Championships Sept. 8 and 9
Aug. 9, 2012
The Republican News
The Deep Creek Open and U.S. National Canoe & Kayak Championships will be held the weekend of Sept. 8 and 9, at the Adventure Sports Center International (ASCI). It is expected to once again draw the world’s best paddlers to western Maryland to compete at the unique mountain-top course in the ultimate event of slalom whitewater competition.
“A challenging course will be set on the world’s only mountaintop, self-contained, artificial whitewater channel that draws the senior international teams, including many of the competitors from the London Olympics, as well as the entire U.S. Olympic Team and the current U.S. national and junior teams,” said a spokesperson.
Competitors for both competitions will traverse the same course set-up but will be separated for judging. U.S. paddlers will have the opportunity to place in both the Deep Creek Open and Nationals.
“Combining both these events is sure to create an exceptional pool of talent for the competition,” said Joe Jacobi, CEO of USA Canoe Kayak and Olympic gold medalist in the sport. “ASCI’s facilities will provide both a challenging race environment for competitors, as well as a great experience for spectators. It is a critical opportunity for our athletes to compete on the channel that will be used for the ICF World Championships in 2014.”
The competition will welcome all spectators to the riverside, pedestrian pathways, and/or bridge overlooking the top of the course to watch whitewater racing with family and friends.
“I am really looking forward to returning to ASCI,” said Casey Eichfeld, a 2008 and 2012 Olympian and former ASCI guide and instructor. “It is going to be a good race and great to see everyone again. Plus it will be nice to have the home court advantage in competing against the international paddlers who will be here.”
Canoe slalom is a competitive sport in which either individuals or teams of two navigate a decked canoe or kayak through a course of hanging gates in the fastest time possible. Canoers kneel in their boats and use a single blade paddle, while kayakers sit and use a double bladed paddle. It is one of the two kayaking and canoeing disciplines at the Summer Olympics, with the other being canoe sprint (which is held on flatwater). The color of the gates indicates which direction they must be navigated, upstream or downstream. Time penalties are added for touching gates or failing to navigate gates correctly.
ASCI has successfully hosted many notable whitewater races, from the U.S. Rafting Nationals in 2009 to the ACA’s Open Canoe Slalom Nationals and the North American Canoe Kayak Championships in 2010. ASCI will also have the honor of hosting the esteemed International Canoe Federation’s (ICF) Canoe Slalom World Championships in 2014.
“ASCI is honored to have been selected to host Worlds in 2014,” said Suzanne Nicolas, the Deep Creek 2014 events coordinator. “Hosting such a large scale event will give ASCI the opportunity to show the world all that [the facility] and Garrett County have to offer.”
This is only the second time in history that the Worlds have been held in the United States. The first time was in 1989, also in Garrett County on the Savage River.
ASCI is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that operates both a 15-acre site on top of Marsh Mountain, home to ASCI’s headquarters and the whitewater course, and a 550-acre nature preserve called Fork Run, home to many climbing routes on natural faces and over 10 miles of mountain bike trails. ASCI’s core programs include guided rafting adventures down the whitewater course, guided climbing trips at Fork Run rocks, and instructional courses in kayaking, river boarding, and climbing. ASCI also offers winter programming that includes cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
To learn more about the competitions, persons may contact Nicolas at 301-387-3250 or via e-mail at snicolas@deepcreek2014.com.
Those interested in serving a crucial role as a volunteer for the event can visit www.adventuresportscenter.com to complete a volunteer form.
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Over $170,000 In Heritage Area Grants Awarded To Support Local Tourism
Jul. 19, 2012
The Maryland Heritage Areas Authority recently awarded Garrett County’s Heritage Area four grants in support of heritage tourism projects and activities.
The Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area, managed by the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce, was awarded a $100,000 Heritage Area Management Grant and a $30,000 Heritage Area Marketing Grant. The Oakland Heritage Community Foundation Inc. was awarded a $31,772.50 grant for classroom improvements at the B&O Railroad Museum, and the Garrett County Historical Society was awarded a $13,000 grant for the exterior transportation history wall murals at the Garrett County Transportation Museum.
These four grants were part of 63 matching grants totaling $2,713,480 awarded to Maryland non-profits, local jurisdictions, and other heritage tourism organizations – including heritage, historic preservation, natural resources and educational organizations – by the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA). These grant funds support heritage tourism projects and activities that expand economic development and tourism-related job creation throughout the state. MHAA oversees Maryland’s system of 12 locally administered, state-certified heritage areas.
“Heritage areas are places to experience – see, hear and even taste – the authentic heritage of Maryland in a unique way that cannot be experienced anywhere else,” said a chamber spokesperson. “Stories of the people, the land, and the waters of Maryland are told in these unique places.”
Today, 21 Maryland counties and Baltimore City have state-certified heritage areas within their boundaries. Each of Maryland’s certified heritage areas is defined by a discrete focus or themes that make that place unique.
“These distinctive places exhibit tangible evidence of the area’s heritage in historic buildings and districts, archaeological sites, museums, parks, and natural landscapes, as well as traditional ways of life as revealed in food, music, and art,” said the spokesperson. “These tangible links not only draw visitors, but also encourage residents to recognize they have a special piece of the American story to treasure and share with others.”
Tourism generates jobs and revenue in Maryland. According to the chamber of commerce, one out of every 17 jobs in Maryland is in tourism, with tourism employment providing over $4 billion in wages and salaries. Visitors to Maryland spent over $13 billion, which generated over $531 million in direct tax revenue in all 23 counties and Baltimore City.
“The Maryland Heritage Area Program’s targeted investments help preserve the best of Maryland’s historic sites and towns, unspoiled natural landscapes, and enduring traditions, and in doing so create more livable and economically sustainable communities,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “I congratulate Maryland’s 12 certified heritage areas and their tourism partners on these awards that will develop and market visitor destinations, support businesses, non-profits, and local jurisdictions engaged in heritage tourism, and help keep Maryland smart, green, and growing.”
MHAA has invested over $15.5 million into 334 projects throughout Maryland’s 12 certified heritage areas under the O’Malley-Brown administration. Governor O’Malley has supported funding for this program, said the spokesperson. because knowing that heritage tourism is a proven economic engine and a tool for preserving Maryland’s natural, historic, and cultural legacy.
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Lynn Grimm Named 2012 Friend Of The Arts
Jul. 19, 2012
The Garrett County Arts Council announced that Lynn Grimm is the recipient of its annual Friend of the Arts award. Odette Lueck, president of the arts council, made the award presentation during the annual membership meeting and reception held at the Gallery Shop late last month. Lueck recognized Grimm for many years of dedicated work on behalf of community arts and presented her with a plaque and floral bouquet. The award honors individuals who demonstrate exemplary support for the arts in Garrett County.
Recipients of this award influence the lifestyles and the quality of life in Garrett County through noteworthy contributions to local cultural development. Lueck noted that Grimm “steps up to the plate and inspires others to do likewise. She is incredibly organized, dedicated, and disciplined in everything she does.” Grimm has been a full time resident of Garrett County since 2004, at which time she became involved in the arts community. She has volunteered her time as a board member for Garrett Lakes Arts Festival, serves as the accompanist for the Garrett Choral Society, and has volunteered in various roles at Our Town Theatre. She currently serves as president of Mountain Laurel Garden Club. Grimm has had a long career of teaching piano. She is the director of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church’s handbell choir, and sings with the church’s choir as well. She takes the handbell choir on the road to perform at nursing homes throughout the county. She also plays hammered dulcimer and organized a group called Front Porch Pickers that met at her Oakland home (which she shares with her husband Stan) on a regular basis to share their love of traditional music. The Garrett County Arts Council has recognized a Friend of the Arts honoree each year since 1995. Pictured from left are Karen Reckner, executive director of the arts council, Grimm, and Lueck.
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Royalty Court Chosen For 45th Annual Autumn Glory Festival
The 2012 Autumn Glory royalty court has been selected for the 45th annual Autumn Glory Festival, with Jenner Wilt selected as king and Cara Brack named queen. The 45th annual court sponsors are Garrett College and M&T Bank.
Wilt is involved in the Southern High School’s theatre department and Our Town Theatre. He also volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and complete mission work as well. Brack participates in Southern High School soccer, track (indoor and outdoor), and the Running Club and serves as part of the Southern High School yearbook staff. She volunteers at Garrett County Memorial Hospital, Lions Club Blind Skier Program, Relay for Life, and Landon’s Library, among others.
The Autumn Glory king and queen will be present at the Autumn Glory kick-off reception to be held at Wisp Lodge on Wednesday, Oct. 10, and they will be featured in the Autumn Glory Grand Feature Parade on Saturday, Oct. 13. In addition to representing their home county during the Autumn Glory Festival and at other events, the royalty court will receive scholarship funds.
The Autumn Glory Festival is Oct. 10–14. Festivities include two large parades, concerts, band competitions, art exhibits, antique and craft shows, and more. The festival is timed to coincide with the peak of fall foliage in Garrett County which is featured in the 2012 Autumn Glory Fall Foliage Tour.
For more information about the 45th annual Autumn Glory Festival, persons should go to www.visitdeepcreek.com.
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