Frostburg accepts bid to harvest timber
Elaine Blaisdell
The Cumberland Times-News Mon Jan 24, 2011, 07:57 AM EST
— FROSTBURG — Frostburg City Council members on Thursday unanimously voted to approve resolution 2011-01 awarding a timber harvest bid to Blue Triangle Hardwood Inc. of Everett, Pa.
The bid was awarded in the amount of $117,500 with 50 percent of the proceeds of the logging set aside for projects specifically designed to protect or enhance the city’s water supplies at Piney Dam Reservoir or Savage Springs. Through the bid, Blue Triangle Hardwood obtained 92 acres of sawtimber, hardwood and pulpwood. The bid was advertised during November and December with nine companies submitting bids.
The timber assets of Piney watershed are managed by the city through a forest management plan that was prepared by the Forest Service of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The objectives of the plan, which was established in 1989, are to maintain or improve the watershed as a source of high quality water, promote the health of the forest while supplying a sustained yield of high quality timber products as a source of income to the city, develop and improve wildlife habitat and promote recreational and educational use of the land as a means to better appreciate and understand the environment.
“I can stress the importance of our springs during the spring, since the river flows down from the mountain it allows us to have less pumping costs and water treatment is almost nil since the water is so pristine,” said Mayor Arthur Bond. “We need to make sure we protect it.”
The management plan states, “maintaining and improving water quality is of the utmost importance on the watershed.” In order to maintain the water quality, a buffer zone must be left on “all sides of the intermittent or perennial streams, lakes, marshy area or large spring seeps” when harvesting the forest. In accordance with harvesting timber, proper forest management techniques to maintain and enhance the health of the woodlot must be used, forest harvesters must adhere to Maryland guidelines regarding forest harvest practices, as well as road and trail locations and construction.
In addition, any stream crossing should be avoided, forest harvests should be closely monitored and should cease during periods of wet weather and the harvested areas should be properly regenerated.
“Forest management recommendations will be based upon the objective of maintaining the health of the forest while providing an even, nondeclining supply of forest products and income to the city of Frostburg,” states the management plan.
The Frostburg watershed is composed of two tracts of land encompassing 1,396 acres in Finzel. Tract I is 1,206 acres and lies around Piney Dam and Tract II consists of 190 acres located three-quarters of a mile east of Tract I, according to the Forest Management Plan’s watershed narrative. Presently, the land composition of the watershed includes 1,288 acres of forest, 77 acres of glade and fields and 31 acres of reservoir.
During the meeting, council members also thanked Dan Hedderick of the Maryland Forest Service for his loyal service to the city.
“He has been woking for decades with us to protect our watershed and I think he is doing an excellent job,” said Bond.
Council members also voted to approve resolution 2011-02, approving a contract in the amount of $34,500 for professional service with Bennett Brewer & Associates for a preliminary engineering report on springs located on Big Savage Mountain in Garrett County. Bennett, Brewer & Associates will perform a boundary and location survey and will provide a plan of this data which will serve as a bas map for all preliminary engineering and site improvements. In addition, the company will provide a electrical equipment study, a spring evaluation and will produce of final report.
Contact Elaine Blaisdell at eblaisdell@times-news.com
Reward offered for arrest of escaped Maryland inmate
By: The Associated Press 01/24/11 9:12 AM
The Associated Press
By: AP Photo/Garrett County Sheriff’s Office
This image provided by the Garrett County Sheriff’s Office shows Deandre Kelly. Authorities are looking for Kelly, considered armed and dangerous, who escaped from the Garrett County jail in Oakland. Authorities are offering a $6,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of an escapee from the Garrett County jail in Oakland.
The sheriff’s office said Monday that 29-year-old Deandre Kelly of Washington assaulted two correctional officers and forced them to open an exit door by producing what appeared to be a handgun shortly before 9 p.m. Sunday.
The agency says Kelly was being held on $100,000 bond since his arrest Saturday for alleged drug and firearm violations and lying to police.
The sheriff’s office says Kelly apparently has left the area. The FBI is assisting local and state authorities in the investigation.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/nation/2011/01/jail-inmate-escapes-western-md-believed-armed#ixzz1C8vEl8ik
State's Judy Center Attendees Get Academic "Jump Start" On Peers
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Jan. 20, 2011
Children participating in early learning programs offered through Maryland’s Judy Centers, one of which is located in Garrett County, have an academic jump start on their peers, according to the results of a new report.
Young children who enter kindergarten after taking advantage of the Judy Center offerings score higher in kindergarten readiness in all seven domains gauged by the Maryland Model for School Readiness Assessment Program, according to the new report.
“An Analysis of Influence of Judy Center Services,” released Friday, is based on research conducted during the 2008 and 2009 school year by the Maryland State Department of Education. The study looked into the effect of the Judith P. Hoyer Early Child Care and Education Enhancement Program – the Judy Centers – on children starting kindergarten.
“Classroom education is only a piece of the puzzle when it comes to ensuring that all children succeed,” stated Maryland congressman Steny Hoyer. “This report from MDSE proves that Maryland’s Judy Centers – which partner with the community to provide children and their families with a full range of services – have been a success in giving children the tools they need to come to school prepared to learn and excel. We believe we can build on this idea to help more children throughout the country reach their full potential. In the coming weeks, I will introduce legislation in the House that would apply the successes we have had in Maryland’s Judy Centers to expand the idea of full-service education throughout the country, so that children receive supportive wraparound services in addition to high quality education.”
State School Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick said the report confirms what educators have long understood: Investment in early learning pays big dividends throughout a child’s schooling.
“The Judy Centers give children a running start on the rest of their educational program,” Dr. Grasmick said. “We know that when we give young people a strong foundation for learning, they will thrive and prosper. The foundation provided by our Judy Centers is rock solid.”
Residents encouraged to join farm program
From Staff Reports
The Cumberland Times-News Mon Jan 24, 2011, 10:58 PM EST
CUMBERLAND — It’s time to start thinking about joining a community-supported agriculture farm to support local farmers while receiving fresh produce all summer long. The Maryland Department of Agriculture is encouraging residents to join a CSA farm by paying an up-front subscription fee to farmers in return for a share of the season’s harvest, which is usually provided weekly.
Read the full story here.
Chamber's New Web Site Offers High Tech Apps
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Jan. 20, 2011
The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce has recently launched a new version of its web site, visitdeepcreek.com. The new site offers chamber members and visitors new technological functionality that makes using the site, accessing member information, and planning a Garrett County getaway even easier, according to Nicole Christian, chamber president/CEO.
“While our old site wasn’t bad, we wanted to integrate new technology and give our users more functionality,” she said. “The nearly 500,000 unique visitors to our site are tech savvy, and it’s extremely important for us to communicate with them on their level.”
With the new site, chamber lodging members may now update not only their availability, but also which rooms or rental homes are available months and seasons ahead of time.
The web site’s new “Hot Deals Section” gives members the opportunity to showcase special offers, plus, when a new hot deal is posted, it is automatically featured on the chamber’s Facebook page.
Members can register online for events like the chamber’s monthly Business After Hours networking events or annual events, including the Autumn Glory Kickoff Dinner, and new members can join online.
And users can now download the “My Chamber App” for their iPhone, Droid, and BlackBerry, so when they are in Garrett County, they can map the closest businesses (restaurants, shops, etc.), search members by category (activities, lodging, etc.), access hot deals, and view Garrett County events.
Along with information on the history of Deep Creek Lake and Garrett County, the new site showcases local towns by highlighting each one in northern and southern ends of the county.
The new “Legislative News” section focuses on how the chamber works for local businesses on a local, state, and federal level.
Future plans for the site include adding video clips of area activities and attractions, an expanded “Legislative News” section, and the chamber working with the Garrett County Department of Economic Development to expand the new “Economic Development” section.
The new visitdeepcreek.com also gives members new opportunities to attract new customers and promote their businesses, Christian noted.
“With an enhanced listing, members enjoy an extended description for their business, the ability to add photos to their company listing, links to their company’s social media sites like Facebook, the ability to add a video, and the opportunity to include special offers on the ‘Hot Deals’ page,” she said.
To view the new version of the site and access these new features, persons may log on to visitdeepcreek.com
Information about the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce is available by calling 301-387-4386.
Outdoors commentary: Northern pike, the king of north country fishing
Dick Broden, who was also with us, caught a very nice pike on his first cast to the base of a tree trunk with a white spinnerbait and was immediately dubbed, “The pike King” because he refused to fish for anything else the rest of our stay!
Pike commonly measure 6 feet, in length and I think just such a pike grabbed my little silver spoon when I was casting for smallmouth bass from Jim’s dock on our last trip to visit them a few years ago. Something very big and toothy grabbed the spoon, the ultralight spinning rod strained violently. The drag sang for just a minute and the line broke off.
To my embarrassment, my grandsons were standing beside me as witnesses. Of course, you don’t have to travel all the way to Canada to catch a pike. They are in Deep Creek Lake and throughout Pennsylvania and New York.
O'Malley Begins Second Term With Cautious Optimism
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by David Saleh Rauf
Capital News Service
ANNAPOLIS — The pomp and circumstance are officially over.
Gov. Martin O’Malley, 48, was sworn in Wednesday on the steps of the Capitol in front of a crowd of several hundred, including Maryland’s political and business elite. He kicked off his second term with a cautiously optimistic inauguration speech about Maryland recovering from the recession, while also touching on a wide range of accomplishments since taking office in 2007.
O’Malley, a rising star in the Democratic Party coming off a resounding victory over a former Republican governor, begins his second and final term in the midst of a careful balancing act: He’ll need to address a series of pressing issues facing Marylanders while keeping an eye toward bigger political aspirations.
The challenges facing the state during his second term are plenty. Over the next four years, O’Malley and his administration will tackle issues ranging from projected budget deficits to implementing health care reform, to name just two.
Deep Creek Dunk is February 26 2011
February 26, 2011.
More details to come, but check in with the official dunk page. This is the first year I will be taking the plunge, as it falls on my best friends birrrrrthday…
Lions Club Casino Night tonight at Wispers
Date: January 21, 2011
Location:
Deep Creek Lake Lions Club Fundraiser
To raise money for the sight challenged and or the blind skier & camper programs
Games:
Black Jack
Money wheel games
Location: Wispers Bar (main lodge)
Time: 7pm – 11pm
Contact Lion Jerry McGinnis for more information at 301-616-8585
The Next Threat - garrettcountyweather.com
Professor Gary Sabo Esq. elaborates on the upcoming weather (for my birthday next week) and the potential of a Miller A event:
