$975,000 planned for Meadow Mountain Trail
WASHINGTON — A federal spending measure currently under consideration contains $975,000 for a Garrett County trail project.
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced the inclusion of over $7 million in direct federal funding for local projects across Western Maryland within the committee’s proposed annual funding legislation.
The bill would provide Garrett County with the funds to help complete the Meadow Mountain Trail, which is the portion of the Eastern Continental Divide Loop plan that runs from Deep Creek Lake State Park to Grantsville. The project is expected to provide safe paths through public land and increase tourism to Garrett County.
The Western Maryland projects encompass a wide array of local and regional priorities, ranging from infrastructure improvements to economic development.
Overall, Van Hollen included over $62 million in federal money directly for Maryland within the Committee’s proposed legislation.
This legislation, released by the committee as part of the annual Congressional Appropriations process, will proceed to consideration before the full Senate.
“Securing federal investments for key local projects that support our communities is one of my top priorities,” Van Hollen said. “These initiatives will impact the everyday lives of countless Marylanders by modernizing our infrastructure, supporting small businesses, and improving public safety and crisis responses. I was proud to fight for these investments to support Western Maryland, and I will keep working to get this funding over the finish line in Congress.”
Regional funding announced by Van Hollen includes:
— More than $5.8 million in funding for infrastructure & economic development projects, including for the Maryland Tech Council’s support of Maryland’s Technology and Life Sciences Small Businesses, Frederick East Street Rails with Trails: Liberty Road Bridge Crossing, Garrett Trails’ Meadow Mountain Trail, the replacement of Boonsboro’s Drinking Water Reservoir, and Point of Rocks Significant/High Hazard Dam Decommissioning and Stream Restoration.
— $125,000 in funding for public safety for the Frederick police to implement a mobile crisis team.
— More than $1 million in funding to support community development, historical and cultural initiatives, including the purchase of 44 acres to expand the C&O Canal National Historical Park and the purchase of 17 acres to expand Monocacy National Battlefield.
Chamber unveils new logo
McHENRY — The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday an update to its visual identity to better reflect the organization’s mission statement and help combat misperceptions.
The new Chamber logo is an evolution of the organization’s previous logo (itself an update of an earlier design). Although the graphic and colors remain the same and the typeface is similar, the text emphasizes the words “Garrett County Chamber of Commerce” rather than “Deep Creek Lake Area.”
Understanding the importance of Maryland’s largest inland body of water, the new logo still proudly proclaims “Home of Deep Creek Lake.”
“The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to present our newly worded logo,” said Andrew Fike, chairman of the Chamber’s board of directors.“We, as a board, feel this new logo better represents all Garrett County businesses.
“It’s a small, but meaningful, change,” said Nick Sharps, membership development manager for the Chamber. “We are excited to move forward under this new logo and recommit ourselves to organizing, supporting and representing Garrett County’s business community.”
Kendall Ludwig, president & principal designer of local web and graphic design firm CurlyRed Inc., completed the work on the project.
Dove Center receives Purple Ribbon Award
OAKLAND — The Dove Center has been named a recipient of a Theresa’s Fund 2021 Purple Ribbon Award in the category of Program/Shelter of the Year.
Winners are chosen across 28 categories, as judged by a national panel of respected professionals from the domestic violence field.
The Purple Ribbon Awards are the first comprehensive awards program honoring the heroes of the domestic violence movement, including advocates, programs, shelters, survivors and members of the community support system. Winners include entries from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Winning entries received a certificate signed by Theresa’s Fund founder Preston V. McMurry Jr. and an official Purple Ribbon Award medallion that combines a purple ribbon and custom circular gold medal engraved with the winner’s category.
All other entries received an honoree certificate “because everyone’s heroic efforts to help victims of domestic violence deserve acknowledgment and applause.”
The Dove Center, Garrett County’s comprehensive domestic and sexual violence program, received the award for Program/Shelter of the Year in recognition of its innovative, resilient expansion of programs, including the new Transitional Housing units, pet sheltering program, trauma informed educational efforts, school and campus counseling program, JEWELS group, and more.
Each entry was scored by three judges and each judge scored each entry on a 1-25 scale across four factors: Challenge & Impact (the scope of the challenge faced and overcome), Creativity & Originality (the inventiveness of the nominee in their endeavor), Submission Excellence (the caliber of the materials accompanying the entry) and Overall (the overall performance of the entry relative to other entries).
The scores for an entry were averaged and up to the three highest scores in a given category received a Purple Ribbon Award.
To ensure parity, entries were classified into one of three groups based on the size of a nominee’s organization: Less than $500,000, Between $500,001 and $2,000,000 and Greater than $2,000,000, and entries were judged within the size classification within each category.
In other words, there were three separate competitions within each category to provide organizations the opportunity to be reviewed among their peers.
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'State of the Lake' address announces $2.2 million for dredging
From The Garrett County Republican
McHENRY — During a “State of the Lake” address on Aug. 25, Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio announced $2.2 million in additional funding for dredging.
She reported that Gov. Larry Hogan just released the money in new funding for pilot dredging projects in Deep Creek Lake.
“I’m … really pleased to announce today that Gov. Hogan has … committed an additional $2.2 million for the dredging project at Arrowhead Cove, so this is hot off the presses,” Riccio said. “New news today, and again, thanks to the help from our senator and the county and all our partners, pushing the importance of that. So that’s really exciting that we can get that pilot program underway.”
The presentation was organized by the Deep Creek Watershed Foundation. It was intended for homeowners, officials and stakeholders with interest in Deep Creek Lake at Garrett College. Riccio discussed the state’s long-term commitment to water monitoring at the lake, ongoing efforts to prevent and combat aquatic invasive species, and work to protect and expand the lake’s freshwater fisheries.
The secretary commended the partnerships among the state and local stakeholders and elected officials that support these efforts and help advocate for the resources to achieve these goals.
“We’re so happy to take an opportunity to talk about all the great work that’s happening around Deep Creek Lake, not just from our team but also from all the partners that we work with,” Riccio said. “So we’re grateful for the opportunity to be here.”
She reported that monitoring indicates that the lake is healthy, with low nutrient levels at mainstem sites and clear water throughout.
The state continues to follow the comprehensive watershed management plan for Deep Creek Lake, developed in 2015 by DNR and Garrett County to recommend guidelines to protect the popular area, balancing environmental and economic needs.
Riccio provided numerous updates to the activities at Deep Creek Lake, including:
• The State Lakes Protection and Restoration Fund, approved by Gov. Hogan in 2018, provides $1 million a year for three years for state-owned lakes including Deep Creek Lake.
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Missing chair returned at Deep Creek Lake
From The Garrett County Republican
DEEP CREEK LAKE — While at Deep Creek Lake last month, the Guyton family had an experience that they feel shows the goodwill of people in the area.
One of the family members looked out the window to see that one of their deck chairs was missing from the dock. The family decided that they should call the Garrett County Sheriff’s Office to report the missing property so they would have a record of it.
Family members were amused when deputies arrived in full uniform to investigate the missing chair.
As they chatted, the family noted that they thought they saw a mirage over the deputy’s shoulders as they observed the missing blue deck chair coming across the lake on a paddleboard pulled by a kayak.
The family staying across the lake had noticed the chair in the woods, partially submerged. They pulled it out of the water and decided to try to locate the owners.
Crawford named sales manager at Taylor-Made
From The Garrett County Republican
McHENRY — Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations & Sales has announced that its real estate division has a new leader.
Recently, Terah Crawford was named sales manager. She is also the future broker, and is actively working toward her license.
After the untimely passing of the company’s former Broker, Bob Carney, Crawford stepped in to fill this role. For the past six years, she has been a sales agent serving the Deep Creek Lake area.
She has a background in real estate, marketing and graphic design.
“Having been a member of the Taylor-Made sales team since 2018, I’ve been part of some incredible things that this group has achieved under the leadership of Bob Carney,” Crawford said. “Working alongside him daily, I learned more than I could have possibly anticipated. I will carry those lessons with me as I begin the journey of leading the sales team as authentically as he did.”
In April, Deep Creek Lake was recognized by the National Association of Realtors as one of the top 10 locations for vacation home sales. In the past 12 months, Taylor-Made’s roster of more than 25 agents produced sales volume exceeding $219 million.
Their success can, in part, be attributed to their “one stop shop” service. Sellers can expect not only a dedicated agent, but they also have access to housekeeping, lawn care, maintenance, and marketing professionals that will keep their home showing ready. Real estate services are complemented by the company’s robust vacation rental division that partners with more than 450 second homeowners.
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Pirates make MLB Draft special for Bethel Park's Justin Meis
From Triblive
Justin Meis knew the Pittsburgh Pirates were interested when they continued to make calls to check in after almost every round late in the second day of the MLB Draft.
Meis was on vacation with nearly two dozen members of his family at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland when he got a call that was different, especially the greeting from Pirates area scout Anthony Wycklendt.
“The first thing he said when I answered the phone was ‘Congratulations!’ ” said Meis (pronounced “mice”). “It was an unbelievable feeling. I turned around gave a thumb’s up to my family. That’s something I’ll never forget.”
Meis, a right-handed pitcher from Bethel Park who is a junior at Eastern Michigan, was thrilled when the Pirates selected him in the 10th round (No. 283 overall) Monday afternoon. The assigned slot value for the pick is $149,500, and Meis said he plans to sign with the Pirates.
“To be honest, I don’t even know if you can put it into words,” Meis said. “It’s been a dream of mine ever since I was growing up. Now that it happened, I don’t even know what to say. It’s pretty cool.”
Getting drafted by his hometown team was the culmination of an unforgettable year for Meis, who had a moment to remember this season against eventual College World Series champion Mississippi State.
The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder went 4-6 with a 4.64 ERA and 1.44 WHIP and led Eastern Michigan with 81 strikeouts and 73 2/3 innings this season. Meis also pitched well in the wooden-bat Cape Cod League, where he was 1-1 with a 2.07 ERA, 17 strikeouts and three walks in 17 1/3 innings over four starts for the Cotuit Kettleers.
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Vacation home sales soared during pandemic, report finds
The great divide in the experience of the pandemic was especially evident in the vacation home sales market. While many families suffered from illness, unemployment and financial distress from the coronavirus pandemic and economic shutdown, people who were able to keep their jobs and work remotely faced less severe monetary consequences.
Many saved more money and saw their home values increase, which meant they could purchase a second home where they could work remotely and spend time with their families.
The National Association of Realtors’ 2021 Vacation Home Counties report provides the data to prove what’s been anecdotally evident for months: 2020 was the year of the vacation home.
Sales of vacation homes rose 16.4 percent in 2020 compared with 2019, while the total growth of all existing-home sales was just 5.6 percent during that same period. And 2021 appears to be shaping up the same way: From January to April 2021, vacation home sales jumped 57.2 percent year-over-year compared with the 20 percent year-over-year growth in total existing-home sales.
Home buyers in 2021 need more cash, face more competition
Naturally, demand drove prices higher at a faster pace for vacation homes, too. The median existing-home sales price rose by 14.2 percent in vacation home counties, compared with 10.1 percent in nonvacation home counties. A county is considered by NAR to be a vacation county if at least 20 percent of the homes are identified as seasonal, occasional or recreational-use housing.
The surge of vacation home purchases began in the second half of 2020 and continued at least through April 2021, according to NAR’s report.
Top 10 vacation home rankings by county are:
- Lee County, Fla.
- Oscoda County, Mich.
- Swain County, N.C.
- Collier County, Fla.
- Dukes County, Mass.
- Alleghany County, N.C.
- Garrett County, Md.
- Barnstable County, Mass.
- Alcona County, Mich.
- Macon County, N.C.
Regionally, home sales in vacation home counties grew fastest (nearly 31 percent) in 2020 compared with 2019 in the South Atlantic, which includes Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and D.C.
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2 Maryland counties are tops for vacation homes
From Wtop
Statistics on vacation home sales have been unprecedented, and the gains have continued into this spring — even after most pandemic-related lockdowns and restrictions have ended.
Vacation home sales are especially strong in the most popular regions, in vacation home counties, which the National Association of Realtors defines as counties where at least 20% of the houses and condos are seasonal, occasional or recreational use. Vacation home sales in those 145 counties have risen 24.2% in the past year.
From January to April 2021, the share of vacation home sales compared to total existing home sales climbed to 6.7%. Overall vacation home sales are up 57.2% in the last year, compared to 20% annual growth for all existing home sales.
NAR has compiled a list of top vacation home counties, and two are in Maryland: Garrett and Worcester counties.
“That is the county where you have Ocean City. A great spot. On the other hand, Garrett County, Maryland, is in the most western part of Maryland, and here you are really going to a destination that is in the Appalachian Mountains,” said NAR Director of Housing and Commercial Research Gay Cororaton.
In Worcester County, 56% of homes are vacation homes, and it ranks eighth for counties in actual number of homes for seasonal and recreational use.
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Military March promotion offered
From The Garrett County Republican
McHENRY — The Deep Creek Lake area and Garrett County salute the nation’s heroes with a Military March promotion.
The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce is offering discounts for military members on its website, visitdeepcreek.com. The promotion runs from March 1-31, non-holidays.
Nineteen businesses are participating in the promotion offering military discounts on dining, shopping, lodging, party and event rentals, heating & cooling, veterinary services and products, flooring, printing services and wireless services.
“The Military March promotion is a terrific way for military members to save on a trip to the Deep Creek Lake area and Garrett County,” said Sarah Duck, vice president of tourism & marketing for the chamber. “We are proud to honor our nation’s heroes with discounts from a wide variety of our area’s businesses.”
The Military March Promotion includes offers from Advanced Heating & Cooling; Bear Creek Traders; Blue Moon Rising; Cashmere Clothing Co.; Christmas Chalet; HART for Animals; Joint Training Facility; Long Branch Saloon & Motel; Master Craft Printers; MoonShadow; Mountain State Brewing Co.; Perkins Restaurant & Bakery; Riggleman’s & Sons Flooring; Savage River Lodge; Ski Cove #3; Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations & Sales; the Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille; The Tourist Trap; and US Cellular.
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