Park ranger receives award for helping save man’s life
Frostburg resident recently transferred to Deep Creek Lake
From Staff Reports
Cumberland Times-News
CUMBERLAND — Maryland Park Ranger David Best, who recently transferred to Deep Creek Lake State Park, was among several staff members of Point Lookout State Park in St. Mary’s County who were honored with Maryland Park Service Valor Awards for their quick response in aiding a park visitor who suffered a life-threatening laceration.
The incident occurred in August when the victim dropped a razor-sharp fillet knife that lacerated his lower right leg.
Best, a resident of Frostburg, initiated a team response and rapidly located the victim at a campsite in the Hoffman area of the park after park staff received an emergency call for an unknown injury in the park. Park rangers were assisting a tractor-trailer that was stuck in a ditch when the emergency call was received. The only word heard by responders was “man” before the call was lost.
Responders, campground Host Ed Dugans and seasonal ranger Joe Raley found the 79-year-old victim sitting upright and bleeding profusely.
While Dugans and Raley worked to cut off the blood flow, seasonal employee George Gatton arrived with Best and began more extensive first aid. Park Rangers Bill Moffatt and Cliff Puffenberger provided escort for responding Natural Re-sources Police officers and the Ridge Volunteer Rescue Squad. The victim regained full consciousness and was transported to a nearby hospital.
Individuals awarded recently at the Maryland Park Service Employee Field Day at Gunpowder Falls State Park in Baltimore County included Best, Raley, Dugans and Gatton.
Maryland Park Service Superintendent Nita Settina said, “Once again, we see why it is so important that our Maryland Park rangers are trained as first responders. I’m very proud of the rangers’ quick thinking and action, which helped to save a life.”
The Valor Award is presented to individuals who perform an extraordinary action which is attributable to saving a life, attempting to save a life, preventing or attempting to prevent property or revenue loss, or involving public safety.
If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Long & Foster Real Estate for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350
Friends of Deep Creek seek to protect lake from degradation
OAKLAND — Friends of Deep Creek Lake, a Garrett County watershed organization, submitted a proposal for the creation of a Deep Creek Lake Restoration Fund at the Tuesday meeting of the Board of Garrett County Commissioners.
The proposal came about in response to the aging of the Deep Creek Lake reservoir, which was created by the construction of the Deep Creek Dam in 1923. According to Friends of Deep Creek Lake, as the lake grows older, invasive vegetation and lower water quality lessen its recreational value and use as a natural resource. Friends of Deep Creek Lake believes that federal funding, state assistance and a more active role for Garrett County are necessary to combat this natural degradation.
According to Barbara Beeler, member of the Friends of Deep Creek Lake board, the degradation of the lake will result in economic consequences in impacted areas. The detrimental effects of aging could lead to decreased property and housing values and lower tax revenues for Garrett County. “All of us — county, users, beneficiaries — we’re all going to be impacted by the continuing decline of the lake,” said Beeler.
Friends of Deep Creek Lake’s proposal features three main components. The first is the creation of a Deep Creek Lake Restoration Action Plan. “We need to make a lake policy from the bottom up,” said Beeler. Friends of Deep Creek Lake suggests that the plan include a variety of restoration and maintenance programs for such tasks as fighting the existing impacts of lake aging, eliminating algae blooms, reducing sediment and nutrient runoff, and upgrading septic systems.
The second is a means of funding the restoration. One of the primary obstacles to a restoration project would be the lack of available funds due to the current economic climate. According to Friends of Deep Creek Lake, funding for the Department of Natural Resources’ Lake Management Division comes only from dock permit fees, and the majority of this money is spent paying operating fees and taxes. Friends of Deep Creek Lake believes that federal money is necessary for the project.
“Until the economic crisis goes away, we’re really stifled,” said Commission Chairman Denny Glotfelty. “It’s impossible to get the state to move right now.”
Finally, the proposal includes a call for leadership for the restoration effort. The proposal suggests the formation of a working group that would lay groundwork for the plan, raise funds, and lobby for Deep Creek Lake in state and federal venues.
Along with the lack of available funding, another obstacle to the proposal is the fact that the lake is owned by the state rather than Garrett County. This makes it difficult for Garrett County to create an action plan regarding the lake as Friends of Deep Creek Lake’s proposal intends.
“It’s Maryland’s water. Whether it’s private or state property, it’s their water. That’s the problem,” said Glotfelty, who added that action regarding the lake is necessary. “We’ve got an 85-year-old lady that we’re trying to give a face-lift to right now.”
The commission did not act on the proposal during Tuesday’s meeting. It will be discussed further at the next meeting of the Deep Creek Lake Policy and Review Board, beginning at 6 p.m. on Oct. 26 at the Deep Creek Lake Discovery Center.
If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Long & Foster Real Estate for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350
Route 219 bypass would relieve traffic congestion
Interesting letter to the editor:
To the Editor:
Cumberland Times-News
The U.S. Route 219 Bypass around Oakland should’ve been done yesterday! Traffic congestion is terrible!
New businesses are being built, and deliveries have to made, and it’s bad enough for delivery trucks to get through, besides other trucks that have a scheduled delivery to make, but none in Oakland. A few examples include trucks trying to deliver mobile homes, heavy equipment, and roof rafters. With new businesses, perhaps the older ones in town will lower their prices for the full-time residents of the area to afford. Too much is focused on the customers that are visiting at Deep Creek Lake.
Not only is it hard for people to drive through Oakland, but it’s hard for pedestrians to get across the street, and with the bypass, response times for the local fire department will probably be cut. The fire department is in the middle of town. From the map of the proposed bypass, the only real farm that will be lost is not even farmed anymore. In fact, the land that hay and other crops come off of is for sale. If the bypass doesn’t use it, perhaps another business will?
The group that is against the bypass should be called “People Against The Proposed Bypass.” That’s all they focus their attention on. They say nothing about trees around the lake being destroyed to build condominiums, and so on. I wonder if any of them utilize Interstate 68, or do they drive through Friendsville, Grantsville, Frostburg, and so on, if they don’t travel U.S. Route 220 to Cumberland ?
Bill Detrick
Oakland
If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Long & Foster Real Estate for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350
New Long & Foster Personal Website
Just finished working on our new ‘web friendly’ portal websites with Long & Foster. Awesome accessibility and I really like the larger photos – they make a huge difference with searching.
http://jayferguson.lnf.com/
If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Long & Foster Real Estate for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350
Deep Creek Lake Real Estate Photo Gallery - Picasa
If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Long & Foster Real Estate for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350
New Lot-Land listings - 1-13-10 - Buyer Client Update
Only one new lot/land listing in the last 24 hours. You can see the .pdf here, contact me for more info, plats, permits or details.
GA7235541 0.86 AC RT 219 $50,000 Oakland 37,462 .860 RES
(source: MRIS January 13, 2010, other brokers listings may be included. This market update posting is intended solely for buyer clients of Jay Ferguson & Long & Foster Real Estate)
If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Long & Foster Real Estate for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350
New Home Listings - 1-13-10 - Buyer Client Update
A few new residential listings were added over the last 24 hours. For more information, feel free to check out this .pdf file or contact me directly.
GA7235955 952 HIGH ST E $189,000 Oakland Rancher 3BR 1BA
GA7235773 257 MARSH HILL RD #3 $289,900 Mc Henry DEEP CREEK VILLAGE 2BR 3BA
GA7235557 228 STILWATER DR $1,690,000 Swanton STILWATER 6BR 5BA
(source: MRIS January 13, 2010, other brokers listings may be included. This market update posting is intended solely for buyer clients of Jay Ferguson & Long & Foster Real Estate)
If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Long & Foster Real Estate for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350
Long and Foster Real Estate video on the new home buyers tax credit.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ju2mgq-suI&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Long & Foster Real Estate for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350
Pending Home Sales Down from Surge but Higher than a Year Ago
Press Release Realtor.org
Washington, January 05, 2010
Contract activity for pending home sales fell after a surge of activity in preceding months to beat the original deadline for the first-time home buyer tax credit but remains comfortably above a year ago, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in November, fell 16.0 percent to 96.0 from an upwardly revised 114.3 in October, but is 15.5 percent higher than November 2008 when it was 83.1.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said a drop was expected. “It will be at least early spring before we see notable gains in sales activity as home buyers respond to the recently extended and expanded tax credit,” he said. “The fact that pending home sales are comfortably above year-ago levels shows the market has gained sufficient momentum on its own. We expect another surge in the spring as more home buyers take advantage of affordable housing conditions before the tax credit expires.”
Buyers who have a contract in place to purchase a primary residence by April 30, 2010, have until June 30, 2010, to finalize the transaction to qualify for the tax credit of up to $8,000 for first-time buyers and $6,500 for repeat buyers.
The PHSI in the Northeast dropped 25.7 percent to 74.4 in November but is 14.7 percent above a year ago. In the Midwest the index fell 25.7 percent to 82.0 but is 9.2 percent higher than November 2008. Pending home sales in the South fell 15.0 percent to an index of 97.8, but are 14.7 percent higher than a year ago. In the West the index declined 2.7 percent to 124.6 but is 21.4 percent above November 2008.
Yun projects an additional 900,000 first-time buyers will qualify for the extended tax credit in addition to about 2 million who have already purchased; 1.5 million repeat buyers also are expected to benefit from the credit.
“Many trade-up buyers, who have historically timed their purchase based on school-year considerations, will have to accelerate their buying plans if they need the tax credit to make a trade,” Yun said. Repeat buyers do not have to sell their existing home to qualify for the credit, but they must occupy the home they buy as their primary residence.
Yun added that mortgage interest rates cannot remain at rock-bottom levels for a sustained period and will likely inch higher in 2010. But the tax credit impact in the first half of the year and expected job growth impact in the second half will support home buying activity and absorb enough inventory to bring a rough balance between buyers and sellers. Home prices are expected to stabilize or even modestly rise as a result in 2010.
The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.2 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
# # #
*The Pending Home Sales Index is a leading indicator for the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed, though the sale usually is finalized within one or two months of signing.
The index is based on a large national sample, typically representing about 20 percent of transactions for existing-home sales. In developing the model for the index, it was demonstrated that the level of monthly sales-contract activity from 2001 through 2004 parallels the level of closed existing-home sales in the following two months. There is a closer relationship between annual index changes (from the same month a year earlier) and year-ago changes in sales performance than with month-to-month comparisons.
An index of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity during 2001, which was the first year to be examined as well as the first of five consecutive record years for existing-home sales.
Existing-home sales for December will be reported January 25 and the next Pending Home Sales Index will be on February 2; release times are 10 a.m. EST.
If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Long & Foster Real Estate for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350
