Deep Creek Lake Real Estate Blog - Jay Ferguson

Deep Creek Lake Real Estate Blog - Jay Ferguson
EVERYTHING under the sun about Deep Creek Lake, Maryland! Deep Creek Lake Real Estate Information, Local News & Happenings in Garrett County Maryland, Current Events, Local Business Profiles, Upcoming Attractions, Vacation Rentals, Resort Realty, Community Profiles, Homes for Sale, Restaurants & Dining, Entertainment Schedules, Festivals & Gatherings, Churches & Charities, Wisp Ski & Golf Resort, Swallow Falls State Park, Youghiogheny & Casselman River, Garrett County Fair & more!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Garrett County is Against Fracking

Thanks to Crede Calhoun for sharing this letter with me. It was published in the Baltimore Sun. I couldn't agree more - the fracking method with which 'they' intend to release the gas is HORRIBLE for the enviroment & Garrett County as a whole. Why not stick with the proven gas extraction methods that are safer for the environment? Oh...it's more expensive and takes longer....

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I am the owner of Garrett County’s oldest land and water adventure company. Our eco tourism business will be a joke if everywhere we turn are trucks, smells, bad water, gas wells, compressor stations, and gas pipelines crisscrossing our forested mountains. My wife and I own a home in Garrett County and have lived in this home on the banks of the Youghiogheny River Wild and Scenic River Corridor for almost 20 years. One of the first fracking wells is scheduled to begin just outside of our small town and the first horizontal gas fracking shaft is coming within 500 feet of my front door and just across our beautiful wild and scenic river. Contrary to what seems to be the message conveyed by some who claim to represent us there is massive opposition on the local level to unbridled industrialized gas drilling.

Obviously our valuable fresh water resources, the quality of life in our area for residents, and our tourism and real estate values are in serious danger with this non-conventional and risky drilling practice. Everywhere gas fracking has happened land and real estate values have plummeted. Tourism does NOT and CANNOT exist in gas fracking areas and our entire county is a tourism area. Our area is a jewel of clean natural resources whose value will only increase as nearby states destroy their claims to natural beauty, peace and quiet by allowing destructive gas fracking.

People come to our area because of the environment and potentially unsafe and unsightly large scale industrial gas extraction is obviously not compatible with the health of our vibrant tourism economy. People and families come to our area to escape these intrusions not be subjected to them. Visitors will surely be disenchanted in making Garrett County their vacation destination or in choosing Garrett County for a real estate investment or personal retreat.

These very deep wells under enormous pressure must stay intact FOREVER and this I believe is beyond the knowledge, technical abilities and guarantees of the extraction companies at this time. Look what happened in the gulf oil disaster. The massive increase in truck traffic to haul the fracking water and toxic radioactive fracking overflow fluids will be dangerous to transport and dispose of. In nearby Pennsylvania serious environmental problems from gas fracking seem to happen daily. Once our area becomes known for methane smells, industrial compressor stations, loud noise, well flare offs, bad roads, deteriorating poisonous water quality and massive truck traffic the word will get out and Garrett County and its lakes, rivers and mountains will no longer be the wonderful ‘natural’ vacation destination or quality of life it is today. It will be Gas Land.

The Deep Creek Lake property values and the home and rural land values of our entire county are at serious risk. My town is important for river recreation. We enjoy decent land values in all corners of Garrett County and non of it is expendable including the health of its families. We cannot afford to murder the goose (our environment) that lays our golden eggs. The gas is not going anywhere and there is no hurry to get it started before all the EPA and MDE studies are complete and we have every safeguard measure and numerous inspectors in place. Further more recent revelations by LNG Gas Company that much of this shale gas is to be exported shoots down the spin that this is an issue of national energy security or to lessen coal burning for power production.

In addition we need massive region wide baseline water quality testing done to insure that if the gas companies destroy these resources we can hold them responsible immediately and stop further drilling as well as be compensated for these potentially irreversible damages without question. Supporters of gas fracking want us to believe that this is an emergency and want to begin drilling now. They want to scare local folks into believing that we have to act fast or lose the opportunity. This of course is false because the gas will only get more valuable as time progresses.

Without good water what good is a few thousand dollars a year? Is setting off giant subterranean bombs thousands of feet down and below our water table the sensible thing to do? I urge all Maryland residents to stand for a greener Maryland and not a browner one. Our children are counting on us.

Sincerely,

Crede Haskins Calhoun II
All Earth Eco Tours
Friendsville, MD 21531

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If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

Garrett County Habitat for Humanity

VOLUNTEERS WELCOME!!! Come help us with the Garrett County Habitat for Humanity winter build project. I will be there chipping in and taking some photos for the blog. ALL HELP IS WELCOME! Details (from Barb Butler GCBR): "We have been invited to participate once again in the Habitat Winter Build project which will be held on Saturday, April 2nd beginning at 8:00 am at the Oakland Armory. Lunch will be provided and served at noon to all workers by a local church ladies group. Remember ~ this is another great way to show other community members that Realtors® also volunteer their time with housing needs and not just sales in Garrett County. If you have a child that needs community service hours and you want to bring them with you, I will be happy to sign for their work time." If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.

877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!


Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

Historic log cabin - 121 Old School House Rd - GA7323589



121 OLD SCHOOL HOUSE RD
FROSTBURG, MD 21532

GOOD OLE COUNTRY COMFORT! That old-fashioned feeling meets you when you walk through the door of this historic one-room schoolhouse built in the late 1800's. Converted into a 2 BR 1 BA home in the 1960-70's; with beam ceiling, orig. wood flrs, claw-foot tub & wood stove add to the old charm. Approx. 3 miles to the Great Allegheny Passage Bike Trail,and 8 min. to FSU campus, 40 min. to Wisp & DCL.

Contact Jay Ferguson @ 301-501-0420 or DeepCreekLaker@Gmail.com for more information or to setup a private showing for this property.

Listing # GA7323589
$94,900



If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

State naming bills halted, including mountain monikers

By ANDREW SCHOTZ
andrews@herald-mail.com
9:23 p.m. EDT, March 29, 2011

ANNAPOLIS— Legislation to name things in Maryland — including renaming two mountains — has come to a halt.

A state Senate committee decided Tuesday to turn down a series of bills requesting days and months honoring groups and individual people.

Also rejected was a resolution to change the names of Negro Mountain in Garrett County and Polish Mountain in Allegany County.

Sen. Lisa A. Gladden, D-Baltimore City, who is black, had sponsored the resolution to find new names “to reflect more accurately the history and culture of the region within which they are located.”

Western Maryland lawmakers took umbrage, arguing that Negro Mountain was named to honor a courageous black man killed fighting Indians in the 1750s. Polish Mountain initially was Polished Mountain and had nothing to do with ethnicity, they said; the name was shortened and pronunciation changed over the years.

Read the full article here.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

Class ring leads to burglary suspect

A Maryland State Police trooper tracked down the owner of a 1970 Damascus High School ring being pawned in North Carolina, an investigating that led to the arrest of a man charged with burglaries in several counties and a neighboring state.

Edward A. Morton, 57, of Garrett County, was arrested this week after a two-month investigation that began when a trooper at the McHenry Barrack learned that the suspect was receiving checks totaling more than $10,000 from pawn shops in Maryland, Washington, New York and North Carolina. Police said:

In early March, State Police investigators learned a pawn shop in Charlotte, North Carolina had received a package of jewelry from Morton. The pawn shop owner gave troopers a description of the items, including a 1970 Damascus High School ring.

With just the graduation year and the initials inside the ring, a State Police investigator called Damascus High School and then made multiple calls to members of the 1970 graduating class. Within days, he had identified the owner of the ring as a woman who lives in Frederick. He contacted her and she confirmed the ring had been stolen along with other items during a recent burglary at her home.

Read the full article here.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

Maryland's Primary Care Providers Are Embracing Electronic Health Records

BALTIMORE, March 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Physicians, nurse practitioners and other primary care providers from Ocean City to Garrett County are making the transition from paper to electronic health records, or EHRs, in order to maximize their share of around $20 billion in federal incentives made available through the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services. More than half of the slots in a unique program to assist Maryland primary-care providers are now full, the Chesapeake Regional Information System for Our Patients (CRISP) announced today.

CRISP is offering subsidized technical assistance to 1,000 primary care providers transitioning to EHRs by 2014. CRISP is a private, non-profit organization whose mission is to provide safer, more timely, efficient, effective, equitable, patient-centered health care to all Marylanders through health information technology.

"Governor O'Malley and I have made implementing electronic health records one of our 15 strategic goals because health IT will help reduce costs while improving care for Marylanders," said Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown, co-chair of Maryland's Health Care Reform Coordinating Council. "Right now, Maryland health care providers have a valuable opportunity to take advantage of federal dollars to transition to electronic health records, but they must act quickly as these programs are available on a first-come, first-served basis and slots are filling up."

A number of resources are available to the primary-care community through Maryland's Regional Extension Center for Health Information Technology (REC), a program administered by CRISP with support from the Maryland Health Care Commission. More than 500 primary care providers across Maryland have signed up to participate in the REC program, with slots filling fast. Starting in 2015, providers who chose not to act will face penalties in the form of decreased reimbursement rates.

Read the full article here.
If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

Garrett students to make up days

Cumberland Times News

OAKLAND — Garrett County public schools will be in session April 18 through 21 and April 25 for make-up days, according to the Garrett County Board of Education.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

Alcohol tax advances in Md. with education funds

By BRIAN WITTE , 03.29.11, 05:17 PM EDT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- An increase in Maryland's alcohol tax advanced in the Maryland Senate on Tuesday, with a significant portion of the first year's proceeds set aside for Prince George's County and Baltimore schools.

The Senate measure would raise Maryland's sales tax on alcohol from 6 percent to 9 percent over three years by 1 percent a year. It would raise about $29 million in fiscal year 2012, $58 million the following year and $85 million in the third year, fiscal analysts estimate.

In the next fiscal year, Baltimore schools would receive about $12 million, and Prince George's County would receive about $9 million to help boost education funding in Maryland jurisdictions that lagged behind others because of school funding formulas. Proceeds from the alcohol tax would be diverted to those school jurisdictions only in a one-time adjustment.

"These are two of the largest consumers of alcohol in the state and most of the tax revenue is generated from those two jurisdictions, and under the governor's plan, unfortunately, these two jurisdictions come up short in terms of state aid as contrasted to the rest of the state," Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, D-Calvert, told reporters. "It's the result of formulas. It's not anybody's diabolical plan."

Read the full article here.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

DNR may close some off-road trails

Michael A. Sawyers
Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Wed Mar 30, 2011, 08:00 AM EDT

CUMBERLAND — People have until the end of April to tell the Maryland Department of Natural Resources just what they think about the possibility that the popular 16-mile off-road-vehicle trail on the Green Ridge State Forest could be closed.

Because of illegal riding, including users without the proper permit and those who take their vehicles off the designated trails, the agency is considering closing some trails and altering others. Most are in Allegany and Garrett counties.

“There are various problems with illegal riding,” said Kenneth Jolly of the state’s Forest Service. “There is marring of the forest floor, danger to rare plants, runoff into trout streams.”

The public has access to an entire study about off-road vehicle use and its problems by going to www.dnr.state.md.us. Comments can be submitted to ppeditto@dnr.state.md.us.

Recently, the agency met with users and others interested in the trails and/or the results of their use.

Jolly said the Green Ridge trail is the most heavily used in the state.

“It is closer to Maryland’s population center and it offers a degree of technical difficulty,” he said. “Besides that, it is a loop. Riders can return to the starting point without ever having to backtrack.”

“Our primary mission is to properly manage and protect the natural resources on the lands we oversee,” DNR Secretary John Griffin said in a prepared statement.

“We are also very much interested in providing sustainable recreational opportunities on our public lands for a wide spectrum of outdoor experiences,” Griffin added.

An annual $15 permit is required of riders. In 1994, there were 500 sold. A year ago, the number was 2,182.

The DNR is considering closing Poplar Lick Trail in Garrett County to protect the adjacent native trout stream of the same name.

The Burkholder Trail on the Potomac-Garrett State Forest between the North Branch of the Potomac River and state Route 135 could be relocated.

The agency will continue to monitor impacts to the Negro Mountain Snowmobile Trail before making a recommendation there.

Increased enforcement will take place on many illegal trails, including Toms Hollow and Mill Run on the Dan’s Mountain Wildlife Management Area, the South Branch of the Casselman River, upper Sideling Hill Creek, the Savage Ravines Wildland and Puzzley Run.

The agency will also consider increasing the cost for an off-road trail permit.

Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

Drop in home prices raises fear of double dip

By Elizabeth Razzi, Tuesday, March 29, 4:26 PM
Home prices dropped in nearly all major housing markets in the country in January, according to price index numbers released Tuesday. Analysts said the decrease may be a harbinger of a double-dip recession in the housing market.

According to the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, only two markets in its survey of 20 cities bucked the trend and posted year-over-year price gains, Washington, D.C., and San Diego.

The Washington area recorded a 3.6 percent annual growth rate for home prices in January. San Diego, the only other metro area to register an annual price increase, saw a gain of just 0.1 percent. The D.C. area was the only one to register a price increase compared with the month before, with a scant 0.1 percent price gain.

The S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city composite index fell 3.1 percent from its January,
2010, level. The 10-city index declined 2 percent.

Read the rest here.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

Housing regulators propose 20% down payment for best rates

By Zachary A. Goldfarb, Tuesday, March 29, 2:44 PM

As Washington confronted the future of American housing on several fronts Tuesday, there was no doubt that getting a home loan is going to be tougher unless a borrower has pristine credit and a hefty down payment.

U.S. bank regulators decided to propose a high standard for home buyers to get the best mortgage rates: Only those who can make a 20 percent down payment and have not had problems paying mortgages in the recent past would be eligible.

The regulators announced that plan and other proposals for new rules designed to prevent the kinds of practices that dumped so many risky mortgages into the financial system several years ago.

One of the key new regulations would require mortgage lenders to invest in the loans they make, so that if the loans went bad, the lender would suffer. In the years leading up to the financial crisis, lenders could hand off loans, many of which were high-risk, to other companies for a fee. Without skin in the game, they could then continue to make risky loans.

Read the full article here.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

531 South Third St - GA7549030 - $269,900



531 THIRD ST S
OAKLAND, MD 21550

Restored craftsman style home within walking distance to historic downtown Oakland. Upgrades include high efficiency boiler & instant, tankless hot water system. Other great features include a full acre of land, original woodwork & trim, and sun-room.

Contact Jay Ferguson @ 301-501-0420 or DeepCreekLaker@Gmail.com for more information or to setup a private showing for this property.

Listing # GA7549030
$269,900


If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

They Don't Just Sell Cookies



Local Girl Scout Quinn McClean is pictured as she scales a rock wall at Cooper's Rock, Morgantown, W.Va. This is just one of multiple activities in which the local Girl Scouts engage, from rock climbing to camping, from traveling to see Broadway shows to jumping into the ocean's surf. The Girl Scouts of America celebrated its 99th anniversary on March 12, and as the organization marches into its 100th year, local Scouts are charging ahead as well, with a wide range of events, activities, and service projects planned for this spring and summer. New members and adults volunteers are always welcome. See feature story.

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Support the Republican Newspaper! It's only $9.95/year for the online edition!

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.

877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

Garrett County's FY 2012 Draft Budget Is Online


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Support the Republican Newspaper! It's only $9.95/year for the online edition! Mar. 24, 2011 County administrator Monty Pagenhardt announced yesterday that the Fiscal Year 2012 Garrett County government draft budget is now online. Interested persons can find this link at http://www.garrettcounty.org/Commissioners/budget12/2012Requested.pdf


The document outlines various revenue sources for the county totaling $69.2 million in the coming fiscal year. The county's income this year is $84.9 million. Proposed expenditures in FY '12 include $28.7 million for the Board of Education, compared to $24.3 million in FY 2011; $500,000 for the Garrett County Scholarship Program, which is the same as last year's allocation; $19.9 million for the Roads Department, which would be $3.3 million more than last year; a $200,000 decrease for public safety; and a $1.8 million decrease for economic development.


The county commissioners will approve the new budget and set county tax rates shortly before the new fiscal year starts on July 1. Read the full article here.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.

877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!


Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

Sound Levels for Boats on Deep Creek Lake

By: Mike Kennedy March 27th, 2011 Railey Realty Blog The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold an upcoming public hearing to discuss noise levels for boats using Deep Creek Lake. The hearing will be held on Thursday, May 26 at 6:00 pm at the Deep Creek Lake Discovery Center at the State Park. In recent years many real estate and homeowners around Deep Creek Lake have indicated a desire for more stringent noise level requirements for power boats and personal watercraft. If you can not attend the meeting and still want to voice your opinion you can contact Mike Grant who is the Regulations Coordinator for Boating Services. His e-mail address is mgrant@dnr.state.md.us If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.

877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!


Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

Pending home sales unexpectedly rise in February

WASHINGTON | Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:59am EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pending sales of previously owned U.S. homes unexpectedly rose in February, a trade group said on Monday, pointing to a modest pick-up in home sales.

The National Association of Realtors said its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in February, increased 2.1 percent to 90.8.

Economists had expected the index, which leads existing home sales by a month or two, to fall 1.0 percent after a previously reported 2.8 percent decline.

Read the full article here.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

Monday, March 28, 2011

True Sign Of Spring - Republican Newspaper



A search for a favorite harbinger of spring was rewarded last Saturday to Mtn. Lake Park resident and wildlife photographer Fran Pope. What she was looking for, and found, was this "mourning cloak" butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa) resting in a sunny spot in the Potomac State Forest. Adult mourning cloaks are probably the longest-lived butterfly in North America, Pope said, some surviving in excess of 10 months. Often the species is the first butterfly seen in the spring because they overwinter as adults. This one shows a little wear and tear, Pope noted, but not so bad for spending a cold winter tucked into a safe place in the woods, perhaps a hollow tree. Mourning cloaks, which in 2001 were named the Montana state butterfly, are found almost everywhere throughout North America and range south to central Mexico. Hopefully he will weather today's chilly temps and flurries, which are to continue on and off for several days.

'Like' on Facebook!

Support the Republican Newspaper! It's only $9.95/year for the online edition!

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.

877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

Annapolis Notes - March 28

Bonding over shale

A debate over Western Maryland’s Marcellus Shale geologic formation, a rich natural-gas reserve, divided urban and rural legislators and pitted Republicans against Democrats — which, some say, is two ways of describing the same thing.

Del. Wendell R. Beitzel, R-Garrett, backed drilling as a boon for Western Maryland and tried several times to defeat or amend the bill, but skeptics say the drilling method has potential dangers.

The formation is in Garrett County and parts of Allegany County. (An analysis of the bill states that it’s in Washington County, too, but Beitzel said that’s not true.)

The final vote was 98-40, mostly with Democrats supporting the slowdown and Republicans opposed.

One exception was Del. John P. Donoghue, D-Washington, who voted with local Republicans, including Beitzel, LeRoy E. Myers Jr., Andrew A. Serafini, Neil C. Parrott and Michael J. Hough.

Afterward, Donoghue said Marcellus drilling is an economic issue, particularly as energy prices soar.

“I think the folks in Garrett County probably need an injection of some good luck,” he said. “And if it comes through the drilling, I think that’s terrific. They can desperately use the jobs and the money.”

Read the full article here.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
Visit the 'I Love Deep Creek & Garrett County group' on Facebook! News, events, photos, real estate, community, info, more! 1,750+ members & growing!

Garrett taking varied approaches to development

Jeffrey Alderton
Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Mon Mar 28, 2011, 08:00 AM EDT

OAKLAND — Garrett County is pursuing economic development on several fronts, including investing in the county’s high school graduates by offering them two-year scholarships to attend Garrett College.

For the past several years, Garrett County has offered to pay full tuition for students who are completing their final year of high school.

Whether pursuing education in the academic field or technical training, the county will pay tuition for two full years at Garrett College. The funds are paid through the Garrett County Scholarship Program.

At a cost of several hundred thousand dollars annually, the county foots the bill not only for its high school seniors enrolling in Garrett College, but also for graduates of GED programs.

“We think the best thing we can do is prepare young people for a career,” said Jim Hinebaugh, director of Garrett County Economic Development. “We have also expanded the program from academic training to vocational and technical training.”

According to Decision Data Resources, Demographic Details Comparison Report of October 2010, the median household income (middle of the income range) in Garrett County was $44,908 and the average household income was $58,997. Per-capita income was recorded at $26,449, according to the report that showed a total of 12,969 households in Garrett County.

By comparison, the average in the nine-county region that includes Allegany, Garrett, Bedford, Fayette, Somerset, Grant, Mineral, Preston and Tucker counties with a total of 181,772 households was $37,612 for median household income, $49,335 average household income and per-capita income of $21,133.

Labor force statistics from the same report showed unemployment in September at 6.9 percent in Garrett County with the average in the nine-county region at 9.1 percent. There were 16,369 people in the labor force that month in the county with 1,125 unemployed. The county’s unemployment rate stood at 8.3 percent in December.

The county will receive $1.9 million in business utility taxes from Constellation Energy’s 28 wind turbines on Backbone Mountain and 20 wind turbines operated there by Synergics. The revenue will reduce to $850,000 per year after a 22-year depreciation schedule.

Also, Garrett County is awaiting legislative developments that may allow drilling in the vast natural gas-bearing Marcellus shale rock formation. Geologists have estimated resources of 128,000 acres of viable natural gas in all of Garrett County.

If approved through legislation and regulatory procedures, the Marcellus shale industry will bring royalties and leasing revenue to landowners and subsequent severance and income tax revenue to the county. Businesses in Garrett County will benefit by providing ancillary services to the industry such as excavation work, food service, worker housing, supplies, road building materials, fuel, etc.

Drilling for natural gas in Marcellus shale is already under way in nearby Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Contact Jeffrey Alderton at jlalderton@times-news.com

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
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Delegates send $14.6 billion budget to Senate

Annie Linskey reports:

The House of Delegates voted Thursday to approve a $14.6 billion plan to fund day-to-day state government operations, over the vehement objections from Republicans who had pushed for deeper cuts and opposed new fees.

Delegates voted 97 to 42 to approve the budget, with one Republican joining the Democrats to support the plan.

The budget calls for Marylanders to pay higher fees at the Motor Vehicle Administration to register new vehicle titles or use vanity license plates. Fees for recording land transactions would also go up.

The budget doesn’t contain any new taxes — yet. The plan now goes to the Senate, where a key committee voted yesterday to raise the sales tax on alcohol from 6 percent to 9 percent, an increase that would be phased in over three years.

House Democratic leaders touted extensive behind-the-scenes work during the first ten weeks of the legislative session to rejigger spending within Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley’s plan and restore $60 million in cuts to education. Their reworked plan would also give counties and cities some more money to fix roads.

Read the full article here.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
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Marcellus Shale Drilling Moratorium Poised For House Passage

By David Saleh Rauf

ANNAPOLIS - Legislation to create a temporary moratorium on natural gas drilling in Western Maryland's Marcellus Shale deposits appears poised for passage in the House of Delegates.

The full House gave the bill preliminary approval Tuesday after the chamber rejected five amendments and an attempt to shelve debate by the proposal's staunchest opponent, Delegate Wendell Beitzel, R-Garrett.

The bill, dubbed the "Maryland Shale Safe Drilling Act of 2011," would restrict drilling in Maryland's slice of the Marcellus formation until 2013, when two state agencies would be required to complete a study that outlines the potential environmental impact associated with a drilling method called hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking."

The technique, which pumps water mixed with chemicals into rock formations, has been touted as a technological breakthrough because it allows oil and gas companies to drill deeper and horizontally to extract natural gas from the formation for the first time.

Read the full article here.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
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Sunday, March 27, 2011

Educators, County Employees Offered Cash Incentives To Retire By June 30

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Mar. 24, 2011

As part of an effort to address a pending budgetary crisis facing the Garrett County Board of Education, all employees of the board who will be eligible to retire at the end of the current fiscal year – from teachers to administrators to non-certified staff members – received a letter this past week from superintendent Wendell Teets and union representative Steve Benson offering the employees a cash incentive to retire.
A similar voluntary retirement incentive plan was subsequently offered by the Garrett County commissioners to all county employees, most of whom received their letters yesterday.

"The board [of education] is faced with making some very difficult decisions for next year, including a possible reduction in force, resulting in loss of employment and the elimination of educational programs that are vital to our students," the letter from Teets and Benson said in part.

The board of education employees who have at least 30 years of service in the Garrett County system are being offered a one-time cash payment of 15% of their current salary if they retire this year, up to a maximum of $10,000. Any employee age 55 with at least 25 years of service, and those who are age 62 with at least five consecutive years of service within the local system are eligible to participate in the incentive plan.

The percentage of salary offered decreases by .5% with each year fewer than 30, so an employee with 25 years of service is being offered 12.5% of his/her salary. Those with five years of continuous service and eligible to retire because of age would receive an incentive bonus of 2.5% of their current salary.

The plan will be presented to the Garrett County Board of Education at its April meeting, but only if a minimum of 15 certified employees and three non-certified employees agree to participate. Employees have until Wednesday, April 13, to render their decisions.

If the program is enacted by the board, then the decisions of the employees would be binding. If it is not approved by the board, then an employee agreeing to participate would not be obligated to retire.

The offer by the county commissioners to county employees is similar; however, the incentive percentage increases for those employees with more than 30 years of service.

Read the full article here.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.

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Sitting atop huge gas reserve, Maryland debates drilling practice known as fracking

By Darryl Fears, Sunday, March 27, 6:21 PM
Natural gas is often hailed as the most promising energy source to feed America’s power-hungry future: cleaner than coal and oil, and free of the fears surrounding nuclear power. And sitting atop one of the largest gas reserves in the world, Maryland is one of several Chesapeake Bay region states that stand to profit handsomely.

But the process of drilling for the “clean fuel” is now embattled, as the Maryland General Assembly recently sought to do what no other state in the region has done. Before a single well has been drilled, it moved to ban the practice, boldly stepping into the center of a heated conflict.

In a vote that reflects growing national concern over the practice known as hydraulic fracturing, state lawmakers in the House on Wednesday passed a bill that would essentially place a moratorium on drilling until the Maryland Department of the Environment completes a two-year study to determine whether it endangers drinking water and public health, as some environmentalists in nearby states that allow drilling charge.

“We’re not going to be like other states that drilled first and asked questions later,” said Maryland Del. Heather R. Mizeur (D-Montgomery), who drafted and sponsored the legislation. “We understand that second chances are expensive, so we should slow down and take the time to do this right the first time.”

Read the full article here.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
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Saturday, March 26, 2011

Our Town Theatre To Stage Farce

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Reservations are now being taken for OTT’s next stage production, an Irish comedy titled The Walworth Farce. The show, a dark Irish comedy written by Enda Walsh, will be given at the theatre in Oakland from March 30 through April 3, with shows at 8 p.m. on each date except April 3, when it will be presented at 2 p.m. Persons may make ticket reservations by calling the theatre at 301-334-5640. According to Jane Avery and Richard Hill, co-directors, the play is "a play within a play" about three Irish men, a father and two sons, who live in a rundown council flat on Walworth Road in south London. “They never leave and have not left for 20 years, and each day they perform a farce,” Hill said. “Each day the same, each day the same play. Only Sean leaves each day to buy the food for the play at Tesco, a supermarket in London.” Pictured from left are Dylan Barnard as Sean, Mikey Virts as Blake, Richard Hill as Dinny, and Jennifer Virts as Hayley, an employee of Tesco. The play is dark and irreverent, yet "hysterically funny," Hill said. It is designed for mature audiences.

Read more here.


If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.

877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
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Friday, March 25, 2011

GC Commissioners Approve Pee Wee Hill Water Project

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Mar. 24, 2011


Pee Wee Hill and Kitzmiller Road residents will soon have something many other people in Garrett County probably take for granted: a reliable, abundant supply of clean water. Immediately following public hearings last Thursday afternoon, the Garrett County commissioners approved the Pee Wee Hill Water Supply Replacement Project.

Creation of a new service area and water/sewer master plan amendment were also approved for the project.

The Abandoned Mine Land Division (AMLD) of the Maryland Department of the Environment's Land Management Administration will cover the entire $1.4 million project.

"A lot of those people there don't have water," Director Linda Lindsey, Garrett County Department of Public Utilities (DPU), told the previous board of commissioners last June when the project was being planned. "They've drilled numerous wells – over again, very deep. They might get ½ a gallon a minute, if they're lucky."

Last year, the AMLD hired CTL Engineering of West Virginia Inc. to determine if abandoned coal mines have impacted the quality/quantity of private water supplies in the Pee Wee Hill area.

Maps and records indicated that substantial mining activity occurred there and that all the deep mining was performed prior to the Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, making the project eligible for AMLD funding.

The CTL study found that water wells in the Pee Wee Hill area were drilled to depths that intersect the mined coal seams or at least the fractured strata zone above the seams, which creates a hydrologic connection between the wells and the abandoned mines.

The coal structure declines to the southeast toward the North Branch of the Potomac River, where there are several visible mine drains entering the river. This indicates that the aquifers are being dewatered at these locations and that during dry periods insufficient recharge of the wells would occur.

The study also included a field evaluation of the water supply for residences in the Pee Wee Road and Kitzmiller Road area, and draw-down tests were performed on four wells.

"Of 21 residents interviewed," Lindsey said, "eight indicated concerns with their wells regarding quantity, including minimal flow, slow recovery, and insufficient supply during dry weather conditions. One resident was currently hauling water for daily use. Seven residents stated their concerns regarding poor water quality."

Read the full article here.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.

877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
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Garrett records first rabies case of year

From Staff Reports
Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Sat Mar 26, 2011, 08:00 AM EDT

OAKLAND — A raccoon that was involved in an incident with a dog in the Shady Dell Road area tested positive for rabies and is the first confirmed case in the county this year, according to Environmental Health Services of the Garrett County Health Department.

The incident occurred Tuesday and the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Rabies laboratory in Baltimore confirmed the positive result for rabies Wednesday.

The dog had a current rabies vaccination, was revaccinated against the virus and will be watched closely for 45 days. There was no human exposure.

Pet owners should check the vaccination status of their dogs, cats and ferrets. The first rabies shot that a pet receives is good for one year. After that, the rabies shot for a dog or cat is good for three years. Ferrets must be vaccinated annually against rabies.

The health department will hold its first round of low-cost rabies clinics throughout the county in May. Questions regarding rabies can be directed to 301-334-7760 or 301-895-3111.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
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Thursday, March 24, 2011

House OKs plan for 2-year study before allowing gas drilling in Marcellus Shale in western Md.

BRIAN WITTE Associated Press
First Posted: March 23, 2011 - 12:36 pm
Last Updated: March 23, 2011 - 3:51 pm

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Natural gas drilling in western Maryland would be restricted until the state finishes a two-year study under a bill passed by House lawmakers on Wednesday.

The House of Delegates voted 98-40 to approve the measure on drilling in the Marcellus Shale region in far western Maryland.

A permit for drilling could be granted by the state before the study is completed in 2013, if it is shown that drilling could be done without harming health or the environment. But opponents of the bill say it essentially amounts to a two-year moratorium on drilling that could bring needed revenue to western Maryland and the state.

Supporters, however, said further study is needed to make sure the hydraulic fracturing method used to recover the natural gas doesn't pose health or environmental risks.

The process involves blasting millions of gallons of chemical-laced water thousands of feet underground to crack shale and release natural gas trapped inside. The Environmental Protection Agency is examining the process to see if it may contaminate drinking water supplies.

Delegate Heather Mizeur, a Montgomery County Democrat who sponsored the bill, said she has received 400 emails from Garrett County residents who support the bill, because they have concerns about the drilling.

Read the full article here.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.
877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
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