Local airport officials talk FAA shutdown

Matthew Bieniek
Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Tue Jul 26, 2011, 12:07 AM EDT

— CUMBERLAND  — The impact of the partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration would likely impact two local airports very differently.

While issues at the Garrett County Airport are likely to be minimal, those at the Greater Cumberland Regional Airport could be significant.

“The Potomac Highlands Airport Authority is greatly concerned with the shutdown of the FAA as it will further delay our ability to receive grant funding for the ongoing land acquisition project. ... The PHAA currently has a grant application pending with the FAA that cannot be processed as a result of the shutdown,” said Cindy Pyles, the authority’s chairwoman.

Those grants’ funds would go to help pay back a grant from the Maryland Aviation Administration, Pyles said.

The shutdown could also set back the remainder of the land acquisition program, said Pyles. That portion of the program includes “parcels located to the north of the airport in Swan Pond,” said Pyles.

In 2010, the authority garnered $417,752 in federal funds to put toward property acquisitions and easements that are required to expand the airport’s runway protection zone. The purchase process has been slowed by negotiations with landowners and funding issues, according to Times-News reports.

At the smaller Garrett County Airport, the shutdown shouldn’t cause problems, said Ed Kelley, the airport manager.

“No, it won’t have any impact,” Kelley said. “It might take pilots a bit longer to file a flight plan,” he said. Kelley said he knew some larger airports would face more problems because of the shutdown. It might also slow down the grant approval process, he said.

U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski issued a joint statement Friday outlining their concerns about the FAA shutdown.

“Failure to pass an extension will shut down the FAA, affecting approximately 4,000 employees who monitor safety and develop air traffic systems for both civil and military aircraft,” said Cardin, a member of the Senate Budget and Finance committees. “This shutdown will be unprecedented and it will severely harm our economy and everyone who depends on a thriving aviation system. It also is a clear attack on federal employees who manage our nation’s aviation and could have serious safety implications for air travelers.”

The senators said the shutdown could cause economic havoc.

“Without an extension, up to 4,000 FAA employees in 35 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will be furloughed without pay and will lose their health benefits after 30 days. ... Additionally, $49.9 million in funding for projects in DC/Maryland/Virginia combined would be delayed. Without an extension, approximately $200 million a week in airline taxes will not be deposited into the Airport and Airway Trust Fund,” the statement continued.

The shutdown does not affect air traffic controllers.

Contact Matthew Bieniek at mbieniek@times-news.com

More here.

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!

877-563-5350 - toll free

Flying over Deep Creek Lake

A good friend and client of mine, Rick, offered to take me up in his Cirrus sr20 yesterday at the Garrett County Airport (by the way, the renovations are GREAT). Rick has a vacation rental property (Cloud 10) here at the lake that he flies up to check on & make repairs. (Shameless plug: the house is awesome: indoor pool, views of the lake & ski slopes, full arcade, more).

We spent the morning looking at other homes for sale - he insists that the market conditions are ripe for some unbelievable deals (I agree) and plans on investing in several more rental properties in the coming years.

We took off from the airport around 12:45 or so and spent a half hour cruising the skies. His plane is impressive, it even has a parachute! As you can tell from some of the photos, I got to see the Lodestone golf course from the air (looks great), the Adventure Sports Center (ASCI) & the Wisp golf course (I had two of my good buddies playing at the time - didn't see them, though). It's really neat how it all pieces together. Another thing that was unique is seeing just how high these hills are - there is a considerable drop off in elevation when flying over Marsh Mountain and then seeing how far the lake is below. It gave me a better feel of the terrain, as well as the 'hidden' things you don't see from land. A few examples of this: a large, cleared out spot near Lodestone golf course, perhaps the cleared out spot for the future clubhouse or where they keep their sand, etc; a large pond/lake near Mosser Rd with some sort of rock wall in the middle of it (had NEVER seen that before); and lots of carved out spots in dense woods & forests for farms & crops. It's a great perspective of the terrain we are all familiar with.

Of course, I was able to get a good view of the windmills as we flew overhead. I'm starting to get used to seeing them on the horizon now, but it was interesting to see just how high they were in the sky when flying beside them. The southern part of the lake is pretty flat, save for these few ridges and a towering 'hill' at Thousand Acres. I remember seeing the golf course there, as well, but due to the flight path, I couldn't get a clear shot of it. I'm sure Bill Franklin has a photo or two...

Overall, it was a spectacular opportunity to see Deep Creek Lake from a bird's point of view. I'm sure someone offers flights over the county, I'll check into it and report back. Also, go up and check out the 'new' airport - it can accommodate private jets, which is really neat, and makes our area that much more accessible. It's also nice to see federal tax dollars at work in Garrett County. Thanks again to Rick for the flight! Check out his vacation house - Cloud 10.

Here are some photos and a link to the full gallery on Facebook.

If you are thinking of 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! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Do It All specializes in cleaning services in Garrett County & @ Deep Creek Lake. Give them a call (301-501-0217) or visit the website - competitive rates and quality results from a locally owned & operated company!

Garrett County Airport @ Deep Creek Lake Expansion Project Finalized

Support the Republican Newspaper! Buy an online membership!

Seven-Year Long Airport Expansion Project Finalized

Mar. 11, 2010

The Garrett County Airport Runaway Extension Project is officially completed now that all the paperwork has been finalized, airport manager Ed Kelley told the county commissioners on Tuesday.
His announcement was part of a General Services departmental update report presented by director Gary Mullich.

Because of funding issues, the $17.5 million project was conducted in two phases over seven years. Design work and land acquisition began in 2003. Ground was broken in late 2004, and, finally, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the expanded airport last year.

"Construction was completed in 2009, but we were still in the process of completing the paperwork," Kelley said. He noted that pro-cess took about eight months.

Mullich said the commissioners signed off on the airport layout plan about four weeks ago.

"That was the last piece of paperwork to go, which documents everything we've done for the last seven years," the director said.

The project resulted in the airport length being increased by 2,000 feet. Construction there included a new 50-foot parallel taxiway, 24 airplane T-hangars, terminal and equipment buildings, and water/sewer lines. A new trackless vehicle, an upgraded AWOS (automated weather observing system), a new card reader system, and new security system were also added.

Funding came from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), about 82 percent, or $14.4 million; Garrett County, about 14 percent, or $2.4 million; Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA), about 4 percent, or $691,000; and Federal Emergency Management Agency, about .002 percent, or $37,500.

Kelley said he compiled some before-construction and after-construction statistics, which indicate the expansion costs were a "very good investment" for the county.

In 2004, total sales at the airport amounted to $28,889, compared to $183,476 last year, according to Kelley.

"So, you can see the large jump in total sales," he told the commissioners.

The average number of flights per day also increased. In '04, there were 4.55 per day, compared to 7.85 last year when the expansion project was completed.

Kelley also noted there was a "large jump" in jet A fuel and avgas sales. In '04, there were 8,465 gallons sold for a total income of $22,628. Last year, 24,349 gallons were sold, garnering the county $96,078.

More hangars at the airport also means more income for the county. In '04, the county had only four hangars and received $3,760 in rent. Last year's income was $76,806.

Read the rest of the article here.

If you are thinking of 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! 877-563-5350

County Landfill, Airport Usage Down For 2009

Support the Republican Newspaper! Buy an online membership! It's only $9.95 a year!

County Landfill, Airport Usage Down For 2009


Jan. 21, 2010

Garrett County landfill usage was down last year, General Services director Gary Mullich told the county commissioners during a departmental update report on Tuesday afternoon. The director also reported on airport usage and a possible location for the roads department office.
Mullich said the amount of construction waste being brought to the landfill was down 21 percent in 2009, compared to the previous year.



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

Photos of Downburst on Oakland Sang Run Rd

DSC00921, originally uploaded by deepcreeklocal.

Photo Gallery

After turning on WKHJ in the morning on Thursday, I heard that a tornado (it was later determined to be a 'downburst') had touched down on Oakland Sang Run Rd from the storms the night before. It's not every day that this happens in Garrett County, so I jumped in my car to see what had happened.

It brought back memories for me, as some friends of mine and I had searched for remnants of a tornado many years earlier. I think it was 1999 or 2000, but a tornado had touched down near the Garrett County airport (among other places) and we were driving up to check on my friends airplane. When we got to the entrance fo the airport, there were 3 or 4 huge trees down, blocking the road. We climbed over the trees and walked up to the runway. Had I not seen this, I never would have believed it:

As we walked up to runway, there was a Cessna chained down to the asphalt. In the middle of the wing, there was a twig - not a stick or a branch - but a twig that had been 'pushed' through 2 feet or so of the fiberglass wing on the airplane. It was quite a sight, and it was inconveniently before time were digital cameras were prevalent, so I have no photos. Anyway, seeing that I have credentials as a day-after 'tornado chaser', I was anxious to see what happened near the Wisp Ski Resort.

As you can see from the photos, whatever it was was powerful enough to break off these mature trees near mid-trunk. Thankfully, the damage was not extensive and there were no major injuries, but it doesn't really compare to the fallout from the tornado in 1999/2000.