The POA will issue a statement supporting the Land Ordinance Revisions at the open meeting to be held by the Planning Commission. This meeting has been rescheduled for March 6th, 2010, at 10:00 AM in the auditorium at Garrett College in McHenry, MD. These revisions pertain to the Deep Creek Watershed, the Sensitive Areas of Garrett County, and the Subdivision Ordinances that need to be compatible with the Garrett County Comprehensive Plan. The Board of Directors of the Property Owners' Association of Deep Creek Lake has carefully considered these revised Ordinances from the original draft presented in October 2009. The Board feels that, although not every single concern of all persons has been addressed satisfactorily, on balance, they believe that the proposed revisions improve on the original draft. They will recommend that the Planning Commission forward the revisions to the County Commissioners for approval. The revisions are all available on the County's web site at www.garrettcounty.org. Please click on Revisions to Ordinances. Public comments will be taken at the meeting and the public record will remain open for a period of time.

In an attempt to help you understand why these revisions were made, the following is a brief summary:

 

In addition to supporting these revisions, the POA is adding to the position statement the long expressed belief that Garrett County, by not extending any land use controls outside of municipalities or the Deep Creek Watershed, is exposing itself to serious potential harm to both full-time and part-time residents of the county. The absence of countywide zoning has left the county essentially powerless to take any action to impose reasonable controls on the development of uses, such as wind turbines, in stark contrast to all the other counties of Maryland. The POA is urging both the Planning Commission and the County Commissioners to proceed toward the development of minimal land use controls for the entire county.

Due to space limitations, additional information pertaining to the Ordinance Revisions are not included in this Dispatch letter. The POA would refer you to the article in The Republican Newspaper, both on January 21st and January 28th announcing the February 6th (now March 6th) public meeting. It is an excellent summary of the issues that are at stake. Our thanks to Troy Ellington and Lou Battistella for this information.

The January 25, 2010, meeting of the Deep Creek Policy and Review Board was crowded when two representatives of the Brookfield Power Company, which owns and operates the dam, explained that the September, 2009, lake levels were low, although within the rule bands, because there was less rain than usual. They went on to explain that the permit under which the company operates requires specific water releases for whitewater activities, maintaining the flow of the Yough, and maintaining the water temperature for fish. Audience members who asked whether the company would avoid a similar lowering of the lake in September of this year were told that the company's hands are tied because of their permit requirements, which are in effect for the remainder of the 12-year permit (last renewed in 2007). They said we should all hope for rain. The Policy and Review Board appointed a committee to work with Brookfield in hopes of finding some way of dealing with what appears to be an intractable problem.
 
Bob Lunsford, Boating Services, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, announced that the boat noise legislation (S.B. 70) is on track in the Maryland General Assembly. The draft legislation requires that engines manufactured after January 1, 1993, must have (and have constantly operating) a muffler. Persons may not operate a boat manufactured after January 1, 1993, that is equipped with "an alternative muffler or a functioning device that bypasses, reduces, or eliminates the effectiveness of a muffler or engine noise suppression device or system." The penalty for the first offence is $500.00. For the second offense it is $1000.00 or imprisonment or both.
 
The proposed amendments to the lake regulations to expand the number of power boats allowed at docks from two to three, if one is a PWC, have cleared all the necessary procedural hurdles and are ready for final publication. But publication is being held up because 1.) The Superintendent of the Park Service is now reviewing the matter because of the volume of comments that were received, and 2.) There is routine moratorium on work on regulations while the Legislature is in session. Carolyn Mathews, Lake Manager, DNR, said that the Superintendent is exercising her prerogative to review a change in regulations at any time before final publication. Final publication in the Maryland Register will likely occur in April if the Superintendent is satisfied with the proposed amendments. See Carolyn Mathews' comments on this issue in the next article.
 
Please Note: Commercial permitted slips are not to be reserved for a particular homeowner's association. They are rented on a first-come, first- served basis. Therefore it is illegal to reserve slips that exist under a commercial permit. This article was written by POA and Policy and Review Board member Barry Wineberg.

 

Forestry & Natural Resources Career Conference (NRCC)

During the week of July 25 through 31, 2010, the Garrett County Forestry Board, along with other Forestry Boards across Maryland will hold a week-long careers conference for high school students on Forestry and Natural Resources. Our Board would like to encourage the members of the Deep Creek POA to consider having interested high school students apply for this week-long conference and we will also offer financial assistance. The NRCC is presented by the Maryland Association of Forest Conservancy District Boards and the Maryland Forestry Boards Foundation, in partnership with Allegany College of Maryland and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Forest Service. The conference is held at the Hickory Environmental Education Center in Garrett County. At NRCC, we teach high school students about sustainable natural resource management, using our forests and the facilities at Hickory as our classroom. With the pressures facing today's working forests, educating good land stewards has never been more important. For details on the conference including an application form as well as viewing a video of some of the student activities, please visit http://www.gcforest.sailorsite.net/. Our thanks to Chuck Hoffeditz of the Garrett County Forest Conservancy District Board for providing this article.

 

 
The local United Way Campaign is underway and the contribution materials and information are enclosed with this newsletter. The POA Board of Directors has endorsed this charity and encourages POA members to contribute. To obtain United Way funds, an agency must provide data showing specific benefit to Garrett County residents. The supported agencies and their program descriptions are listed in the enclosed information. Please fill out the enclosed form and send it and your contribution in the envelope provided.    
 
COMMUNITY NOTEBOARD
 
A complete listing of the summer 2010 Cultural Events in Garrett County will appear in the spring 2010 Dispatch. Before that issue comes out, the Garrett Lakes Arts Festival (GLAF) will be presenting the Yu Wei Dance Collection on Saturday, April 24th, 2010, at 7:30 PM in the auditorium at Garrett College in McHenry, MD. On Friday, May 21st, 2010, at 7:30 PM, GLAF will present The West Virginians in the auditorium at Garrett College in McHenry, MD. 2010 Season Subscriptions are available at a 10% discount until February 28th, 2010. This entitles you to one ticket to each ticketed event. Call 301-387-3082 or go to www.artsandentertainment.org for tickets and information.