A sampling of those apparently owing back taxes to Garrett County government ..

with amount owed as derived from the Garrett County Government list of Deep Creek tax sale properties.

THOUSAND ACRES DEVELOPMENTS INC, $32,509.48
RIGALCO LLC, $15,023.36
NORTH CAMP INVESTMENTS, LLC, $16,442.81 (Lot 62)
NORTH CAMP INVESTMENTS, LLC, $13,781.59 (Lot 60)
NORTH CAMP INVESTMENTS, LLC, $9,941.50 (Lot 58)
NORTH CAMP INVESTMENTS, LLC, $14,445.92 (Lot 57)
GYNONC.TECH- LLC, $9,454.95
SILVERTREE ENTERPRISES LLC, $5,653.26
DEEP CREEK INVESTMENT & MANAGEMENT, $4,899.49 (Unit 316)
DEEP CREEK INVESTMENT & MANAGEMENT, $4,899.49 (Unit 314)
DEEP CREEK INVESTMENT & MANAGEMENT, $4,899.49 (Unit 310)
DEEP CREEK INVESTMENT & MANAGEMENT, $5,653.26 (Unit 308)
DEEP CREEK INVESTMENT & MANAGEMENT, $5,653.26 (Unit 306)
DEEP CREEK INVESTMENT & MANAGEMENT, $5,653.26 (Unit 304)
DEEP CREEK INVESTMENT & MANAGEMENT, $4,899.49 (Unit 216)
DEEP CREEK INVESTMENT & MANAGEMENT, $4,899.49 (Unit 214)
DEEP CREEK INVESTMENT & MANAGEMENT, $4,899.49 (Unit 210)
DEEP CREEK INVESTMENT & MANAGEMENT, $6,792.73 (Unit 208)
DEEP CREEK INVESTMENT & MANAGEMENT, $6,792.73 (Unit 204)
DEEP CREEK INVESTMENT & MANAGEMENT, $6,792.73 (Unit 126)
DEEP CREEK INVESTMENT & MANAGEMENT, $4,899.49 (Unit 124)
DEEP CREEK INVESTMENT & MANAGEMENT, $4,899.49 (Unit 122)
DEEP CREEK INVESTMENT & MANAGEMENT, $6,792.73 (Unit 114)
M & M DEVELOPMENT LLC, $6,345.04
M & M DEVELOPMENT LLC, $2,135.68
RAILEYWOOD- LLC, $4,025.02

And, as indicated, this is only a sampling of the full list.

This blogger questions how many of these folks are actively encouraging county government to support more Deep Creek tourism development to help line their pockets at the same time they appear to be circumventing their obligations to county government (at least according to the county government's list of those owing back taxes)?

I'd also venture to say that these represent a number of additional distressed situations. Want to see who is behind these LLCs, go here and sign up for a free account.

Don't forget to check back to Dan's Deep Creek Blog for your future updates on Deep Creek real estate statistics.

Lost in the discussion over closing a pair of Garrett County elementary schools ..

is further evidence that the leaders in Garrett County, and in turn local policy, continue to favor tourism over families. See this week's story from the Times-News and look no further than the facts on student enrollment for the evidence.

"Enrollment in Garrett County has declined by around 10 percent over the last decade and is expected to decline another 10 percent by 2019, data shows."

Tourism, up; local families, down.

Don't forget to check back to Dan's Deep Creek Blog for your future updates on Deep Creek real estate.

Local river named one of the ten most endangered in the country ..

Here's the synopsis:

7) Laurel Hill Creek

Location: Pennsylvania

Known for its fishing, swimming and kayaking, this popular vacation spot faces threats from a bottling plant and tourism-related development. Without adequate planning and safeguards, withdrawals will continue to exceed the creek's reasonable capacity, putting recreation, the local water supply, and fish and wildlife in jeopardy.

You can read the complete story at CNN.com and a more complete profile here.

Don't forget to check back to Dan's Deep Creek Blog for future updates.

More of the same .. DNR Police Blotter ..

Remember to venture out onto Deep Creek Lake at your own risk. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources recently provided another weekend's worth of alcohol related arrests on Deep Creek Lake. It's good to see that they are doing their job, but wouldn't it be nice if they were doing their job and didn't have to arrest anyone, just one weekend?

Garrett County – On Saturday, Aug. 30, at 10:00 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Jan W. Leonard, 62, of Salt Lake City, Utah with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol on Deep Creek Lake.

NRP stopped Leonard for allegedly not displaying proper navigational lights on his vessel. Leonard was arrested and charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol and or drugs and operating a vessel between the hours of sunset and sunrise without proper navigation lights. He was released on his signature.

Garrett County – On Monday, Sept. 1, at 8:05 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Anthony J. Lagratta, 51, of Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol on Deep Creek Lake.

NRP stopped Lagratta for allegedly not displaying proper navigational lights on his vessel. Lagratta was arrested and charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol and or drugs and operating a vessel between the hours of sunset and sunrise without proper navigation lights. He was released on his signature.

Garrett County – On Sunday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Thomas A. Walsh, 46, of Walkersville with operating a personal watercraft while under the influence of alcohol on Deep Creek Lake.

NRP stopped Walsh for allegedly towing individuals on a tube within 100 feet of a dock. Walsh was arrested and charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol and or drugs and towing a person within 100 feet of a dock. He was released on his signature.

NRP reminds persons operating vessels while towing a person on water skis, aquaplane, or similar device must keep 100 feet from wharfs, piers, pilings, jetties, bridge structures or abutments, individual or individuals in the water, and other vessels.

Garrett County – On Saturday, Aug. 30, at 7:45 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Jonathan C. Voelker, 24, of Bethel Park, Pa. with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol on Deep Creek Lake.

NRP stopped Voelker for allegedly operating his vessel in a negligent manner. Voelker was arrested and transported to the Maryland State Police McHenry Barrack for processing and charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol and or drugs and negligent operation. He was released on his signature.

Garrett County – On Friday, Aug. 29, at 8 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged August D. Savio, 55, of Oakmont, Pa. with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol on Deep Creek Lake.

NRP stopped and checked Savio and his passenger while they were fishing. Savio was arrested and transported to the Maryland State Police McHenry Barrack for processing and charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol and or drugs. He was released on his signature.

Don't forget to check back to Dan's Deep Creek Blog for future updates.

The epidemic continues ..

as out-of-town vacationers continue to make Garrett County and Deep Creek Lake too dangerous for residents to enjoy. Thankfully, some of these people are being arrested and charged, but given the large numbers one has to wonder how many more are out there endangering the safety of everyone else. We can only hope that each of them is being prosecuted to the full extent of the law and not just getting off with a slap on the wrist if they are in fact found guilty. After some of these trial dates pass I will give an update to see just what penalties were imposed.

I've copied the following from the DNR Police Blotter update of 8/5/08 as a follow-up to a previous posting on one clear downside of unregulated tourism in Garrett County.

Garrett County – On Friday, August 1, at 8 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Brian A. Blough, 29, of Odenton with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol on Deep Creek Lake near the Route 219 Bridge.

NRP stopped Blough after observing a passenger on his pontoon boat riding with their legs hanging off the stern of the vessel. During the course of the stop Blough was arrested and charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol and or drugs and negligent operation. He was released on his signature.

Garrett County - On Friday, August 1, at 8:45 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Scott J. Scherbenske, 47, of Chantilly, Va. with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol on Deep Creek Lake.

NRP stopped Scherbenske for allegedly not displaying proper navigational lights on his vessel. Scherbenske was arrested and transported to the Maryland State Police McHenry Barrack for processing and charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol and or drugs and operating a vessel between the hours of sunset and sunrise without proper navigation lights. He was released on his signature. A court date of Oct. 22 has been scheduled for Scherbenske in Garrett County District Court.

Garrett County – On Saturday, August 2, at 8:45 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Cheryl L. Hanna, 41, of Mars, Pa. with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol on Deep Creek Lake.

NRP stopped Hanna for allegedly not displaying proper navigational lights on his vessel. Hanna was arrested and transported to the Maryland State Police McHenry Barrack for processing and charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol and or drugs and operating a vessel between the hours of sunset and sunrise without proper navigation lights. She was released on her signature. A court date of Oct. 22 has been scheduled for Hanna in Garrett County District Court.

Don't forget to check back to Dan's Deep Creek Blog for future updates.

Someone else realizes that an economy based solely on tourism is not in the best interest of all in Garrett County ..

Curious what else was out there on tourism in Garrett County I did a quick Yahoo! search on the topic and found this executive summary from Garrett County Community Action detailing some of the employment trends in the small town of Accident not far from Deep Creek Lake.

The following is a excerpt from this executive summary, in which I have highlighted a few keys points:

"In some regards, Accident's demographic and economic trends mirror those changes that are occurring in the county. There are some important trends in Accident that should be taken into consideration when planning for future development:

 The population increases in the community are a positive signal. However, growth appears to be occurring in the youngest and oldest segments of the population. Adults that are in their greatest income producing years have left the community.

 Household incomes have grown as they have in the county. However, Accident's median household income is well below that of the county and is only 60% of the national average.

 Economic trends indicate that Accident's job growth has occurred in those categories that support the county's growing tourism industry: construction, and entertainment/lodging/food service. The declines in mining and manufacturing jobs signal the loss of higher wage jobs that have more than likely been replaced by lower paying jobs."

So to summarize, Accident trends in many ways mirror the county as a whole. In Accident, many adults in their peak income years have left the area (not unlike myself and nearly all of those who I grew up with in Garrett County) and low paying tourism jobs have replaced higher wage jobs. Pretty much as I put it in my own posting on Garrett County tourism.

As I have said before, the leaders in Garrett County should not be fooled into focusing solely on tourism at the expense of other industries. And until someone proves otherwise I will remain convinced that more tourism equals more low paying jobs for the residents of Garrett County. Along those lines I am very happy to see that Sarah Moses of the Cumberland Times-News has reported that efforts are being made to improve local job training in the areas of "welding, machining, metal fabrication, HVAC, masonry, carpentry, CAD/CAM, metal finishing/painting and robotics." Careers in these specialty trades might require someone to get their hands dirty and might not be easy but based on the data shown previously they are certainly more likely to put food on the table than those low paying leisure and hospitality jobs.

I applaud the commissioners for their efforts as well and am glad to see that they are taking steps to provide real career opportunities for the residents of Garrett County. I can only hope that they continue to make more strides in that direction and hopefully begin to reverse some of those negative trends noted in the Community Action summary.

Don't forget to check back to Dan's Deep Creek Blog for future updates.

America's Most Visited Tourist Sites ..

After last week's posting on tourism in Garrett County I accidentally found some data on America's 25 most visited tourists sites in Forbes Magazine. I've compiled this data in a table and added Garrett County to the mix to show just where it would fit in if it attracted tourists at the the same per capita rate as Mykonsos. As you can see this puts Garrett County right there with all the corporate theme parks, a number of urban centers and even ahead of tourist havens such as Atlantic City, NJ which I previously mentioned in a Garrett County tourism posting. I don't know about you but I'd rather not see Garrett County turned into a theme park or the 14th most visited site in the US.


Don't forget to check back to Dan's Deep Creek Blog for future updates.

With more and more people promoting more and more tourism, one has to ask whether it is safe to travel to DCL as it is?

One thing is certain, the Maryland State Police (MSP) and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Natural Resources Police (NRP) are definitely not resting on their laurels in the Deep Creek Area. A quick trip over the DNR website revealed the following incidents at or near Deep Creek Lake this month alone.

I have copied these news items from DNR website under the DNR Police Blotter tags, just this month (with one week remaining):

Garrett County – On Tuesday, July 1, at 9 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged William H. Fredlock IV, 43, of Swanton with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol on Deep Creek Lake.

NRP stopped Fredlock for allegedly not displaying proper navigational lights on his vessel. Fredlock was transported to the Garrett County Sheriff's Office for processing and charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol and or drugs, negligent operation and operating a vessel between the hours of sunset and sunrise without proper navigation lights. He was released on his signature.

Garrett County – On Friday, July 4, at 7:50 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Cory R. Chaney, 64, of Frederick with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol on Deep Creek Lake.

NRP stopped Chaney after receiving reports from concerned citizens of a possible intoxicated boat operator on the lake. Chaney was arrested and charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol and or drugs. He was released on his signature.

Garrett County – On Friday, July 4, at 11:35 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Timothy I. Rowan, 21, of Mount Airy with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol on Deep Creek Lake.

NRP stopped Rowan for allegedly not displaying proper navigational lights on his vessel. Rowan was arrested and transported to the Maryland State Police McHenry Barrack for processing and charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol and or drugs and negligent operation. He was released on his signature.

Garrett County – On Saturday, July 5, at 6 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Dennis R. Strawderman Jr., 27, of Reisterstown with operating his personal watercraft (PWC) while intoxicated on Deep Creek Lake.

NRP stopped Strawderman for allegedly operating a PWC at a high rate of speed between the NRP boat dock and the shoreline. Strawderman was arrested and charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol and or drugs and operating a PWC in excess of 6 knots within 100 feet of shore. He was released on his signature.

NRP reminds persons operating personal watercraft within 100 feet of the shore, wharfs, piers, pilings, jetties, bridge structures or abutments, individual or individuals in the water, and other vessels may not exceed a speed of 6 knots at anytime.

Garrett County – On Saturday, July 19, at 4:30 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police investigated a boating accident in the main body of Deep Creek Lake.

Che F. Moore, 38, of Verona, Pa. was operating a rented personal watercraft (PWC) when he struck the stern of a pontoon boat operated by Kevin Beattie, of Pittsburgh, Pa. No one was injured in the collision. NRP charged Moore with negligent operation of a vessel and operating a personal watercraft at greater than six knots within 100 foot of another vessel.

Garrett County – On Saturday, July 19, at 6:45 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged Faith M. Lasica, 51, of McKeesport, Pa. with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol on the Youghiogheny River Reservoir.

NRP stopped Lasica for allegedly operating her pontoon boat in an erratic manner. Lasica was transported to the Maryland State Police McHenry Barrack for processing and charged with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol and or drugs and negligent operation.

Garrett County – On Saturday, July 19, at 11:45 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged a Frederick man with driving while intoxicated on Mayhew Inn Road.

NRP initiated a traffic stop on Stanley R. Powell Jr., 30, of Frederick for allegedly operating an all terrain vehicle of the roadway. During the course of the traffic stop, Powell was arrested and transported to the Maryland State Police McHenry Barrack for processing. Powell was charged with driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and driving a vehicle while impaired by alcohol. He was released on his signature.

Garrett County – On Tuesday, July 23, at 11:30 p.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police investigated a boating accident in the McHenry Cove area of Deep Creek Lake.

Aaron G. Mummert, 32, of Hanover, Pa. was operating an 18-foot motor vessel with three passengers onboard when he struck the stern of a 24-foot pontoon boat operated by John C. Ortiz, 29, of Oakland. Mummert's vessel became airborne and landed in front of the pontoon boat.

Two of Mummert's passengers, Nichole S. Reed, 23, of Gettysburg, Pa. and Susan M. Muscleman, 41, of Orrtanna, Pa. were transported to Garrett County Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

NRP charged Mummert with negligent operation of a vessel, failure to maintain a proper look-out, failure to operate at a safe speed to avoid a collision and failure to obtain a certificate of boating safety education. A court date of Oct. 30 has been scheduled for Mummert in Garrett County District Court.

The Deep Creek Volunteer Fire Department, Northern Garrett County Rescue Squad and Southern Garrett County Rescue Squad assisted NRP with the incident.

NRP reminds boaters of the Maryland law that requires anyone born on or after July 1, 1972, must possess a certificate of boating safety education in order to operate any motorized vessel. This certificate is non-renewable and must be carried by the person at all times while operating a vessel. Officers may ask to see the certificate during a vessel check and, if not provided, a person can be charged with a minimum of $25 for the first offense and up to $500 for each offense thereafter.



People want more of this? More drunken tourists to endanger us all? It looks like there is an already epidemic of these type of incidents. And that's only the half of it because I'm sure the Maryland State Police list goes on and on with who only knows what else - DUI, DWI, public intoxication, disturbing the peace, theft, burglary, etc, etc. So much for the tranquil getaway Garrett County used to be, now it's more like an episode of Cops. Maybe that prison is needed, just to restore law and order to the Deep Creek area on any given weekend.

Don't forget to check back to Dan's Deep Creek Blog for future updates.

It's good to know people are still reading this blog ..

The latest evidence of such comes from the most recent editorial in the Republican Newspaper. I'm guessing this is in part a response to my previous posting on Garrett County tourism and me questioning whether tourism was a good for the people of Garrett County as so many people claim. If not, I still feel a few points should be made since as it is this is a very misleading editorial. The editor makes an ok case but while Mykonos is indeed a very popular place visit and one that may seem like home to him, he fails to remember that all things are relative and in doing so has deceived the reader. He describes how Mykonos relies heavily on tourism and mentions that Mykonos and its 5,000 residents would be in "economic trouble" if not for the 900,000 tourists who visit annually. Given that there are approximately 30,000 citizens of Garrett County some 5.4 million tourists would have to visit Garrett County every year (over 100,000 per week) to provide the economic impact to put the two locales on the same level (assuming of course some of that economic impact didn't filter out into PA and WV since as you know Garrett County is not on an island and that the Garrett County tourists were as well off at those in Mykonos). Personally, I'm hoping Garrett County does not deteriorate to that level. Mykonos is an amazing place but they can keep their 900,000 tourists, Garrett County has other economic development options and shouldn't need tourists numbering in the millions.

Or maybe the editor was offering to let them all stay at his house while he is out of the country (on a trip thousands of Garrett County residents currently stuck in low wage retail and leisure and hospitality jobs could never afford)? A place with more than 3 tourists for every resident might sound like an ok place to visit if you could ever get away from all the tourists but not a place I would choose to live and I suspect many residents of Garrett County would agree with me. Just imagine the traffic on 219! Let me help you, imagine in your head the combined traffic from the 4th of July fireworks, Memorial Day weekend, Labor Day weekend and the Garrett County Fair and then remember that this nightmare would pale in comparison to 100,000 people overrunning the county, week after week after week. Imagine the impending flood of desperate workers and street vendors (many perhaps undocumented workers) who would pour into the area looking to make a couple bucks from the tourist trade. So much for small towns and family values, instead think Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Where else could you house so many tourists? I guess this goes to show the vision the editor and others have for Garrett County which can be summed up in a few simple words: tourism before all else!

Don't forget to check back to Dan's Deep Creek Blog for future updates.

Tourism before all else?

Since I starting blogging just a short time ago I have read a lot about the importance of the tourism industry to the Garrett County economy. The editor of the Republican, a number of the Deep Creek real estate blogs and many people I know in Garrett County consider tourism to be the key driver of the local economy. While many state this matter-of-factly few, if any, actually show proof that it is, in fact, true.

The other day while I was browsing around looking for some facts on Garrett County I ran across the following Garrett County employment data from 2006 on the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development website.



As I mentioned, the table shows job and wage data for all of Garrett County in 2006. Now, I want to draw your attention to a particular category in the data, Leisure and Hospitality. These are jobs generally associated with tourism and more tourism brings more leisure and hospitality jobs, but is this actually good for Garrett County? I would contend that the answer to that question is no. Despite being large in number, these jobs are by far the lowest average wage jobs available in the county and are not the jobs people can raise a family on or the jobs that will keep Garrett County's young people from leaving the area in search of better jobs.

Now consider some of the other categories such a manufacturing and state jobs. We hear a lot about tourism development being essential to the local economy but where are the efforts to bring high-paying (at least relative to leisure and hospitality) manufacturing jobs to the county? Some time ago a local real estate agent suggested on his blog that bringing a state prison to the Oakland area would be bad for Garrett County because it might hurt tourism. I would contend that it would actually bring well paying state jobs to the county. Jobs that people could support a family on and stay in Garrett County full-time and buy homes and contribute to the local community in a positive manner. The WCI facility near Cumberland employs some 550 people, some of whom are current or former residents of Garrett County. These kind of state jobs by their very nature have to be located somewhere in the state of Maryland so why not welcome them to the area instead of shunning them in favor of low paying leisure and hospitality jobs? Surely, the county could trade a few tourists for a significant number of good jobs.

So what's the point here? The point is the people of Garrett County should be VERY wary of putting tourism before everything else or considering everything in terms of what it means to the tourism industry. A few weeks ago I was in Atlantic City, NJ and was amazed by the number of tourists there were on the beach and in the casinos (despite the fact that they have wind turbines visible from the beaches I might add). But even more striking was the absolute poverty just steps from the boardwalk where all the tourists were. That is when it dawned on me that all those workers on the boardwalk are working in what would be considered leisure and hospitality jobs or retail jobs, most likely earning minimum wage and living in the poverty-stricken neighborhoods nearby. So while the tourists have a good time and land barons rake in huge profits, the local people suffer (Atlantic City or Garrett County, take your pick).

In short, these leisure and hospitality jobs are not the jobs that Garrett County should be aiming to attract and I would hope that the leaders of the county aren't selling out its citizens in favor of the tourists! Afterall, there can be a balance and it doesn't have to be one or the other. Unfortunately as I see it now, it is tourism before all else (or maybe I've just read too many real estate blogs). Show me I am wrong Garrett County.

Don't forget to check back to Dan's Deep Creek Blog for future updates.