PRSTD STD US Postage Paid Permit No. 145 Waldorf

PRSTD STD US Postage Paid Permit No. 145 Waldorf, MD

Thursday, July 12, 2007 • St. Mary’s County, Maryland

Established 2006 • Volume 2 • Issue 28 • FREE

Swimmers Are Warned To Look Out For Contaminated Beaches

Sewage Treatment Plant Nearing Capacity

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer

Photo by Guy Leonard

A sign posted by the St. Mary’s County Health Department warns swimmers against going into the water at Elms Beach in Dameron July 9 because of high levels of bacterial contamination. The health department issued a similar warning for Sanners Lake, a freshwater body, in Lexington Park.

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer As of July 10 the St. Mary’s County Health Department was warning swimmers to avoid diving into the waters at Elms Beach in Dameron and at Sanners Lake in Lexington Park because tests had revealed bacterial contamination.

Currently these are the only two beaches of the 15 monitored by the health department that are listed as having the potential to cause health prob-

Index

lems from close contact with the water.

The County Times encountered several families swimming at Elms Beach July 9 who had not heard of the contamination warning and who did not see the small signs posted at the beach.

The County Times informed them of the warning and they promptly got out of the water.

The county health department had posted the warnings for the two beaches on their Web site July 5.

The health department expected to have new

Healthy Food List B-4

See Beaches page A-

County Seeking Historic Homes As Local Landmarks

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer

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test results available to the public by July 11.

Ann Rose, an environmental sanitarian supervisor with the health department, said that for the summer season so far results for testing of bacteria at Elms Beach had been low, that was until just before the Independence Day holiday.

High winds and choppy seas could have contributed to the high levels of bacteria in the water, Rose said, as could have high numbers of swimmers in the water.

The county government is getting the word out to owners of potentially historically valuable homes here that they can have their homes designated as county landmarks in an effort to preserve a vital part of St. Mary’s history, officials say.

But the offer so far has been a hard sell.

St. Mary’s County offers tax credits to owners of homes that are at least 50 years old or older if they maintain the house in accordance with guidelines laid down by the county’s Historic Preservation Commission, but so far only one house has been labeled as a historic landmark in that program, which started back in 2003.

“The owner has to initiate the process; it has an obligation but it also has benefit,” said Teresa Wilson, a county

Preservation Planner with the Department of Land Use and Growth Management. “They get a 10 percent tax credit for restoring the house and a five percent credit for any new construction that is sympathetic to the original house.”

The only participants in the program so far have been the owners of St. Michael’s Manor in Scotland, who now run the restored home near Point Lookout State Park as a bed and breakfast.

The requirements for the tax credit and the landmark designation only pertain to the outside of the home, Wilson said, and do not restrict the property owners of a historic home from refurbishing the inside of the house as they see fit.

Wilson said that there are as many as 200 to 300 houses in the county that could meet the designation of being a See Historic Homes page A-

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The Marley-Taylor Water Reclamation Facility has only a few years of sewage treatment capacity left before an expansion of the site will be necessary to keep up with the fast pace of growth in the Lexington Park Development District.

County officials with the Metropolitan Commission (MetCom) and the Department of Land Use and Growth Management (LUGM) advised the St. Mary’s County Planning Commission at its July 9 meeting that if nothing was done to increase the site’s treatment capacity, then development in the Lexington Park area would be brought to a stand still.

They said that for the next three to four years the planning commission would likely have to tell developers they could only build out portions of their projects in order to conserve sewage treatment capacity.

“It requires that you allocate the remaining capacity judiciously,” said MetCom director Steve King. “If you use it [the remaining capacity at Marlay-Taylor] right away there will be a [development] moratorium.”

The capacity for sewage treatment at Marlay-Taylor is measured in equivalent dwelling units, EDUs, or the amount of water the average single dwelling unit uses each day.

The report from LUGM that the planning commission had presented to them at their meeting showed that there were 2,026 EDUs left at the water reclamation facility for development, but there were already some 1,938 requested EDUs in the development pipeline represented by homes and other building projects.

“We’ve been approving about 870 dwelling units a year,” said Phillip Shire, deputy director of LUGM. “That’s a pretty constant number.”

Shire said, however, that not all of those 870 or so developments a year were hooked into the water treatment system for Marlay-Taylor.

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer

Photo by Guy Leonard

Joe Dick, who owns and operates St. Michael’s Manor in Scotland as a bed and breakfast and vineyard with his wife Nancy talks about the history of the house and their efforts to restore it. St. Michaels Manor is the only house named as a local historic landmark by the county’s historic preservation commission.

County sheriff’s office investigators have arrested a man who they say sexually abused his own child.

Alan J. Patke, 41, of Great Mills See Abuse page A-

The County Times

Section A -

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Suspects Held Without Bond In Home Invasion

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer The two men accused of raiding a small Leonardtown apartment house with a handgun in search of drugs and money July 4 are being held without bail at the county detention center pending a preliminary hearing.

Trey D. Barnes, 20, of Lexington Park and Derrick R. Medley, 22, of Great Mills,

kicked in three separate second floor doors at an address on Medley’s Neck Road and pointed a handgun at each resident in search of one of the residents with marijuana and money, according to police charging documents.

Court papers go on to say that when they found the man they were looking for, Medley got into a struggle with the victim after he received a bag of marijuana, and as the alter-

cation continued Barnes fired a shot down the hall.

When the gunfire erupted the two suspects fled the apartment complex and also pointed a handgun at the owner of the property who was trying to find out what was happening.

This is not the first time either suspect has run afoul of the legal system in St. Mary’s.

Medley was already fac-

ing charges of armed robbery and assault from an incident last year where, according to police charging documents, Medley used a weapon to demand money from a victim involved in the purchase of marijuana.

Medley also had convictions for second degree assault, fourth degree burglary and drug possession on his criminal record according to online court documents

dating back to 2003 in some cases.

Barnes also carried convictions on his criminal record, online court documents showed, for possession of marijuana and other drugs.

The alleged home invasion has netted multiple charges for both Barnes and Medley.

Together they face four counts of first degree assault, four counts of first de-

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gree burglary, one count of armed robbery and reckless endangerment and one charge of malicious destruction of property.

This latest armed robbery incident joins a string of two others that occurred in the county close to the beginning of the month.

Investigators say they are looking into the possibility that these two, which occurred on June 29 and July 3, could be connected.

“We don’t know for a fact that they are, but the suspects are similar in each case,” said Lt. Rick Burris, commander of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. “We’re going to be putting out flyers and put the cases in Crime Solvers to get the public’s assistance.”

The first incident occurred at the Domino’s Pizza shop on Charlotte Hall Road when two suspects threw a cinderblock through the window of the establishment, entered, and held an employee at the back of the store at gunpoint.

One suspect pointed the weapon at the victim, while the other took money from the office area, sheriff’s reports said.

The suspects, described as a white male, standing 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighing 180 pounds wearing a white t-shirt and black vest and another white male, standing 6 feet to 6 feet, 5 inches tall, were both wearing light colored masks, the sheriff’s reports said.

The second incident occurred just a few days later at the 7-Eleven convenience store on Three Notch Road in Charlotte Hall. There the suspect, wearing a black mask, black t-shirt and black cargo pants, entered and demanded money from the employee on duty brandishing a handgun.

That suspect is described as standing 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing about 150 pounds.

Anyone with information regarding these armed robberies can contact Burris at 301475-4200 ext. 1980 or Crime Solvers at 301-475-3333.

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The County Times

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Section A -

County’s Only Synagogue Looking To Grow Physically, Spiritually With a congregation of only 50 people and a county that is approaching 100,000 residents, members of Beth Israel synagogue in Lexington Park figure there have to be more Jewish folks here.

But with the county’s only synagogue tucked away in Lexington Park, it’s not all that well known to the general community.

The membership of the synagogue are now advertising on Route 235 headed towards the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in hopes that Jews who live here will come and help their congregation grow.

“We feel there’s a lot more Jewish residents in the county than the 50 members we have,” said Herbert Winnik, a long-time congregation member. “This is the first time we’ve ever put a sign up other than the one on the building.”

The synagogue provides religious services to its members as well as religious school lessons for small children.

They are also planning to add on to the building, which was physically built by congregation members as well as non-Jews back in 1952, with more rooms for community events and classes.

“Naturally we’re proud of the building… and there’s always someone who has a story about someone who broke their leg during construction,” Winnick said with a smile.

Winnik, 68, of Leonardtown and a former history professor at St. Mary’s College, said that when the congregation first came to the county in 1947, they were able to inform other Jews of their existence because of Jewish prominence in the business community.

Several shops and storefronts throughout the county were owned by Jews who were members of the congregation, Winnik said, and helped spread the word about the synagogue’s existence.

But businesses no longer have the same level of Jewish ownership, Winnik said, and the existence of the synagogue has been obscured.

“We’re trying to get more people aware,” Winnik said.

“It’s just a different membership… you have to get off the beaten path to find the synagogue.”

The synagogue’s members also take part in community service activities, said Linda Weintraub, the congregation’s publicity coordinator.

“We have a thrift store in town and we’re going to try to give it more stable hours,” Weintraub said of the Beth’s Reruns store located in Lexington Park, which is only open for a few hours on Tuesday’s and Thursdays. “We do as much as we can with the people we have.”

Increasing their membership by twofold, Winnik said, is what the current congregation hopes for and has more benefits than just providing more links within the Jewish community here in St. Mary’s.

It could also help them afford a full-time spiritual leader.

“If we had 100 members then we’d have enough to afford a full time rabbi,” Winnik said. “Clearly there’s an advantage if we can grow.”

Currently the synagogue uses the services of student rabbis who are attending yeshivas in locales like New York or New Jersey and make trips down periodically to lead religious services.

Winnik said they were lucky to have them help minister to the congregation, but a full time rabbi would be better equipped to make long lasting connections in the community and tend to members’ needs more consistently.

“They’re [student rabbis]

very knowledgeable, we’re very lucky to have them,” Winnik said. “But they’re here for only three days every other week.”

Weintraub said that the congregation’s need for a fulltime rabbi was a considerable one but that the congregation’s members had learned to compensate for not having a spiritual leader by being available to other members in the event of an emergency.

“If the rabbi’s not here, someone else helps out,” Weintraub said. “People help out when the community is smaller; if we were in a much larger [Jewish] community people might get lost in the shuffle.”

For more information on Beth Israel Synagogue call 301-862-2021 or visit their Web site at www.bethisrPhoto by Guy Leonard aelmd.org.

Herbert Winnik, of Leonardtown, reads from a Hebrew prayer book at Beth Israel Synagogue in Lexington Park. The congregation at the synagogue is trying to increase the community’s awareness of the site in hopes of growing its membership.

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The County Times

Section A -

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Editorial & Opinion Spending To Little Can Be Just As Costly As Spending Too Much The St. Mary’s County Commissioners approved a spending increase in excess of 16% starting July 1, 2007.

That is approximately $33 million more dollars than was spent in the prior year, not including state or federal grants. Despite this large increase in spending, the St. Mary’s County Health Department will be cutting services to the most needy in our community.

With record increases going to many agencies, the health department was left to make do with a modest 1.2% increase. This amounts to less than $14,000 out of $33 million going to protect the health and safety of our community.

In today’s world, these numbers fail to make sense.

With state mandated increases in employee cost of living wage increases, and increases in retirement benefits, funding from both county and state was not enough to meet the minimum increases and allow health department services to continue at last years level. The health department is being forced to cut services in areas such as emergency preparedness, poison prevention, and transportation services for those who need medical services but have no way to get there.

The health department is also planning to reduce nursing support services to private and parochial schools in our county. Nearly 20% of students in St. Mary’s County attend non-public schools. Nursing support services is very important to those students and along with transportation services, represent all the fiscal support these students get from county government.

The health department is charged with providing personal as well as environmental health services to our community. Both of these areas are of high concern to taxpayers who have become more and more concerned with both the health and safety of themselves and their family as well as concern about the health of our environment.

Under the leadership of Dr. William Icenhower, the St. Mary’s County Health Department has made substantial gains in delivering quality services to our community. Everything from the food we eat to the water we drink, even the air we breathe is monitored by our health department to assure our citizens are protected.

We rely on our health department for planning and preparedness for emergencies such as environmental disas-

ters, disease control, and even man made disasters. While many people benefit daily from services provided by our health department, many only come to understand their value in times of emergency.

Some county commissioners claim they did not understand that providing such limited funding would result in vital services to our community being reduced. We find that very difficult to understand, if funding levels are not based upon the services that will be provided (or not provided), then what are the commissioners basing funding decisions upon?

Some commissioners question why some services are continuing while others are being phased out. For instance, one commissioner suggested the health department should eliminate the bio-terrorism program in favor of keeping the non-public school-nursing program. Are the commissioners declaring the War on Terror to be over?

We always maintain that government spending must take into account the publics ability to afford the services which government intends to provide. Just as important is the ability of government to prioritize these services. In a year when government spending appears to be out of control, we are left wondering why important personal and environmental health services are not a priority of county government.

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Commissioners Freedom Fest Provides July th Celebration At St. Mary’s 4 Make TDR Law Changes Official County Fairgrounds

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer The St. Mary’s Board of County Commissioners officially approved the changes to the transferable development rights (TDR) ordinance that has been in the making for the past two years.

The TDR program is one of the ways that the county preserves rural land and allows property owners to sell their development rights.

Developers can buy up these rights and use them in other areas where the county wants to focus development to save rural land form being used.

Developers must also buy TDRs to develop in the county’s rural preservation district, which can act to discourage development there.

The commissioners actually voted to make the changes to the ordinance at their June 26 meeting but they officially signed them into law July 10.

The new TDR regulations allow property owners to receive one TDR, which can cost as much as $20,000 dollars, per every five acres of land they own.

Property owners can also give two lots of land to their children without them having to purchase a TDR, but those properties must be held for seven years.

Denis Canavan, director of the Department of Land Use and Growth Management (LUGM) said that developers or property owners who have

plans to build on property will be grandfathered against the TDR regulations as long as they have their plans in before July 24.

Commissioner Daniel Raley (D-Great Mills) said that the new ordinance changes required that Canavan’s department keep careful track of who was receiving and giving away the TDRs as well as their pricing.

“I hope we understand the seriousness of that,” Raley said.

Canavan said that LUGM was already assigning serial numbers to TDR transactions to ensure they are tracked closely.

“The mechanism is there,” Canavan said. “That gives confidence and transparency to the TDR process.”

Commissioner Lawrence Jarboe (R-Golden Beach) continued to be the lone voice of dissention on the board of county commissioners with his opposition vote to the new TDR regulations.

He said that the extra costs that TDRs generate to build homes, for developers and private owners, would effectively hobble efforts to promote affordable workforce housing in St. Mary’s.

“Who can afford it today [a new home]? Now add another $20,000 to that.”

Jarboe had proposed that small homes be exempted from the TDR package but his amendment failed in the June 26 meeting.

By Amy Kaper Staff Writer Fireworks roared overhead as food vendors flung hot dogs to eager hands, just another year of “Freedom Festival”,” the county’s annual fourth of July celebration.

The mobile food stands populated the grounds. Funnel cakes and hot dogs were a few of the treats available, but dessert was a different kind of flavor: rock and roll.

In one hall, several local “hardcore” bands kept the scene lively with heavy guitar riffs and intense vocals.

Leonardtown 2007 graduate Colton Campitelly of the band Decade, a five-member band with a “screamo” type sound, explained how he got involved with the Power Jam Music Alliance. “If your band gets in touch with them, they’ll set up shows for you whenever they hear about them. It’s extremely helpful to local bands,” he said.

Following Decade was the band Malice Vitality, whose popularity on the local music scene attracted one of the largest crowds of the night.

The last band of the night, Pleasure For A Season, made up of “Chopticonians,” played unexpectedly after a scheduled band did not show up.

With only five of their sixmember band present, they took their places on the stage to add to the night’s events.

At another stage across the festival, a jazz/fusion band was able to entertain festival goers with a soprano sax, keyboard, bass and drums. The Keith Wesby Group, named after the band’s bassist, provided a more mature crowd with classic jazz semblances.

The band, who has been together for about two and a half years, said they greatly enjoyed playing at the festival and plan on returning next year.

At a dance hall toward the front of the festival, belly and line dancers performed for

a large sitting area. Ameera Soraye, a member of the belly-dancing troupe, has been practicing this art for approximately six years.

“I love performing here, we do it every year.” Soraye said.

Following the belly dancers were the Chesapeake Country Cruisers, who line danced and two stepped the night away. Toward the end of the night, friends and families settled down on the grass to watch the grand finale: the fireworks.

Upon arriving at the

grounds, finding a parking space looked nearly impossible. The cars spilled over into Leonardtown High School and Middle School parking lots, just across from the fairgrounds.

The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Department handled security and traffic. They estimate an influx of 3,000 cars attended the event. “For as many cars as were there, I think we did a great job with cars leaving the lots,” said Corporal Diane Fenwick.

Photo by Amy Kaper

Chris Radford and his wife Samantha settled down with their daughters Brooke and Claire to enjoy the fireworks.

The County Times

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Ramblings of a Country Girl Photo by Adam Ross

Good Ol’ Summertime Terri Bartz Bowles Ah, the joys of summer.

Each season brings its’ own happiness and summer seems packed to the gills with it.

There are a few downsides, of course. Let’s dispense with them right away and get back to enjoying summer. Hazy, hot and humid; the trifecta of

summer in Southern Maryland. The humidity is a killer, it is oppressive and depressing. Occasionally, someone says to me, “oh, I don’t mind the heat and humidity”. Such people are not to be trusted.

They may not even be human.

How can 98 degrees with 95% humidity not bother a person?

Something is seriously wrong

Odd News

there. Pests are another downside of summer. No, not your older brother or younger sister; mosquitoes and flies and ticks and chiggers. They bite and itch and get all over your picnic but what would summer be without them? Well, so much for the bad, let’s talk about the good.

There are so many won-

The Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative has $1.1 million in capital credits in its coffers and thousands of customers who have not claimed their benefits checks from 2003 and 2004, but the flood gates have opened for the unclaimed money SMECO officials say.

“I know we’ve gotten quite a few responses,” said Elaine McConkey, SMECO’s treasurer and fixed assets manager. “We’re combining these two years, that’s why the amount of money is so big.”

Capital credits represent money used by SMECO to build and upkeep facilities beyond their normal operating costs. Since this money comes wholly from SMECO members, those who use and pay for the electricity, that extra money is eventually returned to them as a kind of membership refund.

SMECO tries to refund that money every year, McConkey said, but since it did not initiate a capital

HONOLULU- Scientists at the University of Hawaii Manoa may soon be deep into an aquatic research project, after finding what appears to be an “octosquid”, half-octopus and half-squid creature in the waters of the island. The animal has the tentacles of an octopus, but the body of a squid. It supposedly got trapped into a filter of a deep-sea pipeline and was discovered shortly after. The creature will be sent to the University for further investigation.

WASHINGTON D.C.- Pop king Michael Jackson may soon be a vacationer of the East Coast, according to a publicist. He has reportedly always liked the East Coast because of its vast majority of land so he can have his privacy, and there aren’t too many places on the West Coast that have a lot of land for privacy. However, Jackson has also wondered up the coast and is not limiting himself to one area. Also, most of Jackson’s attorneys and advisers supposedly live on the East Coast. So keep an eye out for Jackson, as he may soon be visiting our homeland.

BEIJING- Communities overshadowing a shallow lake in Beijing have been overrun with field mice because flooding supposedly drove the mice out of the islands and into the lake.

The invasions started June 23 when a river called the Yangtze flooded and raised water levels in the Dongting Lake. Now approximately 2 billion mice are running rampart in 22 counties and destroying crops. Residents in the area have killed close to 2.3 million mice. Authorities have rushed to build walls to keep the vermin out, but in places where they are slow to build, the rodent problem only gets worse. Also more flooding is expected soon, so let’s hope these walls get build and the counties get out back together before any more damage can occur.

and fishing and crabbing and boating. Fishing and crabbing equals good eats - abig ol’ mess of crabs is so tasty. Yes, there’s a little work involved but I think God just wanted us to really appreciate them, so He makes us work a little bit for the reward. Speaking of good eats, how about grilling out? Steaks, burgers, dogs – they all taste so much better cooked on the grill. Eating outdoors makes food taste better, too. I love eating outside, whether it’s a true picnic on a blanket or on the picnic table in our backyard. Ah, the foods of summer – the fresh produce. Don’t you love buying fresh, local produce? Is there a better meal on the face of the earth that grilled burgers and fresh sweet corn? Not in July there’s not! Maybe a nice, cold watermelon for dessert. That’s living, baby!

Maybe you grow your own vegetables instead of buying local. It’s very satisfying to enjoy something you’ve grown yourself. Maybe, like me, you’re a flower gardener.

Spring is lovely, there is no doubt. But the summer season brings us so many beautiful things and there’s always something new blooming.

It’s work, but the pleasure derived both from the satisfaction of a job well done and the enjoyment of seeing the beautiful results a wonderful thing. It’s such a joy to walk around the yard and see

all the flowers blooming, the roses and black-eyed susans and my great-grandmother’s four o’clocks. Oh, I thought of one other bad thing about summer – Japanese beetles.

Nasty little things that take great joy in eating roses and hibiscus and four o’clocks.

They can make quick work of a beautiful plant and make me so angry! I detest them and can’t help but feel a personal vendetta as I set about killing them. There’s some satisfaction in that, too!

Summer also brings us Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day with parades and fireworks and cookouts. Let’s not forget about the carnivals! We are so lucky to live in a place where some of the volunteer fire departments still have carnivals every year.

You have to go and play bingo and ride the carousel and you have to eat carnival pizza and French fries. We always try to go on the nights other friends are going and you also always run into people you know. I love the carnivals! And then we have the great finale of summer, that most wonderful event that I wait all year for – the county fair. The food, the fun, the exhibits – but that’s a story for another day. Go out and grab some summer – it’s there for the taking.

Calls Rolling In To Take Advantage Of SMECO Payout

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer

MANCHESTER- Police are still on the look out for a man who supposedly tried to rob the Citizens Bank on Elm Street in Manchester, NH on Saturday. The man did try to camouflage himself; he duct taped tree branches to his body as a form of disguise. He was also wearing a bluish colored shirt with jeans and thick-rimmed glasses. He was about 5’8” tall with black colored hair and had a slender build. He demanded a lump sum of cash but no weapons were used in the robbery and no one was hurt. The tree man exited the bank with the money and police were not able to catch him.

derful things about summer.

Right off the bat, how great is it to just slip on shorts and a T-shirt instead of bundling up in sweaters, coats and mittens? Pretty great, I’d say.

Once you’ve taken 5 minutes to dress, you’re ready to avail yourself of the plethora of outdoor activities of summer.

There are all kinds of sports

Section A -

Abuse Continued from page A- has been charged with sexual child abuse, a fourth degree sex offense and possession of child pornography.

According to charging documents, a relative of the victim, an underage child, told sheriff’s investigators that Patke had sexually assaulted his child while in his care July 7.

Charging documents allege that Patke touched his child inappropriately while the child was in the shower

Beaches Continued from page A- Rose said that a bacteria concentration value of 104 was the standard for posting a swimming advisory at a salt water beach.

Last week’s tests showed a 699 value for contamination, almost seven times the posting standard and more than 60 times the usual bacteria reading for Elms Beach.

“That’s very atypical for Elms Beach,” Rose said.

Katie Hiatt, a mother with

credit effort in 2006, the amount available for refund has doubled from its usual amount of around $500,000.

According to SMECO’s Web site, the capital credits are released at the discretion of the cooperative’s board of directors if they deem that the refund will not adversely affect the financial stability of the utility.

SMECO recently put out a call for “lost members” in the local media to claim their just refunds and also publicized the capital credit opportunity on their Web site. The file is 64 pages long and contains a virtual laundry list of thousands of names of individuals and business entities in the tri-county area that can claim their refund.

Some of SMECO’s membership also stretches into southern Prince George’s County.

“We just put this notice out recently,” said SMECO spokesman Tom Dennison.

“We’ve got to let this get out on the street a while.”

But time is of the essence in claiming the capital credit

money for members because after 60 days the money will no longer be available, according to information from SMECO. Those listed can call in to SMECO and submit their personal information, upon which SMECO will confirm that they are indeed the same person listed and can then send the benefit check to them.

McConkey said that some SMECO members who have not cashed their checks from 2003 or 2004 may have moved to a new residence outside the cooperative or even died.

In that case the family of the deceased cooperative member could apply for the benefit from SMECO and receive the money as part of their deceased family member’s estate.

McConkey also said that SMECO hopes that residents who are still living in the tricounty area and see a name of someone who was once a member will inform that “missing member’ so they can claim their money.

Some money has gone

unclaimed for the simplest of reasons, McConkey said.

“Sometimes they just file them [the capital credit checks] away and forget about them,” she said.

Members or past members seeking their refund have until August 31 to send in their information to SMECO. They can fill out the form found in local newspapers for mailing or they can download the form from SMECO’s Web site at www.smeco.com. Customers can also send in their personal information on a special on-line form or via e-mail at Capital.Credits@smeco.coop.

Members can also type in their last name at the special search engine prompt to see if they are one of the many missing members.

The informational link for capital credits is on the home page. Credit seekers can also call SMECO for information and assistance at 1-888-440-3311.

SMECO provides electricity to more than 130,000 members and is one of the 10 largest electrical cooperatives in the country.

and had in the past touched the child in a manner that charging documents allege was inappropriate.

Charging documents state that family members told sheriff’s about the alleged sexual abuse when the victim informed them of the alleged acts.

Sheriff’s investigators say they also found images and videos of child pornography on Patke’s computer as a result of a warrant search.

Charging documents allege that Patke’s wife had in the last several months gained access to his computer using his password and had found

images of child pornography.

One video, charging documents claim, was of a female, approximately 8 years old being raped by an adult male.

Charging documents state that Patke said he had downloaded the images and videos of child pornography accidentally, and that he got naked pictures of his child on his computer from his child’s computer.

Charging documents state that the images Patke claimed to have downloaded accidentally were not erased.

In the charging documents Patke admitted to touching pubic hair near his

child’s private area July 7, and had sometimes smacked the child playfully on the buttocks.

Patke was released from custody on a $25,000 bond but was ordered to stay away from the child’s home and not come within 500 feet of the child.

The sexual child abuse charge against Patke carries a possible 25-year prison sentence. The fourth degree sex offense charge and the possession of child pornography charge each carry a one-year jail sentence, according to court papers.

several children swimming at the beach was upset by what she called a lack of effective notice of the contaminated water.

She said neither she, nor the other family she was there with saw an advisory there, though The County Times saw one advisory, in Spanish, in the parking lot and another, in English, at a beach next to where Hiatt and her family was swimming.

“Our kids are really important to us,” Hiatt said. “I don’t want my kids to get sick from the water.

“To us there wasn’t suf-

ficient notice; there was nothing on the gate.”

At Sanners Lake, which is part of a private sporting club and a freshwater body, the levels of E-coli bacteria were also astronomically high, Rose reported.

A value of 235 is the limit allowable by state standards, Rose said, before a swimming advisory has to be posted at a freshwater body. The level at Sanners Lake, she said, was 2,421 or about 10 times the allowable limit.

“It’s uncharacteristically high,” Rose said of the test results, adding that analysts

had noticed goose droppings near the water, which could have contributed to the contamination.

The bacteria found on beaches like Elms Beach and Sanners Lake can cause illnesses like gastroenteritis, with symptoms including fever, diarrhea and rashes.

Residents concerned about water quality at the beaches can contact the health department’s beach monitoring hotline at 301-475-4330, ext.783 or visit their Web site at www.smchd.org.

The County Times

Section A -

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Obituaries Mary Catherine Banks, 79

Mary Catherine Banks, 79, of Lexington Park, Md., died July 7, 2007 in St. Mary’s Hospital, Leonardtown, Md. Born April 27, 1928 in Helen, Md., she was the daughter of the late Thomas Ashton and Mary Catherine Dyson.

She received her education in St. Mary’s County Public Schools and was a cafeteria worker in the school system as well as a loving mother and housewife. Mary was married to the late Joseph Isadore Banks and from this union they had fourteen children.

Mary enjoyed cooking, watching wrestling, Sanford & Sons and the Jefferson’s, reading “The Jet Magazine” and spending time with her family. One of her favorite sayings was “If you ain’t got dog you gotta hunt with the cat” and we will miss her dearly.

She is survived by her children, Agnes (Joseph) Baker of Clements, Md., Carolyn (Clayton) Butler of Great Mills, Md., Frances (Cornell) Clayton of Hollywood, Md., Helen (George) Briscoe of Loveville, Md., Christine (Joepete) Banks, Mary Ann Brooks, Thomas Raymond Banks, Diane Banks, all of Lexington Park, Md., Bernard (Regina) Banks of Great Mills, Md., Karen Banks, John (Linda) Banks, all of Lexington Park, Md., Catherine (Everette) Banks of Hollywood, Md., special grandson who was like her son, Tyrone Banks of Lexington Park, Md., sister, Sarah Milburn of Virginia Beach, Va., three brothers, Wallace Ashton of Mechanicsville, Md., Phillip Ashton of Leonardtown, Md., and James Ashton of Baltimore, Md., sister-in-law, Mary Agnes Ashton, 35 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren, two great-great grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews and friends.

In addition to her parents and husband, she is preceded in death by two sons, Joseph William and Louis Edgar, two grandsons, Dwight Jamar Toye and Joseph William “Slack” Banks, and two brothers, Louis Dyson and Norman

Ashton.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, July 12, 2007 from 9-10 a.m. in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Morganza, Md, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. Father Keith Woods will be the celebrant. Interment will follow in Queen of Peace Cemetery, Helen, Md. Serving as pallbearers will be Santo A. Chase, Terran Berry, Walter Swales, Bernard Ashton, Frances Evans, and Ernarde Banks. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be the Try-Me Club.

Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A. in Leonardtown, Md.

Martha Brooks Briscoe, 81

celebrant. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.

Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A. in Leonardtown, Md.

George Albert Clements, Sr., 71 George Albert Clements, Sr., 71, of Charlotte Hall, Md. died July 8, 2007 in Charlotte Hall Veterans Home, Charlotte Hall, Md. The family will receive friends on Thursday, July 12, 2007 from 6-8 p.m. in the Brinsfield Funeral Home Chapel, Leonardtown, Md. A Memorial Service will be conducted at 7 p.m. Pastor Dan Moore will conduct the service. Interment will be at a later date.

Condolences to the family may be left at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com.

A full obituary will appear at a later date.

Idonia Christine “Chris” Green, 55

Martha Brooks Briscoe, 81, of Park Hall, Md. died July 8, 2007 at her residence.

Born Aug. 30, 1925 in St. Mary’s City, Md., she was the daughter of the late Marshall L. Brooks and Martha Dorsey Brooks.

She is survived by her children, Dorothy Wiggins of Greensboro, N.C., George Briscoe, Jr. of Loveville, Md., Barbara Berry of Clinton, Md., D. Lorraine Williams of Park Hall, Md., Connie Baldwin of Jacksonville, N.C., Rose Briscoe of Lexington Park, Md., Larry Briscoe of Jacksonville, N.C., Brenda Briscoe of Park Hall, Md., and Raymond Briscoe of Havelock, N.C., two brothers, Robert Brooks of Bladensburgh, Md. and Henson Brooks of Washington, D.C., 16 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren.

In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband, George William Briscoe, daughter, Diane Briscoe, brothers, Louis Brooks, Frank Brooks and John Brooks and sisters, Sarah Fenwick and Lillian Carroll.

The family will receive friends on Friday, July 13, 2007 from 10-11 a.m. at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, St. Inigoes, MD, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Father Damian Shadwell will be the

and Brian Ball of W.Va.; three grandchildren and one step grandchild. She was also preceded in death by her brother: Tyrone Maddox and sister: Tracy Maddox.

Mrs. Green was a lifelong St. Mary’s County resident where she graduated from Great Mills High School Class of 1969 and she also attended Charles County Community College where got her Associates Degree. Chris worked in administration/child support for the Department of Social Services for 31 years until her retirement in 1996. She was a member of MCEA, St. Mary’s County Delicado’s, Inc. and Health Connections. She loved spending time with her grandkids, traveling, reading and gardening.

The family received friends on Saturday, July 7 in St. Mark’s U.A.M.E. Church, with a Delicado’s Service being held at 9:30 a.m. and a Funeral Service being held at 10 a.m. with Rev. Irvin Beverly officiating. Interment will follow in Bethesda U.A.M.E. Cemetery. Pallbearers will be: Lamont Saxon, Brian Ball, Wayne Jordan, Joseph Milburn, Kenny Dyson and Keith Lawrence. Honorary Pallbearers will be: Delicado’s Inc., Steve Maddox, Benjamin Johnson, Kelvin Lawrence, Michael Thomas and Lionel Johnson. Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A.

Catherine Patricia “Patsy” Nickless, 63 Idonia Christine “Chris” Green, 55, of Callaway, Md., died July 1, 2007 at her residence.

Born July 8, 1951 in Leonardtown, Md., she was the daughter of Myrtle Johnson of Callaway, Md. and the late Thomas Leroy Maddox, Sr. She was the loving wife of Joseph Emil Green whom she married on Oct. 30, 1992 in Callaway, Md. She is survived by her daughters: Cortina Nelson of Callaway, Md., Pamela Brown of Lanham, Md. and Jennifer Green of Bowie, Md.; brothers and sisters: Connie Mackey of Virginia Beach, Va., Darleen Maddox and Cynthia Johnson both of Charlotte Hall, Md., Karen Thomas of Hollywood, Md., Glenda Fenwick of Millington, TN, Kelvin Lawrence and Benjamin Johnson both of OK, Lionel Johnson and Tony Johnson both of Callaway, Md., Bernadette Ford of Dameron, Md., Sheila Evans, Michelle Maddox, Brenda Barnes and Barbara Maddox all of Great Mills, Md., Constance Maddox of Lexington Park, Md., Loretta Burton of Waldorf, Md., Xavier Maddox of California, Md., Thomas Maddox, Jr., Melvin Maddox and Dwayne Maddox all of Piney Point, Md.

Catherine Patricia “Patsy” Nickless, 63, of Lexington Park, Md. died July 9, 2007 at her residence.

Born Dec. 16, 1943, she was the daughter of Catherine Ridgell Dean and the late Nelson Edward Dean.

The family will receive friends on Friday, July 13, 2007 from 5-8 p.m. in St. Cecelia’s Catholic Church, St. Mary’s City, Md. Prayers will be recited at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, July 14 at 10 a.m. in the church. Interment will follow in St. James Catholic Cemetery, St. Mary’s City, Md. Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A. in Leonardtown, MD. A full obituary will appear at a later date.

Marguerite Amy Tucker, 93 Marguerite “Margaret” Amy Tucker, 93, of Hollywood, Md. died July 7, 2007 in St. Mary’s Nursing Center, Leonardtown, D.C. Born August 10, 1913 in Hollywood, Md., she was the daughter of the late Clyde Joseph and Effie Elizabeth Joy Wallace.

The family will receive

friends on Thursday, July 12, 2007 at Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, Leonardtown, Md. from 5-8 p.m. with prayers being said at 7 p.m. A Funeral Service will be held on Friday, July 13, 2007 at 10 a.m. in Hollywood United Methodist Church, Hollywood, Md. with Rev. Ken Walker officiating. Interment will follow in Joy Chapel Cemetery, Hollywood, Md. A full obituary will appear at a later date. Services provided

by Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A.

Dorothy Ann Twohig, 79

Dorothy Ann Twohig, 79, of Bowie, Md., died on July 5, 2007 in Anne Arundel Medical Center, Annapolis, Md. after a brief illness.

Born on May 15, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pa., she was the daughter of the late Marguerite Martinez Snyder and Charles Snyder.

She married Alan Joseph Twohig on Oct. 11, 1947 and he preceded her in death on Nov. 13, 1989. Together they had nine children. Dorothy’s nine children and their families were her life, but she also exhibited her independence by working 37 years for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). She valued her many friendships with employees and officials of MNCPPC and the City of Bowie, having resided in Bowie for forty-three years. Always looking for exciting adventures, Dorothy traveled around the world and had the distinction of being Maryland’s first woman Golden Gloves Boxing Judge. The excitement of the ringside enabled her to be an expert on the sport and to interact with well-known boxers Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard. Dorothy also acted as an extra on the “Guarding Tess” movie starring Nicholas Cage and Shirley MacLaine; piloted a plane for her seventy-seventh birthday, and produced and directed numerous programs for Bowie’s Cable TV station for which she was recognized with various commendations and awards.

She is survived by her nine children, Dorothy Si-

mons of Bowie, Md., Carolyn Nelson of Cedar Creek, TX, Joyce Larrick of Bowie, Md., Mary Margaret Yetter of Gambrills, Md., Alan Twohig III of Chesapeake Beach, Md., Linda Feeley of Bowie, Md., John Twohig of Lothian, Md., Francis Twohig of St. Simon’s Island, Ga., and Lorraine Gagliardi of Deale, Md. She deeply loved her 27 grandchildren, nine great grandchildren and sons and daughters-in-law. She is also survived by her loving sister and brother, Audrey Dudzinski of Levittown, PA and Charles Snyder, of St. Louis, MO and numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents and her husband, Dorothy is preceded in death by sisters, Jane Snyder, Barbara Ann Patrone and Joan Ziegler.

Dorothy was surrounded by her nine children in her last days. The family received friends at Beall Funeral Home located at 6512 Crain Highway, Bowie, Md. on Monday, July 9th from 2-4 and 7-9 pm.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Pius X, located at 14710 Annapolis Road at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 10th. Interment followed in Maryland Veterans Cemetery located at 11301 Crain Highway in Cheltenham, Md., where she will be buried with her husband, Alan.

Serving as pallbearers will be Alan Twohig III, Jack Twohig, Fran Twohig, A.J. Simons, Steve Nelson, George Larrick, Jack Feeley, and Steve Gagliardi.

Arrangements by the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A. in Leonardtown, Md.

Kathleen E. Wilson, 84 Kathleen E. “Kitty” Wilson, 84, of St. Inigoes, formerly of Prince George’s County, Md., died July 5, 2007 at University of Maryland Medical Center.

Born Sept. 11, 1922 in Washington, D.C., she was the daughter of the late Harold P. and Geraldine Matters.

She was the loving wife of William H. Wilson whom she married on January 8, 1944 in Bountiful Utah. She is survived by her children Katheren King of Michigan, WM. F. Wilson of Blufton, S.C., Gerri Ann Donn of Sun City, Hilton Head, S.C., Paul B. Wilson of Kent Island, Md., four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, July 12, 2007 at 10 a.m. in St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Ridge, Md., with Fr. Maurice O’Connell officiating. Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A.

The County Times

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Section A -

Navy News Navair Employs Low Collateral Damage Bomb

By Amy Kaper Staff Writer Low collateral damage bombs, which can strike urban targets with as little unwanted civilian damage as possible, are currently being delivered to war fighters.

The Precision Strike Weapons Program Office (PMA 201) brought the BLU126/B bomb into operation from mere inception in approximately 17 months. It now fulfills a Fleet need for a weapon that is both combatively effective and acts in accordance with the U.S. Central Command’s Collateral Damage Rules of Engagement.

Externally, the BLU-126/ B is identical to the previously used 500 lbs. BLU-111, but contains a lesser explosive mass, which significantly reduces the blast radius.

General bombs are cylindrical devices that contain metal configurations with high explosives in them. These high explosives create a blast, thermal heat, and fragmentation. In order to create the new BLU-126/B, a percentage of explosives were removed to create less thermal heat and fragmentation that came from the bomb’s explosion.

Major Jason “Rainman” Maddox, a VX-31 LCDB Project Test Pilot, explained that with this new kind of containing power in the new bomb, it will be much easier to target and destroy the enemy, inflicting as little amount

of innocent bystanders as possible. He also pointed out that in current combat environment, the enemy frequently hides among civilian populations to make their capture exceedingly difficult. “It’s exactly what we need,” said Maddocks.

The BLU-126/B, Low Collateral Damage Bomb (LCDB), can be guided by the same kits as the BLU-111, including those for laser guided bomb and joint direct attack munitions.

Formerly, air-to-ground weapons were produced to release the maximum amount of explosives possible. In modern urban warfare, there is often a great amount of confusion between friendly, neutral, and enemy forces; this uncertainty requires blast control.

The BlU-126/B allows tactical aircraft to employ a strike weapon that limits unwanted damage.

“We wanted to ensure the new capability was intuitive for the war fighter, to employ. We achieved this by not setting out to create a new weapon, but instead we modified a proven system to fulfill a specific capability gap,” said PMA-201 Program manager, Captain Mat Winter. The result of this need transformed into a weapon that not only provides a unique war fighting capability, but is still familiar to the operator and maintainer. By modifying an existing weapon system, the program also reduced costs

with the design, production, and sustaining of the LCDB. The BLU-126/B is produced at the same cost as the BLU111 and requires no unique support costs.

The PMA-201 team, comprised of engineers, logisticians and testers from both Pax River and the Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division China Lake, California, worked as part of the Naval Aviation Enterprise Air Launched Weapons Team to swiftly bring this “lethalenough” and cost-effective capability to the Navy and Marine Corps war fighter.

The Program Executive Office for Strike Weapons and Unmanned Aviation (PEO(W))’s key mission is to deliver required capabilities to the Fleet on cost and on schedule. With this particular need, the program responded to the need to create an effective weapon that not only reduces the amount of civilian fatalities but also is easy for war fighters to master and use. “I consider this a huge success, demonstrating acquisition agility in rapidly fielding an effective combat solution,” said Rear Admiral Timothy Heely.

PEO(W) provides total acquisition life cycle weapon systems management of all strike weapons, unmanned aviation, mission planning, targets and decoy capabilities for the Naval Aviation Enterprise.

Cemetery Database Could Save Graves From Being Lost

By Guy Leonard Staff Writer County land use planners and historians are assembling a database of the county’s many cemeteries, especially smaller style family plots and those hidden by woods or otherwise hard to find, to save them from being completely lost to time, the elements or development.

Of the thousands of individual graves in St. Mary’s County, each one has a story to tell, said St. Mary’s City archaeologist Ruth Mitchell, and while the ones in church plots or larger sites are well documented the county should make an effort to find those final resting places that are more out of the way.

“This is a way for us to catch something before it’s gone,” Mitchell told The County Times. “There’s something special and tangible about history in a cemetery.”

Teresa Wilson, county Preservation Planner with the Department of Land Use and Growth Management, said compiling the database would take about 16 months to complete.

The project, taken up by the Historic Preservation Commission, is starting with documents to locate cemeteries, but there will come a time when people will have to start combing woods and fields to determine the exact location of many small, little known cemeteries, Wilson said.

Local amateur historians have done their own projects to catalogue small cemeteries, Wilson said, and offer a starting point for the database, but

their information is not always complete or precise.

“Some of them we don’t know where they [precisely] are,” Wilson said. “We have a name but not a location.”

Hal Willard, president of the all-volunteer preservation commission, said that perhaps one of the best sources of information on where these hard-to-find cemeteries are could come from an unlikely place.

“We need hunters to help us out,” Willard said. “They’re the ones who come across these cemeteries when they’re out in the woods.”

Wilson said horseback riders and hikers were another potentially valuable resource in finding these small cemeteries.

“We’ve been trying to rely on the maps… then there are the ones we’re going to have to physically go out and look for,” Wilson said. “We don’t know if we’ll be successful in locating them all.”

One such example of a cemetery that falls under the type the commission is looking for is in Laurel Grove, where a developer has avoided getting close to the old site in building homes.

Wilson said the concern with many other such sites is that a developer would inadvertently plow over the graves or remove the head stones to proceed with their projects.

Both were a violation of state law, she said. If a developer runs into a cemetery they must either avoid developing there or go through a complex and strenuous legal process to remove the graves and continue with their project, she said.

Wilson said she knew of no developers who deliberately built over or removed graves during their building efforts, but having such a database with its “red flags” would help ensure that no developer would ever be able to do so.

“It’s easy to remove them [gravesites] quietly,” Wilson said. “Or to doze the head stones and forget about them.

“We want to focus on local protection.”

And then there are the natural elements that can cause a cemetery to disappear.

Mitchell said that cemeteries close to the water can fall victim to erosion, slowly over time or quickly in the event of a serious storm, and be washed out to sea.

Grave markers sometimes wash back up on shore, but leave few clues.

“Once those are gone you don’t know where the burials are,” Mitchell said.

The cemetery catalogue project helps preserve the insights graves can give historians into the society of a long time past as well as serve as a resource for genealogists, Mitchell said, but the importance of preserving them was perhaps more visceral.

“It’s an ethic of respect for those who are gone but not forgotten,” Mitchell said.

“They all have stories and this is the only way we know about some of their lives.”

Anyone with information about small or obscure cemeteries can call Wilson at 301475-4200 ext.1549.

Navair Chemist Greatly Contributes To Naval Engineering

By Amy Kaper Staff Writer Over the past three years, El Sayed Arafat has been researching and developing a type of cleaner that removes corrosion and a mildew cleaning kit that is corrosion free.

Arafat received his master’s degree in physical chemistry from Cairo University in Cairo, Egypt and holds a doctorate from the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. His doctorate work concentrated on thermodynamic properties of organic ionic crystals.

Arafat joined the Naval Air Systems Command in 2000 as a chemist in the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s Industrial and Operational Chemicals Laboratory. Since then, his work in corrosion prevention has made a dramatic impact on the reduction of corrosion buildup on naval aircrafts.

Corrosion is a major problem in Navy boats and aircrafts. Often humidity, salt and heat dramatically reduce the performance of alu-

minum components that are most commonly found inside structures which are not easily detectable.

“Every year, the Navy spends billions of dollars on ridding boats and aircrafts of corrosion,” Arafat said. “My goal with this project was to create a product that can last at least two years; previous products could only last about six months.”

The product has recently been submitted for a patent that will allow the products to be available for commercial use. These products will prevent corrosion and inhibit mildew growth on all metal surface, but is only applicable to internal uses.

Arafat believes the products would be extremely useful to many residents of St. Mary’s County. “Many people around here have boats and things which frequently have corrosion problems,” he said.

“With these new products, they will have a much easier time maintaining the metal on the boats.”

On June 26, Arafat received the 2006 American Society of Naval Engineers

(ASNE) Solberg Award at the annual ASNE meeting in Arlington, Virginia. He was nominated by his colleague Kevin Kovaleski. “Dr. Arafat is a truly deserving person of this award. His dedication, strong work ethic, and knowledge of operational chemicals have all come together to form productive and fruitful research programs,” said Kovaleski.

The award, honoring Admiral Thorwald A. Soldberg, honors an individual who has made a significant contribution to naval activities.

Captain Vincent Lamolinara, military director for NAVAIR’s Air Vehicles Engineering Department, attended the ceremony with Arafat.

“Dr. Arafat’s efforts represent the exemplary personal commitment and close connection to the Fleet that is the true motivation of NAVAIR engineers,” said Lamolinara.

Arafat has been a resident of Leonardtown, Maryland since June 2000. He is currently operating out of Pax River base through NAVAIR.

Photo Courtesy of ASNE

From Left to Right: Captain Rick Hepburn, Dr. El Sayed Arafat, and Captain Dennis R. Sorensen

Hen Coop Cemetery in Scotland is one of the cemeteries slated for a registry that will as many of the small cemeteries in the county that can be found. The registry will help catalogue them for historical reference and send red flags to developers who want to build close to them to be cautious.

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The County Times

Section A -

Capacity Continued from page A- These 1,938 projects in the pipeline, if allowed to develop all at once, would quickly use up most of the plant’s capacity.

“We don’t have a lot of time to dilly-dally,” King said of the necessity for building an expansion to the MarlayTaylor facility. “ We have to get going.”

A planned expansion of the facility is underway and is expected to be completed by 2011 and should be able to handle water and sewage treatment in St. Mary’s for the next 20 years, according to the LUGM facility report.

Steve Reeves, president of the planning commission, said that its members would now have to exercise caution in how many developments are approved and how quickly

those approved developments could finish their build out.

“I’m concerned,” Reeves told The County Times.

“We’ve got about 1,900 EDUs in the pipeline which means we don’t have much [capacity] left. That means we’re going to be turning people [developers with projects] down, we’re going to be unpopular.”

But the report said that for now the plant is able to handle the approved development in the county approved by at least May 14.

And the county has taken steps to stretch its water reclamation capacity.

They have received approval from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to lower the average amount of water used by an equivalent development unit to 230 gallons a day.

The normal amount mandated by the state is 250 gallons per day, King said, but the county was able to show that 230 was the adequate amount

needed to properly operate the reclamation system.

The county was also able to negotiate the use of some water treatment capacity from both the Patuxent River Naval Air Station and St. Mary’s College of Maryland, which both said was not needed in the near future, the report said, to bolster the treatment capacity at Marlay-Taylor.

Once the expansion of the facility was completed, King said, that treatment capacity would then be allocated back to the naval base and the college.

The combined capacity allocated for both is about 1.5 million gallons per day. The total capacity of the plant is 6 million gallons per day.

The Marlay-Taylor facility serves the most heavily developed part of the county, treating waste water for Lexington Park, Great Mills, Callaway, Hollywood and California.

The plant also services Piney Point and St. George’s Island.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Advertise Your Business in a Newspaper That Reaches 11,000 households countywide weekly!

Through July and August, the Black Box Theatre at The Indian Head Center for the Arts will be presenting Steel Magnolias.

A tale of mothers, daughters, and friends, this is sure to please the young and the old with its witty lines, southern humor and life lessons.

The play was originally performed as an off-broadway show in 1987, and made into a movie in 1989. It was based on the author’s, Robert Harling, experience with the death of his sister who suffered from diabetes.

The play only requires six cast members, all of which are female; Shelby, Ouiser (pronounced Weezer), M’Lynn, Annelle, Miss Clairee, and Truvy.

The stage performance takes place entirely in Truvy’s beauty parlor, which is also a part of her house.

The drama begins on the morning of Shelby’s wedding to her fiancé Jackson, and covers the events over the next year.

Shelby decides to have a child despite having Type 1 diabetes. Complications occur, resulting in the story following her pregnancy, childbirth, and difficult motherhood. We also get a glance at the unlikely friendship between Claire and Ouiser; Annelle’s transformation from a shy newcomer in town to a partying woman, then to a religious fundamentalist; and Truvy’s relationships with the

men in her family.

Although the main storyline involves Shelby and her medical battles, the underlying group-friendship among all six women is prominent throughout the drama.

The cast of this particular black box production includes Angela Brockunier as Shelby, Bridget O’Neill as Ouiser, Sheila K. Draper as M’Lynn, Lauren Kennedy as Annelle, Tara Cardano as Miss Clairee, and Lynn Follmer as Truvy The play strikes a chord in the heart of almost every person who watches, but it particularly has strong emotions associated to the actresses.

Draper, O’Neill and Cardano all starred in the show at Port Tobacco Players 17 years ago.

Draper and O’Neill played their same characters, and Cardano played Kennedy’s present Annelle. Kennedy also played Shelby three years ago at Patuxent Playhouse.

Some of the actresses have also connected to the show from their personal life experiences. O’Neill has a diabetic daughter and Draper’s grandson, the sound director for the show, also suffers diabetes. Last but certainly not least, Follmer’s daughter also has diabetes, and will need to have a kidney transplant done very soon. Follmer will be the kidney donor.

The relationships seen on the stage portray the real life bonds between the actresses.

They react with each other in such a way that many would assume they’ve known each other all their lives as opposed to the rehearsal time of eight

Historic Homes Continued from page A- historic landmark home, if the Historic Preservation Commission decided it had enough historical value to be put on the list.

These homes represent a significant portion of the county’s 890 documented historical sites, Wilson said.

“Every time a home is sold there’s the possibility renovations could occur that aren’t sympathetic to the original design,” Wilson said of why the preservation program was important. “They many not be aware [the house] has historic significance… it’s about trying to preserve as much of the original appearance as possible.”

While there are monetary benefits attached to the program, homeowners who want to participate must present detailed information about their home to the commission that will allow them to decide whether the home should be considered for the designation.

They must also apply for rezoning of their property.

Their recommendation must then go to the county planning commission for a public meeting.

The county commissioners and the planning commission must then give their approval to the project.

Joe and Nancy Dick, owners and operators of the bed and breakfast at St. Michael’s Manor and Vineyard, said they bought the property back in 1982 and spent the next several years restoring it to historic guidelines purely for the love of the history of the place.

It was a rewarding challenge, they said, to do the work.

They did not receive any tax credits, according to Nancy Dick, who thought it was “amazing” that other homeowners had not taken advantage of the program.

“I guess the tax incentive just isn’t enough for them,” she said.

Restoring the manor house was a laborious task, she added.

“It was a lot of years, a lot of time and a lot of money,” Nancy Dick said. “It was in pretty bad shape when we bought it.”

Her husband, Joe Dick, said finding homes like St. Michael’s Manor in livable

weeks. “In a emotional show like this, you can’t help the development,” said Kennedy.

Director Cindy Johnson is very proud of her cast and feels blessed to have worked with them over the past eight weeks. “there is something very special about this play and the women in it,” said Johnson.

With great props, a beautiful set, and an all-star cast, the show will honestly leave attendees believing, “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.”

The play is decent for viewers of all ages. The script is sparsely dotted with cursing and sexual references, but nothing overly vulgar or crude. Parents accompanying their children to the show may want to explain what diabetes is and how serious it can be to someone’s life. This will probably clear up any confusion about Shelby and her sickness.

The movie version is commonly referred to as a “chick flick,” but don’t leave the boys at home just yet. This tearjerker may even reel the men in, with its rye humor and intense scenes.

Performances begin Friday, July 13th and will run until August 12th. Friday and Saturday performances will begin at 8 p.m. Sunday matinee performances will begin at 3 p.m. Reservations and tickets are available by calling 1-(800)-494-8497 or online at www.indianheadblackbox. org <http://www.indianheadblackbox.org/>.

condition was becoming harder.

“Most Maryland manor homes are chimneys,” Joe Dick said. “Because that’s all that’s left of them.”

There was much more to St. Michael’s Manor than that when they bought it, though.

“There were vines coming into the house, the land was completely overgrown… it was a real jungle,” Joe Dick said.

But the home owners who wished to restore the property would get guidance in their efforts from county staff members like Wilson to ensure their project met guidelines.

If it didn’t they could lose their landmark status and have to repay or forfeit any tax credits they received, Wilson said.

“They would have my help every step of the way,” Wilson said.

The potentially historic homes that were most in danger of being renovated — or even demolished — without concern for their historic value were old farm houses off the beaten path, Wilson said.

“They’re just modest things,” Wilson said. “They buy the property and, many of these homes being small, they want to build something bigger.

“A lot of them are falling

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Blackbox Theater To Perform Steel Magnolias

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