Writers Needed!

Email The Annapolis Site People have E-mailed us asking for more than just a forum to voice their concerns about various issues around Annapolis. For this reason, we have come up with this Editorial Page. This is the place for people to post detailed opinions on anything to do with this area, similar to the "op/ed" page in most newspapers. We will also post responses to your editorials as they come in. Do you have an opinion on Elections? Development Issues? Traffic Comments on this or other sites? Email your Op/Ed piece to The Annapolis Site!
We are always looking to improve this site and any suggestions would also be appreciated.

TIME TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE SEVERN RIVER BRIDGE:

By Scott J.
January 01, 2010

Another day, another long wait to get over the Evil Severn River Bridge which is absolutely my nemesis. Anyone that lives on Broadneck will say the same thing. The Evil Severn River Bridge has become worse than the Bay Bridge as far as backups go. There seems to be an interesting mix of things going on causing all of the trouble too. Drivers aren’t careful and cross lanes without paying attention, causing a mind numbing amount of accidents. Tourists from PA, VA, and wherever else have the need to hit the breaks when they get to the bridge (seeing water for the first time?), and people merging on from Rowe Blvd. and off to Ritchie Hwy do so with no regard to other drivers, causing break tapping.

It turns out that the state wants to conduct yet another study to see how to fix this mess when there really only is two options. The first would be the obvious – widen the bridge to include more lanes. The second would cost far less and help a great deal. Create a ‘through lane’ that starts from the South River, over the Evil Severn River Bridge, and past Ritchie Hwy. It would be the left land and a jersey wall could separate it. This would keep people from merging and cutting off, as well as cutting across multiple lanes at the bridge itself. The only problem would be if there is a crash in that lane, and people do seem to like to crash on the Evil Severn River Bridge. It likely would be not often since no merging would be going on, but just in case there would need to be a better police presence to make sure that people are being careful. There would also need to be signage well before the lane for people to move over in a timely fashion. Through lanes are used all over the country to alleviate this exact problem, so I’m not sure what the latest study could possibly be for. Time to make a move so that we can move on that awful section of Route 50.

THE 2009 GENERAL ASSEMBLY - TRYING TO FIND THE GOOD NEWS:

By Senator E.J. Pipken
April 16, 2009

The sinking economy, plummeting revenue and rising unemployment left a $2 billion deficit in the state budget. However, Washington came to Maryland?s rescue with $3.7 billion worth of stimulus aid over the next two years that allowed the state to plug the budget hole and avert state employee layoffs. The liberals called the stimulus billions ?a blessing.? But as a conservative, I am with the crowd that called the stimulus money ?a curse.?

Indeed, the billions of bucks from Washington will enable the O?Malley Administration to avoid the budget cuts it should make for the next two years. The Administration will spend every stimulus penny. In two years, we will be facing another budget deficit and another call for a tax increase. Be assured, I will continue to oppose tax increases and fight this type of fiscal policy that refuses to recognize the reality and the urgent need for serious belt tightening.

The Governor?s nearly $14 billion budget allotted aid for education for the Upper Shore in the following amounts. In Caroline County education aid totaled $42.6 million. In Cecil County, $97.6 million. In Kent County, $10.2 million. And in Queen Anne?s County, $30.7 million. For the fourth consecutive year, the state froze in-state tuition costs for Maryland?s university and college students. Community college aid rose nearly 3.8% or $7.7 million for each of the next two years.

?Big Daddy Government? grew by leaps and bounds, almost as fast as concerns for business shrank. The O?Malley Administration pushed a liberal labor agenda that has made even some liberals uncomfortable. The Administration pushed for and got unemployment benefits for part-time workers, a so-called ?Fair Share? collective bargaining bill that requires employees who do not belong to a union to pay service fees to that union and a bill, tagged ?Workplace Fraud? that makes both the purposeful and the erroneous misclassification of employees as independent contractors illegal and punishable by stiff fines. Yes, indeed, your state government is going to police the workplace looking for misclassified employees even if it forces small businesses out of business. The O?Malley Administration seems hell bent on making Maryland the most business unfriendly state.

We are going to have our speed in highway work zones and within a half mile radius of schools monitored by cameras. The fine will be $40 for going 12 miles or more over the posted speed limits. However, these violations will not count against a driver?s record or be used by insurance companies. So, what is their purpose? You guessed it! It is another way to pick your pockets. It is about more revenue, not safety.

Unfortunately, the Governor?s bill to re-regulate the electric industry was killed. It did represent the only way for residential and small commercial users to get out from under the thumb of big utilities and the skyrocketing rates set in motion by the disastrous 1999 electric deregulation.

While I was disappointed that my Medevac Reform legislation was not passed, I will take heart that the requirements in the bill for the Medevac system to comply with the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) flight, maintenance and repair standards was adopted. I regret that although every Maryland auto owner pays an $11 auto registration fee, expecting it to be used for Medevac emergency evacuation, that cost will be covered only if the person is flown to medical care in a Medevac helicopter. If a Medevac helicopter is not available and a private helicopter is used, that individual can expect a whopping $7,000 bill for the private ?copter.

Although I joined with rural representatives to fight the Chesapeake Bay Nitrogen Reduction Act of 2009, the legislation which requires homeowners to replace their septic systems with modern systems that reduce nitrogen, this will be law when the Governor signs it. These modern septic systems can cost as much as $12,000. In theory, the homeowner can get a grant from the Bay Restoration Fund to pay for the new system. However, there are doubts whether the Fund has enough money. But a homeowner who accepts such a grant will have to sign away the right to build additions onto their homes. Certainly, I support efforts to rid the Bay of nitrogen. But I do not support that effort if it is individual homeowners who will bear the brunt of that exorbitant cost.

And, of course, let?s not forget the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, although the General Assembly seems to forget Bay Bridge needs every session. Once again, the State Legislature ignored the obvious need for an immediate, thorough inspection by an independent entity. Meanwhile the cables on the westbound span have not been intrusively inspected for 35 years and protective sleeves to deter corrosion of bridge pillars seem to corrode and float away from bridge pillars and bob around in the Bay without the MdTA even aware of it. The Bay Bridge is not solely an Eastern Shore concern. Marylanders from every corner of the state travel the bridge and the Ocean City economy is largely dependent on the good health of the bridge.

I voted against the REAL ID legislation because of its amnesty provision. While it requires proof of ?legal presence? to get a driver?s license, it allows illegal immigrants who already have a license to renew it. They would get a one-time license stamped with ?not federally compliant,? which would allow them to drive, but not board a plane, enter a federal building or cross a border. These licenses will expire on July 1, 2015.

Some of the rare good news of the 2009 session was approval of legislation to broaden the definition of those with legal standing to challenge environmental permits granted to developers and manufacturers. Current law gave standing only to neighbors within ?sight or sound? to bring legal action against environmental changes in sensitive areas. The legislation gives standing to other individuals and associations, thus, bringing the state?s standing law into line with the broader federal policy.

Also in the narrow good news column is the passage of Truth in Sentencing legislation that prohibits the release of an inmate with enough ?good time? credits until he is eligible for parole. The legislation also requires that when the judge imposes sentence, he declares in open court the minimum and maximum amount the convicted offender must serve.

Times are hard, however, the 2009 General Assembly has made them even harder for rural conservatives who want a less intrusive government that looks to the needs of people more and taxes less.

QAC Schools In Trouble!:

November 6, 2008

Queen Anne?s County public schools are in dire need of help. The grim status of funding for our children?s education is apparent with every passing year. Parents are being asked to supply materials that even five years ago could have been purchased through regular orders by classroom teachers or principals. Notebooks, paper, pencils, erasers, tissues, paper towels, and hand sanitizer are just a few basic things being put on supply lists for fall. Some schools need to ask for much more such as copies of particular books. Soon there will be lab fees and studio fees at every level. And supplies seem to be the least of our worries.

Public schools are supposed to provide a quality, free education for every child in this country. How will we provide for our children?s educational needs if we allow over three million dollars to be cut from the budget? Class sizes will rise significantly, there will be a shortage of special education teachers and we could loose highly qualified teachers. Not to mention being unable to keep technology in our schools and continue training and professional development for our teachers so they may better help our youngsters.

The libraries will not get new materials. Our children?s textbooks will be out dated. Pre-Kindergarten will not be available to every child. Extra-curricular programs will be cut. This sounds like a school system in trouble to me.

Demand that your child be given a chance to succeed. The only way to make sure our children have the same opportunities as students in other counties of Maryland is to contact our five county commissioners at http://www.qac.org/depts/cmnrs/cmnrs.htm and let them know that your child is just as important as any other (and to you, the most important). Other ways are to attend budget hearing meetings are area schools and Board of Education meetings in Centreville. Please help our children succeed.

No strings attached:

By Bill Evans
September 7, 2006

I?m about to break a rule about the use of names and endorsements during an election in this column. My reason for doing so is pretty straight forward, but may be considered a little dark to some, unless they happen to reside in my age group ? then they?ll understand all too well.

I?m doing this because my warranty on parts and service expired a long time ago. I?m now in the count down stage of my life when time becomes more precious, and frankly I just don?t want to spend the next four years being agitated and frustrated by the inability of our county?s elected officials to work together and come up with positive solutions to head off the disaster looming on the horizon that threatens our quality of life.

And I have another reason, just as self serving as the above. I am sick to death of politicians who say one thing as candidates, and do the opposite in office, and frankly I?d love to see them taken down. (Good Bill would probably have toned that down a bit, but this is Bad Bill?s column.) I?d also like my faith in humanity restored. I want to believe in our ability as citizens to see through all the bulls**t being shoveled our way, and do the right thing.

Having said that, there is one Republican primary vote next Tuesday that is pivotal in determining whether this will happen. The results from it will tell us how closely Queen Anne?s voters have been paying attention to what?s been going on in Centreville during the past four years, and how serious they are about having their voices heard, and putting people in office who are true to their word.

I?m talking about the District #4 Republican primary pitting two current commissioners against each other ? Mike Koval vs. Ben Cassell.

This was not a match created in heaven. Think lower, much lower - it was created by the Queen Anne?s Republican Central Committee. This would be Mike?s punishment, you see, for straying from the pack and voting for what he believes is in best interest of the citizens who voted him into office. I wasn?t there, but I can imagine how all this went down.

?How dare he cut the strings!? scream the chief puppeteers on the realtor-invested central committee. ?We?ll show him. We?ll put puppet Ben up against him,? they say after chastising Mike in public noting that "A REAL REPUBLICAN works for the betterment of the party, attends the Reagan Day Dinner, gets out signs, blah, blah, blah...?

Pardon me, but this isn?t just a slam against Mike Koval, it?s also an insult to a long list of my Republican friends who could never be bullied into abandoning what they believe in for the betterment of the party. That is simply not a viable option. And it doesn?t make you REAL anything ? just the opposite. Does phony ring a bell?

I am not going to comment further on Ben Cassell here. You know what he said he?d do four years ago. And you know what he did. Enough said on that subject. I will comment on Mike Koval. He has proven his loyalty to the citizens who elected him to office. He is passionate about fighting for what he believes in. By virtue of his profession he knows more about the building industry and it?s impact on infrastructure than any of the 19 candidates for commissioner. And you can take his word to the bank.

Our Backyard:

by Sveinn C. Storm, Centreville

Although not perfect, our backyard was the best one in the neighborhood for baseball. It was rectangular in shape causing the distance between first and third to be considerably shortened. This produced a rather elongated diamond, narrowing the playing field, and enabling us to reduce our rosters by one infielder and one outfielder. The distance from one end to the other was just about the limit of an eleven or twelve year olds? ability to hit the ball so thumping a homer bestowed a legitimate sense of accomplishment. The neighbors on one side were an older retired couple and they never minded us climbing the fence to retrieve foul balls. As a matter of fact, frequently old man Collins would come out in his backyard just to watch us and when a good play was made, it was extremely gratifying to be on the receiving end of one of his resounding "attaboys".

Once in a while he would volunteer to call balls and strikes but his pretty good eye tended to deteriorate as the innings progressed and his consumption of Pabst Blue Ribbon increased. His participation made for a much more entertaining game and we never seemed to mind as his strike zone became increasingly unpredictable. It was equally irregular for both sides. There was always his version of the seventh inning stretch which occurred when his cooler ran a little low or his bladder a little full, and I'm convinced that had we ever gone into extra innings, it could have seriously affected his ability to negotiate the short distance home.

The neighbors on the other side provided both a swimming pool and one of our most reliable players, Skipper Barnes. He may have been the most mature twelve year old God ever made and as such was held in high esteem by every adult in the neighborhood. Sadly, he increased parental expectations for the rest of us. Always the peacemaker, any significant loss of temper during competition would end his participation, which would of course cost all of us the ritual after game swim.

It was Saturday and one of those perfect summer afternoons for baseball. We had just the right number of players on each side, and it was one of those rare times when the selection process had resulted in perfectly matched teams. The competition was fierce, the score was close and then the unthinkable happened. Mom called the game on account of dinner.

My mother subscribed to the theory that somehow the nutritional value of a hot meal declined with its drop in temperature and no manner of pleading was going to change her position. When mom called you to dinner you were expected to drop what you were doing, wash your hands, be seated at the table, and bow your head for Grace- all in one smooth motion. Even the pleading of Skipper fell on deaf ears and mom swiftly ordered us to the table. To this very day, I still believe the additional exercise I would have received from a few extra innings could have more than offset the dietary decline I may have suffered from consuming cold food.

Once at the dinner table, I expressed my discontent by crossing my eyes. Mom had never developed an appreciation for making faces and my form of dissent quickly got her attention. Her reprimand came with the warning that the position of my eyes could become a permanent condition, an admonition she had used many times before. I informed her that indeed that had happened and that I was unable to uncross them.

My father suggested that a quick jolt could possibly cure my disorder and miraculously the mere mention of his treatment brought about immediate healing. Concerned with the dangerous example I had set for my younger brothers, Mom said, "If you want to look that way for the rest of your life, go ahead and act like your brother, but don't come crying to me when your eyes are stuck." Apparently she believed the risk was genuine.

I quickly mentioned Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, which my father found briefly amusing until he recognized mom?s demeanor. To mom?s dismay, dad exposed the myth and our meal concluded in irritated silence.

The citizens of Queen Anne's County are being fed an endless supply of development myths. "You can't stop growth." "Growth provides necessary tax revenue." "Growth provides good jobs." "You either grow or die." For a number of years now we have heard these and many similar statements from the narrow group of individuals reaping huge profits from development. They testify before our county commission and town councils and make these statements without substantiation. The myths that growth reduces our taxes, brings good jobs, and provides affordable housing are just that: myths! These false assumptions are perpetuated without any supporting evidence and continuing to allow their acceptance will ultimately destroy our quality of life. The solution is quite simple. Present the truth.

Factual information related to the effects of growth clearly shows the majority of the time: Taxes will increase. Housing costs will increase. Crime rates will increase. Traffic will increase. Schools will be overcrowded. Unemployment will increase. Environmental quality will decline. Natural resources will decline. The sense of community will disappear.

Diligent examination of the facts related to growth is essential for the future of Queen Anne's County. The citizens deserve an accurate and unbiased presentation of necessary information to determine if and how they want to grow.

Mom's myth was harmless. The developer's myths aren't.

Politicians:

by Sveinn C. Storm, Centreville
Ask a small child what she or he wants to be when they grow up and you?re likely to hear fireman, policeman, doctor, nurse, teacher or maybe even a lawyer. What I find interesting is that these noble choices are all professions intended to serve others.

I don?t know that I have ever heard a child say, ?When I grow up, I want to be a politician.? If I did, I would probably have serious doubts about the kid. Why is that? In actuality, the role of a politician should be to serve others. In reality, all too often the opposite occurs.

It has been my experience that there are three basic types of people that run for political office. The first group is made up of those who truly want to improve their community. Their motivations are pure and selfless and their goals are fueled by genuine concern for their fellow man. These are people that see wrongs that need righting and feel compelled to act upon their convictions.

The second group is made up of those people whose desire is to feel significant. They have inflated egos and seek political power to advance their public image rather than the public good. Their decisions are based on maintaining or improving their hold on office and their beliefs are directed by political winds rather than moral conviction. You will find these politicians at every social event and when they speak they sound as if they always agree with you. By attempting to be all things to all people, they are in reality indifferent to each and every one of us. They will never comprehend that a "No" spoken from genuine conviction is far superior to a "Yes" merely uttered to please.

The third group is made up of people whose goal is to serve selfish interests. They seek political power for their own financial gain or that of the groups they represent. Seldom do their decisions benefit society as a whole as their intentions are to relentlessly manipulate the system to facilitate greed. Their entrance into the political arena is generally achieved through well funded, flagrant deception of the voters and they are easily identified by the lobbyists and special interest groups in attendance at their fundraisers. Their ability to achieve and maintain political office is directly related to their ability to avoid ethical accountability.

The first challenge to getting good government is the ability to discern group 1 politicians from groups 2 and 3. There isn?t much difference between the egotist politician (group 2) and the special interest politician (group 3) with respect to the damage they cause democracy.

The second challenge to getting good government is motivating citizens to follow through and support group 1 candidates. ?Politician? doesn?t have to be a dirty word, but it?s up to the voters to change that. This election, carefully evaluate the motives and character of the candidates so you can cast your vote wisely. Choose a politician whose desire is to serve the community and if you get the chance, help level the playing field by supporting your honest candidate with a small donation.

It is important for every citizen in Queen Anne?s County to care for their community and cast well educated votes in the upcoming election. There are kind, caring, capable and deserving people running for office. But there are also deceitful, greedy and unethical politicians who have done significant damage to our quality of life and will continue to do so if allowed to remain in office. Bad politicians are elected by good citizens who do not vote.

Constant Yield, Yes, But First Plan Well For It:

by Eric Wargotz, Queenstown
We have hunting seasons, planting and harvest seasons, winter, spring, summer and autumn seasons so I guess it makes sense to designate a Property Tax Season. February seems to be the beginning of Property Tax Season, which ends when the county budget is adopted. February seems appropriate because it?s when our Queen Anne?s County Commission receives its constant yield packet from the Maryland Department of Assessments & Taxation heralding the county budget process.

As we?ve read recently in local newspapers, the Queen Anne?s County public schools administration has proposed a 2007 school budget increase of $8.6 million, of which the county would be expected to cover $5,893,347. The state would provide $2,793,843, another indicator that February is Property Tax Season.

This isn?t to say that taxing citizens is not a year-round, full-time endeavor. After all, assessments in Queen Anne?s County occur every year in a three-year cycle for a different third of the county. The assessors are busy assessing every year. After the sticker-shock my neighbors on Kent Island experienced this past autumn with new assessments, I can imagine with some anxiety what mine may look like in the coming year.

We are fortunate because Queen Anne?s County adopted a 5 percent tax-cap effective 2006 (state property tax-cap is 10 percent). The cap applies to primary residences only. The constant yield is the tax-rate per $100 of assessed property value necessary for the county to collect as much property tax revenue as last year. The constant yield is 80.1 cents for tax year 2006 (Queen Anne?s County fiscal year 2007) while the current tax rate is 87 cents.

The County Commissioners are being encouraged to adopt constant yield. While I believe constant yield is attainable, I am not certain it can or should be accomplished this year.

Cost of operating government and providing services continues to increase. Essentials such as fuel and utility costs, not subject to county control, cost more over time. The public schools system continues to place significant demands on county finances. Before adopting constant yield, we must cultivate an atmosphere, an environment of greater government accountability and efficiency for controllable budgetary items. Adopting constant yield, without a solid foundation for cost containment, will result in our government?s failure to provide relied-upon community services.

A more prudent approach is to reduce the tax rate by about 4 cents to 83 cents which in conjunction with the 5 percent county tax cap should result in primary homeowners? tax bills closer to last year?s payment.

This accomplishes at least two goals:
1) It allows for development and implementation of cost-containment measures in the form of a new county budgetary management plan allowing continuation of current county service efforts.
2) The tax savings would benefit primary homeowners the most and importantly, also benefit commercial/business property.

We can and should adopt constant yield but first we must put forth a plan which will preserve the quality of life of our community and still save us property tax dollars, instead of hastily implementing constant yield and risking community crisis.

Towards Better Planning in Queen Anne's County -- The Comprehensive or Master Plan:

By ERIC WARGOTZ
Much has appeared in the newspapers about growth and development of the Eastern Shore and in particular, my home, Queen Anne's County. Criticism of the county commission abounds and constructive suggestions get lost in the rhetoric of a brewing storm as the election year approaches.

In the past, the Comprehensive or Master Plan process, which occurs every six years for counties, was primarily driven by growth projections often provided by the state coupled with the existing county zoning. In the last election of 2002, a proposed number, 400 permits for new homes per year to be issued by the county, was touted as the best way to reign in rapid growth.

The problem with that approach is that when you look at 400 new homes a year over 10, 20 or 30 years the resulting numbers, 4,000, 8,000, or 12,000 new homes, respectively, with no end in sight, in all likelihood would continue to fuel the growth debate. Such 'permit caps' cannot possibly be effective since independent (incorporated) municipalities (IM's) within a county have the ability to annex county land for their own development.

In an attempt to bring sanity to the discussion, I seriously and humbly and most of all, sincerely suggest that the approach to growth and development be realigned in a new Comprehensive or Master Plan so that the priorities expressed by our community, Queen Anne's County Citizens be set into motion. At the core of my plan is the principle of a 'build-out' number:

The county as a community must determine how big it wants to be. That is, how many additional households does it wish to embrace before we stop building any more residential units whether they are detached, single-family homes or multifamily units. A community must consider preserving its quality of life or improving it.

At some point, the increased growth and development leads to a diminished quality of life for its existing citizens. Once the build-out number is decided through a process of citizen input similar to that used for the Comprehensive or Master Plan, then the appropriate zoning is determined to allow the build-out where it makes most sense, in growth areas and the state priority growth (so-called "funding") areas. The rate at which the growth occurs is also to be determined.

In Queen Anne's County, the communities on Kent Island constitute a designated growth area. The overdevelopment making its way through the approval process renders this growth area essentially 'dead' in terms of additional large scale residential development and additional growth should be limited to ?infilling? of existing lots. Thus, this growth area needs to be 'contracted'.

Composition of citizen advisory groups is critical to the process as individuals with vested economic interests such as those in the building and development and related sectors should be represented but by no means form a majority. The independent municipalities also need to be part of the process of determining the 'build-out' number, otherwise, no Comprehensive or Master Plan has any hope of achieving its stated goals.

In Maryland, I believe it is fair to say that state law essentially places county governments and independent (incorporated) municipalities (IM) on the same playing field. The only ways that a county government may legally attempt to control growth in an independent municipality is through withholding sewer allocation if it is needed and/or denying annexation for a maximum of five years.

We must work hard to establish mutual respect with the independent municipalities and view them as partners not as impediments to county government, as is so often the case. Establishing long-term and renewable cooperative planning agreements is essential and at present do not exist.

The county and the independent municipalities must coordinate their planning efforts so that any countywide comprehensive plan actually means something.

Ultimately, people need to adjust their thinking about growth on the Shore. We should get used to the idea of ignoring projections of growth and determine our own destiny. We as counties and independent municipalities can determine how big we want to become, how fast we want to grow and where any growth should be. We can determine our growth destiny.

The notion of letting growth projections drive our Comprehensive and Master planning process has got to change. The counties and independent municipalities of the Eastern Shore ought to embrace a regional process of planning its future to determine an ultimate 'build-out' number.

By doing so, we as the people of the Shore can control the destiny of our communities, environment and hence, the quality of life here, now and in the future.

Eric Wargotz is a Queenstown resident.

Bay Bridge Traffic

As we all realize, the Bay Bridge has to be re-decked. I think that it is safe to say that we all realize that how this project is currently being done is purely asinine. I have been repeatedly stuck in long back-ups on both sides of the bridge because of lane closures. I do not understand why an entire lane has to be closed across a span (like the current middle lane closure), when it is only being worked on a section at a time. Why not close a half-mile of a lane instead, this way traffic can move. The lack of logical thought on this is amazing. Even worse than full lane closures is the use of thick, obtrusive jersey walls to block off the center lane.
The jersey walls that are in place across the westbound span are a hazard, to say the least. The left and right lanes are ridiculously narrow, causing drivers to slam on their brakes at the start of each jersey wall, and creating a chain reaction that often leads to backups of three to five miles. The fact that the community is putting up with this poorly planned and poorly executed method of bridge repair is astounding. It is not only an inconvenience, but also a hazard. Due to the massive backups an ambulance cannot get to Annapolis (especially on Sundays), which obviously is a bad thing if you need to go to the hospital. There have been more accidents and fender-benders than usual as well.
The community needs to get involved if things are to change. It's obvious that the contractor doesn't care about the problems that they are causing, nor does the MTA or the politicians. Please contact your local representatives and maybe with a little push, this mess will stop.
R.C. Fitzgerald
Chester

Hurricane Awareness

As we all waited for Hurricane Isabel to hit landfall we all knew that there was a possibility that this category two hurricane could potentially come up the Chesapeake Bay. What we got was Isabel Lite, "Fizzabel", a mere Tropical Storm. What we also got was hurricane style damage. What if Isabel had hit this area at hurricane strength? Kent Island and surrounding areas were not prepared for a storm of this magnitude, obviously. The time will come (again) where a full strength hurricane will hit this area, and if Isabel is any indications, there will be mass devistation.
Preventitive measures should be used. Power lines should be run underground wherever possible, new structures should be out of flood zones and raised, and people in this area should be aware that hurricanes do and will happen. This area has trees overgrowing on power lines, and new housing being built on the bay. Will the trees finally get trimmed, probably not. To bury the lines would cost money, so ditto on that as well. New houses being built are not on raised pilings like they should be. What isn't being realized is that one big storm will cost far more than today's preventitive measures.

Larry Stiegel
Stevensville