Honoring Those Who Protect, Serve

By Matt Zapotosky and Christy Goodman
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, May 15, 2008

St. Mary's and Calvert counties recognized their law enforcement officers Tuesday in ceremonies that honored current officers and those killed in the line of duty.

In speeches praising the more than 18,200 officers who have been killed nationally since 1792, top officials in both counties stressed the danger that police face every day just doing their jobs.

"You know, law enforcement is a profession that is very unique," said St. Mary's County Commissioner Daniel H. Raley (D-Great Mills). "They're on duty 24-7 to keep us safe."

Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron (R) told a crowd in Leonardtown of more than 100 law enforcement and other officials about his friend Hugh Ellis Thomas Jr., a Seminole County, Fla., sheriff's deputy who was gunned down in 1989 after responding to a call about a man involved in a fight with his girlfriend. Thomas was 24.

"We remember how he lived," Cameron said. "We owe a lasting debt to those who sacrifice their lives serving or protecting our communities."

In Calvert County, more than 100 law enforcement and other officials watched presentations from schoolchildren thanking them for the work they do.

"It kind of swells you up with pride," Sheriff Mike Evans (R) said.

Lt. Homer Rich, commander of the Maryland State Police barracks in Prince Frederick, added: "It tells us that the community cares about the job we do."

No officers have died on duty in St. Mary's, Cameron said. Two have died in Calvert, both in car crashes in the 1970s, Evans said.

Charles will have an open house Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sheriff's Office Headquarters in La Plata to honor its sheriff's deputies and correctional officers. All of the events coincide with National Police Week, observed each year to note the efforts of law enforcement officers across the country.

Property Tax Cut Proposed

The Chesapeake Beach Town Council has proposed decreasing the town's property tax rate to 37 cents per $100 of a home's assessed value, down 7 cents from the current rate.

Mayor Gerald W. Donovan said it was one of the biggest tax decreases the town has seen in years, but it will not last for long as home values continue to decline.

The nearly $4 million proposed budget is a 9 percent increase in expenditures but includes $125,000 for new attractions at the public water park and more than $1 million for the Chesapeake Beach Railway Trail, a project that has been in the works for about 20 years but is expected to go to bid in four months, Donovan said.

The proposed budget showed a 10 percent increase in user fees for the town's utility customers. The bills would average about $29 more per year, according to town officials.

The budget is scheduled for official adoption in June.

Marking Charles's 350th

Maryland's U.S. Sens. Benjamin L. Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski, both Democrats, co-sponsored a Senate resolution that passed unanimously last week recognizing Charles County's 350th anniversary this year.

"Nestled on the banks of the Potomac River, Charles County has been an active participant in American history since the earliest colonial days and the Articles of Confederation, through the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln's [assassination], to modern developments in defense and naval warfare. I am proud to recognize this gateway to Southern Maryland that has been thriving since 1658," Cardin said in a statement on the resolution.

Mikulski added: "Every citizen in Charles County has a lot to be proud of today, and I am even prouder to recognize each and every one of them for 350 wonderful years."

Democratic Club Meeting

The Democratic Club of St. Mary's County will meet Monday at Petruzzi's Restaurant in Wildewood Shopping Center in Lexington Park.

The guest speaker will be Rick Tarr, solid waste and recycling manager for St. Mary's. He will discuss county programs to reduce, reuse and recycle waste. He will also talk about single-stream recycling.

A buy-your-own dinner will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the meeting at 7.

Donation for Tasers

The Charles County Sheriff's Office recently received a $25,000 donation from the Greater Waldorf Jaycees, the Waldorf Jaycees Foundation and the Waldorf Lions to purchase Tasers for officers.

Jaycees President Eric Vrem, Jaycees Foundation President Dick Gregory, Jaycees past president and sheriff's Sgt. Paul Gregory, Lions president and sheriff's Capt. Mike McGuigan and Lions member John Grimes presented the check to Sheriff Rex W. Coffey (D) at the Waldorf Jaycees Community Center.

The donation was provided through a foundation established as a joint effort between the Jaycees and the Lions. This foundation also donated $25,000 to the Sheriff's Office last year for Tasers. The latest donation brings to 122 the number of officers equipped with the devices. The Sheriff's Office began purchasing the stun gun devices in 2002.

"Tasers allow officers to quickly gain control of dangerous situations and to manage dangerous people," Coffey said in a statement. "The Jaycees and the Lions are contributing greatly to officer and community safety."

Rural Service Grants

The 2008-09 Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund, administered by the Rural Maryland Council, is accepting grant applications through July 7 from nonprofit organizations and community colleges serving rural areas.

Applicants must be 501(c)3 nonprofit groups that serve a regional or statewide rural constituency and undertake projects related to statewide and regional planning, economic and community development, or agricultural and forestry education. Rural community colleges that support small and agricultural businesses through enhanced training and technical assistance also are eligible.

Eligible projects must serve more than one rural county, and preference is given to those organizations that have secured equal matching funds from non-state sources. The grant period runs from Sept. 1 to June 30, 2009.

Maryland designates the following counties as rural: Allegany, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, St. Mary's, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico and Worcester.

Complete details and application materials are available on the Rural Maryland Council Web site at http://www.rural.state.md.us or by calling 410-841-5772.

Courthouse Expansion

Charles County has directed Facchina Construction to begin work to build the Courthouse Expansion Project.

The project entails the construction of a two-story Colonial Revival style building with 75,600 square feet of space. The garage and basement support areas account for 28,950 square feet, and the finished basement, first floor and second floor combined are 46,650 square feet.

Four courtrooms (two on each floor), the District Court clerk and commissioner and the judges' chambers (on the second floor) will be housed in the new building. Together, those District Court spaces account for 30,106 square feet that will be used by state-operated services.

For county government, the building will house the register of wills and the land records office, both on the first floor, and will occupy 9,594 square feet.

The county offices will be separated from the District Court space, and each will have its own entrance.

Also included in the project will be a limited amount of underground parking for officials. The structure will be in the area that currently serves as the main parking lot.

Construction is expected to last two years, officials said.

Parking Lot Paving

The Charles County Department of Planning and Growth Management notified residents that surface paving and striping of parking lots A and B at the courthouse in La Plata is scheduled to begin Monday and extend through next week.

County employees and visitors will not be allowed to park in those lots during the paving work. Parking lots A and B are the lots north and south of Talbot Street.

Online Farmers Exchange

A new, free online marketplace is available to Maryland farmers that enables them buy, sell, give away or trade their agricultural products.

The Maryland Agricultural Exchange, created by the Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland, can help farmers in Maryland and throughout the Chesapeake Bay region exchange such products as manure, compost, hay, fodder crops, fruits and vegetables, organics, equipment, livestock and much more. The agriculture products exchange Web site is at http://www.agtrader.org.

"This website will create new market opportunities for farmers. It is like a 'Craig's List' for agriculture," Joanne Throwe, assistant director of the Environmental Finance Center, said in a statement. The center is part of the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education.

All trades through the Web site are made strictly between buyer and seller. The Web site allows traders to quickly register and then post their products any time they wish without having to fill out forms. Pricing and delivery are left to buyer and seller to work out.

Bike to Work Event

The Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland in cooperation with the Charles County government, the Naval Support Activity South Potomac and the Town of Indian Head are sponsoring a Bike to Work event tomorrow from 7 a.m. to noon at the Village Green Pavilion, 100 Walter Thomas Rd., Indian Head.

The Bike to Work Day celebration was organized to promote bicycling to work as a healthy and environmentally sustainable alternative to drive-alone commuting, the Tri-County Council said in a statement.

Several officials are planning to participate, including state Del. Peter F. Murphy (D-Charles), County Commissioners President Wayne Cooper (D-At Large) and Commissioners Gary V. Hodge (D-St. Charles), Samuel N. Graves Jr. (D-La Plata), Reuben B. Collins II (D-Waldorf) and Edith J. Patterson (D-Pomfret), Indian Head Mayor Dennis J. Scheessele and Cmdr. Michael Weaver, Naval Support Activity South Potomac.

Other participants include the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, Clean Air Partners, Washington Area Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Charles County VanGO, Lifestyles Inc., the American Red Cross, Spring Dell Center, Charles County Sheriff's Office, Oxon Hill Bicycle and Trail Club, and the Indian Head Senior Center.

Accessibility Meeting

The St. Mary's County Commission for People with Disabilities and the Maryland State Highway Administration are hosting a meeting Tuesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Russell Room at the Carter Building in Leonardtown to examine compliance with the federal Americans With Disabilities Act.

The Highway Administration is conducting a self-evaluation to identify features in the state's public right of way, such as sidewalks, that might not meet the act's current guidelines.

SHA is having these public meetings throughout the state. Comments from residents will guide priorities for future projects.

Starting at 6 p.m., a brief overview of the act will be given, with displays showing individual ADA element compliance on sidewalks along state roads in St. Mary's County.

Residents who are unable to attend the meeting but wish to provide input or to request information on upcoming meetings may contact Linda Singer at ADA@sha.state.md.us or 410-545-0370.