Thursday, July 12, 2007 St.

Marys County, Maryland

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Established 2006 Volume 2 Issue 28 FREE
County Seeking Historic
Homes As Local Landmarks
By Guy Leonard
Staff Writer
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 land-
marks in an effort to preserve a vital part of St. Marys
history, offcials say.
But the offer so far has been a hard sell.
St. Marys County offers tax credits to owners of
homes that are at least 50 years old or older if they main-
tain the house in accordance with guidelines laid down by
the countys 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 obli-
gation but it also has beneft, 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 fve 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. Michaels 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, Wil-
son said, and do not restrict the property owners of a his-
toric home from refurbishing the inside of the house as
they see ft.
Wilson said that there are as many as 200 to 300 hous-
es in the county that could meet the designation of being a
By Guy Leonard
Staff Writer
The Marley-Taylor Water Recla-
mation 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 offcials with the Met-
ropolitan Commission (MetCom)
and the Department of Land Use
and Growth Management (LUGM)
advised the St. Marys County Plan-
ning Commission at its July 9 meet-
ing that if nothing was done to in-
crease the sites 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 commis-
sion would likely have to tell devel-
opers they could only build out por-
tions of their projects in order to con-
serve 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 treat-
ment 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 de-
velopment, but there were already
some 1,938 requested EDUs in the
development pipeline represented by
homes and other building projects.
Weve been approving about
870 dwelling units a year, said Phil-
lip Shire, deputy director of LUGM.
Thats 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.
Sewage
Treatment
Plant
Nearing
Capacity
By Guy Leonard
Staff Writer
County sheriffs offce investi-
gators have arrested a man who they
say sexually abused his own child.
Alan J. Patke, 41, of Great Mills
Great
Mills Man
Charged
With Child
Sexual
Abuse
Sheriffs
Say They
Discovered
Child Porn
On His
Computer
Swimmers Are Warned To Look
Out For Contaminated Beaches
See Historic Homes page A-8
See Abuse page A-5
See Capacity page A-8
Photo by Guy Leonard
Photo by Guy Leonard
By Guy Leonard
Staff Writer
As of July 10 the St. Marys County Health
Department was warning swimmers to avoid div-
ing 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-
lems from close contact with the water.
The County Times encountered several fami-
lies 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
test results available to the public by July 11.
Ann Rose, an environmental sanitarian super-
visor with the health department, said that for the
summer season so far results for testing of bacte-
ria at Elms Beach had been low, that was until just
before the Independence Day holiday.
High winds and choppy seas could have con-
tributed to the high levels of bacteria in the water,
Rose said, as could have high numbers of swim-
mers in the water.
See Beaches page A-5
A sign posted by the St. Marys County Health Department warns swimmers against going into the water at Elms Beach in Dameron July 9 because of high levels of bacterial contami-
nation. The health department issued a similar warning for Sanners Lake, a freshwater body, in Lexington Park.
Joe Dick, who owns and operates St. Michaels 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 countys
historic preservation commission.
SectionA-
The
County Times Thursday,July1,007
Route 245
Hollywood, MD 20636
301-475-2531
Route 246 & Great Mills Rd.
Lexington Park, MD 20653
301-862-7702
Route 5 & Mohawk Drive
Charlotte Hall, MD 20622
301-884-5636
Wildewood Shopping Center
California, MD 20619
301-866-5702
The Shops at Breton Bay
Leonardtown, MD 20650
301-997-1828
Local
Cantaloupes
2 For
$3.00
ByGuyLeonard
StaffWriter
The two men accused of
raiding a small Leonardtown
apartmenthousewithahand-
gun in search of drugs and
money July 4 are being held
withoutbailatthecountyde-
tention center pending a pre-
liminaryhearing.
Trey D. Barnes, 20, of
Lexington Park and Derrick
R.Medley,22,ofGreatMills,
kicked in three separate sec-
ond foor doors at an address
on Medleys Neck Road and
pointed a handgun at each
residentinsearchofoneofthe
residents with marijuana and
money, according to police
chargingdocuments.
Courtpapersgoontosay
thatwhentheyfoundtheman
theywerelookingfor,Medley
got into a struggle with the
victimafterhereceivedabag
ofmarijuana,andasthealter-
cation continued Barnes fred
ashotdownthehall.
When the gunfre erupt-
ed the two suspects fed the
apartment complex and also
pointed a handgun at the
owner of the property who
was trying to fnd out what
washappening.
This is not the frst time
either suspect has run afoul
of the legal system in St.
Marys.
Medley was already fac-
ingchargesofarmedrobbery
and assault from an incident
last year where, according to
police charging documents,
Medleyusedaweapontode-
mand money from a victim
involved in the purchase of
marijuana.
Medley also had convic-
tions for second degree as-
sault, 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 con-
victions on his criminal re-
cord,onlinecourtdocuments
showed, for possession of
marijuanaandotherdrugs.
The alleged home in-
vasion has netted multiple
charges for both Barnes and
Medley.
Together they face four
counts of frst degree as-
sault, four counts of frst de-
gree burglary, one count of
armed robbery and reckless
endangermentandonecharge
of malicious destruction of
property.
Thislatestarmedrobbery
incident joins a string of two
others that occurred in the
countyclosetothebeginning
ofthemonth.
Investigators say they
are looking into the possibil-
ity that these two, which oc-
curredonJune29andJuly3,
couldbeconnected.
Wedontknowforafact
thattheyare,butthesuspects
aresimilarineachcase,said
Lt. Rick Burris, commander
oftheBureauofCriminalIn-
vestigation. Were going to
be putting out fyers and put
thecasesinCrimeSolversto
getthepublicsassistance.
The frst incident occurred
attheDominosPizzashopon
CharlotteHallRoadwhentwo
suspects threw a cinderblock
throughthewindowofthees-
tablishment,entered,andheld
anemployeeatthebackofthe
storeatgunpoint.
One suspect pointed the
weapon at the victim, while
the other took money from
the offce area, sheriffs re-
portssaid.
Thesuspects,describedas
awhitemale,standing5feet,
9inchestallandweighing180
poundswearingawhitet-shirt
and black vest and another
whitemale,standing6feetto
6feet,5inchestall,wereboth
wearing light colored masks,
thesheriffsreportssaid.
The second incident oc-
curred just a few days later
at the 7-Eleven convenience
storeonThreeNotchRoadin
CharlotteHall.Therethesus-
pect, wearing a black mask,
black t-shirt and black cargo
pants, entered and demanded
moneyfromtheemployeeon
dutybrandishingahandgun.
Thatsuspectisdescribed
as standing 5 feet, 8 inches
tall and weighing about 150
pounds.
Anyonewithinformation
regardingthesearmedrobber-
iescancontactBurrisat301-
475-4200 ext. 1980 or Crime
Solversat301-475-3333.
SuspectsHeldWithoutBondInHomeInvasion
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Thursday, July 12, 2007
The
County Times Section A -
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Countys Only Synagogue Looking
To Grow Physically, Spiritually
By Guy Leonard
Staff Writer
With a congregation of
only 50 people and a county
that is approaching 100,000
residents, members of Beth
Israel synagogue in Lexing-
ton Park fgure there have to
be more Jewish folks here.
But with the countys
only synagogue tucked away
in Lexington Park, its not all
that well known to the general
community.
The membership of the
synagogue are now advertis-
ing on Route 235 headed to-
wards the Patuxent River Na-
val Air Station in hopes that
Jews who live here will come
and help their congregation
grow.
We feel theres a lot
more Jewish residents in the
county than the 50 members
we have, said Herbert Win-
nik, a long-time congregation
member. This is the frst time
weve ever put a sign up other
than the one on the building.
The synagogue provides
religious services to its mem-
bers as well as religious school
lessons for small children.
They are also planning to
add on to the building, which
was physically built by con-
gregation members as well as
non-Jews back in 1952, with
more rooms for community
events and classes.
Naturally were proud of
the building and theres al-
ways someone who has a sto-
ry about someone who broke
their leg during construction,
Winnick said with a smile.
Winnik, 68, of Leonar-
dtown and a former history
professor at St. Marys Col-
lege, said that when the con-
gregation frst 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 store-
fronts throughout the county
were owned by Jews who
were members of the con-
gregation, Winnik said, and
helped spread the word about
the synagogues existence.
But businesses no longer
have the same level of Jewish
ownership, Winnik said, and
the existence of the synagogue
has been obscured.
Were trying to get more
people aware, Winnik said.
Its just a different member-
ship you have to get off
the beaten path to fnd the
synagogue.
The synagogues mem-
bers also take part in com-
munity service activities, said
Linda Weintraub, the congre-
gations publicity coordinator.
We have a thrift store in
town and were going to try
to give it more stable hours,
Weintraub said of the Beths
Reruns store located in Lex-
ington Park, which is only
open for a few hours on Tues-
days and Thursdays. We do
as much as we can with the
people we have.
Increasing their member-
ship by twofold, Winnik said,
is what the current congrega-
tion hopes for and has more
benefts than just providing
more links within the Jew-
ish community here in St.
Marys.
It could also help them
afford a full-time spiritual
leader.
If we had 100 members
then wed have enough to af-
ford a full time rabbi, Win-
nik said. Clearly theres an
advantage if we can grow.
Currently the synagogue
uses the services of student
rabbis who are attending ye-
shivas 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 min-
ister 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.
Theyre [student rabbis]
very knowledgeable, were
very lucky to have them,
Winnik said. But theyre
here for only three days every
other week.
Weintraub said that the
congregations need for a full-
time rabbi was a considerable
one but that the congregations
members had learned to com-
pensate for not having a spiri-
tual leader by being available
to other members in the event
of an emergency.
If the rabbis 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
shuffe.
For more information on
Beth Israel Synagogue call
301-862-2021 or visit their
Web site at www.bethisr-
aelmd.org.
Photo by Guy Leonard
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 communitys awareness of the site in hopes of growing its membership.
SectionA-
The
County Times Thursday,July12,2007
Editorial&Opinion
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P.O.Box250Hollywood,Maryland20636
News, advertising, circulation, classifeds: 301-373-4125
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E-mail letters to: opinion@countytimes.net
ByGuyLeonard
StaffWriter
The St. Marys Board of
County Commissioners off-
ciallyapprovedthechangesto
the transferable development
rights (TDR) ordinance that
hasbeeninthemakingforthe
past two years.
TheTDRprogramisone
of the ways that the county
preserves rural land and al-
lows property owners to sell
their development rights.
Developers can buy up these
rights and use them in other
areaswherethecountywants
to focus development to save
rural land form being used.
Developersmustalsobuy
TDRstodevelopinthecoun-
tys rural preservation district,
which can act to discourage
development there.
Thecommissionersactu-
allyvotedtomakethechanges
totheordinanceattheirJune
26 meeting but they offcially
signed them into law July 10.
The new TDR regula-
tions allow property owners
to receive one TDR, which
can cost as much as $20,000
dollars, per every fve acres of
land they own.
Propertyownerscanalso
give two lots of land to their
childrenwithoutthemhaving
topurchaseaTDR,butthose
properties must be held for
seven years.
Denis Canavan, director
of the Department of Land
UseandGrowthManagement
(LUGM) said that developers
orpropertyownerswhohave
planstobuildonpropertywill
be grandfathered against the
TDR regulations as long as
theyhavetheirplansinbefore
July 24.
Commissioner Daniel
Raley (D-Great Mills) said
thatthenewordinancechang-
es required that Canavans
departmentkeepcarefultrack
ofwhowasreceivingandgiv-
ingawaytheTDRsaswellas
their pricing.
I hope we understand
theseriousnessofthat,Raley
said.
CanavansaidthatLUGM
was already assigning serial
numberstoTDRtransactions
to ensure they are tracked
closely.
Themechanismisthere,
Canavan said. That gives
confdence and transparency
to the TDR process.
Commissioner Lawrence
Jarboe (R-Golden Beach)
continuedtobethelonevoice
of dissention on the board of
county commissioners with
hisoppositionvotetothenew
TDR regulations.
He said that the extra
costs that TDRs generate to
build homes, for developers
and private owners, would
effectively hobble efforts to
promoteaffordableworkforce
housing in St. Marys.
Who can afford it today
[a new home]? Now add an-
other $20,000 to that.
Jarboe had proposed that
small homes be exempted
fromtheTDRpackagebuthis
amendmentfailedintheJune
26 meeting.
Commissioners
MakeTDRLaw
Changes Offcial
ByAmyKaper
StaffWriter
Fireworks roared over-
head as food vendors fung
hot dogs to eager hands, just
another year of Freedom
Festival, the countys annu-
al fourth of July celebration.
The mobile food stands
populated the grounds. Fun-
nelcakesandhotdogswerea
fewofthetreatsavailable,but
dessertwasadifferentkindof
favor: rock and roll.
In one hall, several local
hardcore bands kept the
scenelivelywithheavyguitar
riffs and intense vocals.
Leonardtown 2007 grad-
uateColtonCampitellyofthe
band Decade, a fve-member
band with a screamo type
sound, explained how he
got involved with the Power
Jam Music Alliance. If your
bandgetsintouchwiththem,
theyll set up shows for you
whenever they hear about
them. Its extremely helpful to
local bands, he said.
Following Decade was
the band Malice Vitality,
whose popularity on the lo-
calmusicsceneattractedone
of the largest crowds of the
night.
Thelastbandofthenight,
Pleasure For A Season, made
upofChopticonians,played
unexpectedly after a sched-
uled band did not show up.
With only fve of their six-
member band present, they
tooktheirplacesonthestage
to add to the nights events.
At another stage across
thefestival,ajazz/fusionband
wasabletoentertainfestival
goerswithasopranosax,key-
board, bass and drums. The
Keith Wesby Group, named
after the bands bassist, pro-
vided a more mature crowd
with classic jazz semblances.
The band, who has been to-
gether for about two and a
half years, said they greatly
enjoyedplayingatthefestival
and plan on returning next
year.
At a dance hall toward the
frontofthefestival,bellyand
line dancers performed for
a large sitting area. Ameera
Soraye,amemberofthebel-
ly-dancing troupe, has been
practicingthisartforapproxi-
mately six years.
I love performing here,
we do it every year. Soraye
said.
Followingthebellydanc-
ers were the Chesapeake
Country Cruisers, who line
danced and two stepped the
night away. Toward the end
ofthenight,friendsandfami-
liessettleddownonthegrass
to watch the grand fnale: the
freworks.
Upon arriving at the
grounds, fnding a parking
space looked nearly impossi-
ble. The cars spilled over into
Leonardtown High School
and Middle School park-
ing lots, just across from the
fairgrounds.
The St. Marys County
Sheriffs Department handled
security and traffc. They
estimate an infux of 3,000
cars attended the event. For
asmanycarsaswerethere,I
thinkwedidagreatjobwith
cars leaving the lots, said
Corporal Diane Fenwick.
FreedomFestProvidesJuly

th
CelebrationAtSt.Marys
CountyFairgrounds
Photo by Amy Kaper
Chris Radford and his wife Samantha settled down with their daughters Brooke and Claire to enjoy the
freworks.
The St. Marys 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 in-
crease in spending, the St.
Marys County Health De-
partment will be cutting ser-
vicestothemostneedyinour
community.
With record increases
going to many agencies, the
healthdepartmentwasleftto
make do with a modest 1.2%
increase. This amounts to less
than $14,000 out of $33 mil-
liongoingtoprotectthehealth
and safety of our community.
In todays world, these num-
bers fail to make sense.
With state mandated in-
creases in employee cost of
livingwageincreases,andin-
creases in retirement benefts,
fundingfrombothcountyand
statewasnotenoughtomeet
the minimum increases and
allow health department ser-
vicestocontinueatlastyears
level. The health department
isbeingforcedtocutservices
in areas such as emergency
preparedness, poison pre-
vention, and transportation
services for those who need
medical services but have no
way to get there.
The health department is
alsoplanningtoreducenurs-
ingsupportservicestoprivate
and parochial schools in our
county. Nearly 20% of stu-
dents in St. Marys County at-
tend non-public schools. Nurs-
ing support services is very
important to those students
andalongwithtransportation
services, represent all the fs-
calsupportthesestudentsget
from county government.
The health department is
charged with providing per-
sonalas well as environmen-
talhealthservicestoourcom-
munity. Both of these areas
areofhighconcerntotaxpay-
ers who have become more
andmoreconcernedwithboth
thehealthandsafetyofthem-
selvesandtheirfamilyaswell
asconcernaboutthehealthof
our environment.
Under the leadership of
Dr. William Icenhower, the
St. Marys County Health
Department has made sub-
stantial gains in delivering
quality services to our com-
munity. Everything from the
food we eat to the water we
drink,eventheairwebreathe
is monitored by our health
departmenttoassureourciti-
zens are protected.
We rely on our health
department for planning and
preparednessforemergencies
such as environmental disas-
SpendingToLittleCan
BeJustAsCostlyAs
SpendingTooMuch
ters,diseasecontrol,andeven
man made disasters. While
many people beneft daily
fromservicesprovidedbyour
healthdepartment,manyonly
cometounderstandtheirval-
ue in times of emergency.
Some county commis-
sionersclaimtheydidnotun-
derstand that providing such
limited funding would result
in vital services to our com-
munity being reduced. We
fnd that very diffcult to un-
derstand,iffundinglevelsare
not based upon the services
that will be provided (or not
provided), then what are the
commissioners basing fund-
ingdecisionsupon?
Some commissioners
question why some services
are continuing while others
are being phased out. For
instance, one commissioner
suggested the health depart-
ment should eliminate the
bio-terrorism program in fa-
vorofkeepingthenon-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
yearwhengovernmentspend-
ing appears to be out of con-
trol, we are left wondering
why important personal and
environmentalhealthservices
are not a priority of county
government.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
The
County Times Section A -
Photo by Adam Ross
Ramblings of a Country Girl
Odd News
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. Lets dispense with
them right away and get back
to enjoying summer. Hazy,
hot and humid; the trifecta of
summer in Southern Mary-
land. The humidity is a killer,
it is oppressive and depress-
ing. Occasionally, someone
says to me, oh, I dont 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
there. Pests are another down-
side of summer. No, not your
older brother or younger sis-
ter; mosquitoes and fies and
ticks and chiggers. They bite
and itch and get all over your
picnic but what would sum-
mer be without them? Well,
so much for the bad, lets talk
about the good.
There are so many won-
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 mit-
tens? Pretty great, Id say.
Once youve taken 5 minutes
to dress, youre ready to avail
yourself of the plethora of
outdoor activities of summer.
There are all kinds of sports
and fshing and crabbing and
boating. Fishing and crabbing
equals good eats - abig ol
mess of crabs is so tasty. Yes,
theres 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 grill-
ing out? Steaks, burgers, dogs
they all taste so much bet-
ter cooked on the grill. Eat-
ing outdoors makes food taste
better, too. I love eating out-
side, whether its a true picnic
on a blanket or on the picnic
table in our backyard. Ah, the
foods of summer the fresh
produce. Dont you love buy-
ing fresh, local produce? Is
there a better meal on the face
of the earth that grilled burg-
ers and fresh sweet corn? Not
in July theres not! Maybe a
nice, cold watermelon for des-
sert. Thats living, baby!
Maybe you grow your
own vegetables instead of
buying local. Its very satisfy-
ing to enjoy something youve
grown yourself. Maybe, like
me, youre a fower gardener.
Spring is lovely, there is no
doubt. But the summer sea-
son brings us so many beauti-
ful things and theres always
something new blooming.
Its work, but the pleasure
derived both from the satis-
faction of a job well done and
the enjoyment of seeing the
beautiful results a wonder-
ful thing. Its such a joy to
walk around the yard and see
all the fowers blooming, the
roses and black-eyed susans
and my great-grandmothers
four oclocks. 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 oclocks.
They can make quick work of
a beautiful plant and make me
so angry! I detest them and
cant help but feel a personal
vendetta as I set about killing
them. Theres some satisfac-
tion in that, too!
Summer also brings us
Memorial Day, Independence
Day and Labor Day with pa-
rades and freworks and cook-
outs. Lets not forget about the
carnivals! We are so lucky to
live in a place where some of
the volunteer fre 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 fnale of
summer, that most wonderful
event that I wait all year for
the county fair. The food, the
fun, the exhibits but thats a
story for another day. Go out
and grab some summer its
there for the taking.
Good Ol
Summertime
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 camoufage
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 58 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.
HONOLULU- Scientists at the University of Hawaii Manoa
may soon be deep into an aquatic research project, after fnding
what appears to be an octosquid, half-octopus and half-squid
creature in the waters of the island. The animal has the ten-
tacles of an octopus, but the body of a squid. It supposedly got
trapped into a flter of a deep-sea pipeline and was discovered
shortly after. The creature will be sent to the University for fur-
ther 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 arent too
many places on the West Coast that have a lot of land for priva-
cy. However, Jackson has also wondered up the coast and is not
limiting himself to one area. Also, most of Jacksons 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 feld mice because fooding
supposedly drove the mice out of the islands and into the lake.
The invasions started June 23 when a river called the Yangtze
fooded and raised water levels in the Dongting Lake. Now ap-
proximately 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 fooding is expected
soon, so lets hope these walls get build and the counties get out
back together before any more damage can occur.
By Guy Leonard
Staff Writer
The Southern Maryland
Electric Cooperative has $1.1
million in capital credits in its
coffers and thousands of cus-
tomers who have not claimed
their benefts checks from
2003 and 2004, but the food
gates have opened for the un-
claimed money SMECO off-
cials say.
I know weve gotten
quite a few responses, said
Elaine McConkey, SMECOs
treasurer and fxed assets
manager. Were combining
these two years, thats why the
amount of money is so big.
Capital credits represent
money used by SMECO to
build and upkeep facilities
beyond their normal operat-
ing costs. Since this money
comes wholly from SMECO
members, those who use and
pay for the electricity, that
extra money is eventually re-
turned to them as a kind of
membership refund.
SMECO tries to re-
fund that money every year,
McConkey said, but since
it did not initiate a capital
credit effort in 2006, the
amount available for refund
has doubled from its usual
amount of around $500,000.
According to SMECOs Web
site, the capital credits are re-
leased at the discretion of the
cooperatives board of direc-
tors if they deem that the re-
fund will not adversely affect
the fnancial 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 fle is
64 pages long and contains a
virtual laundry list of thou-
sands of names of individuals
and business entities in the
tri-county area that can claim
their refund.
Some of SMECOs mem-
bership also stretches into
southern Prince Georges
County.
We just put this notice
out recently, said SMECO
spokesman Tom Dennison.
Weve 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, ac-
cording to information from
SMECO.
Those listed can call in
to SMECO and submit their
personal information, upon
which SMECO will con-
frm that they are indeed the
same person listed and can
then send the beneft 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
beneft from SMECO and
receive the money as part of
their deceased family mem-
bers estate.
McConkey also said that
SMECO hopes that residents
who are still living in the tri-
county 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
fle them [the capital credit
checks] away and forget about
them, she said.
Members or past mem-
bers seeking their refund have
until August 31 to send in their
information to SMECO. They
can fll out the form found in
local newspapers for mail-
ing or they can download the
form from SMECOs Web site
at www.smeco.com. Custom-
ers can also send in their per-
sonal 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 in-
formation and assistance at
1-888-440-3311.
SMECO provides elec-
tricity to more than 130,000
members and is one of the 10
largest electrical cooperatives
in the country.
Calls Rolling In To Take
Advantage Of SMECO Payout
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 sheriffs investigators
that Patke had sexually as-
saulted his child while in his
care July 7.
Charging documents al-
lege that Patke touched his
child inappropriately while
the child was in the shower
and had in the past touched
the child in a manner that
charging documents allege
was inappropriate.
Charging documents
state that family members
told sheriffs about the alleged
sexual abuse when the victim
informed them of the alleged
acts.
Sheriffs investigators say
they also found images and
videos of child pornography
on Patkes computer as a re-
sult of a warrant search.
Charging documents al-
lege that Patkes 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 doc-
uments claim, was of a female,
approximately 8 years old be-
ing 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 childs
computer.
Charging documents state
that the images Patke claimed
to have downloaded acciden-
tally were not erased.
In the charging docu-
ments Patke admitted to
touching pubic hair near his
childs 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 childs home and not
come within 500 feet of the
child.
The sexual child abuse
charge against Patke carries
a possible 25-year prison sen-
tence. The fourth degree sex
offense charge and the pos-
session of child pornography
charge each carry a one-year
jail sentence, according to
court papers.
Abuse
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 weeks tests showed
a 699 value for contamina-
tion, almost seven times the
posting standard and more
than 60 times the usual bacte-
ria reading for Elms Beach.
Thats very atypical for
Elms Beach, Rose said.
Katie Hiatt, a mother with
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 im-
portant to us, Hiatt said. I
dont want my kids to get sick
from the water.
To us there wasnt suf-
fcient notice; there was noth-
ing on the gate.
At Sanners Lake, which
is part of a private sporting
club and a freshwater body,
the levels of E-coli bacte-
ria 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 al-
lowable limit.
Its uncharacteristically
high, Rose said of the test
results, adding that analysts
had noticed goose drop-
pings near the water, which
could have contributed to the
contamination.
The bacteria found on
beaches like Elms Beach and
Sanners Lake can cause ill-
nesses like gastroenteritis,
with symptoms including fe-
ver, diarrhea and rashes.
Residents concerned
about water quality at the
beaches can contact the health
departments beach monitor-
ing hotline at 301-475-4330,
ext.783 or visit their Web site
at www.smchd.org.
Beaches
Continued from page A-
SectionA-
The
County Times Thursday,July12,2007
Obituaries
MaryCatherineBanks,
79
Mary Catherine Banks,
79, of Lexington Park, Md.,
diedJuly7,2007inSt.Marys
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 educa-
tioninSt.MarysCountyPub-
licSchoolsandwasacafeteria
worker in the school system
aswellasalovingmotherand
housewife. Mary was mar-
riedtothelateJosephIsadore
Banks and from this union
theyhadfourteenchildren.
Mary enjoyed cooking,
watching wrestling, Sanford
& Sons and the Jeffersons,
reading The Jet Magazine
and spending time with her
family. One of her favorite
sayings was If you aint got
dog you gotta hunt with the
cat and we will miss her
dearly.
She is survived by her
children,Agnes(Joseph)Bak-
er of Clements, Md., Caro-
lyn (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., Ber-
nard(Regina)BanksofGreat
Mills,Md.,KarenBanks,John
(Linda) Banks, all of Lex-
ington Park, Md., Catherine
(Everette) Banks of Holly-
wood, Md., special grandson
whowaslikeherson,Tyrone
Banks of Lexington Park,
Md., sister, Sarah Milburn
of Virginia Beach, Va., three
brothers, Wallace Ashton of
Mechanicsville, Md., Phillip
AshtonofLeonardtown,Md.,
and James Ashton of Balti-
more,Md.,sister-in-law,Mary
Agnes Ashton, 35 grandchil-
dren, 30 great-grandchildren,
twogreat-greatgrandchildren,
andahostofnieces,nephews
andfriends.
Inadditiontoherparents
andhusband,sheispreceded
in death by two sons, Joseph
William and Louis Edgar,
two grandsons, Dwight Ja-
marToyeandJosephWilliam
SlackBanks,andtwobroth-
ers,LouisDysonandNorman
Ashton.
The family will receive
friendsonThursday,July12,
2007from9-10a.m.inSt.Jo-
sephsCatholicChurch,Mor-
ganza, Md, where a Mass of
Christian Burial will be cel-
ebrated at 10:00 a.m. Father
Keith Woods will be the cel-
ebrant. Interment will follow
inQueenofPeaceCemetery,
Helen,Md.
Serving as pallbearers
will be Santo A. Chase, Ter-
ranBerry,WalterSwales,Ber-
nard Ashton, Frances Evans,
andErnardeBanks. Serving
as honorary pallbearers will
betheTry-MeClub.
Arrangements by the
Brinsfeld Funeral Home, P.A.
inLeonardtown,Md.
MarthaBrooksBriscoe,
81
Martha Brooks Briscoe,
81,ofParkHall,Md.diedJuly
8,2007atherresidence.
BornAug.30,1925inSt.
MarysCity,Md.,shewasthe
daughter of the late Marshall
L.BrooksandMarthaDorsey
Brooks.
She is survived by her
children, Dorothy Wiggins
of Greensboro, N.C., George
Briscoe,Jr.ofLoveville,Md.,
BarbaraBerryofClinton,Md.,
D.LorraineWilliamsofPark
Hall,Md.,ConnieBaldwinof
Jacksonville,N.C.,RoseBris-
coe of Lexington Park, Md.,
LarryBriscoeofJacksonville,
N.C.,BrendaBriscoeofPark
Hall,Md.,andRaymondBris-
coe of Havelock, N.C., two
brothers, Robert Brooks of
Bladensburgh, Md. and Hen-
son Brooks of Washington,
D.C., 16 grandchildren, 19
great-grandchildren, and two
great-greatgrandchildren.
In addition to her par-
ents,sheisprecededindeath
by her husband, George Wil-
liam Briscoe, daughter, Di-
ane Briscoe, brothers, Louis
Brooks, Frank Brooks and
JohnBrooksandsisters,Sarah
FenwickandLillianCarroll.
The family will receive
friends on Friday, July 13,
2007 from 10-11 a.m. at St.
PeterClaverCatholicChurch,
St. Inigoes, MD, where a
MassofChristianBurialwill
becelebratedat11a.m.Father
DamianShadwellwillbethe
celebrant.Intermentwillfol-
lowinthechurchcemetery.
Arrangements by the
Brinsfeld Funeral Home, P.A.
inLeonardtown,Md.
GeorgeAlbertClements,
Sr.,71
George Albert Clements,
Sr.,71,ofCharlotteHall,Md.
diedJuly8,2007inCharlotte
Hall Veterans Home, Char-
lotteHall,Md.
The family will receive
friends on Thursday, July
12, 2007 from 6-8 p.m. in
the Brinsfeld 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
alaterdate.
Condolences to the fam-
ilymaybeleftatwww.brins-
feldfuneral.com.
A full obituary will ap-
pearatalaterdate.
IdoniaChristineChris
Green,55
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 John-
sonofCallaway,Md.andthe
late Thomas Leroy Maddox,
Sr. She was the loving wife
of Joseph Emil Green whom
shemarriedonOct.30,1992
in Callaway, Md. She is sur-
vived by her daughters: Cor-
tinaNelsonofCallaway,Md.,
Pamela Brown of Lanham,
Md. and Jennifer Green of
Bowie, Md.; brothers and
sisters: Connie Mackey of
Virginia Beach, Va., Darleen
MaddoxandCynthiaJohnson
both of Charlotte Hall, Md.,
KarenThomasofHollywood,
Md.,GlendaFenwickofMill-
ington,TN,KelvinLawrence
and Benjamin Johnson both
of OK, Lionel Johnson and
Tony Johnson both of Calla-
way,Md.,BernadetteFordof
Dameron,Md.,SheilaEvans,
Michelle Maddox, Brenda
Barnes and Barbara Maddox
all of Great Mills, Md., Con-
stance Maddox of Lexing-
ton Park, Md., Loretta Bur-
ton of Waldorf, Md., Xavier
Maddox of California, Md.,
Thomas Maddox, Jr., Melvin
Maddox and Dwayne Mad-
dox all of Piney Point, Md.
andBrianBallofW.Va.;three
grandchildren and one step
grandchild.Shewasalsopre-
cededindeathbyherbrother:
Tyrone Maddox and sister:
TracyMaddox.
Mrs.Greenwasalifelong
St. Marys County resident
where she graduated from
GreatMillsHighSchoolClass
of1969andshealsoattended
Charles County Community
CollegewheregotherAssoci-
atesDegree.Chrisworkedin
administration/child support
for the Department of Social
Servicesfor31yearsuntilher
retirementin1996.Shewasa
memberofMCEA,St.Marys
County Delicados, Inc. and
Health Connections. She
lovedspendingtimewithher
grandkids, traveling, reading
andgardening.
The family received
friendsonSaturday,July7in
St.MarksU.A.M.E.Church,
withaDelicadosServicebe-
ing held at 9:30 a.m. and a
FuneralServicebeingheldat
10 a.m. with Rev. Irvin Bev-
erly offciating. 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
Pallbearerswillbe:Delicados
Inc.,SteveMaddox,Benjamin
Johnson, Kelvin Lawrence,
Michael Thomas and Lionel
Johnson. Arrangements pro-
videdbytheMattingley-Gar-
dinerFuneralHome,P.A.
CatherinePatriciaPat-
syNickless,3
Catherine Patricia Pat-
syNickless,63,ofLexington
Park,Md.diedJuly9,2007at
herresidence.
Born Dec. 16, 1943, she
wasthedaughterofCatherine
RidgellDeanandthelateNel-
sonEdwardDean.
The family will receive
friends on Friday, July 13,
2007 from 5-8 p.m. in St.
CeceliasCatholicChurch,St.
MarysCity,Md.Prayerswill
berecitedat7p.m.AMassof
Christian Burial will be cel-
ebrated Saturday, July 14 at
10 a.m. in the church. Inter-
mentwillfollowinSt.James
CatholicCemetery,St.Marys
City,Md.
Arrangements by the
Brinsfeld Funeral Home, P.A.
inLeonardtown,MD.
A full obituary will ap-
pearatalaterdate.
MargueriteAmyTucker,
93
Marguerite Margaret
Amy Tucker, 93, of Holly-
wood, Md. died July 7, 2007
inSt.MarysNursingCenter,
Leonardtown,D.C.
Born August 10, 1913 in
Hollywood,Md.,shewasthe
daughterofthelateClydeJo-
seph and Effe Elizabeth Joy
Wallace.
The family will receive
friendsonThursday,July12,
2007 at Mattingley-Gardiner
Funeral Home, Leonard-
town,Md.from5-8p.m.with
prayersbeingsaidat7p.m.A
Funeral Service will be held
on Friday, July 13, 2007 at
10a.m.inHollywoodUnited
Methodist Church, Holly-
wood, Md. with Rev. Ken
Walker offciating. Interment
will follow in Joy Chapel
Cemetery,Hollywood,Md.A
full obituary will appear at a
later date. Services provided
by Mattingley-Gardiner Fu-
neralHome,P.A.
DorothyAnnTwohig,79
DorothyAnnTwohig,79,
ofBowie,Md.,diedonJuly5,
2007inAnneArundelMedi-
cal Center, Annapolis, Md.
afterabriefillness.
Born on May 15, 1928
in Philadelphia, Pa., she was
the daughter of the late Mar-
guerite Martinez Snyder and
CharlesSnyder.
ShemarriedAlanJoseph
Twohig on Oct. 11, 1947 and
he preceded her in death on
Nov.13,1989.Togetherthey
had nine children. Dorothys
nine children and their fami-
lieswereherlife,butshealso
exhibited her independence
by working 37 years for the
Maryland-National Capital
Park and Planning Commis-
sion(M-NCPPC).Shevalued
her many friendships with
employees and offcials of M-
NCPPCandtheCityofBow-
ie, having resided in Bowie
forforty-threeyears.Always
looking for exciting adven-
tures,Dorothytraveledaround
theworldandhadthedistinc-
tion of being Marylands frst
woman Golden Gloves Box-
ing Judge. The excitement
oftheringsideenabledherto
beanexpertonthesportand
to interact with well-known
boxers Muhammad Ali and
Sugar Ray Leonard. Doro-
thy 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
forBowiesCableTVstation
forwhichshewasrecognized
with various commendations
andawards.
She is survived by her
nine children, Dorothy Si-
mons of Bowie, Md., Caro-
lyn Nelson of Cedar Creek,
TX, Joyce Larrick of Bowie,
Md., Mary Margaret Yet-
ter of Gambrills, Md., Alan
Twohig III of Chesapeake
Beach, Md., Linda Feeley of
Bowie, Md., John Twohig of
Lothian,Md.,FrancisTwohig
ofSt.SimonsIsland,Ga.,and
Lorraine Gagliardi of Deale,
Md. She deeply loved her
27 grandchildren, nine great
grandchildren and sons and
daughters-in-law.Sheisalso
survived by her loving sister
and brother, Audrey Dudz-
inski of Levittown, PA and
Charles Snyder, of St. Louis,
MOandnumerousniecesand
nephews.
Inadditiontoherparents
and her husband, Dorothy is
preceded in death by sisters,
JaneSnyder,BarbaraAnnPa-
troneandJoanZiegler.
Dorothy was surrounded
by her nine children in her
lastdays.Thefamilyreceived
friendsatBeallFuneralHome
located at 6512 Crain High-
way,Bowie,Md.onMonday,
July9
th
from2-4and7-9pm.
A Mass of Christian Burial
was celebrated at St. Pius X,
located at 14710 Annapolis
Road at 10 a.m. on Tuesday,
July 10
th
. Interment followed
in Maryland Veterans Cem-
etery located at 11301 Crain
HighwayinCheltenham,Md.,
whereshewillbeburiedwith
herhusband,Alan.
Serving as pallbearers
willbeAlanTwohigIII,Jack
Twohig,FranTwohig,A.J.Si-
mons, Steve Nelson, George
Larrick, Jack Feeley, and
SteveGagliardi.
Arrangements by the
Brinsfeld Funeral Home, P.A.
inLeonardtown,Md.
KathleenE.Wilson,84
KathleenE.KittyWil-
son,84,ofSt.Inigoes,former-
lyofPrinceGeorgesCounty,
Md.,diedJuly5,2007atUni-
versity of Maryland Medical
Center.
Born Sept. 11, 1922 in
Washington, D.C., she was
the daughter of the late Har-
oldP.andGeraldineMatters.
She was the loving wife of
WilliamH.Wilsonwhomshe
married on January 8, 1944
inBountifulUtah.Sheissur-
vived by her children Kath-
erenKingofMichigan,WM.
F. Wilson of Blufton, S.C.,
GerriAnnDonnofSunCity,
Hilton Head, S.C., Paul B.
Wilson of Kent Island, Md.,
fourgrandchildrenandseven
great-grandchildren. A Me-
morialServicewillbeheldon
Thursday,July12,2007at10
a.m.inSt.MichaelsCatholic
Church, Ridge, Md., with Fr.
Maurice OConnell offciat-
ing. Arrangements provided
by the Mattingley-Gardiner
FuneralHome,P.A.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
The
County Times Section A - 7
Navy News
Mechanicsville
28967 Route 5 South
1-800-794-0693
301-884-2513
Fax: 301-884-5382
The DeluxeBed by Tempur-Pedic
Therapy and comfort, perfectly balanced.
By Guy Leonard
Staff Writer
County land use planners
and historians are assembling
a database of the countys
many cemeteries, especially
smaller style family plots and
those hidden by woods or oth-
erwise hard to fnd, to save
them from being completely
lost to time, the elements or
development.
Of the thousands of in-
dividual graves in St. Marys
County, each one has a story
to tell, said St. Marys City
archaeologist Ruth Mitchell,
and while the ones in church
plots or larger sites are well
documented the county
should make an effort to fnd
those fnal resting places that
are more out of the way.
This is a way for us to
catch something before its
gone, Mitchell told The Coun-
ty Times. Theres something
special and tangible about his-
tory 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 cemeter-
ies, but there will come a time
when people will have to start
combing woods and felds 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 start-
ing point for the database, but
their information is not always
complete or precise.
Some of them we dont
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 per-
haps one of the best sources
of information on where these
hard-to-fnd cemeteries are
could come from an unlikely
place.
We need hunters to help
us out, Willard said. Theyre
the ones who come across
these cemeteries when theyre
out in the woods.
Wilson said horseback
riders and hikers were an-
other potentially valuable re-
source in fnding these small
cemeteries.
Weve been trying to rely
on the maps then there are
the ones were going to have
to physically go out and look
for, Wilson said. We dont
know if well be successful in
locating them all.
One such example of a
cemetery that falls under the
type the commission is look-
ing for is in Laurel Grove,
where a developer has avoid-
ed getting close to the old site
in building homes.
Wilson said the concern
with many other such sites is
that a developer would inad-
vertently 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 devel-
oper runs into a cemetery they
must either avoid developing
there or go through a complex
and strenuous legal process to
remove the graves and contin-
ue with their project, she said.
Wilson said she knew of
no developers who deliber-
ately built over or removed
graves during their building
efforts, but having such a
database with its red fags
would help ensure that no de-
veloper would ever be able to
do so.
Its easy to remove them
[gravesites] quietly, Wilson
said. Or to doze the head
stones and forget about them.
We want to focus on lo-
cal protection.
And then there are the nat-
ural elements that can cause a
cemetery to disappear.
Mitchell said that cem-
eteries 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 some-
times wash back up on shore,
but leave few clues.
Once those are gone you
dont know where the burials
are, Mitchell said.
The cemetery catalogue
project helps preserve the in-
sights graves can give histori-
ans into the society of a long
time past as well as serve as
a resource for genealogists,
Mitchell said, but the impor-
tance of preserving them was
perhaps more visceral.
Its 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 cem-
eteries can call Wilson at 301-
475-4200 ext.1549.
Cemetery Database
Could Save Graves
From Being Lost
By Amy Kaper
Staff Writer
Low collateral damage
bombs, which can strike ur-
ban targets with as little un-
wanted civilian damage as
possible, are currently being
delivered to war fghters.
The Precision Strike
Weapons Program Offce
(PMA 201) brought the BLU-
126/B bomb into operation
from mere inception in ap-
proximately 17 months. It
now fulflls a Fleet need for a
weapon that is both combat-
ively effective and acts in ac-
cordance with the U.S. Central
Commands Collateral Dam-
age Rules of Engagement.
Externally, the BLU-126/
B is identical to the previ-
ously used 500 lbs. BLU-111,
but contains a lesser explosive
mass, which signifcantly re-
duces the blast radius.
General bombs are cy-
lindrical devices that contain
metal confgurations with
high explosives in them. These
high explosives create a blast,
thermal heat, and fragmen-
tation. 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 bombs 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 ene-
my, inficting as little amount
of innocent bystanders as pos-
sible. He also pointed out that
in current combat environ-
ment, the enemy frequently
hides among civilian popula-
tions to make their capture
exceedingly diffcult. Its
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, in-
cluding those for laser guided
bomb and joint direct attack
munitions.
Formerly, air-to-ground
weapons were produced to re-
lease the maximum amount of
explosives possible. In mod-
ern urban warfare, there is of-
ten a great amount of confu-
sion between friendly, neutral,
and enemy forces; this uncer-
tainty requires blast control.
The BlU-126/B allows tacti-
cal aircraft to employ a strike
weapon that limits unwanted
damage.
We wanted to ensure
the new capability was in-
tuitive for the war fghter, to
employ. We achieved this by
not setting out to create a new
weapon, but instead we modi-
fed a proven system to fulfll
a specifc capability gap, said
PMA-201 Program manager,
Captain Mat Winter. The re-
sult of this need transformed
into a weapon that not only
provides a unique war fght-
ing capability, but is still fa-
miliar 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 BLU-
111 and requires no unique
support costs.
The PMA-201 team,
comprised of engineers, lo-
gisticians and testers from
both Pax River and the Naval
Air Warfare Center, Weapons
Division China Lake, Cali-
fornia, worked as part of the
Naval Aviation Enterprise
Air Launched Weapons Team
to swiftly bring this lethal-
enough and cost-effective
capability to the Navy and
Marine Corps war fghter.
The Program Execu-
tive Offce for Strike Weap-
ons and Unmanned Aviation
(PEO(W))s key mission is
to deliver required capabili-
ties to the Fleet on cost and
on schedule. With this par-
ticular need, the program re-
sponded to the need to create
an effective weapon that not
only reduces the amount of
civilian fatalities but also is
easy for war fghters to mas-
ter and use. I consider this a
huge success, demonstrating
acquisition agility in rapidly
felding 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 capabili-
ties for the Naval Aviation
Enterprise.
Navair Employs
Low Collateral
Damage Bomb
Hen Coop Cemetery in Scotland is one of the cemeteries slated for a registry that will as many of the small cem-
eteries in the county that can be found. The registry will help catalogue them for historical reference and send red
fags to developers who want to build close to them to be cautious.
By Amy Kaper
Staff Writer
Over the past three years,
El Sayed Arafat has been re-
searching and developing a
type of cleaner that removes
corrosion and a mildew clean-
ing kit that is corrosion free.
Arafat received his mas-
ters degree in physical chem-
istry from Cairo University
in Cairo, Egypt and holds a
doctorate from the University
of Mississippi in Oxford, Mis-
sissippi. His doctorate work
concentrated on thermody-
namic properties of organic
ionic crystals.
Arafat joined the Na-
val Air Systems Command
in 2000 as a chemist in the
Naval Air Warfare Center
Aircraft Divisions 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 re-
duce the performance of alu-
minum components that are
most commonly found inside
structures which are not eas-
ily 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 commer-
cial use. These products will
prevent corrosion and inhibit
mildew growth on all metal
surface, but is only applicable
to internal uses.
Arafat believes the prod-
ucts would be extremely use-
ful to many residents of St.
Marys 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 re-
ceived 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 knowl-
edge of operational chemi-
cals have all come together
to form productive and fruit-
ful research programs, said
Kovaleski.
The award, honoring Ad-
miral Thorwald A. Soldberg,
honors an individual who has
made a signifcant contribu-
tion to naval activities.
Captain Vincent Lamo-
linara, military director for
NAVAIRs Air Vehicles Engi-
neering Department, attended
the ceremony with Arafat.
Dr. Arafats efforts represent
the exemplary personal com-
mitment and close connection
to the Fleet that is the true
motivation of NAVAIR engi-
neers, said Lamolinara.
Arafat has been a resident
of Leonardtown, Maryland
since June 2000. He is cur-
rently operating out of Pax
River base through NAVAIR.
Navair Chemist
Greatly Contributes
To Naval Engineering
From Left to Right: Captain Rick Hepburn, Dr. El Sayed Arafat, and Captain Dennis R. Sorensen
Photo Courtesy of ASNE
SectionA-
The
County Times Thursday,July12,2007
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These 1,938 projects in
thepipeline,ifallowedtode-
velopallatonce,wouldquick-
ly use up most of the plants
capacity.
We dont have a lot of
timetodilly-dally,Kingsaid
of the necessity for building
an expansion to the Marlay-
Taylor facility. We have to
getgoing.
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
treatmentinSt.Marysforthe
next20years,accordingtothe
LUGMfacilityreport.
Steve Reeves, president
of the planning commission,
said that its members would
now have to exercise caution
in how many developments
areapprovedandhowquickly
those approved developments
could fnish their build out.
Im concerned, Reeves
told The County Times.
Wevegotabout1,900EDUs
in the pipeline which means
wedonthavemuch[capacity]
left. That means were going
tobeturningpeople[develop-
erswithprojects]down,were
goingtobeunpopular.
Butthereportsaidthatfor
nowtheplantisabletohandle
the approved development
in the county approved by at
leastMay14.
Andthecountyhastaken
stepstostretchitswaterrecla-
mationcapacity.
They have received ap-
provalfromtheMarylandDe-
partment of the Environment
(MDE) to lower the average
amount of water used by an
equivalent development unit
to230gallonsaday.
Thenormalamountman-
dated by the state is 250 gal-
lonsperday,Kingsaid,butthe
county was able to show that
230wastheadequateamount
neededtoproperlyoperatethe
reclamationsystem.
Thecountywasalsoable
to negotiate the use of some
watertreatmentcapacityfrom
both the Patuxent River Na-
valAirStationandSt.Marys
College of Maryland, which
both said was not needed in
the near future, the report
said, to bolster the treatment
capacityatMarlay-Taylor.
Oncetheexpansionofthe
facility was completed, King
said, that treatment capac-
ity would then be allocated
backtothenavalbaseandthe
college.
The combined capacity
allocatedforbothisabout1.5
million gallons per day. The
totalcapacityoftheplantis6
milliongallonsperday.
TheMarlay-Taylorfacility
servesthemostheavilydevel-
opedpartofthecounty,treat-
ingwastewaterforLexington
Park, Great Mills, Callaway,
Hollywood and California.
TheplantalsoservicesPiney
PointandSt.GeorgesIsland.
Capacity
Continued from page A-
ByAmyKaper
StaffWriter
ThroughJulyandAugust,
theBlackBoxTheatreatThe
Indian Head Center for the
Arts will be presenting Steel
Magnolias.
Ataleofmothers,daugh-
ters,andfriends,thisissureto
please the young and the old
with its witty lines, southern
humorandlifelessons.
The play was originally
performedasanoff-broadway
showin1987,andmadeintoa
moviein1989.Itwasbasedon
the authors, Robert Harling,
experience with the death of
his sister who suffered from
diabetes.
Theplayonlyrequiressix
castmembers,allofwhichare
female; Shelby, Ouiser (pro-
nounced Weezer), MLynn,
Annelle, Miss Clairee, and
Truvy.
The stage performance
takesplaceentirelyinTruvys
beautyparlor,whichisalsoa
partofherhouse.
Thedramabeginsonthe
morningofShelbyswedding
to her fanc Jackson, and
coverstheeventsoverthenext
year.
Shelby decides to have
a child despite having Type
1 diabetes. Complications
occur, resulting in the story
following her pregnancy,
childbirth, and diffcult moth-
erhood. We also get a glance
at the unlikely friendship be-
tweenClaireandOuiser;An-
nelles transformation from
a shy newcomer in town to
a partying woman, then to a
religious fundamentalist; and
Truvysrelationshipswiththe
meninherfamily.
Althoughthemainstory-
line involves Shelby and her
medical battles, the underly-
ing group-friendship among
all six women is prominent
throughoutthedrama.
Thecastofthisparticular
blackboxproductionincludes
AngelaBrockunierasShelby,
Bridget ONeill as Ouiser,
SheilaK.DraperasMLynn,
Lauren Kennedy as Annelle,
TaraCardanoasMissClairee,
andLynnFollmerasTruvy
Theplaystrikesachordin
theheartofalmosteveryper-
son who watches, but it par-
ticularly has strong emotions
associated to the actresses.
Draper, ONeill and Cardano
allstarredintheshowatPort
TobaccoPlayers17yearsago.
Draper and ONeill played
their same characters, and
Cardano played Kennedys
present Annelle. Kennedy
alsoplayedShelbythreeyears
agoatPatuxentPlayhouse.
Some of the actresses
have also connected to the
show from their personal life
experiences.ONeillhasadi-
abetic daughter and Drapers
grandson, the sound director
fortheshow,alsosuffersdia-
betes. Last but certainly not
least, Follmers daughter also
hasdiabetes,andwillneedto
haveakidneytransplantdone
verysoon.Follmerwillbethe
kidneydonor.
Therelationshipsseenon
the stage portray the real life
bonds between the actresses.
Theyreactwitheachotherin
such a way that many would
assume theyve known each
otheralltheirlivesasopposed
to the rehearsal time of eight
weeks. In a emotional show
likethis,youcanthelpthede-
velopment,saidKennedy.
Director Cindy Johnson
is very proud of her cast and
feels blessed to have worked
withthemoverthepasteight
weeks. there is something
very special about this play
and the women in it, said
Johnson.
Withgreatprops,abeau-
tiful set, and an all-star cast,
the show will honestly leave
attendees believing, That
whichdoesnotkillus,makes
usstronger.
The play is decent for
viewersofallages.Thescript
is sparsely dotted with curs-
ing and sexual references,
but nothing overly vulgar or
crude. Parents accompanying
theirchildrentotheshowmay
wanttoexplainwhatdiabetes
is and how serious it can be
to someones life. This will
probably clear up any con-
fusion about Shelby and her
sickness.
The movie version is
commonly referred to as a
chick fick, but dont leave
theboysathomejustyet.This
tearjerker may even reel the
men in, with its rye humor
andintensescenes.
Performances begin Fri-
day, July 13th and will run
untilAugust12th.Fridayand
Saturday performances will
beginat8p.m.Sundaymati-
nee performances will begin
at 3 p.m. Reservations and
ticketsareavailablebycalling
1-(800)-494-8497 or online
at www.indianheadblackbox.
org <http://www.indianhead-
blackbox.org/>.
BlackboxTheaterTo
PerformSteelMagnolias
historiclandmarkhome,ifthe
Historic Preservation Com-
missiondecidedithadenough
historical value to be put on
thelist.
These homes represent
a signifcant portion of the
countys890documentedhis-
toricalsites,Wilsonsaid.
Every time a home
is sold theres the possibil-
ity renovations could occur
that arent sympathetic to the
original design, Wilson said
of why the preservation pro-
gram was important. They
manynotbeaware[thehouse]
has historic signifcance its
about trying to preserve as
much of the original appear-
anceaspossible.
While there are mon-
etary benefts attached to
the program, homeowners
who want to participate must
present detailed information
abouttheirhometothecom-
mission that will allow them
to decide whether the home
should be considered for the
designation.
They must also apply for
rezoningoftheirproperty.
Their recommendation
must then go to the county
planning commission for a
publicmeeting.
The county commission-
ersandtheplanningcommis-
sion must then give their ap-
provaltotheproject.
Joe and Nancy Dick,
owners and operators of the
bed and breakfast at St. Mi-
chaels Manor and Vineyard,
saidtheyboughttheproperty
back in 1982 and spent the
nextseveralyearsrestoringit
to historic guidelines purely
for the love of the history of
theplace.
It was a rewarding chal-
lenge, they said, to do the
work.
They did not receive any
taxcredits,accordingtoNan-
cy Dick, who thought it was
amazing that other hom-
eownershadnottakenadvan-
tageoftheprogram.
Iguessthetaxincentive
just isnt enough for them,
shesaid.
Restoring the manor
house was a laborious task,
sheadded.
It was a lot of years, a
lot of time and a lot of mon-
ey,NancyDicksaid.Itwas
in pretty bad shape when we
boughtit.
Her husband, Joe Dick,
said fnding homes like St.
Michaels Manor in livable
condition was becoming
harder.
Most Maryland manor
homes are chimneys, Joe
Dicksaid.Becausethatsall
thatsleftofthem.
There was much more to
St.MichaelsManorthanthat
whentheyboughtit,though.
There were vines com-
ing into the house, the land
was completely overgrown
itwasarealjungle,JoeDick
said.
Butthehomeownerswho
wishedtorestoretheproperty
wouldgetguidanceintheiref-
fortsfromcountystaffmem-
bers like Wilson to ensure
theirprojectmetguidelines.
Ifitdidnttheycouldlose
their landmark status and
havetorepayorforfeitanytax
credits they received, Wilson
said.
They would have my
help every step of the way,
Wilsonsaid.
The potentially historic
homesthatweremostindan-
ger of being renovated or
even demolished without
concernfortheirhistoricval-
ue were old farm houses off
thebeatenpath,Wilsonsaid.
Theyre just modest
things, Wilson said. They
buy the property and, many
of these homes being small,
theywanttobuildsomething
bigger.
Alotofthemarefalling
HistoricHomes
Continued from page A-