(Almost) 149th Anniversary of McNeill's Rangers' Raid on Cumberland (Story Told in Pictures!)

Sometimes things happen in war that are so gutsy that people on all sides tip their hat.

One such event was McNeill's Rangers' raid on Cumberland, one of the most daring of its kind in American military history.

By winter of 1865, the Confederacy was about to throw in the towel.  Ulysses S. Grant's army slowly constricted around Robert E. Lee at Petersburg.  But a number of Confederate groups remained free.

Like the partisan ranger unit commanded by Lieutenant Jesse McNeill

This unit specialized in causing mischief around Hampshire and Hardy counties.  Lee had one general order, though.  Go steal a lot of these as much as possible.

But in February of 1865, Jesse and his compadres had a different idea.  Pull a crazy stunt that would resound in the annals of war.  Kidnap three of the enemy's general officers.

They moved north from their bases near Moorefield, crossed the shallow and not very broad Potomac and went into the Maryland city of Cumberland

In Cumberland they aimed to kidnap three generals.  Two were staying at a swank hotel in town.

They got captured.

The third believed in sharing the privations of his troops, even in the bitter cold of a mountain winter.  He smartly slept in a freezing tent surrounded by thousands of freezing soldiers.  Safe and sound.

Maybe that's why Rutherford B. Hayes ended up president!

The other two ended up captured.

One was this man

He looked just as perturbed the whole time he was in captivity.  Brigadier General Benjamin Kelley was not a man who enjoyed a good prank.  Maybe because a wound he suffered early in the war never healed and ended up incapacitating him in the 1870s.

The other was this feller

US Army historians consider George Crook to be one of the best small war commanders in American military history.  He knew how to wage war in mountains, hollows, forests, and remote lands.  Crook treated enemies, both Confederate and Indian, fairly, but always fought hard.

Crook delighted his captors by congratulating them on a job well done and joining their gentle mocking of the scowling Kelley.

Getting the generals out was no easy task.  Mountain winters look like this

Although the capture was a humiliation for the Union, especially General Kelley, it produced no lasting effect.  It did not get Grant away from Richmond and it did not net Lee anymore beef.

But it did leave lasting memories of daring and bravado remembered in the Potomac Highlands down to today.

Working Smart and Hard For Local Development: College Educations Are Overprioritized

The Mineral County Development Authority yesterday began advertising for a new executive director.  Requirements include a bachelors' degree in business, economics, or a related field or at least seven years of related experience.  

In the past year, experts have started realizing that the priority reflected in this ad is backwards. Real world experience should count more than paper earned by sitting in a series of classrooms.  This is more true now than ever before, considering the changing priorities of higher education.

The digital age means that people can bypass the traditional four year college degree and find low cost or even free training on their own.  Want to be a reporter? The Douglas Reynolds National Center of Business Journalism offers several free webinars per year to teach newsgathering and writing.  Last summer, Business Insider published descriptions of 12 companies offering training in fast growing fields that cost much less than most four year degrees.

Higher education defenders will say that basic training courses are fine, but one needs college courses to understand the big picture of how the economy works.  Not so.  Many colleges and universities have embraced left wing economic agendas.  Positions like West Virginia University's BB&T endowed chair in free market studies are few and far between.  As higher education watchdog groups like Young America's Foundation point out, courses pushing Marxism and government control of the economy are much more common.

Want an education of how the market works?  Read Milton and Rosa Friedman's Free to Choose.  Or watch his series of videos on You Tube.  Another fine work is the 130 word A Capitalist Manifesto by Gary Wolfram.  Also very accessible is Friedrich Hayek's Road to Serfdom which explains how government can ruin an economy and devolve into tyranny from its own best intentions.  Ten videos and a few hundred pages are much cheaper and much more educational than tens of thousands spent for a four year degree.

Even more importantly, many people at a surprisingly young age learn very quickly about business and economics without ever setting foot in a college.  How?  By working in a family business or starting their own.  Nothing teaches like experience.  Investing the effort and resources, taking the risks, developing judgment, all of these are key elements in building a sound economic mind.  

Mike Rowe, famous for hosting and narrating shows like Deadliest Catch, argues against "propaganda" employed by colleges and universities to increase student populations. He says that pushing college education "worked for colleges, that's fore sure.  Enrollments soared."  But high unemployment among graduates and trillion dollar student debt show that it is not the right fit for a lot of people.  Three million jobs are there for the taking, but colleges do not prepare the young for actual work.

On a side note, it is amazing that the current presidential administration tries to make economic policy without relying on a single individual with such experience.

Experience and the right education teach that economic development revolves around a very simple principle, competitive advantage.  West Virginia economic development fails because it tries to ignore that simple truth.  Elaborate webs of regulations and licensing requirements, too many taxes and fees, and a court system stacked against business all conspire to outstrip the advantages of location, low costs, and available workforce.  Only the worse situations created by Maryland and northern Virginia counties have helped West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle grow as it has.  Their higher taxes, ridiculous zoning and environmental laws, among other things, have made their economic climate conducive mainly to government and non profits.  The private sector in Maryland, outside of the service sector near Washington, is near death.  West Virginia is only attractive in relative terms.  

But our state does not take the steps necessary to make the right changes.  We do not reform our court system.  We do not cut regulations.  We have relied too much in the past on huge tax breaks to targeted industries that usually skip town as soon as the breaks are over.  Meanwhile established businesses in the state have to shoulder their burden.

This is why when local governments advertise for economic development officials, they need to list like this: "Seven years of business experience mandatory.  Understanding of basic free market economics plus state and local business conditions necessary.  Four year degree in economics or business helpful, but not needed."

Maryland's Mini Secession Movement: Freedom, Dollars, and Common Sense

Across the country, secession movements have served as the face of frustration for rural residents.  States dominated by urban and suburban elites continue to rile countryside conservatives.  In an increasing number of states, counties have considered secession as the answer.

Active movements have sprouted in Northern California, Colorado, Michigan, and now Maryland.

According to Fox News, many of the complaints are the same.  Residents chafe under onerous restrictions on land that hurt farmers.  They also oppose gun control laws backed by suburbanites.

Some Marylanders already made the decision to secede as individuals.  Most prominently, former Maryland state senator and Republican Party chair Alex Mooney crossed the Potomac from Frederick County to Charles Town, West Virginia.  His run for Congress puts a face on the long trend of Maryland counties losing opportunities to competition south of the Potomac.

A study of West Virginia and bordering Maryland counties using numbers from the US Census Bureau's County Business Patterns data shows Mountain State counties faring better even with poorer infrastructure.

For example, Maryland's Allegany County, centered around Cumberland, had 1,847 private sector business establishments employing 25,136 in 2000.  By 2011, 1,647 employed 24,485.  Neighboring Mineral County saw some jumps.  In 2000, 480 establishments employed exactly 5,000 workers.  Eleven years later, the number of businesses dropped to 452, but the number of workers shot up to 6,445.

The numbers from Mineral County are still stagnant in many ways.  That area however, unlike Allegany, does not benefit from an interstate or any other four lane highway bisecting it.

Differences also emerge between Washington County, Maryland (surrounding Hagerstown), and Berkeley County, West Virginia.  Between 2000 and 2011, Washington County lost almost 3,000 workers while Berkeley added over a thousand.  Between 1990 and 2010, Washington County's population increased by around 25 percent while Berkeley's shot up by a little over 40 percent.

Washington County should benefit from the intersection of Interstates 70 and 81, two of the most traveled in the Eastern United States.  While Berkeley County has an excellent transportation infrastructure as well as Interstate 81, it is more beneficial to local travel.

Speculation that Marylanders may be seeking better opportunities and a way of life across the border would be tough to prove without further study.  The Mercatus Center's Freedom In the Fifty States Study shows little difference between West Virginia's overall rank of 44 and Maryland's of 42.  The study applauds West Virginia's ranking of ninth on personal freedoms, while Maryland hovers near the bottom among the least free societies in the United States.

Individuals abandoning their native states in search of better economic and social opportunities has helped to define the history of the nation.  But the 21st century wrinkle of seeking out areas friendlier to beliefs about government and freedom are playing out in interesting and unpredictable ways.

At any rate the Potomac Valley counties of West Virginia, despite handicaps from inferior infrastructure and  a system unfriendly to business, outperform their Maryland counterparts.

Less freedom, fewer opportunities.  No wonder western Marylanders have given up on Annapolis.  Time for those in Charleston to wake up and take advantage.

Progress On a Ridgetop

Most people in Keyser should by now be aware of a major construction project taking place right over their heads. After several years of wrangling, construction has started and proceeded very quickly on the Green Mountain windmill project. As of today, four are completely assembled and many more are partially built.

This is one of the few major private sector initiatives I have seen in Mineral County since I moved here six years ago. Most of the people I have spoken to are amazed at the speed of construction and are interested in their progress. Not many have expressed dismay at seeing windmills on a ridgetop that overlooks McDonald's and Denny's.

Even though the school board at one time voted to discourage their construction, the tax money from the project will be a huge help to improving our schools. They also create a sense that the town and county are moving forward. Today, Mineral County is becoming a part of our nation's domestic energy production solution. Tomorrow, who knows what further steps we can take? If we keep our mind open to the possibilities and embrace the need for development and jobs, Mineral County can be a more attractive destination for investment and we can provide opportunities for more of our children.

Public Service Commission of West Virginia Grants Siting Certificate for Pinnacle Wind Farm at NewPage

January 11, 2010 -- The Public Service Commission (PSC) of West Virginia granted a Siting Certificate for the construction of the Pinnacle Wind Farm at NewPage. The project, developed by Pinnacle Wind Force, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of US Wind Force, LLC, is the product of a joint development agreement between US Wind Force and Edison Mission Group (EMG).

"Pinnacle is delighted that the public service commission has granted the permit. While we have not yet had the opportunity to review the entire order, we are ready to put skilled West Virginians to work building this clean, renewable energy project. We anticipate that construction will likely begin once the terms of a power purchase agreement are finalized", said Dave Friend, vice president of US Wind Force.
The 23 turbine Pinnacle Wind Farm at NewPage will be located on Green Mountain, near Keyser WV, in Mineral County. The turbines will generate approximately 55 megawatts of power, which is enough electricity for over 14,000 households. The cost to construct the project is estimated at $130 million. County property taxes are projected to average more than $433,000 annually, placing it among the county's largest taxpayers. Additionally, Pinnacle has voluntarily committed to establish a community benefit fund that will provide locally controlled financial resources for community projects throughout the life of the project.

NewPage Corporation, the largest coated paper manufacturer in North America, is partnering with the project by placing six of the turbines on NewPage property near the company's Luke, Maryland facility. “NewPage is proud to partner strategically with US Wind Force, especially during a time when our country is facing significant energy challenges. This partnership is an example of our commitment to support the growth of sustainable energy and is consistent with our goal to continuously explore renewable energy opportunities for our facilities," said David Bonistall, vice president, environmental, health and safety for NewPage.

As part of the project planning process, a Community Advisory Panel (CAP) was established to create an ongoing dialogue with community members from the Keyser, New Creek, Piedmont, and Elk Garden areas. Members continue to meet to discuss the project and its progress. In addition to meeting with CAP members, US Wind Force has met with local civic and service organizations in Mineral County and conducted open house events. Friend added, "[W]e appreciate the tremendous amount of support the project has received from stakeholders in the local community and their willingness to provide valuable input throughout this phase of the process."

To learn more about the Pinnacle Project, please visit the US Wind Force website at www.uswindforce.com. Project area residents may stop by one of the community information repositories located at the Keyser Public Library, the Elk Garden Community School, and the Piedmont Public Library to see a copy of the application. A toll-free project line, 1-866-929-4429, is also available to anyone with questions about the project.
US Wind Force, LLC, based in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, is a privately held developer of utility-scale wind energy projects.

EMG companies rank as the seventh largest developer of wind energy projects in the United States with a current portfolio of 27 wind projects capable of producing more than 1,500 MW of electricity in operation or under construction in 10 states, including two projects in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. EMG also operates a power generating facility in Grant Town, West Virginia, which uses waste coal to generate electricity. EMG is headquartered in Irvine, California and is a subsidiary of Edison International.

Urgent Weather Message for Eastern Mineral, WV

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE...CORRECTED

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 450 AM EST SAT DEC 5 2009.

LOW PRESSURE IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO WILL MOVE UP THE MID ATLANTIC COAST TODAY AND THEN EAST OF THE DELMARVA TOWARD THE GULF OF
MAINE TONIGHT. THIS WILL BRING SNOW TO THE MID ATLANTIC STATES.

WASHINGTON-EXTREME WESTERN ALLEGANY-CENTRAL AND EASTERN ALLEGANY-FREDERICK VA-CLARKE-HAMPSHIRE-MORGAN-BERKELEY-JEFFERSON-WESTERN MINERAL-EASTERN MINERAL-INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...HAGERSTOWN...FROSTBURG...CUMBERLAND...WINCHESTER...MARTINSBURG...CHARLES TOWN...EMORYVILLE...HARTMANSVILLE...KEYSER...FORT ASHBY 450 AM EST SAT DEC 5 2009

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS
MORNING TO 9 PM EST THIS EVENING

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS
MORNING TO 9 PM EST THIS EVENING. PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ACROSS THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA...NORTH CENTRAL MARYLAND AND EXTREME NORTHERN VIRGINIA AROUND SUNRISE. TO START...A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW WILL OCCUR. HOWEVER...AS COLDER AIR FILTERS IN...PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO CHANGE TO ALL SNOW DURING THE MID MORNING.

SNOW WILL BECOME MODERATE DURING THE AFTERNOON WHICH MAY REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS. SNOW WILL TAPER OFF DURING THE EVENING.

SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 5 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED...WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS ACROSS THE HIGHLANDS OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY. TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING WILL LEAD TO SLIPPERY CONDITIONS. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

89% of Mineral County Residents Oppose Zoning

The Question was asked: Should Mineral County put in Zoning to limit private property use? 89% Responded No, while only 5% responded Yes to zoning. The remainder were unsure. The poll was non-scientific conducted during the week of July 26th.

County to waste more taxpayer money on Water Shortage Farce

The on going waste of taxpayer’s money on the fake water shortage continues. As our economic continues to slide deeper into the recession many people are cutting back and saving their money for the future, but for some reason government doesn’t want to do the same thing. This puts an ever increasing burden on the taxpayers when they can least afford it.

The Wednesday addition of the News Tribune reports a WVU student was paid $5,000 as a precursor to a much larger study. The PHC reported last year that “DHHR notified the county they are making available $92,000 to assist with the study.” This $92,000 of taxpayer money is just an assist as the full study is expected to cost somewhere around a quarter million dollars.

This is what the study will tell us: We will find that Piedmont gets its water from Savage River in Maryland, the Elk Garden area gets its water from Grant County, and Ridgeley and Wiley Ford are connected to Cumberland’s water supply for now. This means that many of the people of Mineral County don’t even rely on water from within the county. History will also show that even in the worst drought, the Keyser and New Creek water systems have never ran out of water. Also keep in mind that the Limestone Dam is a water reservoir for the city of Keyser that is no longer used and they can’t seem to empty it, because to much water flows into it. The Mountaintop Water Department commissioned a study which claims that their reservoir contains over 100 million gallons of water and does not drop much even in dry spells.

The study will also find that Jennings Randolph Lake has 41,000 acre feet of water in storage that is enough to supply every man, woman and child with 100 gallons a day for over 13 years if the river stopped flowing today. There is an additional 51,000 acre feet used for water quality management, so we are looking at over 27 years worth of water if it didn’t rain for the next 27 years and nobody in Mineral County uses any of that water now!

The county government is acting very strange and very anti-business on many issues. Consider that the County Commission is not actively supporting the $138 million dollar investment in the county on the Wind Project which will generate an additional $326,591 in taxes for the school system alone as reported by the News Tribune on Wednesday. I cannot understand why the county commission would not actively support the increase in funding to the school system. County Commissioner Spiggle’s wife Betty sent a letter to the Public Service Commission actively opposing the project and can be viewed on the Public Service Commissions website. Commissioner Wayne Spiggle pushed the County Commission to request making US 50 a Scenic Byway which would hinder business. Now it is the water study, which if not done correctly, can be used as a way to restrict business growth and economic growth.

It is time for the County Commission to stop wasting the taxpayer’s money on anti-business policies and water studies. If you want to spend our tax dollars on water, then we believe you should spend it on providing additional water and water safety. Connect the different water systems in the county together, so that in an emergency the separate water systems can help each other. If a chemical truck were to wreck and spill its contents into New Creek, then a connected system would allow Keyser to bring in water from Elk Garden or Piedmont. If water quality becomes and issue in Fort Ashby, then water could be supplied from Fountain or elsewhere in a connected system.

City of Keyser Backs Green Mountain Wind Farm

After a unanimous vote of approval, Keyser City Councilman Dave Sowers said of a proposed Green Mountain wind farm that it would generate county tax revenues, create more jobs, and help expand national renewable energy production.

Pinnacle Wind Force plans to spend $131 million to create the facility on the mountaintops above Keyser.

This puts the Keyser City Council potentially at odds with some members of the county commission who have expressed reservations about wind energy. Some concerns cited include the altering of aesthetics, damage to wildlife, and questions about what would happen if wind power was not profitable in the long run.

However Mineral County will gain benefits for years from the farm. Property tax revenues will bolster school budgets. The ripple effect from a $131 million investment will boost Keyser's flagging economy. Also it will promote the perception that Keyser and Mineral County embrace new technologies and ideas. Windmills are a symbol of clean energy independence.

Economic Recovery Funds in the Potomac Highlands

Grant County

Emergency Food and Shelter Program

Agency: Other Category: Public Safety Amount: $3,179.00

IDEA Part B Preschool Allocation

Description: Special Education Agency: Department of Education

Category: Education Amount: $25,392.00

Title I Grants

Agency: Department of Education

Category: Education Amount: $306,498.00

IDEA Part B School Age Allocation

Agency: Department of Education

Category: Education Amount: $532,005.00

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Hardy County

Emergency Food and Shelter Program

Agency: Other

Category: Public Safety Amount: $3,680.00

IDEA Part B Preschool Allocation

Description: Special Education Agency: Department of Education

Category: Education Amount: $30,096.00

Title I Grants

Agency: Department of Education

Category: Education Amount: $258,284.00

IDEA Part B School Age Allocation

Agency: Department of Education

Category: Education Amount: $630,587.00

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Hampshire County

Romney Street

Description: RESURFACING Agency: Department of Transportation

Category: Transportation Amount: $4,000,000.00

Emergency Food and Shelter Program

Agency: Other

Category: Public Safety Amount: $4,785.00

IDEA Part B Preschool Allocation

Description: Special Education Agency: Department of Education

Category: Education Amount: $48,628.00

IDEA Part B Preschool Allocation

Description: Special Education Agency: Department of Education

Category: Education Amount: $2,250.00

Title I Grants

Agency: Department of Education

Category: Education Amount: $639,553.00

IDEA Part B School Age Allocation

Agency: Department of Education

Category: Education Amount: $1,018,796.00

IDEA Part B School Age Allocation

Agency: Department of Education

Category: Education Amount: $47,118.00

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Mineral County

Mineral St

Description: RESURFACING Agency: Department of Transportation

Category: Transportation Amount: $1,131,000.00

Emergency Food and Shelter Program

Agency: Other

Category: Public Safety Amount: $6,953.00

IDEA Part B Preschool Allocation

Description: Special Education Agency: Department of Education

Category: Education Amount: $57,561.00

Title I Grants

Agency: Department of Education

Category: Education Amount: $729,237.00

IDEA Part B School Age Allocation

Agency:Department of Education

Category: Education Amount: $1,206,063.00

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Pendleton County

Judy Gap Bridge

Description: BRIDGE LMC Agency: Department of Transportation

Category: Transportation Amount: $462,000.00

4-U Bridge

Description: BRIDGE C&P Agency: Department of Transportation

Category: Transportation Amount: $232,000.00

Deer Run Park

Description: BRIDGE REPLACE Agency: Department of Transportation

Category: Transportation Amount: $575,000.00

Rough Run

Description: BRIDGE REPLACE Agency: Department of Transportation

Category: Transportation Amount: $875,000.00

Smith Creek to Franklin Rd

Description: SLIDES Agency: Department of Transportation

Category: Transportation Amount: $1,000,000.00

IDEA Part B Preschool Allocation

Description: Special Education Agency: Department of Education

Category: Education Amount: $14,206.00

Title I Grants

Agency: Department of Education

Category: Education Amount: $119,618.00

IDEA Part B School Age Allocation

Agency: Department of Education

Category: Education Amount: $297,636.00

Free Market Forces vs Central Planning

Right now the Mineral County Planning Commission is in the mist of developing its Comprehensive Plan under Section §8A-3 of the West Virginia code. The county is spending $20,000 with the WVU Extension office to prepare the plan, a bargain compared to what other counties have spent. Knowing the complexity of the economy, I have to ask the question, beyond planning what government will do as far as libraries, parks, water, etc; can government effectively plan Economic Development and Land Use in the private sector as outlined in the state code?

Governments have tried to plan economies and land use for hundreds of years, and I can think of none that ever found success. Starting in 1607 over the course of 2-years 604 people were sent to the centrally planned Jamestown settlement in Virginia, all but 98 died of starvation 6 months after their arrival. In 1611 Sir Thomas Dale took charge of the Virginia Colony, eliminated central planning, instituted private property and within a few years the colony that lost 80% of its population to starvation was trading excess food to the Native Americans. Central economic planning and loss of property rights in the Soviet Union led to the starvation deaths of millions in 1932 and 1933, in China 20 to 30 million starved between 1959 and 1962. The Soviet Union collapsed under a centrally planned economy, and China survives by restoring private property rights and switching to a free market system.

Economic Development and Land Use are linked to prosperity, yet they are two separate sections of the state code on developing a comprehensive plan. That alone speaks volumes of the government’s ability to effectively plan that which it doesn’t understand. While local WV governments do not have the power to centrally plan production, they can restrict the economy through removal of property owner rights more commonly called Zoning. Let’s make no mistake zoning is only a restriction; it can never enhance the economy. A free market needs choices to operate, remove those choices through zoning and you create inefficiencies that slow or reverse economic growth.

The first looser is the entrepreneur, which create most of the jobs in the state and usually start those businesses at home. A good example is Thermo Gauge located in Fort Ashby, WV, which is currently operating out of a home while they finalize plans to move into the Fort Ashby industrial park and expand. Residential zoning would have killed this West Virginia success story before it got started. Removing the choice of starting a business in the home through government imposed land use restrictions raises the barrier to entry. It forces an entrepreneur to rent elsewhere or give up. The free market will also give the homeowner that does not want to live next to a business an option, an another entrepreneur will fill the need with a subdivision with deed covenants restricting home businesses. The free market will restrict itself on sound economic principles. Wal-Mart is not going to build a super center 6 miles down a county road that has little traffic just because land is cheap, and unrestricted. Wal-Mart knows they need to locate on a major thoroughfare to be competitive. Industry will locate were it can get is goods to market easily usually where rail, interstate or barge shipping is an option.

The dark sides of zoning are they create a class of public officials with the power to restrict the self-determination of land owners with no consequences for themselves. This power favors those with political and monetary clout at the expense of the original land owners and less affluent. Land use restrictions also create regulatory takings, this happens when a governing body restricts the use of private property so that the value is lessened. The victim of a regulatory taking still holds deed to the property, but much of its value will have been removed without compensation.

The answer to my question is government should stay out of central planning as much as possible. While not perfect, the free market will always be smarter and fairer than the bureaucrats when deciding economic and land use issues.

Water Studies are money down the drain

Is this the time when the taxpayers of Mineral County collectively say, “We told you so and thanks for wasting our money?” When the County Commission announced they were going to spend taxpayer’s money on a water study of Knobley Mountain to see if there was a sufficient supply for future growth many of us wondered aloud why? If you have lived in Mineral County any length of time you know there are natural springs all over Knobley. You know there is a bottled water plant in Fountain using spring water and the city of Keyser has a dam on Limestone that they can’t empty because water from Knobley Mountain springs keep refilling it, despite their efforts.

Now the county wants to do a bigger water study and at bigger cost as well. DHHR notified the county they are making available $92,000 to assist with the study. That is just to assist, because the cost of the total study is going to be some where around a quarter million dollars.

If they spend this quarter million of your tax dollars; we already know what they are going to find. We will find that Piedmont gets its water from Savage River in Maryland, the Elk Garden area gets its water from Grant County, and Ridgeley and Wiley Ford are connected to Cumberland’s water supply for now. This means that many of the people of Mineral County don’t even rely on water from within the county. History will also show that even in the worst drought, the Keyser and New Creek water systems have never ran out of water. Also keep in mind that the Limestone Dam is a water reservoir for the city of Keyser that is no longer used and they can’t seem to empty it, because to much water flows into it.

The study will also find that Jennings Randolph Lake has 41,000 acre feet of water in storage that is enough to supply every man, woman and child with 100 gallons a day for over 13 years if the river stopped flowing to day. There is an additional 51,000 acre feet used for water quality management, so we are looking at over 27 years worth of water if it didn’t rain for the next 27 years and nobody in Mineral County uses any of that water now!

So basically the County Commission wants to spend more taxpayer money on a water study to learn what we already know; that we don’t live in the Sahara Desert and Mineral County has plenty of water resources to tap if we need. Perhaps Mineral County has so much water because the drain is plugged up from the County Commission stuffing money down it.

It is time for the County Commission to stop wasting the taxpayer’s money on water studies. If you want to spend our tax dollars on water, then we believe you should spend it on providing additional water and water safety. Connect the different water systems in the county together, so that in an emergency the separate water systems can help each other. If a chemical truck were to wreck and spill its contents into New Creek, then a connected system would allow Keyser to bring in water from Elk Garden or Piedmont. If water quality becomes and issue in Fort Ashby, then water could be supplied from Fountain or elsewhere in a connected system.

In short the County Commission should spend the taxpayer’s money wisely or not at all.

Bond Levy Defeated Soundly, Fraley & Rotruck Win

Many races were tight, but in unofficial results here is the break down on contested races.

Williams takes Democratic nomination for 14th senate seat, but does it without help from Mineral County. Webb dominated the Mineral County vote.

Fraley picks up Democratic nomination for Sheriff

Craig Rotruck grabs School Board seat and Arnholt keeps hers.

School bond was defeated yet again.

In the county commission race LaRue leads Leatherman by 5 votes with all but challenged ballots counted. Outcome may not be known until Friday.

LaRue 1102
Leatherman 1097
Favara 834

A Little Competition Doesn't Hurt

In 1938 a lot of Austrians pined for the good ol' days. Until twenty years before, they were part of a huge empire that was respected on the world stage. World War I made them smaller and seemingly irrelevant. Austria identified a great deal with their much larger neighbor, Germany because of tradition and ties. They looked askance at their new neighbors, Poland, Czechoslovakia, etc. because they did not have the money or the power of Germany. Many Austrians wanted to form a partnership with Germany, whether or nor a position of equality was possible. We all know what happened. Germany absorbed Austria and took her with it to her utter ruin and shame.

Some of Mineral County's leaders seek to form a partnership with Maryland's Garrett and Allegheny Counties, claiming that it is the obvious move. Now no power mad dictator leads those governments to war, but they have a much stronger economic position than Mineral. In any regional cooperative gesture, the Maryland interest would absorb the Mineral every time.

Cooperation with Maryland counties would hurt Mineral County in the long run because any positives attracted to the region would end up in Maryland while Mineral received the scraps. Even worse, our leaders would be forced to trumpet such scraps as progress. It is not as if these counties will lower their competitive advantage to help us anyway. Will Maryland lower their teacher salaries and benefits so that Mineral can remain competitive for those experienced hands? Of course not, that would be ludicrous. Do not count on them to willingly send any economic development our way either unless it is something inconsequential or unwanted. Also, economic development in Maryland will increase their state and county tax base, enabling them to work on their schools and infrastructure. Will Maryland divert any road or school money to a West Virginia county in the interest of brotherhood and cooperation? Of course not, again that would be ludicrous.

Mineral County's natural partners are Hampshire, Hardy, Grant, and Pendleton. Our natural competitors are north of the Potomac. Mineral must abandon its infatuation with Maryland; sure that state is more wealthy and powerful. but that suitor will use Mineral up and throw her aside. Our sister counties in West Virginia have common goals to build up our road system, make our schools more competitive, and above all attract jobs to build up the West Virginia state and county tax base. Benefits accrued in Maryland will not cross the Potomac.

We should spend our time competing with Maryland for jobs and wealth creation, not helping that state improve its already predominant position. Cooperating with West Virginia counties confers benefits. The state of West Virginia will collect tax money and allocate it to where it is needed the most by our people. I promise that Maryland's legislature will not be using their tax money to do anything for our county.

What Are Mineral County's Priorities?

One of the biggest follies of government at any level lies in the fact that public officials often do not balance ends and means. This is a common mistake. Voters often demand changes that government cannot afford. Every small city needs more police to enforce traffic laws and curtail the drug traffic, but very few have the means to work towards that end. In an ideal world we can always find the money to do what we want. However government, business, and individuals often have to try and separate what they want from what they need.

This means setting priorities. What is most important to the people of Mineral County? Certainly a large rural county struggles to provide police protection. With only a limited number of state troopers, the county sheriff's department has a vast responsibility to serve the court and enforce the law. Mineral County's sheriff recently requested two new deputies. The county told them that only one could be funded. This occurred despite the fact that stolen property values in Mineral County jumped 158% between 2006 and 2007 to an amount well over $200,000. Education of local children remains a strong need. Outside of the schools, the county library system provides an alternative center for children and adults alike to broaden their minds. Relatively little money exists to support this important community institution.

However the county now proposes to hire new enforcement officers for the new decrepit building ordinance. There was some community demand to create an ordinance to address unsafe and unsightly conditions on various properties, although certainly it did not receive a groundswell of popular support. A law was created utilizing community input. Currently the two humane officers will be used to investigate complaints. However the decision to hire a new officer to enforce the law is an expense our county cannot afford. It seems to anticipate an extraordinary number of complaints. Do that many people seek to inconvenience their neighbors in this county? I doubt it. The county should start with the resources it has. If the complaints rise above a certain level, then by all means hire someone else. Just wait and see if it is necessary.

We ought to all be concerned about these added expenses. Folks, it is our money they are spending. Tens of thousands of dollars for a special school levy election that failed is another example. They could have piggy-backed it on the regular elections this year. Last fall it was proposed that an extremely expensive study be undertaken to explore whether or not the county has almost run out of water. Luckily Mother Nature has undertaken in the last few months to even out her dry weather with wet. Hopefully this idea has been forgotten.

Government all too often allows its ends to outstrip its means. This usually results in important issues, such as police protection, taking a backseat to issues that should be less of a priority. I would much rather have more deputies patrolling the dangerous roads of Mineral County, deterring reckless driving. I would also love to see our library be able to expand its programs to reach more children. I just don't see how various half-collapsed barns and front porches full of odds and ends warrant such a high expenditure of the people's money. The growing problem of stolen property hurts Mineral County worse than decrepit or messy structures.

Start small and work your way up. The worst case scenario is hiring additional enforcement officers and have them collecting paychecks with nothing to do while we pay higher and higher taxes.

Secret Denunciations Soon to be Legal in Mineral County

When the Mineral County Clean Up Committee finalized its discussions on the proposed clean up ordinance last fall, one thing was made clear. Those who file complaints would have their names included on the complaint. Our legal system recognizes that those facing accusations must know the name of those making the complaint. It is only fair to the accused.

The Mineral County Commission just altered the proposed ordinance so that unidentified complainants can get the enforcement official to file the complaints on their behalf. This performs an end run around the spirit of the ordinance and of our legal system itself by encouraging secret denunciations. Those who support this measure would claim that having the enforcement official file the complaints on behalf of those who would remain anonymous serves as a sort of vetting process. A reasonable official, they would state, would eliminate unreasonable complaints. However what if the enforcement official is unreasonable, incompetent, or corrupt? Such scenarios have happened in the history of this state.

What is particularly galling is that this was passed to protect complainants who would hesitate to step forward because they were elderly, handicapped, ill, or feared reprisal. When measures were proposed that would protect property owners who were poor, ill, or otherwise vulnerable, these were rejected as "reverse discrimination" against the rich. Now the county commission is proposing that the ill, handicapped, elderly, etc. need extra protection so long as they are not the target of the complaint!

If we are going to have a law err on the side of protecting anyone's rights, it ought to be the property owner. Indigent, ill, disabled, or other property owners have no protection whatsoever. Supposedly vulnerable accusers, however, are accorded protective status over and above that of even victims of criminal acts. The latitude of free speech rights is rightfully extensive. assumed to cover almost any form of pornography or dissent. Other natural rights such as those regarding gun ownership and property are not taken nearly as seriously. This is the case because these rights limit the power that government has over the people.

Sometimes issues of security do need protection for those making official reports. If suspicious people are seen boarding a plane, it is important to get the information quickly so authorities can determine the validity of the threat. Since unused barns are less likely to escape the property line to wreck havoc and terror in various parts of the nation, this is a case where government power needs to be restrained.

You never get a second chance

Keith Funkhouser addressed the Keyser Lions Club last night. He is the GM for Allegheny Balistics Lab here in Mineral County. This was the first time I had learned about ABL and what they do. It is amazing that an organization like this exists here in Mineral County. The engineering is astounding. Keith, a native of Mineral County, cares deeply for the area and it is impressive to have him at the helm.

The question was raised about how ABL would fare in the post-Senator Byrd era. The answer was fairly in depth, but centered around the idea of building relationships with the new politicians in Washington to make sure that money keeps coming out to Mineral County. What strikes me the most is that by the time the post-Byrd era comes about, there is planned to be so much investment in the facility that it's role is critical and the contracts facility will continue to expand and grow. The ownership/lease structure of the property is set in such a way to hopefully continue the planned growth of the facility.

Keith also brought up some politically correct challenges to Mineral County to invest in our infrastructure and development. His challenge came with an "If you build it, they will come" tone when discussing the people that they are recruiting and the expectations of people looking to re-locate to Mineral County. This was the second time I had heard this same concern. Earlier in the day, Heather Ack from American Woodmark, spoke of the challenges that her company has when recruiting management candidates away from more urban areas. Come to think of it, Mineral County Schools have expressed similar struggles when recruiting teachers to the area.

My wife and I found this to be true when we recently relocated to the area. Mineral County simply does not make a very good first impression. When re-locating, many people like to go on a self-tour of the area and see where they would be living. My wife and I tried this, we drove up and down 220 and looked around the only housing areas we could find which were just off of Main St and West End. It can be daunting to take the cut off road, or head out on 46 not knowing where you are headed when you don't know the area. We also drove around the other side of the border and found the Cumberland area much closer to what we were used to seeing in our home towns. It isn't that those areas don't exist, you just have to know where to look in Mineral County.

Our plan had been to find a couple of neighborhood's we liked, then return home and pull up home listings on the computer to find a place to live. We knew that we would only had one planned visit to the area before buying a house and our self tour was going to be the key in finding the neighborhood that we chose to move to. We were determined to live on this side of the border, so we made some un-scheduled trips back and toured with realtors and other locals who showed us all of the areas that are just out of sight. Each one was progressively better and we found ourselves excited about re-locating to Mineral County and the neighborhood that we found. Turns out, our home is only about 1/8 mile off of 220, but without guidance, we never would have seen our neighborhood. Our experience is not unique and I have had discussions with several clients who re-located to the area and found this same challenge.

Perhaps we could establish a welcome website through the Chamber of Commerce that could help potential movers find the communities and hometown features that make Mineral County a great place to live. The site could also have a cost of living calculator to help people understand that their pay cut can actually be net gain. Recent movers/residents could suggest restaurants to try, places to go, etc. There are some unique attributes to this part of the country, and a welcome center or website could help to give our potential future neighbors a true first impression of the area.

Time For Change

As I drive to work (like hundreds of my fellow West Virginian’s crossing a state line. I ponder why. Why do we continue to leave a wonderful state to work? Could it be that our elected officials have let us down for years or is it that no body wants to come to our state? Should we like lots of fellow statesmen move away. Or should we fix the problem. Why does the states around us continue to thrive and we continue to fall? We have a great location situated close to major markets. I feel that we have been afraid of change every election we continue to vote the same people into office, but we continue to complain about them. I like many have done this for years, so why do we continue to settle for the same results? Do we say “oh we can’t vote against this person or that person or is it this fiend or that friend?” Or maybe it is “they have been in office to long, you can’t win”. I think most people are comfortable with how things are. Well things could be better. If you would truly look around yourself you would realize that we need to change. Our wonderful state continues to plunge into the hole of poverty business continues to look elsewhere. Why? Why do we have to stand for it? We don’t. We have to accept change it is that easy. Change should not be something to fear; we change our clothing daily and don’t complain it is habit. We were taught to do this a child.

Speaking of child do you look forward to the day your children start driving this long drive to go to their job? I doubt that any of us want that. How many school special moments in your children’s lives have you missed because of work. How many times have you rushed up Rt. 50 to see your son/daughter in a school function? I know that I have, and I am tired of missing these things. So what can we do about it? Nothing? I think not I know the path we need to take. Change. Change the people that we have trusted for so many years to look out for well being. Vote! Don’t just hope that the right person gets into office. It can’t happen overnight our state did not plummet overnight. But we have to start. Think of who you went to school with how many are still in the area? I doubt that you can find half your class. I know that my class has left. What are we going to do about it? We all need to take a hard look around us.

Our county (Mineral) wants to beautify the appearance well the only we can, is if we can afford to do that. The only way we can afford to do is if we are working and where can we work, not close to home because there is no jobs. We can’t work close to home because our officials have let us down and not addressed the real issues. Change

We have to have it. It is the only way we can truly fix the problems. How many of us are ready to make that change? I hope to think I am not the only one that is ready for it. So this year let’s join together and make a change, In the Primaries and in the General election in November.

John Barnett

Purchasing Manager

Leesburg, VA

Scare tactics used against Mineral County residents

Thursday night I attended one of the 6 comprehensive plan meetings in Fort Ashby. This is actually the first one that I have been able to attend because of scheduling conflicts with the other events.

One of the things that was repeatedly mentioned was that the whole of Mineral County is running out of water. One person even stated that we should put a moratorium on development, because we don't have any water to support additional growth. It was also stated that there are only two sources of water used for drinking in the county, Patterson Creek and New Creek.

All of these statements were completely wrong. There were several county officials both elected and appointed in the room. County officials just allowed this incorrect information to go unchecked. There were people that left that meeting believing that Mineral County has run out of water. That is wrong and that is a failure of the county government to properly inform the public. This was the 5th meeting so the county had plenty of time to have the correct information at the meeting.

Keep in mind this was a public input meeting on the development of the new comprehensive plan. The public was then using this incorrect information to make suggestions. Suggestions in many cases based on the fear of running out of water. One of those suggestions based on this incorrect water information was the one requesting a moratorium on new development. Think about that for a minute stop new development in a county that has a major job shortage.

Let's look at the real facts that county officials know:

The statement was made that Mineral County gets all its water from two sources Patterson Creek and New Creek. That statement is incorrect and was not corrected in the meeting. The Real Water Source Facts:

• Keyser & New Creek Water Systems - Source: New Creek
• Piedmont Water System - Source: Savage River in Garrett County, MD
• Fountain & Unfinished Burlington Systems - Source: Wells
• Fort Ashby Water System - Source Patterson Creek
• Carpendale - Source: Well
  
• Ridgeley, & Wiley Ford - Source: Evetts Creek in Allegany County, MD and Bedford County, PA.
• Elk Garden Water System - Source: Reservoir in Grant County

Letting people believe the entire county is only serviced by two sources of water creates fear. The drought in Georgia was brought up several times to increase that fear. The reality is much different.

According to the USGS, the average water usage per person in United States is 100 gallons. According to the 2000 Census there were 27,078 people in Mineral County. Working out the math that means that Mineral County on average uses 2.7 million gallons of water a day.

According to the USGS the median (average) discharge over a 68 year period is 61 cubic feet per second at Headsville, which is above the Fort Ashby water filtration plant. That works out to 456.28 gallons per second, or 39.4 million gallons a day. So 6.8% of the average flow of Patterson Creek could supply the entire county and it is not asked too nor will it ever be asked to supply the entire county.

Now Mineral County does not use Jennings Randolph Lake as a water supply. According to the US Corp of Engineers, the design of the dam allocates 41,000 acre feet of water storage for water supply. 1 acre foot of water is 325,851.42 gallons. If the Potomac River was to stop flowing today that 41,000 acre feet of water supply is enough to supply Mineral County for the next 13.5 years!!!! Jennings Randolph Lake holds a lot more than 41,000 acre feet. It holds an additional 51,000 acre feet for water quality control. And additional unused 36,200 acre feet are allocated for flood control.

Below the dam at Barnum in 1976 the lowest Potomac River flow was recorded at 142 cubic feet per second. To put that in perspective 10% of the lowest recorded flow could be supply water to a population of just under 100,000 or roughly 4 times the population of Mineral County. 10% of the average flow could supply the daily needs of around a 1/4 million people, and this is all from a source of water we currently do not use!

Is there a water supply problem in the county? No, water is our most abundant resource. There is a problem with the older water systems needing to be upgraded and a distribution problem.

18 miles of piping can connect the current water systems in county together. This would allow transfer of water between systems if needed. If one systems runs low on water or has quality issues, then another system could supply its needs on a temporary basis. In West Virginia the average cost of laying a mile of water pipe is around $200,000. That means the 18 miles of pipe could be laid for around $4 million. To put that in perspective, the sewer project in the north end of the county is a $40 million project. In addition to those 18 miles of pipe about another $4 million in modernization and pipeline upgrades is needed. All is doable and Homeland Security even has money available for connecting systems together to provide water system security.

So why is the public being instilled with false sense of fear that we are running out of water? One of the statements made in the meeting tells the story. When the person said, we should put a moratorium on development, that was the goal of those pushing the myth we are running out of water. There are people in this county that want no economic growth. They do whatever they can to stop businesses from moving into Mineral County and by scaring people by creating the myth we are running out of water is their latest attempt to stop economic development.

How laws and sausages are made

Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made. Prince Otto von Bismarck

Over the past several months I have had the pleasure of working on the Mineral Coutny Clean Up Committee. The purpose of the committee lay in trying to formulate a law to address abandoned and unsafe buildings. Many on the committee had ideal responses to this issue formulated in their heads before getting to work.

Include me among them. Private property counts as one of the most sacred rights granted to man. Not the right to have it, but the right to work to earn it, then enjoy the rewards of that work. Interference with property rights ought to only occur after careful consideration. Property gives a man, or a woman, or a family a sense of stability and permanence. It is their rock against the slings and arrows fired by life in the real world. I saw no purpose in the ordinance myself (on that point I agreed with Gary Howell and many others), but felt that working with the committee might help create a law with less problems for average owners.

The real world often intervenes with how we view the world ideally. The county commission had a strong interest in seeing an ordinance established. Governor Manchin pushed these actions at the county level by threatening to withold funds. An ordinance would occur in some form or another. The key lay in getting a law that would be as fair as possible to property owners.

Regardless of how the press covered these meetings, they were at times contentious. Gary Howell and his supporters fought hard for a law that would limit government authority, strictly define its actions, and provide maximum protections for property owners, especially the poor and middle class. Others wanted a law that granted more robust powers and a more loosely defined authority to the county. Verbal battles raged over these issues and others. Like almost any heated discussion, the real fight lay over what fundamental principles would serve as the foundation for this law. It was agreed at one point to use a similar ordinance created by Raleigh County as a template and change it to fit Mineral County.

At the end of the day both sides got some of what they wanted. Many irrelevant terms such as "blighted area" and "junked vehicles" were expunged from the ordinance. Otherwise they might have opened a slight crack in the legal door for laws that could affect people's rights in other areas. The most obnoxious parts of the Raleigh County law lay in extremely oppressive fines, but these were mitigated somewhat. However Howell and his supporters were unable to secure a specific sliding scale of fines and time needed to complete repairs based upon income. Proposals to grant special grace periods to the disabled and those in federal poverty programs were also rejected.

Serving on a committee such as this one was a rewarding experience. Everyone who has the time, patience, and the concern for their community ought to participate in something like this at least once. Like Chancellor von Bismarck tried to explain, this was not always a pretty sight. However raised voices, argument, and dissention mean that at least two people care about their community and the people in it. Bismarck said it is better not to see laws being made, but on the other hand he did not govern a country that valued democratic republican government as we do.

I can't speak for sausage making, but take the opportunity to watch a law being made. Whether or not you like the experience, you will definitely learn a lot.