Cable law update paves way for more broadband

Verizon plans FiOS service, maybe as soon as November

Friday, Sept. 19, 2008

The bill was passed immediately after a lightly attended public hearing, in which two speakers supported the measure.

‘‘We are in support of these amendments, and we hope this bill gets passed today,” said Verizon official Laurie Edwards.

‘‘There has been a very hard time getting broadband in Charles County,” said Waldorf resident Timothy Barton. He said his business currently uses three high-speed data lines, and added that competition from Verizon would lower prices in the area.

After hearing the speakers, Commissioner Edith J. Patterson (D) said that she only received one phone call about the bill and observed, ‘‘The level of [public] interest is somewhat minimal.”

Commissioner Gary V. Hodge (D) said that the lack of public comment most likely signaled lack of opposition, rather than lack of interest. He moved to pass the bill, which was unanimously approved.

The county is still in the process of negotiating a franchise agreement which would set the specific conditions under which Verizon will use the county’s rights of way to install its FiOS system.

BB gun law proposed

The commissioners introduced two bills Wednesday, one of which would outlaw carrying BB guns concealed under clothes or in cars.

The bill is designed to deter the rise of robberies in the county involving realistic-looking BB guns.

The other bill would require scrap metal dealers to collect identifying information from their suppliers in order to stem the rash of metal thefts that has occurred in the county recently, including the theft of copper wire and even cemetery flower vases.

Both bills were unsuccessful in recent sessions of the Maryland General Assembly.

They will both face public hearings Oct. 29.

County almost condemns land for connector

The commissioners voted Wednesday to approve the condemnation of six properties in the proposed right of way for hotly disputed phases 6 and 7 of the cross-county connector, sort of.

While the condemnations were approved unanimously, they carried a specific caveat that the county’s legal staff was not to file court petitions for condemnation until further review by the commissioners.

The commissioners are awaiting the decision of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a permit to cross Mattawoman Creek. The permit has received fierce opposition from environmental watchdogs, who claim the road and the development it enables will destroy the creek’s fragile ecosystem and fishery.

The public comment period on the permit closed this week, and the corps must now decide whether to approve the permit or require the county to conduct an extensive environmental study of the project, a step which the county claims is unnecessary.

The corps has declined to give a deadline for their decision.

Zombie historic billreturns, well preserved

For more than two years, county government’s quest to create standard criteria and a tax credit for the maintenance of historic structures has run aground for various reasons, but that could change soon.

On Wednesday, the commissioners, again, introduced a pair of bills which would allow property owners to apply for a tax credit if they agree to maintain their properties’ historic integrity.

According to the bill, ‘‘historic” can be quite young.

‘‘The National Register [of Historic Places] does have a threshold of 50 years or older, but that it just one standard they use,” said planner Cathy Hardy.

A few commissioners observed that, by the 50-year standard, much of the St. Charles neighborhood in Waldorf would soon be historic, but they were appeased by the additional criteria used by the National Register.

The new bill has also relaxed the standards for membership on the board that will determine the historical integrity of proposed properties, allowing for those with fewer academic credentials.

‘‘I wasn’t even qualified to be on the board, and I’ve restored several old buildings,” mused commissioners’ President F. Wayne Cooper (D).

The bill is scheduled for public hearing Oct. 22.

Building codeupdate pending

Officials are slowly moving toward an update of the county’s water and sewer ordinance in an effort to make it friendlier to firefighters.

County Administrator Paul W. Comfort confirmed that the effort was under way at a Tuesday night meeting with volunteer firefighting officials, who questioned when the changes they suggested this year would be implemented.

Duane Svites, county volunteer fire chief and a state fire marshal’s office deputy, stated that the Charles County Fire & EMS Association had reviewed the ordinance and provided extensive commentary to the planning and growth management department.

But the firefighters are waiting to see results from the county before committing to a review of the county’s road ordinance.

‘‘[Planning and Growth Management] hasn’t done anything with it, and it’s been months,” Svites told county officials, referring to development services chief Mike Hinchy. ‘‘We’re not going to move on to the road manual, unless we know what we did with water and sewer is taken seriously.”

‘‘I think it’s unfair to call out county employees by name when they aren’t here to defend themselves,” Comfort replied. ‘‘If you feel our staff isn’t responding, let me know, and I’ll look into it.”

And he did. During a break in the meeting, Comfort phoned his planning and growth management director, Melvin C. Beall Jr. Comfort said that Hinchy had completed a draft of zoning changes suggested by firefighters, but was waiting on the county’s utilities department to complete its review and suggest changes to the water and sewer ordinance.

Hinchy couldn’t be reached for comment by press time.

Once the utilities department has completed its review, the suggested changes will go to the commissioners’ task force, a group of designers and developers who review suggested ordinance changes.

‘‘That’s encouraging,” Svites said. ‘‘Thank you, Paul.”