The weather for today will include a chance of showers, mainly before noon. Cloudy, with a high near 46 degrees and a low of 31 in the evening hours, with a west wind of six to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Don’t forget to submit your guess on what/where the “aerial photo” I took out in California is. See yesterday’s Daily Notes for the photo and submission instructions. Go ahead, take a shot at it for a chance to win some Deep Creek Times “bling.”
Well, the world and our small piece of it here in Garrett County seems to be truly consumed with the COVID-19 outbreak and related emergency declarations and requirements. With the closure of all state restaurants, bars, movie theaters and gyms, things have changed from a services standpoint as well as from a health standpoint. I did stop by Brenda’s Pizzeria last evening to get some of their (still available) takeout from the lower-level. Great food as always and JB, Jeanne and team were really doing a great job serving their many take-out customers. Other restaurants in the area are open for take-out (only) as well, so call your favorite restaurant to see if they are open and doing take-out.
Check out the new, lower price of $45,000 (to be reduced from $52,500) for this nice boat offered in our online marketplace section. You can call the seller, Jerry, at 301.616.8585 for more information. Summer will be here before we know it! Be ready…
New, Reduced Price
Maryland Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer, Jr. has released a statement on COVID-19-related business insurance issues and a place to register complaints. You can find it here. Here’s a statement video from Governor Hogan as well, announcing closures and guidelines.
Here’s the latest update (3/16) on COVID-19 from the Garrett County Health Department: There are no confirmed COVID-19 cases in Garrett or Allegany County as of Monday, March 16th at 10:00 am. There are 37 confirmed cases in Maryland, with the nearest cases in Carroll and Montgomery County. This is an ever-changing situation and we will continue to do daily updates. For up-to-date COVID-19 information, please visit garretthealth.org where you will find links to both Statewide and National resources or call the local COVID-19 Hotline number at 301-334-7698.
TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced today that its Maryland Venture Fund Authority (Authority) has been appointed.
Earlier this year, TEDCO announced that it opened a new online application portal to begin accepting applications from Maryland companies. With many application submissions underway and the Authority in place, the organization is now able to commence investing in four of its programs: Rural Business Innovation Initiative, Builder Fund, Seed, and Maryland Venture Fund.
“I would like to thank all of the members of the Authority for taking on this critical role,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “The new Authority members will provide valuable perspectives as TEDCO continues to enhance Maryland’s innovation ecosystem and stimulates its economy.”
The Authority consists of nine members, seven members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate; one member appointed by the President of the Senate; and one member appointed by the Speaker of the House.
“We are pleased to welcome our new MVF Authority members,” said Linda Singh, TEDCO’s interim CEO. “They join at an exciting time for TEDCO as we continue to drive innovation to market and help to build strong companies in Maryland.”
In accordance with the statutory requirements, these individuals must be residents of the State with varying attributes—experience working for a company raising investment capital, working in higher education research and development and technology transfer projects, owning a small business, or be residing in a rural county.
The nine appointed Authority members are:
Brian P. Darmody
Aaron Eidelman, Esq.
Grace Garry
Eileen O’Rourke
Ann E. Quinn
Michael Murray Thielke
Michael S. Tumbarello
Renee M. Winsky
David W. Wise
For more information about the Authority and to access the applications for these TEDCO investment funds, please visit www.tedcomd.com.
Attila Security, a leading provider of solutions that help governments and enterprise secure access to their networks and data, announced today that it has received an investment from TEDCO’s Maryland Venture Fund (MVF). TEDCO participated in Attila’s seed round, which was led by Fulton, MD-based DataTribe, and has now followed that up with a $750,000 investment by MVF in the company’s Series A round. Additional investors in the company include Bull City Venture Partners and Blu Venture Investors.
“The MVF investment in Attila demonstrates our renewed focus on investing in companies where our dollars can have a meaningful impact on a company’s ability to scale and hire in an industry sector which is critical to Maryland’s long-term economic development. It also represents our ability to continue to fund early-stage companies through their most critical stages – from seed through Series A – alongside a robust network of regional investors,” said Elizabeth Good-Mazhari, interim managing director of the Maryland Venture Fund.
“Security is complicated. Attila Security’s mission is to make it easy by providing organizations and their people with secure ways to stay connected,” said CEO Gregg Smith. “Maryland Venture Fund has been an invaluable partner to us, beginning with TEDCO’s investment in our seed round. Since that time, we have doubled the number of people we employ in Maryland, and we are excited to have their support as we continue to grow our business and team in the State.”
Founded in 2018 with ten employees, Attila has grown to a team of more than 25 and is making waves with its GoSilent platform, which makes top secret level, secure network connectivity accessible to organizations of any size. DCA Live has named Attila a “Red Hot Cyber” company and the company was recently named a finalist for the Maryland Tech Council’s Emerging Technology Company of the Year award.
TEDCO, Maryland’s investment engine for start-up technology and life science companies, today announced retired Major General Linda Singh as its interim Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer (ED/CEO) effective January 2, 2020.
Linda’s appointment comes at a critical juncture as TEDCO emerges from its moratorium on investments in key programs.
“We’ve made meaningful progress toward merging State and organizational priorities over the past several months and are excited to have identified a seasoned leader to build on this momentum,” stated Myra Norton, TEDCO Chair of the Board and President of Arena. “Linda has a strong leadership track record in private industry and government. This, combined with her personal leadership style makes her uniquely qualified to lead TEDCO successfully during this transition period.”
In her immediate past role, Linda was a senior advisor to Governor Larry Hogan and a member of his cabinet. As Adjutant General, she was responsible for the daily operations of the Maryland Military Department, which included the Maryland Army National Guard, Maryland Air National Guard, Maryland Emergency Management Agency, and Maryland Defense Force. Linda oversaw the readiness, administration, and training of more than 6,700 members of the Military Department with an annual budget of more than $314 million. Her career included staff and command assignments at every level, including deployments in Kosovo and a combat tour in Afghanistan.
Linda also served more than 20 years at Accenture and retired as Managing Director from the firm’s Health and Public Service North America operating unit. Her responsibilities included managing all operational activities to include the financials, strategic business plans, program delivery and quality programs, human resource management, business approvals, internal controls and sales activities for a budget that exceeded $3 billion dollars. She managed a global team in order to leverage capabilities from Accenture’s global public service business as well as external partnering relationships. She previously served as the Commercial Director for the Public Safety Portfolio, the account lead for the Veterans Affairs and the account lead for the Army.
Linda grew up in Frederick County, Md., and is a long-time resident of Prince George’s County.
“Leadership and innovation is crucial for value creation and economic growth. I see TEDCO as a critical contributor to Maryland’s economic ecosystem and serving as the Interim ED/CEO is truly an honor,” stated Singh. “I look forward to working with a dedicated TEDCO team to lead Maryland’s innovation to market while the Board carefully evaluates a new leader for this tremendous economic growth engine.”
Stephen Auvil will return to his role as Executive Vice President of Operations and Programs. He served as acting executive director for five months. Linda will assume day-to-day leadership of TEDCO.
As the Board’s executive search continues, Korn Ferry has been selected to assist the organization with a national search for the selection of a permanent ED/CEO.
“Korn Ferry has an impressive track record of attracting and placing highly qualified, diverse leaders with public/private organizations like TEDCO,” stated Myra Norton, TEDCO Chair of the Board and President of Arena.”
Recognized as the number one executive search firm in the U.S. and worldwide according to Hunt-Scanlon Corporation’s annual analysis, Korn Ferry was also ranked as America’s best executive recruiter by Forbes in 2017, 2018, and 2019.
This is a critically important hire for TEDCO as the new ED/CEO must demonstrate a genuine enthusiasm for balancing the interests of the public and private sectors in innovative and cohesive ways that stimulate the regional economy.
Spent a few days last week in the San Diego area. Beautiful area and got to see whales and sea lions, but it was great to get home late Saturday evening, even if it was in the middle of a snow storm. Today will be partly sunny, with a high of 40 and a low of 34 degrees. There is a chance of showers over night.
Speaking of San Diego, here’s an “aerial photo” I took while out there. Send in a guess of what/where you think it is a photo of for a chance to win some Deep Creek Times “bling,” including a DCT shirt (limited sizes available). Send in your guess to info@deepcreektimes.com with “Mike’s Photo” as the subject. We will pick one random winner and let readers know who won next week. All entries due in by this Friday, and you do NOT have to guess correctly to win.
What is this?
Life as we know it continues to change, at least in the short term, due to the COVID-19 virus and the health measures put in place to combat the disease and its spread. As I pen this post late Sunday afternoon I just learned some states are considering restaurant and bar closures in an effort to limit the virus’ impact. That sounds prudent, but I am also concerned about the impact of many recent measures on small businesses. Hopefully, this crisis will be “under control” in the near future. Sarah and I offer our good wishes to all those that have or know someone that has the virus. Be safe.
OK, since this is the Deep Creek Times I guess I should cover some news items about the Deep Creek Lake area, so here goes…
All Ruth Enlow Events are canceled…..
The Ruth Enlow Library will be open this morning at the Main Library, Accident, and Grantsville branches until about 1:00pm. This is the opportunity to come in and get materials because all branches will be closing after that; tentatively reopening on Monday, March 30. Programs through April 15 will remain cancelled or postponed. For those of you who need Wifi access, you will be able to get access outside the building.
Garrett County Public Schools will offer free meals to any child 18 and under beginning Wednesday.
Children must be present to receive the to-go meal and the bag lunch will consist of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, fruit cup, fresh fruit, fresh vegetable and milk. Yogurt or a cheese sandwich will be available for children with peanut allergies.
The meals will be distributed weekdays at the following locations:
• Dennett Road School, 11:30 a.m. to noon.
• Liberty Mews, 11 to 11:20 a.m.
• Crellin, 57 Crellin St., 11:35 to 11:55 a.m.
• Oakland Town Parking Lot, 12:10 to 12:30 p.m.
• Deer Park, 198 Frank Custer Drive, 12:45 to 1:05 p.m.
• Garrett County Chamber of Commerce, 10:40 to 11 a.m.
• Hickory Environmental Center (Northern Middle’s bus loop), 11:20 to 11:40 a.m.
Friendsville Elementary School, noon to 12:20 p.m.
• Grantsville Elementary School, 12:40 to 1 p.m.
• Loch Lynn, 319 Roanoke Ave., 11 to 11:20 a.m.
• Kitzmiller Community Park, 290 W. Main Street, Kitzmiller, 11:45 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.
• Bloomington Park, 12:30 to 12:50 p.m.
Any questions can be directed to the Food & Nutrition Services Office at 301-334-7652 or 888-262-2792.
Well, I think I am going to “wing-it” here, so if you like wings, you have two choices of local venues for some great wings this afternoon and evening. Both Black Bear Tavern and Lakers Lounge at Alpine Lake Resort are having wing nights this evening. You can check out both on our events page.
On another note, we heard from the Manor Steakhouse late last evening that they will be closing for two weeks as a preventative measure relative to the virus. I think it is wise to check schedule of any venue before going to verify that they are open for business.
The Board of Garrett County Commissioners will not hold their Public Meeting and Community Presentation on Tuesday, March 17th as previously announced. This cancellation is due to Governor Hogan’s orders regarding the COVID-19 situation. The next Garrett County Commissioner Public Meeting will be scheduled at the Garrett County Courthouse Public Meeting Room – Monday, April 6th at 4:00 pm with the Community Presentation immediately following the Public Meeting.
To help with the social distancing needed to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, the Garrett County Chamber’s Business Before Hours scheduled for March 17th has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 21st. If you have already registered and still plan to attend, you are set. If you registered and are unable to attend on the rescheduled date, please contact Holly at 301.387.6171 for a refund or credit towards a future event.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources just announced some changes declared in an executive order from governor Hogan due to the COVID-19 virus. These include a 30 day grace period for license and permit extensions, limits to meeting sizes, improved cleaning of facilities and the cancellation of some firearms and other classes. Here’s a link to the newsletter for more specifics.
The weather today will be mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 54 and a low around 28. Breezy, with a west wind around 22 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Saturday will be Increasing clouds with a high near 42 and a low around 30. Rain and snow likely, becoming all snow after 11pm. Sunday has a chance of snow before 8am and will be partly sunny with a high near 42 and a low around 26.
Wow. The global actions that are being taken right now amid COVID-19 really are unprecedented.
Here locally, Garrett County Public Schools (as part of the State of Maryland) will be closed Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 29 at a minimum.
Garrett College is extending spring break to March 29 and all courses (except some field courses) will begin online delivery March 30. Also, college events, as well as events scheduled to be held at the college, anticipating more than 50 participants will be cancelled through Sunday, May 3rd.
The Garrett County Government is currently operating on a normal schedule but requesting. appropriate steps to limit contact such as scheduling appointments for citizen services, maintaining appropriate distance with interactions, and disinfecting work areas regularly.
We are quickly combing our events and entertainment calendars to be sure we let you know if events are cancelled. Especially in light of the current events, be sure to check with organizers to be sure events are still a go.
Stay safe, everyone!
When I get overwhelmed, I find my peace by spending some time outside. This was my view last weekend at Swallow Falls:
The weather today will be partly sunny, with a high near 60 and a low around 50. South wind 5 to 8 mph. Showers tonight; mainly after 9pm.
I feel a little crazy and anxious this morning with the COVID-19 news changing and updating seemingly by the minute. While there are no reported cases of COVID-19 in Garrett County, we are feeling the effects of the social distancing strategies that are being used to help control the spread of the virus. I’m not an expert but the “distancing” is a strategy to mitigate infectious diseases.
According to the Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association (MPSSAA): Unfortunately, recent developments have forced all entities to determine the Boys and Girls State Basketball Championships (which are scheduled to be played on Thursday, March 12th through Saturday, March 14th) to be held in a “closed gym” format. The games remain at Towson University and the University of Maryland-College Park.
Garrett College has not made a decision but advised students via an email:
1.) to bring all relevant course materials home with them when they go on spring break in case they have to finish the academic year through online methods;
2.) that they will receive notification through their official student email if Garreett does move to an all-online format to complete the semester; and
3.) to stay home until they are healthy again if they become sick over the spring break.
I thought this graph was interesting–a different kind of alcohol is being searched:
Amazon has been proactive in trying to limit bad sellers as much as possible — they claim to have removed over 1 million products for price-gouging or making false claims about coronavirus.
Sorry that today’s notes have a single focus but it’s what’s on my mind.
Local events are still on! Adult Book Club today in Accident from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm and at the Cornish Cafe Book Club from 12:00pm – 1:00pm.
Team Trivia is tonight from 6:30pm – 7:30pm at Mountain State Brewery! And one unique one for you, Cards at Cashmere is tomorrow from 3:00pm – 7:00pm.
Children’s Hour is a Story Time program designed for preschoolers ages 3 and up. Today in Oakland from 10:30 am to 11:30 am and Grantsville from 11:00am to 12:00. Also, Lego Club will be held in Kitzmiller …all ages welcome!… from 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm.
Lastly, going on at the library today is the Friends of the Library Meeting. Tonight in Oakland from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm. The monthly meeting of the Friends of the Library, a group of volunteers dedicated to supporting the mission of the Ruth Enlow Library in the community. New members are always welcome!
The weather today will be showers. A high near 53 and a low around 35. Breezy, with a southwest wind 16 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.
Here’s a kayaker from over the weekend taking on Swallow Falls:
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is putting out a call to all wildlife and cooking enthusiasts to submit their favorite recipes featuring Maryland species for possible inclusion in a cookbook.
The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce’s special Vietnam Trip Preview Presentation originally scheduled for today has been RESCHEDULED for Wednesday, May 12 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. The Chamber has changed the departure date of the Vietnam trip to February 18-28, 2021. Contact Nick Sharps at nick@garrettchamber.com or calling (301) 387-5237.
At the get to know Mary Elizabeth Garrett with AAUW tonight, Bernadette Low will be speaking with us about Mary Elizabeth Garrett. Mary Garrett is the daughter of John W. Garrett, the namesake of Garrett County. At the Green Turtle from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
Tonight is the first of five classes on How to Drugproof Your Kids with the Garrett County Health Department from 6:00 to8:00 pm.
The weather today will be mostly sunny with a high near 59 and a low around 46. West wind 14 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Showers likely over Monday night into Tuesday morning; new precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Congratulations!
The Southern Garrett Boys Basketball team is going to States! Also, Jacob Brenneman won the Maryland State Wrestling Tournament in the 113-pound weight class!
Courtesy of Jason Shaw – SGHS Band Director: “The Southern Garrett RAM BAND is about to play their 6th game this week! We will be heading back to STATES for basketball and we need your help! The band would like to be able to get hotel rooms after the games Friday night and need your financial support … we are able to secure funds for transportation … If you can contribute, checks should be made payable to Southern Garrett High School. If you have questions, please contact the school at (301) 334-9447. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT! GO RAMS!!!”
Two more cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Maryland; all cases are in Montgomery and Harford Counties at this time.
The Maryland Attorney General is warning Maryland residents to be on guard against scams involving COVID-19. Scammers are attempting to sell bogus health products that claim to prevent or cure COVID-19, and using fake emails, texts, and social media posts about COVID-19 as a ruse to steal money and personal information.
Check out this video (especially at 2:33) where the Lieutenant Governor visits Western Maryland State Parks. He even taps a maple tree.
A Retail Crab Buyer seat is open on the Blue Crab Industry Advisory Committee. This person will represent seafood dealers that participate in the blue crab bushel basket market. More information and the application can be found here.
Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh is warning Maryland residents to be on guard against scams involving the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (“COVID-19”). Scammers are setting up websites to sell bogus health products that claim to prevent or cure COVID-19, and using fake emails, texts, and social media posts about COVID-19 as a ruse to steal money and personal information.
“Scammers are taking advantage of people’s fear of getting sick from COVID-19. Consumers can avoid being cheated by understanding how these thieves are trying to steal their personal information and money,” said Attorney General Frosh.
Swindlers are posing as authorities, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the World Health Organization (WHO). They send emails claiming to offer updated information about how people can protect themselves from COVID-19. Unsolicited emails from the CDC, WHO, or other “experts” saying they have information about the virus are likely phishing attempts to get money or personal information, or may be attempting to download viruses or malware onto the recipient’s computer. The Attorney General’s office advises Marylanders not to click on suspicious links online or in emails for information, but to seek information about COVID-19 from reliable sources such as government health agencies. For the latest, most accurate information about COVID-19, Marylanders can go directly to the CDC (www.cdc.gov), WHO (www.who.it), or the Maryland Department of Health (www.health.maryland.gov).
There are no approved vaccines, drugs, or treatment products specifically for COVID-19 available for purchase online or in stores. Pitches for any health product claiming to prevent or cure coronavirus are almost certainly fraudulent. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that fraudulent products not only fail to work, but they could also cause serious injury. Scammers may be promoting their fraudulent health products through newspapers, magazines, TV infomercials, email, social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, and online through websites and popup ads. Complaints against these fraudulent health claims can be filed with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or the FDA (www.fda.gov).
Someone asking for donations – especially in cash, prepaid credit cards, gift cards, or bitcoin – to help victims of COVID-19, or for “research” into finding a vaccine or cure, is very likely a scammer. Sites like www.charitynavigator.org can be used to determine the legitimacy of a charity. Donors can also contact the Maryland Secretary of State’s Office at 800-825-4510 to verify that a charity is registered in Maryland as required by law.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is warning people about online promotions, including on social media, claiming that the products or services of publicly-traded companies can prevent, detect, or cure coronavirus (and that investment in these stocks will increase in value). Investors may lose significant amounts of money if they invest in companies making fraudulent claims. Alternatively, these could be “pump-and-dump” schemes in which promoters hype up a stock, get many people to invest, and then sell off their own shares quickly for a profit—before the end of the hype makes the stocks worthless.
First United Bank & Trust, in partnership with the Maryland Bankers Association’s Emerging Leaders Program, will be conducting a FLEECE BLANKET DRIVE beginning now through March 31. All donations will go to the non-profit, London’s Legacy. Their mission is to provide handmade fleece blankets to families with children in the pediatric ICU at The University of Maryland Medical Center. These fleece blankets will be given to children both boys and girls up to the age of 18.
London’s Legacy began shortly after the sudden death of two-month-old London Brielle Huber despite the efforts of the talented staff in The University of Maryland Medical Center’s pediatric ICU. While in the hospital, London’s mother, Amy, comforted London by wrapping her in a fleece blanket she had received as a gift. Following London’s death, the blanket helped Amy during her grieving process. Sadly, Amy passed away less than a year later. Before she died, however, she created London’s Legacy to help other families facing dire situations similar to her own.
“Being engaged in my community continues to become a bigger part of my life as I grow older. I try to help others in need whether it is through a non-profit organization, helping a friend with a home project, or stopping to help someone change a flat tire. Giving back and helping others provides me with a feeling of value. Stepping up in a time of need is part is an integral part of leadership both in and out of the workplace,” commented A.J. Tasker, Vice President and Director of Information Technology.
“It has been an honor to be selected to represent First United in this Leadership program. The bond that we have been able to create with the other members of the cohort has been greatly deepened by our working together on our Pay it Forward project for London’s Legacy. The giving nature of banking community in Maryland is certainly something special!”, commented Ashley D. Goldsborough, Wealth Advisor.
All First United community branch locations will be collecting completed fleece blankets, fleece blanket materials to make the blankets and monetary donations though March 31. Thank you for joining us to make a difference in our communities!
The weather today will be rain and snow showers becoming all snow after 4pm. High near 36 and a low around 23. West wind 8 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half-inch possible. Overnight snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible. Saturday has a slight chance of snow showers before 9am then mostly cloudy through mid-morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 37 and a low around 24. Sunday sunny with a high near 55 and a low around 37.
The Board of Garrett County Commissioners are considering a resolution to recognize Garrett County as a Second Amendment Sanctuary County. This is a measure taken by local-level governments to express its commitment to the Second Amendment; the rights of all United States citizens to keep and bear arms. The Board of Commissioners will accept comments on this topic through March 20, 2020. Comments may be sent to gccomments@garrettcounty.org or addressed to the Board of Commissioners, 203 South Fourth Street, Oakland, MD 21550.
Today, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced Envision Appalachia: Community Conversations for ARC’s Strategic Plan, a series of public input sessions to identify critical opportunities and challenges facing Appalachia’s economic future. Using insights gathered from these public sessions, coupled with guidance from regional, state, and local partners, ARC will develop a strategic plan for fiscal years 2021-2025. Sessions will be held at:
Wednesday, April 8, Huntsville, Alabama
Thursday, April 16, Ashland, Kentucky
Wednesday, April 22, Youngstown, Ohio
Thursday, April 30, Abingdon, Virginia
Each session, which is organized in conjunction with ARC’s state partner, will run from 9:30 am–3:00 pm, is open to the public, and is free to attend. Pre-registration is required and can be completed at www.arc.gov/strategicplan. In addition to these public events, ARC is also collecting input via a public survey.
“As we plan ARC’s investment strategy for the years to come, it is important that we be informed by the people we serve,” said ARC Federal Co-Chairman Tim Thomas. “These public input sessions for the next ARC Strategic Plan will provide Appalachian communities the opportunity to have a voice in this process, and I encourage the people of Appalachia to take part in one of these sessions.”
ARC develops and issues a new strategic plan every five years in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). More than 3,000 Appalachians provided input to inform ARC’s current strategic plan, which expires on September 30, 2020—the final day of fiscal year 2020.
The Garrett County Complete Count Committee has been working for the last few months to ensure Garrett County is ready for the upcoming Census 2020. The committee is reinforcing the importance of a complete and accurate Census count and their tagline is “Garrett County Counts Because You Do!”
The 2020 Census counts every person living in the 50 states, District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories and is mandated by the Constitution. Each home will receive an invitation to respond to a short questionnaire—online, by phone, or by mail. This count will mark the first time that residents will be able to respond to the census online.
Participating in the census is required by law, even if you recently completed another survey from the Census Bureau. A complete and accurate count is critical for our communities because the results will affect community funding, local libraries, congressional representation, and more.
Every year, billions of dollars in federal funding go to services like hospitals, fire departments, schools, roads, and other resources based on census data. The results of the census also determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives and the results are used to draw congressional and state legislative districts.
Residents will receive an invitation to respond to the Census beginning in mid-March. And, by mid-April, the U.S. Census Bureau will mail a paper questionnaire to every household that hasn’t already responded.
Locally, 15 separate sites are planned throughout the county, representing the seven-county census tracts, for collecting Census 2020 information. The sites will offer a laptop to enable people to complete their Census entry and those who participate that day can enter to win a gift card incentive.
The State of Maryland has awarded the Garrett County Complete Count Committee grants to fund the giveaways/incentives for the promotion of the Census 2020 response.
The Committee is making sure that however you choose to respond—online, by phone, or by mail—that the census is accessible.
