Webb passes 90, adds to her civic service portfolio Sports, Page B-1 Community, Page B-5 Established 1872 Wednesday, February 11, 2015 Tech park no longer to be marketed nn Without clear vision, county staff had little info for investors By JEFF NEWMAN Staff writer The Charles County commissioners voted 3-2 during their weekly meeting Tuesday to remove the Indian Head Science and Technology Park in Bryans Road from the county’s economic development marketing materials. The vote came at the recommendation of Marcia Keeth, acting director of the Department of Economic Development, and Debra Jones, the department’s business development manager, who said a lack of vision for the tech park has left staff unable to effectively market it to potential investors. The county purchased the bulk of the 260-acre park in August for $6.4 million as required by the 2008 contract establishing the project as a co-venture with Corporate Office Properties Trust and Facchina Group of Cos., which included a requirement that the county buy back about 210 acres of the property at its 2008 price See PARK, Page A-13 n Charles County, Maryland 75¢ WE DNE SDA Y NP boys, girls swim to 3rd place in SMAC Root, root, root for the home team Staff photo by GREG DOHLER La Plata High School senior Ta’nina Bevins, 17, and fellow cheerleaders root on their Warriors during a home basketball game Friday against rival North Point High School in La Plata. North Point held on to first place in the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference with a 64-63 victory. Hogan proposes repealing ‘rain tax’ County official hurt nn Governor: Stormwater fee ‘universally despised’ By JEFF NEWMAN Staff writer Gov. Larry Hogan announced Tuesday legislation to repeal the state’s stormwater management fee mandate, known as the “rain tax.” As part of efforts to abide by a 2010 order from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requiring states within the Chesapeake Bay watershed to reduce the amount of pollutants they contribute to the estuary, state lawmakers in 2012 passed a law mandating that its largest jurisdictions — those with populations big enough to require a pollutant discharge elimination permit from the EPA — fund stormwater management projects via remediation fees. As the bill provided for calculating the fee based on a property’s amount of “impervious surface” — such as structures and asphalt parking lots and driveways, which increase runoff by preventing rainwater from soaking into the ground — critics instantly dubbed the bill the “rain tax.” Republican lawmakers have sought to repeal the tax since its passage, and the issue was a key talking point for conservatives, including Hogan (R), during the 2014 election season. In a press conference in Annapolis announcing the repeal legislation, Hogan called the rain tax “universally despised,” and said only a “minority of vocal people” oppose repeal of the mandate. “Dealing with the problem of stormwater management, working to restore our most treasured asset, the Chesapeake Bay, is a goal that we all agree on,” Hogan said. “But repealing the rain tax has nothing to do with our commitment See TAX, Page A-13 in plane accident nn Transportation injured Sunday afternoon in a single-engine plane crash near Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County. Along with Barnett, 57, of Glen Burnie, who was piloting the plane, Thomas L. Cline, 82, of Silver Spring also was seriously injured. Both men were flown to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in chief, passenger badly injured just after takeoff By JEFF NEWMAN Staff writer Charles County Transportation and Community Programs Chief Jeffry P. Barnett was seriously See PLANE, Page A-14 Judge rules county has the final say over St. Charles allocations nn St. Charles Cos. plans appeal of circuit court opinion By JEFF NEWMAN Staff writer The St. Charles Cos. plans to appeal a Prince George’s County judge’s ruling that the Charles County commissioners hold sole discretion over the amount of school allocations awarded to St. Charles. In his Jan. 26 order, Prince George’s County Circuit Judge Dwight Jackson granted the commissioners authority over the number of school allocations granted to St. Charles, and found that St. Charles is not entitled to a minimum of 300 school allocations annually, as The St. Charles Cos. claims. Developers require school allocations in order to build homes. The county issues allo- cations based on the school system’s student capacity. The St. Charles Cos.’ position stems from a section of Docket 90 — the document which governs development of St. Charles — which references a 2005 agreement between the developer and the county establishing “the current baseline assumption of the number of units per year necessary to sustain continued development of [St. Charles] shall be 300 units per year.” But Jackson noted that Docket 90 also states, “The determination of the number of school allocations to be given to St. Charles shall be in Civil rights stalwart Clyburn inspires local crowd nn Black History Month breakfast hosted by Hoyer By REBECCA J. BARNABI Staff writer Staff photo by REBECCA J. BARNABI U.S. House of Representatives Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn speaks Saturday in Waldorf at a breakfast hosted by the 5th Congressional District Black History Month Committee. Attendees heard about Black History Month and why it is still important today. U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, left, listens to Clyburn. Charles and Prince George’s County officials and community members came together Saturday morning to celebrate Black History Month. The 34th annual Black History Month breakfast was held at the Jaycees center in Waldorf and attended by approximately 475 officials and community members. U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md., 5th) introduced keynote speaker House Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), and told of meeting a young man when he started as a member of the Young Democrats of America. “He was on fire for justice and equality,” and fairness, Hoyer said. So much so that the young man went to jail. That young man was Clyburn. “So Jim has seen defeat, rejection, segregation, racism, hate,” Hoyer said, but the challenges did not sour him. They made him more convicted of his role, and Hoyer said he is honored to be Clyburn’s friend. Hoyer said he and Clyburn have a lot in common: they both have three daughters and both married in June 1961. Clyburn said he started his career as a public school history See BREAKFAST, Page A-15 the County’s sole discretion.” A dispute over the seemingly contradictory language led the county to file a lawsuit Dec. 26 against St. Charles, seeking a court ruling on the matter. Jackson heard the case Jan. 15. Taken together, the phrases See RULING, Page A-15 Budding Picassos honored Comptroller Franchot recognizes three student artists A-4 Inside CommunityB-5 Editorial A-6 ObituariesA-12 On the agenda A-2 Police news A-11 Sports B-1 Detectives track suspect Police work finds trail of jewelry store robber A-11 Vol. 145, No. 12 3 sections Copyright 2015 Southern Maryland Newspapers
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