AA Co. PRESS RELEASE: Davidsonville Salt Barn No Longer Needed

New SHA Administrator Focused on Maximizing Existing Salt Facilities

(November 2, 2015) – The Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) will no longer be pursuing a salt barn at the US 50/MD 424 interchange in Davidsonville.

This winter, SHA Administrator Greg Johnson plans to review winter maintenance operations and focus on maximizing the capacity of our existing salt facilities.

“I will review salt usage over the coming winter, and if needed, look to existing facilities for additional salt storage capacity,” said Administrator Johnson. “Our goal is to ensure our roads are safe during winter travel while making the best use out of Maryland taxpayers’ dollars.”

Administrator Johnson brings a strong background in fighting winter storms with his 32 years of experience with the Michigan Department of Transportation where he served multiple roles as chief operations officer, chief engineer and deputy director.

This decision will have no immediate impact to winter operations as the reserve salt barn was not funded for construction so it would not have been available this winter or even next.

“I thank Governor Hogan and the State Highway Administration for listening to our residents and ensuring the Y Worry Farm can continue to be a special place for Anne Arundel County citizens,” said County Executive Steve Schuh. “The Schuh Administration is proud to have worked closely with the state to resolve this issue, and I appreciate the Governor’s willingness to listen to our concerns and the concerns of our citizens.”

If SHA needs to reallocate resources in the event of an extreme winter, SHA will continue the practice of trucking salt loads from other nearby salt facilities. SHA has 94 salt domes and barns used to maintain nearly 17,000 lane miles of road across Maryland. In Anne Arundel County alone, SHA has five existing salt domes and barns locations in: Annapolis, Odenton, Tracys Landing, Southdale and two in Glen Burnie.

Public Meeting Update

We have been notified by the State Highway Administration that they will not have representation at our meeting Thursday night, as a new potential site has been proposed.  In consideration of this new site, they have advised that they will notify the community on their decision and hold an additional public meeting in October or November. The petition and your letters are having an impact!

While we’re hopeful that the fall update will be that the more appropriate site is chosen, it’s important for the community to stay actively engaged before the SHA has invested resources in its decided location.  For that reason, the meeting Thursday, September 3rd, is still being held, state/county representatives and a Capital Gazette reporter have confirmed attendance, and we encourage all those within the community to attend for additional details and discussion on the facility.  We will certainly keep the entire community updated on any public meetings held by the State Highway Administration on their more definitive project plans and site locations.  We look forward to seeing you all on Thursday!

AmericanFarm.com Covers Y Worry Farm’s Worries…

Excerpted from http://www.americanfarm.com/publications/the-delmarva-farmer/2473-scibles-may-lose-four-acres-for-salt-dome

SCIBLES MAY LOSE FOUR ACRES FOR SALT DOME

By JONATHAN CRIBBS
Staff Writer

DAVIDSONVILLE, Md. (Aug. 18, 2015) — There’s a little more reason to worry at Y Worry Farm these days than the name might suggest.

The family of Mark and Besty Scible, which operates the nearly 20-acre farm, recently discovered the State Highway Administration wants to build a 10,000-ton road salt dome on about four acres at the edge of the farm next to Route 50 and Davidsonville Road.

Here’s the catch: The state actually owns the four acres. In fact, it’s owned it for decades.

The issue goes back more than 50 years when the state used eminent domain to purchase the small chunk from the Scible family. It was planning to build an off-ramp from Route 50, built in the early ‘50s, onto Davidsonville Road, but it never did, choosing another design option. The state told the family they could continue farming the land. That lasted about four decades, Mark Scible said.
In 1990, the state told the Scibles it needed the land once again — this time, for a road salt dome, he said. The family protested, and the state backed off. David Buck, a spokesman with the highway administration disputes this, however, and said he could find no one to confirm the state tried to build a salt dome on the land in the 1990s.

Mark Scible said he briefly pursued purchasing back the land shortly after that episode. “We were asked, ‘Why do you want it back?’” he said. “‘We can’t build a salt dome, and you’re free to farm it. If we ever want to build that interchange we’re just going to have to buy it back again.’” The Scibles relented, a decision he said he regrets. If a salt dome is built there now, Mark Scible said he fears its industrial presence will simply open one of the few rural stretches along Route 50 to commercial development. “This is the only interchange that’s still green,” he said. “All the others are commercial.”

Also at issue: When the state initially purchased the land, the agreement was specifically for an off ramp, not a salt dome, Mark Scible said. The state cannot use the acreage for whatever purpose it wishes even if it owns it, he said.
The highway administration wants to build the dome there because recent harsh winters have exposed a need for it, Buck said. The state maintains 92 salt domes across the state, but none are in that area of Anne Arundel County. Recent snowfall has required salt to be trucked in to the area, causing shortages, Buck said.
The Davidsonville Road option is just one of several under consideration, however. Other sites include one at Interstate 97 and Route 32 and another on I-97 near Glen Burnie.

A final decision is expected in the fall, he said, though the administration recently learned about a community meeting on Sept. 3 dedicated to the Davidsonville Road location.

If it’s true the agreement says the state can only use the parcel for an off-ramp and nothing else, current employees of the highway administration were not aware of it, he said. Regardless, the state will work toward a decision that is “fair, equitable and legal,” he said.

Mark Scible said he’s been speaking with state officials — he won’t say who — and lawyers in the meantime. His family continues to grow tomatoes and pumpkins on the farm, and he said he’s prepared to sue the highway administration.
“We’re hoping it’ll be killed before it goes there,” he said.

PUBLIC MEETING- Please Attend!

The Davidsonville Area Civic Association is hosting a PUBLIC MEETING about the salt facility.  A number of state representatives will be in attendance to provide information and answers for the community.   All those with concerns regarding the project are encouraged to attend!

Thursday, September 3rd at 7:30pm

Davidsonville Family Recreation Center (DFRC)
3789 Queen Anne Bridge RoadDavidsonville, MD 21035

Thank you for your support!

The DACA Villager Newsletter featuring a salt facility update for the community…
DACA Villager 07-15

AACo Farm Bureau formally opposes salt facility…

The president of the Anne Arundel County Farm Bureau, John Faber, issued a letter to the Capital Gazette on behalf of its 4,682 members, in formal opposition of the state’s plans to build this “elephantine chemical storage building” in rural Davidsonville.

See the full letter here…
http://www.capitalgazette.com/opinion/letters/ph-ac-ce-letters-0818-20150818-story.html

Capital Gazette Article

We must give many thanks to the Capital Gazette for their support.  A reporter came out to the farm on Sunday afternoon, and by Monday an article was printed to spread the news.

View the article here… http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/government/ph-ac-cn-sha-salt-0803-20150802-story.html

The Power of Facebook

On Sunday our news officially went public.  At 12:15pm a post was made on our Facebook page, and it quickly took off from there.  By midnight we’d had 550 signatures on the petition, 11,000 views of the status and 200 post shares.  Amazing!  Community residents jumped quickly to support our efforts.