GMP Moves Channel 12 to Channel 95

[blacklabman]

Just read this on the somd news. So what happens to FX which is currently on channel 95? I already have my VCR to record "Rescue Me" tonight.

Channel 12 is a waste of air time. All, they have is the county commissioners figuring a way to screw us citizens, and waste more of my tax $.

 

[Oz]

Just read this on the somd news. So what happens to FX which is currently on channel 95? I already have my VCR to record "Rescue Me" tonight.

Channel 12 is a waste of air time. All, they have is the county commissioners figuring a way to screw us citizens, and waste more of my tax $.

Actually, County Government is currently running quite efficiently under this Board of Commissioners. Where we get screwed is in Annapolis...

 

[FunnyGuy]

Oh come on now channel 12 keeps you up to date with the current softball highlights...who in the world could live without that?

 

[Oz]

Oh come on now channel 12 keeps you up to date with the current softball highlights...who in the world could live without that?

That's on Channel 10, FunnyGuy...

 

[Tigerlily]

Just read this on the somd news. So what happens to FX which is currently on channel 95? I already have my VCR to record "Rescue Me" tonight.

Had you thought of calling the cable company?

 

[FromTexas]

Had you thought of calling the cable company?

Or reset the VCR. :shrug:

 

[BS Gal]

Actually, County Government is currently running quite efficiently under this Board of Commissioners. Where we get screwed is in Annapolis...

Actually, NOT. Hmmm. We need a Welcome Center WHY?? We are paying for a Navy Museum that the Navy is not contributing to WHY???? Sorry to differ. We are paying for McKay to take his gf to NY WHY?????

 

[Oz]

Actually, NOT. Hmmm. We need a Welcome Center WHY?? We are paying for a Navy Museum that the Navy is not contributing to WHY???? Sorry to differ. We are paying for McKay to take his gf to NY WHY?????

We need a Welcome Center because the country extracts hundreds of thousands of dollars in lodging taxes each year from our hotel businesses. The hotel-motel tax isn't general fund money. The county enacted the tax to promote tourism and put more people into the beds where the taxes came from. The tax was created for this very purpose.

So far, we aren't paying for a Navy Museum. But again the justification is that tens of thousands visit the museum each year. A good museum will help to sell the corporate types on doing business at Pax River. Pax River is also the main tourist engine in St. Mary's County. So you want those people to see a first class museum so they return with their families, tell their friends, etc. Going back to the top, a Welcome Center would also help by guiding those same visitors from the Navy Museum to St. Mary's City, to Sotterley, to St. Clements Island, to some of our nice restaurants, etc - hopefully keeping them in St. Mary's County rather than over the bridge in Solomons.

The McKay stuff you mentioned is just a requote of some of Rossignol's foolish headlines. It's Dyson vs McKay politics, and St. Mary's Today is in bed with Dyson. There will be plenty more anti-McKay headlines over the next 15 months. But read them for entertainment value, and then seek the truth from a reliable source.

 

[misslady67]

Forget GMP....get satelite. I have been VERY happy with Directv

 

[Uncle Charlie]

We need a Welcome Center because the country extracts hundreds of thousands of dollars in lodging taxes each year from our hotel businesses. The hotel-motel tax isn't general fund money. The county enacted the tax to promote tourism and put more people into the beds where the taxes came from. The tax was created for this very purpose.

So far, we aren't paying for a Navy Museum. But again the justification is that tens of thousands visit the museum each year. A good museum will help to sell the corporate types on doing business at Pax River. Pax River is also the main tourist engine in St. Mary's County. So you want those people to see a first class museum so they return with their families, tell their friends, etc. Going back to the top, a Welcome Center would also help by guiding those same visitors from the Navy Museum to St. Mary's City, to Sotterley, to St. Clements Island, to some of our nice restaurants, etc - hopefully keeping them in St. Mary's County rather than over the bridge in Solomons.

The McKay stuff you mentioned is just a requote of some of Rossignol's foolish headlines. It's Dyson vs McKay politics, and St. Mary's Today is in bed with Dyson. There will be plenty more anti-McKay headlines over the next 15 months. But read them for entertainment value, and then seek the truth from a reliable source.

Well said! And might I add that the Navy gave us all the PLANES that are on display, as well as many other articles on display and the federal government DID kick in some funds also!

 

[aps45819]

Forget GMP....get satelite. I have been VERY happy with Directv

Cable has the local weather and radar every eight minutes. Very handy to us folks without roofs or doors on our vehicals.

 

[BS Gal]

Well said! And might I add that the Navy gave us all the PLANES that are on display, as well as many other articles on display and the federal government DID kick in some funds also!

I worry about the operating costs once it is opened.

 

[blacklabman]

It has always been interesting that a thread asking about one things leads to comments not related to the original thread.

But I do have comments about some of the replies.

I started the thread so that other interested members might get some information without the need for all to contact GMP. When I checked last night FX was still on channel 95/

I dispute the input that PAX is a main tourist draw. The only tourists are the ones that come to the airshow once every two years. That is Labor Day weekend this year. Other then that event, tourists can not get on the base, so how can it be a tourist draw? You try getting on the base without a base decal or an official visit request.

The T&E museum is a draw. The Navy may not be providing funds, but the US Government is. It was one of our government reps that got money to attempt to fix that mess at the intersection to gate 1. Remember that on Southbound 235 you can not (legally) make a U turn to go to the museum. You either drive down two more lights or turn on Pegg Road, do a U turn, then turn left, followed by a hard right to get to the museum. How is a tourist going to know that trick? The left turn situation at Pegg Road was a subject of one of my earlier rants.

BTW, how do you select a quote from an earlier response and post it (highlighted) in your reply?

 

[BS Gal]

We need a Welcome Center because the country extracts hundreds of thousands of dollars in lodging taxes each year from our hotel businesses. The hotel-motel tax isn't general fund money. The county enacted the tax to promote tourism and put more people into the beds where the taxes came from. The tax was created for this very purpose.

The McKay stuff you mentioned is just a requote of some of Rossignol's foolish headlines. It's Dyson vs McKay politics, and St. Mary's Today is in bed with Dyson. There will be plenty more anti-McKay headlines over the next 15 months. But read them for entertainment value, and then seek the truth from a reliable source.

I beg to differ. We are going to have a Welcome Center, staffed by County personell, paid by your tax dollers, and the expenses to run this Welcome Center is going to be paid by the tax payers. Whether one or 5,000 people stop by - guess what?????? Place has to be cleaned by a contractor, electric bills have to be paid and the place has to be staffed and maintained by County personnel. It will all be paid out of general funds..... Oh, not to mention, the Sheriff's Dept will be having an office there to process juveniles in the Northern Section of the County. WELCOME to SMC and PLEASE ignore the juveniles being brought in in handcuffs while you re getting welcomed to the County.

 

[Oz]

I beg to differ. We are going to have a Welcome Center, staffed by County personell, paid by your tax dollers, and the expenses to run this Welcome Center is going to be paid by the tax payers. Whether one or 5,000 people stop by - guess what?????? Place has to be cleaned by a contractor, electric bills have to be paid and the place has to be staffed and maintained by County personnel. It will all be paid out of general funds..... Oh, not to mention, the Sheriff's Dept will be having an office there to process juveniles in the Northern Section of the County. WELCOME to SMC and PLEASE ignore the juveniles being brought in in handcuffs while you re getting welcomed to the County.

It is NOT and will NOT be staffed by county employees. The Welcome Center is currently staffed by the Chamber of Commerce who typically have a contract that runs for the county fiscal year. That means contractor employees, MUCH cheaper than county government employees. This public-private partnership has been a tremendous value to county taxpayers, and will continue to be a similar value once the Welcome Center opens.

A Welcome Center is investment in infrastructure. County Government is generating nearly a half-million dollars per year from the hotel tax here. That tax must go towards tourism or you'd have hoteliers raising hell. Building and operating a Welcome Center is far more reasonable than the $120K they spent a few years ago on TV commercials on Channel 7 News. At least the building won't vanish into thin air...

 

[BS Gal]

It is NOT and will NOT be staffed by county employees. The Welcome Center is currently staffed by the Chamber of Commerce who typically have a contract that runs for the county fiscal year. That means contractor employees, MUCH cheaper than county government employees. This public-private partnership has been a tremendous value to county taxpayers, and will continue to be a similar value once the Welcome Center opens.

A Welcome Center is investment in infrastructure. County Government is generating nearly a half-million dollars per year from the hotel tax here. That tax must go towards tourism or you'd have hoteliers raising hell. Building and operating a Welcome Center is far more reasonable than the $120K they spent a few years ago on TV commercials on Channel 7 News. At least the building won't vanish into thin air...

Not aware that there won't be County employees there. Who do you think will maintain the building when something goes wrong? County employees based in Leonardtown who will be running up there every time something goes wrong. The County will pay for the electric, water/sewer, maintenance on the building, pumping the septic, janitorial, etc. $30,000 k towards the operating that facility yearly is a good guess. The building was renovated years ago with a $72,000 matching grant from Juveline Justice. As long as the County used the $ for a place for a compatible use, then we did not have to pay the $ back to the State. Before the County even started doing anything up there, they had to pay the State $80,000 as a payback cause the County is not using the facility for what the grant was for. So, $80,000 was put to pay the State back BEFORE they started renovating. Money down the drain. My tax dollars. I certainnly hope we generate enough $ from this facility to cover the operating costs. I sincerely doubt that will happen.

 

[misslady67]

Cable has the local weather and radar every eight minutes. Very handy to us folks without roofs or doors on our vehicals.

True (I also own a motorcycle so I can directly relate). HOWEVER, you can get local radar from many different sites on the internet...besides how often are the weather forecasts correct??? I have just had horrible past experiences with GMP such as frequent cable outages, poor customer service, frequent increases in the monthly bill due to them adding "services & channels" (who said I wanted foreign channels...I don't speak foreign languages). They force additional channels and changes on their customers and then make them pay for it! What ever happened to selecting what package you are billed for...that's why I like satelite. I get exactly what I pay for...nothing more or less

 

[Oz]

Not aware that there won't be County employees there. Who do you think will maintain the building when something goes wrong? County employees based in Leonardtown who will be running up there every time something goes wrong. The County will pay for the electric, water/sewer, maintenance on the building, pumping the septic, janitorial, etc. $30,000 k towards the operating that facility yearly is a good guess. The building was renovated years ago with a $72,000 matching grant from Juveline Justice. As long as the County used the $ for a place for a compatible use, then we did not have to pay the $ back to the State. Before the County even started doing anything up there, they had to pay the State $80,000 as a payback cause the County is not using the facility for what the grant was for. So, $80,000 was put to pay the State back BEFORE they started renovating. Money down the drain. My tax dollars. I certainnly hope we generate enough $ from this facility to cover the operating costs. I sincerely doubt that will happen.

Since it's a county building, county government will renovate and maintain the building, just like they do with every other building owned by county government.

My suggestion would be that you download and read the FY06 budget which outlines some aspects of the Welcome Center. Then do some research about the project, before talking about paybacks and money down the drain. Spewing bad information that you garnered from St. Mary's Today headlines probably doesn't enhance your credibility unless you're trying to cement your username here.

 

[BS Gal]

Since it's a county building, county government will renovate and maintain the building, just like they do with every other building owned by county government.

My suggestion would be that you download and read the FY06 budget which outlines some aspects of the Welcome Center. Then do some research about the project, before talking about paybacks and money down the drain. Spewing bad information that you garnered from St. Mary's Today headlines probably doesn't enhance your credibility unless you're trying to cement your username here.

I'm bad. The actual amount paid back was $87,000. Not getting my info from St. Mary's Today. The money was not budgeted in the FY05 budget and was paid out of that. BS girl does not stand for what you think it does. Did you downloud the FY06 budget? What I can see is that it is not on-line yet. Furthermore, County Govt. is not renovating the building. They have contractors doing that. They need an architect why? I am well versed on the facility.

 

[hvp05]

Just an observation

I don't know why I have continued to read this thread, as I don't live in St. Mary's and I don't care about the welcome center -- but I have enjoyed the volleying between Oz and BSG.

BSG, I don't know where you looked, but I found the St. Mary's Dept. of Finance site in approximately 20 seconds. The second link on the right-hand side pulls up the FY '06 Approved Budget. (A .pdf.) On pages 118-119 is an entry for a Charlotte Hall Welcome Center, which, unless I have badly overlooked something, is what you're talking about.

Just my helpful input; you may now return to your regularly scheduled argument.