Published: January 29, 2010 08:17 am

Officials promote Mountain Maryland at PACE reception

Cory Galliher
Cumberland Times-News

ANNAPOLIS - State, county and municipal officials from around Maryland converged Thursday evening for the 34th annual Mountain Maryland PACE reception at the Loews Annapolis Hotel.

"We had some good meetings today," said Allegany County Commissioner Dale Lewis, who said that he was pleased to find that the state is likely to receive more federal stimulus money in the coming year.

"All in all it was a good afternoon," said Lewis. "We met with the agencies from Lonaconing, Westernport and Frostburg, and we have good hopes and expectations that we're going to get money for them."

Lewis added that he was able to discuss the possiblity of bringing a slots parlor to Rocky Gap State Park with Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller. "Not only does the state need money, but that could be a revenue source for Allegany County. "(Miller) agreed with me, said something needs to be done and that he supports our effort."

Officials said this year's reception saw a lower turnout than previous years with around 450 attendees.

Bob Smith, PACE co-chairman, attributed the decrease in attendance to the recession. "The government couldn't afford to send people due to budget restrictions and the economy in general," said Smith. "Everybody's trying to cut back. It isn't the best of times."

"It's a very important time," said Cumberland Mayor Lee Fiedler. "I know people ask all the time if we get money at PACE, but they don't give out funding here. The purpose of this thing is so you get to know people and get to work with people, like people you can call when you need help."

"By knowing people from down here ... now I can feel very good calling (them)," added Fiedler.

"That's the way it really works," said Fiedler. "I look for the secretaries of housing and of transportation and so on. I discuss with them projects that we're working on. We may even already have the money but it's not happening yet. We talk about those type of things. We discuss how we're going to get (them) to go."

Barry Ronan, president and CEO of the Western Maryland Health System, used the networking opportunity to show the results of work on the new Western Maryland Regional Medical Center. "We started about five years ago as displayers at PACE when we started the planning and design process for the new hospital," said Ronan. "We've been here each year since showing the progress that we've made, and we thought it would be most important to be here this year showing the finished product.

"We wanted to make sure that folks understand the economic impact of the new hospital on the region," added Ronan. "People, including the county commissioners, the mayor and City Council and the Western Maryland Delegation, these are all folks who've had some hand in seeing this project to fruition."

Fred Holliday, Garrett County commissioner, said that he was able to accomplish his goals for this year's reception. "I hoped to be able to speak to different delegates and senators and also to do lobbying with them," said Holliday, who added that the event offered him the chance to discuss topics, such as Garrett County's Rural Legacy areas with key state officials.

"The PACE reception gives us a presence in Annapolis that the legislators all know and appreciate," said Holliday. "I've had many legislators tell me that it's one of the best receptions they attend. It lets them know that Mountain Maryland's out there."

The PACE reception is jointly sponsored by the Cumberland-Allegany County Industrial Foundation and the Garrett County Development Corp. The venture is supported by contributions from county governments and area businesses.

"Think Green, Think Mountain Maryland" was the theme for the second consecutive year.

The event continues today with a breakfast featuring keynote speaker Gov. Martin O'Malley.

Contact Cory Galliher at cgalliher@times-news.com.