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COUNTY
NEWS
County Watching Cemetery
Bankruptcy Process
The Calvert Gazette
Thursday, December 22, 2011 6
Safe Nights Offers Beds,
Meals to People in Need
By Guy Leonard
Staff Writer
State officials announced this week that
Badtec, Inc., the company that owns Southern
Memorial Gardens in Dunkirk, has filed for
Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy
Court for the District of Maryland.
The cemetery had been in foreclosure since
the summer and a cease and desist order has
been in place since August from the county’s
Circuit Court that prohibited the owners from
performing any new burials, according to information
from the state’s Department of Labor,
Licensing and Regulation (DLLR).
The Office of Cemetery Oversight (OCO),
part of DLLR, filed an injunction earlier this
year against the cemetery owners, Daniel and
George Martin, the principals in Badtec, Inc.,
and the problems surrounding the cemetery led
to criminal and civil charges against both.
Burials have been allowed to continue
since mid-August, a DLLR press release stated,
but only if customers had owned a plot at the site
prior to August 12 of this year and if the burial
was being performed by another, independent
contractor.
The problems started when over the summer
the property became subject to foreclosure
by the bank, the state reported, and the OCO
sought criminal charges against the owners for
allegedly operating the cemetery without the
proper permits and registration.
Terry Shannon, county administrator, said
the county is closely watching the proceedings
and has worked with the state to try to maintain
the site.
“The biggest issue when it comes to us was
the property being maintained,” Shannon told
The Calvert Gazette. “You really feel for the
folks with family there.”
Shannon said that grass often went uncut
there and the site was in generally lackluster
condition, but volunteers have come forward to
maintain it.
“It’s been very heart warming,” she said.
Badtec, Inc.’s creditors are scheduled to
meet with state representatives Jan. 10 to discuss
the future of the property, a DLLR press
release stated.
Parties with an interest in Southern Memorial
Gardens are welcome to attend a Jan. 10
meeting of creditors at 11:30 a.m. The meeting
will be on the sixth floor of the United States
Bankruptcy Court of the District of Maryland at
6305 Ivy Lane in Greenbelt.
guyleonard@countytimes.net
MELLOMAR
GOLF PARK
By Sarah Miller
Staff Writer
Safe Nights is back for its fourth winter,
offering assistance to people in need
throughout the county.
Mary Ann Zaversnik, who runs Safe
Nights with her husband Joseph, said the
number of host churches has grown to 23,
and there are another 8-10 assisting churches
offering additional support.
Safe nights is offered now through
April 8. Everyone in the program gets a
warm place to sleep every night, and two
meals plus a sack lunch every day. Zaversnik
said people who register for Safe Nights
are expected to be at the host church every
night or at a pick up point to be transported
to the church. Not coming without being
excused can result in being suspended from
the program, Zaversnik said.
While the rules may be strict, Zaversnik
said they are designed to keep everyone
safe and help the program run smoothly.
While the normal hours are 7 p.m. until
7 a.m., during holidays and some Sundays
when libraries and other public locations
are closed the host churches will have daylong
programs.
Safe Nights works closely with Project
ECHO. Project ECHO offers people a place
to sleep for 90 days and coordinates with
Safe Nights to help people who will reach
the end of their 90 days and have nowhere
to stay.
“We want to try to work hand in hand
with them,” Zaversnik said.
Project ECHO also gets community
support. Girl Scout Troop 1610 from Lusby
recently held a cookie mix sale to help purchase
items for sack lunches sent to Project
ECHO.
“It was hard for them to understand
they were doing one project to raise money
for another project,” troop leader Casey
Hanback said.
She said the project helped the girls get
involved in community service. The troop
has supported Project ECHO in various
ways for the past few years.
“I like the fact that I’m just helping
out,” said Girl Scout Jordan Abell.
Even though they want to help anybody
who needs it, Zaversnik said Safe
Nights doesn’t publicize what church they
will be at on a given night because they
would prefer the residents register for the
program.
“We did find we were being used as a
drop in shelter,” Zaversnik said.
The registration process also helps
the group keep a count of the people they
are expecting so they know there will be
enough food and beds.
For more information, call 443-486-
8670 or visit calvertinterfaithcouncil.org/
SafeNights.html.
sarahmiller@countytimes.net
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Obscurely Located: 6215 Scaggs Rd., Owings, Maryland 20736
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www.mellomar.com
Mini Grant Funding Opportunities
The Southern Maryland Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Board has announced
that applications for the Mini Grant Program are available.
Projects selected for funding will assist RC&D in implementing its Annual Plan and Area
Plan which are both focused on community development, land conservation, land management
and water management in Charles, Calvert, St. Mary’s and Anne Arundel counties.
The maximum amount for each mini grant award is $500. The Southern Maryland RC&D
Board will accept applications at its office in Leonardtown via email, fax or regular mail.
The Mini Grant Program will operate on a rolling basis throughout the fiscal year (July 2011
to June 2012) while funds are available. Applications are due the 1st of every month.
Visit the website at www.somdrcd.org for more information about RC&D. Call the RC&D
office at 301-475-8427 X 6 or email denitra.brawner@somdrcd.org if you are interested in applying
and would like to receive an application.
The RC&D is a nonprofit organization that carries out community development and conservation
projects in Charles, Calvert, St. Mary’s and Anne Arundel Counties.