Some people still blame it on the beetle. In fact, several years ago when it was revealed that a nearly extinct species known as the puritan tiger beetle was believed to be an inhabitant of the cliffs fronting the Chesapeake Bay in Calvert County, the option of using engineering solutions had to be discarded.
Instead, the federal government has been assisting locals in demolishing properties deemed in harm’s way by unstable cliffs.
On Tuesday, the Calvert County commissioners conducted two public hearings regarding additional property acquisitions in Chesapeake Ranch Estates.
“This program is going to be ongoing ... forever,” Commissioner President Earl F. “Buddy” Hance (R) said.
No public comment was offered at either hearing and both times the commissioners voted unanimously to OK budget adjustments.
The properties acquired are on Laramie Lane and Stagecoach Circle.
In a memo to the board, hazard mitigation specialist Stacy O’Donnell said staff from the public safety department has been working with affected county residents and has received a Federal Emergency Management Agency hazard mitigation grant “to acquire and demolish three homes in imminent danger due to cliff erosion.”
O’Donnell said a structure on Laramie Lane was razed in May “due to the rapid cliff erosion.”
In order to obtain the federal funds the county must acquire the property, which will then remain as open space.
Commissioner Catherine Grasso (R) asked if anything was being done “to keep people away from the cliffs.”
Kara Buckmaster, emergency management specialist, noted there are warning signs posted in the area.
The total cost of the Laramie Lane acquisition is $347,327, with over 90% to be paid for by the federal grant.
The Stagecoach Circle property will be acquired by the county, which will demolish the structures on the tract and subsequently leave it as open space. Total cost for that transaction is $638,229. Again, over 90% will be paid by the federal grant.
“It’s important to know the cliffs are protected because of the tiger beetle, so people aren’t allowed to go in there and take proactive measures to protect their homes,” Hance said, noting that the purchasing of the properties was deemed “the most cost effective” way to resolve the dilemma.
A 2010 county government study noted Calvert had over 230 homes located on cliffs in several communities, including Chesapeake Ranch Estates.
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