Mediation

Three changes in Maryland's law this fall should help neighborhoods that have been hurt by the housing foreclosure crisis, an official said late last month. The changes were approved by the state legislature earlier this year after being recommended by a special task force appointed to study such problems, said Kathleen Murphy, president of the Maryland Bankers Association and a task force member. Murphy said the state is in the process of writing regulations to carry out the changes, which are to take effect Oct. 1. She provided information about the changes: • To speed up the time it now takes for vacant properties in foreclosure to be put up for sale, “there will be a process where the lender can apply to the local government for a certificate to confirm that the property they're foreclosing on is vacant,” Murphy said.

The Washington County Community Mediation Center is seeking volunteers to sign up for mediation training. The training is provided free, but volunteers are required to complete 50 hours of basic mediation training. The training is for anyone 13 and older. To participate in the training, volunteers must agree to devote at least 100 hours to support the mediation center. The hours can be used for student service learning hours for students. A mandatory orientation will be Monday, May 25, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the mediation center, at 101 Summit Ave. in Hagerstown.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - The Jefferson County Commission agreed Thursday to enter into mediation with the City of Ranson, W.Va., in an attempt to settle a long-standing suit over the collection of school impact fees in Ranson. School impact fees went into effect Jan. 26, 2004, but none of the $1.6 million in fees that has been collected in Ranson has been forwarded to the county, officials said Thursday. The county commission believes that Ranson officials are collecting a school impact fee but are calling it a "voluntary proffer.

Eugene Conti, secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, has been approached by Gov. Parris Glendening about the possibility of holding a mediation session between business and labor in Washington County. Details haven't been firmed up yet, but Karen Napolitano, Conti's director of public information, said this week that the governor's office has talked to Conti about the possibility. It would not be unusual duty for Conti, Napolitano said, because he's been active in a number of recent business-labor mediation efforts, including disputes between the Teamsters and the Giant and Safeway grocery stores and the United Food Workers and Rosecroft Raceway.

Daily arguments between a local teen and his father, were routine in the family life of one Hagerstown home. The boy, who lived with his dad but not his mom, became withdrawn and stopped talking to his dad, except when they argued. He began to do poorly at school. Then the boy found a brochure about mediation and called to see what it was all about. He and his father went to mediation and talked about their arguments. During discussions, the boy said he was unhappy that his dad was spending too much time with a new girlfriend and didn't seem to care about how his son was feeling.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- A group of Waynesboro attorneys has created a service they say can be more confidential, less expensive and faster for people working through disagreements. After being in planning stages for most of the year, the Franklin County Dispute Resolution Center opened a week ago. Private mediation and counseling is available for disputes in a variety of categories, including child custody, divorce property, boundary, contract and landlord-tenant. "It could give people a little more control of their case than litigation," co-founder Clint Barkdoll said.

Father-daughter team goes into business As Washington County's newest mediator/arbitrator, Daniel Moylan has learned valuable skills in that field, both as a judge and as a father. Moylan, 63, and his daughter, Alden Lisa Moylan, recently formed the firm of Moylan and Associates Ltd., which already is operating throughout Maryland. In addition to his experiences on the bench, Moylan and his daughter bring other, rather unique skills to the mediation field - years of give-and-take inherent in any parent-child relationship.

When Debbie Naugle and her teenage daughter Brittany Ward have a major disagreement, they might raise their voices. But they always talk their way out of the problem and into a resolution. Interviewed at Valley Mall with her mom, Brittany, 16, said she wins most of the time, but admits that while she's winning the argument she's also making most of the concessions. The communication and mutual respect the Falling Waters, W.Va., mother and daughter maintain are keys to family members resolving their disputes, said Ryan Trout, a volunteer mediator with Washington County Community Mediation Center.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The Berkeley County Commission voiced its support Thursday morning for a plan that would guarantee water for people in Blairton. [cont. from news page ] More than 40 Blairton homeowners are suing the Riverton Corp. over the company's attempts to stop supplying water to homes near its quarry. Riverton has said it does not want to be in the water business, but Blairton residents have said if the company cuts off the water they will be forced to leave their homes.

marlob@herald-mail.com When the Alternatives to Violence Program first came to the Maryland Correctional Institution 11 years ago, the object was to help inmates help each other redirect their negative energies into positive forces to resolve conflicts. The prison then was filled with tension between inmates and inmates as well as between inmates and staff, said Calvin McNeil as he explained the history of AVP's beginnings at Wednesday night's recognition night. That tension welled up in the early 1990s into a full-fledged riot with injuries and $1 million in damages at the medium-security prison south of Hagerstown.

Following a dirt path off a quiet countryside road north of Hagerstown led the curious to an atypical sight Saturday, when an outdoor music festival cropped up in rolling fields normally reserved for cornstalks. The event was Hagerstock, a fundraiser benefiting the Washington County Community Mediation Center and a music fete that also featured food, souvenirs and massage vendors. The mediation center is a nonprofit that helps resolve disputes at no cost to Washington County residents, program manager D.J. Allen said.

On most summer days, the only sounds carrying across the countryside north of Hagerstown are the cawing of crows and the wind whistling through trees. But soon, the solitude will be broken by other, less familiar sounds: the riff of amplified guitars and the muffled bass backbeat of drums. The aroma of food cooking on a grill will fill the air, new friendships will be made and hundreds of people will savor some 11 hours of nearly nonstop music. It's not Woodstock, the 1969 festival where nearly half a million concertgoers uncorked their generational exuberance in a celebration of peace, love and bell bottom jeans.

The Maryland Public School Labor Relations Board has declared an impasse between Washington County Public Schools and the Washington County Teachers Association over pay-raise negotiations, the board's executive director confirmed Thursday. The impasse order was declared Monday and issued Tuesday in the mail, Erica Snipes, executive director for the Maryland State Labor Relations Boards, said in a telephone interview. The two sides have until Saturday to begin selecting a mediator, and mediation must begin by June 21, under state regulations.

A group people gathered at Bridge of Life church on South Potomac Street on Thursday night to recognize the growing use of conflict resolution in the county to resolve differences between people. The Washington County Community Mediation Center, Inc., offers free help to local residents to help them resolve any differences they are having with other people. Jack Carpenter, executive director of the organization, said although the organization's caseload is growing, he thinks there are many other people who do not know the organization exists.

Chef Justin Warner has never forgotten his roots. During several interviews with The Herald-Mail leading up to his "The Next Food Network Star" win in July, Warner has always made a point to include a "shout out" to his fellow Hagerstonians. And now just weeks after being selected as the next new face of Food Network, Warner is keeping his word. Sunday night he'll take part in the "Come to the Table" dinner and event at LJ's and the Kat Lounge in Hagerstown. The $60 ticket price will include cooking demonstrations lead by Executive Chef Lonnie Coble and LJ's Chef de Cuisine Steven Farrell, as well as chefs Rachel Inman and Amanda Combs; live auction, raffle, four-course meal and a cash bar. A limited number of tickets are still available as of presstime Tuesday.

Three changes in Maryland's law this fall should help neighborhoods that have been hurt by the housing foreclosure crisis, an official said late last month. The changes were approved by the state legislature earlier this year after being recommended by a special task force appointed to study such problems, said Kathleen Murphy, president of the Maryland Bankers Association and a task force member. Murphy said the state is in the process of writing regulations to carry out the changes, which are to take effect Oct. 1. She provided information about the changes: • To speed up the time it now takes for vacant properties in foreclosure to be put up for sale, “there will be a process where the lender can apply to the local government for a certificate to confirm that the property they're foreclosing on is vacant,” Murphy said.

Two and a half years of negotiations between the Waynesboro Area School Board and the district's teachers union led to a one-minute vote Tuesday that could prove pivotal in reaching a contract. The nine-member school board unanimously agreed to accept the terms of a mediated proposal, saying that it could serve as the basis of a new, three-year contract. The teachers' last contract expired June 30, 2010. The teachers union, Waynesboro Area Education Association, is expected to vote Wednesday on whether it will accept the proposal.

Operating without a contract for nearly two years, the Waynesboro Area School District's school board and teachers union moved closer to an agreement during a four-hour negotiating session Thursday. “Both teams accepted and worked out the details of a mediation proposal,” school board member Rita Daywalt said. The school board will vote on the proposal Tuesday. The union, the Waynesboro Area Education Association, is expected to vote by midweek. If approved, the proposal could become a tentative agreement that would yield a contract, Daywalt said.

Robin Miller spends her days caring for and negotiating with youngsters at her home daycare. Her training as a mediator for the Washington County Community Mediation Center comes in handy as she helps little ones and adults work out their own solutions when there’s a problem. “I can use it in my day and my own life,” Miller said. Miller, 46, recently was recognized as the mediation center’s Community Mediation Volunteer of the Year at the annual dinner of Maryland mediation centers May 14 in Annapolis.

Free help is available for Washington County residents who need assistance resolving issues ranging from marital problems to neighborhood disputes. Jack Carpenter, the newly appointed executive director of the Washington County Community Mediation Center at 101 Summit Ave. in Hagerstown, said the organization has about 20 mediators who are trained to handle a variety of problems. He said mediation allows people to resolve their own problems, rather than letting a third party do it in the judicial system.