By Teresa McMinn
Cumberland Times-News
CUMBERLAND, Md. — A recent letter from Lonaconing Mayor Jack Coburn and the town’s council to Georges Creek residents stated Thursday’s Allegany County Board of Commissioners meeting would be “one of the most important meetings you could attend this year.”
The correspondence asked residents to question county officials “as to why the Georges Creek Ambulance Service is still not staffed 24/7 and why it is not up and running.”
Closing of the station over the summer marks the first time in 47 years that the community has been without ambulance service,” the letter stated.
“Although we are provided service from a different area, it is not always a sufficient time frame, as we all know time is of the essence when it comes to someone’s life,” it stated.
The letter talked of treacherous road conditions on state Route 36 during winter months that could mean an ambulance from Frostburg or LaVale might take significant time to reach someone in Lonaconing, it stated.
“Many patients do not have 45 minutes to wait to be transported to UPMC,” it stated.
ReleaseCounty officials on Thursday issued a press release to address concerns regarding emergency services in Lonaconing.
“Allegany County Government welcomes citizen engagement and values the active participation of residents in our public business meetings,” it stated. “We wish to provide clarity and additional context regarding the Georges Creek Ambulance Service and related issues raised by concerned residents in Lonaconing .”
According to the release, the ambulance service earlier this year told county officials it was unable to continue operations due to the loss of volunteers.
In response, county commissioners agreed to explore a takeover of the operation.
“This decision included accepting Georges Creek’s building and equipment at no cost, which we believed would alleviate some of the financial burden,” it stated and described “unforeseen challenges” that arose including “significant outstanding debts.”
When the county gained access to the building in November, “several major structural and operational problems” were identified,” the release stated.
“Addressing these issues would require substantial investment, potentially beyond the county’s current financial capacity,” it stated.
Meanwhile, emergency medical coverage for the Lonaconing area is provided by neighboring ambulance teams from Frostburg and Tri-Towns, “both of which are located approximately 10 minutes away,” it stated.
However, “it is important to note that the county’s budget is under considerable strain,” the release stated.
” Allegany County has taken significant measures to manage limited resources” that include cuts across various departments.
“In addition to the Georges Creek Ambulance challenges, Lonaconing’s water system has been supported by the county and the city of Frostburg due to its operational failure,” the release stated. “The town currently owes the county several hundred thousand dollars for water services, with the last payment received in May 2024 .”
MeetingAllegany County Administrator Jason Bennett said an initial assessment of the station showed roughly $100,000 is needed for structural repairs that include a sprinkler system.
“If we’re gonna put county-paid staff in there, that’s gotta be functioning,” he said.
Bennett said there’s a possible $70,000 lien against the building, and “liabilities on the ambulances that sit there in a total of around $200,000.”
Bobby Ritchie, chief of Good Will Fire Company No. 1 of Lonaconing, said several ambulance stations in the county are without a sprinkler system.
“I think we’re using ... money in the wrong places instead of saving people’s lives,” he said.
Frostburg resident Craig Alexander said he wants an ambulance crew to operate from the Georges Creek station.
“Minutes equal lives lost and that needs to be taken into consideration,” he said. “Somebody will die because there was no ambulance to run the call out of Lonaconing .”
Alexander said he read the county’s press release on social media and questioned what Lonaconing’s water bill had to do with the ambulance service.
Coburn said he called the county to discuss the ambulance service but Bennett “haggled” him about the water bill.
Coburn said he had a canceled check that showed Lonaconing paid the county $194,000.
“If you’re gonna put press releases out there, make sure they’re right,” Coburn said.
“I’ve been here for 27 years,” Coburn said of his political career.
“There’s times that I have been more disrespected from this administrator than any other administrators in this county.”
He said the ambulance building is assessed at $132,000.
"(Do) the repairs,” Coburn said.
“We need to get up and running. People’s lives are at stake”
(c)2024 the Cumberland Times News (Cumberland, Md.)
Visit the Cumberland Times News (Cumberland, Md.) at times-news.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.