St. Mary's Commissioner Larry Jarboe

Commentary on the News

Buying Local
By Commissioner Larry Jarboe
ST. MARY'S TODAY

Mostly at my lumber mill, I deal with production and sale of wholesale tractor trailer loads of lumber that we cut from locally harvested timber. We also kiln dry big orders using wood gas technology that makes clean burning carbon and hydrogen gases from the pyrolitic disassociation of sawdust. We may be backwoods, but we are not backwards.

On Fridays, when I am not pushing the mill or our men for steady production, I make myself available to local craftsmen and woodworkers who need specific commodities that are more unique in nature.

On Fridays, when I am not pushing the mill or our men for steady production, I make myself available to local craftsmen and woodworkers who need specific commodities that are more unique in nature.
Last Friday, I was told a story by a builder who transports pine logs from his construction sites to be custom sawed and kiln dried, then planed for flooring at the nearby Amish mill. He installs random width pine plank floors cut from the building site as an option in his new homes.
After the customer makes this attractive choice over conventional factory flooring, which is most of the time, the builder then offers a discounted price because the local option costs him less to purchase.
Profit oriented capitalists may question his salesmanship, but I find this approach to consumer satisfaction and cost control refreshing. With homes in St. Mary’s County averaging over three hundred grand each, local construction materials may offer some real savings.
At our public forum this week, inventor and entrepreneur Jim Jennings brought information at my request to our table about his machine that hydraulically transforms dirt from a building site into solid structurally sound building blocks.
Whether or not these adobe style bricks meet our code for residential and commercial construction has yet to be determined, but sheds smaller than 300 feet of floor space outside of the critical area are a likely testing ground for this construction material as they are exempt from permit requirements. Small sheds must still comply with legal issues like setbacks or fire code.

Your community bank is more likely to respond with a friendly phone call regarding a glitch while the big mega-bank kicks your check back by a misguided computer.


A very appropriate use of these stackable blocks in a county surrounded by water is the creation of revetment or sediment control barriers. The problem of dirt washing away then becomes the solution as the dirt is turned into stone like material.
The purchase of local goods to save money is not only delegated to construction materials. Our local farm produce stands provide the freshest home grown goods while keeping our family farms in active agricultural production.
Local community banks are an important facet of protecting our dollars and investments. Recent banking errors in St. Mary’s County have brought the dependability of national and international banking conglomerates into question. Your community bank is more likely to respond with a friendly phone call regarding a glitch while the big mega-bank kicks your check back by a misguided computer.
Last weekend, I was confronted by a citizen who had a County check returned with a penalty included. Though the mega-bank was wrong they have offered no human review process to compensate for cranky computer scans. Over the next few weeks, I will be seeking to find a truly local bank to send my business to.
On January 28 from 1:00-5:00 p.m. in Montgomery Hall at St. Mary’s College, I have agreed to moderate a green building forum that is being presented by the St. Mary’s Commission on the Environment. I hope you will visit and witness more local ways to save money and conserve energy.