Aberdeen?s “Hatfields and the McCoys” squared off for round two this week as tensions escalated between a golf course owner and several neighbors.
The neighbors say that Sam Smedley, the owner of the Wetlands Golf Course, is deliberately dumping fertilizer made from sewage near their homes in an effort to stop them from opposing the development project.
“They had 45 acres to dump it on, but they dumped it right next to our property ? that?s intimidation,” said Paul Burkheimer, whose house sits between where the sludge is spread.
Since June 14, Burkheimer said truckloads of the fertilizer have been dumped near his property. Another truckload was taken from that pile and moved to a lot near the house owned by Jerry and Rosemary Queen ? two more vocal opponents of the annexation project.
Howard Sims, a project manager with the Maryland Department of the Environment, said a permit had been issued for spreading the sludge on the Burkheimer farm, but he knew of none for moving it to the golf course. MDE spokeswoman Julie Oberg said the golf course often uses the “class-A” type of fertilizer sludge that can be bought commercially and does not require the same permits.
Curtis Coon, the attorney representing Smedley declined comment.
Smedley officially joined the legal fray Monday as a judge allowed Wetlands LLC to take part in the residents? lawsuit seeking to block the annexation of the land.
Just before a referendum reversed last year?s decision by the City Council to annex more than 500 acres, Wetlands submitted a revised request for annexation that has yet to be considered. The residents are seeking to stop the city from considering the second petition, believing the referendum should have been final.
“Whoever?s unhappy will probably take this to Annapolis,” said J. Carroll Holzer, representing the opposition group.
