Cavechat.org

Cave Could Halt Low-Income Housing Plan
Mar 19th - 3:43pm

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) - Low-income housing in downtown Frederick faces an unusual obstacle: a cave.

A developer says he has hired an engineering firm to investigate newspaper reports from 1892 of an apparent cave beneath Cannon Hill in the southeast corner of the downtown business district. Some neighbors of the proposed 36-unit project say the articles suggest the site is unsuitable for building.

Beside the prospect of a collapse, caves are protected under a Maryland law that prohibits the removal or disturbance of fossils and other features without a state permit.

"If there is a cave, then I'll be the first one not to build on it," developer Joe Venezia told The Frederick News-Post for a story published Monday.

Venezia said he isn't convinced there is a cave. The newspaper stories are sketchy, and soil borings taken in 2006 on the 3/4-acre, city-owned lot indicated the ground was strong enough for residential development, Venezia said. The company that analyzed the borings, ECS Mid-Atlantic LLC of Chantilly, Va., is also conducting the search for the cave.
Read on
http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=598&sid=1092138
Information from: The Frederick (Md.) News-Post, http://www.fredericknewspost.com

I'm from Maryland. i hope here is a cave and i hope that the buildings wont be built on top of it. My father is a certified Forester and a wetlands biologist. he works for a company that gets permits to build and fill in swamps and such and he probably did the work on the property. if not he definitely knows who did so i will ask him about it and all the upcoming info on it he will be able to find out about it. i will get some info and get back to this to let yall know the out come..

Evidently they are still looking for the cave:
Search for downtown Frederick cave goes on—



FREDERICK, Md. (AP) -

The city of Frederick is searching for a cave that some residents believe exists beneath a downtown neighborhood that is being redeveloped.
The city hopes to put to rest the rumors and reports that have held up construction of low-income housing in the Cannon Hill neighborhood at South and Carroll streets.

The project's developer said in April that an engineering firm he hired found no evidence of the cave referred to in newspaper articles from 1892.

Now the city is conducting its own investigation before selling the site to the Frederick Housing Authority.

--- Information from: The Frederick (Md.) News-Post, http://www.fredericknewspost.com

http://www.wmdt.com/wires/displaystory.asp?id=62302043

It seems if they are so worried, some geophysical work may be in order.