Washington County Commission briefs

August 26, 2010|By HEATHER KEELS

Museum won't need to repay part of loan

The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts will not have to repay $100,000 of a $300,000 loan from Washington County for a museum courtyard enclosure project, the Washington County Commissioners decided Tuesday.

The commissioners voted 3-1 to convert that portion of the loan to a grant in response to a request from museum officials.

Commissioner Kristin B. Aleshire voted against the decision and Commissioners President John F. Barr abstained, saying his company, Ellsworth Electric, had ties to the project.

The $2.5 million courtyard enclosure project is under construction.

The museum is working to raise private funds to reach that total, Museum Director Rebecca Massie Lane and Board of Trustees representatives Thomas Newcomer and Brad Pingray told the commissioners.

Request denied to ease landfill fees for vets

The Washington County Commissioners on Tuesday declined a request to provide relief from landfill fees for disabled veterans.

Commissioner Terry Baker said he had been contacted by veterans with the request and asked the other commissioners what they thought of it.

Commissioner Kristin B. Aleshire said any relief offered would need to be applied consistently, and Commissioner William J. Wivell questioned where the county would stop if it began offering landfill fee relief.

Wivell said he was not interested in going down that route in the current economy.

Sheriff's Department plans public-service events

The Washington County Sheriff's Department has two public-service events planned for the coming months, Sheriff Douglas W. Mullendore said Tuesday.

The department's Prescription Drug Turn-In Program will hold an event at Himes Store in Brownsville from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, where participants can safely dispose of unwanted and expired medications.

The department also will host an Identity Theft program on Oct. 23 at Valley Mall in Hagerstown, where the department will offer free document shredding and will accept food bank donations.

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