Antrim

MERCERSBURG, Pa. - When it comes to covered bridges in Franklin County, Martin's Mill Bridge may be the first to come to mind for some people. It's a museum today, a physical reminder of an era long past when elaborate wooden bridges dotted the American landscape and resonated to the sound of clopping hooves. The bridge opened over the Conococheague Creek on Weaver Road in 1849. It connects Antrim and Montgomery townships. A private, nonprofit association of volunteers has owned the bridge since 1962.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. -- Greencastle-Antrim School District met or exceeded state Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks for reading and math last school year, Director of Educational Operations Bob Crider told the school board Thursday evening. The board reviewed Pennsylvania System of School Assessment results for the 2009-2010 school year during a work session where principals from the primary, elementary, middle and high schools presented data specific to each school. Crider told the board that as a district, Greencastle-Antrim's results met or exceeded the benchmarks of 63 percent in reading and 56 percent in math.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - The Antrim Township Board of Supervisors further solidified Tuesday its policy for paying severance to terminated, retired or resigned employees by adding it to the township personnel policy. The board, which terminated six upper-level employees in August 2008, said earlier this month that there was not a solid policy in place for paying employees their unused vacation, sick and personal time. Newly appointed Township Administrator Brad Graham spearheaded the effort to put the policy in writing.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - Amid a cloud of multicolored Silly String, 200 seniors graduated from Greencastle-Antrim Senior High School Friday night. Excited family members waved, cheered, and shot video while the students filed in, girls in white caps and gowns, boys in royal blue. Due to rainy weather, the overflow crowd filled the school's auditorium and cafeteria to watch the ceremony. Addressing the audience, co-valedictorian Daniel Oliver said that he was surrounded by truly great individuals.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - The Greencastle-Antrim School Board voted Wednesday to expel two male high school students after they came to school under the influence of drugs Nov. 21. Two boys, one a 17-year-old junior and the other a 16-year-old sophomore, came to school after overdosing on the cold medicine Coricidin, which contains ephedra, according to Principal Ed Rife. The 17-year-old took 20 pills and the 16-year-old took 12 pills and smoked marijuana, Rife said. The 17-year-old has been permanently expelled from the school district, which means he can never come back, Rife said.

The Greencastle-Antrim school board Thursday night unanimously adopted a proposed $34.56 million budget for 2011-12, but admitted there was work still to do. While the preliminary spending plan was approved, Board President Joel Fridgen said the board has a long way to go before the final budget is ready to be unveiled. "Right now we are basically going through our operations budget and that will take place over the next several months," Fridgen said. "Then renovations will be another piece of that.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - The Greencastle-Antrim School District considered proposals Thursday night that could move the start of the 2008-09 school year back by one week and cement a commencement date for next year's graduating seniors. Under the first plan, the first day of school for students would move from Aug. 25 to Sept. 2 - the day after Labor Day - to become consistent with neighboring school districts. "Other districts are undergoing some major reconstruction projects and they would like to give the contractors an extra week to finish," said Superintendent C. Gregory Hoover.

bonnieb@herald-mail.com GREENCASTLE, Pa. - Musical excerpts from the Broadway show "Miss Saigon," complete with costumes, will be a highlight for the Greencastle-Antrim High School band as it competes at several contests this fall. The band dresses in Army fatigues, while the color guard is dressed "like Vietnamese women, with pointed hats," Band Director Samuel Forney said. Last weekend in Cumberland, Md., the band placed first in its group, and second overall in the 12-band competition, Forney said.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - The Antrim Township Board of Supervisors reopened bids Tuesday for electrical, mechanical and plumbing contracts at its proposed multi-million dollar municipal government complex along U.S. 11 south of Greencastle. After receiving only one bid for mechanical work and one for plumbing in February from Eshenaurs Fuels of Harrisburg, Pa., the supervisors voted to reject the company's bids and reopen all three contracts for bid in March. Project Architect Jennifer Greenlee of Newcomer Associates of Chambersburg, Pa., read the bids of six companies on Tuesday, including Eshenaurs Fuels, which cast the lowest bid for the plumbing contract at $429,171.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - The Greencastle-Antrim High School Government and Economics students will sponsor a voter registration drive tonight during the home football game. The voter registration drive was made possible because the students received a Federal Learn and Serve Civics grant. Approximately 80 students will be participating in the project, which includes interviewing local candidates and doing an informational campaign about issues involved in this year's election. The students involved will hand out voter registration forms at the football game.

The Antrim Township Board of Supervisors made it clear it is not in favor of a variance that would allow a personal-care facility to be located in an agricultural residential zone. At Tuesday's meeting, Sylvia House, township zoning officer, asked the board of supervisors for direction on how to represent the township during the zoning appeal. Lana Gordon with Caring Hands Personal Care Homes and Nursing Services LLC wants to put a personal-care home at 7465 Angle Road in Chambersburg, Pa. In March, Gordon told the supervisors that she wants to operate the facility at the vacant estate of Donald R. Wishard.

As Greencastle-Antrim School Board continues to wrestle with its 2013-14 budget, taxpayers in the school district are facing a possible 2-mill tax increase following a 5-3 vote to pass the proposed final general fund budget on Thursday. Business Manager Jolinda Wilson said combining $500,000 from the fund balance with a 2-mill tax increase won't close up the $505,556 deficit in the $35 million budget. The district has the option of increasing taxes 3.8259 mills, which is the Act 1 Index tax cap, Wilson said.

In an effort to whittle down a $1.2 million budget deficit from the district's $34 million 2013-14 budget, the Greencastle-Antrim School Board voted Thursday night to cut 60 support staff positions. Gone from the school district's payroll are 33 transportation employees (16 in the 2013-14 school year and 17 in the 2014-15 school year), 22 maintenance/custodial employees and five technology employees. The board voted to spare 29 food service positions. Before the vote, Greencastle-Antrim School District Superintendent C. Gregory Hoover gave a presentation on the 2013-14 budget.

Faced with a $1.4 million budget deficit, the Greencastle-Antrim School Board will vote Thursday whether to outsource support staff positions, cut athletics and extracurricular activities, or not replace four retiring teachers. With the Greencastle-Antrim School District looking for places to cut to cinch up the gaping hole in its $34 million 2013-14 budget, the administration is recommending that the board approve outsourcing support staff, which includes transportation, cafeteria, custodial and technology services.   Superintendent C. Gregory Hoover said it comes down to three options.

Antrim Township Community Park could be home to a dog park as early as this fall, according to township officials. Antrim Township Administrator Brad Graham told township supervisors Tuesday that the parks committee approved recommending moving forward with constructing a dog park at the township park at 12315 Grant Shook Road in Greencastle. The township budgeted $50,000 in its 2013 budget for the dog park, Graham said. Pat Heraty, vice chairman of the board of supervisors and liaison between the supervisors and the parks committee, said the dog park project is moving ahead.

Renovations to upgrade Antrim Township's municipal building could begin as soon as mid-June with completion by early fall. At Tuesday's meeting, township supervisors Fred Young, James Byers, John Alleman and Rick Baer voted to move forward with bidding renovation work on the 34-year-old building. David Molino of Centura Associates of Chambersburg, Pa., presented a detailed, final look at the drawings for the upgrades to the township building at the worksession prior to Tuesday's meeting.

The Greencastle-Antrim School District is running out of space, forcing school officials to take another look at renovation plans that were shelved two years ago while the economy was in a nosedive. Superintendent C. Gregory Hoover said taking a serious look at the renovation plans is inevitable because the district is bursting at the seams. “It's one of those things that we have been putting off because of the economy. But, kids are still coming and there have to be places for them to go,” he said.

Antrim Township is cracking down on delinquent sewer customers. Over the last four years, sewer customers not paying their bills on time has become a growing problem in the township, township administrator Brad Graham said. At least 45 of the township's 3,500 customers were 120 days behind on their sewer bill and each owed $1,000 or more, Graham said. The average residential quarterly sewer bill is $115.50. Graham said the township board of supervisors discussed tightening the township's current collection policy at its Jan. 28 worksession and at several recent meetings.

Sporting purple ribbons in memory of one of their teachers, Western Heights Middle School's indoor guard took the floor Saturday at Greencastle-Antrim High School 25th annual guard competition. Dancing to “Home Is Where the Heart Is,” the 18-member team captivated the crowd, sitting elbow to elbow, in the Greencastle-Antrim High School gymnasium. Dressed in burgundy T-shirts and blue jeans, the indoor guard team let their flag and rifle work tell their story as hundreds of spectators sat mesmerized by their precision.

Greencastle-Antrim High School will celebrate an important milestone Saturday when the school hosts its 25th indoor guard competition. Greencastle-Antrim's 25th annual Indoor Competition, hosted by the Keystone Indoor Drill Association, will begin at 3 p.m. in the high school gymnasium. Sam Forney, high school band director, who started Greencastle's indoor guard in 1988, is hoping the community comes out to help celebrate the school's achievement. “It's very visual. There are 37 units performing on Saturday from schools all over the area,” Forney said.