Bidding

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A contract for resurfacing in Berkeley County, W.Va., is listed for an Aug. 18 bid opening, according to the West Virginia Division of Highways. The contract calls for resurfacing of 2.51 miles of Sylvan Retreat Road, according to the Division of Highways.

By BRENDAN KIRBY Staff Writer Washington County's tax auction was routine on Tuesday, and in Maryland this year, that's big news. Auctions of tax-delinquent properties in other counties have been disrupted this year by people bidding tens of millions of dollars on properties assessed at a few thousand dollars. Frederick County, Md., officials, for instance, canceled their auction on May 13 when bidding hit $55 million for a $31,000 condominium. But the auction Tuesday on the steps of Washington County Circuit Court drew normal bids.

By DON AINES Staff Writer, Martinsburg MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - More than 20 prospective contractors turned out this week at the Eastern Regional Jail for a pre-bid conference on a new prison for the Eastern Panhandle. The Eastern Regional Jail opened in 1988, but in just nine years it has become overcrowded and was not well designed in the first place, according to Steven Canterbury, executive director of the West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority.

BOONSBORO - Walking through the new state-of-the-art Cochran Auction Theatre, James Cochran and Tom Bikle remarked on how the business of buying and selling has changed over the past 35 years. The new building is to the rear of the Cochran complex at 7704 Mapleville Road. It is 60 feet wide and 160 feet long, and boasts bleacher seating and a huge remote-controlled door that opens up one whole side of the building. Outside that wall, there is a platform where large construction equipment can be displayed for prospective buyers inside, Cochran said.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Saturday evening's Gala Auction at the Waynesboro Eagles Club raised approximately $64,000 for the American Cancer Society, according to Jill Kessler, chairwoman of the 27th annual event. With the extra donations that typically come in after the event, that should mean the 2008 check to the American Cancer Society could be about equal to last year's $67,000, Kessler said. An 85-square-foot playhouse from GRC Contractors fetched $3,000 during oral bidding.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - Searching for the perfect addition to your collection this holiday? The Contemporary American Theater Festival is auctioning this piece of functional art, created by Scott Cawood exclusively for the CATF. At more than 6 feet tall, this one-of-a-kind tree is sculpted from found metal objects, with birds created from forks and spark plugs. Scott Cawood is a local metal artist who was the featured artist during the CATF's 2007 season. His work has been displayed across the country, including his Sirens of TI Chopper at Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas.

Courthouse demolition bid process outlined BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - The bidding process for demolition of the Morgan County Courthouse will begin next week, the president of the Morgan County Commission said. At Friday's commission meeting, Stotler said an advertisement will be published Jan. 10 in local newspapers for demolition bidding. Bids must be submitted by Feb. 7. Silling Associates, the Charleston, W.Va., architectural firm chosen by the commission to design the new courthouse complex, is handling the bidding process, Stotler said.

WAYNESBORO, PA. Tiny circles marked auction catalogs as 500 people crowded into the Eagles Club on Saturday night for the 25th annual Gala Auction. Within a half-hour of bidding, those circles had yielded more than a thousand dollars for the American Cancer Society. The community wasn't done, though, as bidding stretched into the night. "You don't worry about the price of anything," said Carol Forsythe of Waynesboro, who said the proceeds benefit an important organization.

A different sort of bachelor party was held Friday night at Fountain Head Country Club, where the men were well-behaved and the women were having most of the fun. Eleven men put themselves and their egos on the line - and on the runway - in the club's ballroom for a Charity Bachelor Auction sponsored by Friends of the Safe Place Washington County Child Advocacy Center. From businessmen to a biker, they came from a variety of occupations, including law enforcement and a physical therapist.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- A 96-square-foot playhouse, football tickets and vacations are among more than 100 items being auctioned Saturday to benefit the American Cancer Society. The 28th annual Waynesboro Gala Auction will be at the Eagles Club on East Main Street. The silent auction starts at 4 p.m., and oral bidding begins at 5:30 p.m. Bidders need to bring a driver's license and a check or cash, steering committee chairwoman Jill Kessler said. Early monetary donations and contributions for the auction block were strong this year, despite the economy, Kessler said.

As he stood before almost 200 people, many if not all of whom were members of his congregation, Maj. Robert Lyle said two, maybe three men attended his first Sunday service when he and his wife arrived seven years ago to take over leadership of The Salvation Army's Hagerstown Corps. During a farewell luncheon for Majs. Robert and Karen Lyle on Sunday, Advisory Board Chairman Don Funk listed several facility improvements during the Lyles' tenure, including the construction of the $1.8 million Shifler Family Community Center that housed the luncheon on George Street in Hagerstown's West End. Maj. Robert Lyle said leading the Hagerstown Corps was really about showing a group of people “that there's more to being a church than coming on Sunday.

Berkeley County Council on Thursday passed over the lowest bid for security cameras and instead awarded the contract to a local firm offering a warranty. On a 3-2 vote, the council awarded the contract to Inwood, W.Va.-based RCS Security Inc., which bid $40,273 for 45 cameras and mounting brackets for the new public safety building. County Council President Anthony J. “Tony” Petrucci joined council members Jim Barnhart and Elaine Mauck in voting to award the contract to the Inwood firm.

Minutes before receiving her diploma Wednesday night, Hedgesville High School graduating senior Stephanie Gardner said she plans to become a history teacher. “I want to go back (to school), I guess,” the 17-year-old girl said smiling. “I just had some really great history teachers at Hedgesville that inspired me to the same sort of thing,” Gardner said. Gardner was among 375 in this year's graduating class, which was saluted at Hedgesville High School's 112th commencement in the Butcher Center at Shepherd University for netting “well over” $3 million in scholarships.

The plan to transform a former U.S. Army Reserve building in Hagerstown into the permanent home of a Washington County senior activities center took a big step forward Tuesday. The Washington County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to award to the lowest responsive bidder, Murphy & Dittenhafer Inc., of Baltimore, a $209,430 contract to oversee the eight phases of architecture and engineering of the project at 21 Willard St. The $4.3 million project, which includes an estimated $4.1 million in construction, is expected to be completed in January 2015, county Purchasing Director Karen R. Luther told the five commissioners.

Berkeley County Schools Superintendent Manny P. Arvon hopes renovations planned for Martinsburg North Middle School can begin at the end of the school year. Bids totaling $8.1 million for the project were awarded Tuesday night by the Berkeley County Board of Education, contingent upon anticipated funding decisions to be made Monday by the state School Building Authority. The SBA is scheduled to meet Monday to consider a recommendation by its finance committee to “recapture” a total of $6.9 million in state funds that were awarded for Spring Mills High School and Gerrardstown Area Middle School construction projects.

Clear Spring's softball team entered Wednesday's game at Williamsport having defeated Smithsburg 3-2 in eight innings on Monday in a battle of two MVAL Antietam title contenders. Meanwhile, the Wildcats entered Wednesday's game having lost their first four outings. An easy victory for the Blazers? Hardly. Clear Spring used three key hits and a double steal to take a 5-1 lead through four innings, then had to hold off upset-minded Williamsport in the final three innings to walk away with a 5-4 victory the Blazers had to feel fortunate to get. “We made a few mistakes and our pitching was suspect,” Clear Spring coach Ron Baker said.

A Court of Common Pleas judge shifted roles and took the witness stand Thursday as a man convicted of first-degree murder continued his quest for a new trial. Judge Angela Krom, who was subpoenaed, testified about her previous role as an assistant district attorney. She worked on Ronald Harshman's July 2001 homicide trial with the county's former district attorney. Harshman was convicted in the presumed death of Greencastle, Pa., resident Melvin Elwood Snyder, whose body was never found.

The Hagerstown firm of Bushey Feight Morin Architects has been chosen to design the new “West City” elementary school, which is expected to open in August 2016. The Washington County Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday night to award the design contract to the firm, which submitted the low bid of $932,287 for the architectural and engineering services for phase one of the new school. Purchasing Supervisor Lisa Freeman told the school board that Bushey Feight Morin Architects designed the new Maugansville Elementary School, which opened in 2008.

An architect's plans for installing restrooms at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad roundhouse and shops in Martinsburg are about ready to be put out for bid. The Berkeley County Roundhouse Authority on Saturday authorized architect Matthew Grove to advertise the project to contractors after board members reviewed drawings and various material options. Grove said the work could take between 75 and 150 days to complete. Grove told board members he indicated the project could be put out to bid next month.

South Hagerstown's girls basketball team survived a test from Francis Scott Key on Monday, holding on for a 56-52 victory. “Right now, we're taking (the wins) as long as we can get them,” said South coach Nate Naylor. “We're not used to being the team that everyone wants to beat. We've got to get used to taking everybody's best shot.” FSK (0-4) trailed 43-33 heading into the fourth quarter, but Lily Lawler hit a 3-pointer and Maddie Wilhide made a layup to cut the Eagles' deficit to five, prompting a South timeout.