Bus Routes

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- For the last 12 years, the county's public bus system has used a noisy, dimly lit stretch of West Washington Street as its main transfer point. Riders have complained that it is unsafe and inconvenient to other parts of town. Business owners near Public Square in Hagerstown have said it routes too much bus traffic through the city's main intersection. And officials have said both riders and drivers deserve a nicer place to change routes. "It's just not working anymore," said Kevin D. Cerrone, director of the County Commuter.

Washington County public schools contacts: Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Morgan For questions regarding school system policies, academics, procedures or programs. 301-766-2816 morgabet@wcboe.k12.md.us Assistant Director of Human Resources Donna Newcomer For questions about employment with the Washington County Public Schools system. 301-766-2804 newcodon@wcboe.k12.md.us Chief Financial Officer Chris South For questions or concerns about the Washington County Board of Education's budgets, accounting, payroll or purchasing.

HAGERSTOWN - A 6-year-old Pangborn Elementary School student was struck early Monday by the school bus he was boarding. The boy was boarding the bus on Youngstoun Drive about 7:45 a.m., according to Washington County Public Schools spokeswoman Carol Mowen. Sheriff's deputies said the boy was taken to Washington County Hospital for treatment of his injuries, which were described as "minor. " Police and school officials declined to release additional details about the accident, saying the incident was under investigation.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - Washington County Board of Education President Roxanne R. Ober said Sunday that the redistricting of some county schools will be necessary after a new elementary school and replacement schools for two others are built. The school board will vote Feb. 6 whether to ask an advisory committee to review enrollment data and other information related to redistricting. Ober said the last major redistricting in the county was more than five years ago. Minor redistricting that affects only one or two families occurs more often, she said.

WASHINGTON COUNTY For more than 10 years, the transfer point for Washington County's public bus system has been under an overpass near the Hagerstown Police Department. In recent years, Washington County Commuter and the City of Hagerstown tried to find a nicer spot for people to wait as they changed bus routes, but nothing fit. Having exhausted a list of ideas, County Commuter is going to let an outside expert step in, said Kevin Cerrone, County Commuter's director. The Maryland Department of Transportation is negotiating a contract with a consultant to study alternatives, said Mike Nixon, the manager of regional planning for MDOT's Office of Planning.

FUNKSTOWN - Denise McCoy missed a Baltimore Ravens pre-season game Monday night so she could hear the Funkstown town council's decision on the traffic problems plaguing her and other residents living on two town side streets. When she heard that the plan will be to make Chestnut and Poplar streets one-way just from High Street to Edgewood Drive, she wasn't sure that would be enough to curb the speeding. She also has her doubts the plan will decrease the sheer number of vehicles cutting through those previously quiet neighborhoods to avoid the Alt. U.S. 40 stoplights at certain times of day. "Anything will be better than nothing," McCoy said.

Schnebly remark opens way for frank talk on merger plan Washington County Commissioner John Schnebly's statement that the public need not accept every detail of the proposed school-consolidation plan is welcome, because it opens the way for a real discussion of the problem, as opposed to an all-out war of opposition to the plan. We hope citizens take Schnebly's invitation seriously. The problem is that school costs are rising faster than the government's ability to pay for them.

HAGERSTOWN - Wednesday morning's bus routes were a confusing mess. It wasn't clear which children got on which buses, said June Benchoff, the crossing guard at Locust and Washington streets in Hagerstown. The first day of school usually is that way, she said. Benchoff, 81, knows what she's talking about. She has been a fixture on the city's streets since she started working as a crossing guard in 1957. Benchoff isn't much taller than the elementary school children that cross at her corner on their way to buses bound for Eastern Elementary School, but she said she is strict.

âEUR¢ 17,800 ?� Number of students transported twice each day âEUR¢ 47 ?� Number of schools served in the county âEUR¢ 262 ?� Number of bus drivers âEUR¢ 164 ?� Number of bus routes âEUR¢� More than 2.7 million ?� Number of miles school buses travel annually WASHINGTON COUNTY Students have more than one month before going back to school in Washington County, and recently officials discussed whether they should be wearing seat belts when they do. The U.S. Department of Transportation held a public forum on the effectiveness of seat belts on school buses last week, revisiting a topic that has been the subject of debate for years.