Construction Projects

Asbestos abatement and work on the existing floors last year at James Buchanan Middle School in Tuscarora (Pa.) School District created dust and dirt that became trapped in the original 1950s building which was surrounded by new construction. "It just took us a while to get on top of that situation," District Superintendent Thomas Stapleford said. The renovations were "sometimes dirtier and noisier than people expected," he said. Stapleford said the primary thing the district could do better, if starting its three-school renovation project over again, would be communicating the progress to the community.

The Associated Builders and Contractors Inc., Cumberland Valley Chapter, held its meeting March 23 at Dutch's Daughter in Frederick, Md. The speaker for the event was John Gregg, business development specialist at Fort Detrick. Gregg spoke about the construction future at Fort Detrick, and on the various construction projects taking place now. He answered numerous questions from the members. ABC is a national trade association with more than 24,000 firms across the nation.

tarar@herald-mail.com WASHINGTON COUNTY - Washington County Commissioner John C. Munson said he wants more respect from a high-level Board of Education administrator. Munson said in an interview this week that he was unhappy with a statement made at a Nov. 9 Evening with the Board meeting by the school board's chief operating officer, William Blum, regarding county funding for school construction projects. At that meeting, school board members and staff discussed ways in which parents could help lobby the commissioners for increased school funding.

HAGERSTOWN tammyb@herald-mail.com Legislators from four states approved a resolution Friday to form a multistate coalition to support plans and projects affecting traffic on the Interstate 81 corridor, an action they say could aid in improving traffic, information and law enforcement along the highway, as well as helping secure federal funding for construction projects. The resolution, approved during the annual Quad-State Legislative Conference, asks that governors and transportation officials from Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia appoint representatives to "an I-81 Corridor Coalition.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd announced Thursday that $50 million in funding for construction projects for the Martinsburg-based Air National Guard unit has been approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The $50 million, which Byrd obtained to accelerate the completion of construction required for the arrival of C-5 aircraft to the base, was included in a bill that funds military construction projects around the world, according to a press release from Byrd's office.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Commuters can now use the Information Superhighway to maneuver their way around ongoing construction projects on real highways in and around the Eastern Panhandle. The West Virginia Department of Transportation has started using the Internet to post maps of road construction projects across the state. The Web site, www.dot.state.wv.us, is part of an overall safety campaign to improve safety in construction zones. While work zones are usually marked with black-lettered orange signs, state DOT officials said many drivers do not slow down.

Wise makes a visit to Eastern Panhandle By DAVE McMILLION / Staff Writer, Charles Town photo: RICHARD T. MEAGHER / staff photographer MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Gov.-elect Bob Wise said during a visit here Thursday that he will suggest that a state agency in charge of funding school building projects in the state borrow another $100 million for school construction. Wise's comments came after the state School Building Authority turned down a $20 million request to Jefferson County Schools that would have been used to build a new high school.

HAGERSTOWN - The City of Hagerstown will ask the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for permission to spend $426,560 to help pay for several construction projects across the city. Community Development Manager Larry Bayer said the city has received the money in the form of Community Development Block Grants. "It's in the budget," Bayer said. Asking for the federal government's permission to spend the money "is just one of those red-tape hoops you have to jump through.

scottb@herald-mail.cm It will be at least a year before construction will begin on a planned post office to be built across from the Long Meadow Shopping Center, Hagerstown Postmaster Keith Guerrin said Monday. In March 2001, the U.S. Postal Service put all of its construction projects on hold for funding reasons, he said. That building freeze remains in place, Postal Service spokesman Bob Anderson said Monday. It is unknown when the freeze will end, he said. Exceptions have been made only for emergencies, he said.

Associated Builders and Contractors Inc., Cumberland Valley Chapter, recognized members and their top Excellence in Construction projects Sept. 13 at Fountain Head Country Club in Hagerstown. The Excellence in Construction awards program is the industry's leading competition, developed to honor innovative and high-quality merit shop construction projects and safety programs. The award honors all construction team members, including the contractor, owner, architect and engineer. Local winners have the opportunity to apply at the national level.

Associated Builders and Contractors Inc., Cumberland Valley Chapter, recognized members and their top Excellence in Construction projects Sept. 13 at Fountain Head Country Club in Hagerstown. The Excellence in Construction awards program is the industry's leading competition, developed to honor innovative and high-quality merit shop construction projects and safety programs. The award honors all construction team members, including the contractor, owner, architect and engineer. Local winners have the opportunity to apply at the national level.

Demolition at the site of a planned Walgreens pharmacy store began last week near the intersection of Halfway Boulevard and Virginia Avenue in Halfway. A building permit, site plan and zoning certification for the 10,873-square-foot store with a single-lane drive-through pharmacy window were approved for the property at 17703 Virginia Ave. earlier this month, Washington County spokeswoman Sarah Lankford Sprecher confirmed in an email. The store, which will be the first in the Hagerstown area, is expected to open next spring, a Walgreens official said Friday.

A standing-room-only crowd showed up at the Boonsboro Town Council meeting Monday night to hear some residents speak out against a proposed expansion of an assisted-living house in the town. The expansion of the SOMA Manor House at 7701 Old National Pike is part of an annexation of 15 acres that the six-member council is considering. If Boonsboro annexes the land at its northern border, the Washington County Board of Commissioners agreed earlier that the town could immediately change the zoning to “town residential.” Without the commissioners' “express approval,” the town would have had to wait five years before making significant changes to the parcel's zoning.

A wall collapsed two weeks ago in a stormwater outfall under construction, delaying the project at least a month, local officials said. Improvements being made to the outfall along Cemetery Avenue are the first phase of a multimillion-dollar project addressing Waynesboro's undersized and aging stormwater system. Rains Oct. 19 caused the collapse of a wall near Cemetery Avenue's intersection with Church Street. The collapse occurred near Antietam Dairy. "Water got in behind it. ... It was over an inch of rain in 15 minutes," said Kevin Grubbs, director of engineering services for the Borough of Waynesboro.

Pleasant Valley Elementary School will get a new roof and Northern Middle School will get windows and doors this year, regardless of whether state funding is provided, the school system's director of facilities planning and development said this week. State school construction officials were not recommending that the Maryland Board of Public Works grant the school system's request for $396,000 for Pleasant Valley's roof and $269,000 for Northern Middle, Rob Rollins said. The three-member Board of Public Works is scheduled to meet in Annapolis Wednesday, but isn't expected to approve the school system's appeal to fund those projects, he said.

HAGERSTOWN - The City of Hagerstown will ask the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for permission to spend $426,560 to help pay for several construction projects across the city. Community Development Manager Larry Bayer said the city has received the money in the form of Community Development Block Grants. "It's in the budget," Bayer said. Asking for the federal government's permission to spend the money "is just one of those red-tape hoops you have to jump through.

HAGERSTOWN -- A multimillion dollar construction project in the first block of South Potomac Street in downtown Hagerstown should be completed by mid-June, said Irv Gish, director of special development for the Bowman Development Corp. The construction project is situated between Duffy's on Potomac and the Schmankerl Stube Bavarian Restaurant. Gish said the construction, which is being funded privately, was put on hold over the winter, but work recently picked back up. The project includes the renovation of three adjacent properties - the Walker House, the Tri-State Electric building and the site of the former Double T Lounge.

BOONSBORO - The ongoing construction of a wastewater treatment plant on Monroe Road is among the Town of Boonsboro's top priorities in 2008. Town Manager Debra Smith said the $11.8 million project began in November and has to be completed by the end of 2009 to satisfy mandates from the Maryland Department of the Environment. The new facility is being built in the same spot as the town's existing plant. Federal funding will pay about $7.2 million of the project's cost, Smith said.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - Fifteen road construction projects totaling nearly $65 million are under way or will be started in the next few months in Washington County. Funding methods vary depending on the project. Most of the projects are jointly funded by the City of Hagerstown and Washington County, while several others will receive funding from the Maryland State Highway Administration. The most expensive project, which involves realigning U.S. 11 and Air View Road to accommodate the runway extension at Hagerstown Regional Airport, has a price tag of about $18.5 million.

HAGERSTOWN - Before Washington County Public Schools can move forward with several new building projects, it must acquire land. Assistant Superintendent for School Operations Boyd Michael said officials need to know now where a potential new high school in the eastern part Hagerstown would be built. According to a draft of the state capital improvement plan discussed Tuesday, that high school would open in 2012. Local planning funds have been requested for fiscal year 2009, but Michael said a site still needs to be determined.