County Seat

By LISA GRAYBEAL Staff Writer, Chambersburg WAYNESBORO, Pa. - For the first time in Franklin County's history, the county seat will be moved from Chambersburg, Pa., to Waynesboro on Thursday in celebration of the borough's bicentennial. "This is official, not ceremonial. The county seat has never been moved just for the sake of a celebration," said Allie Kohler, Bicentennial Committee secretary. At 10 a.m., opening ceremonies will begin on Waynesboro's square, where Franklin County Commissioners will proclaim Waynesboro as county seat for the day, a historic moment that may never happen in the county again, Kohler said.

by Ric Dugan / staff photographer Promising to improve employee morale and cut wasteful spending, a 26-year veteran of county government has launched a bid for a seat on the Washington County Commissioners. Mary L. Kline, 60, of Clear Spring, said her 26 years in three county government departments give her insight other candidates don't have. "I know a lot about what goes on," said Kline, a Republican. Kline, who is now retired, is making her first run for elective office.

By LISA GRAYBEAL Staff Writer, Chambersburg WAYNESBORO, Pa. - District Justice Larry Pentz saved taxpayers $2 in postage on Thursday by walking down the street to file cases with the Franklin County Clerk of Courts office in Waynesboro rather than mailing the package to the courthouse in Chambersburg, Pa. The clerk's office had been moved to Waynesboro for the day, and "I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity," Pentz said....

charlestown@herald-mail.com SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - Historic McMurran Hall in Shepherdstown is getting a facelift. Since June, crews have been using a chemical stripping agent to remove old paint from the Shepherd University building along German Street. It's been about 10 years since the building has been painted, and the work is part of $1.1 million in improvements to the building, said Ed Magee, vice president for administration and finance at Shepherd. The project also includes the repair of columns in the front of the building, Magee said.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Wearing a tuxedo and hairpiece that looked borrowed from a bad Las Vegas lounge singer, L. Michael Ross squeezed his way through the crowd Thursday night at The Orchards looking for contestants for the game show "Are You Smarter Than a Fair Goer?" "We went to the Franklin County Fair a few weeks ago to interview real people about what they know about Franklin County ... and they did not disappoint me," Ross, president of the Franklin County Area Development Corp.

The Washington County Commissioners might not be getting much flak for their proposal to explore moving most county offices out of downtown Hagerstown for the same reason that a husband doesn't tell his wife that the new dress she's purchased looks hideous. In both cases, the people casting a critical eye aren't sure the flak they'd get for being honest would be worth it. And in both cases, the offensive idea and the dress might end up consigned to their respective owners' closets, never to see the light of day again.

"Right at the intersection of Washington Street and Cannon Avenue, right before you get to the Sheetz and McDonald's. In the right hand lane there are metal plates on the road. Why aren't there signs warning people that they are there to slow down?" "Can something be done about the bathrooms that are up at the softball field at City Park? The ladies bathroom is so filthy, there are cobwebs, it looks like it hasn't been cleaned in ages. The handicap stall doesn't even have a lock on the door, it just keeps popping open.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - After serving as the borough manager of Greencastle for 22 1/2 years, Ken Myers announced his resignation Wednesday to accept a position as manager of the borough of Huntingdon (Pa.). "It's a larger community with a larger staff and I'll have the ability to wear a few less hats than I do here and dedicate more time in managing and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the borough," said Myers, a lifelong resident of Greencastle, who has worked for the borough for 30 years.

Perhaps Washington County's 230-year history can be summed up in a lesson on its flag. The green, red and blue flag, although only 18 years old, contains symbols and colors representing the county's historical roots. A portrait of George Washington, after whom the county was named, is on the left of the flag. The nine stars around the portrait represent the county's nine incorporated municipalities, with the largest star representing the City of Hagerstown, according to the county's Web site.

Washington Co. has much to love To the editor: On behalf of the Washington County Convention and visitors Bureau, we would like to welcome Prime Retail, which, along with the Civil War sites in our area, will be a major draw to our county. We in the CVB have been working for over a year, meeting with individual members of the planning board, with Bob Arch (county planning director), with the County Commissioners, attending the court hearings, etc., and doing all in our power to make Prime Retail's presence in our area a reality.

Mayor needs to bone up on history To the editor: Mayor David Gysberts' insensitive and irresponsible remark about clearing out old buildings and lamenting that we don't have a war to do the job suggests he must not know that war not only clears out old buildings (see the fire bombing of Dresden during World War II), but also kills anyone living in those buildings. He says this to German teenagers who are from the most pacifist country on the planet. But Mayor Gysberts, who happens to be the mayor of a city with a long tradition of history and the importance of history to its citizens, almost reminds me of Rip Van Winkle, who slept for 20 years and was surprised when he woke up that the country had changed.

Voters in Franklin County, Pa., will select county commissioners in this year’s election cycle. The primary election is May 17, in which Republicans and Democrats can vote for members of their own parties. The municipal election is Nov. 8. Democratic voters can choose two candidates to advance to November’s ballots. Only two men, Bob Ziobrowski and Garry Gontz, are running in the primary. The Herald-Mail asked the Democratic candidates to answer several questions. Their responses are below and have been edited for length and style.

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. - Klaus Heitmann said he will not accept the $36,960 salary that comes with being a Berkeley County commissioner if voters choose him over Republican incumbent Steven C. Teufel and Democrat Anthony Petrucci. Heitmann, 50, of 143 Confederate Drive in the Martinsburg area, said he has not accepted any contributions or spent any money on his campaign other than the $360 filing fee required to run for a six-year term on the commission as the Mountain Party's candidate.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - After serving as the borough manager of Greencastle for 22 1/2 years, Ken Myers announced his resignation Wednesday to accept a position as manager of the borough of Huntingdon (Pa.). "It's a larger community with a larger staff and I'll have the ability to wear a few less hats than I do here and dedicate more time in managing and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the borough," said Myers, a lifelong resident of Greencastle, who has worked for the borough for 30 years.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Wearing a tuxedo and hairpiece that looked borrowed from a bad Las Vegas lounge singer, L. Michael Ross squeezed his way through the crowd Thursday night at The Orchards looking for contestants for the game show "Are You Smarter Than a Fair Goer?" "We went to the Franklin County Fair a few weeks ago to interview real people about what they know about Franklin County ... and they did not disappoint me," Ross, president of the Franklin County Area Development Corp.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - Some Morgan County residents want their new courthouse to be "green," but they hope the exterior bricks will remain yellow like the ones in the building that burned in August. A clock tower seemed to be a must, and many residents who gathered in the Berkeley Springs High School auditorium Tuesday night to share their opinions about the new building with county commissioners and the architect wanted parking plans to jibe with the county seat - formally known as the Town of Bath.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - One Morgan County Commission seat is up for grabs in the Nov. 7 general election. Democrat Brenda J. Hutchinson and Republican Wayne A. Omps are running for the open position on the three-person commission after winning their respective primaries in May. The seat is in District 1, which includes a portion of southern Morgan County, the western part of the county (Great Cacapon and Paw Paw, W.Va.) and the Town of Bath. The election is countywide. The six-year term has a yearly salary of $34,980 and is currently held by Democrat Bob Ford, who is not seeking re-election.

Perhaps Washington County's 230-year history can be summed up in a lesson on its flag. The green, red and blue flag, although only 18 years old, contains symbols and colors representing the county's historical roots. A portrait of George Washington, after whom the county was named, is on the left of the flag. The nine stars around the portrait represent the county's nine incorporated municipalities, with the largest star representing the City of Hagerstown, according to the county's Web site.