Crews

The Washington County Highway Department is preparing for Hurricane Sandy to move into the area. The roads department has snow plows at the ready for use in hauling debris, such as downed tree limbs, from roadways in the county, Washington County Highway Department Director Ed Plank said at about 7 a.m. Monday. The county roads department also is clearing leaves from drains as a precautionary measure, Plank said. “We are checking drains to make sure they're open and setting up trucks with snow plows for debris,” Plank said.

Washington County Public Schools will hold a groundbreaking Oct. 30 for the new Bester Elementary School, according to school system officials. The public groundbreaking is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Workers are installing a fence around the construction site this week, according to an email from Project Manager Traci Coldsmith. The new school will be built behind the existing Bester Elementary School at the corner of South Potomac Street and East Memorial Boulevard in Hagerstown's South End. Crews also are installing sediment controls for the construction process and stabilizing the construction entrance off Mill Street, Coldsmith said.

Emergency crews in Pennsylvania were clearing an accident near Exit 5 of Interstate 81 Southbound. The three-vehicle collision at the Greencastle, Pa., accident was reported at 3:47 p.m., according to the Franklin County (Pa.) 911 Center. One person was transported to a hospital for injuries.

Emergency crews from Washington County and Jefferson County, W.Va. were dispatched to a water rescue on the Shenandoah River near Harpers Ferry Sunday night, dispatchers from both counties said. The call went out at 9:04 p.m., a Jefferson County Emergency Services dispatcher said, but she had no other information as of about 9:50 p.m. A woman at the Friendship Fire Co. in Harpers Ferry acknowledged that units had gone out to on the call, but also had no additional information.

The 200 block of East Washington Street in Hagerstown was closed to traffic Thursday morning while officials investigated a natural gas leak, a Washington County Emergency Services dispatcher said. The block had reopened to traffic by 9:20 a.m., but a crew remained on the scene. The dispatcher said the leak was reported at 7:53 a.m.

Large pieces of construction equipment will be delivered to downtown Chambersburg next week to demolish the former Harmon's Furniture building on North Main Street. Demolition will not start for another couple weeks because crews remain focused on hauling materials away from another site, which also is part of a $1.8 million renovation to the county courthouse complex, Franklin County Administrator John Hart said. “We're still anticipating we'll have the complete project done by October,” Hart said.

Fire crews were able to contain a mountain fire near Mercersburg, Pa., Friday afternoon that involved about five to 10 acres, Franklin County emergency dispatchers said. The fire in the 6000 block of Pine Road was reported at 4:13 p.m., according to dispatchers. Firefighters were still on the scene “mopping up” hotspots as of 7:10 p.m., but the fire was otherwise contained, according to a dispatcher. “Pretty rough and steep terrain leading to the area” was a challenge for fire crews from Mercersburg, St. Thomas and Greencastle who responded to the scene, according to a dispatcher.

Construction has begun at the site of a new Sonic drive-in restaurant on Dual Highway near Edgewood Drive in Hagerstown. Crews broke ground March 16 at 1710 Dual Highway, with plans of opening by mid-May, a Sonic franchise official said Monday. Nick Stamnos, director of operations, said a job fair is planned for April 21 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in a conference room at the Hampton Inn, 1716 Dual Highway, just behind the construction site. The company seeks to hire 80 or more entry-level positions, including cooks, skating carhops, drive-through workers and switchboard operators, Stamnos said.

It wasn't the first time a car had slammed into Greencastle's historic Center Square. But the damage caused by a Feb. 24 accident has been called the worst destruction in the landmark's history. “This is the worst I've ever seen,” Greencastle Borough Council President Charles Eckstine said. “I was surprised (by the damage),” borough council Vice President Harry Foley said. “It appeared as a very large truck or an 18-wheeler hit it.” Debbie J. Hoffman, 54, of Hagerstown, was charged with driving under the influence and other traffic violations after her 2008 Ford pickup truck struck the stone planter in the center of the square on Feb. 24 at 11:35 p.m., according to Greencastle police.

The Maryland State Highway Administration has work crews prepared for the weekend in case of any inclement weather, but nothing has been mobilized in or near Washington County yet, according to SHA Spokesman Charlie Gischlar. "There is a chance of snow flurries on Sunday, but that is still two to three days out," he said. "The temperature is supposed to decrease dramatically this weekend. " According to the National Weather Service's website, http://forecast.weather.gov , the high in Hagerstown on Friday was expected to be near 54 degrees with winds between 18 and 22 miles per hour and gusts as high as 33 mph. A low of 32 degrees is expected Friday night.