Drainage

A drainage improvement project will necessitate the closure of Ernstville Road in the Big Pool area of Washington County for approximately six weeks, effective at noon Thursday, June 14, according to a news release from Washington County.   A detour will be posted to route traffic around the project, the release said.   More information can be obtained by contacting Director of Public Relations and Community Affairs Sarah Lankford Sprecher at 240-313-2215.

The Maryland State Highway Administration hosted a meeting to get feedback from Chewsville residents on a proposed paving and sidewalk improvement project Thursday, but some people suggested that the SHA first fix the town's drainage problem. The meeting was prompted by the SHA's plan to pave Twin Springs Drive, Md. 804B/Md. 62, and Track Side Road, in addition to making sidewalks along Twin Springs Drive comply with current Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility standards.

HAGERSTOWN - Traffic was back to normal on Virginia Avenue in Hagerstown after workers recently completed a storm-drainage project between Halfway Boulevard and Englewood Road. William Park, State Highway Administration assistant district engineer for project development, said he didn't have a lot of details, but workers had to dig up Virginia Avenue to install subsurface pipes to improve the storm drainage. He said he thought the project wrapped up on Wednesday. The project cost about $500,000, he said.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Among contracts advertised for upcoming West Virginia Division of Highways bid openings are projects in Jefferson and Berkeley counties. Grading, drainage and paving is called for to provide a left-turn lane for Teletech Holdings on County Route 8 south of W.Va. 9 in Jefferson County. Widening, drainage and upgrading pavement is out for bid for 1.86 miles of Lost Road in Martinsburg, W.Va., according to the Division of Highways.

City officials had some flooding concerns over a plan to develop a piece of land across the street from South Hagerstown High School. The 7.7 acres would be drawn into the city under the city's annexation policy and used for a 36-unit apartment complex. Councilwoman Kelly S. Cromer said she had been contacted about water drainage problems along South Potomac Street that could be exacerbated by the development, although City Engineer Rodney Tissue said it's possible the development could improve the drainage.

A report of smoke coming from the basement of a house on 100 Saint Paul Street in Boonsboro Thursday turned out to be the result of a chemical the town put in its drainage system, a supervisor for Washington County Emergency Services said. The town put the chemical in its drainage system to test for leaks, according to the supervisor. However, it can cause smoke to come up from pipes in houses, which is what happened on 100 Saint Paul Street. The Boonsboro Fire Department responded to the call at 11:20 a.m., but it was cleared up by 11:45.

Officials from Washington County and the town of Boonsboro on Tuesday night starting looking at ways of how they can work together to resolve an old problem of water runoff in the Lakin Avenue area. The Washington County Board of Commissioners met with Boonsboro Town Council members and Mayor Charles F. “Skip” Kauffman Jr. at the Eugene C. Smith Community Center to talk about Lakin Avenue runoff and other issues in Boonsboro. County Administrator Greg Murray discussed the installation of walls to divert water in the Lakin Avenue area into existing drainage lines.

Traffic will be rerouted at the intersection of Mulberry Street and Franklin Street next week during trenching for the installation of reinforced concrete pipe storm drainage. Mulberry Street between Franklin Street and Washington Street will be closed Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Traffic will be detoured from Mulberry Street to Franklin Street, west to Potomac Street, south to Washington Street and east to Mulberry Street. Motorists are advised to follow the posted detour.

ROUZERVILLE, Pa. - Construction crews are placing long-term work-zone signs this week in preparation for a paving and tree-trimming project scheduled to start Monday on a nearly two-mile stretch of Pen Mar Road in Washington Township, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced in a news release. The road will be repaired and resurfaced from Old Route 16 to the Maryland state line in Pen Mar, the release states. Almost 3,000 vehicles use the road daily, the release states.

County earns low interest rate Washington County on Tuesday received the lowest interest rate it has had in more than a decade on the sale of $7 million in 20-year general obligation bonds. The rate dropped to 4.80 percent from the 5.37 percent received last year and is the lowest rate received since 1986, County Commissioners President Gregory I. Snook said. The county maintained its A1/A+ bond ratings, County Administrator Rodney M. Shoop said. The firm Ferris, Baker, Watts submitted the best bid for the bonds.

The Maryland State Highway Administration hosted a meeting to get feedback from Chewsville residents on a proposed paving and sidewalk improvement project Thursday, but some people suggested that the SHA first fix the town's drainage problem. The meeting was prompted by the SHA's plan to pave Twin Springs Drive, Md. 804B/Md. 62, and Track Side Road, in addition to making sidewalks along Twin Springs Drive comply with current Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility standards.

Officials from Washington County and the town of Boonsboro on Tuesday night starting looking at ways of how they can work together to resolve an old problem of water runoff in the Lakin Avenue area. The Washington County Board of Commissioners met with Boonsboro Town Council members and Mayor Charles F. “Skip” Kauffman Jr. at the Eugene C. Smith Community Center to talk about Lakin Avenue runoff and other issues in Boonsboro. County Administrator Greg Murray discussed the installation of walls to divert water in the Lakin Avenue area into existing drainage lines.

On a Tuesday morning tour of roads in southern Washington County, the Washington County Board of Commissioners' attention was directed at two roads they were told might need to be closed as a safety measure. Washington County Public Works Director Joe Kroboth told the commissioners that Back Road, which runs along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, is on a failing slope with poor soils supporting it. He said Limekiln Road, also on a slope above the C&O Canal, has pavement problems, is very narrow and has a sharp drop-off of 80 to 120 feet.  Both roads are sliding into the canal, Kroboth said.

A drainage improvement project will necessitate the closure of Ernstville Road in the Big Pool area of Washington County for approximately six weeks, effective at noon Thursday, June 14, according to a news release from Washington County.   A detour will be posted to route traffic around the project, the release said.   More information can be obtained by contacting Director of Public Relations and Community Affairs Sarah Lankford Sprecher at 240-313-2215.

Maugansville Road remains closed between Reiff Church Road and Edith Avenue, but it is on schedule to reopen in about two weeks, according to Rick Farley, inspector for Development Facilitators. Village Mill Road, which links Village Mill Drive to Maugansville Road, also remains closed. The roads are closed for construction of drainage-improvement projects, according to a news release earlier this month on Washington County's website, www.washco-md.net. The drainage systems have been installed but the walls and the pavement need to be completed, Farley said.

A report of smoke coming from the basement of a house on 100 Saint Paul Street in Boonsboro Thursday turned out to be the result of a chemical the town put in its drainage system, a supervisor for Washington County Emergency Services said. The town put the chemical in its drainage system to test for leaks, according to the supervisor. However, it can cause smoke to come up from pipes in houses, which is what happened on 100 Saint Paul Street. The Boonsboro Fire Department responded to the call at 11:20 a.m., but it was cleared up by 11:45.

The problem: A drainage issue causes flooding in the streets at the intersection of Mousetown Road and Main Street in Boonsboro, nearby resident Andy Macomber said. “When we get a rain in the wintertime and the water freezes up, you can hear cars coming down the street stop at the stop sign on Main Street, and they skid across the ice that’s caused by this problem,” he said. Macomber said the flooding is caused by a failing stormwater-containment area on private property, above his home.

ROUZERVILLE, Pa. - Construction crews are placing long-term work-zone signs this week in preparation for a paving and tree-trimming project scheduled to start Monday on a nearly two-mile stretch of Pen Mar Road in Washington Township, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced in a news release. The road will be repaired and resurfaced from Old Route 16 to the Maryland state line in Pen Mar, the release states. Almost 3,000 vehicles use the road daily, the release states.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - Standing there atop a small knoll, you can smell the honeysuckle at your back and hear the birds in the tall trees whose branches wave in a breeze like brushes against the blue sky. Standing there, while you lean on the hollow white vinyl rails of the fence lining the stormwater basin carved out of the hill below, you see the buildings lining the other side of Hagerstown's Eastern Boulevard like colored pieces on a Monopoly board....

Standing there atop a small knoll, you can smell the honeysuckle at your back and hear the birds in the tall trees whose branches wave in a breeze like brushes against the blue sky. Standing there, while you lean on the hollow white vinyl rails of the fence lining the stormwater basin carved out of the hill below, you see the buildings lining the other side of Hagerstown's Eastern Boulevard like colored pieces on a Monopoly board. And lifting your gaze, you can still see the green treetops on the fields out beyond and the green-blue beauty of South Mountain along the horizon.