Fort Ritchie

Corporate Office Properties Trust returned ownership of the former Fort Ritchie U.S. Army base to PenMar Development Corp. on Tuesday, according to Dori Nipps, PenMar's executive director. Columbia, Md.-based Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT) paid PenMar $2 million of the $4 million owed on the property and, with PenMar receiving the deed to the property, PenMar forgave the remaining $2 million, Nipps said. Nipps said PenMar officials believe the move will lead to the dismissal of a 2005 lawsuit that has held up major development of the property.

Thomas Wayne Kline, 64, of Hagerstown was born April 11, 1948, in Madison, Wis., to parents Vina M. (Simpson) Kline and Albert B. Kline. Tom passed from this life Friday, July 13, 2012, after a short illness. Tom attended elementary schools in Smithsburg and Lincolnshire, and graduated from South Hagerstown High School with the Class of 1967. He served in the U.S. Air Force in Turkey, and last worked for the U.S. Government at the Pentagon, Fort Detrick, Fort Ritchie, Iraq and Site "R. " Besides his parents, Tom is survived by a sister, Michele D. Bowers and her husband, Kim, of Williamsport, Md.; brothers, Bruce B. Kline in Mannheim, Germany, and Mark D. Kline in Delhi, N.Y.; two nieces; two nephews; his longtime companion, Tina Robertson; her two daughters, Shelly Grove and Jessica Robertson; three grandchildren, to whom he became a father and grandfather; and his faithful lifelong friend, Terry Moats.

Helen V. Koontz, 87, of Hagerstown, Md., died peacefully Wednesday, May 30, 2012, surrounded by her family at her home while under hospice care. Born April 2, 1925, in Hagerstown, she was the daughter of the late Robert B. Foltz Sr. and Estella M. Keefer Foltz. She is survived by her loving husband of 65 years, Charles H. Koontz, whom she married April 12, 1947. She was a 1943 graduate of Hagerstown High School. She worked for C&P Telephone Co., Fairchild Aircraft (during World War II)

The board of PenMar Development Corp. and Corporate Office Properties Trust emerged from an hourlong executive session on what were termed “contract negotiations” Monday morning, but took no action when the meeting reconvened. In April, Washington County Commissioner John F. Barr said PenMar and Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT) have been in discussions regarding options for the land at the former Fort Ritchie U.S. Army base that COPT bought in a $9 million agreement in 2006.

PenMar Development Corp. and Corporate Office Properties Trust officials have been discussing the possibility of transferring the former Fort Ritchie Army base back to PenMar, according to Washington County Commissioner John Barr. “The economy and the ongoing pending lawsuits that have literally stopped everything at the former Fort Ritchie base has just made it very difficult to get anything accomplished up there,” Barr said. Barr said he was aware there had been conversations and correspondence between Columbia, Md.-based Corporate Office Properties Trust, or COPT, and PenMar's board regarding their options with the land, but that he didn't know the current status of the situation.

Work on a supplemental environmental impact statement about the proposed development of the former Fort RitchieU.S. Armybase has not begun because the Army hasn't designated money for the study, Army environmental attorney David Howlett said last week. The earliest the environmental study would start would be this summer, but that depends on when the Central Army Headquarters designates money for the study, Howlett said. Development of the property, which is owned by Columbia, Md.-based Corporate Office Properties Trust, or COPT, has been stalled as officials await the results of the environmental review, said Bill Hofmann, COPT's senior property and environmental services manager for the former Fort Ritchie property.

A spring craft bazaar, featuring more than 60 vendors, will be  held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Fort Ritchie Community Center. Admission is free and there will be prizes given away. Easter-themed items will be for sale. The event will also include face painting and sand art for children. Food will be available. The community center is at 14421 Lake Royer Drive in Cascade. For more information, call 301-241-5085.

Donald E. "Donnie" DeBold Sr., 88, of National Pike, Hagerstown, passed away Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012, at his home. Born Sept. 11, 1923, in Eylers Valley, Md. (Sabillasville), he was the son of the late William John “Billy” DeBold and Katherine Matilda Naylor DeBold. He was married to Jane Louise Cromer DeBold on July 31, 1948, and she preceded him in death in 1997. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army during World War II, having served during the Battle of the Bulge in the 76th and 90th Infantry divisions.  He was a 1941 graduate of Thurmont High School.

It was a sale to please the masses. Sports fans. Historians. Soccer moms. Vintage home decor divas. Down-home dudes with a hearty appetite. All of the above and more found something of appeal Saturday at the Fort Ritchie Community Center Indoor Yard Sale in Cascade. Nearly 40 vendors packed the gymnasium and the game room of the bright, modern facility on Lake Royer. Bev Coyle, public relations manager for the nonprofit center, said it hosts yard sales five times a year - two in the summer, and one each in November, January and March - to generate income for programs.