Funding

Rotary Club of Hagerstown Sunrise Foundation Inc. distributed its Capital Improvement Funding grants to local nonprofits on Feb. 15.  Foundation Chairman David Abeles said sharing with the local community is one of the club's highlights of the year.  “The Hagerstown Sunrise Rotary Grant Awards program is the culmination of our club members' hard work during our annual auction,” Abeles said.  “It is a wonderful day for our members...

The Martinsburg Police Department's roster has swelled from 29 to 50 officers, and calls for their service also have increased after a voter-approved police levy went into effect in 1990, according to city records. The levy, which has provided funding for nine of the 21 positions that have been added to the department, is set to expire June 30, 2014, unless it is renewed by city voters. A public hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 28, at 6:30 p.m. on the Martinsburg City Council's proposal to hold a special election May 11 to decide the levy renewal question.

The City of Hagerstown's proposed 2013 public facilities bond issue totals $4.15 million, including a little more than $1 million toward supporting the city's General Fund, a city official told city council members Tuesday. Michelle Burker, the city's director of finance, said the General Fund portion of bond proceeds is made up of $250,000 toward the demolition, site work and reclamation of the former Municipal Electric Light Plant property as well as $346,000 for a 50 percent down payment on a replacement Engine 1 firetruck.

While touring the construction site of the new Bester Elementary School on Wednesday, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot said he supports the county's request for slightly more than $1 million in state funds for the project on top of the $7.6 million already provided for it and was “very optimistic” that it would be approved. “This is a well-run construction project, taxpayers' money is being well spent, the kids are going to benefit, the faculty will benefit, the state will benefit,” he said.

United Way of Washington County is requesting proposals for Community Impact programs for the 2013 program year. Funding is available for programs designed to meet education, income and health needs within Washington County, the United Way said in a news release. Only health and human service 501(C)3 organizations are eligible to apply for funds, the agency said. Beginning Tuesday, applications for funding will be available on United Way's website at www.unitedwaywashcounty.org . Applicants may download the instructions and application and review for compliance to apply for funding, according to the release.

On Sunday, Feb. 10, USMH will hold a Longaberger Basket, Vera Bradley and money bingo event at the Hagerstown Elks Lodge. All funds raised at the event will benefit the USMH Scholarship Fund, a fund of the University System of Maryland Foundation Inc. Doors open at 11 a.m. with lunch at noon. The bingo will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Advance tickets cost $25 and include lunch. Tickets will cost $30 at the door. Everyone must have a paid ticket to enter. Anyone can play bingo, but you must be 18 years or older to play tip jars.

More than $1.6 million in funding requests from nonprofit organizations were submitted to the Washington County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday by the Community Organization Funding Committee, a figure it had pared down from requests originally totaling more than $2.6 million. The committee recommended a total of $672,840 for the Washington County Commission on Aging Inc. for five senior citizen projects. Three other organizations would split $46,660 for other senior projects, according to the recommendations.

Students at Boonsboro High School raised $1,722.72 to help fund blood cancer research and provide help and hope to thousands of patients and their families through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's  Pennies for Patients program. The collection drive, in honor of third-grade leukemia patient Mackenzie McCarter of Hagerstown, was led by the students of Starlene Hamilton's first- period career- development class.  The National Honor Society at the high school worked in conjunction with the class.

Berkeley County Council voted unanimously to fully fund an IT position that had been subsidized by the WorkForce West Virginia Employee Subsidy Program since January 2012. Council voted unanimously to increase the county IT Department's budget for 2013-14 by $48,000, the salary amount for the information technology analyst position. The county also agreed to absorb the cost of the salary for the remaining months of the current budget year, which ends June 30. The county had previously budgeted the benefits for the job as part of a one-year agreement with the state subsidy program that expires Jan. 31. County Council member Douglas E. Copenhaver Jr. said the IT Department Director Gary Wine's request to make the position permanent was justified in that the department does “a tremendous amount of work for all county officials.” Wine said in a letter to County Council that the IT analyst position has assumed “a pivotal role in daily work flow” given the demands on the department and current work volume.

State Del. John P. Donoghue, D-Washington, said Tuesday that he will file a bond bill request for $300,000 during the current session of the Maryland General Assembly to help offset the cost of tearing down the former Municipal Electric Light Plant in Hagerstown's East End. He said the demolition could be part of a larger plan to revitalize Hagerstown. “The purpose of my bond bill would be to demolish the building and abatement of any toxic materials,” Donoghue said. The MELP facility has been described by state lawmakers and local officials as an eyesore, a health hazard and a relic of the past.