John Williamson

North Hagerstown High School varsity football captain Bob Bechtel's feet whisked as he walked the plush synthetic turf of his new home field Friday. As construction crews tapped out finishing touches on Mike Callas Stadium at North High, the senior defensive lineman crouched into a three-point stance, his splayed fingers disappearing in the blades of the bright green turf. "It's nice to have something soft there," Bechtel said with a smile. "Our practice field is as hard as a rock.

To the editor: To: Fellow residents of Washington County One of the most important votes in the history of Washington County is upon us. At the Feb. 12 primary, if you are a registered voter, be as a Democrat, a Republican, a Green, an Independent or Unaffiliated, you can help decide if our county is ready to assume more control over local affairs. We all strongly encouraged you to go the polls and vote "yes" to the question adopting charter home rule. Many of us have worked for more than a year, giving our best efforts to deliver to the citizens a charter that describes the structure and processes of government to better meet the needs of our county.

Why get the lawyers involved? To the editor: From Webster's New World Dictionary, the definition of slander is "the utterance in the presence of another person of a false statement or statements, damaging to a third person's character or reputation. " Why should Bernadette Wagner be accused of "slanderous" comments in regard to a question she posed at a public Washington County Board of Education meeting? There were no false statements made by Wagner. It seems to me that the question of whether a candidate for school board should also have a contract with the board of education is a valid inquiry.

andrews@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - "No more bus! No more bus!" Rick Toms pounded the podium as he urged the audience to chant along. He was one of about 200 people at North Hagerstown High School on Tuesday evening to root, root, root for a home stadium. The hourlong gathering had the elements and feel of a pep rally, including a band, cheerleaders, balloons and a motivational speaker: former Washington Redskins defensive end Charles Mann. North High Boosters Club Inc. is leading the push to build a stadium for the school, which has used South Hagerstown High School, 3 miles away, for home football and soccer games and track meets.

scottb@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - The capital campaign to raise $2.3 million to build a stadium at North Hagerstown High School officially was kicked off Wednesday night at a dinner ceremony at which organizers distributed lists of names of potential donors. North High has used South Hagerstown High School's stadium for 47 years because it does not have a stadium of its own. Two North High athletes spoke at the North High Boosters Club Inc. ceremony, held at Tony's New York Pizza and Restaurant.

julieg@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - A fund-raising effort for a stadium at North Hagerstown High School got a boost Friday with a $100,000 donation from Citicorp Credit Services north of Hagerstown. So far, $1.4 million has been pledged toward the $2.3 million cash goal, said John Williamson, chairman of the stadium committee of North High Boosters Club Inc., the nonprofit organization that raises money to support athletic activities. Williamson said fund raising for the stadium is a cooperative effort of the athletic boosters and band boosters.

Organizers of the planned new multiuse stadium project for North Hagerstown High School have announced that fund- raising is gaining momentum. Several groups have stepped forward, as have businesses, to contribute to the new stadium campaign. According to stadium committee chairman John Williamson, "several alumni groups have come forward and made donations for the stadium project. In fact, some of the recent donations include seniors of the North Hagerstown High School Class of 2004 donating $2,004.

HAGERSTOWN The city of Hagerstown will loan $250,000 for the construction of a North Hagerstown High School stadium, money that a recycling company will repay with interest. The Hagerstown City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday to approve the loan, which will pay for synthetic turf, a final piece of the stadium project. Conservit, a Washington County recycling company, promised to give $250,000 to help build the stadium if it has synthetic turf and if Conservit gets naming rights to the field.

While planning and raising funds for the Mike Callas Stadium at North Hagerstown High School, we were asked by donors to the project to consider a synthetic field. We had never considered a synthetic field because most of us had a very negative impression of the first generation of synthetic fields, developed in the 1970s, called Astroturf. Several months ago, Don Fulmer, athletic director of Chambersburg (Pa.) High School, attended one of our meetings to share information on the rebuilding of their stadium.

HAGERSTOWN The Washington County Board of Education has agreed to meet Friday to vote on a bid for installing turf at Mike Callas Stadium, despite some members' views that a decision is being rushed. During a sometimes contentious workshop Tuesday, President W. Edward Forrest warned the board was "setting up for some potential problems" by not waiting until its next regularly scheduled meeting to make a decision about turf. Representatives for the committee that has raised about $2.3 million in private pledges toward a stadium at North Hagerstown High School said the board needed to act fast.