Kauffman

Saying he has seen the “good, bad and the ugly,” Boonsboro Mayor Charles F. “Skip” Kauffman Jr. reflected on tough times in 2010 during a year-in-review address he made during a Boonsboro Town Council meeting Monday night. Among the challenges faced by the town in 2010 was a decision by county government to take away a tax differential payment to the town in the amount of $120,000. That hurt the town’s ability to provide services like police protection, Kauffman said.

Two years ago, state Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-Franklin/Cumberland, easily won re-election to the 89th district seat of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives with 87 percent of the vote. He's hoping for a repeat performance in 2012. Democrat and political newcomer Susan Spicka is waging a campaign to make his fourth term his last. Kauffman was first elected in November 2004. The district covers portions of Cumberland County, including Shippensburg and Southampton townships and the borough of Shippensburg, as well as part of Franklin County consisting of the townships of Greene, part of Guilford Township, Letterkenny, Lurgan, Southampton and the boroughs of Chambersburg, Orrstown and Shippensburg.

BOONSBORO - In a deal that could expand Shafer Memorial Park to more than four times its present size, the Town Council is set to spend $604,800 on a 35-acre farm and a separate, state-owned 5.5-acre property. cont. from front page The King farm's sale is not final, but Mayor Charles F. "Skip" Kauffman Jr. said Monday night he has a firm contract. He hailed the pending acquisition as a legacy for children and future families. "This is not necessarily going to be a benefit to our generation so much as the next generation to come along," he said.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed  a $27.3 billion spending plan Tuesday that Republican members praised for its fiscal restraint and lack of new taxes. "You live within your means," said state Rep. Mark Keller, R-Perry/Franklin. The budget proposal — criticized by Democrats for its education funding levels — now goes to the Pennsylvania Senate for its review. The plan closely mirrors one put forth by GOP Gov. Tom Corbett, although Keller said it builds in an additional $210 million for kindergarten-through-12th-grade basic education funding and accountability block grants.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - Washington County Public Schools officials reinforced existing procedures after a kindergartner who boarded the wrong bus earlier this month was dropped off two miles from home. Schools spokesman Will Kauffman said Wednesday that no new practices were put in place after the incident, and he would not say if all of the existing procedures were followed that day. He said that a review of existing practices and the situation were performed immediately after officials learned of the problem.

By BRENDAN KIRBY Staff Writer BOONSBORO - The water system serving Boonsboro and Keedysville has lost almost a half-million gallons of water since a water main ruptured Monday, Boonsboro officials said. Maintenance workers discovered the leak early Tuesday morning and fixed it by about 1 p.m., officials said. But the reservoir dropped by about four feet, Mayor Charles F. "Skip" Kauffman Jr. said. Kauffman said the town was not placing any restrictions on water use, but he urged residents to conserve water.

scottb@herald-mail.com The town of Boonsboro has many projects planned for this year, several of which are intended to address growth, Mayor Charles "Skip" Kauffman said. Some projects involve efforts to revitalize downtown Boonsboro, making moves suggested by consultant firm Mary Means & Associates Inc. of Alexandria, Va., Kauffman said. In 2002, the consultant was paid about $50,000 to suggest ways to revitalize downtown, Town Manager John Kendall said. In December 2003, the Boonsboro Town Council bought the property of the Warrenfeltz True Value and Rental Center, Kauffman said.

State Rep. Rob Kauffman hosted his annual senior fair at the Chambersburg Mall on Friday. Representatives from 80 state agencies, local governments, businesses and nonprofit organizations were on hand to provide information and answer questions important to seniors. “It's a clearinghouse for information and services for our senior community,” said Kauffman, R-Franklin/Cumberland. With an aging population in Pennsylvania, it's important to make sure seniors have all the information about the government and services that are available for them as well as private groups who want to be of benefit to them, Kauffman said.

The developer of Fletcher's Grove and the Maryland State Highway Administration are working toward putting a traffic light at the intersection near the new Weis Market, Mayor Charles F. "Skip" Kauffman Jr. told town council members Monday at their monthly meeting. "We are working hard to get that light up ASAP due to the number of traffic accidents we've had out there," Kauffman said. While the town cannot force the highway administration to put up a traffic light, it has lobbied for one, Town Manager John Kendall said after the meeting.

BOONSBORO - The Boonsboro Town Council is trying to decide when town children will be saying "trick or treat. " The Town Council discussed Tuesday whether to hold the event Thursday, Oct. 27, or on Halloween, Oct. 31. The town typically schedules trick-or-treating on the Thursday closest to Halloween, Mayor Charles F. "Skip" Kauffman said. This year, however, Halloween falls on a Monday, and students have the following day off from school for a professional day, he said.