Locations

The location of the keynote speaker's address and a discussion panel for Saturday's 1997 Washington County Women's Fair has been moved, said Co-chairwoman Maggie Brill. State Del. Sue Hecht, D-Frederick/Washington, will deliver the keynote speech at 28 S. Potomac St. at 1:30 p.m., Brill said. A panel for women considering elected office as well as people who would support them will be held at 28 S. Potomac St. from 10 a.m. to noon. The speaker and panel were originally scheduled to be held at Tres School for the Arts.

The Washington County Commission on Aging offers noon lunches to anyone age 60 or older at seven locations. Reservations are needed two days in advance. Donations are accepted. Sandy Gaylor is program manager, and Jan Tisinger is floating site manager. For information, call 301-790-0275, ext. 206 or ext. 207, or send an e-mail to sgaylor@wccoaging.org . Hancock 126-128 High St., Hancock Manager: Gere Shoemaker 301-678-7163 Francis Murphy Apartments 20024 Rosebank Way Hagerstown Manager: Barbara Fischer 240-313-9300, ext. 154 Potomac Towers 11 W. Baltimore St., Hagerstown Manager: Emma Reger 301-991-5168 Smithsburg 29 Blue Mountain Estates Manager: Dottie Smith 301-824-2183 Southeastern 40 Mount Vernon Drive, Keedysville Manager: Martha Drennen 301-432-5624 Walnut Towers 12 S. Walnut St., eighth floor, Hagerstown Manager: Eleanor Vanhoozer 301-491-5953 Williamsport Park View Knoll 215 Otho Holland Drive Manager: Kim Boden 301-223-6588

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- Berkeley County Clerk John W. Small Jr. told county commissioners Thursday he was "strictly opposed" to opening satellite locations for early voting for elections, primarily because of the extra security, equipment and staffing needed to make it viable. "It's going to cost the county a whole lot of money to even set up one outside location," Small said. State lawmakers this year passed legislation that allows counties to provide additional locations for early voting, in addition to the County Clerk's office.

McCONNELLSBURG, Pa. ? Troopers Monday morning were investigating the theft of copper wires in two separate incidents, Pennsylvania State Police said. Someone broke into My Father's House ministries in McConnellsburg and took several spools of copper wire valued at more than $2,500, troopers said. In a separate incident, someone broke into Burnt Cabins Storage Units in Dublin Township, Pa. and took copper wire and other items, troopers said. Anyone with information can call troopers at 717-485-3131.

Have a cat or dog that needs neutering? Contact Spay Today, a reduced-cost spay and neutering program. New vets and locations available.  For more information, call 304-728-8330 or go to www.baacs.org .

Seniors at the eight public high schools in Washington County graduated during commencements in June at several locations in Washington County.

MONT ALTO, Pa. - The Mont Alto location of Summit Lab Services, 6155 Anthony Highway, will be closing on Oct. 5, Summit Health announced Wednesday. The services provided at this site are provided through Waynesboro Hospital, an affiliate of Summit Health. Community members needing lab work can still visit any of Summit Health's eight lab drawing locations. Locations include Waynesboro Hospital, Waynesboro Diagnostic Services, Chambersburg Hospital, Summit Diagnostic Services in Chambersburg, Greencastle Health Services, Mercersburg Health Center, 5th Avenue Lab in Chambersburg, and Shippensburg Health Services.

Sections of West Baltimore Street and Memorial Boulevard are closed for water line repairs, according to officials. West Baltimore Street between Summit Avenue and South Prospect Street is closed and Memorial Boulevard from Frederick Street to Eastern Boulevard is closed, according to a spokeswoman for Hagerstown’s water department. The repairs are necessary to correct water leaks at both locations, City Utility Director Mike Spiker said. The work on Memorial Boulevard should be completed around midnight and the work on West Baltimore Street should be finished between 10 p.m. and midnight, Spiker said.

The Nutrition and Physical Activity Coalition of Washington County is sponsoring a diabetes risk screening day on Wednesday, Nov. 5. The goal is to increase awareness of diabetes and help people determine their risk for this disease. The screening will be available at different locations, including Washington County Free Library, YMCA, Department of Social Services, Tri-State Health Center, Walnut Street Clinic, Community Free Clinic, Discovery Station, Senior Center at Girls, Inc., Walnut Towers, Potomac Towers, Reconstructive Foot and Ankle Institute and Commission on Aging nutrition sites.

Where one business has closed, another has opened. Scott Electric, a large wholesale electrical distributor and supply business based in Greensburg, Pa., opened a Hagerstown branch in the 18043 Oak Ridge Drive building long used by Flameless Heating Supply Inc. Scott, which was a supplier for Flameless until it closed last fall, now has five employees working out of the Hagerstown facility and wants to hire three more, said John Forish, general...

Have a cat or dog that needs neutering? Contact Spay Today, a reduced-cost spay and neutering program. New vets and locations available.  For more information, call 304-728-8330 or go to www.baacs.org .

The Greater Waynesboro Chamber of Commerce will host a mixer Thursday, April 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Elite Window Fashions' new location, 2102 E. Main St. in Waynesboro. The deadline to RSVP is Tuesday, April 23. To RSVP, call 717-762-7123 or send an email to admin@waynesboro.org .

Ripken Design representatives went over its newest multiuse stadium feasibility study with Hagerstown officials Tuesday, and a long discussion ensued about the three alternative sites in the city's East End. “I want to see this get done,” Mayor David S. Gysberts said toward the end of a Hagerstown City Council work session at City Hall. “I think the citizens are looking for us to provide leadership.” Assuming a facility costing about $30 million, the new study examines the former Washington County Hospital site and two locations adjacent to the Hagerstown Suns' current ballpark on East Memorial Boulevard.

Francisco Silva's smile was beaming Thursday afternoon as he talked about his new business location on North Potomac Street in downtown Hagerstown. “I wanted to come downtown; more busy, more traffic,” said Silva, owner of Kerry's Hair and Day Spa at 35 N. Potomac St. “That way I can build my salon and also my stylists.” Attended by numerous city officials and a representative from U.S. Congressman John Delaney's office, a grand opening and ribbon-cutting event was held to officially welcome the City Center business, which was transplanted from Silva's former location on East Franklin Street.

A task force working to find a location for an off-leash dog park in Hagerstown unveiled a concept for Fairgrounds Park with a proposed late June opening, but the Hagerstown City Council was not entirely in support of the site Tuesday. The task force presented the final report with the intent that the five-member city council would vote to approve the location at the April 23 meeting. But after more than an hour of discussion, Mayor David S. Gysberts said the issue will be discussed again at an upcoming work session.

The Waynesboro (Pa.) Area Gala Cancer Auction drew one of the largest crowds in its 32-year history due in part to a change in location, according to event organizers. It was the first time in the history of the event that it has been held outside of Waynesboro, said Jill Kessler of the fundraiser's steering committee. Saturday's auction moved from downtown Waynesboro to Green Grove Gardens off Pa. 16 outside Greencastle. The change in venue brought some new faces to the auction, Kessler said.

Fairgrounds Park has become the front-runner for the location of a dog park in Hagerstown, and Yannick Mundy, who has two dogs that he lets run around at the fenced-in dog exercise area at Martin L. “Marty” Snook Memorial Park in Halfway with his friends' dogs, called the plan “the greatest thing ever.” “Right now it's kind of hard to find an area where you could take a lot of dogs, and they could all have fun,” said Mundy, of Hagerstown....

Now that the Washington County Board of Education has entered into a purchase agreement for the former Allegheny Energy headquarters site, other parties interested in pitching a site for the school system's administrative offices need to meet with school system officials within the next few weeks, Schools Superintendent Clayton Wilcox said Wednesday. On Tuesday night, the board voted unanimously to enter into a $5.5 million purchase agreement for the 10435 Downsville Pike property, but did not commit to buying the property.

Editor's note: This is one in an occasional series of stories about findings and recommendations in the Hagerstown and Washington County Economic Development Strategic Plan. “Location, location, location” is an old real estate adage and one of the major plusses listed for Washington County in an economic development strategic plan. At the same time, a competitive economic scorecard for the county contained in the Urbanomics Inc. report lists a mixed bag of advantages and disadvantages that Washington County has compared to neighboring counties and similar communities.