Park System

In the weeks since her son contracted E. coli O157, Melanie Royer has been a mother on a mission to encourage illness reporting and the closure of the lake at Cowans Gap State Park. The Fulton County, Pa., lake was closed at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday as state officials search for E. coli bacteria. E. coli O157 has sickened at least 11 people in the region. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reports all those people swam in the Cowans Gap State Park lake in mid- to late-July, but they have not determined whether the lake is contaminated.

The Martinsburg-Berkeley County Parks & Recreation Board is running out of time to find funding needed to build the South Berkeley Recreation Center as it is currently designed. The $2.1 million bid by Smithsburg-based Roy C. Kline Contractors for the project is set to expire by mid-March unless the contractor gives the board more time to find about $600,000 still needed for the project, said R. Stephen “Steve” Catlett, executive director of the recreation board. Catlett said last week he was optimistic the contractor would agree to an extension, but told board members he didn't know where else to turn to find the additional money.

charlestown@herald-mail.com SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - Parks officials in Jefferson County have decided not to take any immediate action on a controversial proposal to turn ownership of Morgan's Grove Park over to the county. Jefferson County Parks and Recreation Commission Chairman Bill Hoak planned to bring the proposal before the parks and recreation commission last Wednesday for consideration. Hoak said he thinks it would be better if the parks and recreation holds off on any action regarding the park until the commission gets a proposal from the Shepherdstown Men's Club, which has owned the park since 1961.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - A widely distributed e-mail sent by Jefferson County Commissioner James Surkamp about the sale of the on-site water system at the Burr Industrial Park to a private utility drew charges Thursday from the executive director of the Jefferson Development Authority, who called it "intentionally misleading. " Jane Peters, the authority's executive director, in a two-page statement read to the county commissioners, said everything in Surkamp's e-mail is "either blatantly false or a total misrepresentation of the facts.

Politics is guaranteed to come up at two meals this month, when Washington County's two major parties hold their annual picnics. The Republicans will go first. Their picnic will be Wednesday, Aug. 23, at Smithsburg Community Park on Bikle Road. The gate will open at 5:30 p.m. and dinner will start at 6:30 p.m. The special guest will be Kristen Cox, Maryland's secretary of disabilities, who is running for lieutenant governor with Gov. Robert Ehrlich. Tickets cost $25 for adults, $15 for ages 7 to 16 and free for those younger than 7. To make reservations, call Wanda McGurl, secretary of the Washington County Republican Club, at 301-790-1539 by Friday.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Three federal agencies continue to look into a local utility company's decision to lay about 2,000 feet of water and sewer lines across property owned by Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, a park spokeswoman said. In late August, Jefferson Utilities laid the utility lines in the School House Ridge area along U.S. 340 to serve about 179 houses in the Sheridan housing development, officials said. An attorney for Jefferson Utilities said his client had the right to install the lines, but the work raised objections from Civil War and national park organizations.

Council candidate Q&A - Metzner Democratic council candidate, incumbent Lewis C. Metzner , 48, 322 E. Irvin Ave., council member since 1994, lawyer specializing in divorce and criminal defense cases Q: What are your qualifications to serve as a City Council member? A: I have served on the City Council since 1994 and have been active in politics since 1981. I am a life long resident of Hagerstown. I graduated from North Hagerstown High School in 1970, the University of Maryland in 1974 and the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1977.

National Parks Pass: Should you have one? By JENNIFER SILBERT jennifers@herald-mail.com Chances are you've been to a park or historical area in the National Park System at one time or another. continued If you're planning to visit one of the big national parks this year, or if you're a regular visitor to Tri-State area parks, you might be interested in checking out the National Parks Pass. Part economics, part philanthropy, the purchase of a pass can save you money and help preserve our national parks.

Lance seeks return to Jefferson County Commission By DAVE McMILLION / Staff Writer, Charles Town CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Running on a platform that largely focuses on growth needs in Jefferson County, Greg Lance has announced his decision to run for a seat on the Jefferson County Commission this year. A former commissioner who served for 12 years before being defeated in 1998, Lance said he wants to return to the job to help schools get the funding they need, pass impact fees, build more recreational facilities and look for ways to save open space in the county.

by RIC DUGAN / staff photographer enlargement MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The Martinsburg High School swim team may not have to haul swimsuits, towels and equipment to Hagerstown for practice if $1 million is raised for an all-weather cover for the pools at War Memorial Park. "As soon as that dome is ready, we'll be there," said Martinsburg High School Principal Rick Deuell. A grand opening for the War Memorial Aquatic Center had been scheduled for July 4. Because of favorable weather conditions, however, the two pools could open up to a week early, said Steve Catlett, director of the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Parks and Recreation Board.