Parking Spaces

City may be asked to provide office parking By DAN KULIN / Staff Writer The City of Hagerstown probably will be called on to provide parking spaces to accommodate a proposed downtown office building, Councilman Lewis C. Metzner said after a Tuesday presentation by the developer. Exactly what the city's role will be is not known. The developer, Marc Silverman of Rockville, Md., requested future talks about the parking situation be done behind closed doors. Silverman is proposing that three buildings on the first block of South Potomac Street be demolished and a four-story office building be built on top of two levels of underground parking.

Public square discussion coming up again By RICHARD F. BELISLE / Staff Writer, Waynesboro WAYNESBORO, Pa. - An old and emotional controversy - the future of Waynesboro's Public Square - may resurface as a result of last November's Borough Council election. In 1999 the council voted on a recommendation of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to close in the square on all four sides. PennDOT engineers said narrowing the intersection would funnel traffic through a more direct and safer path through town.

Smithsburg considers snow plans By ANDREW SCHOTZ andrews@herald-mail.com The Town of Smithsburg is considering three plans to remove snow next winter, ranging from do-it-yourself to full-service for downtown parking spaces. The Town Council on Tuesday debated the pros, cons and fairness of each proposal, but made no decisions. Councilmen Charlie Slick and Jake Johnson said there's no point in rushing into a policy when the snow season is ending. Public Works Director Bill Loughridge recommended that the town plow snow from traffic lanes, but that residents and business owners clear their own parking spaces and mailboxes.

Town Council gives to REACH shelter BOONSBORO - After hearing a list of things a local homeless shelter needs, including money, the Boonsboro Town Council decided Monday to donate $50. The Religious Effort to Assist and Care for the Homeless, or REACH, runs a homeless shelter each year that rotates among Hagerstown's churches and its synagogue. Boonsboro Councilman Richard Gross told the council that the shelter will open Oct. 26 and could use extra toiletries and other items.

Summit Avenue will close for a short time this morning so a large platform can be removed from The Herald-Mail. Mark Kelly, the newspaper's operations director, said the road briefly will close around 6:30 a.m. Before and after that time, a crane will block part of the road, but traffic will be able to pass because certain parking spaces will become no-parking areas, Kelly said. On Aug. 16, The Herald-Mail used the platform to install an addition to the press, which will allow the newspaper to increase its production of color pages.

South Pointe request approved The planning commission approved a revised development plan for the South Pointe development on East Oak Ridge Drive in Hagerstown. Developer Paul Crampton is proposing 120 condominiums in the development. The condominiums would be built in several three-story structures with 152 underground and 88 above-ground parking spaces. The planning commission tabled a request by Crampton last November to approve the condominiums, saying they would revisit the matter after Crampton held a public meeting with South Pointe residents to resolve several issues, including the construction of a swimming pool.

The parking concerns of some Women's Club members might soon be resolved, said Hagerstown City Administrator Bruce Zimmerman. Parking in the Rochester lot, at the corner of South Prospect and West Washington streets, became a concern for some club members last month when the city replaced 12 of 22 metered parking spaces on the upper level with permit signs. The change forced some club members to park on the lower level and walk up a steep hill to get to the club at 31 S. Prospect St. Zimmerman said Tuesday that if the Women's Club prefers, city officials are willing to switch the permit spaces to the lower level and return meters to the upper-level spaces.

Hagerstown City Council members voted 3-0 on Tuesday to buy land from two Hagerstown City Police officers to make more parking available downtown. David P. Peacher and Kevin S. Simmers will be paid $29,000 for the land to the rear of 55-63 E. Franklin St., according to the purchase contract and Tim Young, a city engineer. The land will be used to make nine to 10 parking spaces and to widen a driveway to the North Potomac Street parking lot from Locust Street, Young said. Councilman J. Wallace McClure said he abstained from voting because he is a tenant on the front part of the property.

At a rally in Waynesboro, Pa., on Saturday, about 1,000 people signed their names in favor of preserving the square, said organizer John Leos. The Waynesboro Historical Society and the grass roots group "Save Our Square" are trying to stop the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation from eliminating parking spaces on the square. The group has moved into high gear since the Waynesboro Council voted to change the square last month. Speakers at the rally included retired Franklin County Judge John Keller, former Mayor Thomas Painter, former Council President Kinney Stouffer and former Hagerstown Mayor Steven T. Sager.

Changes will be made this summer at Fountaindale Elementary School to improve the drop-off route parents use. The Washington County Board of Education voted 7-0 Tuesday night to approve a $57,990 bid from Jeter Paving Company Inc., of Hagerstown, for the project. Currently, some parents leave school property by going out the entrance to the drop-off loop school buses use, said Rodney Turnbough, director of facilities management. Changes will be made to straighten the transition from the drop-off loop parents use to the one buses use so parents use the exit rather than the entrance to the bus loop, Turnbough said.