Pedestrian Bridge

The federal government is coming up with $4 million to build a long-awaited underpass beneath busy W.Va. 480 to ensure the safety of Shepherd University students and staff members crossing between the East and West campuses, officials said Thursday. Currently, there is an open crosswalk where W.Va. 480 (North Duke Street) meets the road leading into the West Campus and Shepherd Grade Road a short distance north of the crosswalk. The underpass will be built north of the crosswalk. A male student was seriously injured at the intersection when he attempted to cross outside the crosswalk during the 2010 spring semester, said Shelli Dronsfield, assistant to Shepherd University President Suzanne Shipley.

The resignation last week of longtime Berkeley County Roundhouse Authority members Clarence E. “CEM” Martin III and his wife, Judy, led to an unusual split vote by Berkeley County Council on Thursday whether to send the couple a letter of appreciation. County Council President Anthony J. “Tony” Petrucci and Council member James “Jim” Whitacre said they voted against sending the letter to the Martins because they did not want to see them resign from the board. The Martins had served on the Roundhouse Authority since it was created by an act of the state Legislature in 1999.  Council member Elaine C. Mauck made the motion to send the letter, thanking the Martins for their efforts on the board, which was formed to restore and redevelop the 19th Baltimore & Ohio Railroad roundhouse and shop building complex in Martinsburg.

Council deliberates on appointment MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Martinsburg City Council met behind closed doors on Thursday to decide on three possible candidates to fill the unexpired term of At-Large Councilman Donald Anderson, who resigned in October. Mayor George Karos asked council members to select three possible candidates in case their top choice decides they are no longer interested in the seat. Karos said the individual chosen would be announced at the City Council's meeting next week and expected the appointed member to take the oath of office in a special meeting before the next regular council meeting in January.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- Schematic designs for a hands-on children's exhibit and education center at the Caperton Train Station were endorsed Wednesday by Martinsburg City Council's Train Station Committee. The "for the Kids, by George," museum in the city-owned property at 229 E. Martin St. is on track to open by spring or summer of next year, architect Lisa Dall'Olio said after presenting schematic designs for the project to committee members. "I want to thank you ... for the opportunity to think like an 8-year-old for the last three months," Dall'Olio told council members.

martinsburg@herald-mail.com MARTINSBURG, W.VA. - Repaving North Queen Street in Martinsburg has caused more than old asphalt to be milled and hauled away. A few interesting things have been unearthed in the process, Martinsburg City Manager Mark Baldwin said. Some lost or forgotten water valves and manhole entrances have been found and an improper connection to a storm sewer was discovered near a men's clothing store. The bad connection was causing a sinkhole-type of problem that now can be fixed, Baldwin said.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - Shepherdstown officials are hoping that an estimated $1.25 million streetscape project downtown can begin by fall. The project could include new sidewalks and streetlights, a "pedestrian plaza" at McMurran Hall and pedestrian-friendly areas on King Street at the town's farmers market. At least as far back as 2004, Shepherdstown officials have been considering a revitalization of the downtown area to address obvious needs such as replacing buckling sidewalks.

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. - The oldest continually operating train station in the United States opposite the historic B&O Roundhouse affords a tremendous amount of ambiance and charm for Andrea Ball, director of the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Convention & Visitors Bureau. What the restored station off East Martin Street doesn't offer, however, is high visibility and easy access for tourists traveling through the community, particularly Interstate 81 travelers, Ball said in an interview last week.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. ? The oldest continually operating train station in the United States opposite the historic B&O Roundhouse affords a tremendous amount of ambiance and charm for Andrea Ball, director of the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Convention & Visitors Bureau. What the restored station off East Martin Street doesn't offer, however, is high visibility and easy access for tourists traveling through the community, particularly Interstate 81 travelers, Ball said in an interview last week.

martinsburg@herald-mail.com MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Five projects from the Eastern Panhandle are still being considered for $200 million of state grant money, including requests to build a second Jefferson County high school, restore the Martinsburg Roundhouse complex and build a terminal at Eastern Regional Airport. After a four-hour meeting Monday night, the state Economic Development Grant Committee agreed to consider 66 proposals totaling $410 million out of 195 requests received.

It is clear from all of the questions that I have received and the articles in the newspaper that there is a great deal of misunderstanding about the potential for locating the proposed University of Maryland campus downtown. This is the result of a lack of understanding. The proposed campus is not going to be a traditional university campus. The proposed campus will be very similar in function and design to the new campus at Shady Grove. This facility looks more like an office complex than a campus.