Project Manager

SHARPSBURG -- Harpers Ferry Road traffic will be sent on an eight-mile detour next spring and summer while the county rehabilitates the road's stone arch bridge over Antietam Creek, county engineering officials said. The project is scheduled to begin in early spring and will take about six months, project manager Jim Plummer said. The Washington County Engineering Department will host a community informational meeting Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m. at Sharpsburg Town Hall to discuss the project, Plummer said.

The Washington County Division of Public Works -- Capital Projects Engineering Department will hold an informational community meeting for the rehabilitation of Harpers Ferry Road Bridge over Antietam Creek. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 2, from 7 to 8 pm in the Sharpsburg Town Hall, 106 Main St., in Sharpsburg. The meeting will be postponed until Wednesday Dec. 3, in the case of inclement weather. The purpose of the meeting is to present the project, explain the proposed road closure and temporary detour that will be required, and to answer any questions.

In celebration of American Archives Month, Washington County Free Library will present a workshop titled "Dusting Off the Past: Simple Steps to Organizing and Preserving Your Personal Archives" Wednesday, Oct. 22, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Western Maryland Room at the Central Library, 100 S. Potomac St., Hagerstown. The workshop, led by Elizabeth Howe and Carol Appenzellar, will provide inspiration and practical ideas for taking care of your treasured photographs, books and documents.

Leadership Washington County, the core program of the Washington County Leadership Development Program Inc., has announced the members of its 22nd class. The mission of the program is to provide leadership training and community immersion for individuals identified as accomplished in their business, nonprofit or government sectors. This flagship program began in 1987 and has graduated more than 550 individuals who have gone on to serve on boards, run for public office and take on other leadership roles in the community.

The Washington County Division of Public Works-Capital Projects Engineering Department has advised that the contractor for the U.S. 40 at Mount Aetna Road intersection improvements project will install a new traffic signal pole and equipment today at the intersection of westbound U.S. 40 and Mount Aetna Road. Traffic on westbound U.S. 40 and westbound Mount Aetna Road can expect a delay of approximately 15 minutes, from approximately 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., to accommodate this work.

The Washington County Division of Public Works-Capital Projects Engineering Department has advised that the contractor for the U.S. 40 at Mount Aetna Road intersection improvements project will install a new traffic signal pole and equipment Wednesday at the intersection of westbound U.S. 40 and Mount Aetna Road. Traffic on westbound U.S. 40 and westbound Mount Aetna Road can expect a delay of approximately 15 minutes, from approximately 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., in order to accommodate this work.

The Washington County Engineering Department has announced temporary changes to traffic patterns at the intersection of U.S. 40 and Mt. Aetna Road this weekend. Rob Slocum, deputy director of public works for capital projects engineering, Rob Slocum, said that the contractor for the intersection improvement project will be performing traffic signal work on Sunday, July 20, from 5:30 a.m. until noon. The existing traffic signal at the intersection will be out of service as the work occurs.

HAGERSTOWN -- Workers are expected to finish stamping artistic symbols into the pavement in the first block of South Potomac Street sometime this afternoon, forcing motorists to take detours for the second day in a row, city officials said. On Tuesday, that portion of the street was closed so a work crew from Laurel Asphalt of Johnstown, Pa., could begin inlaying into the pavement thermoplastic impressions of musical notes and theatrical masks representing comedy and tragedy to help identify the area as the Arts and Entertainment District, said Nathan Baker, project manager for Stamper Builders.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- Three new elementary schools are expected to be ready for students and staff by Aug. 20, the first day of school for Washington County Public Schools. All three projects also are at or under budget, said Assistant Superintendent for School Operations Boyd Michael. The county's newest elementary school, Rockland Woods Elementary, is being built south of Hagerstown in the Westfields development along Sharpsburg Pike. Two larger replacement schools for Pangborn and Maugansville elementary schools also are under construction.

Members of the Friends of Safe Place, Washington County's Child Advocacy Center, have learned one thing the hard way - in Hagerstown, many people tend to buy tickets to an event at the last minute. They believe that's why, as of Thursday, there have been fewer than 300 tickets sold to this coming Saturday's second annual Evening of Comedy & Magic, to be held at 7 p.m. at The Maryland Theatre. Jeanne Singer, president of Friends of Safe Place, said that the group needed an annual fundraiser, but decided that rather than another black-tie event, it wanted a family-friendly night out that children could attend and enjoy.