Property Line

charlestown@herald-mail.com CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Following months of discussions about how strict it should be, the Jefferson County Commission on Thursday passed a noise control law that will make it illegal to make noise louder than 65 decibels. The commission was considering controlling noise at that level, but a Martinsburg, W.Va., audiologist told the commissioners recently he did not believe the law went far enough to control noise. Michael J. Zagarella said most laws that have been passed to control noise limit the decibel level to about 45 decibels.

Company tabbed for snow removal The Hagerstown City Council on Tuesday officially approved hiring a company for this year's sidewalk snow-removal program, which allows the city to remove snow from public sidewalks on private property. Servtec Custodial Inc. was approved for the contract as part of a consent agenda - usually a list of items such as purchases that is voted on as one item. The council approved the agenda 3-1, with Councilman Kristin B. Aleshire voting against the agenda.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com WAYNESBORO, Pa. - A plan to build a commercial building on a hilly vacant lot on Pa. 16 East between Old Mill Road and Iroquois Trail has bumped up against controversy with the project's future neighbors over a buffer zone. The plans for Waynesboro Plaza LLC, being built by Eugene Horst, owner of the Country Corner Meat Market at 10586 Buchanan Trail East, comes before the Washington Township Planning Commission for review June 14. Jon Matre, a physician recruited by Waynesboro Hospital, moved to the area in September with his wife and two children.

tammyb@herald-mail.com If this week's rain was an inconvenience for most of us, it was a nightmare for several residents of St. James Village. The standing water in Michelle Gaisor's back yard Wednesday night "looked like a river," she said. Water in the street was "thigh high" on a 6-foot-tall man, Gaisor said. "It was amazing. " Her neighbor, Denise Haley, had 5 feet of water in her basement. "It was just three or four steps from my main floor," she said.

scottb@herald-mail.com Washington County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan Shifflet said he did not know he was violating any county laws by having a shooting range on family land east of Hancock. Shifflet, 22, a deputy since May 2000, said he and family members had been shooting on the .92-acre plot on Heavenly Acres Ridge for about 13 years. He said he only shot small-caliber handguns at the range, which he said he has stopped using. Shifflet and neighbor James W. True Sr. disagree on whether the range is safe and whether bullets sometimes ended up on True's property.

Shooting range is too close To the editor: On April 19 at 2 p.m., I was hunting for mushrooms on my property, at 14002 Heavenly Acres Ridge. I heard shooting and immediately heard bullets whizzing past my head as I ducked for cover. Upon investigation, I discovered that one or more Washington County Sheriff deputies were shooting at a makeshift shooting range, just a few feet from my property line. The stray bullets that missed the two-by-three-foot target that was propped up by a stump were coming directly into the woods behind it. I was amazed that anyone would set up a shooting target this way with a total disregard for others' safety.

Hospital investing in future expansion By RICHARD F. BELISLE / Staff Writer, Waynesboro WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Waynesboro Hospital is hemmed in on a triangle of land between Pa. 16 on the south, Enterprise Avenue on the east and Roadside Avenue, which runs along the west side of the hospital's property line. "We're landlocked," said John J. McElwee, Jr., vice president of Summit Health, the not-for-profit alliance made up of Waynesboro and Chambersburg hospitals and several area clinics.

Challenges ahead for rezoning By DAN KULIN / Staff Writer A contested Hagerstown annexation and rezoning of almost 37 acres along Mount Aetna Road have been upheld in Washington County Circuit Court, but legal challenges to the proposed development for that property remain. The city, the development company and a group of residents are now set to argue over the Planning Commission's approval of development plans for the property, which is surrounded by the Brightwood Acres, Londontowne and Fairway Meadows subdivisions.

BIG POOL - Bats have been described as gentle, beneficial and necessary, but Kamela Lee of Big Pool sees things differently. cont. from front page The estimated hundreds of bats that live in the attic of her two-story wood house pose a health risk to her two children, and have largely made the house unlivable, she said. The family of four now "eats, sleeps and plays" in the 12-foot-by-12 foot, first-floor living room where blankets and pillows are stacked side-by-side with children's toys and playpens.

Parents who fear their children's safety might be at risk if a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter is built near Funkstown Elementary School have taken their concerns to the Washington County Board of Education. Board member B. Marie Byers said parents have several concerns, including excess traffic, the proximity of the school to the store's loading dock, dumpsters being placed near the school and the noise from construction equipment interrupting class. She also said they're worried pedophiles could mix in with the high volume of store customers and lurk around the school.