Recommendations

The work of a task force examining the suspended Fairplay Fire Co. ended Monday night with much of the strain and ill feelings that was apparent in many of the other meetings. The task force worked on its final report and recommendations, which concluded in part that the fire company has not adequately researched solutions and had not fully addressed its situation, and as a result department administration change is needed. The report and recommendations will be sent to the Washington County Board of Commissioners for consideration.

An inspection report on the suspended Fairplay Volunteer Fire Co. is expected to be completed this week and a task force that is supposed to make recommendations for the department could meet again Monday, fire officials said earlier this week. The Washington County Board of Commissioners voted in July to suspend Fairplay Volunteer Fire Co. indefinitely for not responding quickly enough to calls. The task force was given three months to come up with possible solutions for getting the department running again efficiently.

An appointed commission has recommended double-digit-percentage salary increases for several county positions. The increases range from 10 percent for members of the Board of License Commissioners, known as the liquor board, to 21 percent for the president of the Board of County Commissioners. For one office - county treasurer - the commission did not recommend a salary increase. By state law, Washington County must create a commission every four years to review the salaries of certain positions.

Almost as soon as Wilson College broached the idea of making the women's liberal arts college co-educational to make the college financially sustainable for the future, students took action. Signs and banners including “Better Dead Than Co-Ed,” “ Shh ... I hear Sarah (Wilson) rolling in her Grave” and “You Thought We Were Kidding ... The Jokes on You!” hung from windows, balconies and beams across campus. Many of the protesters said permitting men to enroll at the all-women's college would detract from the campus' long-standing traditions.

Strong words continued to be directed at Fairplay Fire Co. Monday night as a task force studying what to do about the suspended fire company discussed when to release its final recommendations about the fire department. Task force chairman Paul Miller asked task force members whether they wanted to proceed with final recommendations while they wait for an inspection of the fire department by the Washington County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association or wait for the results of the inspection before proceeding.

The 33rd Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival parade on Saturday is expected to effectively detour traffic in downtown Martinsburg for more than three hours, according to organizers and police. Vehicle traffic will be prohibited from traveling on the parade route and the course for Apple Trample 5K race beginning about 11:30 a.m. Saturday, police said. The parade, which starts in the 1300 block of West King Street, is slated to start at 1 p.m. With 196 parade units registered, Apple Harvest Festival board member Kevin McBee said this week he expects the procession could last three to four hours from start to finish.

A task force studying the suspended Fairplay Fire Co. voted Monday night that the fire company's leadership - including all administration and fire suppression officers - needs to be replaced. Task force member Allen James talked about the leadership change and the task force agreed that the change would come through an officers' election at the department. Task force member Steve Pifer said it's important that there be a “fair election” and James said it should be monitored by an outside agency.

The Washington Township (Pa.) Planning Commission on Monday recommended approval of land-development plans for a property being eyed for Auto Zone. Motorists accessing the 7,380-square-foot building would use Geiser Avenue off East Main Street. Ronnie Martin from Long-Mar LLC, the developer, said even with municipal approval of the plans, the retailer might not commit. He said the problem is the township impact fees on certain new development. “With the impact fees, this may not go,” Martin said.

The Washington County Salary Study Commission will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 21, at 6 p.m., in Room 225 of the County Administration Building at 100 W. Washington St. in Hagerstown, for the purpose of receiving public comment. By state law, the salary study commission has the duty of studying the salaries of the Washington County Commissioners, elected members of the Board of Education, the Orphans' Court judges, the sheriff, the treasurer and the Board of License Commissioners (liquor board)

The cost of hot mix asphalt, which is closely tied to petroleum prices, has increased by 28 percent in the past six years, making traditional street maintenance of milling and paving a stringent task for municipal officials. “It's becoming more and more expensive every time, and it's just not really sustainable for us to only do that treatment,” City of Hagerstown Engineer Rodney Tissue said Tuesday, “And what we're looking at it is doing other techniques along with milling and paving.” As a way to combat increased costs, the city instituted its Pavement Preservation Program in 2006, with the goal of maintaining streets and parking lots at the highest level possible but at the lowest cost, according to Tissue.