Renovation

With time of the essence to entice the Washington County Board of Education to move downtown, some Hagerstown officials said they believe the unit block of West Washington Street is the best available site because of its visibility, accessibility and proximity. More specifically, the city wants to purchase and demolish the former Susquehanna Bank property at 55-57-59 W. Washington St. and the current Columbia Bank properties at 81 and 83 W. Washington St. to make way for new construction of the BOE's administrative offices, Mayor David S. Gysberts said Thursday.

The Greencastle-Antrim School District is running out of space, forcing school officials to take another look at renovation plans that were shelved two years ago while the economy was in a nosedive. Superintendent C. Gregory Hoover said taking a serious look at the renovation plans is inevitable because the district is bursting at the seams. “It's one of those things that we have been putting off because of the economy. But, kids are still coming and there have to be places for them to go,” he said.

The renovation of the John Stewart Memorial Library at Wilson College has received a boost, thanks to a gift of as much as $3.6 million from Marguerite Lenfest of Huntingdon Valley, Pa. Wilson College President Barbara K. Mistick announced the gift with its matching elements at a meeting of the college's board of trustees in late February. “This gift is significant because libraries are the heart of a college and representative of quality academics,” Mistick said. “We are excited about the plans for a progressive, modern library with a learning commons that will become the center of our academic community.” The college has embarked on a $12 million fundraising effort to repair and restore the original 1923 library building, while razing a 1961 addition and replacing it with a learning commons equipped to meet the changing needs of today's educators and students.

Del. John P. Donoghue, D-Washington, has introduced two bond bills in the House seeking $300,000 to demolish the former Municipal Electric Light Plant in the city's east end and another $85,000 to renovate and repair the Antietam Fire Company's fire house on Hagerstown's Potomac Avenue. “For years, it's been an eyesore and an environmental hazard and it's one of the pieces of trying to transform Hagerstown ... so we can start by knocking that down ... and start transforming that area near the stadium,” Donoghue said about the MELP plant.

Nicknames are difficult to change. The administrative team at the Franklin County Career and Technology Center off Loop Road in Chambersburg, says the school's old moniker, “Vo Tech,” just doesn't fit anymore. Career and Technology Center Administrative Director Keith Yohn said “Vo Tech” is an outdated term that just doesn't fit the new, state-of-the art school. “It's so much more than a vocational technical school,” Yohn said. “We offer vocational and technical skills, but we're also preparing students for careers.” Students from Chambersburg, Shippensburg, Tuscarora, Waynesboro and Greencastle-Antrim school districts attend the Franklin County Career and Technology Center.

The Washington County Board of Education on Tuesday decided not to renovate Washington County Public Schools' Central Office complex and will meet with various groups to hear ideas about housing the school system's administrative offices. The school board will meet soon with groups such as the Greater Hagerstown Committee, Hagerstown's mayor and City Council, Sora Development, economic development officials, and other private developers and groups, Schools Superintendent Clayton Wilcox said.

When the spring semester begins Monday at Hagerstown Community College, students will have access to two newly renovated buildings - the former Classroom Building and the former science building - that received more than $7.5 million in improvements, college spokeswoman Beth Stull said. What used to be the science building now is the Learning Support Center, a place where students who require assistance for classes can find help through tutors, a professional staff and computer programs, HCC officials said.

A running track at Boonsboro High School that gets a lot of use by the school and the community will be renovated with $157,000 that was awarded through the state's Program Open Space. The track, which has not been resurfaced since 2001, is showing signs of wear, Washington County Public Schools officials said Wednesday. “That's a pretty good life out of a track,” said Boyd Michael, deputy superintendent of schools. Lane one on the track and a straightaway used for sprints are particularly worn, said Susan Lowery, athletic director at the school.

The new headquarters for the law enforcement division of the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office is projected to cost between $2.4 million and $2.6 million, officials said this month. “The only big ticket item we have to go yet is our flooring,” said Deputy Berkeley County Administrator Alan J. Davis. Expected to be completed this spring, the project's current estimated cost of $99 per square foot would be about $200 less per square foot than the Berkeley County Judicial Center project next door, Davis said.

Preliminary estimates for the cost of renovating the former U.S. Army Reserve property in Hagerstown for use as a senior citizens center could cost about half as much as the county's previous proposal to build a new facility at Hagerstown Community College. County Administrator Gregory B. Murray guessed that the main 19,000-square-foot building on the 4.6-acre property at 21 Willard St. could be rehabilitated at a cost of about $3 million to $3.5 million, although that could change after an official inspection by architects.