Renovation

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.

The estimated costs of several long-term options to house Washington County Public Schools' operations based at a Commonwealth Avenue complex range from an estimated $4 million to buy a former power company building to $16 million to build a new facility, although those figures are not complete, according to a report being presented publicly to the school board Tuesday. Two lease options reviewed for the study range from $400,000 per year to $1.9 million per year, according to the report prepared with information from school system facilities and maintenance officials and experts the school system consulted.

Berkeley County school officials want to divert unspent state funding granted for the construction of two new schools toward the cost of renovating Martinsburg North Middle School. Given favorable construction bid results thus far for the new Spring Mills High and Gerrardstown Area Middle schools, Berkeley County Schools Superintendent Manny P. Arvon said Monday he expects the county will not spend all of the $35 million that the state School Building Authority awarded for the projects.

Nine years ago, a fire heavily damaged a building on the Borough of Mercersburg's square but revealed a log structure in the process. Now, after much discussion and planning, the Irwin House is remodeled with modern amenities and preserved relics. The late 18th-century building is now set up for retail, offices and a visitors center. Tenants include The Dressing Room and the Tuscarora Chamber of Commerce. A nearly 500-square-foot office remains available to lease on the second floor.

The Waynesboro Area School Board on Tuesday authorized settling out of court a lawsuit connected with the renovation and expansion of Waynesboro Area Senior High School three years ago. The school board voted unanimously to spend $1.14 million to settle the lawsuit with Lobar Inc., Herre Bros Inc. and EI Associates. In making the motion to settle, board member Chris Lind identified the expense as “an amount lower than the balance due on the contract.” “It's a fair amount,” Solicitor James Flower said of the reason for settling.

Although it's a few months later than originally hoped, Antietam Fire Co. officials said Wednesday their move to Potomac Avenue in Hagerstown's North End could be completed in three to four weeks. Antietam Fire Co. President Ron Horn said some unexpected costs during the company's $400,000 renovation of the former Four Seasons RV building at 790-800 Potomac Ave. have delayed the process. “We've had to cut a lot of our construction costs out because it was just too costly to stay within budget,” Horn said.

The Martinsburg Planning Commission on Wednesday night approved changes to Martinsburg Mall's concept plan that propose redevelopment of the former Sears location to make way for two free-standing restaurants and new, but smaller, retail spaces. No one spoke for or against the revisions proposed by Mountain State University Building Co., in a public hearing held in coordination with the planning commission's review, but mall officials did hear concerns about the project's potential impact on traffic along Foxcroft Avenue from planning commissioners.

As Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church's congregation held a rededication ceremony Sunday for its downtown Boonsboro church, which was damaged in a fire 16 months ago, the Rev. Reinold Schlak reminded the parishioners what's truly important. “It's not the building. It's what the building does. It's what the people in the building do,” said Schlak, assistant to the bishop of the Delaware-Maryland Synod and a guest speaker who gave the sermon during the rededication service. After the Chartes Cathedral in France had its sixth fire, around 1200, the community excitedly rebuilt the church, Schlak said.

City of Hagerstown officials have all but ruled out the renovation of Municipal Stadium as they continue to look into building a downtown multiuse sports and events center that would be the new home of the Hagerstown Suns. As a way to show their concerns with the 82-year-old ballpark, the city has invited the public come out for a tour of Municipal Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 19, to get a look at the challenges of renovating the facility, according to a news release from the City of Hagerstown.