Renovation

The Franklin County (Pa.) Commissioners Tuesday opened six general construction bids ranging from $1.3 million to $2 million for renovations and expansions to the courthouse complex. The bids will be reviewed for a week by the commissioners, county officials, and contracted architects, engineers and project managers. The commissioners plan to award bids on Thursday, Dec. 29. Although the county is required to select the lowest responsible bidder, it must ensure all bid prices are accurate and bidders understand the scope of work, County Administrator John Hart said.

Hagerstown Community College will open a new science building and an expanded theater in January, at the same time it closes two other buildings for renovation. "We need more space and updated and more sophisticated space for the types of programs we're now offering," HCC spokeswoman Beth Stull said. In recent years, HCC also has added specialized programs such as biotechnology and alternative energy technology with the goal of providing courses and programs that are relevant for current and future students, she said.

The city is committed to keeping professional baseball in its corporate limits, the Hagerstown City Council said Tuesday, hours after Hagerstown Suns co-owner Tony Dahbura warned the Washington County Board of Commissioners that the franchise could leave town. Without commitment from the city and county to help pay for stadium renovations, Hagerstown might be on the verge of losing the Hagerstown Suns, Dahbura told the commissioners earlier in the day. "As we have been quietly saying and warning, it was only a matter of time before other communities come around and attempt to take the franchise from Hagerstown," Dahbura said.

Homewood at Williamsport MD Inc. has requested help from Washington County in financing the costs of a renovation project at its Williamsport, Md., nursing facility. Homewood has asked the Board of County Commissioners to agree to issue up to $9.9 million in bonds and loan the proceeds to Homewood, according to a report accompanying the commissioners' meeting agenda for Tuesday. A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., during the commissioners' meeting. Federal and state laws allow the county to issue tax-exempt bonds and loan the proceeds to a borrower, Lindsey A. Rader, the county's bond council, told the commissioners during an Oct. 25 briefing on the Homewood request.

The left lane of South Potomac Street is closed at the Washington County Free Library site. Work crews from Dustin Construction are performing work at the site at 100 S. Potomac St., according to a traffic advisory from the City of Hagerstown. The lane needs to be closed to accommodate construction/delivery vehicles, according to the advisory. The work is expected to last until 4 p.m., and the lane is expected to reopen then, according to the advisory. The lane closure is expected to be repeated Wednesday, according to the advisory.

Officials at West Virginia University Hospitals-East's City Hospital hosted an open house last month to showcase phase II of the hospital's $11 million emergency department expansion and renovation project. Phase I, a 17,000-square-foot addition to the hospital's existing emergency department, opened in May. Since that time, contractors have been working on a complete remodeling of the old emergency department space, according to a news release. According to Chief Administrative Officer Anthony P. Zelenka, the total project is now complete.

Efforts to expand and renovate the Franklin County (Pa.) Courthouse complex cleared a major hurdle Monday when the Chambersburg Borough Council unanimously approved land-development plans. Some council members said they'd prefer design changes, but the plans as presented met all state and local regulations. The Franklin County Commissioners are looking to spend about $2 million when upgrading the courthouse complex. The council's vote allows for a new driveway into a sally port entrance for sheriff's vehicles, a new entrance for a North Second Street property and the removal of 12 parking spaces on U.S. 30. The county will demolish the former Harmon's Furniture building on North Main Street and the Rahauser buildings near the intersection of U.S. 30 (Lincoln Way East)

Volunteers from Franklin County, Pa., took part in a home renovation project featured on tonight's episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” airing from from 8 to 10 p.m. on ABC, Mark Buchanan of Buchanan Painting of Upper Strasburg, Pa., his brother Joel Buchanan of Greencastle, Pa., and Kevin Statler of Statler Painting, Greencastle, rolled up their sleeves to help paint a house for the Keefer family of Etters, Pa., whose 23-year-old son...

A request by the Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston to raze the century-old former John Street School building was denied on a 3-1 vote Monday by the Martinsburg Historic Preservation Review Commission. The commission, with four of its seven members voting, dismissed the pleas of John L. Reardon, diocesan director of buildings and properties, who said the building is beyond repair, stricken with mold infestations, has holes in the roof, wrecked floors, and interior and significant water and structural damage.

The Sheetz gas station and convenience store at 301 E. Washington St., at the intersection of East Washington Street and Cannon Avenue in Hagerstown, is scheduled to reopen Friday at 11 a.m., Scott Orwig, a Sheetz store manager, said. The store has been closed for nearly three months for renovations. The first 50 people in line when the store opens Friday will receive $100 store gift cards, similar to the events surrounding the opening of the new Sheetz store on Eastern Boulevard in August, according to Orwig.