Snow Removal

By JULIE E. GREENE Staff Writer Despite unexpected expenses related to several winter storms, the City of Hagerstown ended the 1996 fiscal year with a small general fund surplus, city officials said Tuesday. "It was a challenging year, particularly with the snow problem," said City Finance Director Al Martin. The city ended the fiscal year with a $3,609 surplus in its general fund. Snow removal expenses were $533,278 more than expected for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 1996, Martin said.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- Eric Deike, Hagerstown's public works manager, hears the superlatives every year. "The coming winter will be the harshest" or "the coldest" or "the winteriest" of all time. "I don't pay attention to it," he said. The bottom line: When snow falls, the city will clear the roads. The same is true for Washington County. "We anticipate continuing regular snow removal maintenance as needed," said Edwin Plank, the county's highway department director.

Name of business: Mastrouni Lawn Care & Services Owner: David S. Mastrouni Address: 68 Devonshire Road, Hagerstown Products and services: Lawn care, leaf removal, gutter cleaning, tree and shrub trimming, snow removal, furniture moving, landscaping, mulching, power washing and other odd jobs Market area: Tri-State area How did you get into your business, or what motivated you to start it? "As a kid, I assisted a neighbor with lawn care and started doing lawns in the neighborhood.

Aleshire vows to attend town meetings CLEAR SPRING - As a candidate for Washington County Commissioner in the Nov. 7 general election, Kristin B. Aleshire said he would like to see the needs of county towns get more attention. Aleshire made his comments at the Clear Spring Town Council meeting Monday night. If elected, Aleshire said he would try to attend town meetings three or four times a year to listen to concerns. Boy Scout presents sign idea to council CLEAR SPRING - Josiah Adlon, an Eagle Scout candidate from Boy Scout Troop 117, presented a drawing of a sign he hopes would better welcome travelers into Clear Spring.

Officials prepare for water testing CLEAR SPRING - As preparations continue for the long-awaited new water filtration system, town officials are taking advantage of "free" water testing offered by the two companies competing for the contract. While the testing itself is free, the town will pay nearly $7,000 to meet all the requirements necessary for Kinetico and U.S. Filters to do the tests, said Mayor Paul Hose Jr. "We have to provide two temporary trailers at the reservoir site, hookups for electricity and a plumber and electrician will have to be standing by," Hose said.

WILLIAMSPORT - The 2008 Mayors' essay contest wants participants to answer this question: If you were the mayor, what types of services and community activities would you plan to offer your citizens and how would you promote your community to attract more visitors? Williamsport Councilman Jeff Cline said city and town governments can choose to provide many services to their citizens such as trash collection, leaf collection, recycling, snow removal, police protection, water, wastewater treatment, planning for how land can be used and inspecting the safety of buildings, parks and playgrounds.

By LAURA ERNDE Staff Writer This season's mild winter had given Tri-State area snow removal crews - and their budgets - a much-needed rest. But the break screeched to a halt this weekend. On Saturday, snow hit. By 9:30 p.m., when it had tapered off into sporadic flurries, five inches had fallen on the area, according to Hagerstown weather observer Greg Keefer. Before Saturday's snowfall, Hagerstown had spent about half of its snow removal budget on five small storms, said Hagerstown Public Works Director Doug Stull.

HAGERSTOWN erinc@herald-mail.com Cindy Brown and six other members of Otterbein United Methodist Church in Hagerstown shoveled snow at two city homes last year and plan to do so again this winter. Brown, the church's director of programming, said the group she calls her "snow angels" shoveled at least five times last year for two residents who were unable to do so. Last year, more than 20 volunteers like Brown were matched with residents who needed help with snow removal by the city's Code Compliance Office, according to John Lestitian, chief inspector.

Snow cleanup exceeds budget By SCOTT BUTKI scottb@herald-mail.com The Washington County and City of Hagerstown governments spent more than was budgeted for snow cleanup over the winter, according to county and city department heads. Tuesday was the first day of spring, but that doesn't necessarily mean no more snow will fall this year, said Washington County Highway Department Director Ted Wolford. Washington County's snow removal budget was $388,960 and Wolford said actual expenses are expected to top that amount by about $100,000 to $120,000.

julieg@herald-mail.com Hagerstown's tough financial situation and the future of the Hagerstown Suns were among the topics Hagerstown Mayor William M. Breichner discussed at Tuesday's State of the City Address. Breichner said Old Man Winter's rebellion led to the city being more then $160,000 over budget for snow removal as of Feb. 26. The city's snow removal budget was $310,000. The city's reserve fund will help cover the extra cost, Breichner said. The city's estimated deficit for the upcoming budget year has ballooned from $1.2 million to $2 million because of state service fee increases and state cuts in highway user funds that are distributed to local governments, Breichner said.