Warehouse

TruServ Corp. officials plan to open an 840,000-square-foot distribution center in Hunters Green Business Park off Hopewell Road by April or May of 1999, a company spokeswoman said Thursday. The Chicago-based cooperative is negotiating with developers and Washington County officials to build the warehouse, which would create about 300 jobs, said Debby Robinson, a TruServ spokeswoman. TruServ officials have looked at sites elsewhere in Maryland and in West Virginia, but Washington County is the preferred site, Robinson said.

martinsburg@herald-mail.com RANSON - At the ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday afternoon for a soda distribution plant, Gov. Bob Wise perused the free drinks offered, but did not see his favorite - Diet Rite. He grabbed a bottle of water instead. Wise was one of about 20 people who attended the ribbon-cutting for Royal Crown Bottling Co.'s warehouse on W.Va. 115 just outside Ranson. Countless cases of soda and other drinks are kept at the warehouse before they are delivered to stores in a 13-county region, said owner Scott Bridgeforth, of Winchester, Va. The soda is bottled at a facility in Winchester.

Site plan approved for 150-unit development The Washington County Planning Commission Monday approved a site plan for a 150-unit residential development on the north side of Poffenberger Road, south of Hagerstown. The development includes 40 single-family homes on 14 acres and 110 townhomes on 28 acres, according to the site plan. The property is at Poffenberger and the CSX railroad right-of-way, east of Sharpsburg Pike. A 4-foot fence will be erected between the development and the railroad, said Senior Planner Lisa Pietro.

Wesel Storage Center, at 1280 Wesel Blvd., Hagerstown, recently opened for business. The storage center offers tenants secured larger sized units, ranging from 10-by-30 feet to 14-by-30 feet. Also, eight office/warehouse combination canopied units are at the front of the facility. Additional units to be available in mid-August include 10-by-20 storage units, bringing the completed total facility to 220 units. For more information, contact 301-790-0838.

HAGERSTOWN Habitat for Humanity of Washington County is seeking warehouse space in Hagerstown to open a ReStore, a facility that would sell home-improvement items at a discount. Kathy Powderly, Habitat's director of development, said as a small, nonprofit organization, Habitat for Humanity cannot afford to lease the building at the market rate, but owners of vacant warehouse space could get a tax break by leasing a building to the organization. ReStores are facilities in which bargain hunters and people who cannot afford home-improvement items can get discounts at 50 percent to 75 percent below retail prices, Powderly said.

Following is the complete text of the March 5 letter sent by Washington County Commissioner James R. Wade to the members of the Economic Development Commission and released to The Herald-Mail on Thursday: "After listening to a presentation by John Howard today regarding yet another distribution center in the Newgate area, I have some very strong concerns. I addressed my concerns with the Commissioners and wish to share them with you. "The future of this County cannot be in a proliferation of 800,000-square-foot warehouses.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com The muddy cover of one of thousands of books heaped in a smoldering pile Wednesday outside the fire-damaged National Book Network warehouse carried a perhaps prophetic title - "Spiritual Answers for Perilous Times. " Fire swept through part of the 100,000-square-foot warehouse in Blue Ridge Summit Tuesday night, a blaze that drew about 40 units from Pennsylvania and Maryland to the warehouse on National Book Network Road. The cause still was under investigation Wednesday night by Sgt. Vernon Ashway of the Washington Township Police Department and Jerry Hartman, Waynesboro fire marshal.

State set to buy property for court building Maryland officials are expected to approve buying property on West Antietam Street for a new Washington County District Court building in mid-December, according to a state official. The Board of Public Works will vote on Dec. 17 whether to buy the 29,280-square-foot lot at 36 W. Antietam St., which includes a four-story warehouse, said Lisa Ward, chief of acquisition and disposal for the Maryland Department of General Services.

University System of Maryland officials could begin deciding next month how much of the Baldwin House complex can be used for an education center. The structural and environmental analyses on the 32-46 W. Washington St. complex are expected to be completed by April 10, said Robert P. Sweeney, project director for the planned University System of Maryland education center. Sweeney and Charles R. Middleton, vice chancellor of academic affairs, gave the Washington County Commissioners and Hagerstown's Mayor and City Council a project update on Tuesday.

It's often said that if you really want to find ways to improve your business, ask an employee. At its Hagerstown plant, Volvo did ask - and the result is “significant savings,” according to company representatives. At the recommendation of a team of employees, Volvo has stopped leasing its half of a big warehouse near Maugansville and has made space for the parts storage inside its existing plant north of Hagerstown. The savings on the lease, as well as “all the little components (of expenses)