Warehouse

HALFWAY - A Pennsylvania-based commercial developer plans to build a 1.8 million-square-foot warehouse distribution complex in the Hunters Green Business Center near Hagerstown. Liberty Property Trust of Malvern, Pa., purchased 145 acres for the complex at the end of 2006, according to a written statement. Hunters Green Business Center is off Interstate 81 in the Halfway area near Interstate 70. Liberty Property is a real estate investment trust that builds large distribution centers and leases to other companies, Timothy R. Troxell, executive director of the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission, said Thursday.

The City Council introduced on Tuesday an ordinance that, if passed, would allow the city to sell the Tusing Warehouse at 58 E. Washington St. City Economic Development Director Deborah Everhart said the council will vote at its Feb. 27 meeting whether to sell the warehouse for $110,000. Hagerstown developer Milton N. Stamper has expressed interest in buying the property. According to the development plan, renovations to the warehouse include building an events center on the first floor for conferences, recitals and art shows.

The Hagerstown City Council will hold a special session this afternoon to discuss selling the Tusing Warehouse. Deborah A. Everhart, city director of economic development, said the council will vote to introduce an ordinance to sell the building. The council won't vote to adopt the ordinance until later this month, she said. Everhart said the ordinance likely will be adopted during the council's Feb. 27 meeting, but the ordinance wouldn't become effective until March 30. Once that happens, settlement on the property at 58 E. Washington St. can occur, she said.

HAGERSTOWN The Hagerstown City Council will hold a special session this afternoon to discuss selling the Tusing Warehouse. Deborah A. Everhart, city director of economic development, said the council will vote to introduce an ordinance to sell the building. The council won't vote to adopt the ordinance until later this month, she said. Everhart said the ordinance likely will be adopted during the council's Feb. 27 meeting, but the ordinance wouldn't become effective until March 30. Once that happens, settlement on the property at 58 E. Washington St. can occur, she said.

In November 1997, the City of Hagerstown bought a three-story brick building in the rear of 58 E. Washington St. The purchase price, which included an adjacent parking lot, was $360,000. For 10 years, the council has dithered around, looking at one proposal and then another. All the while, the building, known as the Tusing Warehouse, has sat idle - not bringing in a dollar of tax revenue. Now that there is what seems to be a viable offer for the property from a company that has plans to put it to productive use, it's time to let this property go. Sell it now, before the developer decides it will never happen.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - A Tuesday morning fire that destroyed a downtown warehouse is believed to have started in a 1999 Ford Econoline van. The van was parked in the center of the west side of the warehouse near Nu-Way Cleaners on Mulberry Avenue. The blaze spread east through the 50-foot-by-80-foot structure, Waynesboro Volunteer Fire Department officials said. "We were able to contain the fire inside the building," Fire Marshal Jerry Hartman said. Infrared sensors on a burglar alarm were triggered - likely by the flames - and Waynesboro police found all of the windows and doors secure upon arrival.

HAGERSTOWN - Members of the Hagerstown City Council expressed skepticism Tuesday about selling the Tusing Warehouse to a developer, saying renovation plans might interfere with downtown festivals later this year. Stamper Properties LLC of Hagerstown wants to buy the property at 58 E. Washington St. from the city for $110,000. The renovation plan includes an event center on the first floor for conferences, recitals and art shows, among other things, according to a development proposal.

WILLIAMSPORT - An expansion of DOT Foods Inc. in Williamsport is expected to bring about 100 jobs to the area over the next four years. The positions will be mostly for truck drivers and warehouse staff, general manager Brian Duffield said. The Mt. Sterling, Ill., company has locations throughout the country and delivers food service and retail products to its network of distributors. Duffield said the growth of the distribution center on Elliott Parkway has led to the expansion, which will bring the overall facility to more than 275,000 square feet.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Some local manufacturing professionals are continuing their education this fall by taking evening courses in supply chain management. Held at Letterkenny Army Depot, the courses are taught thanks to a joint effort of Penn State Harrisburg, Penn State Mont Alto and Letterkenny. Holly Cieri, public relations manager of Penn State Mont Alto, said the courses are part of a 12-credit certificate that can be used by students as a stepping stone toward a master of business administration (MBA)