Water Meters

CLEAR SPRING - A small sewage spill discovered Monday in Tom's Run, a stream that runs through Clear Spring, posed no danger to residents downstream, Washington County Health Department officials said Wednesday. "The stream was checked a distance from the spill and we saw minnows swimming in the water," said Laurie Bucher, health department director of environmental health. She estimated fewer than three gallons of sewage made it into the stream. She said no public warning was necessary in this case.

Washington County Commissioners No meeting Tuesday, Nov. 25 Washington County Board of Education No meeting Tuesday, Nov. 25 Hagerstown Mayor and City Council Regular Session City Hall, Second Floor, Council Chamber 1 E. Franklin St., Hagerstown Tuesday, Nov. 25, 7 p.m. Agenda o Announcements -- Meeting Schedule (1) Tuesday, Dec. 2, Work Session, 4 p.m. (2) Tuesday, Dec. 9, Work Session, 4 p.m. (3)

Fire Co. answered 31 calls in December SMITHSBURG - The Smithsburg Community Volunteer Fire Company responded to 31 calls in the month of December, according to the company's January report. The report said 26 of the 31 calls were outside of town limits and the largest number of calls, 10, were for structure fires. Captain Sam Ginn said, in a letter to the Smithsburg Town Council, the following people successfully completed the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute Engine Company class: Chief Ron Jeter, Deputy Chief Steve Lewis, Assistant Chief Chuck Baker, Lt. Frank Chilcoat, Lt. Patrick Baker and firefighters Danny Gibson, Charles Johnson, Becky Knott and Randy Smith.

marlob@herald-mail.com CLEAR SPRING - There were some big wishes and little wishes as Clear Spring town officials took their traditional look ahead to see what 2004 might bring. All the big wishes were the same - that the two long-awaited town water projects would at least get started this year, or perhaps be finished before the start of 2005. A state-mandated water filtration system is expected to cost the town between $660,000 and $1 million. At the same time, a water storage tank designed to hold 340,000 gallons of treated water will be erected at the site of the present town reservoir west of Clear Spring.

Electronic devices   read water meters   WILLIAMSPORT — Technology is saving time in measuring utility usage in Williamsport. Mayor James G. McCleaf II said the town has been using electronic devices that read water meters from a distance. A town employee can drive by and gauge water usage electronically, cutting the time it takes to collect readings from a week to about half a day, he said. The town hopes to get handheld machines that measure electricity usage the same way. The water and electricity measurements could be compiled at the same time, McCleaf said.

marlob@herald-mail.com CLEAR SPRING - A wish to preserve the charm while improving the quality of life in their small town is a common thread among the five candidates for two open seats on the Clear Spring Town Council. The election is Monday at Clear Spring Town Hall. Polls will be open from 2 to 7 p.m. "I have some traffic concerns," said Daniel Tedrick, 32, of Brennan Drive. "There are lots of blind corners in the back alleys and speed is a problem. " An electrician, Tedrick said he believes mirrors should be erected at the intersections so motorists can see what is coming.

marlob@herald-mail.com CLEAR SPRING - As 2006 gets under way, the challenges of maintaining efficient and cost-effective water and sewer services to residents is again at the forefront. This year, a new player may be working its way onto the stage of public interest - garbage collection, which is provided free of charge to residents of the town, at least for now. "We may have to take another look at this as a free service we provide," said Town Mayor Paul Hose Jr. "I hate to make people pay but ... " The reason is the escalating costs that are now up to more than $1,700 a month for a once-a-week pickup by BFI. That works out to more than $20,000 a year, which the town pays and for which it gets no reimbursement from residents.

Price tag: $480,000 County's cost of aiding 29 homes southeast of Sharpsburg seen as risk of rural sprawl By STEVEN T. DENNIS Staff Writer Replacing an inadequate rural water system that supplies 29 homes will cost Washington County about $480,000, officials said Tuesday. The Elk Ridge subdivision off Chestnut Grove Road southeast of Sharpsburg was built in the 1940s with a private water system, said Water and Sewer Director Greg Murray. The Washington County Sanitary District took over the system in the 1980s after the owners of the system couldn't make loan payments to the federal government, Murray said.

WILLIAMSPORT - Several construction projects will be going on this year in Williamsport, including improvements at Riverbottom Park and Byron Memorial Park. Town Clerk/Treasurer Donnie Stotelmyer is hoping to get the boat ramp at Riverbottom Park rebuilt by spring so it won't interfere with the boating season. The ramp needs to be steeper. He's also hoping to add trees to the shoreline and improve the parking area in 2010. Town officials also are considering getting a floatable dock for the ramp that can be removed if the Potomac River floods, Stotelmyer said.

WILLIAMSPORT - A water dispute between the town of Williamsport and Conococheague Little League has reached a boiling point. The watering of youth baseball fields appears to be at the core. The town, which has decided to start billing the league for utility services, says the league used about 775,000 gallons of water in a one-year period ending in March, a figure the league disputes. Since the league only uses town fields five months a year, the alleged water usage is particularly hard to believe, league President Walter Williams said.