Zoning

Hagerstown: Allowed only in the Agricultural Transition zoning district. Funkstown: not allowed Smithsburg: not allowed Boonsboro: under review Sharpsburg: not allowed Keedysville: not allowed Williamsport: not allowed Clear Spring: not allowed Hancock: not allowed Washington County unincorporated areas: Currently allowed only in Agriculture, Residential...

It's never easy to wake up from a dream that's everything you wanted and more. The 2011 Hagerstown B PONY team was awoken a little sooner than it wanted, as it was knocked out of the PONY East Zone tournament after its second straight loss, a 13-3 five-inning drubbing at the hands of New Bedford (Mass.) in the losers' bracket semifinal on Saturday. “I'm proud of these kids,” said Hagerstown manager John Phillips. “They're a fine group of ballplayers and they've played their hearts out.” The miracle run to the East Zone tournament was highlighted when Hagerstown B defeated Hagerstown A twice in the regional tournament in Boardman, Ohio.

Asked whether his baseball team would now be known simply as the Hagerstown PONY All-Stars or still as the Hagerstown PONY B All-Stars, manager John Phillips didn't hesitate in answering. “We're B, baby. That's who we are,” Phillips said. “When we get the banner from the region tournament, I'll use a Sharpie to put a B next to Hagerstown if I have to.” The team and its coaches wore that B like a badge of honor as they prepared for the East Zone Tournament in Manchester, N.H., this weekend, having beaten the Hagerstown A team twice to get to this point.

John Phillips had one goal as manager of the Hagerstown PONY B All-Stars: Get out of town. If his team keeps playing as well as it did last weekend, he'll soon have to consult a travel agent. The B team took its rightful place as runner-up to its A team counterparts in the section tournament 10 days ago, but that was enough to earn the team a trip to Boardman, Ohio, for the East Zone West Region tournament. “My goal was over at that point, and I told them that,” Phillips said.

A man who owns a farm bordering a proposed quarry expansion was the only person to testify Tuesday evening against a zoning change on land north of Hagerstown owned by the cement company Holcim (US) Inc. “We're living close to that quarry now and for them to move any closer is just going to be worse for us,” said Herman Stockslager, whose Old Forge Road property borders the northern edge of the proposed expansion. His testimony was part of a public hearing before the Washington County Board of Commissioners, which will be tasked with deciding whether to approve what is designated as an Industrial Mineral floating zone on 120.11 acres north of Holcim's current limestone quarry.

Two years after Washington County's zoning rules were changed to allow small wind- and solar-power generating systems for on-site use, the county is now considering allowing larger, grid-linked solar-energy generating systems in certain rural districts. The proposed changes to the county zoning ordinance are the subject of a Washington County Planning Commission public meeting scheduled for Monday evening. Under the proposed amendments, the larger solar-energy generating systems would be allowed as a special exception in the Agriculture (Rural)

Washington County officials Tuesday night heard from a long line of property owners unhappy with zoning changes proposed for their properties during a public hearing about the county's proposed Urban Growth Area plan. About 60 people attended the hearing at Hager Hall Conference and Event Center. The Urban Growth Area rezoning includes changes to the zoning map  and the text of the county zoning ordinance for the roughly 35,000-acre urban area around Hagerstown, Williamsport and Funkstown.

Hagerstown A defeated Hagerstown B 14-4 in six innings on Sunday to win the PONY League Baseball Section Tournament at Funkhouser Park. Neither team lost, though, as both Hagerstown teams advance to the region tournament in Boardman, Ohio on Thursday. “Anytime that you score 14 runs, you should be able to win the ball game,” said Hagerstown A manager Steve Berger, whose team was 3-0 in the tournament. “I don't think that we played that particularly well today. But still, anytime that you can win by 10 runs, you'll take it.” Riley Arnone drive in four runs, while Tim Hartsock and Sinjin Shoop added two RBIs each for Hagerstown A. Winning pitcher Jordan Stonebreaker hurled four innings before Hartsock closed out the game with two scoreless innings.

A new police patrolling effort that sets up six zones in Hagerstown based on the frequency of four types of crimes has begun, according to a news release from the City of Hagerstown. The approach is known as Data-driven Approach to Crime and Traffic Safety, and the zones are set up based on the frequency of burglaries, robberies, theft from vehicles and theft of vehicles, Capt. Mark Holtzman of the Hagerstown Police Department has said. As part of the effort, every officer must spend 30 minutes a day in one of the zones conducting traffic enforcement and issuing warnings, repair orders and citations, Holtzman said.

Boonsboro is considering an ordinance that would allow residents to raise chickens on their properties under certain conditions, officials said Tuesday. The Town Council voted 5-1 to introduce the ordinance, with council member Natalie Mose opposed. The council agreed that a public hearing on the ordinance would be scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Aug. 1 and that the council would wait until its Sept. 6 meeting to vote on the ordinance to allow plenty of time for public comment. The measure would amend the town’s zoning ordinance to allow up to three hens per lot to be kept in the town’s residential, suburban residential and rural residential districts, Town Planner Megan Clark said.