HAGERSTOWN – Washington County Commissioners unanimously approved a series of public safety, historic preservation and personnel measures at their meeting this week.
Highlights of the meeting included the county’s awarding of a $7.73 million construction contract for the tactical village phase of the county’s new Public Safety Training Center and separate agreements that will allow property owners in Boonsboro and Sharpsburg to qualify for county historic rehabilitation tax credits.
C. William Hetzer, Inc., a Hagerstown-based contractor, submitted the low bid of $7.73 million for the first phase of the tactical village, which includes site grading, paving, concrete work and stormwater management on the 40-acre campus off Sharpsburg Pike.
The board also authorized a $400,000 transfer from capital reserves to cover additional site improvements and an accessory structure requested by emergency services. When fully built out over the coming years, the training center is projected to represent a $50 million investment for fire, EMS and law enforcement training.
In back-to-back 5-0 votes, commissioners executed memoranda of understanding with the towns of Boonsboro and Sharpsburg that designate both municipalities as “qualifying municipalities” under the county’s historic structures tax credit program.
The agreements, enabled by an ordinance update adopted in April 2024, allow property owners in the towns to voluntarily submit exterior rehabilitation plans to the county Historic District Commission for approval to receive the county tax credit. Officials emphasized the review is voluntary and will not delay usual town permitting.
Other unanimous actions included:
● Authorizing an agreement with the Maryland State Highway Administration to install advance truck-restriction signs on routes leading into Keedysville to prevent large tractor-trailers from becoming stuck on narrow streets.
● Amending the county’s fire code civil citation resolution to give the fire marshal authority to issue fines for code violations, providing an intermediate enforcement step before shutting down non-compliant businesses or occupancies.
● Approving a new memorandum of understanding with Black Rock Golf Course professional Ryan Crabtree, who recently turned professional, clearly separating his county employment duties from private lesson and club-repair income earned through Crabtree Golf LLC.
● Establishing a promotional “job family” allowing firefighters to advance from Firefighter/EMT through Firefighter/Advanced Life Support to Firefighter/Paramedic without competitive hiring processes.
● Reclassifying a clinical quality assurance officer position in emergency services and creating a new program manager for long-term environmental management projects position, funded by eliminating a vacant lower-grade post.
A public hearing on the Salary Study Commission’s recommendation for 8.14 percent salary increases for county commissioners, Board of Education members, liquor license commissioners and orphans’ court judges was pulled from Tuesday’s agenda at the last minute and will be rescheduled.
During staff reports, Emergency Services Director R. David Hays detailed nearly $2.5 million in annual county funding and in-kind support that flows to fire and EMS services inside the City of Hagerstown, including portable radios, training, gaming-fund allocations and the operation of Community Rescue Service.
Hays noted that, including CRS responses, county units answer between 13,000 and 14,000 calls per year inside city limits.
Finally, County Administrator Michelle Gordon announced favorable rulings from both the Maryland Open Meetings Compliance Board and the Public Information Act Compliance Board regarding separate complaints filed earlier in 2025.
