Ventilation

The 700 state and county employees working inside the Investment Building in Towson could have breathed easier for years if Baltimore County had followed through on a renovation agreement struck with the landlord in 1996. The owners of the office tower, where workers complain of asthma, respiratory infections and other ailments, agreed four years ago to replace a pair of aging rooftop ventilation units with four newer machines, according to lease documents reviewed by The Sun. But the landlord never did the work.

A synthetic substance has been shown to improve the rate of survival and lessen complications associated with respiratory distress syndrome in certain premature babies, according to a study that appears in today's edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.Known as Exosurf Neonatal, the substance was shown to be effective in treating larger preemies -- those who weigh more than 1250 grams, or 2 lbs., 12 ozs. The findings are significant, the authors said, because half of all premature babies who experience RDS fall in that category.

Baltimore County has stopped paying rent at a Towson office tower where several dozen state and county employees have complained of breathing problems and illnesses. A leaky roof flooded parts of the 11th floor of the Investment Building this week, adding to a long list of maintenance problems that building managers have struggled to address for a year. Among the offices damaged was that of Dr. Michelle A. Leverett, the county's highest-paid employee. "We're mad. We're going to withhold rent," said Robert J. Barrett, a top assistant to County Executive C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger.

A Mayo couple were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning yesterday after the noxious fumes built up in their home from an improperly ventilated gas-powered generator, officials said. William Phips, 67, and his wife, Virginia, 60, were taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where they were placed in a hyperbaric chamber and later released. A contractor working on a new floor at their house refused treatment, a hospital spokeswoman said. A rescue squad was dispatched to the couple's new home in the 4100 block of Carrs Ridge Road about 11: 30 a.m. when William Phips became unconscious.

Architectural Design Works Inc. has been commissioned to design a co-housing community called Saliscot, which will be built on a 100-acre farm in Harford County's White Hall community.The co-housing project, based on the premise of encouraging xTC social interaction and the sharing of resources among neighbors, will be the second in the state, joining Liberty Village in Frederick County.According to ADW, Saliscot will be consist of 14 units, a common house and a pedestrian street.The units will range in size from 800 to 1,000 square feet and will feature one to three bedrooms and one to two bathrooms.

The state plans to spend more than $110 million over the next five years to replace Baltimore's dilapidated women's detention center and to build a new jail for juvenile offenders now housed with adults, the governor's office said yesterday. Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s capital budget outlines plans for a $66.5 million, 800-bed women's jail to take the place of a facility that has been criticized for rampant problems, including poor ventilation and a faulty sewage system. The 200-bed jail for offenders under 18, expected to cost $51 million, will be for youths charged as adults and awaiting trial.

AS I RISE to greet the winter morn, one of my first duties is whacking the icicles. My whacker of choice varies, from the business end of a snow shovel to a broom handle to a baseball bat. The snow shovel clears out more icicles per swipe, the broom handle is easier to manipulate, but for pure distance and therapeutic purposes, nothing beats a baseball bat. Why whack the icicles? Because they are there, hanging from the gutters on the shady side of my house, within safe striking distance of bedroom windows and back porches.

The Naval Academy will celebrate John Paul Jones' birthday tomorrow beginning at 9 a.m. with a march to the crypt of the legendary naval hero for a wreath-laying ceremony. A Revolutionary War re-enactor will give a lecture on Jones' life and his contribution to the war, followed by a flag raising ceremony at the Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center near Gate 1 at King George and Randall streets. The festivities will include music from The Fifes and Drums of Prince William III, a Virginia-based musical group, and cannon-loading demonstrations.

The old volunteer-built barns and sheds of the Carroll County Agriculture Center will shelter the last 4-H Fair of the 20th century in July, then promptly be torn down to make way for an expanded arena for the 2001 fair, officials said yesterday.Center board members had hoped to start construction this year and have a new building ready for the 2000 fair.But changes in design to accommodate concerns of neighbors in the adjacent residential community delayed the project, said Lawrence Meeks, president of the center's board of directors.

Loch Raven is better than descriptionI want to address point by point the Sept. 5 article by Liz Atwood, "Where Everyone Still Says Hello," which painted Loch Raven Village in an unfavorable light.1. Old houses lacking modern features: We live in an all-brick home with oak floors, not plywood; plaster walls, not drywall; insulated windows and doors; central heat and air conditioning; a dishwasher and even indoor plumbing. Please tell me, what modern features are we lacking?2. Poverty at its edges: We have lived in the Village for 19 years and have been in the area 26 years.