Wakefield Valley

Maryland Midland Railway Inc. has closed part of its freight line after workers discovered a 40-foot by 12-foot sinkhole about 6 feet from its tracks behind McGregor Printing Corp. between Westminster and New Windsor.Work crews were scheduled to return today to begin filling the hole with crushed stone."It could have been dangerous if more of it [soil] had given way under the tracks," Maryland Midland President Paul D. Denton said.The hole was among the deepest sinkholes found recently in Carroll, county hydrogeologist Thomas Devilbiss said.

The way the area golfing scene has gone this spring, it seems reasonable that when Baltimore area Open and Amateur qualifying is held by the Maryland State Golf Association at Wakefield Valley Golf Club Tuesday there will be some Hobbit's Glen members moving on to the championships.It's also a good bet that they will be members of "Guido's Group."Talk to players like Mike Panos, Jay Stosz and others who helped the Columbia club score a major upset in winning the Maryland State team match title, and later have individual successes, and they will say the real winner is Columbia resident Gary Guido.

A proposed new Westminster water treatment plant carries the promise of clearer drinking water for Wakefield Valley residents. But the plant isn't scheduled for construction until 1995-1996.City Public Works Director Thomas B. Beyard detailed plans for a $4 million treatment plant -- to serve the Wakefield Valley area -- at last night's City Council meeting.The council is expected to approve a site and authorize money for engineering studies in 1994-1995 as part of the budget that tTC will be put together in the next two months for the fiscal year that begins July 1.The new plant would be built on 22 acres the city owns along Windsor Drive west of Route 31. It would increase the city's treatment capacity by about 1.2 million gallons a day, Mr. Beyard said.

Families in general and children in particular are the focus of a new program at Wakefield Valley Golf Club in Westminster.Under the plan to start April 1, a child (10-17 years of age) accompanied by a parent paying the regular rate will be admitted free of charge during weekday twilight golf."With this plan, we hope to address these two areas that are of critical concern," said Hank Majewski, director of golf at Wakefield Valley."Overall, there is genuine concern for the family structure, and there is no doubt parents should spend more time with their children.

Are area golf clubs ready for mid-amateur competition?You wouldn't think so, judging by the response of Carroll County golfers to the Maryland State Mid-Amateur at Baltimore Country Club this week.Of 137 who teed off, plus another 40 who could not be fitted into the field, only five Carroll County golfers carried their bags to the tournament.But if Carroll County has not become "mid-amateurized," the rest of the nation has.It was not many years ago that the United States Golf Association placed mid-amateur events on its schedule for the first time.

It's not too early to set your sights on one of the top golf events of the year -- the American Express/Toyota Celebrity Golf Tournament, which will be held Oct. 22 and 23 at Eagle's Landing. Its success last year is attracting some big-name contestants.Already signed up to play are Seattle Mariners hitting coach Ken Griffey Sr., which shouldn't be surprising since the Mariners third-base coach, Sam Perlozzo, is involved in getting stars to play. Others on the roster include Don Nottingham, who ran for the Baltimore Colts, and all-time great Larry Brown of the Washington Redskins.

Invitational qualifies as a big hit"It was a tournament to remember," said Joe Manzer, director of golf at Carroll County's oldest golf course, referring to the annual invitational at the Western Maryland College course."

Saying the Westminster Planning and Zoning Commission failed to follow city law when it approved the Fenby Farms housing development adjacent to Wakefield Valley Golf and Conference Center, Circuit Judge Raymond E. Beck Sr. has ordered the commission to begin hearings on the development all over again.The order, filed in Carroll Circuit Court, sends Fenby Farms -- which took two years to gain planning commission approval -- back to the beginning of the process. Wakefield Valley owner Hank Majewski appealed the commission's approval of Fenby Farms last August.

TCPiney Branch contends for Mason-Dixon honorsFor the second year, Piney Branch women are contending for honors in the Mason-Dixon Golf Association's competition.The association includes an eight-team wheel, comprised of women's teams in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland.The clubs include Chambersburg, West Winds, Waynesboro, Fountain Head, Holly Hills, Beaver Creek, Winchester and Piney Branch.The format calls for the teams to rotate to each other's courses once a month throughout the golfing season.

Now that Wakefield Valley's Michael Wah has had a fling on the national golf scene, it's understandable that he is eager to take a crack at area honors this season.It was last year that Wah, playing over his home Wakefield Valley course, turned back many of the section's top players while qualifying for the National Amateur championship in Muirfield Village, Ohio.Until his victory in this 36-hole qualifying test, Wah had only minor success at tournament golf, but, eager to expand his winning ways, the sophomore student at Indiana (Pa.)