West Main

With the reconstruction of Westminster's Pennsylvania Avenue banging, rumbling and rolling along ahead of schedule, the State Highway Administration is turning its attention to West Main Street.And the West Main Street/Pennsylvania Avenue Task Force is thinking about a way to link West Main Street and Uniontown Road as the major traffic channel at the triangle created by Uniontown Road, West Main Street and Old New Windsor Pike, which turns into Doyle Avenue at the city limits.The West Main Street and Pennsylvania Avenue projects are part of an SHA plan to rebuild Main Street, which is state Route 32, then turn over ownership of it to city government.

Westminster man accused of firing shotgun in parking lot A Westminster man was released without bail Friday after being charged in connection with the firing of a shotgun in a Lineboro church parking lot Thursday night, according to Maryland State Police. Karl Jason Prodoehl, 18, of the 1100 block of Singer Drive was charged with first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment after the 9 p.m. incident in the parking lot of Lazarus Church of Christ on South Church Street, according to police and court records.

Uniontown Road could become the main traffic channel at a multistreet intersection in western Westminster, leaving West Main Street as a side road primarily serving Western Maryland College traffic.The West Main Street Highway Administration, city government, college and citizen representatives is wrestling with ways to improve the point where West Main Street, Uniontown Road and Old New Windsor Road converge."The problem is, it's a tough intersection to deal with," said B. Jacqueline Finch, a West Main Street resident since 1959 and citizen member of the panel.

Westminster has contracted with Gray & Son Inc. of Butler to mill and overlay the surface of Carroll Street between West Main Street and the city limits. Work is scheduled to begin this week. Traffic flow and access to driveways and parking lots will be maintained through flagging operations during construction. On-street parking will be temporarily eliminated during construction. The project should be completed in two to three weeks. Information: 410-848-9001. Police Westminster: An employee of SAIC on Airport Drive told police April 10 that someone took a winch from his vehicle.

The 21st century will bring a different traffic pattern to Western Maryland College, fewer campus intersections along Pennsylvania Avenue and possibly better visibility on West Main Street opposite the college.Edgar Sell, WMC's physical plant director, detailed the college's long-range traffic plans Friday for a Westminster task force working with the State Highway Administration on reconstruction plans for parts of Pennsylvania Avenue and West Main Street."One of the major problems on campus is all the different routes you can take to get to the campus," Mr. Sell told the West Main Street-Pennsylvania Avenue task force.

A Westminster citizens group this week will take another look at the West Main Street-Uniontown Road-Old New Windsor Road intersection after public opposition to a proposed realignment."

A plan to make West Main Street and Uniontown Road the "main" street at a three-way intersection near Western Maryland College will be introduced to Westminster area residents tomorrow.The plan includes making Union Street one way north from West Main Street to Pennsylvania Avenue and making Old New Windsor Road one way from the West Main-Uniontown Road intersection to West Green Street.Residents can hear an explanation, look at a design and make comments at a meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Westminster Fire Company social hall, 66 E. Main St.The three-way stop at the Uniontown Road intersection is "a very awkward situation," said Westminster planner Katrina L. Tucker.

Westminster has contracted with Gray & Son Inc. of Butler to mill and overlay the surface of Carroll Street between West Main Street and the city limits. Work is scheduled to begin this week. Traffic flow and access to driveways and parking lots will be maintained through flagging operations during construction. On-street parking will be temporarily eliminated during construction. The project should be completed in two to three weeks. Information: 410-848-9001. Police Westminster: An employee of SAIC on Airport Drive told police April 10 that someone took a winch from his vehicle.

The West Main Street/Pennsylvania Avenue Task Force will review options concerning proposed Westminster road improvements at a November meeting.The section of West Main Street from Pennsylvania Avenue to Union Street will be reviewed. The project could be modified after traffic count information is received in early January.The meeting will be held from 7 p.m. to about 9 p.m. Nov. 8 at the State Highway Administration's Westminster Maintenance Shop at 150 Wyndtryst Drive.Two options for the section will be reviewed.

A convoluted Westminster intersection, where two roads converge at West Main Street, is scheduled for a makeover by the State Highway Administration.Reconstruction of the intersection of Uniontown Road, Old New Windsor Road and West Main Street is one of five planned projects aimed at making driving easier on the city's west side. Three projects will be completed by about 2002. Timing of the remaining two will depend on developers' schedules.Two projects were initiated by the city and the state, but Westminster planners have also required developers to make road improvements that will make access to Routes 31 and 140 easier.

For a month, Debbie Finch has tolerated noise, dust and the inconvenience of being unable to park in her driveway and three-car garage, thanks to state highway crews. For eight more months -- until about Thanksgiving -- construction will surround Finch and her neighbors on Westminster's West Side as the state reconfigures, repaves and landscapes West Main Street from Pennsylvania Avenue to Route 31. The project includes new sidewalks, a storm drain system and temporary traffic snarls. "It's been a burden and an annoyance, but we've managed," said Finch, whose sweeping front porch offers orchestra seating for the drama of bulldozers and hard-hatted construction workers.

In the wake of rampant drug activity on Westminster's west side, residents, police, prosecutors and politicians have taken up a united fight to rid the area of dealers and addicts -- one street at a time.A check of police reports, court files and recent indictments by a Carroll County grand jury showed the same streets and, in some instances, the same addresses keep appearing in drug activity: Sullivan, Pennsylvania, Kemper and Wimert avenues, and Union, West Main, Green, Liberty and Carroll streets.

A convoluted Westminster intersection, where two roads converge at West Main Street, is scheduled for a makeover by the State Highway Administration.Reconstruction of the intersection of Uniontown Road, Old New Windsor Road and West Main Street is one of five planned projects aimed at making driving easier on the city's west side. Three projects will be completed by about 2002. Timing of the remaining two will depend on developers' schedules.Two projects were initiated by the city and the state, but Westminster planners have also required developers to make road improvements that will make access to Routes 31 and 140 easier.

Singapore wants a Main Street. Developers in Baltimore County spent millions building one. And a delegation from Australia recently traveled 9,803 miles to Carroll County for a chance to see real small-town charm on some of its main streets.As localities near and far try to capture that charm, Westminster, Taneytown and the county's other towns are seen as models for an era of small shops, shady sidewalks and welcoming smiles.State officials also have taken notice of the towns by touting them as the "Main Street Loop" on the state's scenic byways map."

Harry "No Tofu" Sirinakis plans to renovate and enlarge his West Main Street eatery to make the most of the casual-dining restaurant boom in Westminster.He might even add a sprig of parsley once in a while, he said.Sirinakis, 37, is the third-generation owner of Harry's Main Street, which celebrated its 50th anniversary downtown in 1996. Harry's is known for its chili dogs, which some Baltimore Colts ate by the dozens during summer training camps at Western Maryland College."It's a big step for us in our business," he said.

Westminster police will barricade Main Street early today, as filming begins in the city's downtown business district on the Tim Allen-Kirstie Alley movie "For Richer or Poorer."A block of East Main Street, from Railroad Avenue to Longwell Avenue, is to be closed from 5: 30 a.m. until at least 7 p.m. Plans call for intermittent closings of Main Street tomorrow. The schedule could be reversed if today's weather is bad, city police say.Rear entrances to all stores will be open.Westminster Fire Department agreed to relocate emergency services temporarily.

POLICE* Westminster: An unknown suspect shattered the windshield of an automobile parked on West Main Street Thursday. The owner, a Sykesville man, estimated the damage at $500.Construction equipment and the wall of a building on East Green Street were spray painted on Monday. The victims reported the damage to be about $600.A Salisbury, N.C., woman told city police that someone punctured her tire while the car was parked at the rear of West Main Street on Monday. Damage was estimated to be about $80.A Westminster man told police that someone stole a handicapped parking permit from his car while it was parked on East Main Street.

The next meeting of the West Main Street/Pennsylvania Avenue Task Force will be from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 4 at the State Highway Administration's Westminster Maintenance Shop, 150 Wyndryst Drive.In a follow-up meeting to an Aug. 16 session, concepts for reconfiguration of the West Main Street/Uniontown Road intersection will be presented, along with design concepts for West Main and Uniontown.Attendance should be confirmed with Denise Russ at 848-9002.POLICE* Westminster: The owner of a house on East Main Street reported to city police someone broke several windows in an apparent attempt to burglarize the building on Tuesday.

A former Westminster man accused of beating a woman on West Main Street in 1995 has been arrested in Orlando, Fla., and is awaiting extradition to Maryland, police said.An arrest warrant charges Jerry W. Clegg, 41, with attempted maiming, assault and battery, police said. Details of Clegg's arrest in Florida were unavailable.According to police, Tammy Stewart, a former girlfriend from Culpeper, Va., was visiting at the time of the Aug. 17, 1995, incident.Witnesses said a man pulled the woman's hair, punched her in the face until she fell, and kicked her in the head, damaging her jaw and teeth.