PROFESSOR GETS A GRANT

WESTMINSTER -- An assistant professor of chemistry at Western Maryland College has been awarded $35,000 to conduct cancer research.

During the next two summers, Carol A. Rouzer and two undergraduate researchers will use the Cottrell College Science award, presented by the Research Corp.of Tucson, Ariz., for a project on anti-cancer compounds.

The award is dedicated to the work of Frederick Gardner Cottrell,a scientist, philanthropist and teacher at the University of California at Berkeley. Some $2.5 million has been distributed by the corporation this year.

WATER BAN IS VOLUNTARY

WESTMINSTER -- A mandatory water ban imposed last summer because of a drought has been rescinded by the City Council.

The council voted Monday night to make water conservation voluntary, a move opposed by Mayor W. Benjamin Brown.

Public Works Director William Mowell said the city's reservoir is 56 percent full, up 16.3 percentage points from last summer.

"The reservoir is starting to recharge, and this is the time of year when the demand for water decreases," Mowell said. "A voluntary banwould suffice to show that the city is meeting its water requirements."

But the mayor argued the public works report was incomplete.

"In August, when the reservoir was at 39.7 percent, you said we would maintain a water ban until the reservoir was at 75 percent," Brownsaid. "But we have only seen 16 percent of the water replaced.

"In November, we were still in absolute drought conditions, and December is the first month that we'll meet our monthly (rainfall) average for the year. I don't think we can deduce from that that the drought has passed."

Officials urged residents to continue to conserve water.

CHARTER ELECTION IS LIKELY

The Citizens for an Elected Charter Board filed a petition containing about 2,600 signatures of Carroll voters with the county commissioners office Thursday, triggering the process for a charter board election.

If approximately 1,650 signatures -- 3 percent of the county's registered voters -- are verified by the Carroll Board of Elections, a charter board will be elected during the March 3 state primary election. The commissioners must send the petition to the elections office.

The Citizens for an Elected Charter Board supports a slate of nine Republican candidates, described by the committee as a panel of "conservative leaders."

The nine would challenge the existing nine-member Charter Review Commission appointed by the commissioners in November. The appointed board, which has started work on writing a charter that would serve as Carroll government's constitution, consists of five Democrats and four Republicans.

As of Friday morning, Citizens for an Elected Charter Board members John P. Buchheister Jr. of Hampstead, J. Norman Graham of Linwood, a former county commissioner, and Donald C. Frazier of Manchesterhad filed to run in the election. The proposed slate candidates mustfile with the Board of Elections by Dec. 31 to be eligible for the primary, said elections official Gail Carter. The appointed board members also must file for the race, but they have an extended time period, she said.

An independent committee launched a drive about two years ago for charter government, which would allow county elected leaders to pass local laws without the approval of the General Assembly.A charter would outline the structure, powers, duties, procedures and limitations of the government.

The appointed charter board has set the following work sessions, which are open to the public, from 7 to 9 p.m.: Jan. 7 in the Westminster Library conference room; Jan. 14in the Taneytown Library conference room; Jan. 21 in the Eldersburg Library conference room; and Jan. 28 in the Agricultural Center conference room on Smith Avenue.

The following public hearings are scheduled from 7 to 10 p.m.: Feb. 4 at the Westminster High School auditorium; Feb. 11 at the Liberty High School auditorium; and Feb. 18 at the North Carroll High School auditorium.

A fourth hearing will be scheduled.

WORKER GETS PAID FOR IDEA

BALTIMORE -- The Christmas spirit arrived early for a State Highway Administration employee who received a cash award from Secretary of Transportation O. James Lighthizer and SHA Administrator Hal Kassoff for a money-saving suggestion.

Glenn Vaughn of Hampstead, a bridge design engineer, received his check Dec. 20 under the state's Incentive Awards Program.

He developed a computer program to link two computer systems, enabling them to "talk" and thereby streamlining a process that normally takes about a week. With the program, the process takes only 15 minutes. When one document is updated, the new link automatically keeps other documents updated.

The estimated savings for the state is about $85,000 over three years.

COUPLE HITS THE BIG ONE

MOUNT AIRY -- A misplaced lottery ticket became the last-but-best Christmas gift for a Carroll County couple who came forward Friday to collect their share of a $7 million Lotto jackpot.

Brenda and Bruce Beaver of here will give part of their $3.5 million winnings to a Montgomery County family friend, Robert Teter of Rockville, who is on a waiting list for a heart transplant and needs $125,000 for expenses.

The Beavers held one of two winning tickets in the $7 million Christmas Eve drawing. The other winner was a North Carolina man who has decided to remain anonymous. After taxes, the annual pay-out comes to $126,875 for each household.

Brenda Beaver had left her tickets at the beauty salon she owns and operates, Hair Impressions.

"I thought I had lost the ticket, because Christmas Eve, my husband got his tickets out and looked at his and I'm looking for mine, and I said 'Oh no, I think I lost my tickets,' and I didn't think anything more of it," she said.

But on Thursday, she found her tickets at her salon. She drove home and was matching the tickets to the numbers printed in the newspaper when her husband called from Gaithersburg, where he works with a construction firm.

"I'm talking to my husband on the phone and I say, 'That's funny, I've got three here,' " she said. "Then I say,'Oh my God, I've won, this has got to be the wrong paper.' I couldn't talk to him, I just kept saying 'Be quiet,' then I couldn't talk any more. And he kept saying: 'Brenda, don't do this to me.' "

The Beavers plan to continue working, but welcome the security the lottery money will provide.

He wants to buy a boat for fishing; she wants to buy something special for the friend who bought the winning ticket.

WATER PROPOSALS MADE

WESTMINSTER -- Water mains along the city's Main Street should be upgraded until all are uniform, a citycouncil committee has recommended.

The recommendations, from the public utilities committee and outlined in a five-page report, stem from allegations about inadequate water supply and pressure during a Nov. 17 seven-alarm fire on West Main Street.

The fire destroyed a building containing Stem's Used Furniture and Appliance and Heagy's Sports Shop Inc. The blaze, which started in the rear of Stem's at 16 W. Main St., also caused smoke damage to surrounding buildings.

The committee's investigation included interviews with city public works and water officials and Jay Nusbaum, chief of the Westminster City Fire Department, and began a week after the fire.

The committee reported that water usage records showed there were no irregularities in supply. The allegation of water shortage could not be substantiated, the committee reported.

Only one of the nine fire hydrants used during the fire was reported to have low pressure and was taken out of service, according to the report. Some hydrants used during the blaze could be considered old by standards and may have been ineffectivewhen used with sophisticated firefighting equipment, the panel concluded.

Other recommendations included:

* Continue to review and rewrite procedures at the water plant.

* Continue to schedule periodic inspections to replace and upgrade hydrants.

* Continue to promote cooperation between the city's Public Works Department and the Westminster Fire Department.

RECONSTRUCTION PLAN OK

WESTMINSTER -- The City Council gave final approval to the East Main Street Reconstruction Project and will submit its recommendations to the State Highway Administration.

The project, revised after a public hearing this fall, calls for the removal of several existing trees during the street's widening because they are in poor health or their location could pose problems for future projects.

About 30 existing trees will remain, and more than 100 shade and ornamental trees -- to be chosen by the Westminster Tree Commission -- will be planted along the nine-block stretch.

Also, revised plans call for "pedestrian nodes or bubbles" -- areas designated for pedestrian activities or functions that may include benches, telephones or mailboxes.

The initial project would have called for eliminating 35 parking spaces. Revised plans would mean eliminating 19 of the existing 179 parking spaces. Road width would increase an average of 1 foot along the street.

The state has earmarked about $6 million for the project, which includes not only the several blocks of East Main Street but also Washington Road and West Main Street projects. The reconstruction project is slated to get under way in fiscal 1993, which begins July 1. State officials have said the project is subject to the availability of money.

FOREST LAW PLANNED

The county commissioners voted unanimously Monday to create and administer their own forest conservation ordinance rather than cede control to the state.

Office of Environmental Services Administrator James E. Slater Jr. told the commissioners before the vote that the county could run the program more efficiently than the state without having to add staff to perform reviews and inspections.

The commissioners had an informational meeting Dec. 19 during which they accepted public comment on whether the county should take over the state-mandated program. The law enacted this year is aimed at halting the loss of forests to development and creating woodlands.

The Carroll chapter of the Home Builders Association of Maryland objected to the county's taking over the program, saying that thestate is required by law to administer it and that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources should be responsible for working out problems in the first few years.

But foresters, environmental activists and municipal officials urged the commissioners to create and enforce their own program. A local program would be more responsive to community needs and Carroll's unique characteristics, they said.

Most of Carroll's municipalities also plan to allow the county to administer the program within their borders and were waiting for the commissioners' decision.

Slater and Commissioner President Donald I. Dell agreed that the county eventually can combine aspects of the forestconservation program and the county landscape ordinance adopted about two years ago.

The county must submit a forest conservation program to DNR by April 30. If approved, it would take effect in 1993. Itwould require developers to submit forest conservation plans.

RECYCLING DEBATED

Department of General Services Director J. Michael Evans recommended to the county commissioners Monday that they adopt a countywide curbside recycling program that employs one private trash hauling company.

That option is preferable to allowing the 10 or so trash haulers who currently serve residents and municipalities to participate in a county recycling plan, said Evans, whose department isdeveloping the program.

"The more you have involved in the program, the more likely you'll have glitches," he said.

Employing one trash hauler provides the county with greater ability to "control" theprogram and better "overall management of recyclables," Evans said.

The hauler also would be responsible for the processing of recyclables.

"The county would have less involvement in the day-to-day management" than under a program involving many haulers, Evans said.

The commissioners will be studying the issue over the next few months. A curbside recycling program is planned to begin by July 1, or later, and will be phased in over the first year.

Commissioner President Donald I. Dell said he is concerned about protecting business forthe small, private trash haulers operating in the county. He also said it would be inefficient to separate recycling from regular trash collection.

But Evans said that as recycling becomes mandatory and volumes increase, it will become difficult to handle all the waste with one truck.

Commissioner Elmer C. Lippy said he favors a separate recycling operation in which one company serves the entire county.

The company would be paid by the county. The county would charge residents through either a direct levy on tax bills, a 2- to 3-cent property tax increase, or an increase in landfill fees. The annual costfor the first year of the program is $24 per household, under the bid recommended by Evans. Phoenix Recycling Inc. of Finksburg made thatbid.

The landfill tipping fee is expected to be raised from $15 per ton when curbside recycling begins because less trash will be buried. The tipping fee is intended to make landfill operations self-sustaining, but the charge has been too low to meet that goal over the last few years.

The fee is expected to increase to around $30 per ton or more, depending on variables of the recycling program and financing arrangements.