State
visitor center grand opening delayed
By Richard D. L. Fulton
News Editor
EMMITSBURG,
Md. – A leaking roof on the new county visitors center
on U.S. 15 was the “final straw,” and the grand
opening date has been postponed until sometime in spring 2006.
John
Fieseler, Executive Director of the Tourism Council of Frederick
County, told The Dispatch that the Maryland Office
of Tourism Development had been considering postponing the
new visitors center grand opening because of a project lag,
but. “the roof was the final factor” in the decision.
“The
big five inches of rain several weeks ago had caused some
leaks at that point. The contractor is addressing those,”
he said.
Fieseler
said the staff had already moved into the new center about
two months ago so that the old building could be knocked down.
He told
The Dispatch the council is looking at scheduling
the grand opening to coincide with “National Tourism
Week” in May.
In the
meantime, contractors are still working on the site, Fieseler
said. The parking lots have been paved, and the crews are
currently painting the parking stripes on the back parking
lot. Much of the chain link fencing has been taken down.
“It
was getting late in the season anyway and the site work was
not done. Now we are right at the tail end of the tourist
season, so it just seemed like why not wait until spring and
finish up the landscaping work,” Fieseler added.
The project
is expected to cost about $3.5 million, but this price tag
includes the new southbound ramp at North Seton Avenue and
U.S. 15.
