At age 56, she’s serving her third term as a member of the Town Council, her first as its president — and she has high praise for her fellow council members and the townspeople in general.

“By and large, the people who live here are proud to live here,” Cenova says. “To them, Hagerstown isn’t just a place to live. To them — and to me — Hagerstown is home. We care about this place and we want to make it even better.”

For Cenova and her colleagues in local government, one key to a better Hagerstown is reflected in the ongoing effort to establish an environmentally friendly industrial and office complex in town — a LEED-certified “eco park.”

A LEED-certified facility is one that meets the standards of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system developed in 1998 by the U.S. Green Building Council. Those standards rate building performance in five categories of sustainability: site, materials and resources, energy and atmosphere, water-use efficiency and overall indoor environmental quality.

Cenova knows the value of such a facility. She works in the Richmond satellite office of the Indiana Small Business Development Center, offering advice and assistance to entrepreneurs and small-business owners in a five-county area that includes Wayne County. She hears virtually every day from entrepreneurs who are hungry for ways to establish and operate “green” businesses — and she and other business-development experts are confident that Hagerstown can offer a place for such firms to grow.

The council first embraced the eco park project nearly two years ago, committing some of its own development funds and partnering with the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County to explore the concept. The first step was to identify and hire an engineering firm to determine the best site for such a park. That firm — Portland, Oregon-based Group Mackenzie — is now on the job, and Cenova says its experts are looking closely at “three or four” potential sites. Town officials hope to have a site chosen by early next year.

The ultimate vision is for the park to be a privately developed and owned site on a lot of between 100 and 120 acres — large enough to accommodate six to eight small to medium-sized businesses.

Town officials had hoped to move more quickly on the project, Cenova admits, pointing out that the original plan was to have the park built and occupied by at least one tenant by the spring of 2010.

“Of course, we came up with that plan before the economy tanked,” Cenova quipped. Still, she insists that the plan, though delayed, is not derailed — and she says that town officials are using this time to sow the seeds for the park’s success by taking as many “small steps” toward sustainability as possible.

“There are lots of little things we’re trying to do now to try to change attitudes and to lay the groundwork,” she says. For example, she says, officials are reassessing energy use by the town itself, including a close examination of the operations at Town Hall. She says the town also is considering the purchase of more environmentally friendly trucks and other equipment.

Though she and her colleagues are not able to move quickly with development of the eco park right now, “we can still take the initiative and set an example,” Cenova says. “We want to lead the community in a thoughtful process.”

By “walking the walk” when it comes to environmental sustainability, she explains, town officials hope to generate enthusiasm, not just for the potential economic benefits that the eco park can bring, but for the long-term, quality-of-life issues it represents.

“We have such a rich heritage here in Hagerstown, and that’s a great platform to build on,” Cenova says. “But we don’t just want to rest on our grand past; we want to create a grand future.”

Founder’s daughters Janie and Mary Welliver, who have spent their entire lives helping operate the restaurant, had announced a June 28 closing date and admitted all they could do was “pray for a miracle.”

Their miracle, and the town’s great good fortune, came in the form of businessman Tony Bucher, owner of Across the Street Antiques. Not only did Bucher agree to buy the place and work to return it to profitability, he pledged to maintain the traditions that have helped make Welliver’s a diners’ “destination spot” for decades.

And to help him keep that pledge, Bucher turned quickly to a trusted, right-hand woman: Heidi Houck, who has been working for Bucher more than three years as manager of Across the Street.

For Houck, an 18-year Hagerstown resident, accepting the job as Welliver’s general manager was simple in one sense…but scary in another. “As a manager, I’m comfortable and confident,” says Houck, 43. “I’ve done retail, and I understand what it takes to work with people. Besides, I have five children (ranging in age 16 to 6). Talk about management training!”

Despite her on-the-job experience and her familiarity with Welliver’s (her previous workplace is literally “across the street”), Houck admits that nothing can really prepare a person to take the reins of such an iconic enterprise. “Everybody knows Welliver’s,” she says. “So many of the people working there have been there such a long time, and it has such a wonderful tradition. “It’s hard not to be a little intimidated.”

What has really helped, she says — besides the confidence Bucher has shown in her — is the way the Welliver family and the other employees at the restaurant have reached out to her.

“I’ve just kind of jumped in there with the Welliver family, and they’ve been so gracious to me,” Houck says. “Janie and Mary have been wonderful. And Margaret, too, she’s the third sister; both of her daughters work at the restaurant, and Janie’s three daughters work there, too. They’ve all got great ideas, and I have a lot to learn from them about their jobs and about the restaurant business.”

That learning process will never really end, Houck says, because her management style will always be a matter of give-and-take. “I don’t really like to manage as someone who’s ‘in charge,’” she says. “I work with people, and I’m very big on communication.”

Houck says her team-oriented approach extends not only to her new co-workers at Welliver’s, but also to the team members under her own roof — especially husband Scot, 47, a physical education teacher and coach who worked last year at Riverside Junior High School in Fishers.

“This really has to be a joint enterprise,” Heidi Houck says. “If we both weren’t on board — really, if the whole family wasn’t on board — it just wouldn’t work.”

Houck knows there’s much work to be done to ensure a profitable future for Welliver’s, but she’s already seen positive changes since Bucher’s arrival. Equipment is undergoing long-needed maintenance; the restaurant’s balky air-conditioning units are being repaired; and plans are in the works to publish a new cookbook — one that not only features recipes of Welliver’s best-loved dishes, but also shares customers’ favorite memories and anecdotes.

“We also plan to step up the look a notch by getting new uniforms for the staff — not just for the servers,” Houck says, “but for the folks back in the kitchen, too. After all, without them, there really wouldn’t even be a Welliver’s.”

Several other ideas are bubbling on the back burner — some of them Bucher’s, some Houck’s, and some that come directly from longtime staff members at Welliver’s. For example:

• Expanding the restaurant’s carryout service to serve outlying areas such as Richmond and New Castle.
• Preparing boxed lunches for noontime delivery to Autocar, Precision Wire and other area workplaces.
• Establishing a “fifth quarter” tradition by opening up a section of the restaurant after local high school games to serve kid-friendly food and view the just-completed contests on DVD.

Houck says that, since Bucher arrived and helped the restaurant avert financial crisis, there’s been a rush of new ideas — and enthusiasm — to boost Welliver’s future.

“Really, there’s a new idea about every day right now,” she says. “Of course we can’t do everything, and we certainly can’t do everything right away. We understand that it’ll take some time, and we’re going to take baby steps for a while — but we’ll get there.”

“The main thing is, we really don’t need to make drastic changes. In fact, we shouldn’t,” Houck insists. “Welliver’s isn’t broken. It’s just a machine that needs a little oil.”

The celebration, which begins Friday evening and runs through Sunday, will feature a Festival Market where visitors can buy Amish-raised produce, a variety of crafts and all types of fair food; an outdoor Kid Zone with inflatable games and pony rides; a car show; all types of musical entertainment; a teen dance at Hagerstown High School; and the traditional Jubilee Days Parade on Saturday morning.

“It’s going to be a great time, as it is every year,” promises Cindy Harper, who has helped stage the big event for nearly three decades along with her husband and other longtime Lions Club members and supporters. Cindy is a past president of the Nettle Creek Lions; her husband Jim, a Hagerstown optometrist, is the current president.

“We’ve been doing this for 27 years,” Cindy says. “There’s a core group of about 15 of us who help put this together year after year. To a certain extent, it’s kind of a year-round thing for a lot of us — you know, just part of the routine. We really have a lot of fun with it.”

With 27 years under their belts, the Harpers certainly represent a deep reservoir of knowledge about Hagerstown’s annual summer festival — but they’re by no means the deepest well. Consider, for instance, Bev Dale, a 73-year-old Hagerstown native who remembers the very first festival (in 1951) and has the honor of being named the very first Jubilee Days Sight Queen (in 1952).

“I won a dozen roses and, I think, $25,” says Bev, chuckling as she recalled winning the crown as 16-year-old Bev Leavell. “It was kind of a last-minute thing,” she says, pointing out that it really wasn’t even her idea to enter the contest, which was staged as a fund-raiser to help the Lions Club provide eyeglasses to needy children. “I was working at Welliver’s restaurant, and the day before the first contest, (restaurant founder and owner) Guy Welliver said, ‘Oh, by the way, Bev, you’re going to be in the Sight Queen competition tomorrow. You’re going to be Miss Smorgasbord.’”

She wonders now whether she wasn’t chosen largely because, as the daughter of a local car dealer, she had easy access to a convertible (an absolute must for the parade, you see). Whatever his reason, Welliver’s choice proved wise because, at a penny per vote, Miss Smorgasbord raised the most money from her supporters and so won the title as the first-ever Sight Queen. And she did it against stiff competition from about 30 other comely contestants. “A lot of places had several girls in the contest,” Bev recalls. “I think PC (Perfect Circle Corp.) entered 10 or 15.”

In the years after that big win, Bev didn’t just rest on her roses. In fact, she helped longtime queen contest organizer Don McCullough prepare for the event for many years. Also, even though she and her husband moved to Richmond 23 years ago, she still returns to Hagerstown most years for Jubilee Days.

Regrettably, she says her husband’s poor health will probably keep her in Richmond during this year’s festival. Still, she adds: “I’ve been back for a lot more of them than I’ve missed over the years, I can tell you that. I’ve always enjoyed Jubilee Days, and I’m proud to have been the first queen.”

A good measure of Bev’s pride is no doubt linked to the good that comes from the money the festival generates each year; and community assistance is still very much at the heart of the event. The money raised from Jubilee Days helps the Lions support a host of local and regional organizations — including the Nettle Creek Food Pantry, the Greens Fork girls softball program and Hagerstown Little League — as well as assist area low-income families at Christmas.

Aside from the donations it generates for others, however, the three-day festival also generates something very important to participants: priceless memories such as those shared by Bev Dale and the Harpers.

And it’s not only longtime veterans who treasure the tradition.

“My wife and I have only lived here since 2001, and at first I really didn’t get it,” admits Jeff Richards, owner of a local design firm called Freedonia Studios. “I thought Jubilee Days was just another summer festival — you know, a parade, games for the kids, that sort of thing.”

But after living in Hagerstown for several years and attending the festival with their sons (9-year-old Seth and Eli, who will turn 7 on Aug. 10), Jeff says he and his wife Janelle now have a deeper appreciation for the event.

“Jubilee Days is really a giant homecoming,” he says. “It’s not just a class reunion; the whole town has a reunion. It’s a real celebration of family and friends.”

“We really do have a great group of guys,” says Cole, a lifelong Hagerstown resident who has been a member of the fire service for 19 of his 50 years. “We have several longtime members who have been on the force for more than 30 years; plus, we’ve been very fortunate lately to have several younger guys come forward and want to join.”

A zeal for public service is, of course, the lifeblood of any volunteer department, but members’ dedication isn’t the only thing that sets the Hagerstown department apart from other volunteer units. Professional-level training matters — as does a professional approach to the work.

“When guys ask about joining the fire service, we let them know from the very beginning what we expect of them,” says Chief Cole. “We want guys to be on the department for the right reasons — not just to wear the uniform or use the apparatus, but because they’re committed to really helping the people in their community. Also, they have to commit to the training. We have regular training at least once a month, and we also have some special training classes. We want people who are really going to take it seriously.”

This professional approach has paid off in tangible ways, earning the Hagerstown force an ISO Class-5 rating — according to Cole, “one of the best ratings that a volunteer department can get.” Annual ISO inspection takes into account such things as ongoing training of firefighters, the accessibility and volume of the local water supply, and the existence of mutual-aid agreements with fire departments in nearby communities.

Because the Hagerstown force scores high in all of these categories, local residents not only enjoy middle-of-the-night peace of mind, they also save some money. As a result of the department’s Class-5 rating, Hagerstown residents earn discounts on their homeowner’s insurance.

Admittedly, maintaining sufficient staffing can be challenging for an all-volunteer force, particularly in the current economic climate, which often forces many small-town residents to work many miles from their homes — and thus dangerously distant from the people who may need their help during the workday.

“It’s getting harder and harder to find guys who still work close to town,” says Cole, who himself commutes daily to Richmond, where he works as facilities manager for the Dunn Center. “Luckily, we do have several longtime members of our department who are retirees. They live right there in town and can respond quickly.”

Still, Cole and the other members of the department are looking to the future; they’re actively seeking younger residents who might want to join the force. One way of doing this, says Cole, has been to revive a project that had been abandoned some years ago — the Junior Firefighters Program.

In Junior Firefighters, teenagers spend time “shadowing” fire service volunteers during virtually all aspects of the work — except actual emergency runs. “We teach them everything we know about fire safety and fire department procedure,” Cole points out. “Hopefully, they’ll want to be members of the department when they get a little older.”

Two local boys are involved as cadets right now, Cole says. Both are 17, just one year shy of the state’s age requirement for full-time volunteer firefighters.

Even if they don’t sign up when the time comes, though, Cole says their time spent as Junior Firefighters will be valuable — to them and to Hagerstown.

“It isn’t just about looking for new guys to recruit,” Cole says. “We also do service projects and try to get them involved in helping their community any way they can.” One recent project, for instance, had the two cadets going into the homes of needy residents to install free smoke detectors and talk about fire safety.

For Cole — and, no doubt, for every volunteer firefighter — this emphasis on community service is what being on the force is all about.

“The chance to really help a person, that’s the real reward,” he says. “It’s not like a big-city department. When we respond to a fire call or get called to an accident scene, we usually know the people involved. They’re our friends and neighbors, and they know we’re there to help them. That’s a great feeling.”