By Heather Clower
The Parsons Advocate
There was a significantly smaller crowd at the Tucker County Commission which was opened by a prayer from Reverend Greg Smith followed by The Pledge of Allegiance. Commission President Lowell Moore called the meeting to order as the three commissioners reviewed the minutes from the previous meeting. As they looked through the minutes, Moore noted that the meeting earlier this month had a turnout of 95 in attendance in addition to the staff. Commissioner Jon Bush made a motion to approve the minutes with all in agreement.
Bailey Falls, Director of the Animal Shelter, began highlighting portions of her report she gave to the commissioners. The intake for February has been down; therefore, staff has been utilizing this time to make modifications and improvements to the facility. The February 8 follow up clinic was held in Thomas wasn’t as populated as expected; however, several still took advantage of the discount vaccinations and educational information provided by the shelter. Later that day, the shelter partnered with Animal Friends of Doggy Sodds to host a Valentine’s Day Adoption Even at Blackwater Lodge. “We also have been improving our website,” Falls continued with the web address being www.tcanimalshelter.org where all adoptable pets can be viewed. All shelter staff and volunteers have been doing Fear Free training online to accredit the shelter as a Fear Free Shelter. A grant was also recently secured that allowed Falls to attend Midwest Veterinary Conference in Columbus, Ohio along with other local shelter staff and veterinarians. “It’s amazing how many resources are out there if you look for them,” she stated. While there, she participated in educational workshops to apply to the local facility. There were 13 animals that left the shelter to go with rescue partners the month of February though the goal is to increase local adoptions.
Moore thanked Falls for a detailed report and stated he and Falls need to set up a time in the near future to work on the shelter bi-laws, which she has already compiled those from similar areas to review. Moore also asked if Falls knew of any issues with Lyme Disease being spread to livestock and domestic pets through wildlife. She had not heard of such cases recently, though she did inform the commissioners that they were testing all incoming animals for Lyme’s Disease and approximately 85% tested positive. Therefore, the shelter has stopped testing and went directly to treating all incoming animals.
Sheila DeVilder, County Administrator, is finalizing the grant application for the School Resource Officer to prepare to submit. She also attended auditor training earlier that day for the budgets.
Director of 911, Brett Ware, provided a brief report stating he received permission from the city to study the potential of a tower being built on their property. He stated he received a phone call two days ago from Motorola who initially quoted the 911 Center $137,000 to convert their communication system to microwave. They informed Ware that the quote was invalid due to a misunderstanding and the appropriate figure would be approximately double the initial quote. Ware is awaiting the final figure but he doesn’t expect it to be a feasible option for the center. He is meeting with Premier Construction to set up engineering studies and determine if the tower at White Gables would meet the needs of the county communication as well as the desires and needs of the city. “I was very pleased the city did not hesitate to move forward with allowing us to work on that project,” stated Ware.
Director of OEM Kevin White highlighted the main items since his report a month ago beginning with stating the Stop the Bleed Kits purchased through a grant have been installed in all three schools. The new trailer is set to arrive in approximately two weeks and the new truck is expected in eight to ten weeks. Approximately 85% of the GMC 3500 truck was covered by a grant and around 90% of the trailer. White has been assisting other local amenities to help them become aware of like grants they qualify for to assist areas they are in need of, such as school security.
White touched briefly on the corona virus notifying that information has been provided to first responders and pertinent facilities on how to handle potential cases. “To date, as of yesterday with my statewide call, there are 35 countries that are affected, the US does have cases, there has been 80,000 people affected, the US does qualify in that, but there have been 2,704 deaths worldwide,” reported White. Though not to be taken lightly, White did want to make it known that in almost every death related to corona virus, there were underlying, preexisting conditions within those victims and less than one percent of those who contract the disease have actually died. “I’m no healthcare provider, but if you go in and you look at how many people die from the flu on a yearly basis, it’s not even close,” he added. As for the flu, the state informed White that it has finally seemed to have peaked and is starting to slow down as far as cases being confirmed. Though Tucker County may not see this downward trend as of yet, the state as well as the country average has shown signs of decrease.
The stream cleanup project is upcoming though White wanted to reiterate there would be no dredging or bank stabilization, it is only debris cleanup from streams impacted by the last flooding event. On the topic of weather, White had spoken with Tucker County Schools Superintendent Alicia Lambert prior to the meeting to stay on top of impending weather relating to the safety of travelers along with students and staff.
The OEM 2020-2021 budget has been submitted as well as the 2018 EMP paperwork which is necessary for fund reimbursements. Though he doesn’t expect to need to make any big purchases this year, White aims to renew the computers at the EOC which are significantly outdated. The goal is to gain two desktops, eight laptops, and two monitors for the facility to bring their technology up to date. Other grants are being sought to update the Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) which has not been updated since 2007 other than indexes as needed. A commodity study is also in his grant plan that would help track occurrences within Tucker County especially with the Corridor H coming through that can compare incidences. The expected expense for the EOP update is around $10,000 and the commodity study is estimated at $7,000. White reminded the commissioners of a statewide training being hosted in Canaan Valley again this year August 3 through 7 which he requests their presence if possible.
Concluding his report, White noted of a possible flooding event that was called for which resulted in the readying of volunteers and staff if hit. Fortunately the precipitation stayed south of Tucker County; however, everyone was ready if and when needed. “Volunteers in Tucker County are a good thing that’s for sure,” stated White. He mentioned the recent power outage in the Thomas area of the county when the generator at the shelter failed to initiate. That problem has since been addressed and rectified. White worked closely with Cortland ensuring assistance was available if needed, though fortunately they are mostly self sustainable. Commissioner Fred Davis suggested that an event be scheduled during the summer to showcase the amenities the county possesses to assist during a time of need.
