Tucker County Commissioners declare April as Child Abuse Awareness month Wednesday during their regular meeting. This is the 21st year the Commissioners have signed the proclamation. Pictured are back, from left, April Miller, Tucker County Family Resource Network; Lydia Johnson, Randolph Tucker Child Advocacy Center; Liz King, Randolph Tucker Child Advocacy Center; Alicia Bosley, Tucker County Child Advocacy Center; front; Tucker County Commissioner Diane Hinkle; Tucker County Commission President Lowell Moore; and Tucker County Commissioner Patrick Darlington.
PARSONS – Lydia Johnson, Director of the Randolph Tucker Child Advocacy Center, shared some big news with Tucker County Commissioners during Wednesday’s meeting. Johnson said the agency has their new recording equipment installed, and that the new system offers them dramatic improvement.
“We had big time problems with the sound previously which we thought had to do with the building, but it was just the equipment,” Johnson said. “The sound is working just fine and the video quality is a lot better.”
Johnson said the previous video equipment failed in January. “For the past two months, we were serving Tucker County kids in our Elkins office,” she said. “That’s not our goal. We wanted to serve Tucker County kids closer to home. We are able to do that again as of Friday.”
Johnson thanked the Commissioners for the space they provide to the program in the lower level of the Courthouse. “Thank you for the support you give us to be able to continue to have that space accessible,” Johnson said. “It is a significant amount of support you give, and especially being able to have a space right here in the middle of town.”
Another announcement Johnson said she was happy to share was that Alicia Bosley was hired by the CAC as an advocacy and prevention coordinator.
Commission President Lowell Moore said he appreciates the services provided by the Child Advocacy Center.
April Miller with the Tucker County Resource Network said her group works with the CAC and has attained many milestones through the year.
“The Office of Maternal and Child Health asked us to expand our Parents as Teachers Program into Randolph County,” Miller said. “With that, we have doubled our staff to 13. Five are in Elkins and the rest are here. We are also looking into possibly expanding into Barbour County, too. They would do in-home family education.”
Miller said the Parents as Teacher Program currently serves 54 families in Tucker County right now. “Our goal is to serve at least that many in Randolph County.”
Dustin Luzier, Director of the Tucker County Community Corrections, told Commissioners he has been busy writing his grant for the upcoming year.
“Home confinement is a great asset that we took over back in August,” Luzier said. “It’s been a great way for us to secure some more money for future needs.”
Luzier said the judge had said he was concerned about the cost for home incarceration. “It was costing the offenders $300 per month for that and the price was keeping a few of them from being on the program. I talked with our provider and that amount will be cut April 1.”
Darla Stemple, Director of the Tucker County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management/911 spoke about the recent brush fire.
“Originally it was estimated by U.S. Fish and Wildlife as being 1,700 acres,” Stemple said. “They recalculated the border and it is between 115 and 150 acres. They are very fortunate. It ran into the swamp and that put it out.”
In other news, Tucker County Commission took the following action:
-Voted to appoint Dale Ashby to the Historical Landmark Commission.
-Voted to accept the Advanced Communication Telephone Service Agreement.
-Set the date to set the Levy Rate for 9 a.m. April 21 in the Tucker County Commission Room in the Annex.
-Approved the first and final reports.
-Approved erroneous assessments.
Moore said the Commission members opened bids for work on the old Courthouse. He said they only received one bid from Wilson Restoration in Pittsburgh for $96,438.
The next regular meeting of the Tucker County Commission is slated for 4 p.m. April 22 in the Tucker County Courthouse Courtroom.
