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HINTON NEWS
(Continuing the Hinton Daily News & The Weekend Leader)
Home of the W. Va. Water Festival
:7
Volume 93 No. 1
Hinton, West Virginia Tuesday April 26, 1994
Suit Filed to Recover
25 Cents
Impeachment Cost
By Fred Long
Three school board members,
involved in a costly impeachment
trial last year, filed suit against the
sounty Board of Education, last
week, in an effort to recover their
attorney's fees while defending them-
selves against the charges.
The suit, filed by Board President
Bill Dillon and members Charles
Neely and Charles Barker, is seek-
ing a 'qlrit of Mandamus" from the
courts ordering the School Board to
reimburse attorney's fees totaling
nearly $22,000. Charges against
the three were dismissed mid-way
through the trial when a three judge
panel ruled that the petitions had
not "offered evidence sufficient" to
continue the trial.
The three, following the ruling,
tired unsuccessfully, in Nov. 1993,
to obtain reimbursement from the
school board. Dillon said a Supreme
Court ruling says that "public offi-
cials that have to defend themselves
in legal cases are enti fled to be reim -
.'Am theBoard of Education has
thus far refused to reimburse my
clients for their attorneys fees,"
Charleston attorney Michele Grin-
berg said in a letter to Circuit Judge
Robert Irons, "this Writ is tendered
for your consideration."
The suit was filed Tuesday and a
hearing before Irons is scheduled for
11:00 am May 13.
The Writ is also seeking attor-
neys fees incurred in bringing the
Writ before the courts.
In affidavits filed late March,
Dillon said the impeachment suit
cost him $7,290.73. Neely and
Barker's cost came to $7,390.31, their
affidavits say.
According to Dillon's affidavit, his
charges are $100 less because that
being the amount expended on my
behalf for a claim that arguably
concerned conduct outside the scope
of my professional duties."
Although the suit was filed Tues-
day, the only mention of it during
the Board meeting that night is when
Dillon asked Kessler, Business
Manager, if funds were in the budget
to reimburse them their fees if a
Writ were filed against the school
system.
Kessler told him nothing was in
the budget for that; however, if a
Writ was issued against the school
system they would have to pay the
cost whether or not it was in the
budget.
The Board is expected to discuss
the suit when they meet Thursday
night.
The impeachment suit, filed by a
66-member group, Concerned Citi-
zens for a Better Education, sought
removal of the three board members
on 19 coufits ranging from the school
colors issue, the deficit and dismissal
of former superintendent Jimmy
Tassos.
An appeal was considered until
last March when the group decided,
since Dillon and Neely would no
longer be on the Board in July, it
would be "impractical and unnecee-
sarf to seek an appeal to remove
them from office.
School Property
Subject to Auction
By Fred Long
In an effort to clear the school
system's long standing debt, School
Superintenden t'Richie" Rodes sai d,
School System
Terminations
By Fred Long
Although 17 teaching positions
have been terminated by the School
Board, along with five service per-
sonnal, School Superintendent tic-
hie" ROd said most of tbem will be
re-employed before school starts in
Augu
qt's not as bad as it looks," he
said. "Weql lose some teachers but
we,re going to be placing 10 posi-
tions and two or three have indi-
cated they will be moving, so it will
be lem then ven."
Also moat of the tarries persormel
cut will be placed, he said, "if we
have some retirements it's a good
chanos these gentlemen will come
back."
The following teachere were ter-
minated: Josoph Wills, Rita Pack,
Robert Talbett, Kathy Lamb, Vickie
Calu, Karen Edwarde,
Connie Buddand, Norman Far-
ley, Connie Lamb, Nancy Lilly,
James Payne, Janet Richmond,
Lucien Daigneault, Donna Kea-
ton, Paulette Adkins, Abigail Miklos
and Jack Surin.
The following service personnel
were terminated: Michael Hesh-
man, James Allen, Bobby Lilly, all
bus drivers; Raymond Wills and
Teddy Wills, both custodians.
"Ite custodians," Rodes said, "will
be employed somewhere in the sys.
tern. Two of the bus drivers will
come back and if we have a retire-
ment, all of them will."
Interviews for 10 teaching posi-
tions will begin this week he said. "I
expect several of the applicants for
these positions will come from teach-
ers already placed in the system," he
said. If a teacher already placed
moves into the new position if will
open a slot for one ofthe terminated
teachers, he explained.
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Hospital Change:
A Sign of the Times
Last week workers installed a new sign at Summers County's
hospital Tim old sign was removed, Tuesday morning, ud the new
mAppslaoh/an Regional Healtheare Summers County Hospital
$1gn, White lottere on a black background with ARH'e logo in red,
wa mt in its plaee immediately thereafter.
several abandoned pieces of prop-
erty will probably be offered to the
public at an auction .sometime later
this year.
Property visioned for the auction
block is the former Bellepeint school,
Pence Springs school, Riverview
school and Hpestem school, if the
property doesn't have a reversion-
ary clause stating once it is no longer
used by the school it reverts to the
heirs, Rodes said.
They are also looking at auction-
ing off modular and mobile units
used for classrooms at the Talcott
school, the maintenance shopinAvis
and what is left of the LPN building
behind the former Lincoln school.
We hope to liquidate our debt
and at the same time put these back
on the tax books," Rodes said.
Business manager Joe Kessler
said the school system will have an
estimated deficit totaling $150,000
when the newfiscal begins on July I,
a far cry from the nearly $400,000
deficit when this fiscal year began.
The reason for the $250,000 dif-
ference, he explained, is because the
school system received about
$100,000 from the state tofund three
teaching positions that were never
filled by orders from the State De-
partment of Educations.
Had the positions been filled, he
said, they would have had to elimi-
nate them now because of a drop in
adjusted enrollment.
The State Department of Educa-
tion also permitted them to use
$150,000 of the State Aid money in
Step 7, part of the state aid formula,
to pay utilities. 'nis was a one time
deal. They said they would never let
us do it again. = '
rhe budget," he said, qooks bet-
ter than it has in the pat four or five
years simply because the deficit is
smaller. We aren't nearly as far out
of balance as we were last year."
The total budget is about $9.7
million. Kessler said 90 percent of it
is salaries and fixed costs.
To Discuss Mini-
Grants Program
The Benedum Foundation has
been invited to discuss their mini.
grants program.
Ms. Caroline Carpenter of the
Benedum Foundation will be at the
Visitor's Center on Tues., May 10th,
at 6:30 p.m. to discuss and explain
the program.
This is an extremely important
source of funding to our community.
We need lots of participation ftxma
Hinton and Summers County in
order to obtain grant funds.
Police Try to Zero In On Killer
Police, Saturday afternoon, again surveyed
the scenic mountain side cliff where the
skeletal remains of Phyllis Pettry Rogers, 50
at the time of her death, were found earlier
this month. Several State Police officers,
federal agents and rangers with the National
Park Service investigated the site, around
1:30 pm, after officers returned here from
connected with the investigation was inter-
viewed. "We're a long way from the investi-
gation being completed," said State Police
Sgt. Les Mullens. Rogers disappeared from
her Nimitz home in Dec. 1992, but it wasn't
until May, 1993, when blood was found in the
trunk ofher car, that the investigation turned
into a murder investigation. Police said they
Delaware that morning where semeone heveseveralsuspects.
Boys and Girls Club Membership 200
Almost 200 have applied for
membership in Summers County's
Boys and Girls Club, officials an-
nounced today. We are really
pleased with the number of children
becoming involved in the club," said
executive director Chris Hopkins.
According to records about 45 at-
tend daily. The club is over the Big
Four Drug Store on the corner of
Temple St. and 3rd Ave.
They have two ping pong tables,
an electronic games room, crafts, a
snack bar, and games to play daily,
Hopkins said. A new photography
club also started this week in which
members can learn to develop their
own pictures.
There is a Work Out Challenge
planned. Future programs will
probablyinciude tutoring and home-
work help, a self-eeteem and drug
prevention program for different age
groups, outdoor and environmental
program for 6-18 yr. olds, career
exploration program and job readi-
ness skills program, Hopkins said.
The Boys and Girls Club of Sum-
mers County opened for the benefit
of all children andyouth ages 6-18 in
Summers County on Mon.,Apr. 18th.
The clubis open from 3:00 - 8:00 p.m.
on weekdays and from noon to 8:00
on Saturdays. Membership fee are
$5.00 per year.
Volunteers are needed and club
are looking for donations of several
items such as furniture, craft, offÉce
and cleaning supplies; children's
books, games and magazines, etc.
If you have any of the items listed
and would be willing to help, call
Hopkins, at 466-2500 anytime be-
tween 9 am and 8 pm.
Hospital Cutting 50 Saturday
By Fred Long
Arsductioninhospital occupancy,
coupled with down sizing efforts by
Appalachian Regional Healthcare's
home office in Lexington, Ky., means
cutting 50 from the payroll at Sum-
mers County's hospital, administra-
tor Scot Mitchell said yesterday. The
jobs terminate Saturday.
rhe occupancy at this hospital,"
he said, is down this quarter from
• the same period last year." He said
cutting payroll was necessary to keep
the hospital financially solvent.
aphis doesn't mean we're in
trouble," he said. "It's to stay out of
trouble."
Mitchell said 17 full-time and 33
part-time jobs will be eliminated.
Of the 17 full-time jobs; nine came
from the nursing staff while the rest
were orderlies and aides. For the
Slip
During the last meeting of
the Board of Education, while
discussing job terminations,
Board member Charles Neely
wanted to make his position
clear on the subject. During a
lengthy discourse, Tuesday
night, at 7:12 pro, he made the
following comment.
"I know we are going to have
to terminate some teachers,
and I don't like to do that. In
Summers County I know that
your job means a lot to you. I'm
retarded, as you'll know, and
I don have to hunt a job; but I
know if you have a job in
Summers County it's very
important.
most part, he said, the part-time
positions were filled by people also
holding full-time jobs elsewhere.
Several had not worked for several
months, he i&
The cuts will reduce the payroll
from 214 to 164, he said. We have
15 or 20 part-time positions left at
the most," he aid.
Mitchell said Appalachian Re-
gional Healthu is down.sizing
most of its 11 hospitals in an effort to
cut $8 million in expendituree. Cuts
are being made in staffing needs,
overtime and other areas "through-
out the ARH sy¢em."
The biggost problem, Mitchell
said, ie the amount of reimburse-
ment the hospital receivu from
Medicare and Medicaid. We'rs
getting less now then what we were
paid]astyear for the same thing, but
we're having to pay more in malaries,
more for supplies, and, because of
inflation, higher utility Mils."
He said with 70 percent of the
total health care costrelated directly'
to the payroll, that was the first
place to look" to cut the operating
cost.
£hese are real tough decisions,
but what we are doing is making
reasonable management decisions,"
he said. Although they are not plan-
ning a recall now, he pointed out,
should occupancy "go up we will call
back what we need."
All the layoffs were qsically by
seniority," he said; and, prior to any
announcement, the hospital's union
representatives were satisfied that
the procedure used was fair. The
employees joined the United Steel-
workers of America early this month.
Mitchell said next month they will
begin "salary negotiations" with the
union to bring the salaries of county
hospital employees in line with the
salaries of all employees in the ARH
system.
Swim ing Pool
Planned for
New School
By Fred Long
Hans for cotructiug a swim-
ming pool at the new Summers
County High School went into high
gear Friday, School Superintendent
WRichie" Rodes announced today.
'e met with the architect and he
is going to give us an itemized price
list, as cloee as he can, to give us an
idea what it will cost ua," Rodes said.
State money for the pool is not aveil-
able, he explained, "so we are going
to have to the money ourmlf."
Rodes mid the pool would probe.
My cost between $300,000 and
$500,000.
"lnis is something everyone in
Summers County is interested in,"
he said. "It will benefit all our chil-
dren because we do live in a area
eurrounded by water. We want to
teach our children water safety and,
more important, respect for the
water."
Rodos said the school property
where the new high school is under
construction has space available for
the expansion.