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The HINTO1 ¢ NEWS
(Continuing the Hinton Daily Hews & The Weekend Leader)
Home of he W. V Water Festival
Volume 101 No. 11
Hinton, West Virginia Tuesday, June 24, 2.003
50 Cents
City has $85,00000 winfall
By Fred Long
An ATV ordinance banning all-
terrain vehicles on public streets has
become law, a dog ordinance
prohibiting the possession of
dangerous dogs within the city
limits is on the books and the city
has gained an $85,000 winfall
because of unpaid business and
ccupation taxes.
" These were the highlights of the
City Council meeting held June 17
at City Sidetrack Park.
A settlement was reached early
this month with City National Bank
bver disputed business and
bccupation taxes, Mayor Cleo
Mathews announced at the outset of
he meeting that was attended by all
members of the Council.
-Hinton joined in a civil suit
gainst the banking firm throtlgh
the state Municipal League shortly
after Mathews took office in July
2001. EarIier several municipalities
in the state had joined in the suit
that began in Beckley. Mathews
asked to be included when Beckley
won its case in the Circuit Court and
City National appealed to the
Supreme Court. The high court
ruled against the bank in March and
a settlement was reached with bank
officials this month, she said.
The city's share, which may span
10=years, is $85,464.48 and was
received on June 18.
An ordinance banning all-terrai
'-ve¢!es on public Sirees/alleys,
sidewalks, parking lots, and any
other city owned property was
approved following its second
reading.
Some debate followed overthe use
of the vehicles to clean snow from
the sidewalks.
"Several peopie use them to clean
sidewalks," Councilman Larry
Meador said.
/es," said Councilman Al Stone,
"and if it weren't for them, a lot of
our sidewalks wouldn't be cleaned."
Council agreed to draft an
amendment that would permit
ATV's to be used to remove snow, or
other obstacles, under certain
conditions.
A motion had been placed on the
floor by Councilman Bobby Wheeler
and seconded by Meador to approved
the ordinance, but Wheeler
withdrew his motion saying he
wanted to wait on the amendment
before taking any action.
"I'd like to move forward on this,"
Mathews said, "because we are into
the summer and people are having
problems with this right now."
Stone immediately offered a
: motion to approve the ordinance and
Councilman Pat Jordan seconded.
The motion passed by split vote,
Wheeler abstaining "on the bases of
what I said earlier," he explained•
The first reading of an ordinance
prohibiting dangerous dogs in the
city limitswas approved following a
motion by Wheeler and a second by
Jordan.
The ordinance defined
"dangerous dogs" as "Rottweiler, Pit
Bull, and any other breed of dog that
is known to be dangerous and have
violent tendencies•"
Wheeler said he received a bad
bite from a poodle once and Stone
said he has also been bitten by a dog.
"I believe," Stone said, "that
people make dogs mean. It seems
that Pit Bulls and Rottweilers get a
bad rap." He believed no breed of
dog should be singled out.
"The way I read this," Jordan
said, "we're not saying you can't
have a Pit Bull, we're saying you
can't have a vicious Pit Bull."
Municipal Judge Curtis Shaver
said "if you put the name in the
definition then they are
automatically vicious. That's what
you are saying."
Stone said he believed the people
that would know a vicious dog are
the "ones that are out picking it up,
or the cops that are out knocking on
someone's door and a dog comes out
an attacks him without provocation•
Or someone is walking down the
street and is attacked without
provocation. That, it would be safe
to say, is a vicious dog. But to say
all Pit Bulls and all Rottweilers are
or clinically test employees for the
presence of alcohol or drugs during
or immediately before or after work
hours."
Personal long distance telephone
calls are "permitted only in
emergencies and only after approval
from a supervisor," and that the use
of city tools and equipment "will not
be permitted unless prior approval
from the Department Head has been
received."
It also states if an employee does
not report for work for four
consecutive days without prior
approval or a doctor's excuse they
"will be considered to have quit" and
will lose all benefits and seniority•
In other action the Council
agreed, following a motion by
Meador and a second by Stone, to
apply for a development grant for
the construction a "river walkway"
along with access to the river for a
boat launch and a city park in Avis.
Chad Wykle, County Community
Development Coordinator, said the
property is presently in private
ownership, however the owner "has
expressed interest in selling the land
to the city if they can get the grant."
The land is presently occupied by
Eades Laundry and owner Ricky
Eades, following the meeting, said
he is also interested in purchasing
the property for a business• The
grant would require a city match.
.vici0w 0gs €lseem right," ,, Mtlaw&;.sakt .FEMA has,
Uouncil agreed to mhke an "changed the11: mind to assist the .....
amendment in the language for the
second reading and approved the
first reading by unar/imous vote.
Council also approved an
"Employee Handbook" following a
motion by Stone and a second by
Meador.
City Manager Christopher
Meadows prepared the long awaited
handbook that outlines the city's
policy concerning alcohol in the work
place, overtime, travel time, the
employees use of telephones, tools
and equipment among other things.
It specifically states that the city
has the "right'to physically examine
area damaged from the heavy snow
and rain last winter. "I think,
maybe, we're going to appeal that."
Meador offered a motion to
authorize the Dept. of Environment
Protection .to investigate the city
property occupied by Buncher Rail
Car Service for an environmental
study.
The 12-acre tract extends along
the railroad tracks behind Magic
Mart and Kroger almost to the
bridge. Buncher Rail Car has
expressed an interest in purchasing
the property.
The next meeting is July 15.
c°--This and That
By Fred Long
Insurance for non-profits took a
beating this month with an
unannounced increase, for some
exceeding 114%. Insurance with the
State Board of Risk and Insurance
Management, which seems to be the
only carrier in the State, increased
its premiums for the week long
Water Festival from $6,228 to
$12,760. The Community Center
saw its premium go from $1,564 to
$3,348. We haven't heard from other
organizations, but we expect the
Wellness Center and John Henry
Days took a similar beating.
Although no reason was given for,
we believe the shifting in insurance
cost for medical malpractice
coverage has something to do with
it. Maybe the problem with
Worker's Compensation too. Ralph
Wilson, chairman of the Water
Festival Committee, said the Water
Festival will take place as planned
but the insurance hike will have an
impact next year. "What it means,"
he said, "is it will eat into our
working capital," a modest reserve
that was built from practically
nothing. "We will have to find
someway to regain what we are
losing because of this. We can't just
continue to eat into our savings."
., First Train Under New Avis Bridge
The fir?sttrain to pass under the new Avis Bridge was captured in this photograph by
Everett Crawford. The steel span above the train, a form for pouring the concrete and
ultimate completion of the pylon that will support the bridge, had just been installed.
i i
City Celebrates State's Birthday
• One of the largest crowds,
Sat., helped celebrate the
State's 140th birthday during
the annual West Virginia
Birthday Celebration held in
downtown Hinton. Above the
Sons of Dixie, a Jacksonville
N. C. Christian music group,
perform on the Post Office
platform for the dance that
was held that night. Behind
them is a hand made, hand
painted: red, white and blue,
=' lJl backdrop ,e-
their Iogo, painstskingly
reproduced by Shirley Stone
and her daughter Danette
Vogel. The backdrop was
installed shortly before the
performance and, when the
group mounted the stage,
came as a complete surprise
to them. At the right President
- Lincoln, reenacted by Jim
Rubin of Prosperity, assists
Mayor Cleo Mathews cut the
birthday cake while (from L to
R) Mary Todd Lincoln,
reenacted by Joyce Browning
of Logan, Secretary of State
Joe Manchin III and his wife,
Gayle, look on. Bottom right
Congressman Nick Joe Rahall
listens to the Sons of Dixie
perform during the parade Sat.
afternoon.
i
Whittaker Buys ManCor
By Fred Long
Jackpot Powerball winner Jack
Whittaker, last week, for an
undisclosed amount, bought out
Secretary of State Joe Manchin's
share in ManCor, the developers for
the hydro power facility on
Bluestone Dam.
"It was becoming a political
thing," Manchin said in an exclusive
interview with the Hinton News.
Manchin was in Hinton Saturday,
for the West Virginia Birthday
Celebration, and Hinton News had
a brief opportunity to speak with
him following the cutting of the
birthday cake in the Memorial
Building before he had to leave for
another engagement in Beckley.
Manchin, who has already
announced that he will be a
candidate for Governor, said
Whittaker approached him and he
agreed to sell his share in the
• company, 50 percent. "Bill [Mitchell,
owner of the other 50 percent] is still
very much involved," he said.
ManCor Industries, Ltd, has been
working on the hydro project since
191.
"Mr. Whittaker is very interested
in Hinton, Manchin said. "He
wants to see this project completed."
Mayor Cleo Mathews said she
was excited to learn that Whittaker
had become a partner in the hydro
project. "Yes! I'm excited. Mr.
Whittaker is committed to this
project and is very enthusiastic.
He's already 1,eady to move forward.
He said this is his top priority,
second to his granddaughter. I'm
real excited because we have a great
opportunity here to decrease the
time it could take to get hydro power
on Bluestone Dam."
Mathews said Whittaker will
construct the facilities while
Mitchell will do the design.
If everything falls in place, she
said during a meeting last week with
Ralph Wilson, a member of the Tri-
Cities Power Authority, it could be
possible to have hydro power on
Bluestone Dam in 30 months.
Foundation Grant Presented
At the recently held Annual Grants Reception of tlle Hinton
Area Foundation. David Ziegler, a member of the Board of
Directors of the Foundation, presented a check for $200 to
Carol Jones, President of the New RiVer/Greenbrier Valley
Chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI),
for the purpose of buying educational materials to enhance
and support local NAMI group meetings. The local group is
an affiliate of NAMI West Virginia.