Not a Lot to Chew On

Last night I attended the joint meeting of the Buckhannon city council and the Upshur County commission. These joint meetings take place about once per quarter in months with five Thursday's. There was not a lot of substance in the agenda items with updates on the armory complex, 911 center, area addressing and combining the city and county primary election dates. Combining election dates is a good idea and long overdue.

At the end of the meeting there was a heartfelt tribute to retiring county commissioner Eugene Suder. Eugene has served the community in both city and county government.

The joint city/county meeting is an outward demonstration that both our governments do work together on common items. As a potential council member, I have some additional ideas where the county and city can share resources and build synergy. More to come.

Taking Pride

After most emergency calls we wash all vehicles involved in the response. It is a tiresome task because the adrenaline has long gone in many cases it is late at night. Keeping your equipment clean is just part of staying ready for the next emergency call. It's also a demonstration to the public that the equipment entrusted to the fire departments are maintained in top notch condition.

Every year, just before the Strawberry Festival, all the vehicles get an extra special cleaning and waxing. We want our vehicles to look their best for the Fireman's parade of festival week. I worked with Brian Elmore this week cleaning one of our engines. Brian is one of Buckhannon's career firefighters and his work ethic is exemplary. After Brian cleans a fire truck it could be ready for a sales show room. What makes Brian different? I think it's pride. Pride in his department, profession and equipment.

If you want an informative tour of the fire department, find out when Brian Elmore is on duty. His pride is contagious!!!

Saturday Night and All is Well

For me, today was a classic great day. I usually have some photography on the weekends and today was no different. A family from Charleston scheduled, Lucas, their one year old for a portrait session with us We photographed Lucas' older brother two years ago. Lucas was a red head with an infectious smile and made our job so easy. Renee built some cute sets and I'm sure the parents will be pleased with the outcome.

After morning photography, Renee and I attended Aaron Harris' auction at River Bend Golf Course. We were interested in a Victorian style couch and set of chairs. We were successful bidders and the couch and chairs will make great photo props.

The balance of the day included some usual chores both inside and outside with just enough time for a nap before making dinner. Now, getting ready to read a good book, I pause to think that I don't have to worry about being safe in my home. We live in an incredibly safe area and it has been that way for the longest time. We have a very low index crime rate which are the biggie crimes. Be thankful for the simple and safe lives we live.

The Three R's

As a young student I came to know the three R's as reading, writing and arithmetic. I was better than average at writing and math but was not a reader until much later in life. When I lived in Japan, I learned the joy of a good book. Japanese TV lacks a lot, especially when the language is very difficult to understand.

Yesterday, I received a new lesson in the three R's: Revision, Repair and Replace. On the recommendation of my orthopedic surgeon, I sought a second opinion as to why I have continued knee/hip pain and walk with a decided limp. It turns out the second opinion was really a blessing in disguise. The cause of the limp and pain is the old hip replacement and not the new knee replacement. I truly have a bionic right leg. It appears that the stem of the metal ball has come loose or was never properly seated in my femur. The surgeon said a revision was likely the next step to relieve the pain etc. Not knowing exactly what a revision was in medical terms, he explained it as repairing and or replacing the artificial right hip. The good news is the source of the problem has been found. The bad news, of course, is another surgery and more recovery time. Because I am one of a small percentage of people who generate copious quantities of scar tissue, the flexion and extension of my knee will not improve.

The surgeon said to use a cane regularly and don't aggravate the hip by walking or standing for long periods. I really didn't want to hear that news as I had already ordered door hangers for my bid for a council seat. I will have to employ some younger legs to distribute the door hangers. I had planned to personally walk to every house in Buckhannon but will not be able to do that before the election.

A Funny Thing Happened....

Last night I photographed the dress rehearsal for WVWC's latest production A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. What a great performance!!! I am onstage with he actors and several times I had to stop because I was belly laughing so hard I couldn't hold my camera steady. You will not be disappointed. A Funny Thing... is a long standing Broadway musical farce with adult themes. The actors do a fine job delivering comic lines and the singing is extremely well done. Don't miss the last performance of the spring season. Opening night is Thursday, April 22nd, with the curtain at 8:00pm. Call 304-473-8000 for details and ticket pricing.

Too Busy

It's good to be busy and I seldom complain about having too much to do. Thankfully business has picked up and the outlook is strong for the rest of the year. This week I spent four days on the campus of WVWC photographing graduating seniors and staff for the yearbook. It was a fun time but I was away from the studio most of the day which required me to do studio work either early or late in the day.

Today was one of the early and late days. Tomorrow we photograph the Junior Royalty Pageant and we have some new sets we will use to spruce up the images. All this work caused me to miss the Friday replay of Thursday's city council meeting on channel 3. I will just have to read about the hot topics in Monday's Record Delta. Hope to have more to share next week. Enjoy the weekend.

Old Fashion Snail Mail

There are some traditions that the electronic age cannot replace. I am referring to the art of hand writing a thank you note. When I receive a hand written thank you note I know it was sent with thought and meaning. We do that in our studio for many of our customers.



Today I prepared 21 individual hand wriiten thank you notes to all those individuals and businesses that generously contributed to the Rosencrance benefit dinner recently held at the Buckhannon Fire Department. As the department secretary, it is my responsibility to keep up with correspondence. When it comes to thank you notes, I put just a little extra effort forward because I beleive there is something special about the words chosen to express thanks.



I frequently receive thank you notes and letters for places I've been or purchases. Most often they are form letters with standard wordign and the only personalization is my name. On rare occasions, I still receive thabk you letters addressed to Mr. Scott and Mrs. #2 Preston. How sincere is that? To me a real thankyou is done by personal phone call or hand written note or letter. Leaving a thank you by answering machine, email or text is only half way there. If electronics is the only way to say thank you then fire away. But if yoiu can, follow up the electronic thank you with an old fashioned snail mail thank you.



You'll find the little extra effort to write a personal note to a friend will strengthen and build that friendship

Candidate Forum

I have been invited to participate in a meet the candidate forum on Monaday, April 19th, on the campus of WVWC. Beginning at 7:00pm, the forum will be moderated by David McCauley and is scheduled to last about 1 1/2 hours. The location of the candidate forum has not been established and will be announce in the local news papers.

Each candidate will have an opportunity to introduce themselves for approximately 3 minutes, then the questions will be put forth to the candidates on themes important to the college and students. A response time of 2 minutes per question will require each candidate to be concise and direct. That is incredibly difficult, especially when you have a lot to say and answers often require some background information. Wow, I need to practice. As time permits and after the responses to the theme questions, candidates will have to opportunity to respond to questions at large submitted by attendees of the forum. It should be an informative and educational evening for all.

I wonder if the WVWC jazz band, parroting the Academy Awards, will start playing music when the candidates have reached their maximum response time. In the memorable words of the great comedian, Jackie Gleason, "A little travel'n music Sammy!"

Pay It Forward

One of my neighbors had been out of town for an extended time and their lawn needed mowing. With such a beautiful day developing and I had planned to mow our lawn as well, I set out mow two lawns on Saturday. I felt good about doing something just because it was the right thing to do. My neighbor did call to thank me, but my joy was in doing something for someone else on the spur of the moment.

Sunday, an equally beautiful day, found me working indoors all day at the 69th annual Strawberry Festival pageant. The day was very long as I left home about 7:30am and returned 11 hours later. Not only was the day long but it was lonely. With only 14 contestants, I chose to work solo for the day. I remember when I first photographed the Strawberry Festival pageant there were 105 contestants. It's sad that such an important event has suffered as a result of decisions gone awry.

Back to my long day inside BUHS at the pageant. Two of the pageant staff members were assigned to monitor the pageant contestants in their dressing rooms and see to their needs etc. My photography area was just out side the contestants dressing area and I photographed each contestant in their three pageant outfits. The two pageant staff members took an interest in the photography end of pageants and I enjoyed sharing my craft with humor and hands on practice. Both saw action behind the camera during the day.

As the long day ticked by slowly my arthritic right knee was becoming more and more uncomfortable. My new photography helpers must have noticed my pain and without any fanfare they both chipped in and helped me during the crunch time of the pageant. Additionally, as I was photographing the contestants during the on stage awards, both my new helpers completely disassembled the temporary studio and had it ready to load in my car at the conclusion of the pageant. By pageant's end my knee was throbbing but my heart was ready to burst with gratitude for the unexpected help and friendship I received. My thanks to Teresa Kee and Marcella Garrison, two unselfish friends who paid it forward for me.

All for One and One for All Calendar?

At lunch today several ideas crossed the table and one that caught my attention was the notion of an electronic community calendar. Wouldn't it be efficient if all community events were on one calendar?

Around the Preston home and studio we have calendars that mark when the dog gets the next flea treatment, our social appointments, fire department activities, doctors appointments etc. They are not all in one place. Studio appointments are at the studio, dog flea treatments are marked on the kitchen calendar and the bathroom calendar has assorted appointments that we often forget because the calendar is usually hidden behind the bath robes. Renee has appointments plugged into her phone and I have reminders on my computer. How confusing and inefficient.

The same is true for community events. So many calendars and so many events are just too confusing. Some events are covered in the local papers and others are in weekly bulletines. An idea of a community calendar was discussed and the mechanics are really quite simple. Using an internet master calendar from a Google type host, a community calendar can be generated. A calendar coordinator would need to be appointed and responsible for assigning access codes to each participating organization. Each participating organization, once registered, would update events specific to that organization. I envisage a mix of organizations participating including, churches, fraternal organizations, St. Joes, WVWC, CVB, Strawberry Festival,Chamber, SUBA, BURMA,City and county governments, WVU Extension service, schools, neighboring counties and CVB's etc. The list is almost endless.

This idea would only be successful if it was fully utilized and most importantly updated often. Another responsibility of the calendar coordinator might be to send reminders to all participants making sure updates are received in a timely manner (easily accomplished with a batch email). This idea falls into what I consider the regional approach to communication and networking.

As usual all good ideas need someone to champion the cause. If this idea strikes a positive cord with any reader, please let me know and I can put you in touch with other like minded people.

The Wrong Side of the Bed

Yesterday I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I had returned from a two day trip to Virginia Tuesday night and was planning on leaving for a three day trip to Ohio yesterday morning. Just before leaving, a button was pushed. We all have them; those nerve endings that just wait to be agitated into action.

Without going into details that undoubtedly will be the subject of the local gossip mills, the nerve endings that were pushed were unfortunately attached to my mouth and not my brain. Right in front of the Daily Grind, a litany of colorful and choice words exploded from my mouth the likes of which would rival that of Raphie's father of the Christmas Story when he was working on the basement furnace.

My purpose for sharing this tidbit is multifaceted. First, it is a way to share the fact that I am humbly human and that running for city council in no way elevates me to any other status than plain old human. Secondly, I apologize to any ears offended by my tirade. If you think that was bad, try the high school lunch room!! And, thirdly, writing about the episode is cleansing to the spirit.

Dirty Jobs

I am a big fan of the television program, Dirty Jobs, starring Mike Rowe. I have watched in amazement and learned much as a result of the program. I have also seen episodes on jobs that I would not do on a bet. One of the dirty jobs in our city is that of Zoning Officer.

In last Thursday's council meeting, Zoning Officer, Rich Clemens, reported on several zoning issues ranging from homes in the process of being condemned to building permit appeals by disgruntled homeowners. By and large we live in a city that is neat and tidy but there are some troublesome properties that add fuel to the saying 'One rotten apple can spoil the whole bushel'. It only takes one home in disrepair or littered with unlicensed cars to spoil the ambiance of an entire block. Enter the Zoning Officer, whose job it is to enforce city ordinances regarding property condition, abandoned cars, signage, property usage, etc. The Zoning Officer is literally the city's complaint department with calls from citizens wanting remedies to property issues.

The challenge the Zoning Office is faced with is determining what is actually a violation of city ordinances. You can only imagine the debate between neighbors; one claiming unsightly trash and the other claiming family treasure. The Zoning Officer walks a fine and difficult line most often considering health and safety priorities when developing an opinion on properties.

There are abandoned cars on properties that have not moved in over 20 years. There is a sad case where a city resident is living in a tar paper shack with no plumbing and dirt floor. The Zoning Officer follows a set course of action which includes a series of letters that become less cordial and more demanding as time goes by. When a homeowner or landlord just refuses to take action the only option left is to pursue legal action.

Homeowner and landlord lack of response of the most serious violators has led to action by the Zoning Officer and City Attorney. Over the next 30 days, the top ordinance violators will be contacted by city police with a written request to correct the property violations. If the property owner does not comply, the city will take legal action. While I am not a proponent of legal action, I think in this case, it might send a message to property owners that our city is serious about enforcing property ordinances.

Not that I want to inflict any additional work on the Zoning Officer, but if you have a concern about the appearance, condition, or safety of a property call 304.472.1651 and ask to speak with the Zoning Officer. Your name is considered confidential and not shared with another party.

I don't think Mike Rowe would take on the dirty job of Zoning Officer in any city. Thank you, Rich, for the thorough and thankless job you are doing.

Who's Counting the Money?

In last Thursdays city council meeting a motion was introduced to delay the hiring of the new city treasurer until July this year when three newly elected council members will be in place. I must preface my comments by the very obvious fact that I am on the outside looking in and do not have all the details to make a thoroughly informed decision.

My gut response is a call to action remembering the wise words of Uncle Aust, whose mantra was 'Don't put off until tomorrow, what you can do today'. He and Uncle Tony ran a large truck farm where they grew vegetables not trucks. I worked for them several summers and have fond memories of going to market at 4:00am, coming back to the farm for a large breakfast about 8:00am then picking in the fields until early afternoon before it got too hot. I digress. If there is a short listed qualified candidate for treasurer, I would not delay in making an employment decision. A delay may cause the favorite candidate to seek employment elsewhere. The new council members would not be in a position to make a hiring decision until interviewing all the candidates. That's already happened with the existing council.

Discussion both for and against delaying the hiring decision was open and straight forward. Those in favor of delay sighted the heavy workload of the acting treasurer, Amby Jenkins, and the additional work required in making a transition to a new treasurer.

A motion to delay the hiring of a new treasurer passed by majority vote 3/2. With no more information, I would have voted with the 2.

City of Flowers

I watched Thursday's council meeting on Friday night and thought it was one of the more productive council meetings I observed. One of the presenters was Donnie Tenney, the city horticulturist, who showed a power point presentation of the 2009 beautification projects in and around the city. When I mention I am from Buckhannon, I have had people comment to the likes of "Oh the flowers are so beautiful. I really enjoy my visits there." What a wonderful way to be remembered as the city of flowers.

Donnie also highlighted how the city beautification projects were implemented using both volunteer and paid help to plant and maintain the many beds, boxes and planters. Buckhannon Rotary Club, Southern States and Lowe's are key supporters and contributors. Some of the paid help include high school students who have expressed an interest in horticulture and residents of local half way houses who need a helping hand. A great program all the way around.

Hats off to council member Jerry Henderson who asked a key question "How much does all this cost and where are the funding mechanisms that cover the cost?" Our city budget is extremely tight and every sector of spending needs a thorough examination. Council indicated they would meet specifically in the coming week to discuss the details of the city beautification funding and the plans for 2010. I am not advocating eliminating the city beautification efforts as I believe they help set our city apart from other cities in a very positive way. I do think we should be prudent and do what is necessary to maintain the existing beautification areas and carefully assess any ares of expansion for 2010.

My wife, a flower lover, said if I wanted to cut the program in any way she would not vote for me. I think I will take extra care when cutting the grass near her flower beds!!!!!

Good Friday

To me, Good Friday and the Easter weekend is the traditional start of spring, even though the calendar marked springs arrival several weeks ago. Spring is a time of renewal, cleanup and new growth.

I noticed yesterday the city street department employees were cleaning the sidewalks after a hard winter of cinders and salt. A dirty and dusty job but the results were immediately noticeable. Kanawha Street looks much better. Thanks!! And throughout the month of April, the city waste department will collect heavy objects without charge. Just call the waste department 304.472.0915 or city hall 304.472.1651 to schedule your pick up. This is a great service to help with your spring cleaning chores.

I've made significant spring clean up progress around the studio and my home. The deck chairs are out and we even enjoyed eating outside last night. Tomorrow may be another day of spring cleanup as the lawns may get their first cutting of 2010. I never thought I'd say I looked forward to switching the snow blade for the mower deck!!!

Most importantly this weekend marks a significant time for Christians as they remember and celebrate the life of Jesus. I believe that Jesus taught that every day was a day of renewal, and for that I am thankful.

April Fools

I think the title must refer to me. Why would anyone in their right mind want to run for city council and volunteer for a four year assignment that pays about twentyfive cents an hour? Add to that the friends you didn't know you have who are now asking for consideration for a special idea or cause. Or even better yet, are the friends you didn't know you had, that are calling to question my heredity and intelligence. I have already been tagged ignorant and vague by a reader of this blog. The election is just over two months away and I am far from being elected. What more is in store?

April 1st has traditionally been the setting for practical jokes and good fun. I am by nature trusting and therefore susceptible to the blunt end of most jokes. I can only hope I am totally on guard tomorrow and my true friends are gentle with me.