Should We Be Concerned?

I was a listener to conversations the other day about the condition of West Virginia's educational system. One statistic that was raised was alarming. The speaker said there are states that require 200 instructional days per year for each student compared to West Virginia's 180 instructional day requirement. If that is the case, a West Virginia student will attend school one month less than a student in a state requiring 200 days of instruction each year. Applying very simple math, a West Virginia student would loose out on one full year of instruction compared to a student in a state requiring 200 instructional days annually over the course of their secondary education.

School reform became top priority for Gov. Manchin after the conclusion of the legislature's regular session in March. Citing figures that show WV students were lagging behind their peers in certain areas, he asked the state Board of Education to come up with a series of school reforms to bring before lawmakers, which they did.

But in the end, only a handful of minor reforms passed. Advocates of school choice didn't get any language opening the way for charter schools or giving school administrators more flexibility to replace bad teachers. School employee unions didn't get laws helping to reduce class size or raise the starting wages of teachers, which are the lowest in the nation.

Gov. Manchin struck a conciliatory tone immediately following the conclusion of the special session July 21st. That tone was largely gone nearly a week later, with the governor saying the session's outcome was "very disappointing".

"The bottom line is - we have not reformed,' he said. "...The taxpayers in West Virginia have come forth: They have always been at the top of the national average in paying to educate their children. The system and all of us in the system have failed them."

Should we be concerned?

The Boss

Not the musician Bruce Springsteen, but a sandwich. That's right, a sandwich. Renee had lunch at The Daily Grind yesterday and I asked her to bring back something for me. Normally I eat in on left overs or some kind of quasi healthy frozen concoction. I like Steamers and Kashi frozen selections. But yesterday I decided I wanted to have something different and splurge for a freshly prepared lunch. As Renee was leaving to go out to lunch I just said surprise me.

Soon Renee was back and she placed the all too familiar square white Styrofoam container on the table in the studio kitchen. Her instructions were "Don't look at the sandwich, just taste it". I closed my eyes and took a modest bite out of the center of the sandwich and all of a sudden my taste buds exploded to a new sensation. Wow, what a great mix of flavors!!!

On examination the sandwich was prepared on a multi grain wheat bread which by itself was delicious. The internal ingredients included bacon, banana peppers, tomatoes, grilled chicken breast, lettuce, onion, sun dried tomato mayonnaise and the secret ingredient, a thin layer of peanut butter. Can you imagine that!!!! I love sandwiches and I consider myself a connoisseur of the unusual when it come to what can be placed between two pieces of bread. The sandwich is called The Boss and I highly recommend it. The Boss comes with your choice of a side and a crisp pickle. Enjoy.

Information For The Asking

A recent comment about one of my blogs inspired today's blogment. I'm very pleased that citizens are taking an interest in city government and seeking more information. It will take us all a little time to get used to the information that is currently available.

A commenter asked if additional, officer specific, report statistics were available and why council didn't ask the chief (Gregory) for that kind of detail. Actually, Chief Gregory's report to council did include officer specific activity statistics, it just wasn't discussed during the last meeting. One good way to see department report information, statistics, financials, etc., is to review the paperwork submitted to council members as backup information for our regular meetings. All the documents can be viewed by visiting the city's website www.buckhannonwv.org and click on the Announcements tab.

Chief Gregory, or any department head for that matter, will be happy to answer any question or field a concern from a resident. Give them a call or send an email. Contact information is also available by visiting the city's website under the Services tab. If you are uncomfortable contacting a department head directly, contact one of the council members. Our emails and phone numbers are listed on the city website under the Council tab.

Operational Audit

One of my council colleagues brought up the idea of an operational audit for the city. As we explore new ways to move forward an operational audit might be just what we need. An operational audit looks at many facets of city operations.

City council would be examined on performance and adherence to budgets, policies and procedures. The city as a whole would be analysed including appraisal of structure, controls, procedures and processes. The objective is to appraise the effectiveness and efficiency of each function of the city and see if it is meeting the cities' goals and objectives. Recommendations to improve performance are also made. The primary user of an operational audit is city council and the department heads.

If our city is going to progress and flourish we need to operate in a more business like manor. An operational audit would help us identify areas where improvement is needed and also identify areas where we are performing well. I would support conducting an operational audit and I would further support funding and identifying an outside expert to conduct the audit.

Rural Water Movement

In the not too distant past, fire departments relied on natural flowing creeks and streams, stock ponds and/or swimming pools the supplement the water carried on a fire engine. Today however, there is a significant portion of Upshur County that has water service and most fire departments with the exception of Station 1, have water tankers with drop tanks.

21 firefighters from Stations 1, 2 and 6 conducted a training exercise Thursday night at the Buckhannon Public Safety Complex. The focus of the training was the use of drop tanks and portable pumps. At a working fire, large amounts of water are required and the use of a fire hydrant may not always be the best source of water. If the water supply line from the fire hydrant to the engine crosses the road, that road then becomes impassable unless the water supply is turned off. Not good, especially for any firefighters conducting an interior fire attack. The use of drop tanks and water tankers is frequently used to provide an adequate source of water while at the same time allowing roads to remain open.

In our training exercise we used a two drop tank deployment with a large diameter hose siphon between the tanks. This dual drop tank configuration was used at the Key Energy fire earlier this year and effectively provided a 4000 gallon water source for fire control. Participants also used a variety of portable pumps that can be used in firefighting or more routinely in public service details such as pumping out a flooded basement.

I Saw A Saw Today

As a member of the water board, I was asked to view a demonstration of a hydraulic bar saw today at the water plant. Why a new saw? Picture yourself in a one car garage with no windows. Close the garage door and just for illustration purposes, imagine the roof removed. Now start a gasoline powered heavy duty chain saw and run it wide open for 8 minutes. The noise is deafening and the fumes are overwhelming. That's close to the conditions our utility workers must deal with when a service pipe needs cutting in a deep trench. Add to that a hot summer day and the conditions are miserable.

The saw demonstrated today is not gasoline powered but runs on hydraulics. As a result there are no toxic fumes in the excavated hole. Additionally the operating noise of the hydraulic saw is significantly less than a gasoline powered engine. In my opinion, the single most important factor in considering the purchase of the hydraulic saw is safety. The reduction of toxic fumes and noise are key reasons to add this tool to our arsenal of utility equipment.

Scout's Motto

As a young boy growing up in rural upstate New York, I found myself deeply rooted in scouting. I achieved all the ranks in cub scouts and started as a tenderfoot boy scout. Before too long scouting was replaced by summer jobs, sports and girls (not necessarily in that order). The biggest impact scouting had on me was instilling the principle of 'Be Prepared'. It has, and continues to serve me well.

In a recent addition of the Record Delta, a walking trail user used the 'Speak Out' column to comment that the pet waste bag dispenser had been empty the last several times she walked her dogs and asked that the dispenser be filled.

Let me first say thanks to that trail user for making the effort to keep the walking trail clean. I use the walking trail for photography and I am amazed a how many pets do not have responsible owners. City provided pet waste bags are a small dollar item that adds value to our parks system. Now the be prepared part. When I walk my dog I always bring not one but two 'white plastic bags with blue letters'. I would not be surprised that my fall and winter coats still have spare bags in the pockets just hanging in the closet.

I would hope that the 'Speak Out' dog walker does not give up on using the walking trails but also has a spare 'white bag with blue letters' just to be prepared for the occasional shortage. Better yet, use the spare bag and give it to a pet owner you might observe not scooping their own pets poop.

Obtuse Angles

I remember geometry from high school and really enjoyed the class. I recall isosceles triangles, theorems by Pythagoras and the mother of all angles, the obtuse. The obtuse angle is greater than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees and there is not much in regular life that relates to the obtuse angle. In carpentry, it is difficult to measure an obtuse angle and have the final cut come out correct. I speak from experience.

The crews working at Jawbone Park have been working with obtuse angles since starting the storm sewer project several weeks ago. The angles necessary for the various sewer tie ins are indeed obtuse and the work crews have done an impressive job accomplishing the most difficult tie-ins with accuracy and safety. For those readers who think progress has been slow, check out the attached image that illustrates the spider web of large diameter pipes in a confluence of obtuse angles. Work has gone well and concrete will be poured tomorrow around the intersecting pipe collars.

Splitting Hairs

The last two issues of the Record Delta have provided blog fodder. I have already commented on Senator McCabe's "rural by design" comments made during the Upshur County Development Authority's annual meeting in yesterday's blog. Future blogs might include observations about the new CVB, availability of dogie clean up bags at the River Walk, and/or the flood insurance program and how it relates to one of our new ordinances which had it's first reading during last night's council meeting.

Today's blogment (new word combining blog and comment) focuses on the last few paragraphs of the article about the new CVB. One in paragraph in particular reads as follows:

"It is not taxpayer money," she said Thursday. "It is the money coming from the people that stay in the hotels and motels. It is so untruthful to continuously refer to it as 'taxpayer' money".

The section of State Code that addresses this issue is found in Section 7 Article 18. In the official hard bound version of the State Code, Article 18, Hotel Occupancy Tax, begins about 1/3 down page 794 and continues through page 805. The word tax appears 27 times on just pages 794 and 795. When my family, my in-laws and my friends stayed in local hotels and motels, they paid a tax. To suggest anything otherwise is to me, is purely word smithing.

Probably the best and correct way to phrase the answer to reporter Katie Kuba's question regarding CVB legal fees should be, 'Revenues from the hotel occupancy tax were used to cover legal fees.'

What is the approximate amount of Hotel Occupancy Tax revenues spent by the CVB to date on legal fees?

A)$97,500
B)$127,450
C)$147,790
D)$217,400

As John Boy and Billie would say, "The answer is always C".

Rural By Design

I was invited to attend the annual meeting of the Upshur County Development Authority and was present for the lunch and guest speaker, West Virginia Senator Brooks McCabe. I sure many speakers have canned presentations where only the date, name of the venue and honored guests are changed. Senator McCabe's remarks however, were purposely focused on Buckhannon and Upshur County.

Senator McCabe believes we are in the early stages of significant growth and we need to have a plan. His vision for our region is not a mega commercial expansion but growth in all sectors with an emphasis on keeping our area rural by design. What is it that draws people to areas like Ashville, NC and Charlottesville, VA? The rural component. The challenge for our area is to grow business and amenities in logical ways especially along Corridor H. If unplanned development occurs, traffic flow and infrastructure can suffer. The character of our area needs to be preserved in conjunction with planned growth. Farmlands cannot totally vanish.

How we entice new knowledge workers and businesses to our area is key to successful rural by design planning. Senator McCabe believes we need to become more urban, offering desired amenities while at the same time maintaining our rural character. Senator McCabe also believes we are uniquely qualified to move forward in a long range rural by design plan because there are only two governing entities; the city and the county.

Speculating on what a unified city/county government might look like, Senator McCabe suggested areas of relatively easy commingling that include administration and law enforcement functions. He inferred that a serious attempt to become more streamlined would be looked upon favorable at the state level and some funding opportunities might be available. In any combination of systems there would be start up costs for learning new systems and training. Senator McCabe believe this can be accomplished without mentioning the 'Z' word zoning and taxation should only reflect the services received. A very interesting idea and one that I can see in the distant future. Ultimately is all comes down to people getting along with each other.

Sharp Looking Streets

Have you seen the Nat Geo TV series Life After People? The series shows what our planet would look like if no humans existed in a variety of future times. Shortly after the absence of humans mother nature takes hold quickly and streets and walkways are soon overrun with grass, weeds and brush.

If you have noticed, our city street crews have been removing the overgrowth of grass and weeds from the street curbs in preparation for repainting those areas requiring curb painting. The streets that have been completed really look good. I asked if there was a tool that made the removal easy aside from elbow grease and brute strength. The answer was no tool existed but the young summer helpers will have strong arms by the end of the summer. One street that looks particularly good is Franklin. The cleaned curbs really enhance the look of the street.

If you happen to see the crews working, stop and tell them you can see a positive difference.

Sewer Rate Increase

By now most readers will have heard that the sewer rates will be increased by ordinance. The process of a rate increase will take place over the next 45 or so days. This assumes of course that the Public Service Commission formally approves the rate increase.

I attended a meeting last Friday afternoon at city hall where members of the Waste and Wastewater Staff of the Public Service Commission presented a report to the sanitary board members. The report provides the technical and statistical information supporting the proposed rate increases. The report findings were based on audits of the sanitary board of not only the financial condition of the utilit,y but also audits of the performance of the plant with respect to maintenance, capital improvements and personnel. Our waste water facility received positive recommendations and comments in the report findings. Hats off the Sam Ludlow and his staff.

I learned during the presentation, that our facility does have a contingency fund in case of an emergency repair. I believe I'm correct in saying emergencies are handles out of the approved operating budget. I also learned that a financially healthy utility systems enhance our city's ability to attract new business and receive favorable ratings from financial institutions.

In order to work toward developing a contingency fund and maintaining a sound financial foundation, future rate adjustments will be necessary. Waste and wastewater management is a basic service that needs adequate funding with a fair rate structure. From what I've seen, our city is doing a job with respect to basic utilities.

Summer Drought Arrives Early

The grass in my back yard sounds like I'm walking on corn flakes and the more I think about it, it sort of has the color of corn flakes. We are very dry and the usual dry season that comes in August has arrived early. You know for sure the dry season is upon us when the dam on the Buckhannon River behind West Virginian Split Rail no longer has water going over the spillway.

Our drinking water supply comes from the Buckhannon River and when the water stops going over the spillway, the Buckhannon River watershed has approximately 70 days of water reserve. If we are faced with an extended period without adequate rainfall, the drinking water supply could reach extremely low reserves.

The Buckhannon River water shed can be impacted by a number of factors. One factor is the number of fallen trees in the waterway. Fallen trees cause a reduction in the flow of water and when water slows it deposits silt. The more silt that is deposited, the less water can be retained behind the dam. Removing fallen trees would decrease the rate of bottom silting. Removing all the fallen trees in the water ways would decrease cover and fish populations might decrease. As always there are a variety of issues to consider before any actions are taken. To my knowledge, there are no immediate plans to remove trees from the Buckhannon River.

Another factor impacting our water shed is removal of water upstream of the dam. I was told that water is removed from the river to support gas well drilling operations. I do not know if this is true but for discussion purposes lets say it is. We use about 1.6 million gallons of water per day. If an equivalent amount is removed for drilling on a daily basis, the 70 day water reserve could be drastically reduced.

I mention the early drought, the 70 day reserves and the water shed issues only to raise awareness that our water is not an infinite resource. Water rationing is not in the immediate future but good water conservation habits should be routine for all.

If you think you have a water leak, the city water department can assist in leak detection and can be reached by calling 304.472.1651.

Blogless

My grandson, Anderson, left for Houston on Friday. It was a sad day but a day I knew was coming. I enjoyed being a grandfather and story telling with my son and his wife late each evening. Anderson arrived home safely and both families are getting back into a more normal routine.

My attention has been focused for the last several days on family and not thoughts, views and musings about Buckhannon. My routine blogs will return in short order as the new week begins.

In the mean time I will relish the memories of Anderson's visit. I keep finding little Anderson surprises in the house. A lost ball, a wooden pot banging spoon and his swimming pool were all reminders of his visit.

Firsts

Firsts are exciting. First place in a competitive event is always thrilling. I remember my first kiss, my first car, my first job and a lot of other firsts are in my data banks. This week my grandson, Anderson had his first visited from Texas. I'm quite sure my son Kyle and his wife Robin brought all the hot weather with them!!!

Anderson is 9 months old and he experienced several firsts during his visit. You've already heard about Anderson's first visit to Audra State Park, first watermelon and river swimming in yesterdays blog. Since then Anderson had his first experience with new foods. Eggs did not go so well as the headlines could have very easily read: Grandfather Poison's Grandson. Anderson had an allergic reaction to eggs at breakfast. His head turned red and grew two sizes larger due to swelling. Fortunately the reaction was short lived and Benedryl helped. By the evening meal Anderson was ready for another new adventure with spaghetti. Stripped down to nothing but a diaper, he polished off an adult portion of pasta with marinara sauce and two meatballs with great success. Today Anderson was the star of his own photo session, another first with Grandpa. Firsts are indeed exciting.

Our city is just like Anderson when it comes to firsts. Some firsts will be smashing successes and others will end up like the eggs. The important thing is to enjoy the process of firsts by learning from those that are not successful and building on those that are.

Promoting The Beauty Of Our Area

Right in our own backyard is Audra State Park. Over the years I have photographed brides, high school seniors, families and a harp player on the rocks along the river. The park is beautiful regardless of the time of year. Fall is especially beautiful but the snow and ice covered rocks provide an equally stunning view. The rhododendrons of spring are beautiful and I've used the spring greenery during photography classes at the park.

My favorite season though is summer time. Renee and I were at the park yesterday and remarked that we don't visit as frequently as we should. Even though the parking areas were almost full we still managed to find a parking spot close to our favorite area. Lots of families and park visitors were enjoying the cool water and friendly atmosphere. I photographed a family visiting the park from Texas with their 9 month old baby, Anderson, who experienced several firsts in his young life. First visit to Audra State Park, first swim in a river and first taste of watermelon. Doesn't his face just exude happiness? And just in case you are wondering, I don't need a model release. Anderson is my grandson pictured with his mom, Robin.

Noise On Kanawha Street

During my campaign for city council, several citizens approached me about the truck noise on Kanawha Street. Street noise was a topic of one of my earlier blogs. Since my election to council I have been contacted by several others also concerned with truck noise.

In order to fully represent your desires, I want to know if more community residents have an opinion about truck traffic and noise on our streets. Please contact me at my new council email scott.preston@buckhannonwv.org. I will make sure I share this information with other council members.

I have done some internet reseach on the topic of truck noise reduction and as you would expect there is no simple solution. The attached link, http://knowledge.fhwa.dot.gov/cops/OpsPublic.nsf/discussionDisplay?Open&id=4F26938368BB0B7F852571690076A9FB&Group=signs&tab=DISCUSSION , contains a variety of responses on the subject of truck noise reduction. You might find it interesting reading.

What's Behind Door Number 3?

The hook most game shows have is keeping secret all the goodies behind the numbered door or the secret square. Audiences were glued to their TV's waiting and hoping to see the secrets unveiled. City council may have seemed like that in previous meetings especially for those who viewed council meetings on delayed broadcast.

To aide council members in the flow of the meeting agenda, backup information (sometimes measured in inches) is attached in the order that items will be discussed. It is a very helpful means to assist understanding the issues at hand. Home viewers and some in attendance didn't have access to the backup information nor the agenda.

In the spirit of transparency, recorder Rich Clemens, is now posting the city agenda and backup information on the city website and in most cases the information will be online before council meetings. Check out it out at http://www.buckhannonwv.org/Announcements.html.

Coming soon, will hopefully be a city website function that will allow playback of the council meetings on your computer. This way you will be able to view the proceedings at your leisure. Thanks to Rich Clemens for adding these informative features. No longer will you have to wait to see what's behind door number 3!

Community Homework

One of the topics of last nights council meeting was the cable franchise agreement with Suddenlink. The franchise agreement is regularly renewed and during the renewal process the city and Suddenlink negotiate services etc. Having not been through the process before, believe the preceding sentence is by and large correct.

Discussions will soon be scheduled and it would be helpful to know what you, the citizens of Buckhannon, would like to see included, excluded or added to the current service. Without your input council, will be adding their favorites which include the woodworking channel, all about fire engine channel, nothing but pottery and Mayor Davidson's favorite channel, polka, polka, polka. Seriously, let us know your interests regarding cable service. Please let me know your thoughts via email at scott.preston.01@gmail.com.

Another community homework assignment is to help council get a pulse of the community. In 2008 a community survey was completed which provided data for some portions of the 2015 plan. Now, two years later, it is important to get a sense check. Are the views of the community different? Have we improved? We have grown in acreage but our population has decreased. Why? We are asking community members to complete the same survey issued in 2008. Now, the cool part, the survey will be on line soon. Please take time to visit the city website and fill out the survey http://www.buckhannonwv.org/Welcome.html. Due to the holiday schedule, the survey will not be posted until next week.

Code

Many things come to mind when I hear the word 'code'. Law enforcement and fire units still use remnants of the 10 code system. 10-4 okay, 10-22 cancel your response, etc. From my college days, I remember writing computer code. My engineering class was the last graduating class that took their exams on a slide rule. A TI 99 (Texas Instruments) calculator that could only add, subtract, multiple and divide sold for a bargain price of $99.95 in 1972. Computer code was punched in IBM type cards and sent to the computing department. If you were lucky, your results came back the following morning, only if each card was properly punched and in the correct order. Department stores and hospitals use codes for spills in isles, shop lifters and medical emergencies. There are professional codes of conduct, building codes, performance codes, construction codes and the list goes on.

In preparation for tonight's city council meeting, my first, I have spent some time reading several of the relevant West Virginia state codes governing municipalities and county commissioners and officers. By no means do I claim any proficiency in state code but I do have a good starting understanding of some of the most relevant codes. I believe it is fundamental to base city council decisions on relevant code and have checks, balances and audits that provide a score card on how well we are doing. Too often decisions are made based on emotions and not fact. I am not immune to making emotional decisions and usually the end result is "Honey , I'm sorry I opened my mouth."

I am hopeful that the 2010-2011 city council will park our emotions, biases and sometimes friendships at the door, to conduct the business of city government.