Dear Editor:

How shameful when people hear a man’s name and are immediately against whatever he proposes.

I believe this is the case with the Linwood quarry, the railway system and Mr. Ike Morris.

To back up my statement let’s look at some of the arguments such as “there will be more trucks on the road.”

This county has to rely on trucking.

Snowshoe has brought a lot more traffic of all kinds to the county. For some, this has been a good thing. For others, it has not.

If a railway was established, it could possibly mean fewer trucks.

The quarry could mean cheaper gravel for our side of the mountain, including Snowshoe and its residents.

Next, I’d like to comment on the “view” of the quarry.

We all drive by different businesses when we go on vacation. I pass hog farms and chemical plants on my way to the beach and I don’t begrudge those people making a living in a way that is different from mine.

I believe Mr. Morris takes pride in the appearance of his businesses and properties. They are clean and well maintained.

I have personally dealt with some of the ugliness that skiers can cause.

Now, let’s look at the argument about the groundwater being contaminated. Which I find very amusing. These are some of the same people that wanted to pipe their sewage for miles through other people’s property.

Surely, these folks know that water samples must be tested on a regular basis.

And last is the money.

The money for the railway is going to go to someone somewhere. The government is not going to say since you didn’t let anyone use it to create jobs, we’re going to divide it up and send it back to you.

Mr. Morris is willing to put a large amount of his own money into this endeavor.

I am not against Snowshoe. But who’s to say that we might not have had other businesses that would not have caused the county so many problems. Businesses that may have provided more job security.

Snowshoe has had many owners and faced bankruptcy several times.

In the beginning the Slaty Fork community and the county welcomed Snowshoe and its people. Not everything that has come from that has been good. Nothing ever is.

I believe that in the past the give and take has leaned more toward Snowshoe and now it’s time for  the Snowshoe community to be considerate of the other people in the county.

I believe the railway and quarry could be good for everyone if those who oppose it, including two of our commissioners, could see past the fact that Mr. Morris is involved and that he might make a dollar that they think he doesn’t need.

Nanette Beckwith
Slaty Fork


Dear Editor:

I am writing in response to the emotional reaction of two of our county commissioners in regard to the reopening of the Linwood Quarry. Common sense seems to have taken a back seat at that particular meeting.

As for the visual impact on tourism, there are a lot of places along Rt. 219 that look worse than a quarry operation.

The commission was told to consider where the county’s bread was buttered.

Those commissioners and the Snowshoe homeowners might want to take a look around the county at just how much stone, gravel and asphalt have been put in place so they can “put heads in beds.”

Anyone who thinks that businesses in this day and time can contaminate water supplies at will must be living under a rock. All water supplies in and around such an operation must test at a Ph level of 7. That is probably better water than most of us are drinking.

Dust emissions are monitored, as well, by the DEP and Air Quality and steps must be taken to control the amount of dust generated by the operation and its trucks.

Mr. Stump believes that Waco is following the money. Is that not what he and his fellow Snowshoe residents have done and continue to do?

The survival of the area depends on jobs. It is and has been the creation of jobs through tanneries, sawmills, Burns Motor Freight and the many individually-owned businesses that has sustained this county. Those businesses may not have been allowed to start up under the present generation of government leadership.

One Snowshoe homeowner did not want to “follow two trucks” on his vacation.

The commission should compare income brought into the county by that homeowner to the income from wages, taxes, fuel and more generated by those two trucks.

As for the reopening of the rail line, it has potential to benefit more than the Linwood Quarry.

Ike Morris is willing to put a good deal of his own money into a proposal that could benefit Beckwith’s Mill and Snowshoe, if people would look at what can be done and stop letting images of “What ifs?” run every new idea into the ground.

Snowshoe is a great asset to the county, but it can’t be our only asset. And every new plan or proposal need not meet the Snowshoe homeowner’s litmus test to be approved.

The people of this county need jobs and not everyone wants to be a front desk clerk or housekeeper at the resort.

The two nay-saying commissioners should look at the long-term benefits of this proposal and base their decisions on fact-based information and do away with “the sky is falling” mentality which has hampered growth in the county for the past few years.

Ron Tibbs
Marlinton

Dear Editor:
On August 28, 2009, Bradford Curtis Shively, 54, of Ronceverte was convicted on five counts of first degree sexual abuse. On Monday, January 25, Greenbrier County Circuit Judge Joseph Pomponio, Jr. sentenced Shively to one to five years on each count of abuse against his 10 year old victim. After sentencing consecutive jail terms, Pomponio suspended the prison term in favor of probation, stipulating the defendant be accepted into a sex offender program, he register as a sex offender, have no contact with the victim and have no unsupervised contact with children.   

In a moving statement by the victim, she talked about the memory of her abuse, and the emotional life sentence to which she has been confined. Shively is a pedophile that could have served as many as 25 years for his unspeakable acts against a little girl to which he admitted to.   

The Family Refuge Center has long advocated for peace and a safe community.  We think this sentence fails to recognize some of the realities of sexual predators and child molesters.  For example, the National Institute of Health tells us that during a lifetime, a child molester has on average 117 victims; 61 percent of which go unreported.

Moreover, it is a very common crime that exists in all economic circles; however, child molesters who are impoverished are more likely to be incarcerated than their wealthier counterparts.  We also know that 68 percent of pedophiles molest children in their homes, with the vast majority of children under the age of 13.  

This sentence is inappropriate because it fails to consider how studies reveal that child molesters who receive treatment act no differently from those who received no treatment for their addiction; according to the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers treatment for child molesters is ineffective.  Ernie Allen, President of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, reports that there are 400,000 registered sex offenders in the United States.  Among those, between 80,000 and 100,000 are missing and going unmonitored because they cannot be found, therefore victims continue to live in fear of their perpetrator.  

We feel perpetrators of any type of sexual violence should serve prison time, otherwise victims will not risk the anguish and embarrassment of detailing their experience, in addition to victims not feeling supported by their community when they do come forth.   
Sincerely,

Ellen Allen
Director

Thanks for covering our last PSD meeting.

Small PSDs often lack the resources to create projects.  As would be expected, businesses familiar with the process view this as an opportunity and step in with offers of assistance. Thus, the complex task of submitting documents to government approval agencies ends up in the hands of private business.

My opinion, not meant in a negative manner, is that those businesses have done such a good job that they have taken over the process completely.  In other words, the PSD board has become a bystander of sorts, often unaware of project discussions, done in good faith, but below the radar of the board.  The problem with this scenario is that the will of the people can get lost in the process.

For example, a review of our 2000+ page sewer project application reveals somewhat surprising and disappointing details. The representations made in it essentially lead us back to square one. Much of the hard won gains of the community, the will of the people, is missing. State of the art membrane technology is rejected and one of the major concerns; raw sewage running through pipes in the karst of the Upper Elk River valley through Slaty Fork, have reappeared as part of the overall project plan.

The application also contains an assertion that the findings of the community-supported Comprehensive Watershed Plan have and will be incorporated into the project.  This is a bit strange, since the PSD has already submitted the application, but the CWP hasn’t been completed. Ironically the next CWP phase features an assessment of existing septic systems and exploration of a decentralized treatment solution for the Upper Elk River valley.  The PSD would do well to join the community, make good on our application’s claim and consider this option.

Mr. Hamill reports that “Dr. Ray Morgan, a Maryland zoologist, had recommended further study on the proposed plant's potential impact on karst biology.”  It is important to note that this is the PSD’s own hired expert.  It is unclear whether the board knew of this recommendation or even that it was part of a report that was submitted on our behalf to the DEP.

Point being, the PSD board must become engaged and take a stronger role in the process.  We were appointed by officials elected by the people.  It is our responsibility to drive the process rather than just going along for the ride.

The details are complex, but what to do is not a complex decision, it is easy…take the reigns and build a project that the people we are serving have asked us to build.  

The proposed project is clearly not what the people want.  It is, instead, being driven by mistakes of the past and ill-fitting solutions imposed on us; solutions coming from somewhere other than our own community.

New cost-effective technology is now available. It allows for the highest possible treatment to ensure safe drinking water and viable trout streams. It can be incorporated in the sensitive karst regions alongside traditional centralized collection systems in the non-karst regions as part of an overall, multi-phased regional project.

Other communities, suffering from similar issues and noncompliance, have rallied the support of the very agencies that have the power to come down on them.  The folks in Canaan Valley found a solution in an even more complex and difficult situation.  I have faith that we can work with our community partners and obtain the support of our regulatory and funding agencies to see a sustainable solution that is a good fit for our community through to fruition.

Sincerely,

Tom Shipley
Pocahontas PSD member

Dear Editor:

Valentine’s Day is celebrated in February. It is one day set aside to let the people you love know how special they are to you. Special cards, flowers and calls are just a few ways we express our affection for each other during this time. Wouldn’t it be great if we could demonstrate our love for the special people in our lives everyday?

What if we each began to make better choices for our health so that we could be around longer to take care of the people we love? I have set some personal goals to try to improve my health as a result of the information that others have shared with me at meetings. So, in turn, I would like to share some facts and resources with you.

Smoking kills more Americans than homicides, suicides, car wrecks, drunk driving accidents, fires, alcohol, drugs, and AIDS combined. On average smokers die 13-14 years earlier than nonsmokers and for everyone who dies there are 20 more that will suffer a serious illness from smoking.

You may be thinking that spit tobacco would be a safer alternative, but you would be wrong. In addition to nicotine (the addictive ingredient), spit tobacco contains 28 chemicals known to cause cancer and other health problems. Some of those ingredients include arsenic (in rat poison), polonium (in nuclear waste), and lead (a nerve poison).

It does not stop at cancer, though. It also causes heart disease, tooth decay and death. Thousands of spit tobacco users die from oral cancer every year. If you are a chewer, check yourself monthly for early signs of cancer. Feel your face and neck for lumps, look for white or red patches or sores in your mouth. Log onto the West Virginia Tobacco Quitline at www.wvquitline.com for counseling support, or call them toll free at 1-877-966-8784. You may be eligible for free patches and gum to help you break the addiction of smoking or chewing.

February is the month to show those we love  that we care. In February we also recognize Through with Chew Week. If you are a chewer or a smoker why not make that decision today to set a quit date, and begin your action plan for a healthier you.

Don’t smoke around those whom you love, either. Secondhand smoke is deadly and causes serious illnesses like asthma and bronchitis. It can also increase the risk for SIDS. Please show your love to those around you by not smoking because ventilation simply does not work to get rid of the poisons found in its deadly fumes.

Would you like to join efforts to make your community a healthier place? You will find many dedicated people working on a variety of issues. My work is tobacco prevention which is funded through a grant from the Division of Tobacco Prevention to Mountain CAP of WV Inc. a CDC. I am just one partner. If you live in Nicholas, Webster, Greenbrier or Pocahontas and would like to join us please call Karen Larson, RTPCC-H at 304-847-2131 for more information. 

Karen Larson, RTPCC-H

Webster Springs

Dear Editor:

Hello, my name is Juan. I have black hair, brown eyes and I am a normal teenager. I like to play soccer with my friends, hang out with my friends, ride my dirt bike and I don’t like doing homework, but I have to. I don’t like chores and all the other housework. Most of my time during school nights, I would play soccer with my friends at the park.

I live with my mom and dad and my two sisters, one is 15 and the other is 7, so I am the middle child in the family. I live in Muskegon, Michigan, really close by Lake Michigan. I am in the eighth grade at Orchard View Middle School. Our new high school was built three years ago, so it’s like new. Next year, I want to play soccer for our high school, if I make it. I played baseball, but I always played outfield, then later in the season, they moved me up to pitcher.

The main reason I am writing to you is to request that you put my letter in your newspaper. We are practicing how to write letters in Mrs. Dirkse’s language arts class. She wants us to practice writing letters for our future. I hope the nice citizens in your town would send me something to remember your newspaper.

Thank you for putting my letter in your newspaper. I hope that I get some responses from your readers and we have this big map in our classroom and if you respond, then we put a pin on your town so the other students in our school could see how cool your town is.

Once again, thank you.

Juan Enriquez
Orchard View Middle School