By Stephen Smoot
On the last Pendleton County Commission meeting before Easter Sunday, commissioner Roger Dahmer opened the meeting with his customary invocation.
“We thank You so much for the gift of Your Son Jesus Christ,” he prayed.
Boyd Lucas, vice president of the Friends of the Pendleton County Library, paid a visit to the commission with a proclamation in hand marking National Library Week. It read in part “libraries are treasured institutions that preserve our collective heritage and knowledge, safeguarding both physical and digital resources for the present and future generations.”
Lucas then addressed the commission, saying, “I want to thank you all, not only for your support of the library, but also for the citizens of Pendleton County.” He went on to say that he thanked them for their support “for educational and recreational resources, not just the main library, but the schools as well.”
“No one is excluded,” he noted. Dahmer thanked Lucas for coming.
Amber Nesselrodt, executive director of the Pendleton County Convention and Visitors Bureau, gave a report on the conclusion of Maple Days and other activities of the organization. She stated that “we had nice weather and a lot of foot traffic” for the second half of Maple Days.
Nesselrodt also updated the commission on plans to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Franklin fire. Additionally, she shared that the West Virginia Department of Highways had erected stakes for the new county line welcome signs, that the new Adventure Guide was out, and that the CVB would soon produce a hunting and fishing guide.
Much of the discussion of the meeting, however, centered around a proposal from Elise White, Pendleton County clerk, to address discrepancies created when Pendleton 911 telecommunicators went from eight- to 12-hour shifts.
Commissioners heard from White, as well as Rick Gillespie, Pendleton County Emergency services coordinator, and April Mallow in her service as county attorney. Under the current system, those working a 12-hour shift would get unduly penalized for taking a day off and unduly compensated when cashing in paid time off at retirement.
White and other officials’ goal lay in making the policy fair for all county employees. Mallow stated that “I want to make sure that the language is clean, legally.”
After discussion, the commission agreed to table the issue until the wording of the proposal is finalized.
Gillespie noted that “I’ve heard zero complaints. After they got used to it, they really liked it.” Carl Hevener, Pendleton County Commission president, added that “they realized they had more time off.”
Furthermore, as Diana Mitchell, Pendleton 911 director, explained, the longer break between work weeks helped the personnel deal better with the enormous stress of the job. Studies show that 12-hour shifts and longer breaks contribute to overall health.
Gillespie also reported that Stacy Bennett accepted the full-time position and that Pendleton 911 continues to review candidates for a part-time role.
White then stated that her office continues to look for potential poll workers for the May 14 primary election. Workers may earn $200 for election day, plus $50 for attending a training session.