Dear Editor;
Well, well, well. I read with interest the article about the county commission playing Father Christmas and Scrooge all in the same meeting. Giving to some and taking some or all from others.
Before anyone gets bent out of shape, I will admit to working with arts and crafts. It has been a great outlet for me and has led me to meet some great people that have had a positive influence on my life.
I will say I have an issue of how the distribution of Hotel/Motel tax was divided up. To cut the Bricks and Mortar Fund from $30,000 to $25,000, reduce Preserving Pocahontas .5 percent, reducing Arts Council .5 percent, reducing Parks and Recreation 2 percent, cutting 2 percent from the Libraries and completely cutting the distribution to the Artisans Co-op from 3 percent to 0 percent, tells me, you as a commission, are not looking at the interest of all of the people that visit Pocahontas County or the ones that live there. Then on top of the cuts, you place a cap on how much they can receive.
People don’t come to Pocahontas County just to stay in a motel/hotel to ski. They come to gather family history, visit the parks, ride the trail, visit family and friends. While there, they shop and a lot of people like crafts.
I know that Pocahontas County needs trained people to staff their first aid. There is a shortage everywhere. I was a member of the first aid for several years. The training takes a lot of personal time and volunteering takes even more time. But to start a paid staff only in the northern part of the county to begin with seems to me to be a conflict since Mr. Rebinski lives up that way and has come up with the only proposal that was voted on. Also, to state he has already interviewed and approved three applicants that need to be hired?
What happens if the lower part of the county has an emergency? What then? What happens if Marlinton gets a call and doesn’t have a response? What if two or more areas have a call at the same time? It happens folks.
The funds to pay the staff on the northern end have been found. Where do you think the funds will come from for the middle and southern parts of the county? Think about it!
Yes, I am concerned. We spend a lot of time at our camp in Pocahontas County. It will always be home. But my camp is in the middle. There isn’t a paid staffed squad there.
I am so thankful for the volunteers. They give so much of their lives to serve the people.
Rebecca Grimes Simpson
Low Moor, Virginia