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Point Marion officials fill vacant seat

By Erin Hayes for The 2 min read

POINT MARION — Borough officials have appointed a new council member to fill a position left vacant by former council President Alfred DuBois, who died unexpectedly last month.

By unanimous vote, council on Wednesday appointed Kellyn Cassell to serve the remainder of DuBois’ term, which expires at the end of the year.

Cassell was one of two candidates interviewed to fill the seat, said Vice President Victoria Evans, who served on a three-member committee to interview and recommend suitable replacement.

Cassell, who moved to Point Marion six years ago, works in as a contract specialist for the Department of Energy in Morgantown, W. Va., where he earned his degree in business administration from West Virginia University in 2009.

In his letter, dated June 13, Cassell expresses his interest in filling the position should it not yet be filled, as a way of becoming more involved in the community, and adds that he learned of the vacant seat through Kelley.

Cassell will be sworn in at the next council meeting, slated for Aug. 5, said President Gary Reynolds, who thanked Kelley and Evans for interviewing the candidates.

In reading the police report for June, Mayor Carl Ables said that officers with the Southwest Regional Police Department (SWRPD) had put 138 miles on the borough’s patrol car, responded to 180 incidents and made five arrests. Of the 51 traffic stops performed, officers issued 31 citations and 20 warnings.

Manager Art Strimel said the borough was poised to sign a new contract with the regional law enforcement agency once SWRPD officials had signed off on it.

According to borough Solicitor Gene Grimm, who did not attend Wednesday’s meeting, the borough is continuing to work under the old contract with SWRPD, which was contracted to provide police protection to the borough last year. The old contract provides perpetuity until either party terminates, he said, adding that he is continuing to draft a new contract reflecting a $5-per-hour increase in hourly fees.

In other business, council:

n Announced that the borough will begin hosting its annual Movies in Park attraction on Saturday, July 24. A rain day has been set for Sunday, July 25. A movie has yet to be announced.

n Announced that a coffee and conversation session will be held at the borough building at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 22. The sessions, held on the fourth Wednesday of each month, are designed to encourage input from the community in an informal setting.

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