Commissioners appoint, reappoint members to county boards
WAYNESBURG – Greene County commissioners recently appointed and reappointed members to various county boards effective January 2015.
Jim Hopkins and Debbie Stephenson were reappointed to the fair board; Commissioner Chuck Morris, Melissa Adamson, Joseph Conklin and Mary Shine were appointed to the county’s tourist promotion agency board; Joe Simatic was reappointed to the industrial development authority board; John Kendralla and Jim Goroncy were reappointed to the planning commission board; Michael Caruso was reappointed to the housing authority board; Melissa Kalsey and Fred Clark was reappointed to the tax abatement board; John Dorean was reappointed to the redevelopment authority board; and Lori Gilbert, Chris Bates and John Menhart were appointed to the Children and Youth Services advisory board.
All of the appointments and reappointments were approved during the commissioners’ regular meeting on Dec. 18.
Also during the Dec. 18 meeting, commissioners accepted two donations from EQT’s Local Giving Program. EQT made two $1,000 donations, one to the county’s Farmland Preservation program and one for Department of Recreation programming in 2015.
“EQT has a long-standing commitment to making a positive impact on the communities where we live and work, and we value being a good corporate citizen in our operating areas,” said Casey Durdines, EQT community advisor. “Giving back to Greene County’s Farmland Preservation and Recreation programs are examples of EQT’s commitment to our neighbors, whether it’s supporting economic development or community outreach initiatives.”
Attending the Farmland Preservation program presentation were Casey Durdines, EQT community advisor; Billy Cree, Farmland Preservation board chair; Laurel Rush, Greene County Conservation District agricultural technician; and Corbly Orndorff, Farmland Preservation board member.
Attending the recreation programming presentation were Jake Blaker, recreation director; Casey Durdines, EQT community advisor; and Pam Blaker, parks and recreation manager.
Following the commissioners’ regular meeting, the county salary board approved numerous motions.
For the human services services program, the board agreed to hire Ashley Bishop as a regular part-time High Fidelity Wraparound Youth Support Partner, Lisa Arnold-Milan as a full-time High Fidelity Wraparound Coach/Supervisor, Brenda Saver as a regular part-time High Fidelity Wraparound Parent/Family Support Partner and Chris Bates as a regular full-time High Fidelity Wraparound Facilitator, all effective Dec. 11; and also accepted Chris Bates’ resignation from the position effective Dec. 14.
The High Fidelity Wraparound program follows a series of steps to assist children, adolescents, and their families to cope with mental health challenges. High Fidelity Wraparound brings together different parts of a family’s life to support the family in reaching their goals.
Karen Bennett, director of the county human services program, said the county-wide initiative will target middle school-aged children, and referrals will come through the children and youth services program, juvenile probation and the schools.
The county applied for a grant earlier this year to initiate the program in Greene County and were awarded the grant in the fall. Greene County was one of eight counties in the state that was awarded the grant.
Training has already begun and the county intends to begin implementing the program in the county early next year, Bennett said.
For the children and youth services department, the board agreed to hire Rebecca Stout as CYS fiscal operations officer effective Dec. 8, and then accepted her resignation from the position effective Dec. 11; approved the promotion of Keshia Shelott to CYS caseworker supervisor effective Dec. 8; agreed to hire Deborah Satterfield as a regular full-time Secretary 1 effective Dec. 29; and agreed to hire Shelby Parisse and Gregory Thomas as regular full-time County Caseworker 1 effective Jan. 5.
For the district attorney’s office, the board approved the transfer of Linda Chambers from first assistant district attorney to casual assistant district attorney effective Dec. 19 to work as needed on continued litigation of prior cases.
For the courts, the board agreed to hire Pamela Mason as a court recorder/transcriptionist effective Dec. 1 and Lori Paletta Davis and Ryan Armstrong as conference/mediation custody officer effective Dec. 1, with a six-month probationary period; and accepted the resignation of tip staffers Catherine Joann Todd and Ella Mitchell effective Dec. 31.
For transportation, the board accepted the resignations of Christine Smith, casual van driver, effective Oct. 25 and Nancy Kingston, casual van driver, effective Dec. 19.
For 911, the board accepted the promotion of Richard Blaker from trainee casual 911 dispatcher to regular status effective Nov. 24.
For the county jail, the board accepted the resignation of part-time corrections officer Lucas Cubic effective Nov. 25.
For Magisterial District Judge Glenn Bates’ office, the board agreed to hire Sandra Tarasi as a regular full-time magisterial assistant effective Jan. 5.
For conservation, the board accepted the resignation of Laurel Rush, agricultural manager, effective Jan. 9.
For maintenance, the board agreed to rehire Timothy Guess as a seasonal laborer effective Dec. 22.
And for tax assessment, the board approved the promotion of Mary Ann Lewis to chief assessor effective Jan. 1.