Wows & Scowls
Wow: The Fayette County Fair is back in full swing, continuing a tradition that’s entering its 51st year. The 10-day affair runs through Aug. 6, giving in-county and out-of-county residents a chance to partake in an eclectic mix of sights and activities, from farm animals to carnival rides to craft shows. It’s worthwhile for young and old to make at least one visit to the Route 119 fairgrounds, if only for tradition’s sake. Wow: The Fayette County Zoning Hearing Board has upheld two citations filed against William D. Pritts, whose Church of Universal Love and Music in Bullskin Township continues a long-running snub of the county’s zoning ordinance. It’s quite a stretch to justify a string of weekend concerts as any type of religious service, and if the zoning can’t be enforced then it speaks poorly of the current ordinance’s design or enforceability. One of the citations was non-musical; it dealt with placement of a mobile home on the property without the required permit. Either the county has a zoning ordinance or it doesn’t. But it shouldn’t fool around with creative attempts to sidestep the rules.
Wow: Fayette County Prison Warden Larry Medlock wants to let inmates earn time off for good behavior, per a task force recommendation designed to reduce overcrowding. In the absence of a larger county lockup, which may be in the cards down the road, Fayette needs to look at ways to ease the current burden. Even with the addition of a shell building a few years back, the county still has to pay to house an overflow of inmates in other counties’ jails, at a cost of $40 to $45 per day. As long as the policy wouldn’t undermine a person’s just punishment – a concern voiced by Judge John F. Wagner Jr. – we see no harm in giving it a try. It’s already done in the federal prison system.
Scowl: What’s up with the American space program? After taking 2.5 years to fix a loose tile problem on the space shuttle, NASA encountered the same problem with this week’s launch of Discovery. More than a generation ago, the United States space program was sending men to the moon and back safely, and overcoming life-threatening problems like that which befell Apollo 13. Now it seems like NASA can’t even get a space vehicle into orbit successfully, despite spending billions of dollars. It’s not a prideful moment for the nation.
Scowl: Either Fayette County owes Goodwill $90,000 for operation of the recycling center or it doesn’t. The matter should be decided quickly, instead of continuing like a bad tennis match. The root of the problem, as it is all too often, is apparently the lack of anything in writing that would codify the deal. Verbal agreements set the stage for later confusion and misunderstanding. The people in charge of the arrangement, on both sides, should have known that years ago. This is why solicitors are hired by government agencies, and it’s hard to believe any of them would ever have signed off on a handshake agreement had it been brought up at the time.
Scowl: In another Fayette County sub-drama, the long-awaited employee manual is being delayed because one department head needs more time to crosscheck its contents with current policies used in her office, such as those imposed by the Pennsylvania Civil Service Commission. That may be a valid point, but it’s also true that everyone should have seen the new manual coming, as it hasn’t been a guarded secret. Waiting until the last minute serves no one, not the county, not the employees and certainly not the big-money Mental Health/Mental Retardation Program that’s the source of the hang-up.
Wow: The 67th Annual Fayette County Firemen’s Convention started with a ceremony remembering the 37 firefighters who have passed away this year. It’s a fitting tribute to unselfish volunteers willing to risk their own lives in a dangerous form of community service. However, the number also illustrates that the volunteer fire department ranks are thinning, perhaps too rapidly, and that a crisis could loom. This has already been borne out in a study released earlier this year, one that chronicled the struggles of volunteer fire departments in terms of finances and declining membership. Simply put, fire departments are losing members for a variety of reasons, including death, and some type of long-term fix is needed. The state is aware of the problem and may end up putting forth a solution. But in the meantime, volunteers are a valuable backbone.