By Richard Kerns
rkerns@newstribune.info
tribune staff writer
KEYSER — On the eve of a Wednesday-morning court proceeding involving a recently terminated city employee, a member of the Keyser City Council criticized a fellow council member, saying he had been privy to the same information other members had when they voted to fire the worker.
Citing comments made by Councilman James Endler in a recent News-Tribune election profile, Councilman Dave Sowers said Endler had not been cut out of the loop, and had attended the same executive session in which other council members were briefed on the alleged misconduct.
“I'm sorry, sir, but you do have a clue,” Sowers said.
Councilman William “Sonny” Rhodes, who together with Sowers had helped expose the alleged misconduct of former Sewage Treatment Plant Supervisor Jim Hoffman — who is suing the city over his dismissal, with an initial appearance slated for 9 a.m. Wednesday in Circuit Court — reinforced Sowers statement, and said city officials are limited in what they can say by a gag order until court proceedings are complete.
With Endler saying nothing in response to the council members' statements, Mayor Glen “Bunk” Shumaker closed the discussion and the meeting by noting that the episode has been difficult for all involved.
“It's unfortunate the way things had happened,” the mayor said. “We did get a gag order real quick. Hopefully after (the court proceeding) we can put it all behind us.”
The tense confrontation capped an otherwise routine but busy council meeting, with members moving to consider the sale of a downtown city-owned parking lot, approving bid solicitation for a new street sweeper and abandoning a proposal to seek bids for a vehicle-maintenance contract from area garages. City officials also reported that work is progressing on getting the pool ready for a May 23 opening.
The parking lot in question is located across from the courthouse, and features 42 spaces. City officials reported that 28 spots are rented monthly for $20, generating income of about $7,000 a year. City Attorney John Athey, who maintains an office near the lot, had offered to buy the property last year, about eight months before he was appointed city attorney. A nearby church has also expressed interest.
The city has had the property appraised, but Shumaker said he did not want to release the appraisal figure prior to the vote. Council members then voted to accept bids, noting they will be free to reject the proposals if they are too low.
Advised that the city's street sweeper needs up to $40,000 in repairs, the council voted to advertise for bids for a new piece of equipment. The estimated cost of a new sweeper would be about $125,000 — to be paid in annual installments over six years — but that expense would be offset by $7,000 the state pays the city each year to sweep Memorial Bridge.
Westernport officials have also contacted Keyser about paying for the sweeper to service 13 miles of streets in that community.
Prior to dealing with the sweeper, the council voted unanimously to sell an old unused fire engine to the Burlington Fire Department for $1. The vehicle needs refurbishment, and has been languishing unused at the sewage treatment plant for a couple of years.
“We might as well give it to them as let it sit out there and deteriorate,” Councilman Sonny Alt said.
The council also approved a bid of $184,000 by Carl Belt to resurface St. Cloud Street, removing several inches of old pavement to improve drainage along the street. Numerous streets in Keyser have been repaved so many times that they rise above street-side gutters, channeling runoff onto adjoining properties.
The council opted against seeking vehicle-maintenance bids from area garages. City
supervisors in the streets and water departments said their crews change the oil on their vehicles and perform minor repair work, and can continue to do so. Shumaker also noted that one dealer would be unable to perform needed work if several city vehicles went out of service at the same time.
Finally, Water Distribution Supervisor Sonny Gank reported that work is moving along on the city pool, with the diving board repainted and other maintenance chores being completed for the scheduled May 23 opening. “The main pool is in pretty good shape for as old as it is,” he said of the pool, which opened in the mid 1950s.
