Brandi Tyler is a divorced mother of two children who is on the list to move into the Huntington Housing Authority’s new Artisan Heights condominiums on 28th Street in June.
Her children are her top priority in moving to Huntington from Lesage, W.Va., where she rents a home provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
She said she was reluctant at first about the new location for her children because the condos are close to 16th Street, which has a negative connotation of violence and drugs. However, she decided it was a good place to live after she visited the condominiums.
“It’s like a neighborhood in that area,” Tyler said. “I liked them because they were brand new and because of the amount of space upstairs and downstairs. Right now I’m on a one-floor plan.”
Tyler commutes 30 minutes twice a day, five days a week to Chesapeake, Ohio where her 6-year-old is enrolled at Chesapeake Elementary, but if she moves to Artisan Heights, her drive would be cut to just six minutes. It would also cut her commute to Marshall University where she is a senior elementary education major.
Artisan Heights is just another step in Tyler’s path to becoming a teacher and being able to raise her children in a good environment while she is at school. It wouldn’t have been possible without the project being partly funded by a $2.17 million grant under the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. This program is part of President Barack Obama’s stimulus package under the Emergency Assistance for Redevelopment of Abandoned and Foreclosed Houses.
The money will be split among three projects. Artisan Heights will get $966,000, a single family two-bedroom home on Artisan Avenue will receive $65,000 and the Historic Barnett Apartments on Seventh Avenue will get $928,952. The rest of the money, about $200,000, will go toward administration fees to make sure the money is spent correctly, said Bill Dotson, executive director of the Housing Authority. The authority entered into an agreement with the state of West Virginia, which will govern the administration and use of the grant.
The grant made it clear that funds need to be spent by March 2013, but in the authority’s January meeting, the staff said they would have the money expended by the end of 2010. To make this goal happen, the authority chose sites that Dotson called “shovel ready.” These are places that were already starting to be developed or were ready to start. Artisan Heights, the home on Artisan Avenue and the Historic Barnett Apartments fit that description.
The single family home on Artisan Avenue was selected because the city designated its location as a blighted area. This means the area is run down and the city wanted to put extra resources into it, Dotson said. The authority will buy the structure for $10,000 and refurbish it for $55,000.
Dotson also chose this particular site because it’s a “shotgun house.”
“It’s unique to Huntington in that it is very narrow and very long, which was an old method of building on narrow lots,” he said.
The Historic Barnett Apartments, which will include three two-bedroom units and six one-bedroom units, was chosen for renovation because it is a historic black hospital. The apartments will be used to house the chronic homeless. Dotson said the area is perfect for that purpose because it is down the street from the Huntington City Mission, which offers services to the needy.
Artisan Heights will mainly house low-income families making 30 to 60 percent of the city’s $46,000 median income, Dotson said. The grant specified that no less than 25 percent of the funds could be used to house people whose total income did not exceed 50 percent of the area’s median income.
About 49,500 people live in Huntington and 40 percent make below the $46,000 median income, Dotson said.
“We are a poor town,” he said. “There’s no trouble right now finding people to fill empty units. It’s always been like that since I became involved in 1985. There’s plenty of need out there.”
Section Eight is the authority’s subsidy program where money is administered to private landlords who rent to low income people. The authority’s Section Eight waiting list has more than 1,600 people.
Another waiting list is for public housing and has about 600 people, Dotson said. This list is for units that are owned by the authority.
People qualify for these lists in three categories, he said. Individuals or families can be low income, which is making 80 percent of the city’s median income, very low income, which is making 50 percent, or extremely low income, which is making 30 percent. For a four-person family, this means making $38,000 per year for the low-income category, making $24,000 for very low income and $14,400 for extremely low income
These lists have been closed for three years because Dotson said he doesn’t want to add more people and give them false hope. Individuals already on the list have a waiting time of at least three years. Dotson said it would raise people’s hopes if they were put on the waiting list because then they would expect to be moved into a new place soon, but that just wouldn’t be the case.
Artisan Heights will take people off the Section Eight waiting list and put them into 22 large family units. The three-bedroom apartments will cost $635 in rent per month and the four-bedroom units will cost $645 per month. The low-income families will only have to pay 30 percent of their income toward rent. The authority will provide subsidy for the rest of the cost.
“There are very little four bedroom units being built in this town, if any,” Dotson said. “I think we’re the only ones.”
Once families move into the condominiums, authority staff will talk to them about developing a strategy of finding work to improve their lives now that they don’t have to worry about finding a place to sleep. The units only serve as temporary places for people to begin to provide for themselves and integrate back into working society, Dotson said.
“We’re about raising the quality of life of families,” Dotson said. “We don’t just provide bricks and mortar, but we require families to make self-sufficiency programs to start thinking about education and employment.”
The authority’s self-sufficiency program fits the goals of the state to revitalize targeted neighborhoods and reconnect those people with the economy, housing market and social networks, according to the grant’s documents.
Artisan Heights has had some trouble getting finished so far, Dotson said. The Housing Development Corporation, which is taking care of the development and management of the condominiums, has been behind on schedule because of this winter’s heavy snow. The site was to be completed late January or early February but is now slated for June or July. The Historic Barnett Apartments will be finished March or April 2011, and the single family home on Artisan Avenue will be started this summer and is slated to be finished December 2010.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Chapter 9 story about scams
A few little things have happened in my life where I’ve felt ripped off, cheated or defrauded. On a regular basis I receive e-mails telling me I’ve been left with a large sum of money from someone who died and left it to me in my will. I have received messages from people telling me I have somehow managed to be able to have millions of dollars wired into my bank account.
The perpetrators use good names for their e-mail subject lines so that I click on it and think it’s someone offering me a job or internship opportunity, or something like that. However, once I start reading the e-mail, the grammar is always very bad and that let’s me know right off the bat something is wrong. I also don’t trust these outlandish claims so I ignore them and delete them right away. I think if I really have that money coming to me, it’s going to reach me whether I answer the e-mail about it or not.
I read chapter 9 in the Investigative Journalism book. It said that reporters have multiple ways of finding out information about scammers and revealing who they are. Reporters can obtain information from their readers or viewers who call into the media about the scams they have bought into.
Many different organizations assist in alerting people about possible scammers or helping them in a case. The Better Business Bureau is one such organization. Others are attorneys, consumer advocates in government agencies and privately funded consumer protection organizations. Examples of these are special departments in the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. There are also professional organizations of bankers and bill collectors who don’t want scammers hurting their businesses.
For my particular case with the fraudulent e-mails, I would go to the Better Business Bureau, which is aware of these kinds of problems. I would use the bureau’s archives to find other people in the area who may have complained about these e-mails. I would go to the National Consumers League to tap into its information center that has an Internet Fraud Watch, too.
Another thing I could do to find the perpetrators is to go undercover. I would go along a little bit with the e-mail scheme by replying to their first message. I would not give out any information, but I would record all the e-mails sent to me. Then I will write about these dealings.
The perpetrators use good names for their e-mail subject lines so that I click on it and think it’s someone offering me a job or internship opportunity, or something like that. However, once I start reading the e-mail, the grammar is always very bad and that let’s me know right off the bat something is wrong. I also don’t trust these outlandish claims so I ignore them and delete them right away. I think if I really have that money coming to me, it’s going to reach me whether I answer the e-mail about it or not.
I read chapter 9 in the Investigative Journalism book. It said that reporters have multiple ways of finding out information about scammers and revealing who they are. Reporters can obtain information from their readers or viewers who call into the media about the scams they have bought into.
Many different organizations assist in alerting people about possible scammers or helping them in a case. The Better Business Bureau is one such organization. Others are attorneys, consumer advocates in government agencies and privately funded consumer protection organizations. Examples of these are special departments in the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. There are also professional organizations of bankers and bill collectors who don’t want scammers hurting their businesses.
For my particular case with the fraudulent e-mails, I would go to the Better Business Bureau, which is aware of these kinds of problems. I would use the bureau’s archives to find other people in the area who may have complained about these e-mails. I would go to the National Consumers League to tap into its information center that has an Internet Fraud Watch, too.
Another thing I could do to find the perpetrators is to go undercover. I would go along a little bit with the e-mail scheme by replying to their first message. I would not give out any information, but I would record all the e-mails sent to me. Then I will write about these dealings.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
SEC Reports assignment
Century Aluminum near Ravenswood, W.Va. had to close about a year ago for breach of contract. It used to be one of Jackson County’s largest employers, but now only has less than a dozen employees. When it was closing, it had operating losses of 8 million per month. Also, around the time of closing, a Tennessee barge company sued the plant for 4.6 million. The barge company stated that it was promised 400,000 tons of material to be shipped to it by Century Aluminum, but the number that was shipped was far less than that. The link for that story is http://www.wtrf.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=74882.
The link to documents on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Web site is http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&filenum=005-47307&owner=include&count=40.
I would develop these ideas into a news story by researching what exactly happened with the barge and century aluminum suit. I would see how much loss that the aluminum company suffered by looking at the SEC reports and then find out if this was enough reason to give the barge a smaller shipment than promised.
The link to documents on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Web site is http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&filenum=005-47307&owner=include&count=40.
I would develop these ideas into a news story by researching what exactly happened with the barge and century aluminum suit. I would see how much loss that the aluminum company suffered by looking at the SEC reports and then find out if this was enough reason to give the barge a smaller shipment than promised.
Proposal for nonprofit story
TO: Professor Morris
FROM: Emily Ayres
RE: The effect of the Great Recession on animals
SUBJECT: How the Humane Society of Parkersburg, Inc. is coping during the Great Recession
SCOPE: I will research the Humane Society’s financial expenses and distribution numbers and compare to previous years before the recession. I will ask what kind of changes have been made to adjust to the low economy of the Great Recession and what are the main causes for contribution money going down, if it did.
NEED: The Humane Society is a well-known charity and people need to know how well they are doing during this time and if they can still be relied upon for their services to animals.
METHODS: This story can be documented using the society’s financial statements and with information given by the officers in interviews.
SOURCES: I will be using Guidestar, the IRE Journal, my textbook and www.fourthestatethirdsector.blogspot.com. These sources will help me to know how to write a story reviewing the finances of a charity by giving me examples. These sources will also help me to ask the right questions and look for the correct information in the certain places it can be found. I will also use the Humane Society’s 990 forms and financial statements from the West Virginia Secretary of State
PRESENTATION: This will be an investigative story that will be blogged and presented to The Parthenon for possible publication.
FOLLOW-UP: Depending on the information I find, the story could lead to more blogs or publications.
FROM: Emily Ayres
RE: The effect of the Great Recession on animals
SUBJECT: How the Humane Society of Parkersburg, Inc. is coping during the Great Recession
SCOPE: I will research the Humane Society’s financial expenses and distribution numbers and compare to previous years before the recession. I will ask what kind of changes have been made to adjust to the low economy of the Great Recession and what are the main causes for contribution money going down, if it did.
NEED: The Humane Society is a well-known charity and people need to know how well they are doing during this time and if they can still be relied upon for their services to animals.
METHODS: This story can be documented using the society’s financial statements and with information given by the officers in interviews.
SOURCES: I will be using Guidestar, the IRE Journal, my textbook and www.fourthestatethirdsector.blogspot.com. These sources will help me to know how to write a story reviewing the finances of a charity by giving me examples. These sources will also help me to ask the right questions and look for the correct information in the certain places it can be found. I will also use the Humane Society’s 990 forms and financial statements from the West Virginia Secretary of State
PRESENTATION: This will be an investigative story that will be blogged and presented to The Parthenon for possible publication.
FOLLOW-UP: Depending on the information I find, the story could lead to more blogs or publications.
Proposal for Housing Authority story (last major project)
To: Professor Morris
From: Emily Ayres
Subject: Investigating the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which is a grant from the state of West Virginia to the Huntington Housing Authority. It will give the authority $2.177 million to rehabilitate or newly construct 32 units. The structures will have an impact for the work the Housing Authority tries to do in providing affordable housing for the residents of Huntington. The units will be at Artisan Height, Artisan Avenue and Seventh Avenue. These units will be for low-income families to privately own, the chronic homeless and for public housing. The Artisan Height and Artisan Avenue structures are under the Project Based Section A, which is to take people off waiting lists and to provide housing for 32 people who didn’t have a place to live before. The funds for the grant need to be spent within three years but the Housing Authority said the funds will be used by the end of 2010.
Scope: I will research how exactly all this money is going to be spent, especially when the authority says it will be expended by the end of 2010. I am in contact with Executive Director Bob Dotson who will give me information on the exact structures being involved in this project and how many people it will help. I also want to get in contact with a few individuals who will be moving into these structures.
Need: People need to know if the authority will be spending this money correctly and if the money is being put to efficient use so it can help as much people as possible.
Methods: This story can be documented with interviews of main staff of the Housing Authority and individual low-income families who will be involved in moving into the houses. I have to find out when work is actually beginning on the project and how the authority keeps record of its actions so the state knows it is using the money correctly.
Sources: Information can be had from the record of the grant sent by the state and interviews of Bob Dotson and other people.
Presentation: This will be an investigative story that will be blogged and presented to The Parthenon for possible publication.
Follow-up: There is a possibility for future stories while this project is continuing
and the structures are being built.
From: Emily Ayres
Subject: Investigating the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which is a grant from the state of West Virginia to the Huntington Housing Authority. It will give the authority $2.177 million to rehabilitate or newly construct 32 units. The structures will have an impact for the work the Housing Authority tries to do in providing affordable housing for the residents of Huntington. The units will be at Artisan Height, Artisan Avenue and Seventh Avenue. These units will be for low-income families to privately own, the chronic homeless and for public housing. The Artisan Height and Artisan Avenue structures are under the Project Based Section A, which is to take people off waiting lists and to provide housing for 32 people who didn’t have a place to live before. The funds for the grant need to be spent within three years but the Housing Authority said the funds will be used by the end of 2010.
Scope: I will research how exactly all this money is going to be spent, especially when the authority says it will be expended by the end of 2010. I am in contact with Executive Director Bob Dotson who will give me information on the exact structures being involved in this project and how many people it will help. I also want to get in contact with a few individuals who will be moving into these structures.
Need: People need to know if the authority will be spending this money correctly and if the money is being put to efficient use so it can help as much people as possible.
Methods: This story can be documented with interviews of main staff of the Housing Authority and individual low-income families who will be involved in moving into the houses. I have to find out when work is actually beginning on the project and how the authority keeps record of its actions so the state knows it is using the money correctly.
Sources: Information can be had from the record of the grant sent by the state and interviews of Bob Dotson and other people.
Presentation: This will be an investigative story that will be blogged and presented to The Parthenon for possible publication.
Follow-up: There is a possibility for future stories while this project is continuing
and the structures are being built.
Student Government Association minutes reviewed
In the Sept. 8 meeting of the Student Government Association, student organization funding requests were reviewed by the student Senate. In the story written from the meeting the reporter wrote about the student Senate still being inexperienced early in the semester. It was reported that Joseph Stone, senate advisor, and Steve Hensley, dean of student affairs, advised the Senate on how to review the organizational forms correctly.
All of this information is stated in the minutes. The story focused on one organization in particular, the Biology Club. It failed to mention however, how much money ended up being allotted to that club. That would have been good to include in the story. The budgeted amount for the club was included in the minutes and it said it was approved and sent to the finance committee for further review.
Another thing that wasn’t included in the story was that the finance committee was asked to meet after the meeting to discuss the recently approved bills. The story said there was heated debate over student fee fund distribution, but never said what was stated in the minutes.
Also, another interesting point in the section of old business stated that allocation of $1,000 to Delta Chi Fraternity was still under review. It would have been good for the reporter to find out more about this topic because Delta Chi was potentially receiving double what the other organizations were listed getting. The readers should know why Delta Chi is asking for so much money.
All of this information is stated in the minutes. The story focused on one organization in particular, the Biology Club. It failed to mention however, how much money ended up being allotted to that club. That would have been good to include in the story. The budgeted amount for the club was included in the minutes and it said it was approved and sent to the finance committee for further review.
Another thing that wasn’t included in the story was that the finance committee was asked to meet after the meeting to discuss the recently approved bills. The story said there was heated debate over student fee fund distribution, but never said what was stated in the minutes.
Also, another interesting point in the section of old business stated that allocation of $1,000 to Delta Chi Fraternity was still under review. It would have been good for the reporter to find out more about this topic because Delta Chi was potentially receiving double what the other organizations were listed getting. The readers should know why Delta Chi is asking for so much money.
Huntington budget story
The Huntington City Council made an additional $867,000 in cuts in the adopted 2011 fiscal budget. Scott Caserta, city councilman from District 7 said the Council is leaving the decision as to the details of those cuts to Mayor Kim Wolfe.
The motor pool and floodwall divisions will likely receive the most in cuts with motor pool having an estimated decrease of $155,596 from its $653,036 proposed budget and floodwall having a cut of $120,345 from its proposed $648,677, according to the City of Huntington.
The City Council is aware that most of the cuts have the possibility of resulting in layoffs in 10 departments and 20-day furloughs for city employees. The Council made sure, however, that the police and fire departments will be exempt from any furloughs or layoffs, Caserta said. Police and fire originally had cuts in the mayor’s proposed budget in February, but the Council decided to put money back into those departments.
“We funded police and fire right off the bat because we want a safe and clean city,” Caserta said.
The Council’s changes were announced March 22 in the adopted budget. The money the Council put back into fire and police and the raised insurance program costs of $564,000 will contribute to making the budget increase from the proposed 39.54 million to $40.28 million.
Caserta said the City Council and the mayor will be working feverishly up until July 1 on ways to generate revenue to find the money they need to give to the fire and police departments and to avoid as much as possible the layoffs and furloughs in other departments.
“Ultimately, we do not want to cut any services and want to have the ability to actually increase services” Caserta said.
To make those goals possible, Wolfe said his main contingency plan may be to implement a 1 percent occupation tax under the city’s five-year home rule pilot program. If the city were to adopt the 1 percent occupation tax then the city’s $3-per-week user fee would be repealed.
Caserta said the city would abolish the user fee, which is a regressive tax that everyone has to pay and replace it with a fairer way to generate revenue. People who work in the city will pay the 1 percent occupation tax, but it will not affect those who make less than a certain amount and for ones who are retired, he said.
The motor pool and floodwall divisions will likely receive the most in cuts with motor pool having an estimated decrease of $155,596 from its $653,036 proposed budget and floodwall having a cut of $120,345 from its proposed $648,677, according to the City of Huntington.
The City Council is aware that most of the cuts have the possibility of resulting in layoffs in 10 departments and 20-day furloughs for city employees. The Council made sure, however, that the police and fire departments will be exempt from any furloughs or layoffs, Caserta said. Police and fire originally had cuts in the mayor’s proposed budget in February, but the Council decided to put money back into those departments.
“We funded police and fire right off the bat because we want a safe and clean city,” Caserta said.
The Council’s changes were announced March 22 in the adopted budget. The money the Council put back into fire and police and the raised insurance program costs of $564,000 will contribute to making the budget increase from the proposed 39.54 million to $40.28 million.
Caserta said the City Council and the mayor will be working feverishly up until July 1 on ways to generate revenue to find the money they need to give to the fire and police departments and to avoid as much as possible the layoffs and furloughs in other departments.
“Ultimately, we do not want to cut any services and want to have the ability to actually increase services” Caserta said.
To make those goals possible, Wolfe said his main contingency plan may be to implement a 1 percent occupation tax under the city’s five-year home rule pilot program. If the city were to adopt the 1 percent occupation tax then the city’s $3-per-week user fee would be repealed.
Caserta said the city would abolish the user fee, which is a regressive tax that everyone has to pay and replace it with a fairer way to generate revenue. People who work in the city will pay the 1 percent occupation tax, but it will not affect those who make less than a certain amount and for ones who are retired, he said.
Proposal for first public meeting
Part of my class in JMC 414 Reporting Public Affairs is to follow a board or commission for the rest of the semester. My assignment is to get to know the people in the organization, research their activities and Web site and go to three of their public meetings. In the beginning of April I will be required to submit a proposal for an investigative story about information I have found out about and through the organization.
In the first class, I chose the Huntington Housing Authority. The board has regular meetings on the second Tuesday of every month, plus other various ones.
On Tuesday I will be going to my first meeting at the City Council Chambers for information on housing initiatives in Huntington.
I don’t know exactly what they will be talking about, but something along the lines of the city’s consolidation plan. Mainly the housing authority helps people who can’t afford it, find reasonably priced housing and offers them easy rental contracts.
The board has many different programs that it runs. It has a self-sufficiency program to assist the elderly and families, employment and training to help families enter work, a program to encourage the elderly to remain living in their homes and lastly a recreational program to help their customers live more enjoyably.
The organization also focuses on many other areas of importance like youth, tobacco prevention and art.
In the first class, I chose the Huntington Housing Authority. The board has regular meetings on the second Tuesday of every month, plus other various ones.
On Tuesday I will be going to my first meeting at the City Council Chambers for information on housing initiatives in Huntington.
I don’t know exactly what they will be talking about, but something along the lines of the city’s consolidation plan. Mainly the housing authority helps people who can’t afford it, find reasonably priced housing and offers them easy rental contracts.
The board has many different programs that it runs. It has a self-sufficiency program to assist the elderly and families, employment and training to help families enter work, a program to encourage the elderly to remain living in their homes and lastly a recreational program to help their customers live more enjoyably.
The organization also focuses on many other areas of importance like youth, tobacco prevention and art.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Review of second public meeting for Huntington Housing Authority
The second meeting was held Feb. 9. The meeting was started with discussion on finishing up work at the duplex on Tenth Avenue. That structure will be officially finished in March. After that is over, work will begin on the duplex on Artisan Avenue and it should be finished in about three to four months. These structures are public housing, which the Housing Authority will own. They are in high demand and there is always a waiting list for these types of homes.
The next item on the agenda was the installation of sprinkler systems in various structures such as Madison Manor, Riverview East and Fairfield Tower. These installations are all within budget and going well. The work should be finished by March.
The authority had a resolution approving the purchase and installation of windows in three buildings, which are also undergoing courtyard work. It will be a total of 146 windows that will be put in by General Building Supply. The window treatment will cost $46,693.
The biggest thing talked about is the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. It will allow the Housing Authority to be the lead applicant in spending 2.17 million. This is a grant sent by the state to construct 32 new units. The money will buy refurbished or abandoned foreclosed properties for Artisan Height, Artisan Avenue and Seventh Avenue. These units will be for low-income families to privately own, the chronic homeless and for public housing. The Artisan Height and Artisan Avenue structures are under the Project Based Section A, which is to take people off waiting lists and to provide housing for 32 people who didn’t have a place to live before. The funds for the grant need to be spent within three years but the Housing Authority said the funds will be used by the end of 2010.
The Housing Authority talked about increasing the amount of money employees have to give to the Public Employees Retirement System. This is an order from the State of West Virginia Consolidated Public Retirement Board and will be effective July 1. About 75 full-time employees for the Housing Authority are under the Public Employees Retirement System. This increase will cost the authority $152,000. When some people retire the authority wants to switch retirement plans for the people who take their places. Executive Director Bob Dotson suggested a personnel committee be made to aid in looking at different retirement programs and ways of getting around the extra cost.
The last item of business was to approve Maintenance Supervisor Terry Henry going to Greensboro, NC for a training seminar.
For the March meeting, I was unable to attend it because it was during my Law class. The Housing Authority is sending me its minutes of that meeting. I should get them later this week and will write a memo on those minutes when I get them.
The next item on the agenda was the installation of sprinkler systems in various structures such as Madison Manor, Riverview East and Fairfield Tower. These installations are all within budget and going well. The work should be finished by March.
The authority had a resolution approving the purchase and installation of windows in three buildings, which are also undergoing courtyard work. It will be a total of 146 windows that will be put in by General Building Supply. The window treatment will cost $46,693.
The biggest thing talked about is the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. It will allow the Housing Authority to be the lead applicant in spending 2.17 million. This is a grant sent by the state to construct 32 new units. The money will buy refurbished or abandoned foreclosed properties for Artisan Height, Artisan Avenue and Seventh Avenue. These units will be for low-income families to privately own, the chronic homeless and for public housing. The Artisan Height and Artisan Avenue structures are under the Project Based Section A, which is to take people off waiting lists and to provide housing for 32 people who didn’t have a place to live before. The funds for the grant need to be spent within three years but the Housing Authority said the funds will be used by the end of 2010.
The Housing Authority talked about increasing the amount of money employees have to give to the Public Employees Retirement System. This is an order from the State of West Virginia Consolidated Public Retirement Board and will be effective July 1. About 75 full-time employees for the Housing Authority are under the Public Employees Retirement System. This increase will cost the authority $152,000. When some people retire the authority wants to switch retirement plans for the people who take their places. Executive Director Bob Dotson suggested a personnel committee be made to aid in looking at different retirement programs and ways of getting around the extra cost.
The last item of business was to approve Maintenance Supervisor Terry Henry going to Greensboro, NC for a training seminar.
For the March meeting, I was unable to attend it because it was during my Law class. The Housing Authority is sending me its minutes of that meeting. I should get them later this week and will write a memo on those minutes when I get them.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Humane Society of Parkersburg fairs well in Great Recession
When Maryann Hollis took the position of executive director of the Humane Society of Parkersburg in summer 2008, she came with wide dreams and big expectations. She wanted to create new housing for the crematorium, which would be more energy-efficient and more widely open to the public, make a separate housing and adoption area for kittens and have a spay and neuter clinic that was more affordable. The clinic and new crematorium have been started. The society also launched a Volunteer Adoption Coordinator program in 2009, which allows society staff to work one-on-one with families to find the perfect pet. In the midst of the Great Recession, Hollis’ was able to follow through on some of her promises with her ultimate goal being to end pet overpopulation once and for all.
“I would be thrilled to lose my job because every homeless animal had a home,” she said.
The Humane Society of Parkersburg’s mission is to provide animal control and a shelter for homeless cats and dogs for the community. Maximum capacity is 105 animals, but the staff has its hands full usually with more than that. The past year the number of dogs and cats brought in increased from 4,471 to 4,587 or by 2.5 percent because more people were unable to afford pets with job and home loss, Hollis said. However, with that increase more adoptions and rescues have occurred.
It was by the help of people in the community that the society was able to do well in the Great Recession. From 2006 to 2008, total revenue increased by $123,691 or 30.7 percent because the public upped its contributions and grants during that time by $150,258 or 58.4 percent, according to the society’s tax returns from the past three years.
More individuals in the community are stepping up to be providers, Hollis said. “People want to help those who can’t help themselves, like seniors and kids who have animals but just can’t take care of them anymore.”
While total revenue increased, the society still faced some setbacks. In 2006 and 2008, total expenses were higher than total revenue. In 2006, the staff started out with $499,617 in net assets with $59,387 in deficit. Then in 2007 the society’s net assets were $537,661 and it had an excess of $38,044. In 2008 the society dropped its net assets back down to 499,727 and had a deficit of $37,934, according to the tax returns.
Total expenses increased $102,238 or by 22.1 percent from 2006 to 2008 because the cost of daily items needed for the shelter went up and because more animals were brought in. In just summer 2006, an increase of 1,800 animals came into the shelter, according to the Web site.
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