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COUNTY NEWS WASHINGTON
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017
VOLUME 149, ISSUE NO. 28
Jailers to get raise now, possibly more to come later
BY CYNTHIA SCHEER Managing editor
This Clifton/Brantford-area stone house was built before 1884. The Greenland family hired the three story home built. Leroy Pearson, who rents the farm now, said his grandparents were married in the house in 1884.
BRANTFORD BEAUTY This is the first stone building in a series about the limestone structures found in Washington County.
deeper than that. Pearson’s grandparents were married in that house in 1884. The Pearson BY CYNTHIA SCHEER family has Managing editor remained in the area Leroy Pearson since, and slowed his truck as he now Leroy First in approached a large, Pearson three-story stone house can admire setting alone in a crop the home’s stone work field. and think back on his “Isn’t that somefamily history every thing?” he said as he time he drives by the looked at the house 240 acre piece of land. located between Clifton Smiley Greenland and Brantford. “I keep and his wife hired the thinking about the house built, according people who were here to Pearson. The house years ago. They must was built by a stonehave had some super mason with the last talent.” name Larson, but the Pearson has been date of construction is farming the land since unknown. 1981, and his brother, A hallway leads Ralph Pearson, farmed from the front door to it before him. the kitchen, which is But the significance located in the back of of the house to the the house. The stairPearson family runs way, which had a fancy
banister before it was removed and taken to Colorado, according to Pearson, is located inside the front door. There is a small room either a series on side of the front hallway. Bedrooms occupied the second level, and an attic – complete with a window for
SET IN STONE
light – was located on the third level. The farm used to have a barn, but Pearson said it was taken down about five years ago. According to Pearson, his grandparents Martin and Anna Person – Martin changed his last name to Pearson soon after because “Per” is Swedish for “pear” – were married in the house in 1884.
See STONE on page 2
After nearly 45 minutes of discussion, Washington County Commissioners voted 2-1 to give jailers a $1.75 an hour raise effective immediately. Gary Ouellette voted against the raise. Before Washington County sheriff Justin Cordry and undersheriff Kyle Applegarth even stepped into the commissioners meeting at about 8:20 Monday morning the commissioners were already talking about a raise. “Two dollars an hour more only gets us to the 10th percentile,” commissioner Dave Willbrant said referencing the starting jailer wage for this part of the state. The county currently ranks below the 10th percentile with a starting wage of $11.73.
Commissioner Gary Ouellette said he’d like to consider a shift differential for nights and weekends, although he added that he doubted many of the county employees from other departments would want to work nights and weekends for $2 an hour more. Ouellette said he was concerned a raise for jailers would cause other county departments to demand one, too. SAFETY ISSUE Cordry told commissioners he is down to six jailers – some work 108 to 120 hours every two weeks – now that two more jailers have given their notice in the past week or two. Applicants for new jailers “don’t look promising,” he said of the standards required to be a jailer.
See PAY on page 4
Health department short on cash again BY CYNTHIA SCHEER Managing editor
years as the department planned for a new health department Tiffany Hayman building. That money met with commissionis now gone since the ers again on Monday department moved into saying the health the new building more department was short than a year ago, and on funds needed to commissioners said pay all expenses this unexpected issues with week. This is the second the building combined time in a month that with a new director has the health department created the cash flow director has had to problems. ask commissioners for “My budget is still on financial assistance. track,” Hayman said “I feel like everyMonday. “It’s the cash one’s eyes are on me,” flow that’s the probshe said of the health lem.” department’s financial Commissioners paid woes. “Our cash flow for $5,000 worth of flu cushion was spent on shots last month, and the new building. We’ve they paid another bill never had this problem for the department in before because we’ve late 2016, bringing the never been in this posi- county’s financial assistion before.” tance to the department Commissioners said to more than $12,000 in in September that the the past 12 months. health department had See on page 4 a significant nest egg built up for several
HEALTH
Serving the people BY CYNTHIA SCHEER Managing editor
Randy Hubbard returned to Kansas last week after spending two weeks serving meals for the Red Cross in Hurricane Irma-ravaged Florida. Hubbard is the emergency management coordinator for Washington County and said he volunteered because he wants to help. Hubbard traveled the 1,400 miles to Florida in a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle – a modified ambulance – with a volunteer from Nebraska. The pair arrived in Miami on Sept. 19. For 11 days he helped with mass feedings where he reported to a
mobile kitchen to load meals before spending the day handing out lunch and dinner. Most of the people seeking food were from the Florida Keys and were staying in Miami, although some were locals who lost power for 3 to 4 days and had no way to cook or preserve food. Hubbard said there were 10 ERVs that served meals in his district, and volunteers would get in line by 9:30 a.m. to load the lunches. The meals were prepared by volunteers, and Hubbard said he would sometimes drive two hours from his Miami base to the area kitchen he was working with that day.
See IRMA on page 2
Pierson retiring - PAGE 5
Randy Hubbard spent two weeks near Miami, Fl., as a volunteer for the Red Cross. He served meals to those displaced by Hurricane Irma.