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Volume 39, Number 27
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King George
Wednesday, July 1, 2015 50 Cents
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King George celebrates Independence Day at “Patriotic Polooza”
Photo by George Whitehurst
Ten-year-old Nathan Moody had good laugh as he was pitched off the mechanical bull at Saturday’s “Patriotic Palooza” held at King George High School. Despite stormy weather, area families made their way to the school for a light-hearted evening that celebrated America. Musical acts included the U.S. Navy Country Current Band and the The Rivertown Band. Those wanting a walk on the wildside could pet a variety of creatures brought out by Uncle Henry the Nature Boy. The Rotary Club of King George and the Ruritans Club of King George supplied food. Kids enjoyed adventure in the bounce houses set up in the gymnasium, as well with a variety of carnival games.
School bus efficiency study to begin for public school division Phyllis Cook King George school division Superintendent Rob Benson plans to hire a consultant to perform a student-transportation efficiency study. He informed the school board in the end of May via email of his plan to improve on-time performance for school buses. “I have reached out to three vendors to collect proposals for a transportation efficiency study to be conducted ASAP,” he wrote in the May 29 e-mail. “I think it is an excellent idea to have an outside set of eyes give our current practices, policies and the employee-related aspects of our operation a good scrub.” Following receipt of three proposals, he told The Journal he reviewed them and has now sent the selected proposal to the county for review and issuance of a purchase order. The company would provide a thorough review of the transportation department’s management protocols
and guidelines, the division’s policies and procedures for bus transportation, and bus routing. In addition to all other areas involving student transportation, it likely will review employment agreements, staffing levels, job descriptions, absenteeism, and wage and benefit structures. The review would take about 90 days and cost $9,850, which is within the superintendent’s spending authority. Benson said the cost would come out of the current 2014-15 budget year, which ended June 30. School bus transportation system has faced difficulties. An ongoing challenge in past years is a lack of full-time bus drivers. As a result, substitute drivers have taken on routes with which they weren’t be fully familiar, causing buses to arrive late at school. Bus drivers earn a starting hourly salary of $11.69 and work the 180 days of the school. Most of the positions are categorized as full-time, with health insurance offered, along with Virginia Retirement System benefits.
Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED, be at least 21 years old, pass a fingerprinting/ background investigation check by the Virginia State Police, meet state requirements for appropriate licensing and physical examination requirements, and pass drug and alcohol test. Benson had introduced a previous proposed solution for a lead driver program in an email to school board members on Dec. 5 and followed up with a presentation on Dec. 15. The lead driver proposal called for four experienced bus drivers as lead and assistant lead drivers for some additional hourly pay. They would serve as the first four substitute-run bus drivers each day, as needed, or run their own route, in addition to specific other duties. Some days no subs are needed, but sometimes as many as 8 or 10 substitute drivers are needed. “When we have a need for a substitute driver, we typically have See BUSES, page 8
Goodman Trial set for today in King George Circuit Court Richard Leggitt A Maryland man charged with a brutal murder and robbery committed in last April is scheduled to go on trial this week in King George Circuit Court. Anthony J. Goodman, 29, charged with the April 29, 2014 robbery and slaying, is set to be tried July 1-2. Law enforcement sources said security will be tight when Goodman, who with two accomplices is accused of killing 20-year-old Ronelle Johnson of King George, gets his day in court. Goodman, of Upper Marlboro, MD; Michael Andre Clinton, 29, of Bladensburg, MD; and Tenase Michel Shanks, 42, of Colonial Beach were charged with fatally shooting
Johnson and wounding Johnson’s cousin, Gregory Gaines, 20, also of King George. Shanks has entered pleas of guilty in King a George Circuit Court and will be sentenced on July 30. Clinton entered pleas of guilty earlier and received 45 years in prison for the violent crimes. Johnson and Gaines were shot in what officers said was a botched drug deal at a home on Winston Place. Judge Patricia Kelly Thursday ordered a pre-sentence report on Shanks, who will return to court for sentencing next month. Shanks admitted purchasing the gun used in the murder and driving the car involved in the incident but claimed she never got out of
the vehicle during the murder and robbery. Gaines, who recovered from the serious wounds he received in the incident, told investigators that Clinton and Goodman tied up the two victims with duct tape and Clinton shot them multiple times. Both Gaines and Johnson were robbed of their money and their cell phones. According to law enforcement authorities, Shanks stayed away from the actual shootings involving Goodman and Clinton, but then drove away with the two suspects. The Colonial Beach woman is the mother of a child fathered by Goodman, authorities said.
Photos by George Whitehurst
It was a grand old day at King George County’s “Patriotic Palooza,” held June 27 at King George High School. Uncle Sam (left) was on hand to greet those who came out for an afternoon of games, music and food. Alessa Leming (above) with the Rotary Club of King George got to know Barnaby the bearded dragon, one of the collection of creatures brought out by Uncle Henry the Nature Boy.
King George School Board mulls energy performance program Phyllis Cook The King George School Board wants to see if a state program will help it save money. School officials heard about an energy performance contracting program through the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy from Charlie Barksdale during a May 27 meeting. School board members commented favorably, but said they want more information. “I think it’s time we need to start taking action on this. I think we’re missing out on some things that we could take advantage of,” Mike Rose said. T.C. Collins agreed, but stipulated the board needs a better understanding before moving forward. “It’s a lot to digest,” John Davis said. Ken Novell agreed, saying, “We need to think on it. It’s good information.” “Energy performance contracting allows you to green-up or upgrade your facilities and you pay for the upgrades by reallocating existing energy dollars,” he said. Barksdale said his agency could support the division throughout the process, including helping to
decide on financing options such as lease-purchase, loans or bonds and review of a proposed contract, project oversight and verification of energy savings. Barksdale said the school board would first define its project needs. Projects carried out under this program by other organization include: replacement of inefficient chillers, old boilers and old heating and air conditioning systems; and addressing high water consumption or high energy costs. “You name it, we’ve done it under this program,” Barksdale said. The division would face a lengthy process. It would first select four companies from 18 state pre-qualified energy service companies and winnow them down after reviewing initial audits of the division’s facilities based on individual site visits from each of the four firms. The selected company would perform an “investment grade energy audit” under a memorandum of understanding. “It will tell you everything about your facilities – all of your schools. What’s wrong, what it would cost to do it, everything they found, how much energy would be saved, everything,” Barksdale said.
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He said those audit costs, usually between 5 cents and 12 cents per square foot of all division buildings, are rolled into the future contract. If no contract is finalized, the audit cost would be paid by the division unless the estimates of costs and cost savings differ wildly from those in the initial audit. After receipt of the audit, the school board would define a specific project and negotiate a contract. “You’ll take the energy savings from the entire project and bundle them together so the entire project pays for itself over the 15 year term we normally look at,” Barksdale said. Borrowing for large capital projects is the purview of the Board of Supervisors. Superintendent Rob Benson told The Journal last week he is in the process of setting up meeting between him, Barksdale and Travis Quesenberry to discuss the feasibility of employing the program for any energy-related portions of a proposed project to expand the middle school.