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Seeking Information on Robbery
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50 Cents Volume 144
Putnam Clerk’s Office - Moving Forward By Justin Waybright justin@theputnamstandard.com
SUBMITTED PRESS RELEASE At approximately 2130 hrs (Wednesday, January 30) the Par Mar #15/BP gas station, located at intersection of Hospital Drive and Route 34, was Armed Robbed by a female. The female entered the convenient store, brandished a knife, and demanded money. The suspect is described as a Blonde female, 5-3’ medium blonde, last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses. Suspect had parts of her face painted blue. Female fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of money to the side of the establishment. Moments later, a Blue Dodge Intrepid was seen fleeing the immediate area.
If anyone has information about the robbery, please call the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department at (304) 586-0214
HOW TO REACH US PHONE: (304) 743-6731 FAX: (304) 562-6214
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WINFIELD - Things are changing in the Putnam County Clerk’s Office. Electronic payments and document searches will soon move it into the future. The driving force behind the upgrades is residents, said County Clerk Brian Wood. “We’re just looking for more avenues to help people out,” he said. Residents can now access documents in the courthouse, via an extensive database. Last week, workers in the clerk’s office scanned hundreds of pre-1992 deeds to update their online files. Wood will then have his staff compile the index with all connecting documents. Once completed, the work will be saved as backup in case of emergency. Ul-
Looking for avenues to help people out - Workers at the Putnam County Clerk’s Office are working to make life more convenient for themselves and the people they serve. From left to right: Candy Beckett, Colleen Stone, Regina Hull, Jill Burnside and Putnam County Clerk Brian Wood. Not pictured: Jenny Seibert and Kim Sluss. Photo by Justin Waybright timately, the clerk would like to see residents access these files from home. His staff is working
toward this. However, it is a plan he knows will take time. “We’re laying foundations and
footers for this to happen, but we just want to be safe,” said Wood. “Every year it’s my goal to acquire another piece to put in the puzzle.” Last year, another piece came. The WV Division of Culture and Record Management’s Preservation Board awarded the county with money for scanning deeds and other documents. Wood is hoping to receive another grant this year for the transfer of scanned files to a computer database. Another piece is in the works. During a Jan. 22 county meeting, the clerk discussed adding debit and credit machines in the courthouse. The new forms of payment would allow residents to pay for copies of deeds, marriages and birth certificates with plastic. SEE CLERK ON PAGE 10
Industrial Park: Economic Fuel By Justin Waybright justin@theputnamstandard.com
FRAZIER’S BOTTOM - There are 13 industrial parks in Putnam County, but one stands out from the rest. Potential, growth and economic success hover over a community along the Kanawha River. Just past Winfield, the Putnam County Industrial Park may hold the key to unlock a door of endless opportunity and expansion for the area. Commissioners had a vision in 1997 when they spent $2 million on 205 acres of farmland in Frazier’s Bottom. That vision is gradually becoming reality. Now, more than 15 years later, new buildings fill lots, nearby
Construction underway - Workers continue to build the Fl Smidth-Ludowici building on the riverfront site of the park. Crews have poured concrete and set steel. The new business is scheduled to open this summer. Photo by Justin Waybright subdivisions and houses are built and countless jobs are becoming
available. “We were always very hopeful
business development would prosper in the park,” said Brian Donat, the county administrator. It is. More than 70 acres of the land is now occupied by companies that are constantly expanding. Local and international businesses constantly eye lots in this Kanawha River community, said county leaders. “The best news I ever get is when businesses expand or show interest in the county,” Donat said. “To see businesses paying wages [high enough so that] employees can buy houses here is even better.” He credits much of the park’s good news to Gary Walton, director of the Putnam County DevelSEE PARK ON PAGE 11
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