Chillicothe Gazette from Chillicothe, Ohio • 19

I Jolot. ir-Q Shoemaker's performance noteworthy, LU I despite teammazes low Datxing average L-VM EOICJ! By STEVE WILSON Gannett News Service COLUMBUS If it were a batting average, most Southeastern Ohio lawmakers would never make it in the major leagues. When you consider the number of bills they have introduced and the number they have been able to get enacted into law, as a team they're batting about .175. Still, that's better than the state's 132 legislators have been doing as a whole. And Southeastern Ohio's team has at least one star player batting .385.

With the first year of the 113th Ohio General Assembly nearing an end, legislators from Southeastern Ohio have introduced 63 bills. Of those, 11 have become law. But, nearly half of the 63 bills introduced were sponsored by one legislator, Rep. Ron James, D-Proctorville. And, another legislator, Rap.

Myrl Shoemaker, D-BournevUle, was responsible for passing five of the 11 bills that did become law. James introduced 29 bills this session on subjects ranging from increasing retirement system benefits for public employees to giving firemen special license plates. As of Nov. 30, all but two of James' bills were still pending in the Legislature. Shoemaker, chairman of the House Finance Committee, introduced 13 bills this year, including the state's operating and capital improvements budgets.

Although Shoemaker carries several budgetary bills because of his role on the Finance Committee, he also successfully pushed Through legislation this year prohibiting Ohio schools from closing. The bill becomes effective next year. Rep. Claire (Buz) Ball R-Athens, introduced five bills this year, with three signed into law. All but one of Ball's bills dealt with land conveyances.

Sen. Sam Speck, R-New Concord, introduced 16 bills this year, with two becoming law. Sen. Oakley Collins, R-Ironton, has introduced three bills this year, all still pending in Senate committees. Rep.

Tom Johnson, R-Cambridge, has introduced five bills, all still in the House. Rep. Wayne Hays, D-Belmont, has had the same degree of success with the four bills he has introduced this year. Sen. H.

Cooper Snyder, R-Blanchester, appointed to the Senate earlier this year to succeed resigning William Mussey of Batavia, has a perfect record so far. He has yet to introduce his first bill. Attendance records for Southeastern Ohio lawmakers range from Ball's 82.6 percent to Shoemaker's 98.7 percent. According to the House Journal, Ball missed 111 of 639 roll call votes this year, with no votes recorded on 10 separate days. His excuses, on file with the minority leadership offices, list prior commitments in the district as the major reason for missed floor sessions.

On two occasions, he said he simply arrived late and the roll call votes were over before he got there. One excuse, apparently written by Ball's secretary, said, "This was an unusual Saturday session and Mr. Ball had prior rommitments down in his district." Speck ended the year with an 89 percent record. He missed 53 roll call votes, with no votes recorded on 11 separate days. Other Southeastern Ohio legislators and their attendance records include: Snyder, 97 percent; Collins, 97.3 percent; Hays, 95.9 percent; James, 95 percent, and Johnson, 96.9 percent.

Area state news Thursday, Dec. 13, 1979 mmmmmL jmmmmmtm.i.m.m-- warn I A 1 i fclk 'a gf iiA Civic League gets foundation grant Local news briefs City negotiator Although Chillicothe City Law Director Don Fuller will leave public office on Jan. 1, his name will not disappear from the city's payroll. Chillicothe City Council unamimously approved an ordinance allowing Fuller to continue as the city's negotiator in contract talks with city employees after he leaves office. Council members said they wanted to preserve the continuity of negotiations.

Fuller has said he will charge the city $30 an hour for his services. An ordinance that was scheduled for third reading at this week's council was withdrawn due to mechanical difficulties. The council was to consider an ordinance that would remove a traffic signal at Eighth and Hickory streets and replace it with a stop sign. Traffic Committee Chairman Edward Wagner asked to withdraw the ordinance because he has received complaints that the stop sign would obstruct visibility at the intersection. Derailment The cause of a 22-car derailment on Chessie System railroad tracks east of the junction of U.S.

35-50 last Wednesday is still under investigation. Concern during the derailment clean-up efforts centered around two tank cars containing flammable liquid. Leaks from the two cars were plugged before any large amount of the liquid escaped. The liquid had the same combustion qualities as gasoline and its fumes reportedly irritate the eyes, nose and skin. Willis Cook, a spokesman for the Chessie System in Huntington, W.Va., said the investigation into the accident is to be handled internally.

Often, the damage from a derailment makes it difficult to determine the cause, he said. Chessie System officials have not put a dollar value on the damage. Accident victim Melissa Good, 14, of 1380 Porter Drive, is still listed in poor condition in the intensive care unit at the Medical Center Hospital. Miss Good was injured in a double fatal crash in front of 8 Limestone Blvd. at about 4 p.m.

Sunday. The driver, Steven P. Novak, 16, of 138 Vine and another passenger, Steve Sigars, 15, of 1233 Dolphin were killed. Two other passengers were not injured seriously. Pike chamber WAVERLY Gary Cooper, Waverly Insurance man has been elected president of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce to succeed Dale D.

Seif. Seif introduced other officers during a I Wednesday noon luncheon at the Lake 1 White Club: Piketon Mayor, Al A $3,500 grant from the Frank E. Gannett Foundation has moved the Chillicothe Junior Civic League to within $2,444 of a $50,000 goal to purchase playground equipment for the handicapped. The grant is part of $341,832 in grant money awarded by the foundation this week. The independent foundation was established by the late founder of the Gannett group of newspapers.

The foundation considers grant requests from communities, such as Chillicothe, where Gannett Co. Inc. owns properties. Gannett owns the Gazette. Previous grants the foundation awarded to Chillicothe organizations were to the Scioto Society toward the construction of the pavilion the Boy Scouts of America toward the construction of district headquarter offices on East Main Street and to the YMCA for a cardio-vascular program.

Joanne Campbell, co-chairman of the civic league's fund drive committee for Project Environmental Playground, said the grant puts the league's goal within reach. The league recently received a $5,000 bequest from the' David Meade Massie Estate and two $1,250 grants from the Mead Corp. Since beginning the fund drive in April, the league has collected $47,556. "When JOAN MURPHY HELPS JOEY KNAUFF, 8, PRONOUNCE A Bainbridge volunteer aide tutors child as Lester May, 9, WORD watches (Gazette photo) Volunteer aide program gets Paint Valley residents involved Chillicothe O. Gazette 19 we first started no one thought we would ever reach our $50,000 goal," Mrs.

Campbell said. "We're really excited. We're getting so close." The $50,000 is to be used as matching money for a federal grant. The league has applied to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for funding. The league is to receive notification in January whether the grant has been awarded.

If the grant is approved, construction on the project, which is divided into three phases, is to begin April 1. By summer, Yoctangee Park should have a physical fitness trail, behind the YMCA, specially designed playground equipment for handicapped children, to be placed behind the old pumphouse, and specially designed wooden playground equipment to be placed next to the existing playground equipment. The league is still accepting donations. Private contributions, which have been instrumental in the success of the drive, have ranged from $3 to $100, Mrs. Campbell said.

Persons wishing to donate money should make their checks payable to PEP City of Chillicothe. The checks should be sent to BancOhio First National Bank, 27 W. Second in care of Maurice Smith. education center have been closed. "I think we will see the agency forced into the position of being somewhat less involved in preventative aspects of abuse and neglect," Meadows said.

"We will serve almost solely as a protective service." Meadows, who had been working on expanding preventative services this year, said "We were hoping we would be able to continue with (preventative services) because that's the real solution to abuse and neglect. We just don't have that financial capability now." The board approved $4,069.06 in payments to foster parents for care of children and placed one child an adopting family. Board member Jim Rice was absent from the meeting. Children's agency chief appointed "We do the extras the teachers can't pull themselves away from the classroom to do," summed up Bainbridge aide Helen Chrisman. Jane Coulter, first grade teacher at Bainbridge, agrees.

"We have more time for individual attention to the students," she said. "We look forward to the days they are here." Ms. Coulter said the aides do more than one librarian could do a year ago. Aides work three days a week at Bainbridge and five days a week at Twin. They don't work every day, however.

Most aides work a half day or a full day per week. Others are on call as needed. "We try to make it so no mother comes more than one 'day a week," said Ms. Chilton. "We try to always have two at any one time." She said she became an aide because the school needed help.

"It keeps us young being around kids," she added. "They really perk you up and make you see things different than you would otherwise." Ms. Chrisman said she likes to keep in touch with the school. "I'm concerned about my child's education and I don't feel I can help him if I don't know what's going on." "We're just tickled pink," said Childers of the response and success of the program. "We have some very good things going on By TOM SPRING Gazette staff writer Getting involved in the education of their children is what residents of the Paint Valley School District are doing.

An educational goals committee of 44 persons was recently formed to help shape the future education of the district. A volunteer aide program was also started this year to assist teachers with tutoring, clerical and library work. The volunteerprogram was started after financial problems forced the district to eliminate several positions including a two principal and two library aide positions. The cutbacks necessitated changes at Bainbridge and Twin elementary schools. Twin principal Terry Childers, forced to split duties between Twin and Bainbridge, organized a volunteer staff of 25 to help maintain Library services at the two schools.

"We're just a jack of all trades," said Mary Chilton who has taken charge of scheduling the 17 aides at Twin. "We run the library, help teachers with typing, mimeographing and grading papers." Joan Murphy, an aide at Bainbridge, said, "We tutor children on an individual basis (in) arithmetic, English, phonics and spelling." Aides also read stories to children in kindergarten and Grades 1 and 2, make flash cards, visual aids and wall decorations. Tom Meadows, acting director of the Ross County Children's Services agency, has been named executive secretary of the agency. Meadows became acting director March 28 after the resignation of former director J. Fry.

Meadows' appointment as chief of the agency was made official by unanimous vote of the Children's Services Board. The board adopted a 1980 budget $181,120 tower than the 1979 budget. The present budget of $520,000 was trimmed to $338,880 for 1980 after voters defeated a renewal operating levy and additional levy in November. Five positions, including two social workers, two supervisors and one youth leader, have been eliminated. In addition, the pre-natal service and Lack of nuclear readiness plan defended ing by the deadline for approval of nuclear preparedness plans.

By July the state has to have a plan approved by the NRC or operating nuclear power plants will be shut down, Williams said. I Williamson, vice president; Jeff Schmitt, Waverly implement dealer, secretary; i Rich Foill, Waverly contractor, treasurer. New directors who will take office Jan. 1 include Fran Francis, Waverly realtor; i Gary Greene, Waverly State Bank; Art Jaggard, Parker-Hannifin Corp. plant manager; the Rev.

H. Douglas Shriner, 1 Waverly Grace United Methodist Church, and Williamson. Trust grants A total of $17,575 has been granted to i several organizations from the trustees of the David Meade Massie Trust. I Trustees are J. G.

Rear, John L. Townsend and Louis A. Ginther. Receiving 'grants are Chillicothe High School Band Boosters, Bishop Flaget High School, Flaget Elementary School and Carver Community Center. The grants, in accordance with the guidelines of the trust fund, will be used for equipment, materials, uniforms and services for the community, exclusively for the purpose of helping to provide for the health, happiness and welfare of the citizens of Chillicothe and Ross County.

"Adult education The Adult Basic Education program, held at Carver Community Center, 165 W. Fourth will sponsor an open house 9 I a.m.-4 p.m. Monday. Refreshments will be served. Staff and students will be present to answer questions about the program.

Adult basic education offers the op-: portunity to study for the high school diploma equivalency exam, to improve reading and math skills and to study English as a second language. The program provides free individualized Instruction. Vehicle bids JACKSON Bids were opened this week by the Jackson County Board of i Commissioners for three new van-type emergency medical service vehicles. The apparent low bid was submitted by Morgan Davis Minford, for $79,743. Others were Horton Columbus, $85,013 and Edwin H.

Davis, Langsville, $81,899. Horton submitted a second bid for $73,113 with different specifications. In other business the commissioners passed a resolution to form and appoint a Jackson County Improvement Cor-1 poration. The countywide corporation will include members to be named by the commissioners, with forty percent to be elected officials. Previously Jackson County had worked I in conjunction with the city of Jackson's Community Improvement Corporation.

By JACKIE JADRNAK Gannett News Service COLUMBUS Almost nine months after an accident at Three Mile Island raised public questions about the safety of nuclear power plants, Ohio still is without an approved emergency plan. But this state's nuclear preparedness officer says his staff is doing its best and points a finger of blame at a morass of changing regulations and a federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that "doesn't really know what it is doing." Col. James R. Williams of the state Disaster Services Agency said in an interview Wednesday that he has a drawer full of revised guidelines which were sent out by the NRC in reaction to criticisms of Pennsylvania's response to a radiation leak at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant. Some of those guidelines have drawn a protest from Ohio and other states as being too strict and impractical.

For example, the chief proposal under fire dictates that within 15 minutes of an Incident at a nuclear power plant, operators must analyze the situation and notify local officials, Williams said. "Then they (local officials) have 15 minutes from the time they receive the notification to notify the population," he said. "That's 30 minutes from the time the first alarm goes off at the plant." That does not give enough time to com pletely evaluate what's going on and how much danger it presents to nearby residents, Williams contended. Previous guidelines gave plant officials one hour in which to notify local officials, with no time limit in which to tell local citizens what was going on, he said. New proposed regulations take an "academic, textbook approach to problems that have a practical impact," he said.

Ohio is urging the NRC to take another look at regulations which Williams termed "an overreaction" to the Three Mile Island incident. The regulations themselves are conflicting, Williams contended. As a result, the state has instructed local officials around the operating Davis-Besse plant near Port Clinton and the Zimmer plant under construction near Moscow to base their emergency plans on the NRC's 1975 criteria, he said. That's because the NRC division which oversees state emergency plans has not officially changed criteria handed down in 1975, he said, while the office which oversees plant operations has said it will judge emergency plans by the new criteria. "We say we'll plan by the established guidelines, and when problems arise between the old and new, it will be resolved in Washington," Williams said.

"Let the NRC take care of its own infighting." That leaves Ohio in a situation of squeak- It alleges that sewage was dumped ink the creek from June i to June 15, 1976, killing 5,386 fish. The division said the action was filed after negotiations with the city were unproductive. Damages sought include the value of the fish killed, costs of the investigation, damage to the stream and costs of replacing the fish. Vr If 1 (1 rJL i State sues Washington C.H. WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio (AP) The state of Ohio has sued the city of Washington Court House for $69,565 in damages for fish killed when raw sewage allegedly went Into Paint Creek in 1976.

The suit was filed in Fayette County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday by the attorney general's office, In behalf of the Division of Wildlife. of Transportation. It is now thought that the protect will concentrate on the bridge over Paint Creek, with the road improvements coming later, Hann odded. Since the land is owned by the state, and the building "unsightly," transportation department officials advertised for bids for demolition of the building. A $3,723 contract was awarded to a Steubenville trucking firm.

Demolition is to be complete by the end of the year. (Gazette photo) NOW YOU SEE IT, BUT SOON YOU WON'T This old building on Ohio 772 ond Cooks Hill Rood is to foil to the Ohio Department of Transportation's policy to remove eyesores from land owned by the state. The property was purchased by the state a few years ago in connection with a road and bridge improvement project. Plans for the construction project are still being fine-tuned, according to Gerald Hann, deputy director of District 9 of the Ohio Deportment.