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HIS CHAIR sat empty and a small bouquet of red roses was placed at North Grundy Supervisor Joe Keene's nameplate last Wednesday morning as the board of supervisors met to adopt a resolution commemorating Keene, who died in a tragic motor vehicle accident the day before. (Staff photo/Cathy St. Clair.) |
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'Heavy-Hearted' Board Members Remember Keene
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by
Cathy
St.
Clair
News
Editor |
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North Grundy Supervisor Joe Keene’s chair sat empty and a small bouquet of red roses laid next to his name plate last Wednesday morning as members of the Buchanan County Board of Supervisors gathered briefly to adopt a resolution honoring Keene, who had died in a tragic wreck the previous day.
Some supervisors choked back tears and others spoke in quiet, somber tones, their hearts heavy as they gathered to pay tribute to Keene and his service to the board and to the people of Buchanan County.
Garden Supervisor Buddy Fuller opened the meeting with a prayer, noting the board was "heavy-hearted because we’ve lost one of our own."
He asked God for strength for the board, the county and Keene’s family.
"We called this meeting to honor the memory of one of our fellow board members, Joe Keene," South Grundy Chairman Roger Rife said in opening the meeting.
He read from a prepared resolution, which recognized Keene’s death on February 7 and called upon all county offices to be closed on the date of Keene’s funeral and that all flags on county property be flown at half mast for a period of two weeks in his memory.
"Joseph ‘Joe’ Keene was well known for his affection for his family, his love of hunting and fishing, his warm smile and his public spirit which led him to serve the citizens of the county as a member and chairman of the Buchanan County Board of Supervisors, the Buchanan County School Board, the Buchanan County Public Schools Educational Foundation, as a member of the board of trustees of the University of Appalachia, as a member of the board of directors of the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, the Buchanan County Disability Service Board, and People Incorporated and as a long-time employee of Jewell Smokeless Coal Company.
"Joe Keene was a dedicated, soft spoken, hardworking, compassionate public official, who was a man of honor and integrity, who served Buchanan County well as one of its leaders during a period of great achievement for the county," the resolution continued. "Joe Keene shall long be remembered for his belief that the people of Buchanan County through dedication and hard work can achieve any goal which they set for themselves and his efforts to inspire the people of Buchanan County to achieve success. |
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For more of the
story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at
newsstands now. To subscribe to the Mountaineer,
call 276-935-2123 today.
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Core Drilling Approved
Paramont to Examine Mining Potential
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by
Cathy
St.
Clair
News
Editor |
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Permission
was
given
Monday
to
Paramont
Coal
Company
to
allow
the
company
to
conduct
core
drilling
on
county
property
in
the
Poplar
Gap
area.
County Administrator W.J. Caudill informed members
of
the
Buchanan
County
Board
of
Supervisors
that
he
had
received
a
letter
from
the
coal
company
asking
for
permission
to
drill
in
areas
Caudill
described
and
ones
"that
will
benefit
Buchanan
County
in
the
future."
The
board
met
in
continued
session
Monday
at
11
a.m.
The
letter
from
Paramont
President
Stanley
E.
Bateman
Jr.,
asks
for
permission
to
drill
four
core
holes
in
order
to
assess
the
mining
potential
for
the
connector
road
to
be
constructed
from
State
Rt.
83
to
the
Rt.
460
connector.
As proposed, Paramont will construct pads
and
drill
core
holes
.to
determine
the
feasibility
of
mining
along
the
road
corridor.
Plans call for the drilling to be performed within the
next
two
months.
According
to
a
Coal
Exploration
Notice
filed
with
the
Department
of
Mines,
Minerals
and
Energy,
the
drill
site
will
be
accessed
by
an
existing
road
off
State
Rt.
604,
near
the
Poplar
Gap
Park.
Existing
roads
through
an
inactive
surface
mine
and
existing
strip
mine
benches
and
access
roads
will
be
used
to
access
the
drill
site,
the
notice
reads.
The motion to allow the drilling was made
by
Garden
Supervisor
Buddy
Fuller
and
was
seconded
by
Prater
Supervisor
Eddie
Lindsay.
The
vote
was
unanimous.
Rocklick
Supervisor
David
Ratliff
said
the
county
should
stipulate
that
as
part
of
its
agreement,
it
wanted
a
copy
of
the
log
developed
from
the
drilling
in
order
to
keep
the
county
up
to
date
on
the
company’s
findings.
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For more of the
story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at
newsstands now. To subscribe to the Mountaineer,
call 276-935-2123 today.
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