COMMUNITY VIEWPOINT: Is it hypocrisy or incompetence?

There appears to be a double standard here in Gabbs when dealing with Nye County.

At a Gabbs Town Advisory Board meeting on February 12 of this year, I asked Doug Kasulka, then acting VFW commander, why raw sewage was flowing in an open trench on VFW property. Kasulka’s excuse was that the sewer line repair job stopped midway because the backhoe he hired was too small to dig through the tree roots and he was unable to find another backhoe. He also said he had poured bleach on the raw sewage. This condition was present for at least three weeks. Jack Osborne said at the meeting that he was aware of it.

At the same meeting, a Premier Mine employee/backhoe operator said that Kasulka should call Premier and the mine would volunteer the mine’s employee and the backhoe to complete the job. Jim Basinger also volunteered to help on his personal time. The mine backhoe operator is extremely capable and it would have been quickly completed and at no cost to the county.

On February 24, a Nye County backhoe and operator arrived at the VFW with Jack Osburne and Scott McLean, all three Nye County employees. Scott McLean got into the trench to install the new sewer line. When Jack Osburne was asked why Nye County employees and equipment were working on private property and why Scott, instead of Kasulka, was in the trench, Jack said that Nye County had to complete the job because Premier refused. Premier employees, including the backhoe operator, were contacted for confirmation, and it was learned that no one, including Kasulka and Osburne, had ever contacted the mine. The repair was made, the trench partially backfilled and the next day Scott McLean finished backfilling, rough grading and off-hauling limbs and detritus left, again using Nye County equipment, after Kasulka unnecessarily cut down several trees. This work had to have been approved by Dave Fanning, head of Nye County Public Works.

On approximately June 4 of this year the Gabbs Senior Citizen’s organization asked the town clerk to generate a work order for the Gabbs groundskeeper, with the Gabbs-based Nye County equipment, to regrade and install fines on their drive and parking lot and offhaul trash and debris generated in compliance with Nye County Trash Ordinance. Dave Fanning said absolutely not. Nye County equipment and employees will not do any work at the Senior Citizens’ complex because that is private property. What?

The VFW and the Senior Citizens’ complex are both private properties. In my opinion, either Fanning has opened the door for county employees and equipment to work on private property, or there is hypocrisy and incompetence involved here. Don’t know which is worse. Incidentally, by off-hauling debris and dumping it on private property, Scott McLean (say it ain’t so!) crossed his job classification, another act which had to be approved by Dave Fanning. All heck broke loose when Jim Basinger crossed that sacred line, but it’s OK when Scott does?

I am sure I will be writing more letters. The incompetence is rearing its ugly head almost daily.