Why is App Development interesting?
In light of our upcoming course about app development, we invited the CEO of Fifium, Christoffer Martini Tybjerg, to share his thoughts on the subject.
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Judge's ruling may force Evesham preschool to shut down
The childcare program and preschool run by the Evesham School District may close down after a ruling
Judge's ruling may force Evesham preschool to shut down The childcare program and preschool run by the Evesham School District may close down after a ruling Check out this story on courierpostonline.com: https://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/south-jersey/2018/08/02/teddy-bear-academy-evesham-township-closing-judge-ruling/888840002/
Celeste E. Whittaker, Cherry Hill Courier-Post Published 4:04 p.m. ET Aug. 2, 2018 | Updated 10:34 a.m. ET Aug. 3, 2018
Evesham Township School Superintendent John Scavelli Jr. informed parents that the district's childcare program Teddy Bear Academy may have to close down.(Photo: Courier-Post file)
EVESHAM – Teddy Bear Academy, a childcare center and preschool run by the township school district, may be forced to close soon after a ruling by a state judge.
Administrative Law Judge Solomon Metzger issued a ruling last month siding with Under the Sun Learning Center of Marlton. The childcare center in 2014 filed a petition with the state education commissioner alleging the district was outside its legal authority in operating Teddy Bear Academy.
"A plain reading (of state statutes) would exclude an enterprise like (Teddy Bear Academy) that serves infants and toddlers, during and after school hours and is open to non-residents," Metzger wrote.
If the state Department of Education upholds the judge's ruling, the district would be required to shut down the academy.
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In a letter to parents on July 30, school district Superintendent John Scavelli Jr. defended the opening of Teddy Bear Academy through its not-for-profit Evesham Child Care Program.
"Based on feedback from our residents and staff, we thought 'outside the box' to bring our community a quality daycare program at a reasonable cost," he wrote. "The Teddy Bear Academy utilized available space in our schools and at the same time earned some much-needed revenue for our school district and taxpayers."
Scavelli told parents the petition to close it was filed shortly after Teddy Bear Academy's opening.
"The action was pending for approximately four years, and unfortunately, just recently, an administrative law judge found that the law does not allow us to operate the Teddy Bear Academy."
Under The Sun alleged the district exceeded its delegated authority, prepared inaccurate budget documents and operated outside the rules.
For example, Teddy Bear Academy accepted students who weren't Evesham residents and operated during school hours, including the summer months, the petition argued.
The program for children 6 weeks to 4 years old operates at Marlton Middle School from 6:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.
"I believe the judge's decision correctly stated the undisputed facts," said Voorhees attorney Joseph Marrazzo Jr., who represents Under the Sun. "I believe the judge correctly applied the law and his decision as far as I'm concerned is accurate."
Marrazzo said the judge indicated the central dispute revolves around a state statute that authorizes school districts to operate childcare centers on school property.
"The section of the statute that applies is specific," Marrazzo said. "It says that the board can provide childcare services to children that are of school age and the statute defines school age as 6 years or older. That statute says they can provide childcare services before and after school hours. They can provide childcare services to children that attend school in the district.
"These are really pretty clear-cut, plain language requirements that the school board or the district ignored in the operation of Teddy Bear Academy. They did not comply with these conditions. The judge's decision basically agreed that Teddy Bear Academy was not in compliance with the requirements of the applicable statute."
Scavelli wrote that the district's next steps are to file exceptions with the education commissioner, who can adopt, modify or reject the decision of the judge.
"While the decision is being reviewed by the commissioner of education, we felt it important to advise you that we may be forced to close if the decision is not reversed," the superintendent wrote.
If the judge's decision isn't overturned within 45 days of the ruling, it will be considered final. The district would then have only 30 days to shutter Teddy Bear Academy.
Those deadlines could see the preschool closed by October.
The district held a meeting on Wednesday evening at Marlton Middle School to answer questions.
Township officials issued a statement saying the mayor and council are aware ofthe judge's ruling.
"The township has been in contact with the Evesham Township Board of Education and school district administration to offer any assistance that may prevent cessation of this valuable service," the statement said. "Please be assured that the township will continue to work with the school district to explore any and all viable alternatives."
Celeste E. Whittaker: @cp_CWhittaker; 856-486-2437; cwhittaker@gannettnj.com
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Read or Share this story: https://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/south-jersey/2018/08/02/teddy-bear-academy-evesham-township-closing-judge-ruling/888840002/
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Tag Archives: North Korea
The Interview (2014)
January 3, 2015 by marklongden
I've already written about the pre-release furore over "The Interview", which you can read here if you'd like. It was a fascinating moment, and genuinely serious political things were happening as a result of a fairly lightweight comedy; after getting perhaps the greatest pre-release publicity any film has ever received, it was eventually released both online and in selected independent cinemas (my friend Scott even got his photo on his local news after attending a showing).
James Franco is Dave Skylark, a "tabloid" TV news show host, and Seth Rogen is Aaron Rapaport, his producer. In between Eminem "shockingly" revealing himself as gay and an endless stream of puff pieces, they have a bit of a revelation and want to do some meatier news, so when Dave finds out that Kim Jong Un is a huge fan of their show, it starts a chain of events that eventually has them flying over to North Korea to do an interview with the world's most reclusive leader. The CIA, as represented by Agent Lacey (Lizzy Caplan), see a huge opportunity and want the two of them to assassinate Un with slow-release ricin.
The thing that most surprised me about this movie is how funny it is. I'm not really the world's biggest fan of Rogen – I thought "Pineapple Express" was lazy and unfunny, really didn't like "The Green Hornet" , and didn't care for "Superbad" or "The Watch" (he wrote them). "This Is The End" was an improvement, even if it could have been a bit funnier…I think this is probably his best film, which given the subject matter is a surprise to me.
Honestly, it's nice to see a film which is in unapologetic bad taste. "The Producers", "Man Bites Dog", "Four Lions", "Postal", "Used Cars"…among others, these are films that are unafraid to go to dark places for their humour and occasionally go over the top. A film about an idiot TV presenter and his ever-so-slightly pretentious producer being tasked with killing Kim Jong Un is certainly not the average comedy plot, and they go for it. Because Franco doesn't like the special assassination bag he was supplied with by the CIA, he transfers the strip of ricin to a pack of gum, and as they're being searched on their way into the Presidential compound…well, I'm sure you can figure out what's going to happen. The two of them are honeytrapped by everyone around them, on both sides, and unlike the average thriller character they are aware of all this stuff and constantly comment on it. James Franco plays a loveable idiot as well as anyone, even if I'm not entirely sure Rogen really acts any more, just plays himself in a new job.
It's not all fun, games, and grossout humour though. Showing Un as a lover of Western culture is about as obvious a joke as you could get; and Lizzy Caplan's CIA agent gets to do almost literally nothing other than show us a bit of cleavage. But the worst problem is the ease of its target, and the way it treats slightly more difficult targets.
I don't believe in the argument that roughly goes – well, why are you attacking X when *even worse thing Y* exists in the world? Because terrible regimes are in charge of lots of other countries, it doesn't let North Korea off the hook. But the little segment in China, when Aaron goes to meet the North Korean representatives, gives the lie to that. China is shown to be a wonderful, friendly place where strangers share their food and drink, where everything is lovely; of course, it's one of the worst human rights abusers in the world, where democracy doesn't exist and people who work in mobile phone factories are committing suicide regularly due to the appalling conditions of near-slavery they live in. The primary difference between the two countries that Sony, the producers of "The Interview", cared about? That they can make lots of money from Chinese cinemagoers. Seriously, there are no mainstream films that criticise China any more.
The puppy survives, don't worry
If you're living in the Middle East and know someone who died thanks to a drone strike, or you've spent any time in Cuba, or have lived in any of the countries whose legal rulers were deposed thanks to CIA agents in the past, then your view of the happy friendly USA will probably be fairly similar to how this movie views North Korea – with the difference being, the USA is a threat to every country in the world, and North Korea isn't really a threat to anyone. But, the film is smart enough to realise this, and very quietly slips in a few Occupy-approved things, like how they have lots and lots of nukes but don't want anyone else to have them, and have a higher prison population per capita than North Korea does. But this is small comfort and doesn't let the film off the hook.
As much as they want him to be, Kim Jong Un just isn't Hitler, and whenever the film's not trying to be funny, it suffers from a very poor understanding of how the world works. Although in a weird way, it might have a positive outcome, as it's perhaps going to be the end of North Korea being seen as the movie world's whipping boy (like, most famously, "Red Dawn", where the Chinese invasion force was digitally altered to be North Korean after filming had ended). If only the two incredibly wealthy, privileged actors had stuck to making fun of a fictitious country! I also wonder just how loud the pro-freedom of speech brigade would be shouting if the tables were turned – could you imagine a knockabout mainstream comedy from the Middle East about a couple of TV show hosts tasked with doing a special from the USA, and assassinating the President?
Lastly, it's really funny, Franco is an amazingly gifted actor, and it's definitely worth watching – you don't have to agree with the politics of all your art, I suppose.
Rating: thumbs up
Posted in Reviews.	Tagged grossout comedy, James Franco, Kim Jong Un, Lizzy Caplan, North Korea, Seth Rogen
American Warships (2012)
July 5, 2014 by marklongden
Remember that film "Battleship" from a few years ago that was gigantic critical and commercial disaster, thinking Rihanna was the most exciting thing in the world and having perhaps one remotely clever moment – the alien bombs looking exactly like the little pegs in the board game? Well, the Asylum and the SyFy Channel were clearly banking on it being a bit of a success because they mockbustered it with "American Warships" (it was originally called "American Battleships", but the Asylum were successfully sued).
The USS Iowa is an old ship, and it's about to take its last trip, to become a floating museum. A bunch of implausibly hot, young museum employees are stripping out all the post-WW2 modifications and giving it a factory reset; it's got a small crew who aren't really prepared to fight; and just as they set off for home, all hell breaks loose. Planes are blown out of the sky, ships are sunk, all electronic devices at sea are fried.
The initial blame is laid on North Korea. I mean, come on! I know Fox News and its cohorts in the fear-mongering business will try and blame them for everything, but the Armed Forces should know that North Korea can't feed its own people, let alone start a successful war with the USA. So, the Iowa goes back to using its pre-electricity stuff (which is never more than a nod to the ship used in the big budget movie) and moves towards North Korea to try and figure out what's happening.
When you see a teleporting space-submarine, I was like "okay, it's aliens, just like I suspected", but the film takes another 20 minutes before the cast find this out. To call it slow is almost an insult to slow things – I checked the time, expecting to see about 20 minutes to go, only to discover we'd barely passed the half-hour mark. Come on, movie! So, blah blah blah, will our brave boys and girls (there's also a surprisingly good female Navy Intelligence Officer on board, who only gets her ass ogled by the cast or the camera three times) fight off the alien menace, hurrah for the USA, etc.
The cast isn't really that bad – Mario Van Peebles is a steady hand, and Carl Weathers, despite me thinking of his amazing guest appearances in "Arrested Development" every time I saw him, is decent too. There are women on board who are there because they're good at their jobs, which is good, but treated as sex objects anyway, which is not so good. It's so ponderously slow, though, that having decent actors on board (if only that was a pun, it would be the most entertaining thing associated with either the blockbuster, the mockbuster or this review) means little.
So, if I was being honest I'd say avoid this one. The Asylum will make many, many better films than this, which the me of a year ago would have considered a surprising statement. I think me and the Asylum need some time apart, to think about what we want as a film company and a film review site. See you in the autumn, terrible movies.
Rating: thumbs down
Posted in Reviews.	Tagged absolute garbage, mockbuster, North Korea, SyFy Channel, The Asylum
The 3 Musketeers (2011)
January 25, 2014 by marklongden
The Asylum wins some and loses some when it comes to its mockbusters. When the big film they're ripping off is a success, their cheap little film can suck up some of the money floating round; but when it's not, their choice to ride its coattails can seem odd – and so it is with "The 3 Musketeers", the big version being a critical and commercial disaster. The Asylum's version, which thanks to the public domain nature of the original story, could have been a much closer adaptation than they ended up making, owes a lot to films like "The Losers", "Red", and "The A Team" – while still keeping some of the main, more famous plotlines and characters from Dumas' novel.
We see the Musketeers in action in North Korea first, wisecracking their way through a few fights, some gun battles and the stealing of a helicopter. They're an elite special forces unit – the best of the best from all the wings of the armed forces. We've got Aramis (Michele Boyd), the sexy ass-kicker; Athos (Xin, I love actors with one name) the martial arts / parkour guy; and Porthos (Keith Allen) the tech genius / comic relief. They're doing great until they're betrayed by the evil Cardinal, who's trying to start a war between the USA and North Korea…
Okay, I need to step in for a moment. North Korea is a country so poor it can't afford to feed its own people, and there is absolutely no way it would ever be the remotest threat to the USA. Films like this and "Red Dawn" would much rather use China, a country that absolutely could be a threat, but the problem with real actual threats is they don't love being insulted, so films that show them as the bad guy don't get sold to China, and film companies like profit much more than they like sticking to reality in any way.
So, the Musketeers are personae non grata, and it's all down to the mysterious shadowy "Cardinal" (Alan Rachins, aka the hippy Dad from "Dharma and Greg"). He's in charge of a group of former Musketeers who are now some private military contractors – again, a nice scapegoat when the people you really want to show as the villains are the US Army. He's even got a rough approximation of Milady DeWinter helping him out in the field!
But it's when D'Artagnan is introduced that things get a bit confusing. She's an analyst for some wing of the Army, reporting to the General, David Chokachi from "Baywatch"! Not only is she super-smart, but she's a former Olympic fencer (as is he, which comes in important near the end), knows tons of martial arts, you know the drill. She wants into field agent work, but needs to learn patience according to ol'Chok. This scene takes place on the same set as the military base in "Super Cyclone", and if I had to guess I'd say it was The Asylum's offices (there's a scene later on, the nerve centre of the military contractor's headquarters, which was also the control room for the oil rig in "Super Cyclone". I love that film).
She's given a bit of nothing work by a co-worker, which involves going to see a bonkers old man…who's not bonkers at all!…and it's here she gets sucked into the conspiracy and tracks down the Musketeers to get their help. So…she's an actual descendant of a chap called D'Artagnan who was a Musketeer for Louis XIV, but Portos, Athos and Aramis are all code names. It's a confusing clash – is the book famous or not? Ah, who cares.
So, she's on the run, but has the information about the Cardinal's plans. How do she and the Musketeers get on? Porthos drops obscure quotes from old 1980s action films, and while they're trying to resolve "Operation Dumas" D'A gets double-crossed by the General, and there's capture and escape and a mission to stop the Cardinal from killing the President and starting war with North Korea.
Before I get on to the bit about if it was any good or not, there's a couple of quite jarring moments in this. While escaping, two of our heroes – rather than knocking one of their assailants out, as they've been doing up to this point occasionally, set him on fire! This seems over the top, I hope you'll agree. And secondly, while escaping in a helicopter, D'A (who happens to be black, played by the beautiful Heather Hemmens from the sadly missed "Hellcats" and the sadly unmissed "Rise Of The Zombies") orders Porthos to hurry up. He turns and goes "yes massa, sorry massa". I can understand them writing the script before they cast any of the parts, but to keep that line, so redolent of slavery, and have a white man say it to a black woman must have set off an alarm bell somewhere on set, surely? Maybe I'm being too sensitive.
The weird thing is, this is a pretty good film! If you can ignore the extraordinary cheapness of the film – Camp David, the President's rural retreat, appears to be represented by a portakabin and a small cottage, for one – then there's a lot of fun to be had. There's a lot of banter between the Musketeers and it works well, being light, funny and character-appropriate (although I have to assume if I'm ever in the middle of a firefight I won't try and hit on any of my female co-workers) and while they could do with hiring a decent fight co-ordinator, or training their actors better, I understood why person A was fighting person B and enjoyed it. It feels distinctly strange to say this, but I enjoyed a film made by The Asylum, with basically no qualifications.
PS. When you start noticing it, you won't be able to stop, but it seems like they hired a different editor for the last half-hour of the film. There's hundreds of weird stuttery little cuts in the middle of nothing scenes – so, someone will be getting out of a car and what would take 5 seconds of screen time has some frames chopped out so it ends up taking 3. I have no idea what they were trying to achieve with it, but it's bit odd.
"Wait, the ISCFC like one of our films? Hell frozen over yet?"
Posted in Reviews.	Tagged 3 Musketeers, Asylum Entertainment, David Chokachi, Musketeers, North Korea, The Asylum


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Elderly man ruled incompetent to stand trial in connection to wife's shooting death
Clyde Manley Jr. is accused of the shooting death of his wife, Barbara, on March 5.
Elderly man ruled incompetent to stand trial in connection to wife's shooting death Clyde Manley Jr. is accused of the shooting death of his wife, Barbara, on March 5. Check out this story on mansfieldnewsjournal.com: https://ohne.ws/2Ms2d4m
Mark Caudill, Mansfield News Journal Published 12:33 p.m. ET Aug. 7, 2018
Clyde Manley(Photo: Richland County Jail)
MANSFIELD - An 80-year-old man accused of fatally shooting his wife has been found incompetent to stand trial.
Clyde Manley Jr. faces charges of aggravated murder and murder, both with firearm specifications, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.
If convicted of aggravated murder, Manley could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Manley was described as having Alzheimer's disease in a 911 call reporting the death of his wife, Barbara, whose body was found March 5 in the garage of their 1649 Frontier Trail residence.
He was in Richland County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday for a hearing on his competency.
Judge James DeWeese referred to a July 25 report from a doctor who evaluated Manley. The doctor ruled Manley was incompetent to stand trial, adding she did not think he could ever be restored to competency.
Prosecutor Gary Bishop and defense attorney Robert Whitney stipulated to the report, so there was no testimony during the brief hearing.
DeWeese said, however, he does not necessarily agree with the doctor's opinion that Manley can never be restored to competency.
"I have some concerns about that," the judge said. "She's only seen him once or twice."
DeWeese based his opinion on the observations of a jail social worker, who has met with Manley.
"She said he no longer acted confused and told the story of his life and career," DeWeese said.
The social worker said Manley initially acted confused but then told the story of his life in a 90- to 120-minute conversation.
When asked why he was in the county jail, Manley told the social worker the police thought he killed his wife.
"He often talks about the weather and the Indians, as well as missing his wife," the judge quoted the social worker as saying.
DeWeese ordered Manley, who has been held in the county jail on a $1 million cash bond since the shooting, to be transferred to Heartland Behavioral Healthcare in Massillon to see if he can be restored to competency.
"These are very serious charges," the judge said.
According to a preliminary autopsy report, Barbara Manley, 65, suffered gunshot wounds to the upper chest and lower chest. She also sustained cuts and bruises to the face and scalp, according to the report.
In addition, Barbara Manley suffered postmortem cuts on her lower legs, suggesting the body was moved at some point after she died, according to the report.
If convicted of murder, Clyde Manley could get 15 years to life in prison. The firearm specification is for three years and would be consecutive to any other sentence he receives.
Tampering with evidence carries a potential three-year prison sentence, while the penalty for abuse of a corpse is up to a year in prison.
mcaudill@gannett.com
Twitter: @MNJCaudill
Read or Share this story: https://ohne.ws/2Ms2d4m
Doctor accused of raping young Ashland girl
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Five men recognized for saving boys from river
North Lake Park pavilion damaged by vandals


There is less than 2 weeks left until the release of The Legend of Shangri-La: Cluster Pays, the brand new pokie from NetEnt. The famed developer has had their hands full this year with many great new titles revealed.
Shangri-La marks the second pokie they have released in this month alone and it will make up a trilogy of slots released by NetEnt in the third quarter before their final new pokies are revealed in October and November.
As with many recent pokies, Shangri-La is inspired by cultures and legends from the Far East. The game features a wise bear monk as your companion who will watch you play this slot against a beautiful Zen garden background.
The Legend of Shangri-La is another game that features the NetEnt trademarked Cluster Pays system where the more adjacent symbols you land together, the bigger your payout will be. Another Pokie that used this unique feature this year was the Hawaiian inspired Aloha: Cluster Pays.
Shangri-La: Cluster Pays boasts an impressive 96.59% RTP, one of NetEnt's highest return ratios. Players will also find Random wild events in-game where on reel icons can be randomly changed to form a winning combination.
Other bonus features that are included in this pokie include a Sticky Re-Spin feature where certain symbols will remain in place and the reels will re-spin each time matching symbols lands, building massive wins for players in the process. There are of course also free spins to be won and the fruit machine style Nudge Reel feature which will instantly turn close calls into sure things.
NetEnt will be keeping their gamers very happy this year. Bloodsuckers will be released on the 12th of October, followed two weeks later on the 23rd when they release Planet of the Apes, based on the blockbuster movie franchise. Finally in November NetEnt will release their last slot for the year titled Finn and the Swirly Spin.
NetEnt are planning to make these pokies all fully mobile compatible so that players can play anywhere. This feature is becoming an industry standard now. Technology is moving so fast that developers like NetEnt will need to keep staying on their toes in order to remain competitive in an ever changing market.
Shangri-La : Cluster Pays is set to be another jewel in the NetEnt crown. Its eye catching graphics, entertaining animations and enthralling music will keep NetEnt pokie fans completely engrossed.


text:
var cryptUtils = require( '../../../../utils/cryptUtils.js' );
var errorResponse = require( '../../../errorResponse.js' );
var apiHandler = require( '../../../apiHandler.js' );
var users = require( '../../../../dao/users.js' );

function createAPI( app ) {
    var handler = new apiHandler( '/api/users/admins/updateUserProfile/', './users/admins/updateUserProfile/postTest.js' );
    handler.requiresPermission = 'AdminPortal';
    handler.validateData = function ( req, res ) {
        return true;
    }

    handler.securityCheck = function ( req, res ) {
        return true;
    }
    handler.post = function ( req, res ) {
        if ( handler.validateData( req, res ) ) {
            users.getUserByUsername( req.user.username, function ( err, user ) {
                if ( err ) {
                    return errorResponse.sendAuthenticationError( res, "unable to login user", err );
                }
                else if ( user ==null) {
                    errorResponse.sendAuthorizationError( res, "user not found", null );
                }
                else {
                        users.updateUser( req.headers.usertoken, req.body.firstName, req.body.lastName, user.address, user.city, user.state, user.zip, user.isActive, user.userId, function ( err, updateCredentialsUser ) {
                        if ( err ) {
                            errorResponse.sendNotFoundError( res, "" );
                        }
                        else {
                            res.send( 200 ); //success
                        }
                    });
                }
            });

        }
        else
            errorResponse.sendValidationError( res, "Invalid Parameters" );
    };

    return handler;
}
module.exports = createAPI;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


One of the wonderful aspects of life in British Columbia is seeing the great love that people here have for the beautiful outdoors; spending hours working or playing on trails and camping in far-flung regions. If we look at the statistics about black bear attacks, then it is true that you are unlikely to be a victim. But, as a Montreal neighbour of mine who happened to be the CEO of a major Canadian bank, said at the time, "When you are the one in 400,000, then statistics mean nothing."
If you are out in the wild, or even in your local campsite, are you prepared, with some kind of weapon and with a plan, to defend yourself or your children? Most of us are quite certain that we would fight to the death for our child, but what if your body freezes, or what if you just don't have the physical strength? As the mother of one of the girls who was with Kelly said: "There was no Mike out there with our daughters."
And any attack unfolds with its own set of particular circumstances.
Conventional wisdom tells us that fighting back hard is the best thing to do, but in Nick's case Dan Strickland points out that because Nick was asleep and therefore confused when he woke up, he didn't resist, and the bear didn't have to swat him to keep him in his grasp.
In Mike's case, having the knife and the headlamp in his tent were the first items that allowed this rescue to be successful. Having a very long-handled item, such as the canoe paddle, close at hand allowed him to strike the animal without having to get as close as he would have had to if he had used something like mace.
I sometimes advise friends who camp to take a golf club with them to keep in their tents - a strong hard weapon that could be a lifesaver. I have to admit that I don't think anyone has ever followed this advice. Another factor which helped make this a successful rescue was the instinctive and spontaneous way that Mike and Michelle worked together, with her evacuating the seven other boys, and Mike going after Nick and the bear.
Do you have a plan worked out that you could follow if you were in an emergency situation? If you love the wild and you camp or hike, it makes sense to practice a plan of some kind so that critical moments don't slip away when every second counts. And importantly, one of the things missing from Nick's rescue was any sort of appropriate communication device. If you have a child at camp anywhere - please make sure that their counsellors have whatever device they need to call for help.


Tevis Architects' recommendation that Oconee County replace its Animal Shelter with a new facility costing an estimated $2.9 million met with some resistance from members of the Animal Control Advisory Board at its meeting last week.
Board member Philip Freshley questioned the projections that Tevis Consulting made showing the number of intakes going up as the county's population grows. Freshly noted that the data show a decline in intakes locally after a peak in 2014.
Board Chairman Tom Beacorn said he questioned the inclusion of space that would support the adoption program run by the Animal Shelter as well as staff meeting space in the proposed new facility.
Animal Control Department Director Catlyn Vickers told the Board members they should come to the Board of Commissioners meeting on Feb. 28 to hear a presentation from Tevis on the feasibility study it conducted for the county.
She also encouraged interested citizens to attend that meeting, which will begin at 7 p.m. in the Courthouse in Watkinsville.
The county paid Tevis Architects, with offices in Atlanta, $10,000 to evaluate the existing Animal Control facility on Branch Road in the far south of the county and offer recommendations on what can be done to improve and expand the facility.
Tevis estimates that it will cost $2.9 million to build and equip a 9,300-square-foot building to replace the existing facility and meet the county's needs through 2040.
The report said that a drainage swale runs through the current site, causing flooding, and that a modern facility requires sewage service, rather than the current septic system. County sewage service is only available in the north of the county.
The firm did not recommend a location for the facility or include the price of land in the cost estimate.
Vickers introduced discussion of the Tevis report at the Feb. 8 meeting by saying "I believe the consensus is that everyone agreed–all the Board members agreed–that we need a new shelter at a new location if the feasibility study backed it.
"Well, the feasibility study does back it," she added.
She said the next step is for the Advisory Board to tell the Board of Commissioners that it should move forward with planning for and construction of the facility.
The comments of the Board members indicated they are not yet ready to make that recommendation to the Board of Commissioners.
The Animal Control Department has run an adoption program, staffed by volunteers, out of the Animal Shelter since 2014.
That program has enjoyed only begrudging support from the Animal Control Advisory Board from its inception.
Chairman Beacorn restated that less than complete support at the meeting last week.
"I'm not comfortable yet to say that we're an adoption service," he said. "It's part of the program. It's not 50 percent of the program," he said.
He said his uncertainty about space needs was based in part on his uncertainty about the role the adoption program should play in the activities of the Animal Shelter.
Hamilton, who has been a consistent critic of the Animal Shelter, asserted that the number of intakes of animals at shelters around the country is declining. She said that supported her argument that the county didn't need to spend $2.9 million on a new facility.
County Administrative Officer Jeff Benko told the Advisory Board that the shelter "is a paramount issue" for the Board of Commissioners.
The commissioners will look at the Advisory Board's "interpretation of the feasibility study," Benko said.
I was not able to attend the meeting of the Animal Control Advisory Board last week.
The meeting took place at the Community Center in Veteran's Park.
Sarah Bell did attend the meeting and made a video recording.
That video is below. The discussion of the Tevis report dominated the meeting. Discussion begins at 2:45 in the video.
OCO: Animal Control Advisory Board 2 8 2017 Complete from Lee Becker on Vimeo.
Repairing a facility built in a drainage swale which floods would be folly.
An acceptable replacement is a prime issue with Oconee residents.
Seems like a lot of money. But then, this is simply one of many issues ignored while all attention has been directed north of Butler Crossing for a while now.
Claire Hamilton is always so negative and combative, constantly arguing against any proposal from staff...why is she on the Animal Control Advisory Board? Who nominated/appointed her? I'm still aghast by her firm stance on tethering dogs. She brings nothing worthwhile to the board and poorly represents the county.
The Animal Shelter staff & volunteers do great work and need our support. Despite Hamilton's objections, there is a clear need for a new animal shelter. It's the right thing to do, and I hope John Daniell stands up to those who do not support the shelter and it's staff & volunteers.
Vickers spoke in support, saying the ordinance at present restricts what she can do. "All I can do is issue a citation for unsanitary conditions, proper care. That's it," she said.
When the Commissioners announced their decisions on April 7, none of the eight volunteers or Vickers' supporters were on the list of those to be appointed.
Instead, the BOC reappointed Wells, who lists herself as a "dog sports enthusiast" on her application and has served as a judge at dog sporting events, according to several listings on the web, including one at the Oconee River Kennel Club this March.
It also appointed Hamilton, who listed her involvement in dog clubs, including the Oconee County Kennel Club, on her application. She told the Advisory Board yesterday she owns a kennel.
Board member Fosgate made a strong argument against tethering of dogs at the meeting in July, but she received no support from other Board members and a strong rebuke from Board member Claire Hamilton.
This below is the type of nonsense our hard working animal control staff has to deal with. I fully support them and appreciate their dedication.
The advisory committee seems more anti-animal than pro animal. $2.9 million is not unreasonable for a facility like this. Adopting animals out is a much better goal than euthanasia. A facility that floods is not appropriate. We need a state of the art facility. The current facility does not even have an isolation area. I really don't understand why the advisory board would not support the need for a staff meeting room or the adoption area. It would be great if we did not need such a facility, but until GA institutes licensing requirements with spay/neuter emphasized, we will have excess dogs and cats that need homes.
I know that people can surrender animals at the shelter and that animals are taken to the shelter when picked up by Animal Control.
As far as I know, the Shelter only takes animals from Oconee County. I will try to confirm that.
The shelter flooded during a 50 year rain event. Much of the issue can be corrected with proper grading. To say the current shelter would take more than 2.9 million to upgrade is a joke. Even if the decision is made to build new, how long to you think it will take to raise 2.9 million. The Bogart library is just now getting an expansion.
Take the 750 in the current SPLOST and correct the immediate problems. Start working during next SPLOST to start saving for the $3 million new shelter. Also, who volunteers to have the shelter next door. You just thought Calls Creek group was upset.
Seems like 50 year and 100 year rain events have been occurring often over the past few years. Have been in the animal shelter. Grading isn't going to fix the main building issues. Too much other building issues affecting the animals, volunteers and staff.
A way to save cost is locating a new shelter on existing county property, such as the recycling center/Heritage Park property. Not county facility needs to be in Watkinsville.
"Claire Hamilton is always so negative and combative, constantly arguing against any proposal from staff...why is she on the Animal Control Advisory Board? Who nominated/appointed her? I'm still aghast by her firm stance on tethering dogs. She brings nothing worthwhile to the board and poorly represents the county." and "The advisory committee seems more anti-animal than pro animal."
Claire owns pure bred show dogs. Some others on this advisory board may also. It almost seems like they are for destroying any mutt animals.
"Claire owns pure bred show dogs. Some others on this advisory board may also. It almost seems like they are for destroying any mutt animals."
I hope that her business interests do not color Hamilton's positions regarding the animal shelter, adoption program, etc. We already have enough potential conflicts of interest with various county board members (Abouhamdan, Waller, Jamie Boswell, etc.). Claire Hamilton is so aggressively negative to the staff and its programs, it's off-putting. Her advocating tethering is mind numbing. My family & I have been nothing but impressed by the animal shelter staff & volunteers; they deserve our respect and support.
Anyone who has visited the current shelter can easily see that the facility is outdated, small, and on a piece of land that is not conducive to its role. There is no room in which to meet or offer training. The place floods when it rains. And the Foster program has been an incredible aid in re-homing stray animals--and in providing care and exposure for those in the shelter. I cannot believe that the Advisory Board is so negative. Perhaps if the facility had room, the Board could meet there and be more involved in welfare than in opposing progress.
Who is Lance Haynie. Major issues can't be fixed for less than 2.9 million. New shelter is many years away. Fix the problems!!
Otherwise you spend the next 10 to 15 years in these terrible conditions.
Animal Control Department Director Vickers today me today (2/16/2017) that the Shelter does take animals (she mentioned cats) from outside the county if it has space. This is required by the Shelter's agreement to be a PetSmart's Adoption Center.
Vickers said "The volunteers clean and show the cats while PetSmart provides food, litter, toys, cleaning supplies, and all the items needed to run the Center at no cost to the taxpayers of Oconee County."
The Shelter also receives a $50 adoption fee for each animal.
I have not yet received update intake figures.
Was the agreement with Petsmart approved by the BOC? It would seem we as county residents are subsidizing a for profit business, if only with advertising of these events. As for the $50 adoption fee, how much does it cost to prepare the animals for adoption? I feel sure to put them up for adoption they must be neutered and all shots must be up to date. I believe from published reports Athens-Clarke county does not take felines at their facility and I also saw a report of Jackson county opening their first shelter this past week. It would seem our county is way ahead of the curve. Also, I do not remember all the conflict between the Advisory Board and the Director until the mission of the shelter was expanded by this current director.
I am trying to learn more about the PetSmart agreement.
The conflict between the Animal Control Advisory Board and the staff has included a variety if issues, including the foster program.
If you'd read the paper or contacted the shelter, you'd learn the shelter not only flooded during the "50 year rain event", but every time there is a heavy rain. Every time water comes into the shelter or floods the property, it's written down. The "50 year rain event" reached 30 feet into the building; the lobby, director's office, officer's area, and hallways up to the cat room. There was standing water and if there was anything on the floor, it was damaged or ruined. The shelter is about 25 feet below the road, so where do you think the water's going to go? Have you been to the shelter to see how it's set up? It will take more than a few sand bags and grading to fix the structural and land problems. The current location was built up, but it's still in a hole. Do you even know where the shelter is located and when was the last time you were there to see the problems?
According to the quotes from the paper or blog, the feasibility study showed it would cost more to fix the problem than to construct new. The director has nickeled and dimed the "immediate problems" for years and somethings can't be fixed.
The shelter wouldn't go into a neighborhood and it's foolish to think it would. There are a number of county owned properties the new shelter could go and there are a number of ways to raise money through donations and corporate support.
According to Jeff Benko, the county's administrator, Oconee has high standards and the current facility doesn't live up to what the public expects.
Don't know where Anon 10:30 is coming from. Is that you Claire Hamilton??
All county shelters charge an adoption fee.
Petsmart works with all of the area county shelters. No subsidies there; just a good community partner. Many dog food companies partner with shelters too.
Athens-Clarke absolutely takes in cats and has just invested a ton on their facility and staff, spending $1.2 million alone on a shelter EXPANSION.
Oconee has a good rep, but is in the middle of the pack budget and resource-wise.
Define heavy rain. So the shelter has flooded during every heavy rain since it was built? 2.9 million can not fix any issue there? What a joke.
PerSmart Manager here. Feel free to contact me at the store next week if you like. There is no requirement from us that they take in animals from outside the county. We asked that if there were ever a time where the shelter space in our store were empty, they would share the space to allow animals from other shelters to be made available. I believe this would result in an interagency transfer to bring in cats from another group. This certainly isn't a requirement, but rather a request to share the space if necessary.
Anon 1:38: Respectfully, please visit the shelter.
The current building has simply outlived its usefulness. Maybe the current building could be repurposed for another county use, but it would definitely need some major work, interior and exterior. An animal shelter with standing water is not a pleasant or even sanitary place to be.
Buildings have a lifespan. Some can be renovated and upgraded; sometimes the cost and energy needed for renovation is much more than a new facility. For example, the Oconee Library has great staff & programs, but the building is close to being too small. Sooner than later, a new library will be needed. The current library could be repurposed for another county function.
If possible please provide a list of county properties that would be available for use for a new animal shelter. If I understand correctly the consultant indicated it should be on sewer . Just interested in what the county currently owns where sewer is available.
I don't know of such a list. I will see what I can learn.
Lee, when were the 750k SPLOST funds for the animal shelter voted on by the Oconee County residents?
Voters approved SPLOST 2015 on Nov. 4, 2014. Collection began late in 2015.