By GLYNIS HART
[email protected]
NEWPORT — Two employees at the Sullivan County House of Corrections were recognized for exceptional work on Monday at the County Board of Commissioners meeting.
Clinician Cassandra Hoyt received the Employee of the Year award for her outstanding contribution to the TRAILS program. Superintendent Dave Barry said she maintains the integrity of the TRAILS program and is a large part of its success. TRAILS — Transitional Reentry and Inmate Life Skills — works to help people in the county justice system through drug and mental health treatment, monitoring, work release and aftercare support.
Corrections Officer Pete Mahair was awarded a certificate of recognition for actions that saved an inmate’s life. Two other inmates alerted him to the fact another inmate was in process of committing suicide. Mahair was able to intervene and the inmate was transferred to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center for evaluation and was later returned to the jail.
In other county business, Conservation District Director Lionel Chute asked for the commissioners’ approval on a grant application. The Wellborn Foundation has given $20,000 to the county’s conservation efforts for three years. “They invited us to apply for another year of funding,” said Chute.
Chute promised that Dawn Dextraze of the Conservation District would give a report on her activities over the past year in August. The commissioners approved the grant application.
In the county manager’s report, Derek Ferland commended Beth Frankowski, who has served as Director of Nursing at the county nursing home since January. Ferland said the work situation there has been “stressful” with a lot of employee turnover — due at least partly to recruitment by Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
Superintendent Barry gave an update on the quest for transitional/sober housing for people graduation from the TRAILS program. The county is looking at the old Eagle Times building on Sullivan Street in Claremont as a possible site. It could provide temporary housing for 20 men and 10 women who are working to maintain sobriety, find steady jobs, and get set up for more permanent housing.
Negative comments from some members of the public, as aired on social media, need to be anticipated and addressed, said Ferland: “We can counteract the concern by pointing out the positives.”
A similar transitional housing program in Portland, Maine, has improved the area around it, said Ferland.
“The main problems I’ve heard about were in facilities that were not well run, that were for-profit,” said Commissioner Jeff Barrette.
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