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Bo Peep owners say thanks for all the help

Your Voice

Letters to the Editor

Published: June 9, 2009

To All our wonderful customers and friends, I want to take this time to thank everyone who has offered to help, came by and just prayed for us. No way could i ever begin to thank everyone for their help, but I will try.

To Craig Dublois of Servpro, thanks for all your help and advice and supplies. You were there in a time of need, to Darlene Figi of Darlene's Catering for your endless energy of helping us load and wash dishes at your facility.

Regena Cash, you are a true friend. Maw Beard, my sister, niece, nephew, Bob Lewis, Diane Woody, Amy Hildebran, Becks, Davey, David and Sherry, Snack Bar, Mountain View BBQ, Libby Hill Seafood (Jimmy Hildebran) the health department, electrician, building inspectors, my mom, my wonderful daughter, Joe Smith, Town of Brookford, all the fire departments, EMT Gene Bollinger and Bob and Sue Beaver plus all the phone calls, support, food and the people who are storing food for us: Thanks with all our heart.

God has truly blessed us with some special people in our life. Without each of you, we could not reopen.

A special thanks to our landladies, Jane and Joan Wilson.

We are cracked, but not broken. It was a hard way to learn a lesson. To all restaurant owners, do not try to reuse your grease towels. Throw them in a metal container and dispose of them. It's not worth it to try to save.

David Crump of Hillside Baptist Church, thanks for the freezer space. Terry Thrift, thanks for your generator and fan on Wednesday morning so we could clean and breathe until Duke Energy got our power back on. That surely saved us a lot of time.

I'm sure I have forgotten quite a few, but I will thank everyone personally. All we want to do is to reopen and get our employees and ourselves back to work.

As there was no insurance, we will have a cookout in the parking lot with a hamburger and hot dog sale next Saturday from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.

To all of you who thought we were a smoking facility, we are not. We have been smoke-free for three years.

We will be completely remodeled with everything clean and restocked before we reopen.

Thanks again to everyone and God bless you all. We are not sure about reopening day, but we are hoping for June 13 with God's help and your prayers.

Bob and Teresa Beard
Bo Peep Restaurant
Brookford

Delay shelter expansion because of economy

At the May 18 meeting, the Catawba County Board of Commissioners approved $21,000 to be used for a study of capacity needs as well as design of an expanded Catawba County Animal Shelter.

One important piece of information is the amount of tax revenue allocated for this expansion/renovation.

According to the 2013-14 Catawba County capital budget, the amount is $4.25 million. The project is to begin next year. The question is not if a larger shelter is needed, but whether, during a time of economic and social crisis, it should even be considered.

According to sources, 50.5 percent more people are living in poverty in the Hickory Metropolitan Statistical Area in 2006 than 2000. More than one-fifth of children under 5 are below the poverty level.

According to U.S. Census figures (2005-07), 21.2 percent of Catawba County families live below the poverty level.

From Catawba County News of March 12:

• 26 county positions were cut.

• Social Services reports cuts to Smart Start, Children's Advocacy Center and the county public health program. There has been a 79 percent increase in Medicaid child health clients, 52 percent increase in adult protective services, 24 percent increase in food assistance and 72 percent increase in Work First, formerly AFDC.

According to the Point in Time one-day count, in January there were 320 homeless people who needed shelter in the county. Joblessness will increase this problem.

The Hickory MSA was recently ranked third of 373 areas in joblessness by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Might it be more prudent to delay animal shelter construction due to economic uncertainty?

Many will assume I am insensitive to the needs of animals. As I write, my 14-year-old dog, Jake, sleeps by my feet. He's been a good friend, and I hope he will be much longer.

Geoffrey A. Clontz
Hickory