"Make Washington Court House Great Again"

By William Boylan - Guest Columnist

  Originally published in The Record Herald on Sept. 12.

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From February of 2016 to January of 2017, the illnesses and subsequent passing of three family members, and the attendant matters that from which arose, it was necessary for me to spend more time in Washington Court House than I had in the previous 10 or 15 years, combined.

The more time spent here, the more it seemed as if I was being “called” back. After a 40 year absence, I returned in April of 2017.

I grew up in Washington CH in the 60’s and 70’s and remember when the community was thriving.
Downtown was a center of commerce; a bustle of activity. There were three jewelry stores; Boylan, Ross and Gossards. There were two pharmacies; Risches and Downtown Drug. Pittsburgh Paint and Glass, French’s Hardware, Boylan and Cannon Electronics, Steen’s, Craig’s Department Store and a Florsheim Shoe Store were there, along with a theater and several restaurants.

Also contributing to the economy were NCR, Armco Steel, Mac Tool and at least two lumber mills. The Record-Herald was printed here. Pennington Bakery, Alkier’s Bakery, Orthmeyer’s Pastry and Cudahay’s (sp) produced food products.

Today, all these things and more are gone and a good third or more of the buildings downtown are empty. Others have been torn down; rendered into vacant parking lots.

The common theme among those with whom I talk is; “There is nothing here”.

For decades, the best and brightest have been leaving Fayette County. There is little reason for our expatriates to return. There is little to keep others here, let alone attract new residents and businesses.
In spite of memories from the 60’s and 70’s, after a 40 year absence, I am an outsider and see things today through the eyes of an outsider. What I see is as unsettling as what I do not see; there has been little growth and a great deal of deterioration.

Were I just a passer-by without roots, here, I would take one look and just keep going. But, my roots are here; and when one is “called” to something, it is for a purpose.

Maybe my purpose here is to help affect change and “Make Washington Court House Great, Again”.
It is my hope that this series will stimulate discussion, encourage others to share their ideas and stir people to action.

Future articles will address issues that hold us back from growing good jobs, including some statistics; and offer some ideas for making our community a destination point for arts, entertainment and business; and for making it a more desirable place to live, work and raise a family. The natural resources are here, we just need to steel our resolve and determine to do it, with the realization that it is a long-term process.

William Boylan is a Washington Court House native.

Are Barking Dogs Driving You Crazy . . .

. . . don't bother calling the WCH Police Department.

This afternoon, around 2 PM, I called the police department to make a complaint about a barking dog at the residence of Tony Sword, 932 S. Main St..  This isn't the first time I've complained about Mr. Sword's dog; the history goes back for well over a year.

It is no wonder the dog barks; "it's a outdoor dawg", according to his wife, and it is kept outside, day and night while their "indoor dawgs" get to stay inside.  Dogs are social creatures and need to be a part of the pack.  This dog is neglected and is lonely for companionship.

A few minutes later, an officer drove slowly by the house, and dept on going, even though the dog was barking.  I called back and asked the dispatcher why the officer did not stop.  She told me that the dog was barking behind the neighbor's house, and not the one I had called about.

First of all, I've listened to that dog bark for over a year and know exactly which house it is coming from.  Second, there is an ordnance against barking dogs and the officer should have stopped, anyway.  When I tried telling this to the dispatcher, she put me on hold.

After a few minutes, Sgt. Shoopman gets on the phone and tells me a different story.  He said the dog was barking at the neighbor and her dogs, who were in the back yard, at the time.  Someone isn't being straight, here.  Apparently, I told him, his officer doesn't think a barking dog complaint is worth bothering with.

For one thing; where the barking dog is kept, it cannot see the neighbor's back yard.  For another, it doesn't matter for what reason the dog is barking.  And, how would the officer know how long the neighbor had been there with her dogs, if even that is what was causing the other dog to bark?

When I tried to explain this to Shoopman, he told me not to yell at him.  When I told him to stop making excuses for his officers, he hung up the phone!

Apparently, he has very thin skin and a contemptuous attitude toward the residents of the community, who's tax dollars pay his salary.

It seems some police officers in Washington Court House have an exceptionally high opinion of themselves; they are too important to be bothered by something as trivial as a barking dog complaint.  Perhaps they think of themselves as Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot, when Inspector Clouseau would be a more appropriate comparison.

Last year I made dozens of call complaining about Tony Sword's dog and others.  The police did nothing about it until one day, one of the dogs was left barking outside all day.  They then wrote a simple warning ticket.

One officer, Philips, told me he has dogs and they bark, too; so he wasn't going to write anyone a ticket for it.  I got that on video, which you can see, here: https://youtu.be/tmtXyMs9T10

One of my neighbors told me he had complained about this particular dog, but quit calling the police because they never did anything about it!  This is intolerable.  This is a quality of life issue; one supported by city ordinance.  Police need to understand they are engaged to serve the public in all capacities, not just to write speeding tickets and give out Narcan injections.  And whether or not they like a citizen's attitude, they should listen and not contemptuously hang up the phone.