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Fighting for the VA office in Atmore
Wednesday afternoon, April 14, Escambia County commissioners Brandon Smith and Larry White are to meet with Clyde Marsh, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs (ADVA) in Montgomery.
Smith and White are meeting with Marsh in an effort to keep both veterans service offices open in Escambia County. Currently, Mike Hanks, veteran service officer, works in Atmore two days a week, in Monroeville two days a week, and in Brewton one day a week. Rita Gatwood, assistant to the veteran service officer is in Brewton five days a week.
Earlier this year, the commission learned that the ADVA intended to consolidate the Atmore and Brewton offices as a cost saving measure. A letter to Marsh dated March 8, 2010, from County Administrator Tony Sanks contained the following: “ … since the County provides office space and all utilities, the savings would seem to be minimal. Additionally, reducing the number of locations would create a hardship for many of the veterans utilizing the services of the office as many are elderly and/or infirmed, making travel a challenge.”
The letter was accompanied by a resolution opposing the consolidation of the offices.
In a letter from Marsh to the Escambia County Commission, dated March 18, 2010, Marsh talked about the effect of the economic downturn on the state agency which was cut by 10 percent last year and will be cut either 10 or 12 percent this year. Additionally, due to proration, a personnel hiring freeze is expected to last through December 2010 at least.
Marsh stated in his letter: “In the case of Escambia County, we will suspend service in the Atmore Office and provide service in the Brewton Office for Escambia County. The good news is that we will still be able to provide service in your county area and not cut service altogether.”
However, in a county commission workshop held Thursday, April 8, commissioners decided not to give up the Atmore office without a fight. There is even some disagreement as to whether the county has to accept the state’s directive to close the Atmore office. Commissioner Brandon Smith said he was told by Marshall Smith, District III manager with ADVA, that the commission could decide which office will be closed.
The discussion was lengthy at the commission workshop as Gatwood presented her argument for keeping the Brewton office open and Smith, along with Commissioner Wiley Tait, made their case for the Atmore office.
Ideally, everyone would like to keep both offices open.
Chairman David Stokes said it’s his understanding that the Atmore office will close at the end of April.
Gatwood said that was her understanding as well.
“Everyone agrees it’s not a good idea to close an office,” she said. “I don’t see this as a cost savings, but it’s a done deal and there’s nothing we can do about it. I need to keep my job. No matter where it is, will be a hardship [for some veterans].”
Gatwood said, in her opinion, the Brewton location is the better one, because there are already two offices there. Both are completely equipped and furnished. Hanks has an office there and she has an office. The offices are in the old courthouse and have been there since the department was created in 1945.
“The only thing to come out of the Atmore office are file cabinets,” Gatwood said. “I have already made a space for the file cabinets to come to our office. I have to say, this is the county seat. This has always been the home base. You’re not going to please everybody.”
Gatwood said people come to her office from Wallace, Repton, Evergreen, Conecuh County, Wing, Damascus, Milton, Jay, Century, and Pensacola.
Smith said he could not see how closing the Atmore office could be a cost saving.
“I understand your situation,” he told Gatwood. “I’m from Atmore. That’s where my heart is. There are 20 to 30 percent more veterans on that end of the county. The numbers don’t lie. We have more veterans who need that service.”
Smith said the Atmore office is more easily accessible to veterans who have to go to the office.
“There’s no problem here and I do curb service,” Gatwood said. “I go to them [in their vehicles] if they can’t come in.”
“Some of the veterans tell me different,” Smith said. “In Atmore, they pull up at the veterans office and walk 10 feet on level ground.”
“There’s going to be a hardship either way,” Gatwood said. “This being the county seat and this being the courthouse, I feel this would be the best place to stay … It’s a small office in Atmore.”
“My main concern is the veterans and the majority is on the other end of the county,” Smith said. “ …My biggest concern is in Atmore.”
At this point, Commissioner Tait said, “I echo Commissioner Smith’s sentiments. I don’t want to see anybody lose their job. If we’ve got to close one, I’d have to say close Brewton.”
Gatwood said the Brewton office does more business, but Smith countered that some of those folks are coming from Conecuh County and Florida.
Commissioner White said the state had not shown them how this would cut costs since the county provides and maintains the Atmore and Brewton offices.
The discussion then turned as to whether or not the county commissioner has the right to decide which office will close or if that had come down from the state. Gatwood said she was told by the state that the Atmore office is closing.
“It’s up to us to close one office,” Smith said. “I don’t see how the state can just come down here and say we have to close an office without even doing a study … I’m a little disgruntled.”
Stokes said he didn’t understand why the Atmore office could not stay open one day a week.
Commissioner Raymond Wiggins said, “It’s hard to understand how the state can dictate where and how we do business … Why can’t county decide where we’ll have offices … The people of the county will suffer.”
White recommended that representation from the commission sit down with ADVA Commissioner Marsh and have this discussion with him. From that recommendation comes the Wednesday meeting.
“When it comes to closing anything, it’s always Atmore,” Tait said.
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