Sea To Shining Sea Bike Ride Honors Military

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THURSDAY
WEEKLY
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The Fulton County News
Sea To Shining Sea Bike Ride Honors Military
Bard Pleads
Not Guilty
To Alleged
Fraud Scheme
Indicted by U.S. for
fraud, making false
statements
By Lindsay R. Mellott
STAFF WRITER
A group of disabled veterans from America’s military passed through McConnellsburg last Thursday on a twomonth cross-country bicycle ride that began in San Francisco May 28 and will end in Virginia Beach on Saturday.
Beginning their World T.E.A.M. Sports-organized bike ride in San Francisco on May 28, approximately 18 veterans with disabilities ranging from loss of limbs to blindness to post traumatic stress used a rest stop set up at
the junction of Route 16 and Route 30 on their long journey across the USA. Their participation serves as an inspiration to other disabled persons nationally, as well as inspiring the able-bodied to overcome obstacles and challenges in life. To support the Sea To Shining Sea ride go to www.s2ssbikeride.org.
Boro Makes Weight Limit
Official On Third Street Bridge
Discusses Maple
Street sidewalk
repair issue
By Jean Snyder
SENIOR WRITER
McConnellsburg
Borough
Council adopted a resolution to finalize an earlier decision to put a
weight limit on North Third
Street due to the deterioration of
the bridge under the roadway. At
its regular meeting last Wednesday evening, council unanimously
voted to pass the resolution limiting the weight to 10 tons on North
Third Street from Lincoln Way
East to East Market Street.
In a related matter, the borough’s engineer estimated that it
would cost $700,000 to replace the
bridge, a cost that council members deemed prohibitive. Instead,
the borough will look at ways to
“shore up” the bridge and, at the
same time, ask to have the replacement bridge project put on
the state’s 10-year plan in the
hopes of getting funding for the
project. Council also approved
payment of $2,701 to Keller Engi-
neers for the cost of the bridge inspection and report. The bill will
be paid with liquid fuel funds.
Following passage of the resolution, council voted to purchase
four weight-limit signs for the
street at a cost of $206 from U.S.
Municipal.
Other business
In other business, council also
discussed how to rectify a sidewalk issue on Maple Street adjacent to the post office. Apparently
the owner of the South Second
Street property has blocked off
the sidewalk and now has tape
and buckets around it forming a
detour for the past three to four
weeks. Council said it has received “plenty of complaints”
from pedestrians trying to go to
the post office who have to walk
out in the street to get around the
detour. Council noted that there
has been no work permit secured
and the matter will be discussed
with their solicitor, in order to proceed with requiring a timely repair
of the sidewalk. Council members
did report that the sidewalk in
question has sunk due to cars
parking on the sidewalk.
Old business
During old business, borough
secretary Jack Fields reported on
a cost estimate to put a public
handicapped-accessible restroom
on the main floor of the Fulton
House as discussed at last
month’s meeting. Fields said it will
cost a minimum of $15,000 and,
while not taking any action, council discussed at length possible locations for the restroom. It was
agreed that the county’s Community Development Block Grant
(CDBG) should be contacted to
make application for funds for the
project.
Also during old business,
Councilwoman Pat Frazier reported on a meeting with the borough’s solicitor, Carlton Walker,
regarding possible changes to the
proposed land-use ordinance for
the borough. Council held a workshop earlier in the month to discuss the land-use ordinance and
the subdivision ordinance. Council members, along with their solicitor, suggested changes in
setbacks, fence distances, vehicle
repairs on properties and mini-
See BORO, Page A2
Personnel Issues Top FR Agenda
By Jean Snyder
SENIOR WRITER
The Forbes Road School District’s board of directors held a
lengthy meeting last Tuesday
evening that began with a nearly
one-hour executive session for
personnel reasons. Later in the
evening during the regular meeting, the following personnel decisions were announced: the
resignation of Aaron Burke as senior high learning support teacher
was accepted, and Brittney Shaf-
DEATHS
Feight, Horace Reed, 83, Waterfall
Garland, Norma, 65, Needmore
Golden, Violet, 88, Hancock
Hammond, Neal, 15, Everett
Kell, Mary, 77, McConnellsburg
McGuire, Robert, 74, Warfordsburg
Strite, Crystal, 39, Ft. Littleton
OBITUARIES, Page B3
fer was hired to fill the position at
a salary of $32,250; the resignation
of Aaron Burke as varsity girls
basketball coach was also accepted, and Stacy Horne was
hired to fill the position at $2,600;
the resignation of Danielle Berkstresser as girls junior varsity basketball coach was accepted, and
Andrew Ditty was hired to fill the
position at $2,300; the resignation
of Stacy Gelvin as junior high girls
assistant basketball coach was accepted, and she was hired as head
girls junior high basketball coach
at $1,700; the board accepted the
resignation of Heidi McMath as elementary girls’ basketball coach;
Joshua Wakefield was hired as
technology director at $46,500 effective immediately with his salary
being pro-rated on a daily basis;
no action was taken on adding
Betty Oakman as a part-time
cafeteria employee; and the board
approved the transfer of 25 sick
days for Terri Grissinger from the
Huntingdon Area School District.
The board was also presented
with the administration and support staff salary raises, and those
were approved on a roll-call vote
with one “no” vote cast by Rheon
Gelvin.
During financial discussions,
the board voted to forgive the
cafeteria account payroll reimbursement for $13,485.84 for the
2011-12 school year.
The board voted to continue
with salary steps 1-5 based on the
2008-2009 schedule and to continue with increments of $100 for
varsity coaches beyond year five
and $50 increments for sub varsity
positions for coaches beyond year
five.
A motion was approved to increase the varsity and junior high
basketball timekeeper’s stipend
by $1 for year one, $2 for year two
and $3 for year three for a total increase of $5 per event over the
three-year agreement. In a related
matter, the board also voted to increase the stipend for ticket takers at basketball games by paying
the ticket taker $20 per event and
to also donate $100 to the National Honor Society for the junior
high games.
Miscellaneous items discussed
included the approval of a fieldtrip request for learning support
to The Great Insect Fair at State
College on September 24, 2012, at
no cost to the district.
The 2012-2013 elementary and
high school field trips schedules
were approved as presented.
Approval was granted to the
New Grenada Church of God for
the use of the ballfield beside Lions Club Park for a softball game
in conjunction with a pig roast at
the park.
A request from Carol and Kenzie Shoemaker to use the Madden
See FRSB, Page A2
For home
delivery call
717-485-3811
JULY 26, 2012
McCONNELLSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
112TH YEAR, NO. 30
75¢
Robert G. Bard pled not guilty
during arraignment proceedings
Tuesday to 21 charges of securities fraud, wire
fraud,
mail
fraud,
bank
fraud
and
making false
statements to
the
FBI
b r o u g h t
against him by
the U.S. Department of
Justice for alRobert Bard
legedly
defrauding
43
investors of more than $3 million.
Bard, 45, was arraigned in Harrisburg in U.S. District Court for
the Middle District of Pennsylvania at 9 a.m. His not-guilty plea
was entered, according to a Department of Justice spokeswoman, by James Wade, a federal
public defender.
The 21-count indictment was
unsealed last Thursday after
Bard’s arrest by a FBI agent at his
home near Warfordsburg. He was
taken to Harrisburg, where he appeared before a federal magistrate
judge and was released on $50,000
unsecured bail.
A federal grand jury handed
down the 21-count indictment
July 18, charging the former financial advisor, whose clients lived
mostly in and around Warfordsburg, with one count of securities
fraud, 14 counts of wire fraud,
three counts of mail fraud, one
count of bank fraud, one count of
investment advisor fraud, and one
count of making false statements
to the FBI.
The Department of Justice alleges that from December 2004
until August 2009 Bard, through
his firm Vision Specialist Group,
defrauded the investors by misrepresenting and failing to fully
disclose the types of investments
he made for them and fabricating
the performance of their accounts.
It accuses Bard of creating false
account statements to conceal
millions of dollars in losses his
clients sustained as a result of
risky and speculative investments
he made in volatile securities.
The indictment states that
Bard “executed and attempted to
execute a scheme and artifice to
defraud numerous clients of Vision Specialist by soliciting and
obtaining millions of dollars under
false pretenses, by failing to invest
the fraudulently obtained funds as
promised, and by repeatedly concealing and covering up the fact
that he had squandered their investments on risky stocks ... .”
The indictment also alleges
that Bard’s clients were never informed that prior to opening Vision Specialist he had been
terminated as a stockbroker after
the firm he worked for discovered
that he had prepared and submitted investment documents that
contained forged customer signatures. Bard also failed to inform
his clients that the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority had
determined that he forged customer signatures and improperly
guaranteed investment returns, or
that he had filed a petition for
bankruptcy in July 2005 and that
he was in bankruptcy court until
August 2011 when his personal
debts were discharged by order of
the bankruptcy court.
The indictment further accuses Bard of repeatedly lying
about the value and makeup of investment accounts to approximately 43 clients between July
2006 and August 2009. The false
verbal assurances and phony account statements were provided
in order to conceal investment
losses, to hide investments that
went against the clients’ specific
wishes, and to generate more fees.
After Bard had misrepresented
the makeup and values in his
clients’ account, clients suffered
more than $2 million in additional
losses, the indictment states. During the same time period, Bard is
alleged to have made more than
$825,000 in client fees from all of
his client accounts.
Bard faces a maximum of 75
years in prison if convicted of all 21
counts, plus substantial fines and
penalties.
Bard and his firm were charged
with securities fraud by the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission in a civil suit filed July 30,
See BARD, Page A2
Wells Tannery To Host
65th Homecoming Sat.
Event kicks off with
parade at 11 a.m.
By Chanin Rotz-Mountz
NEWS EDITOR
From the new pavilion and the
updated kitchen to the recently
repaired grandstand, the residents of Wells Tannery continue to
strive to keep their community
fresh and modern while maintaining that down-home, country feel.
Saturday, residents from the Tannery and the surrounding communities and villages will get to
relax and enjoy the fruits of their
ongoing labor when they gather
for the Wells Tannery Homecoming.
Held at Wells Tannery Community Park, the 65th annual event
will get under way with an 11 a.m.
parade that will convene on the
northwestern side of town. Community Park Board of Director
and parade organizer Krissie Earley told the “News” there is no advance registration required to sign
up or participate in the parade.
Parade lineup is between 10 a.m.
and 10:30 a.m. along Route 915. Individuals will be stationed at both
ends of the parade route that will
run up and down West Tannery
Road before turning onto Cove
Road and ending at the Community Park.
A multitude of fire equipment
and trucks from area volunteer
fire companies are typically on
hand for the parade, and marching and twirling groups are highly
encouraged to participate as are
bicyclists,
horseback
riders,
church groups, four-wheelers and
antique vehicles. Earley noted in
the case of four-wheeler operators
riding to and from the parade on
their all-terrain vehicle, the vehicle
must be decorated in advance in
order to legally travel along the
roadway.
Parade marshals Hope Wright
and Helen Foreman will lead the
parade, which will likely include
some musical selections by the
Forbes Road Junior/Senior High
band led by director Ryan Wade.
Following the parade, visitors
to the Tannery are encouraged to
reconnect with family and friends
at the park, where event organizers have planned a day filled with
fun, family activities. Community
Park President Byron Helsel said
See WELLS TANNERY, Page A2