The following are highlights from today’s Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting:
1. The Board presented a proclamation of thanks to Vice Chair Marsha Berkbigler: The Commissioners wished the vicechair well and thanked her for her hard work on behalf of District 1, Washoe County, and all the county employees. Chair Bob Lucey kicked off a heartfelt goodbye to Vice Chair Marsha Berkbigler, who has served two terms on the Commission since 2012.
“Let me be the first to say you will be deeply missed here as part of our team and part of our family,” Lucey said. “I want to be the first to say thank you for all you’ve done in this commission, in these Chambers, in this office, and in this building, and also outside. Your footprints and your fingerprints are everywhere in this community and will be memorialized forever. We wish you the best.”
In addition to presenting her with a proclamation, Lucey played a farewell video marking her many contributions to the Washoe County over the past eight years. All of the Commissioners joined in with their thanks for her years of service.
“I give you so much credit for sticking your neck out there and driving into political office and public life in a time when it’s almost impossible to run for office because it’s so brutal,” Commissioner Kitty Jung said. “I commend you and admire you for your stick-to-itiveness and your always compassionate approach to employee labor negotiations and your commitment to excellence at the county. I will forever be indebted to call you a member of this community and all you’ve done.”
2. Commissioners recognized the service of two retiring employees. The Board commended Dr. Aaron Kenneston upon his retirement after 16 years with the Washoe County Emergency Manager, overseeing the Regional Emergency Operations Center (REOC). Kenneston served in the Army National Guard for 25 years, retiring as colonel, and brought his extensive expertise in military and civilian emergency management to his tenure with Washoe County. His role will be filled with the promotion of Kelly Echeverria, who has worked with Kenneston at the REOC for five years.
“Aaron has worked tirelessly to make our community resilient and robust in our response to emergencies such as floods, wildlife, civil unrest, the air race incident, and now a pandemic,” Assistant County Manager Kate Thomas said. “One of the feathers in his cap was his push to make Washoe County one of the elite national leaders in emergency management by earning our accreditation by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program.”
The Board also recognized Washoe County Juvenile Services Director Frank Cervantes upon his pending retirement in January. He has served Washoe County Juvenile Services for 26 years, and a combined 30 years in county and state service. He has worked as a youth parole officer and probation officer and was appointed as the director of Juvenile Services in 2013.
“When you think about a thankless job, someone who gives every day to our community, Frank Cervantes is the epitome of that dedication,” Chair Bob Lucey said. “He works to make sure that kids get another chance at life. He’ll be missed as a friend and a colleague and a servant to this community.”
3. The Board accepted a donation from Grace Community Church for “welcome kits.” Grace Community Church of Reno, an ardent supporter of the Washoe County Human Services Agency, donated $30,000 to be used for “welcome kits” for every child and parent moving into the Our Place family and maternity shelter. The kits will allow residents to choose personal towels and toiletries, and those entering the maternity shelter will choose all their own necessary baby items. Grace Community Church has previously donated funds to support clients transitioning out of the Crossroads Program and the expansion of Crossroads for young clients aged 18-24, a difficult group to reach with traditional treatment programs. Additionally, the church donated $225,000 to support the Women’s Crossroads program.
“Our community cares. Grace Church has been a marvelous partner in the amount of money they’ve donated to Our Place, helping children who might be having family problems or are underprivileged,” Vice-Chair Berkbigler said. “We are truly blessed.”
4. County Manager noted county’s support of contract tracing for the Washoe County School District: Manager Eric Brown reminded the Commission and public that county employees whose workload has been reduced due to COVID-19 restrictions have been reassigned to the Washoe County School District to aid with COVID contact tracing.
“It’s really important to point out that these are Washoe County employees, not Washoe County School District employees, who are stepping out of their usual role and routine and are stepping over to help the school district,” Vice-Chair Berkbigler said. “That’s on the pocket of the county. We’re not asking the school district to pay their salaries. We’re doing that here ourselves, and I think it’s an example of the ways the county steps out at all times with financial support and the support of our employees to help all of the other governments in this valley. This is truly a regional government and they work really hard from a regional perspective.”
5. Commissioners approved subgrants of CARES Act funding to small businesses: Part of Washoe County’s CARES Act allocation was set aside to support small-business grants. Twenty businesses in unincorporated Washoe County applied for and qualified for these grants, totaling approximately $141,000. The small-business grant program was implemented in partnership with the Nevada National Association of Counties (NACO) and applications were accepted from Sept. 8 through Oct. 20, 2020. Grants range from $5,000 to $15,000, depending on the need, and may be used for personal protective equipment (PPE), and for working capital such as payroll expenses, inventory, lease payments, and other operating costs.
