SU Baseball Mourns Loss

WINCHESTER, Va. – The Shenandoah University baseball team mourns the loss of one of its own Saturday as Preston Tarleton ’08 passed away Friday following a car accident last Sunday evening.

Tarleton, who played in 78 games for from 2005-08 as an outfielder, was involved in a one-car accident Sunday evening in his native Maryland. He was transported to Baltimore’s Shock Trauma Hospital following the accident and passed away Friday afternoon after being taken off of life support.

“We are devastated,” SU head coach Kevin Anderson said. “Preston was the kind of young man that makes programs great – he never said a word, but came to the ballpark everyday ready to play.

“We have a number of players still in the program that played with Preston as well as a couple of members of my coaching staff who played with or coached him, and we all extend our deepest sympathies to Preston’s family.”

Tarleton’s best season in a Hornets uniform came in 2007, when he hit .308 with two doubles in 13 starts. For his career, he had 39 hits and 23 RBI.

Tarleton, 23, is survived by his parents Mask and Haypatia Tarleton. He graduated from Shenandoah’s Harry F. Byrd School of Business in 2008 and was a USA South Conference All-Academic team honoree in his senior year.

Funeral arrangements are pending at this time.

Private College/University's financial comparison for years 2006 - 2008

Click on the following link to view the private school's financial comparison among the USA-South and ODAC conferences:

2008, 2007, 2006 financial comparison (USA-South and ODAC schools)

SU's breakdown on contributions, gifts, grants, and similar amounts received:

2006:

10,124,069 - Direct Public Support
   367,293 - Indirect Public Support
 2,088,700 - Gov't Contributions (Grants)
==========
12,580,062 = Cash 8,620,821 + NonCash 3,959,241



2007:

 4,087,383 - Direct Public Support
   412,538 - Indirect Public Support
 2,888,565 - Gov't Contributions (Grants)
==========
 7,388,486 = Cash 6,486,875 + NonCash 901,611



2008:

 6,638,299 - Direct Public Support
   403,200 - Indirect Public Support
 1,482,743 - Gov't Contributions (Grants)
==========
 8,524,242 = Cash 7,615,757 + NonCash 908,485


 

Downtown Arena Concept shared with the Planning Commission

The concept of an Arena downtown on the walking mall was shared with the Planning Commission this afternoon.

Below is a link where the power-point can be viewed:

http://www.slideshare.net/coachmilburn/downtown-arena-ideaconcept

City officials pursuing VHS for some taxes

The Winchester Star ran two front page articles today.  Brief segments below:

Tax tiff

Winchester Medical Center and city officials zero in on application of the hospital’s tax-exempt status to property used for purposes other than traditional health care.

By Vic Bradshaw
The Winchester Star

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Winchester--This year, the city government is performing its triennial assessment of properties owned by nonprofit organizations.

The timing, it appears, could not be better.

City officials and Winchester Medical Center have been in a bit of a tax tug-of-war recently, and the parties hope a fresh reassessment will provide some clarity regarding their differences.

At issue is the application of the hospital’s tax-exempt status to property used for purposes other than traditional health care.

“Valley Health needs to pay taxes — and that’s real estate taxes and personal property taxes and [Business, Professional and Occupational License] taxes — on things that are generating revenue for Valley Health,” said Jeffrey Buettner, the City Council’s president. “It puts them at an unfair advantage with the private sector, and that’s wrong. It’s a fairness issue. We’re not on a witch hunt here.”

For remainder of the article, click on this link:
http://winchesterstar.com/pages/view/tax.html

A different health club

Valley Health Wellness and Fitness Center doesn’t emphasize body-building or muscle-sculpting

By Lorraine Halsted
The Winchester Star

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Winchester--On a recent Friday, Keith Edic walked past the rows of elliptical trainers, treadmills, and resistance training equipment in the the expansive sunlit room at Valley Health Wellness and Fitness Center. While the early-morning crowd had thinned out, the center was still bustling — with members milling around and working out on exercise machines — while a small free-weight room in the corner was sitting empty.

For remainder of the article, click on this link:
http://winchesterstar.com/pages/view/club.html

Reviewing the side-by-side comparison again with Lewis-Gale Medical Center

Salem officials sit on Lewis-Gale board
Roanoke Times & World News, Apr 4, 2010 | by Sarah Bruyn Jones


For at least a decade Lewis-Gale Medical Center has relied on the advice of Salem city officials in making decisions related to its hospital.

And Salem, with an estimated population of 25,400, has also relied on the strong relationship it has developed with its largest taxpayer and non-government employer. Lewis-Gale -- owned by for- profit HCA, which bills itself as the nation's leading provider of health care services -- contributes roughly $1.9 million in annual revenue to the city from business license fees, personal property taxes and real estate taxes. Lewis-Gale employs about 1,500 people, slightly fewer than the Salem Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Most directly, the Salem-based Lewis-Gale hospital has solicited advice by appointing city officials to its board of trustees. Currently two officials sit on the Lewis-Gale advisory board. They are City Manager Kevin Boggess and Melinda Payne, director of the department of planning and development.

"They are going to understand the needs of the community and they can provide valuable advice and direction on the needs of the community," said Nancy May, spokeswoman for Lewis-Gale.

Payne has served on the board for about three years, while Boggess was just recently appointed. Boggess' city manager predecessor, Forest Jones, is a former board member.

Some ethicists question the arrangement.

"It seems to me that there is at least the potential for a conflict of interest to exist," said Rich Wokutch, a professor at Virginia Tech's Pamplin College of Business who specializes in business ethics.

After all, a city official could have to work with competitors of the hospital, or something beneficial to the hospital might not be in the best interest of the city.

Boggess, prior to joining the board, stood up at a public hearing to support Lewis-Gale's efforts to prevent Carilion Clinic from bringing a mobile imaging unit to Salem. More recently another competitor of Lewis-Gale has worked with the city in planning to develop an outpatient surgery center and medical offices on the former Elizabeth Campus.

"We're a free market," Boggess said when asked about the proposed Elizabeth Campus development. "And competition is good and the city of Salem has an interest in seeing that property developed."

Both Boggess and Payne said their first commitment is to the city government and their paid jobs. Lewis-Gale board members are not paid.

"Our positions are we are going to do what's in the best interest of the city. Always," Payne said. "That's what we have to do."

Boggess also emphasized that much of the advice he is asked to give focuses on internal hospital policy and personnel issues.

Wokutch said at the very least people in the position of Payne or Boggess should recuse themselves from decisions where even the appearance of a conflict of interest might exist. Both said they would do exactly that. Additionally, May said the board bylaws require every trustee to sign a statement listing all conflicts of interest.

"The trustee also agrees not to participate in any vote or deliberations on the matter," May said.

While the arrangement may raise some eyebrows among ethicists who discourage cozy relationships between government and business, one expert in hospital board structure said this situation is unique and harmless.

Typically James Orlikoff said he would vehemently oppose any hospital that appointed a government official to its board. But that's mostly in the case of nonprofit hospitals. For instance, Roanoke-based Carilion Clinic is a nonprofit and does not have any government officials on its board of directors, which has a governing instead of an advisory role.

Orlikoff, who is president of a Chicago-based consulting firm that specializes in hospital governance, said that for-profit hospitals that are part of the national HCA Inc. chain, such as Lewis-Gale, have an entirely different governance structure that makes the question of conflict moot. In short, the hospital's trustees really don't have any power and can make only recommendations, which may or may not be adhered to by management.

"The real power rests with the corporate board of HCA, not the hospital advisory board," Orlikoff said. "The bottom line is it doesn't matter what the board says, HCA is going to do what it wants to do to make a profit."

Remember the side-by-side comparison between Lewis-Gale and Winchester Medical Center?  If not, then follow this link on the post from November 9, 2009:

2007 Winchester Medical Center / Lewis-Gale Medical Center side-by-side comparison