The Aug. 23 meeting of the Beatty Town Advisory Board heated up when the panel considered a request for information from Charlie Cook regarding fuel and mileage records on the town's pickup truck.

Bert Bertram asked Cook if he were making any allegations, accusing secretary Janet Rogers of using the vehicle for personal use. "I don't believe in fishing expeditions," said Bertram, insisting that such information should only be sought in response to allegations of civil or criminal wrongdoing.

Cook said he would not name the people who claimed Rogers did not deserve the raise in salary she recently received. He suggested that one of the reasons was that unnamed people felt she was using the vehicle for personal use.

Bertram said that the records Cook was seeking would only give mileage and fuel consumption and would not answer any questions regarding how the vehicle was being used.

Cook asked the board for a yes or no answer to the question of whether Rogers was using the vehicle for personal use.

Chairman Kay Hegge answered that no, she was not. She also gave Cook a print out of county policy on the release of the type of information he had requested, including whom to contact.

Bertram further explained that the town secretary is on call at all hours in case an intruder alarm goes off at one of the town's translator sites. One of the uses of the vehicle, besides hauling supplies, is to gain access to the remote translator locations.

Cook said it was his understanding that this truck was acquired as a temporary replacement for an older vehicle that needed frequent repair. But the older vehicle was then given to the Water and Sanitation District, which Cook referred to as a "subterfuge."

At the time of the transfer, the older truck was still in need of repair, and the Water and Sanitation District had just lost a truck in an accident.

The board briefly considered progress on the town's master plan. It is unclear how far the county has moved toward hiring a professional to guide the planning process.

According to Rogers, only three people have so far expressed interest in serving on the planning committee. She has received letters of interest from Shirley Harlan and Ryan Tweney and a verbal expression of interest from Teresa Sullivan.

Jim Weeks and Gene Nelson gave a brief presentation on the activities of the Nevada Test Site Community Advisory Board. Weeks, manager of the Beatty Water and Sanitation District, is a new CAB member. Nelson, an Amargosa Valley resident and a geologist by profession, has served for several years.

Bertram questioned Nelson about the placement of monitoring wells to track any migration of radioactive material in ground water from the test site. She said that CAB members had made recommendations for placement of wells in areas they felt might intercept a "plume," and that the Department of Energy "seemed to be listening" and had even asked them for additional site recommendations.

Nelson also said, however, that they were told there was no money for drilling at present, and that the wells would probably not be drilled until 2009.

Regarding PETT money originally earmarked for the Barrick water project, Rogers reported that, because the cost of the total project had gone up $200,000 since it was initially approved, the county did not have the money to fund it.

Instead, the county gave the $300,000 it had committed to the project to the Beatty Water and Sanitation District. Weeks said this money would be used for the sewer pond project.

Rogers said that Commissioner Joni Eastley's priority now is to get water to the former Barrick property to facilitate economic development. The area is being considered as the site for a solar energy project.

In other news, Kitty Shubert took her seat as the newest member of the board. She fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Lamar Walters.

The board approved the transfer of the town's now unused television translator equipment to Gabbs and Manhattan. Secretary Rogers said she was told that the Beatty equipment was old, but not as old as that being used by those communities.

The board also decided to recommend that the Nye County commissioners should make an offer of $30,000 for a property just southeast of the former Napa Auto Parts store for use as a town square. The property adjoins a smaller piece that has been verbally offered to the town as a gift.

The board will coordinate with the Beatty General Improvement District, and will go forward with the offer only if the BGID concurs and agrees to take charge of maintenance.