Pocahontas Commissioners Approve Fire Alarm Contract with Local Company

The April 4^th Pocahontas County Commission meeting was the shortest such meeting in recent memory, lasting about 25 minutes. The only agenda item which required action was the approval of an annual maintenance agreement for the fire alarm system at the courthouse complex, including the jail and the fire alarm system in the 911 Center. Mike Cain, the Courthouse Maintenance Manager recommended that the Commissioners accept the contract offered by SecuriTech LLC, a Pocahontas County based security firm owned by Joe Clendenen. Clendenen was present at the meeting and pointed out that he holds all the certifications and licenses required by the State Fire Marshall to inspect and maintain a fire alarm system. The Commission unanimously voted to approve the contract with SecuriTech at an annual inspection cost of $2327.15.

Margaret Worth addressed the Commissioners during the public input section of the meeting. Margaret wanted the Commissioners to clarify their position on the proposed transverse of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline across the County. The Commission President Beard explained that the Commission had sent a letter supporting the original northern route of the pipeline through Pocahontas County. Once that route was rejected, Dominion Power had asked the Commission to support the Alternative or more Southern route, but the Commission has not done that, which, Beard explained, means that they are not supporting the current route.  One of the Commissioners pointed out only 4 private landowners would have been directly affected by the original route, while the current route directly affects many times that number of landowners.

Margaret went on to clarify her opposition to the pipeline, including this excerpt from her address to the Commissioners.

“I don’t think the pipeline should come through our County, or any county” said Worth. “I don’t think we should be fracking period!  I’ve listened to the radio reports about Mon Power buying some plant or selling some plant, or whatever. And the spokesperson for Mon Power said that the reason their reserves of electricity had been consumed far more rapidly than they had anticipated is the process of fracking requires energy, so we are creating energy to extract energy to sell energy somewhere else.”

Margaret also expressed her opinion that Eminent Domain should not be used to secure the pipeline route since there is no benefit to this community because the gas will be sold elsewhere, and probably sold overseas.

Sue Helton, Commission Assistant, reported that the Commission had received a letter from the Monongahela National Forest requesting comments on the proposal that Cheat-Potomac Ranger District of the Forest developing a proposal for the creation of the Spruce Mountain Grouse Management Area in Pendleton and Randolph Counties.

Since Bob Martin had no Counsel Report for the Commissioners, and there were no other items left on the Agenda except for the signing of invoices, the meeting ended with the Commissioners signing the invoices.