Hillsboro Mayor Gail Siers Appointed to Pocahontas County Solid Waste Authority
During the June 30th Pocahontas County Special Commission Meeting lengthy interviews which were held in closed Executive Session, were conducted with a number of people who applied to be appointed by the commissioners to the Pocahontas County Solid Waste Authority Board (SWA.) When the commissioners returned to open session, they voted to appoint Gail Siers, who is the Mayor of Hillsboro, to a 3-year term on that board. David McLaughlin had held that seat until his term expired on June 30, 2026. McLaughlin was one of the candidates who was interviewed but he was not selected for re-appointment. McLaughlin has been under fair or unfair, depending on how you see it, public criticism from a group of citizens because of his support of a proposal to have JacMal Properties build a solid waste transfer station at the landfill. Siers has been among the group of citizens who want to see other options besides just building a transfer station put out on an open bid.
Once the landfill becomes full and closes there will need to be an alternative public solid waste disposal system in place. Currently, while the SWA has now rejected the JacMal proposal, they have voted to place only the building of a transfer station out on open bid.
Landfill Manager Chris McComb has said that engineers are examining the landfill to see if its usable life can be extended as much as a year or two beyond the original estimated closing time of this fall or early in 2027. The SWA is expecting to receive an answer from the engineering company very shortly as to a date when the landfill will need to be closed.
With Siers appointment, the 5 member SWA board will now consist of 4 members, Dave Henderson, Phillip Cobb, Darrell Roach and Gail Siers. The fifth position on the board remains vacant, with that appointment to be made by the WV Environmental Protection Agency (WV EPA.) After this special meeting, County Commissioner Jamie Walker – who himself is a former member of the SWA board – informed this reporter that the WV EPA is considering appointing one of 4 candidates who have applied to them for that appointment – they are Nancy Harris; June Taylor; John Paul Burks, or Sam Collins. He feels that appointment will be made relatively soon, but does not have a date. The SWA board has two members appointed by the County Commission, one by the WV EPA, one by the WV Public Service Commission, and one by the WV Soil Conservation agency.
Following another executive session for interviews, the commissioners hired Amy Copley as a part-time employee of the County Animal Shelter at a pay rate of $12.00 per hour with no benefits. That hire will become effective on July 1, 2026.
They opened four bids for their purchase of a sub-compact utility tractor for maintenance of the lawn and grounds at the courthouse. They selected the lowest bid that met their requirements, which was from Varner Construction for a Bad Boy Mower tractor with a 60-inch mower deck, a snow plow, and an enclosed cab. The bid was in the amount of $43,671.
Additionally, the Commissioners:
- Appointed Linda Adams, Kristen Beverage and Allie Callison to three-year terms on the County Dramas, Fairs, and Festivals.
- Corrected and changed Randy Sharp’s earlier 3-year appointment to the County Building Commission to a 5-year appointment.
- Made the annual-designation of all the local banks that have branches in Pocahontas County as official County Depositories for 2026-2027.
Finally, prior to adjourning, they approved end-of-fiscal year invoices. July 1 begins the new 2026-2027 Fiscal Year.
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