Charleston Lawyer Will Represent Pocahontas Commission At PSC Hearing

Marlinton, WV – The Pocahontas County Commission hired Charleston attorney Samuel Hanna after a short executive session during their meeting Tuesday. Hanna, instead of Pocahontas Prosecuting Attorney Donna Price, will represent the Commission at a hearing before the West Virginia Public Service Commission on November 22nd. He was chosen because of his previous experience with the PSC.

The hearing is for a case brought by a group of landowners including Ralph Beckwith, Harvey Galford, Ike Morris, Russell Holt, Frank Santmyer and Snowshoe Mountain Resort to force the Pocahontas Public Service District board to proceed with the plan for the Linwood (Site 7) regional sewer plant. In late August, the Pocahontas County Commission filed as intervenors in the case. The PSD, with newly appointed board member David Litsey, recently voted to discard the Linwood regional plant proposal.

In other business, the Commissioners approved the hiring of two new staff members in the Circuit Clerks office. Cindy Beverage will be a full time deputy clerk starting at $9.00 per hour plus benefits. Pam Buzzard will be a part time deputy clerk at $8.00 per hour without benefits. Circuit Clerk Earl Michael there is sufficient money in his budget to carry both positions and that Circuit Clerk-elect Connie Carr approves both hires.

A request by County Clerk Sandra Friel to hire Sarah Shearer as a full time deputy clerk was not approved by the Commission. Citing declining revenues, Commission President Martin Saffer says he’s reluctant to add another fully funded position to the Clerks’ office. Commissioner Griffith agreed, saying she would prefer that Friel hire temporary help.

The Commission had the third and final reading of the updated county flood plain ordinance and the dog ordinance. The flood plain ordinance was adopted unanimously. The dog ordinance was adopted by a vote of two to one, with Griffith opposed. The dog ordinance can be seen in full at the Commissions website, www.pocahontascountycommission.com.

Commissioner Fleming discussed the need for road signs directing tourists away from certain county roads in the wintertime. GPS units direct tourists to use roads such as the Green Bank road or the Scenic Highway as the most direct route from one point to another. However, these roads may be all but impassable for many vehicles in the wintertime. After further discussion, the Commissioners decided to send a letter to WV Dept of Highways Manager Jim McCoy for input on how to proceed.

The next meeting of the Pocahontas County Commission will be Monday, November 15th.