Pocahontas County Commission Asked to Help Fund Sidewalk in Linwood

Morgan Haymond and Dave Simmons of Linwood Alive appeared before the Pocahontas County Commissioners at their October 5^th meeting and asked the Commissioners to provide them with one-hundred and sixty-thousand dollars ($160,000) to help them construct approximately eight-tenths of a mile of sidewalk from the intersection of US 219 and WV 66 to Snowshoe Drive. Simmons explained that this project has been proposed for many years, and at one time the state had approved eight-hundred thousand dollars ($800,000) for the project, but recently reduced that amount to six-hundred and forty thousand dollars ($640,000.) Commissioner Helmick agreed the project was needed not only for the safety of pedestrians, but for its ability to unite the Linwood Community. The commissioners agreed to further study and discuss this at a future work session.

The commission was also asked by Stephany Moore, the Executive Director of the Family Refuge Center for forty-five thousand, seventy-two dollars and fifty-four cents ($45,072.54) from the county’s American Rescue Plan’s allotted funds to make up for their temporary loss of funding from the “Victims of Crime Act” (VOCA) due to COVID-19. Once again, the commissioners decided to discuss this request at a future work session.

Cara Rose, Director of the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau updated the commissioners regarding the Pocahontas County Bicentennial events. Rose said the Huntersville events were cancelled due to COVID, but a low-key event was held this past weekend at Discovery Junction in Marlinton. She said they are planning to go ahead with a reading of the original resolution creating Pocahontas County at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 18^th, 2021 at Huntersville, which was the original county seat and with a mock commission session on March 3^rd at Huntersville commemorating the two-hundredth anniversary of the organizing of the county and of the first County Court session.

The Commissioners also agreed to pass an official proclamation proclaiming the founding of the county at their December 21^st regular meeting, which will be on the actual two-hundred-year anniversary of the founding of the county which occurred on December 21^st, 1821.

The commissioners did take action on the following:

• Regarding the county’s broadband efforts, they:
  • Agreed to open a checking account to handle the funds from the approved two and a half million-dollar ARC Broadband Grant.
  • Approved sending documents to the state regarding the Broadband Project.
  • Approved Draw #3 in the amount of eleven thousand five hundred dollars ($11,500) from the Broadband Study Grant to pay their Engineer/consultant for the month of August.
• They agreed to interview three bidding Architectural firms for Pocahontas Memorial Hospital’s HVAC and Roof Project. Those companies are Becker-Morgan; ZMN Architects; and Thompson and Litton. The interviews will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday October 19^th before their regular evening meeting.
• They also selected three engineering companies to be interviewed for the Water/Sewer Project at Pocahontas Memorial Hospital on the same date, also before the regular Commission meeting. Those firms are E.L. Robinson Engineering; Potesta & Associates; and Dunn Engineers, Inc.
• They approved a sub-agreement with the Greenbrier Valley Conservation District to remove a large Weeping Willow tree along Marlin Run in Marlinton for thirty-two hundred and fifty dollars, which is reimbursable to the county under the sub-agreement. The tree is leaning and threatening buildings in town.
• They approved the appointments of Janet Ghigo, Donald McNeel, Christine Rebinski, Jennifer Barlow, and Ron Flemming to the County EMS Authority Board.