Pocahontas PSD Votes To Stay With Site Chosen Last Year For Regional Sewer Plant

Snowshoe, WV – Pocahontas County Public Service District board member Amon Tracy cast a crucial vote during the PSD’s regular meeting Tuesday night. Tracy supports keeping the location of the proposed regional sewer plant at site 7, just up the road from the Inn at Snowshoe.

At a previous meeting, PSD member Tom Shipley had proposed changing the site location to site 9, near Silver Creek Lodge on top of the mountain. Although a potentially more expensive option, site 9 has the enthusiastic support of Snowshoe homeowners who will bear the brunt of the cost of a new treatment plant.

PSD Chairman Mark Smith made the motion to stay with the current site location. He says the consent decree between the WV Dept of Environmental Protection and Snowshoe Mountain Resort heavily influenced his decision.

The decree allows Snowshoes current treatment plant to release higher than normal amounts of some chemical compounds provided the resort is working towards a way to reduce those levels.

Shipley, after reading a draft of a letter to the WV DEP stating the reasons for changing the site location, got a round of applause from the homeowners in attendance. Then PSD member Amon Tracy talked about his deliberations concerning the location of the plant.

Tracy cited the higher cost of starting with site 9, the need for a plant that can handle sewage treatment for both the mountain and the valley, and the donation of land for site 7 as some of the criteria used in making his decision. He then opened the discussion up to allow anyone in the room to comment.

After listening patiently for over an hour, Tracy gave his decision in the matter. He says he believes the Linwood location (site 7)is a better economic choice for the mountain and the valley.

The motion passed on a 2 to 1 vote with Shipley opposed. PSD Chairman Mark Smith stresses that the site 7 location must still be approved by the WV DEP and the WV Public Service Commission.