Two Upcoming Meetings To Determine Sewer Options For Pocahontas PSD

Durbin, WV – Three-and-a-half years ago, a three-man Pocahontas Public Service District board voted 2-1 to build a sewage plant on Snowshoe Drive to serve the resort and surrounding area. On February 9, a board with three different members will select a new sewage system to serve the area. PSD board chairman announced important upcoming meeting dates during the board’s regular meeting on January 31 at the Durbin Fire Hall.

In July 2008, a board consisting of Mark Smith, the late William Rexrode and Scott Millican, voted to build a sewage plant at Site 7 on Snowshoe Drive. In February 2009, the same board voted to build a single, large-capacity plant, designed by Thrasher Engineering, at Site 7.

Opponents of Thrasher’s $25.5 million centralized plant, including many Snowshoe residents and the Snowshoe Property Owners Council, successfully lobbied the Pocahontas County Commission to install anti-Thrasher plan board members when the opportunity arose. Between August 2009 and October 2010, three new members were appointed to the PSD board and the board voted in October 2010 to scrap the Thrasher plan and hire a new engineer to study alternatives.

The PSD hired Waste Water Management, Inc., WWMI, to develop a less expensive, decentralized sewage system for the Snowshoe area. On January 7, WWMI president David Rigby presented his alternatives to the public and the PSD board. The alternatives range in cost from $16.6 million to $20.9 million.

Rigby’s two options for the resort include an upgraded Snowshoe Village plant and a new plant in the Silver Creek area. Rigby’s alternatives for the valley include a second plant at either Site 7 on Snowshoe Drive, the Inn at Snowshoe, or a site near the intersection of Routes 219 and 66. Shipley said a special meeting will be held on February 7 at Linwood Library, when Rigby will provide a final update on the different alternatives before the board makes a selection. Shipley said a second special meeting will be held two days later, on February 9 at Linwood Library, when the board will select an alternative. Shipley describes his plan.

“What we’ll do is, on the seventh, receive all this information and have discussions and then we will take a two-day break,” he said. “We will come back on the ninth and we will select which regional project we want to do.”

In other matters, the PSD voted 3-0 to spend $97,000 left over from the Bartow-Frank-Durbin water upgrade project, to purchase fencing at the water works building, a backup generator and 250 touch-read water meters and readers. The cost includes a 15 percent markup by contractor J.F. Allen Company. The expenditure of the leftover funds must be approved by Region 4 Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council.

The PSD board appointed officers for 2012. Shipley remains as chairman, by a 2-1 vote; Rick Barkley remains as treasurer, by a unanimous vote and David Litsey was appointed secretary by a unanimous vote.

The board went into executive session to discuss the purchase of real estate and voted 2-1, after resuming open session, to hire an appraiser to valuate parcels in Linwood owned by Harvey Galford and David Curtis, for potential sewage plant sites.

The board directed attorney Chris Negley to finalize the details of a sewage hauling agreement with Snowshoe Mountain resort. The board approved the monthly financial statement for January 2012, which showed income of $124,550 and expenditures of $100,207 under the sewer account; and income of $12,559 and expenditures of $11,204 under the water account.

The next meeting of the PSD board is scheduled for Tuesday, February 7 at the Linwood Library at 7pm.