America 250 drew huge crowds all over the nation. The Franklin Volunteer Fire Department’s annual lawn party and fireworks show brought huge crowds, regardless of days that felt like 100 degrees right into locally intense storms that sparked flood warnings.
Roger Dahmer, Pendleton County commissioner, opened the meeting by praying, “We thank You for the rains You have given us” that have gone a long way to help the region rebound from drought conditions through the end of spring.
The first order of business lay in a request from Carl Hevener, commission president, of emergency management officials present for the meeting. He asked for call logs for both the West Virginia State Police and Pendleton County Sheriff’s Department. Diana Mitchell, director of Pendleton 911, asked what information he needed.
Hevener shared after discussion that he “does not want personally identifying information” of those placing the calls, but is more interested in the record of response. Rick Gillespie, Pendleton County Emergency Services coordinator, noted that “we have done that in the past.”
Gillespie then went on to share that “we have had some extremely hard local downpours that caused what I’d like to call ‘nuisance flooding.’” US 220 near Ruddle was submerged for about an hour on Sunday.
Hevener added that “you’ve got a lot of dead brush laying around” that chokes culverts and causes backups. “Everywhere you go, you see that,” he added. Gillespie stated that he had not seen water over the road at the Poor Farm since the Flood of 1985.
Next, Gillespie shared details on planning for a regional emergency communications and response drill slated for fall. The meeting took place in the conference room at the Pendleton County Office of Emergency Management, located in the General Services Building. He noted that state officials who attended were complimentary of the new facility and that the next meeting would probably come to Franklin as well.
Courthouse annex work continues to move through its final phases. Karen Pitsenbarger, Pendleton County administrator, shared that the county clerk’s office was currently being repainted and staff temporarily housed in other offices. Hevener asked Pitsenbarger about a ribbon cutting and she stated that “I really don’t want to get that done until everything gets done.”
Additionally, she described the event, slated for fall, as more of an open house for justices on the West Virginia State Supreme Court of Appeals.
Pitsenbarger later shared that the county had earned a $250,000 grant award from Sustain Our Future for continued work on the General Services Building.
Elise White, Pendleton County clerk, reported budget revisions for approval. One concerned $535 of coal severance taxes due to Pendleton County over what was budgeted. Additionally, Payment in Lieu of Taxes from the federal government for lands in the county that it owns rose from $387,805 last year to $460,114, “a decent increase,” White said.
She also noted that the West Virginia State Legislature-approved pay raises would have to be factored in as well. “I’ll have more at the next meeting,” she concluded.
Mike Alt, training officer for Pendleton County Emergency Rescue, could share no updates from talks in Charleston meant to address illegal language in an EMS Salary Enhancement bill passed last spring. He also stated that a revenue generation plan from Randolph County EMS was nixed by the state.
He added that PCER would acquire two ambulances to replace current units that he estimated “won’t make it 24 more months.” He added that with increasing costs and build times for emergency vehicles, as well as other headwinds against fire and EMS “things aren’t going in the right direction.”
As far as the crowds in for the lawn party and other events throughout the county, “We got through the Fourth really well compared to counties around us,” he said. “We had a lot of people on the Fourth” with “everybody talking about big crowds.”
Annie Humes, executive director of the Pendleton County Convention and Visitors Bureau, shared a review of the process leading up to the America 250 mural recently completed in Franklin. “I appreciate the commissioners’ support on that,” she stated and added that financial support was key to “pulling it off.”
Hevener praised artist Kelson Thorne for the quick completion time despite periods of extremely hot weather and also rain. “It’s bad enough in the hay field,” he stated, adding “the heat off a parking lot is far worse.”
Humes responded that “he was glad to do it” and that local businesses helped as well. She gave as an example the Korner Shop providing a steady supply of its sweet tea.
