With National Recovery Month just around the corner in September, the Pendleton County Commission elected to back the efforts of the West Virginia Goes Purple movement as it raises awareness for drug recovery efforts.
Commissioner Roger Dahmer opened the meeting with the customary invocation, praying, “Lord, we thank You for the rain. Lord, we thank You for the sun.”
A representative from the Hope Dealer Project was on hand with supporters to talk about “West Virginia Goes Purple.” She shared that West Virginia in 2023 was the first to have every county government in the state pass resolutions to support the effort, adding that “it is a powerful statewide movement showing people they are not alone” whether they are personally in recovery or care about someone in that process.
Several individuals clad in purple came to support the effort and, in some cases, share their personal stories.
Julie Koontz came with the contingent and shared her personal and powerful story. She stated that “the last time I was in this courthouse I was wearing orange. Today, I’m walking into this same courthouse wearing purple.”
She went on to share that “I’m proud of my recovery . . . it gave me a second chance” and that recovery with the right support provides “opportunities to heal, build trust, and be a part of the community again.”
Later in the meeting, Rick Gillespie, Pendleton County Emergency Services coordinator, stated that the county’s office of emergency management did finally receive a $100,000 grant reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency through the State of West Virginia to pay for new radio equipment used by the sheriff’s department.
Carl Hevener, Pendleton County Commission president, then provided the update on the courthouse annex project, saying, “Everything is moving forward. The prosecuting attorney’s office moved back in Thursday morning.”
He then invited those in attendance to “look around while you’re here. We’re kind of proud of it.”
It took many years and a tremendous amount of work from Karen Pitsenbarger, Pendleton County administrator, and others to shepherd this project through the complex state-mandated design, funding, and construction process to completion.
Amanda Mowery then reported progress from Liberty Community Programs, which has been developing the former Navy Base at Sugar Grove into a multi-faceted adult and juvenile treatment, recovery, and occupational therapy center.
She shared that LCP has seen “eight residents that have gone through treatment” and have started operating under an agreement with Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College to receive workforce skills training.
Progress toward expanding services has also taken place with “revamps on the houses” coming soon to prepare them for residential treatment services.
Commissioners also read a thank you note from the Tucker Community Foundation for help in starting their Run Forward event. “Your generous donation is appreciated,” wrote Michael Moore, chief financial officer for TCF.
