By Stephen Smoot
A handful of days before the subject of the prayer’s customarily celebrated birthday, Pendleton County Commissioner Roger Dahmer opened the final regular meeting of the year by praying “We thank You for Your precious Son Jesus Christ.”
The meeting opened with Rick Gillespie, Pendleton County emergency services coordinator, reporting that requests for proposals for Next Generation 911 were due to open on Dec 26. He told the commissioners that “we may need to take action by the end of the year,” especially if the county will use American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, funds for part of the money needed.
Karen Pitsenbarger suggested that “we will probably need to get together and discuss that in depth,” adding that a committee can be formed to review the RFPs, then hold a final meeting in Gillespie’s office for final approval.
Later in the meeting, she shared that the courthouse annex project was finally approved to go out to bid, which will go out into online sites used by contractors. “In the meantime,” she said “we’ll have to figure out where to move that generator” to make room for construction.
Gillespie then shared that a lease to use the Hunting Ground Tower is “in the hands of legal at T Mobile.” He warned that “we did this song and dance” in 2018 until the company changed “budget priorities.” The commissioners approved the lease agreement as written, but that would not cover any changes.
On another note, he added that Pendleton County had done well in calibrating $125,581.40 in state aid funds to support volunteer first responder stipends. The funds reached into December without running out too soon or having too much of a remainder at the end of the year.
Gillespie shared that “it has definitely had a value impact. Now if we can just get the state to extend it.” Carl Hevener, Pendleton County Commission president, added that “the feedback I’ve got is that people are happy with response times.”
Mike Alt, training officer for Pendleton County Emergency Rescue, stated that the state needed to take another look at the ratio it establishes for ambulances per population. He explained that the state expects one ambulance for every 6,000 residents, but they think more about urban and densely populated parts of the state and ignore Pendleton County’s geographic size and mountain barriers with population spread through three valleys.
Hevener said, “We appreciate everything that’s been done.” Alt responded, “We’ll try to improve even more” in the coming year.
Annie Humes, interim executive director for the Pendleton County Convention and Visitors Bureau, informed the commission that she was “just here to check in” and let them know that she remained in the position on an interim basis until the hiring of a permanent replacement. She told the commission that the CVB had a draft marketing plan under review for 2025 and that she would deliver the formal annual report by the end of January or beginning of February.
Humes stated that the CVB accomplished much in 2024 “despite significant challenges.” The work of the board and officials “put us in a very good place for our 2025 accreditation,” she said.
State Senator Robert Karnes, on one of the final days of his tenure representing the area in the West Virgina State Legislature, arrived with two checks. The first, for $45,419, pays for HVAC repairs in the community building. Janice Lantz from Pendleton County Senior and Family Services accepted $8,000 for equipment and maintenance for their Franklin facility.
Scott Somerville spoke next, concerning a proposed wind farm development for Pendleton County.
