Wayne Count Commission waterline to Heritage Farm's Snowpark | News | herald-dispatch.com

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The Wayne County Commission meets Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, for its regular meeting at the Wayne County Courthouse in Wayne.

WAYNE — The Wayne County Commission addressed several agenda items at its weekly meeting Monday at the Wayne County Courthouse.

The commissioners approved a USDA-Rural Development Payment Request for the Wayne County Courthouse’s 3rd Floor Renovation Project, which means 100% of the contractor’s first payout for $203,000 will come from this grant.

As of Oct. 28, the contractors were still working on demolition. They are working on a contract of $1,745,000 and the total project cost is $2,170,000.

The commission also approved a request from Lavalette Public Service District for $179,000 of the remaining State Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to extend 2,100 LF of 8-inch waterline to serve the indoor/outdoor four-season snow park at Heritage Farm, which is currently under construction.

“I think that is great, it just kind of hits it all, checks all the boxes,” said Commission president Jeff Maddox. “Not just the infrastructure box but tourism, economic development. It’s just a wonderful project.”

The commission made a motion authorizing Wayne County Administrator James “Jim” Boggs to submit an application for the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Records Management and Preservation Board Grant. The funding would enable the county to encapsulate birth registry books and land books. It would also fund the purchase of a new map cabinet that would hold 1,200 maps and costs about $5,000. The commission will also have to provide a 10% cash match for all grant funds received by the Record Management Preservation Board grant. The total amount needed is about $25,000 meaning the commission would have to provide a $2,500 match.

The commission discussed new methods to reach potential applicants for its litter control officer. Maddox suggested that every deputy in Wayne County can be a litter control officer, meaning they can write tickets anytime someone is burning or dumping trash. He would like to see a sheriff-appointed litter control officer and another litter control officer that reports directly to the commission work together.

Commissioner Travis Thompson suggested advertising on job sites and soliciting the job directly to retirees from Huntington Police Department or the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department.

Presented by Jesse Allen, chief operator with Crum Public Service District, the commission also reviewed a memorandum from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Water and Waste Management in regards to the Crum PSD’s application for its own Water Treatment Plant Construction Project.

“I still am a believer that could benefit more than just your water,” Maddox said. “You’re gonna see the immediate impact, but I do think that one of the things is the system expands and as it grows, part of the problem that you’re gonna have is you have more people impacted and affected by the water problems coming out of Mingo County that we have to deal with.”

The Committee determined that the project was not consistent with the Infrastructure and Jobs Development Act and may not be the most cost effective, environmentally sound alternative for solving the water needs in this area. It recommended that the project be referred to the Consolidation Committee.

“I appreciate you coming up just to discuss it, and you didn’t have to, we’re committed, but I’m glad you did,” Maddox said.

The memorandum included suggestions for a revised submission:

“It is recommended that Crum Public Service District be returned to allow the PSD time to discuss/work with area water providers to determine the best solution for providing the necessary water supply for the area. A more comprehensive study is needed to develop and document the justification for a new centralized WTP in this area. Further, some known or potential operation issues regarding the reliability of the raw water supply should be addressed.”

The revised submission should, at a minimum, address the following considerations.

Assumptions concerning the resale of water to the Town of Ft. Gay must be further developed and documented by an inter-governmental agreement prior to resubmittal.The potential adverse financial impact of the loss of sales to the existing resale provider (Kermit Municipal Water) must be quantified and provided in any resubmittal.The potential adverse financial impaçt of the loss of sales to the existing resale provider (Mingo County PSD) must be quantified and provided in any resubmittal.The potential to purchase water from other suppliers, including the City of Kenova and others, should be evaluated & documented and a detailed cost-effectiveness analysis should be provided in any resubmittal.The potential for raw water contamination must be addressed including alternative sources of raw or finished water for use in emergencies.The potential for river intake damage, blockage or other raw-water related operational issues should be considered and discussed in light of the recent intake issues for upstream facilities.The commission interviewed two potential interns for the County Commission internship program in executive session.

The next regularly scheduled Wayne County Commission meeting is set for 3:15 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7.

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