By Stephen Smoot
Baseball, hiking, biking, history, and community fun dominated the Harrison County Commission agenda last week as community figures came to request funding to support a range of endeavors.
The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and an invocation, which said “we thank You for the individuals in this room” and their work to further the well-being of the area.
Funding requests opened with a short talk from Charlene Louk, representing the Nutter Fort city council. With the centennial celebration coming next month, the town has planned “a huge one day event” to commemorate the occasion. The council member said “we are hopeful that the commission can help us out some” because “our expenses are more than funds collected.”
The commission approved the town’s request for $1,500.
Next came a request to support the Lost Creek Community Festival. As Ron Watson explained, in its 26th year, “we have a big event planned.” Plans include 70s and 80s style music events, food, and more. The festival requested and received $3,000 to pay for entertainment at the gathering.
Lost Creek Community Festival organizers also requested on Facebook that those seeking to sell food or come as a vendor start to submit applications. The festival always takes place in the third weekend of September.
Sam Santilli represented District Five of the West Virginia Little League. He explained that “District Five has really stepped up to the plate” in terms of creating an event experience that players and families will always remember. Santilli also shared that the event created an important economic impact for the area with 11 of 14 squads staying in county lodging. He requested and received $500 “to defer basic costs.”
Finally, commissioners heard from Andrew Walker who represented the Mountaineer Trail Network Authority. He explained that “we’ve been working hard the last six months,” to get trails set for use in 2024. The goal lies in providing “outdoor recreation across the 16 county network.” and the funding would support “more research and infrastructure.”
When questioned about the nature of the organization, Walker explained that it functions as an arm of state government. He provided a “letter of distinction” from the IRS that identified it as a state and not a non or for profit entity. The network sees the Hatfield and McCoy trail system as a model and has used an Appalachian Regional Commission grant for coal producing areas to support operations thus far. Walker said that the intention is to wean itself from federal funding as quickly as possible.
The funds would help to support the entire operation across sixteen counties. Three counties gave $5,000 while Wood and Monongahela provided $15,000 a piece.
Afterwards, commissioners opened discussion on the best way in which to sell off loose dirt on county property. They concluded that it would be best to sell all of the dirt at once and at auction, then decided to create a request for proposal to start the process. Commissioners also decided to not take less than $1,000 for the dirt. Purchasers would have the responsibility to take the dirt out with their own equipment.
Commissioners concluded with a discussion on the development of the West Virginia First Foundation, along with how best to work with the organization created to disperse opioid settlement funds.
They expressed concern about a development happening elsewhere, that the most populous county in the drawn up districts also ended up with the lion’s share of influence within the district. One commissioner said “Monongahela County packed the vote.” There was a suggestion to redress the district balance of power by joining with other counties “to create a bloc” to counter the influence of Monongahela County within the district board.
