It is estimated that this trouble spot on Van Rufus Drive will require digging down at least 15 feet in order to make necessary repairs.
By LEIGH C. MERRIFIELD
News & Journal Editor
Shinnston City Council’s work session was held on October 29th in Council Chambers. The first to speak was Jackie Ritter of Hope, Inc. who read a proclamation regarding October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The proclamation cited the number of people affected by domestic violence, the fact that many women lose their lives as a result of it, and that children also suffer from witnessing such incidents within their homes.
Interim City Manager Robin Righter reported on the following to Council:
- Public Works has been patching streets
- Fizer & Associates, PLLC out of Charleston will be performing the City’s audit
- Former City Finance Director Scott Fowler pled guilty to embezzlement and will pay full restitution of $8,616.34
- There has been no new word on the deed of the former G.C. Murphy building
- Saturday, December 1st is the date of Shinnston’s Christmas Parade and it has been confirmed that Santa Claus will be participating
Council discussed the following items:
Police Chief Jon Harbert had a meeting with the City of Bridgeport and they have two police cruisers for sale. These cruisers include the complete package with the exception of radios, which the City already has. They are priced at $4,000 each.
It was noted that one of Shinnston’s cruisers is in disrepair and repair estimates would be that much, so Council was in agreement to proceed with purchasing the two cruisers. After discussing the matter with WesBanco representatives, they were advised to ask for a little more than they needed as a precaution and only use the excess if needed. The City can sell their own used cruisers to help compensate for these purchases as well.
October 31st was the deadline to submit applications for the Shinnston City Manager’s position. There was a discussion of naming a Review Committee to look over the applications and narrow down the selections to be interviewed. It was decided that the entire Council should be involved in this process, not just a committee of a few.
The storm sewer issue on Van Rufus Drive was also discussed. The line is very old, having been installed back in the 50’s or 60’s. The bottom of the culvert is collapsed and has filled with mud. Due to the tremendous amount of digging a trench to fix it as well as the amount of dirt that will be piled on homeowners’ property, four contractors that have looked at the job have denied the work. Council will have to search for a contractor willing to give them an estimate of performing the job, which they estimate will be a costly project.
Council also touched on the runoff from the football field that affects standing water on Fleming Street. Council feels the Board of Education should bear some of the responsibility for remedying this situation.
Stantec representatives said they are proceeding with change order work and asphalt repairs were being handled during that last week of October. They reported they were still within budget and leftover funding could be put toward a needed pump.
Their goal is to get asphalt work and concrete driveway repairs completed prior to Thanksgiving. There are still six tie-ins left to do and should be done by the project’s completion date in 4-6 weeks.
Payment approvals for the water project will be on the agenda for Council’s first meeting in November.
Council turned its attention to the action item for its Special Meeting and passed the resolution between the City of Shinnston and WesBanco (not to exceed $10,000) for the purchase of two used police cruisers from the City of Bridgeport.
Council then went into Executive Session to discuss personnel and legal matters
