The Greenbrier County Commission considered property, infrastructure, and the courthouse project on Tuesday, Oct. 12.
In addition to lifting the mask mandate and hearing the annual Greenbrier County Convention and Visitors Bureau report previously reported in the West Virginia Daily News, the Commission also considered the following:
– No action was taken on the courthouse improvement project. Rose noted “the construction of the courthouse annex addition is proceeding fairly well. We had a couple of engineering things that they had to discuss, but that’s been taken care of. We have plumbers on site this morning installing pipe under where the footers will be, concrete crew coming tomorrow to start the footings and beams. The project is coming along pretty well, hopefully, the weather will hold out for a while and they’ll be able to continue all that.”
– The 2020/2021 fiscal year for the county was approved. “All numbers are balanced and there’s no negatives,” noted County Clerk Robin Loudermilk just before the vote. “Everything is in good order,” Rose agreed.
– An application for a WVCFIA (Courthouse Facility Improvement) grant for sprinklers in the courthouse was approved.
– Two Tax Increment Financing projects were authorized for payment, including two for the Church Street Stormwater System Project, 135,527.40 for Hulls Contracting and 18,155.66 for E.L. Robinson, and two for the Big Draft Road waterline extension Project, $301,059.35 to Pro Contracting and $14,070.62 to E.L. Robinson.
A piece of apparently unowned property could soon fall into the hands of the commission. Rose explained “the alleyway that runs just to the north of our property and just to the south of the adjoining property, the ten-foot strip there that goes all the way to Court Street to Route 219. It’s been on the books since the 1800s. Our prosecutor and everybody have checked that all the way back—it doesn’t belong to us, it doesn’t belong to the neighbors, we don’t know exactly who it belongs to.” The commission entered executive session, then approved a petition to use eminent domain to acquire the land.
– Through the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, the commission recently obtained two tracks of property from Rachel and Randy Bittinger. The program provides local governments federal funds for “mitigation assistance to acquire interests in property, including the purchase of structures in the floodplain, to demolish and/or remove structures, and to maintain the use of the property as open space in perpetuity.” The first track is located “in the eastern margin of Monroe Draft Road” running “in an eastern direction 150 feet to a point in John Fuery’s line” and the second track on “old Monroe Draft Road,” “beginning at a stake at the corner of … Edward W. Judy” and going “in an easterly direction through the boundary 150 feet to a stake in the line of John Furey.”
– Interviews of internet service provider (ISPs) companies for the Quinwood Broadband Project are still upcoming, so consideration for who provides internet in the area was tabled for the next meeting.
– Commissioner Tammy Shifflett-Tincher attended the meeting, with Rose noting that “the National County Commissioner Association meeting is this week, I believe in Salt Lake City, so she’s on a bus right now,” Rose said. “She’s traveling – she’s on the phone, she can hear us.” From a phone call, Tincher confirmed she could hear the meeting, but cut in and out throughout the meeting. “Thank you all for being patient with me,” Tincher said at the end of the meeting.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.