Tim Walker
AMR Reporter
During the October 7 Pocahontas County Commission meeting, Commissioner Thane Ryder asked EMS Director Chris Lusk to explain where they are in the process of expanding Ambulance Service to the southern part of the county.
Lusk, with assistance from Brandon Jones, representing the EMS Authority, provided the following information. The new ambulance has been delivered, but still needs a few tweaks, including replacing some latches and installing a county EMS radio. It must also be officially licensed as an ambulance by the state, which should all be completed shortly.
This will result in the county EMS having three ambulances – the one already in operation in the northern part of the county, the new ambulance which will operate in the southern part and the used ambulance donated by the Hillsboro VFD will be used as a back-up.
Until a full-time staff is in place for the southern end, the driver and EMT from the northern end of the county will come down to the southern end after their day shift, and work a 16-hour shift in the south.
The time frame for getting the new ambulance fully certified and the former Hillsboro ambulance certified as a spare, will be about two weeks.
The commission also approved paying $1,000 month-to-month lease to allow the County EMS to use Marlinton Fire Department’s second station on Second Avenue in Marlinton to provide quartering of the county ambulance crew, ambulance and equipment.
MFD Fire Chief Herbie Barlow explained the building includes a two-bedroom apartment and a heated bay for the ambulance. The lease can be cancelled by either party with 30-days notice. Barlow said even though the lease will begin November 1, the county can start using it immediately for the remainder of October at no charge.
The commission approved a request from Lusk for the ambulance service to hire Trever Snyder as a part-time EMT/Driver at $15 per hour and Angela Lewis as a part-time Driver at $13 per hour. They will work in the southern part of the county.
Ryder said, in addition to ambulance service, the commission is facing several crisis situations. There is a Solid Waste crisis, a courthouse security crisis, the new 911 center is still short about $1.5 million, and he expects there to be a fire department crisis shortly because of lack of volunteers. He emphasized the commission will have to prioritize these issues and make major changes in the way the Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue is distributed.
Chelsea Faulknier, the Executive Director of the Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), presented the 2024-2025 CVB Annual Report to the commission. The county received a record $2.7 million from the Hotel Occupancy Tax this past fiscal year. The CVB operates six satellite visitors centers and has five full-time and five seasonal employees. She said there was a decline in the spring tourism last year, so will be working to promote that this year.
Commission President John Rebinski pointed out that the county has been shorted on its Hotel Occupancy Tax because the state started using zip codes instead of corporate boundaries resulting in tax receipts being sent to Marlinton and possibly Hillsboro for lodging that actually occurred in the county outside the town limits.
The commission approved requests from Amanda Smarr of Region regarding the ARC Broadband Project:
a. time extension letter for the ARC Broadband Project to September 30, 2026.
b. contract with contractor Quanta Telecommunications Solutions LLC to do the construction of the project, which Smarr says should be underway shortly
c. Draw Request #18 from the grant in the amount of $2,000, to pay legal fees.
d. For the Commission to write a funding letter confirming their previous commitment to provide the $202,000 for the project. Smarr said they were short about $800,000 in the grant because of unpredictably high make-ready utility pole costs. She said the grant included a $200,000 contingency fund, and the state has agreed to contribute $300,000, all of which will make up the shortage.
e. Engineering Amendment #1 in the amount of $53,600 which will pay the Thompson and Litton Company to continue their engineering expertise during construction to ensure the job is being done right.
In other business, the commission
• approved the hire of John Corben as a full-time custodian starting October 8.
• approved a trail extension project at Handley Campground.
• agreed to let the Sheriff’s Department keep two mini-Starlink units they had been asked to test on their vehicles, and the county will pick up the monthly fees for those. The two full-sized Starlink units will be given to Emergency Services to use during emergencies or at special events.
• approved Sheriff Mc-Coy’s request to hire Carrie Dean as a full-time courthouse security officer and to hire Adam Wright as a full-time Animal Control Officer and Home Confinement Officer.
• appointed Connie Horne to the North-Central Community Action Board of Directors.
• made the following appointments to the Local Emergency Planning Committee
a. Benjamin Brown three-year term, retroactive to 09/17/2025; expiring 09/30/ 2028;
b. Cindy Browning (Pocahontas Health Department) three-year term expiring 09/30/2028;
c. Jaryd Wilfong (Pocahontas Memorial Hospital) three-year term expiring 09/30/2028;
d. Preston Cline (Snowshoe Mountain Resort) three-year term expiring 09/30/2028;
e. Travis Cook (Shavers Fork Fire and Rescue) two-year term expiring 09/30/27;
f. Jaynell Graham (The Pocahontas Times) two-year term expiring 09/30/27;
g. Christine Plumley (NRAO) two-year term expiring 09/30/27;
h. Kevin Stitzinger – Change from Pocahontas County 911/Emergency Management Representative to Community Representative term expiring 09/30/ 2026
The following to the Pocahontas County 911 Advisory Board
a. Benjamin Brown-911 Director Ex-Officio Member – Unexpired term expiring June 30, 2027
b. Brandon Jones – Fire Service Provider, Snowshoe/Shaver’s Fork Area – Term expiring June 30, 2028.
And Benjamin Brown, the 911 Director, to the Pocahontas County EMS Authority expiring June 30, 2026.
