Commission addresses short agenda

Laura Dean Bennett
Staff Writer

At its Tuesday morning meeting, Pocahontas County Com- missioners approved a request from Joe Emmereth, of the Emergency Management office, to use a pre-approved $5,000 reimbursement grant from the U.S. Homeland Security grant program to purchase a hazardous material response trailer for the county.

A revision to the Coal Severance Tax Fund budget was made, increasing the fund balance $20,000 over last year’s estimate for 2018.

Laura Young, representing the Community Placement Program of the West Virginia Department of Rehabilitation, was given approval to place supervised participants in the program, where appropriate and in cooperation with the relevant supervisors at the Pocahontas County Day Report Center and other county agencies and offices.

Arborist Ken Beezley, of TreeSources, LLC, gave the commission a cost estimate of $250 to prune a maple tree near the courthouse parking lot. A limb from this tree recently fell on a vehicle there.

Commissioners approved for him to do the work and asked that he survey all the trees on the courthouse property and offer his recommendations and an estimate for any work he would suggest.

In other business, the commission

• reappointed Jason Bauserman to the Pocahontas County Historic Landmarks Committee, for a five-year term expiring June 30, 2023

• at its June 29 special meeting, appointed new County Building Commission members: Ira “Bucky” Turner to a five-year term, Rusty Felton to a four-year term and Kevin Shaw to a three-year term

The commission went into executive session to discuss a personnel issue, during which no action was taken.

The next meeting of the County Commission will be Tuesday, July 17, at 5:30 p.m.

The public is invited to attend.

Laura Dean Bennett may be contacted at ldb@pocahontastimes.com