Tim Walker
AMR Reporter
At its June 17 meeting, Pocahontas County Commission voted to purchase a Striker Power-Pro XT Cot for the ambulance donated to the county by Hillsboro Rescue. The purchase included the Striker Po\wer-Load system mounted in the ambulance.
Commission President John Rebinski said the purchase will be made using the Savvik Buying Group, a company approved by the State of West Virginia that bids for the lowest equipment prices for public safety organizations. That eliminates the need for the county to advertise for bids. Rebinski is waiting to get the exact cost from Savvik. The purchase will be made using a combination of COVID lawsuit money and set aside funds from the Hotel/Motel Tax.
In other matters, the commission
• hired Aleea Carr as a part-time 911 dispatcher with a start date of July 1.
• took no action on hiring a Director for the Pocahontas County Ambulance Service, until the county EMS Board meets to make their recommendations in early July.
• hired Katie Broce and Adrian Salem as part-time employees for the county Animal Shelter. They will share working up to 20 hours per week.
• approved a request from Lesley Taylor of Region 4 to approve Grant Amendment #1 from the PSD Thornwood Water Extension Project. Taylor explained this amendment is for a 12-month extension of the grant until June 30, 2026. She said the project has been delayed by the discovery of a rare bumblebee habitat at the site. That particular species is on the endangered species list.
• approved a request from Casandra Lawson of Region 4 request to approve Resolution #5 for the Board of Education Demolition Project. Lawson explained this $33,950 will be used to pay the last invoice of the project contractor – Reclaim. The project is now complete except for paying one more invoice for the administrative expenses of Region 4.
• designated all the banks with branches in Pocahontas County as the county depositories for the upcoming fiscal year, and scheduled a special meeting for Friday, June 27, at 5 p.m. to pay fiscal year-end invoices.
• approved the WVCORP 2025-2026 insurance proposal for the county.
• certified the list of delinquent real estate and personal property taxes for the 2024 tax year.
• approved budget revisions and resolutions.
• discussed the county hiring policy, and concluded it does not need any changes at this time.
• approved a quote for fixing the lighting and electrical issues at the Day Report Center provided that the county prosecutor feels there is no conflict of interest, since the contractor making the quote is a county employee who also owns a certified electrical contracting business. The quote was for $3,136.47 to replace the current 84 florescent lights with 28 LED lights.
• hired Donald Sharp as a part-time driver for the County Ambulance Service.
• approved the following Pocahontas County board appointments:
– Jaclyn Hollandsworth to a four-year term on the Civil Service Commission.
– Freda Jackson and Timothy McClung to six-year terms on the PMH Board of Trustees.
– Tim Wade to a five-year term on the Historic Landmarks Commission.
– Bridgit Shaw to a three-year term on the 911 Advisory Board
– Helen Clark, Brandon Jones, Joel Feltner and Kendell Ober to three-year terms on the EMS Authority.
– Kendall Beverage to a three-year term on the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation.
– Sarah Brock to a five-year term on the Board of Health.
– Carol Woody to a five-year term on the Libraries and Visitor Information Centers and amending Josh Hardy’s expiration of term on that board from June 30, 2026 to June 30, 2028.