Tim Walker
AMR Reporter
At the November 18 regular meeting, the Pocahontas County Commission voted to change the starting time for morning commission meetings, which take place the first Tuesday of each month. Those meetings had been starting at 8:30 a.m., however, a couple of months ago, Sheriff McCoy directed courthouse security to keep the courthouse doors locked until exactly 8:30 a.m. This caused the public to arrive at meetings after they had already started. On one occasion, several citizens were trying get through security and it delayed the time for public comment at the meeting.
At the November 18 meeting, the commission asked the Sheriff if he could have the doors unlocked at 8:15 a.m., and he explained his reasoning on the matter as opening the door early could allow visitors to go into other courthouse offices too early. In addition, security officers arrive at 8:15 a.m. and it takes 15 minutes to set-up the security equipment.
After a discussion, the commission agreed to start the morning meetings at 8:45 a.m.
In other business, the commission
• approved a request for a proclamation from Nancy Dotson of WV Caring Hospice naming November National Hospice Month. Dotson said her company has been providing hospice care in the state for the past 40 years and in Pocahontas County for 30 years. Hospice care provides comfort and dignity to people in the final stages of life.
• approved Draw Request #21 for the Pocahontas County ARC Broadband Project as requested by Amanda Smarr of Region 4. The draw is for $8,308.76 from the Broadband Grant to pay a $5,600 invoice from the engineering company, Thompson and Litton, and to pay a $2,708.76 invoice from Frontier Communications to allow usage of Frontier utility poles for the project
• approved the following board appointments:
– Nancy Martin to a 3-year term on the Parks and Recreation Board. expiring June 30, 2028.
– Allie Callison to an unexpired term on the Drama, Fairs and Festivals: expiring June 30, 2026
• adopted a three-year records retention schedule for documents such as complaints, citations and comments at the Pocahontas County Animal Shelter. County Clerk Melissa Bennett said there is no state requirement for this, but most other counties adopt such a retention schedule and it will allow the shelter to ask the commission for permission to destroy records they have held for three years. The purpose of this is to to get rid of clutter at the shelter.
• authorized the distribution of the $90,909.09 received from the state EMS Equipment Fund Grant to the seven EMS Agencies, which includes equal amounts to the six agencies that transport patients by ambulance, 5% to the one EMS Agency that does not do transports. They also approved a General County Budget Revision and Resolution to account for those funds and their distributions.
