Tim Walker
AMR Reporter
The first, and primary, mission of the Pocahontas County Commission at its January 7 meeting was to elect a new Commission President to succeed Walter Helmick. Helmick did not run for reelection and, as of January 1, 2025, is no longer a commissioner.
Right at the beginning of the meeting, both Commissioner Jamie Walker and newly elected Commissioner Thane Ryder declined to be considered for the position of Commission President.
Since Commissioner John Rebinski said he was willing, he was unanimously elected to serve as president for the upcoming year.
As part of the commission’s annual reorganization, board appointments were assigned for the upcoming year.
Walker kept the same assignments as he had last year, which are:
• Board of Health
• Extension Service and 4-H
• Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB)
• Farmland Protection
• Criminal Justice
Ryder picked up most of Helmick’s former boards, which are:
• Pocahontas Memorial Hospital Board (PMH)
• Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation (GVEDC)
• Pocahontas Senior Citizens
Rebinski’s responsibilities will include:
• County Purchasing Agent – required to be held by the Commission President
• Region 4 Planning and Development Council, also required to be the Commission President
• Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
• 911 Advisory Board
• Local Emergency Planning Committee
• Region I Local elected Officials Board of WIA
• Fire Board
The commission also set the dates and times for the 2025 Board of Review and Equalization Hearings at the Commission Office; they are:
• Friday, January 31, at 10 a.m.
• Tuesday, February 4, 10 a.m. – during the regular commission meeting.
• Friday, February 7, at 10 a.m.
• Wednesday, February 12, at 10 a.m.
• Tuesday, February 18, at 5:45 p.m. – during the regular commission meeting.
B.J. Sharp-Gudmundsson, Preservation Officer of Preserving Pocahontas, delivered that organization’s annual report to the commission. Gudmundsson talked about an exciting new item of historical significance which they obtained when Margaret Ann Sharpenberg Bays recently donated the original land grant claimed by General Andrew Lewis for 480 acres of “Marlin’s Bottom” – which is now the Town of Marlinton. Gudmundsson explained the historical significance of this. Andrew Lewis surveyed that site on October 11, 1751, but he was a prisoner of war in Canada shortly afterwards so was unable to formerly file his claim to the site. Later, on June 2, 1780, then Virginia Governor Thomas Jefferson corrected that by formerly drawing up and signing the land grant for Lewis. History has referred to this happening, but these documents document that land grant.
Gudmundsson also talked about other collections that Preserving Pocahontas maintains. She said that there is a library in Washington State that lists a link to the Preserving Pocahontas on their home page and that has generated more than 1,000 emails containing a lot of information and questions.
Gudmundsson also announced that Suzanne Stewart is now an Intern for Preserving Pocahontas.
Stewart, who attended the meeting, pointed out that Preserving Pocahontas also has quite a collection of various military and other uniforms which have been donated by county residents over the years.
In other matters, Jamie Baker, of Region 4, held the second public hearing for the Community Block Grant that will demolish all of the old Howes Tannery, except for the silos. The commission approved and signed the grant application, a resolution and two letters. One letter certifies that this grant is the only available source of funding for the project, and the other one certifies the commission needs the buildings to be demolished.
The grant is for $380,000 with $350,000 of that for the actual demolishing, $20,000 of it is for administrative expenses for Region 4, and $10,000 is for permits.