Tim Walker
AMR Reporter
During the June 4 Pocahontas County Commission meeting, Commission President Walt Helmick admitted that he can’t overcome the National Historic Registry listing of the old jail building, so he has been looking over a new location for a courthouse annex. His original plan was to demolish the old jail building which is located immediately behind the courthouse, and build a new courthouse annex on that site. However, his inability to get the old jail removed from its listing on the National Registry of Historic Places has stymied the project. Now, Helmick is determined to move the project forward, albeit at a new location.
He called for a special commission meeting to be held Friday, June 7, where he said he’d reveal the location. He said he will also propose purchasing that property, and he said he has the money to purchase it since the commission has saved about $400,000 since he has been its President. He said they did that by eliminating two commission administrative positions.
Emergency Management and 911 Director Mike O’Brien expressed his concerns that the bid being advertised for the new 911 Center appears to be for the two EMS ambulance bays that were planned to be added as attachments to the new 911 building, rather than for the 911 building itself, which, in the bid is described as a “option.”
O’Brien told the commission that the original concept was to build the 911 Center with the EMS bays to be optional additions.
Commissioner John Rebinski said his plan is to build the EMS part first, then with the funds left over and any additional funding, to slowly implement the 911 Center. He assured O’Brien that this is just a “baby step” approach and the 911 Center will definitely eventually be built.
O’Brien remarked that Rebinski’s approach might be viewed as a violation of their funding by the Public Service Commission since they put up $300,000 to pay for engineering of the 911 Center.
O’Brien was authorized by the commission to enter into a contract with James Boggs so that Boggs, through his company Geotistics LLC, can continue to assist the 911 Center with 911 addressing. Boggs had worked for the 911 Center in the past as a county mapper for 911 addressing.
The commission approved the contract with the Reclaim Company to demolish the former BOE Office building and also approved the notice to proceed with the project. Reclaim President R. S. Williams said it might take 45 days for them to start but then the project will be completed in 10 to 14 days.
The commission also:
• awarded the only bid received, from Mitchell Chev-rolet, for a 2024 Chevrolet Equinox at a cost of $29,595, for the assessor’s office.
• discussed, but delayed making a decision until the next regular meeting, on a haymaking contract for the East Fork Property.
• discussed tax problems encountered by the County Senior Citizens regarding employee withholding taxes, which the commission said is intolerable, but they want to discuss it with them at a future meeting.
• approved the assessor’s personal property and land books for 2024. This is a routine annual approval.
• approved utility rights-of-way for the new 911 Center with both PMH and Seneca Health Services.
• approved distribution of the $125,581.40 state-awarded EMS Salary Enhancement Funds among the six qualifying ambulance organizations in accordance with the number of calls each handled.
Special Meeting
During the Friday, June 7, Special Commission Meeting, Commission President Walt Helmick led a discussion about the proposed construction of a courthouse annex. He said he has given up on the idea of demolishing the old jail building behind the courthouse and building the new judicial courthouse annex on that site. As Helmick put it:
“After a while, you realize that you can’t live long enough to get that place off the National Registry of Historic Places.”
Helmick went on to explain that he feels that, years ago, the county commission mistakenly and wrongly included the jail on the registry, so now it is time to move on with a new site for the annex, and let the old jail remain and fall down on its own. He said he and Alan Wright from the assessor’s office have found a piece of ground to the left of the courthouse and jail just across Judge Street from the courthouse. The lot contains one run-down old house which will need to be demolished, according to Helmick. He said the property consists of five town lots and it will be an ideal spot to build the badly needed new annex.
Helmick led everyone outside to look at the lot, which is located behind – but does not include – the big white house on the corner of 10th Avenue and Judge Street, just East of the front of the courthouse. There appears to be sufficient room to build a 4,500 to 5,000 square foot annex on it. It also appears to be on somewhat higher ground than the courthouse.
One problem, Helmick explained, is that there is an undeveloped town right-of-way running right through the middle of the lot. Marlinton Mayor Sam Felton said he would speak to the Town Council and propose that they consider abandoning that short, unused right-of-way. Helmick also said he will need to examine the new FEMA Flood Map to ensure the lot is above the flood zone, but believes it is. He said those questions would need to be answered before he proposes the commission vote on the purchase of the lot.
The commission voted to ask the Marlinton Town Council to abandon their right-of-way through the proposed lots.
Helmick said the owner of the lot is asking $87,000 for the lot, and demolishing the old house there might cost another $10,000, so the total cost appears to be less than $100,000 to purchase and prepare the site. Obviously, this does not include the cost of construction and equipping the annex building.
When Helmick asked for public comment, Jay Miller, the Democratic nominee for county commission, spoke out. Miller talked about the attempt by then commissioner Rita Griffith 14 years ago to build a courthouse annex. He said that Martin Saffer and David Fleming, the other commissioners, as well as Dolan Irvine, then the county assessor didn’t support the courthouse annex project, and after much debate and controversy, the annex was rejected in favor of making needed repairs and improvements to the courthouse, which included installing the elevator which is still in use.
Miller also pointed out that there are other ways to maximize the use of space and store records in the courthouse, short of building an annex, especially since the population of the county is decreasing. The fireworks began when Miller said “Now, we have a situation where Walt Helmick, with about six months to go in his term, wants to buy a piece of property near the courthouse, that can be used to start work on his dream of a courthouse annex.”
That set Helmick off, and he responded angrily, cutting Miller off and accused him of political motives. Helmick told Miller to ask the other two commissioners how they felt.
“Whether they buy it or not, I don’t care!” Helmick said angrily. “But I do oppose those kinds of statements made about me after having served 50 years in this county without ever looking at one dime of personal gain for Walt Helmick!”
When Miller tried to respond by talking about the rush Helmick appears to be in to get the annex built, Helmick cut him off, and speaking over Miller said, “Ask the other two what I asked you to ask, because I am going to adjourn this meeting pretty dang quick!”
Miller did ask the other commissioners, and while Rebinski’s answer seemed to justify the project, Commissioner Jamie Walker appeared to have some reser- vations, but needed more information.
The special meeting was quickly adjourned.
