Marlinton Mayor’s Corner

I would like to commend Marlinton Town Maintenance employee Sam Mace for locating a water leak near the corner of Second Avenue and Third Street. Before repairs could be made, the water loss was calculated at 816,000 gallons.

In mid-December, I traveled to Summersville for an Implementation Planning Meeting for the management of the Hazard-Mitigation funds.

Since I was near the Mountain Transit Authority main administrative offices, I stopped in and talked with Tim Thomas, the executive director of the program. His update was very positive with the growing usage and the addition of special programs in Pocahontas County. These programs allow for the transport of prisoners to two Pocahontas County work sites.

These programs shine a positive light on thinking outside of the box to address immediate business problems. At the same time, it is a sad commentary on the current available workforce in Pocahontas County. Is it possible that “would-be workers” will have to spend pri- son time before refitting themselves for the labor market? I hope not.

Talk about an exercise in government run-around, I attended a Virtual Teams meeting to discuss broadband funding options within Pocahontas County. Finding and fitting application eligibility with real-world situations is a lot like putting a puzzle together – around a puzzle. Some pieces just don’t fit the way you want. A great deal of focus is being spent on making sure the un-served or under-served are not left out in the areas where fitting pieces is most difficult.

However, most all involved see 2022 as a year to advance Broadband in Pocahontas County and the region.