Sam Felton
Tree trimmings and tree removal are not the only things that were removed this past week. The Demo bid, that was accepted on September 9, resulted in six more vacant or abandoned structures being removed, as well. The seventh structure and a small shed-type building should be removed by the time you read this. Another round of demolition activity is planned for spring/summer 2025.
What began as a tentative plan for a First Avenue Park in Memory of Roger L. Trusler, is turning into a plan for spring/summer 2025. Contributions have begun to come in to the Town’s special account for that purpose. Now, we need your contribution to make the park what we would like for it to be.
On September 26, I served my last meeting as Board Chairman of The Regional Optical Communications (ROC). ROC began as an 11-county effort of Region 1 and Region 4 Planning and Development Councils. The sole purpose and mission of ROC was the promotion and implementation of Broadband throughout the region. By applying for and receiving an ARC Power Grant, ROC pooled the resources that made possible the hiring of The Thrasher Group to create a statewide study. The completed study became a model for the state and is now being used by the development office. This work enabled West Virginia to be the third state in the nation to gain eligibility for The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program.
BEAD is to provide $42.45 billion dollars to expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs in all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and other.
On August 23, 2024, the West Virginia Department of Economic Development, West Virginia Office of Broadband, (WVDED) announced its allocation of $1.2 billion in (BEAD) funding.
Until next time…
Sam