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New Martinsville Marks Breast Cancer Month

By Staff | Oct 15, 2008

New Martinsville Mayor Lucille Blum declared October as West Virginia Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Oct. 7 as West Virginia Breast Cancer Awareness Day during the regular council meeting held Oct. 6.

Theresa Hoskins, representing the Wetzel County Cancer Coalition, presented city officials with coffee mugs and the city with two wreaths to be hung on the city building’s doors to commemorate the time of awareness.

Blum said the wreaths will be displayed at the city building.

Hoskins noted that in 2008 about 1,200 women in West Virginia will be diagnosed with breast cancer and about 300 of them will die of the disease. “I was actually a 2006 statistic,” said Hoskins.

In other matters, Councilman Keith Nelsen asked Electric Department Supervisor David White about the possibility of reinstalling a street light near where a house burned on Short Street at the top of Locust Street. White said the light that was there previously was on a service pole for the destroyed house. In fact, the pole burned in the fire. He did not see fit to replace the pole simply for a street light.

“The bottom line is I didn’t think it was economical,” said White.

Plus, he said the area is technically a street, but it is really just a grassy area about 75 yards in length. A light there, he said, would mostly just serve to illuminate some yards. If the property owners want to pay for a security light, there is a mechanism to add that to their monthly bills.

The matter is expected to be put on the agenda at next month’s council meeting for action.

Another street light matter was raised on Pine Street at its intersection with Grant Street. That area is a bus stop and education officials are concerned the area is too dark in the early morning hours. The electric department cleaned and revitalized nearby lights in hope that would rectify the situation, but the area is still reportedly too dark.

The matter is also expected to be put on the agenda at next month’s council meeting for action.

Councilman Chris Bachman indicated a personnel matter in the electric department needed to be dealt with in executive session. However, since it was not listed on the agenda, council decided they could not address the matter Monday night.

“It’s not a huge major deal,” said White. “but it is a personnel matter that needs to take place in executive session.”

Bachman wanted to see it “straightened up” before next month’s meeting, so a special council meeting was set for Oct. 14 at 5 p.m. However, results of the meeting were not available by press time.

Also, Councilman Steve Pallisco updated council on the Riverfront Development group. He said a West Virginia University Historical Department professor is going to visit the area. The development group will ask them to do a history of Wetzel County and New Martinsville which can be used as a foundation of tourism displays and activities.

“We have a lot of history here,” assured Pallisco.

The group is going to be assisting the Wetzel County Chamber of Commerce with the Christmas parade and they are planning on holding a third annual New Year’s Eve dance.

Fran Caldwell thanked the city employees for assisting with the Parlor City Craft Fair held on Main Street Sept. 20. “We have wonderful city employees,” she said. The event hosted crafters from as far away as Indianapolis and from Huntington and Marion County and all up and down the river.

“I think if we want to have a revitalization of New Martinsville, we need to support it,” said Caldwell. She thinks council members should attend community events such as the craft fair. “I think it’s your job,” she told them.

Building Inspector Joe Hanna reported that he issued 32 building permits in September. He also approved, with the street department’s cooperation, a handicap parking area in front of the residence of a legally handicapped person.

Last week, said Hanna, the Bayer Heritage Federal Credit Union and Amerihost had a discrepancy concerning the new credit union’s drive thru exiting onto the Amerihost lot.

Hanna said BHFCU’s lawyer provided sufficient evidence to him showing the driveway to be a public access right of way.

“They had all their ducks in a row,” said Hanna, who added, “In the future there may be a dispute between Amerihost and Bayer (HFCU).”

The building inspector presented council with an $86,000 bid for replacing the roof on the city building. He will get another estimate.

“They were very slow in getting this quote. . . .I think it’s a pretty vague estimate,” said Hanna. He also wants to make sure the bid does not include a new roof of the police department section of the building, as it does not need to be repaired.

The next regularly scheduled New Martinsville council meeting is scheduled for Nov. 3 with the department head meeting at 6:30 p.m., regular meeting at 7:30 p.m.