Beth Tuttle of Community Resources, Inc. appeared before Wetzel County Commission Tuesday to introduce herself as the Community Service Specialist at CRI and give commissioners an update on what CRI has been working on.

Tuttle stated funding has been “trickling in here and there.” She informed the commission that Wal-Mart provided a grant after the June 29 disaster. Because of this funding, CRI was able to help 150 people in Tyler and Wetzel counties.

Tuttle stated she has been with CRI for about two weeks now, but she had been associated and networked with CRI before. Tuttle said she worked a government job with the health department and worked with Tyler, Wood, and Pleasants counties. Tuttle also worked with Sistersville General Hospital for a number of years.

Tuttle says she would like to see CRI get their name out to the public, and, in effect, help more families.

Commission President Don Mason approved an appropriation of funds for CRI; thus, $5,000 was given to CRI. Commissioner Scott Lemley confirmed with Tuttle that these funds would go toward assisting citizens of Wetzel County.

This donation goes to CRI after a previous visit from the organization. Jaysha Thompson, who then represented CRI, had visited the commission July 31 to request a donation to CRI; the commission had then requested a letter in writing from CRI, along with a requested donation amount. Tuttle had presented the commission with a letter Tuesday.

In other commission matters, Jim Colvin, president of the Wetzel County Ambulance Authority, along with Mike Barth, appeared before the commission to sign an official lease agreement. The document allows the ambulance authority to lease property by the 911 center. The agreement was prepared by Wetzel County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Haught and is a 99-year lease.

Of the lease, Mason said all legal matters had been “sorted out” so that the lease meets state regulations and codes. Lemley said the lease was just the commission fulfilling their duty of helping to provide emergency ambulance service to the county, “part of us fulfilling our code.”