New Martinsville City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, Feb. 5 in the city council’s chambers. Several local Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts were in attendance, and after the Pledge of Allegiance and invocation, Mayor Steve Bohrer opened the discussion to the Scouts, who posed some serious questions to city officials.

Scouts in attendance for the meeting included Boy Scouts Joseph Matheny, Jaydin Lynch, Andrew Yeager, Nicolas Matheny and Alex Matheny. Cub Scouts present were Maddy Yaron, Sammy Tate, Wyatt Huffman and Victorino Valentin.

The first Scout to speak, Joseph Matheny, approached the podium and politely asked what the city plans to do about the homeless situation in New Martinsville. Mayor Bohrer responded that, most recently, action was taken to ensure that the homeless has a warm place to stay and food to eat. He said with the past week’s cold weather, the local museum collaborated with city and county officials and concerned citizens and opened its doors for the safety of these people.

Sandy Hunt, of the museum, responded that the museum served the needs of nine people during the three-day cold spell. She said the first night the museum only had one individual stay, but as the weather got colder, more people up. Several people in the community volunteered with food and time to make the shelter possible. Wetzel County OEM helped out, as well as a local church. Mayor Bohrer said city officials recognize there is a problem and will be taking steps in the future to try and alleviate it.

The next question the Scouts asked came from Scout Jaydin Lynch, who inquired as to what could be done about the trash and dirt in the town. Bohrer agreed it is a problem, and the city is constantly working to correct it; however, the streets are a mess with dirt; trash is everywhere, and it’s just not a pretty site. He said with large truck traffic and all the rain, it’s been hard to keep up with the maintenance. Bohrer said city crews are constantly working on the roads, and it was mentioned the police have recently cited individuals for littering. Mayor Bohrer said he organized his campaign on cleaning up the town, and he is going to see it done.

The final question came from Scout Andrew Yeager, who wanted to know what is being done about the opioid problem. Bohrer said the city officials are well aware of it, and the city fights it everyday. Chief of Police Tim Cecil said the department makes a lot of arrests and is always watching for illegal drug activity. “It’s something we don’t take lightly,” said Cecil.

Scout Yeager also asked what he and his fellow Scouts could do to help. Councilman, Steve Pallisco said “Don’t ever get involved with (drugs). If one of your friends or anyone else ever offers drugs to you, ‘Just say no.'”

Mayor Bohrer said, “If you see or know of anyone selling or using drugs, let someone know. Tell your parents or call the police.” Chief Cecil said he and his officers are always on the lookout to keep New Martinsville safe, and dealing with the drug issue is a major part of the department’s job.

Mayor Bohrer thanked the Scouts for the good questions and noted it takes people like them to step up and ask the tough questions to ensure things get done. Bohrer thanked the Scouts for coming and reiterated he had been a Boy Scout in his youth days.

Other speakers appearing before council included Ida Lou Martie, who said she had received word from her insurance company that it would not be paying for the damage to her home caused by recent sewer backups from the heavy rains. She explained she has had Panhandle Cleaning fixing things, and the work is almost finished, but she is still worried about future water problems.

Martie asked if the sewer project was complete on Thistle, and if residents had been sent letters informing them about running their rain spouts into the sewer lines. Martie was told the city is waiting for the project’s completion before notifications are sent. After the notifications are sent, the residents have 60-90 days to get in compliance.

Sandy Hunt, of the Wetzel County Visitors Convention Bureau, appeared before council to give a review of activities from 2018, as well as a report on future happenings. Hunt requested a letter of support from council and approval to host the annual Back Home Appalachian Arts & Music Festival, noting the venue will be somewhat larger. She also requested permission to use a barge at the old ferry landing, as an area to set-off fireworks. All three requests were granted by unanimous vote of the council.

Last on Hunt’s list of requests was a downtown beautification project. She presented council with a picture of a bracket she would like to use to hang on the poles downtown for flower baskets and other decorations. This was also approved.

During Hunt’s review of 2018, she noted the Back Home festival had an attendance of 13,000 people, and people from 26 states have attended. She predicts this year’s event will draw between 16,000-18,000, and she reported that social media concerning the event has drawn more than 250,000 views on Facebook. She said the goal this year is to expand the festival by moving uptown a block or so. She reported the CVB’s concert series at the Lincoln Theater has drawn a great deal of interest, noting an upcoming Elvis Impersonator show is nearing a sell-out.

Hunt noted the CVB had sponsored 25 events last year, which drew people into town. She said the Chili Fest was a success. She pointed out the Visit Wetzel County Facebook page has 6,600 followers.

In other council action, a motion was made from committee number one to have an increase in the city municipal fee. The motion was voted upon and passed unanimously with dates for two public hearings to be announced and in the local paper, along with the amount requested.

Committee number two chairman, Joel Potts, said no action would be taken on a settlement agreement between the city and Liberty Mutual Insurance. Potts also set his committee meeting on switching out some city vehicles for Feb. 12.

Committee number three chairman, Steve Pallisco, mentioned the street crews have been conducting patchwork. He also spoke about health hazards associated with the gravel yard. Pallisco said he is working with others to try and get something done to eliminate the dust and dirt from untarped trucks. He said during a recent meeting with an EPA official he was told the only trucks required to be tarped are coal trucks. He said many of the people in the community are unaware of the health hazards caused by the gravel yard, many of which include cancer causing agents.

Pallisco said he believes he’s not getting as much cooperation from state officials and the business owners. He requested the city help him in any way it can to get the problem under control.

“When these trucks come out of the yard they cover our streets with dust, and that dust is all over town. You are breathing it, and I am, and so are visitors to our town. When it rains it turns to dirt and mud, and you get it on your vehicle. When it dries it becomes airbourne, and you can’t even drive with your windows down.”

“People who live near the yard are living with this every day, and they can’t even open their windows. Their homes and cars are covered, and if you look down Route 2, you’ll see the same thing in the air and on the homes. They are hauling a lot of limestone and gravel out of there, and it’s only going to get worse. So I am working on this, and I’m looking for your help.”