CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WV News) — Just shy of $240,000 was distributed by Harrison County commissioners among 16 local fire departments, with each department receiving $14,860.01.
The funds were received from the governor’s All County Fire Protection Grant.
Commission President Susan Thomas and Commissioner David Hinkle initially had considered distributing the funds to only the volunteer departments within the county, of which there are 14. However, Trey Simmerman, county attorney, was unsure if the statute the funds were received under would allow that as he had not yet reviewed it and could not give an informed opinion.
Hinkle was against the approval of the funds to all departments, but the motion carried 2-1.
Commissioners approved County Grant Writer Gina Jones to submit an applications for funding to the Office of U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., for a total of $6.5 million in funding for the county’s new animal control facility and agriculture and youth barn project. Of the total, $3.5 million was requested for the animal control facility.
Identical funding requests were submitted by Jones to the office of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., earlier this year.
Both funding requests are for funds from the 2025-26 fiscal year, so approval of the requests is not expected until sometime next year, Jones said.
While explaining the funding requests to commissioners, Jones requested they assist her by getting in contact with the representatives’ offices to receive confirmation of their support.
“I do my part and I just ask that you all help me and contact them and do your part,” Jones said.
While no work has yet been done to repair or replace the steps at the General Service Annex Building, Simmerman said he and County Administrator Laura Pysz-Laulis had been in contact with the building’s contractor, Rycon Construction.
Rycon officials have issued a demand to Silling Architecture, but have not received a timely response, Simmerman said.
Simmerman suggested that commissioners meet in executive session next week to discuss the issue.
Also Wednesday, commissioners approved special funding requests for:
— The 14th annual Derek Hotsinpiller 5K race in the amount of $3,000.
— The 28th annual Greater Clarksburg 10K race in the amount of $1,500.
— The Old Mill and Float the Fork Festival in the amount of $3,000.
Hinkle suggested $6,000 should be provided to the festival in total, with $3,000 coming from the county budget and another $3,000 from Harrison County Parks and Recreation.
Pysz-Laulis said the suggestion would not likely be possible due to the fact that money from the Vital Services Levy cannot be redistributed to parks outside of the prescribed purposes, and Simmerman seemingly agreed.
“The budget is set, and this is a city park issue. The Parks and Rec mission from our perspective is unincorporated areas of Harrison County,” Simmerman said.
But Hinkle said there is in excess of more than $2 million in the Parks and Recreation budget from unspent levy funds that has not been budgeted for any specific project.
“We could have worked with them and done something together and let Parks and Recreation then invest in whatever they needed to put the [Float the Fork] on as a Parks and Rec joint venture. The commission has not spent the levy money over the years,” Hinkle said.
“They have hoarded it like it’s a personal fund, and we have not spent it on rec[reation] purposes or parks. They’re saving up to use it on rail trails at this point, which I don’t think they can do. There’s no reason to sit on millions when a city is trying to do something like this to promote West Virginia and our county,” he said.
Pysz-Laulis, however, said that the current levy call does not allow for excess funds to be utilized in this way. All funds which are placed in that budget by the citizens of Harrison County must be used at county parks, she said.
Past county administrators had “hoarded” money, Pysz-Laulis said.
But it has been her goal to utilize all funds budgeted for the Parks and Recreation Department each year.