The Tucker County Historic Landmark Commission will be having a meeting Monday, Oct. 7, at 5:00 PM. It will be held at Camp Kidd. The public is invited to attend the meeting.
Friends of Cortland Acres
There will be a meeting of the Friends of Cortland Acres Oct. 2, 2024 in the Gathering Room at Cortland Acres at 1p.m. For more information, call Marie Grafton, Activities Director, at 304-463-4181 Ext 21.
West Virginia State Historic Preservation Survey & Planning Grants Available
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Applications are now being accepted for FY 2025 Historic Preservation Survey and Planning grants through the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) of the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History (WVDACH). It is anticipated that approximately $90,000 will be awarded from funding appropriated by the United States Congress for preservation efforts through the National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund.
Grant funds are awarded on a matching basis. Deadline for receipt of applications is 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 31, 2024. A complete program description, including funding priorities and selection criteria, and access to the GoApply on-line grant application portal, are available athttps://wvculture.org/agencies/state-historic-preservation-office-shpo/grants/ or contact Claire Tryon at (304) 558-0240 or Claire.E.Tryon@wv.gov.
State or local government agencies, not-for-profit organizations, for-profit organizations or firms, and educational institutions and Certified Local Governments (CLG) are eligible to apply. Eligible projects include architectural and archaeological surveys, preparation of National Register of Historic Places nominations, heritage education programs relating to preservation activities (i.e. hands-on window or masonry workshops), pre-development activities and comprehensive planning documents projects. Funded projects must be completed by June 30, 2026.
A competitive process is used to determine the recipients. An outside grant panel reviews and makes recommendations to the West Virginia Archives and History Commission. The final decision will be made by the Commission. The projects are selected based on how they best meet the established priorities and criteria stated in the grant application packets. All grant monies must be administered in accordance with federal and state requirements.
The announcement of grantees is planned for April 2025, contingent upon receipt of an allocation by the National Park Service.
The Department of Arts, Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
Eastern WVCTC Announces Partnership with Online Therapy Provider Bettermynd
Moorefield, W.Va., 25, September 2024 – Eastern West Virginia Community & Technical College (Eastern) is proud to announce a partnership with BetterMynd, an online therapy provider that partners exclusively with colleges and universities in the US to provide their students with access to free, high-quality counseling services.
In response to the growing importance of mental health awareness and the evolving needs of our community, Eastern has taken a proactive approach to expanding the support and resources available to our campus community. The partnership with BetterMynd will enable students to access confidential and convenient mental health services remotely, providing them with the flexibility to prioritize their mental well-being within their busy schedules.
BetterMynd supplements on-campus mental health resources by providing free and highly personalized online therapy to students to meet their unique needs, including access to 50-minute scheduled counseling sessions, a diverse network of mental health clinicians, and the scheduling flexibility needed for students to make meaningful progress with mental health challenges. Sessions can take place anywhere the student is most comfortable, during the day, at night, or on weekends.
“At Eastern, we are committed to supporting the holistic well-being of our students. Partnering with BetterMynd allows us to provide free, confidential online therapy that is not only convenient but also personalized,” said Monica Wilson, V.P. of Academics and Student Services, “This service empowers students to prioritize their mental health on their own terms, whether they’re navigating academic pressures or personal challenges. By offering flexible access to licensed professionals, we aim to ensure that every student feels supported and understood, no matter where they are in their journey.”
“I know how hard it can be for a college student to struggle with their mental health and access the support and treatment they need in a confidential and timely manner,” said BetterMynd Founder & CEO Cody Semrau, “so I founded BetterMynd with a simple mission: to help colleges and universities make mental health support more accessible to their students.”
Eastern is grateful for the support from The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (WVHEPC) Division of Health Sciences grant to provide this service to students. The WVHEPC Division of Health Sciences leads by leveraging expertise, fostering collaboration, and supporting innovation to improve the health of West Virginians, particularly rural and underserved populations. Our initiatives are designed to grow and strengthen the healthcare workforce of the future through promoting equitable access to and support of health and behavioral health sciences education, research, practice, and policy.
To learn more visit https://easternwv.edu/current-students/student-resources/bettermynd/
About BetterMynd: Founded in 2017, BetterMynd is the online therapy solution of choice for 100+ college and university counseling centers throughout the US. Through their national network of 400+ licensed, in-state mental health counselors and proprietary, HIPAA-compliant online platform, BetterMynd partners exclusively with higher education institutions and has helped thousands of students get the help they need from the privacy and convenience of their laptops and smartphones.
You can learn more about BetterMynd by visiting https://www.bettermynd.com.
About Eastern: Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College, based in Moorefield, serves six rural counties in West Virginia’s Potomac Highlands. EWVCTC offers affordable academic programs, including fourteen degree programs (six of which are fully online), twelve certificate programs, and over thirty opportunities to transfer to a four-year college. Through the Workforce Education department, Eastern provides over fifteen training programs that can be in-person, hybrid, or fully online. Additionally, there are Agriculture Innovation trainings that help agricultural workers improve their businesses or allow them to become Farm Fellows and work with mentors to learn how to succeed in the agriculture industry.
Students and the community are supported by Eastern, with access to the Career Center for job placement, resume assistance, interview preparation, and more. Eastern is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
The Impact of Highway Construction of Corridor H on Our Quality of Life and Economy
The computer-generated simulated photos that the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) brings to our local information meetings in Tucker County and that appear on their website show a finished highway spiraling through the mountains, crossing high bridges, and lined with fully grown trees. However, WVDOH does not bring actual photos of the construction phase of the project—a phase that can last for years, a phase that turns the landscape into a moonscape and causes confusion, delays, and devastation.
Those of us who drive from Thomas to Elkins on US Route 219 are familiar with the construction phase of Corridor H. We’ve experienced the closures and delays and have seen the devastated landscape. Documenting some of what we have seen is not to place blame, but to open up the discussion of what is really coming and discuss the potential impact of the construction phase of Corridor H on our quality of life, our tourism economy, and our livelihoods.
On the Elkins to Kerens section, we have watched a 1.5-year closure of a bridge to correct faulty abutment design and reconstruction at Leading Creek in Randolph.
At Moore, the bridge has been under construction for seven years, closing one of our popular tourist destinations, the Allegheny Highlands Rail Trail between Montrose and Moore, disrupting bicycle, pedestrian, and horseback travel between Parsons and Elkins.
Recently, on level ground in Holly Meadows near Parsons, a crane raising a large steel beam failed, and the beam crashed to the ground. Luckily, no one was hurt. The accident is under OSHA investigation; there will be unknown cost increases in checking the integrity and/or replacement of the dropped beam and unknown construction delays.
During construction of the Kerens to Parsons section of Corridor H between 2017 and 2022, 51 violations have been issued based on 336 reported instances of non-compliance with sedimentation issues. The next section of Corridor H to be built is from Mackeyville to Davis. Everyone involved will agree that this section has the steepest terrain, is the most difficult to construct, and is the most environmentally sensitive. Given the number of trout streams in this segment, and the steepness of the terrain, more violations and direct impact on the Cheat River can be anticipated.
On WVDOH’s “preferred route,” the ROPA, another high bridge over the North Fork of the Blackwater River between Coketon and Douglas is proposed. This construction will cross the Blackwater Canyon Rail Trail, the most popular trail in the region, used by thousands of visitors every year and worth millions in revenue to Thomas and Parsons. Are we going to close this resource for seven years?
If the Allegheny Trail closure at Moore for seven years is any indication of the WVDOH’s attitude toward all trails—and by extension, towards the people who use them, the natural world, and our local economy—we should beware. We want an economy that respects our values rather than an economy of sprawl and destruction that rewards outside interests. The northern route has far less impact on our trails and on Route 32, which can be a “greenway” between our towns.
Our thriving, homegrown, sustainable economy here on the mountaintop is based on our biggest asset: the natural world around us.
Misunderstood geology, incorrect assessments, faulty design, collapses, closures, and non-compliance—the impact of years-long highway construction can not be denied. Now is the time to question, evaluate, and discuss all the potential impacts on our daily lives (both short and long-term), our trails, and our environment before construction on this section of highway begins.
Through public participation and access to information, we must choose to protect what we have. Design versions can be challenged. Seven-year lapses can be revealed and avoided. The public needs to know the full story. A photograph of a completed highway lined with mature trees is not the whole story. Ask questions. Get answers.
Respectfully submitted by,
Alice Fleischman, President, East West Printing, Davis, WV.
Walt Ranalli, co-owner, Sirianni’s Restaurant, Davis, WV.