By: Mat Cloak
The Parsons Advocate
A new regional merger is proposed to place that will put Tucker County in the largest Regional Planning and Development Council in West Virginia. There are currently 11 regional planning and development councils. After the proposed regional merger, there will be seven.
Tucker County is currently part of Region VII. According to Region VII’s webpage, “The Regional Planning and Development Councils are statewide networks of cooperating organizations that provide a strategic array of services to support community and economic development, planning, and inter-governmental cooperation.”
Shane Whitehair is the Executive Director of Region VII. When asked of the specific time frame of the redistricting, Whitehair said, “It will take a year to two years to actually merge the two agencies into one.” The City Council speculated on how Tucker County would be represented. “Representation will be key to continue development in Tucker County,” Whitehair said. “Representation will need to be at the forefront to get the service they need.”
While the City Council was displeased to hear the news, City Administrator Jason Myers suggested that this merger might bring economic development to the area. “These two regions have to come together,” Myers said. Myers emphasized that a main goal of the councils is to foster growth and stability in small towns like those throughout Tucker County.
The new merger will include Tucker County in a region with larger cities such as Morgantown, Fairmont, and Clarksburg, as well as approximately 65 towns. The Department of Commerce decided on this change, which will be first since the district lines were apportioned in 1971.
The City of Parsons received bad news regarding their insurance policy renewal. Because of the city’s loss rating, insurance carriers were hesitant to cover Parsons. The West Virginia Board of Risk and Insurance Management is legally obligated to cover state agencies, but their quote was approximately $200,000 for the same type of coverage.
Commercial Insurance Services reached out to OneBeacon to reconsider continuing coverage of Parsons. They agreed to do so at an annual cost of $90,000. Parsons paid $60,000 for the same coverage last year. Without another option, the Council approved this change in coverage.
Pickin’ in Parsons won the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Event of the Year award. The Council took a moment to acknowledge the significance of such recognition.
Parsons received a $100,000 grant for parks from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Through the National Park Service, the Land and Water Conservation Fund provides matching grants to state and local governments for development of outdoor recreation areas and facilities.
The Council decided to reallocate $8,000 that was originally set aside to fund a basketball court at Mill Race Park to buy a new truck for the city parks department. The Council still plans to fund the basketball court project in the spring of 2018.
The Parsons Police Department monthly statistics reported eight citations, one accident, and 41 calls answered.
The Council approved payments totaling $64,258.31.
The Halloween Festival is scheduled for October 28 from 4 to 6 p.m.
The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 17 at 6 p.m. in the Municipal Building.
