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Officials finalize plans for annual Mineral County Day on Jan. 14
Wish list will be presented to officials in Charleston
KEYSER, W.Va. — Mineral County officials are preparing for an annual excursion they hope will bring recognition — and state dollars — to local projects.
On Jan. 14, county leaders will travel to Charleston for Mineral County Day, the annual series of meetings between county and state officials on local projects that could use a funding boost from state agencies.
County representatives hope to discuss a wide range of issues, from water system improvements to tourism-related projects to the county’s broadband Internet initiative, according to a draft program discussed in a Tuesday planning meeting. Some of the items have been on the county’s wish list for several years, officials said.
County Commission President Wayne Spiggle said he plans to speak on health and human services issues, especially the challenges facing the county health department.
“We’re really going to be talking about the work of the county health department and the difficulty the medical community is having with Medicaid,” Spiggle said, adding that future changes to Medicaid and government funding could harm the agency.
Mineral County Development Authority Executive Director Mona Ridder said she will present a proposal for a countywide broadband initiative known as MineralVision to state officials, along with the results of a 2009 study about the need for and potential impact of the project.
Officials also plan to call attention to a proposed $11.2 million Keyser water system improvement project that calls for, among other things, building a new water treatment plant to serve customers in Keyser, New Creek valley and McCoole, Md. Other big-ticket items include the second phase of the northern Mineral County sewer system project, which would expand service to about 1,300 new customers and cost an estimated $19 million, and the Piedmont sewer project and water treatment plant upgrade, which would cost an estimated $716,000.
County representatives plan to meet with state highway officials to discuss the U.S. Route 220 corridor project, problems with the intersection of U.S. Route 50 and county Route 11 in Burlington, and safety concerns about state Route 28 between Fort Ashby and Wiley Ford, among other issues.
Other topics on the agenda include the renovation of Allegheny Mountain House as a transitional living facility, the Keyser High School capital campaign and local historical restoration, preservation and planning projects.
Keyser Mayor William “Sonny” Rhodes said he, wastewater treatment plant supervisor Mike Kesecker and other officials are hoping to meet directly with Gov. Joe Manchin and Department of Environmental Protection officials sometime next week to discuss the possibility of using the Keyser wastewater treatment plant to treat the byproduct of hydraulic mining for natural gas in the Marcellus shale deposit. The state doesn’t allow natural gas mining wastewater to be treated in the same way as other wastewater, so the water is hauled out of state.
Kesecker said they’ve already tested the treatment process on samples of the mining wastewater and found that, aside from being high in salinity, the water was basically free of other harmful elements. He added that those results were confirmed by an outside laboratory.
“We’d like the opportunity to present our case to the governor that based on our tests, there’s nothing toxic in this water, and we’d like the opportunity to dispose of it,” Rhodes said. “We’re asking for the governor’s help. This water is being dumped in Pennsylvania now. They’re making thousands of dollars over there. We want that same opportunity here.”
Mineral County Day will also include events to honor a former county resident for his contributions to American jazz music.
Don Redman, born in Piedmont, was a famous jazz musician who collaborated with the likes of Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey in the 1920s and even had a music-related television show on CBS in 1949. A certificate honoring his achievements will be presented to the mayor of Piedmont.
Contact Megan Miller at mmiller@times-news.com.
