Kingwood resident suggests speed bump on Pleasant Avenue

KINGWOOD — A Pleasant Avenue resident asked Kingwood Council not to open a gate at the end of the street, but suggested if it does to add a speed bump.
Pat Knight’s home is the last on Pleasant before a gate that blocks the way to Rich Wolfe Drive. Rich Wolfe leads to Memorial Drive, where Preston Memorial Hospital is located. The Preston 911 Center and a gas company building are on Rich Wolfe.
At its meeting Monday, the Preston County Commission discussed the gate and asked the county administrator to contact Kingwood about opening it. The matter wasn’t on council’s Tuesday agenda, so it didn’t discuss the matter.
Knight said that when the gate was opened previously drivers ignored the stop sign at the gate and the 15 mph speed limit. On one occasion she flagged down a West Virginia State Police trooper who ignored the sign, Knight said.
She said residents walk along Pleasant, including some pushing baby strollers.
“If you do open it up, I would suggest you put a speed bump there,” Knight said. “When we came to you before and also to the county commission, we were told that was a residential section and that would not be opened.”
According to The Dominion Post archives, the gate was erected in 2015, after the new hospital was built on Memorial Drive. The only access to the hospital other than Pleasant is by W.Va. 26.
Councilman Dick Shaffer, who was on council in 2015, said that only 911 and the city are to open the gate. The gate is not locked, County 911 Director Duane Hamilton told the county commission Monday.
Recorder Bill Robertson, who also was on council in 2015, said the gate has worked well over the last three years.
“It is a residential area,” Robertson said, and he would not support opening the gate.
Knight also said she and the Halbritters paid to pave the end of the street to make it easier to access their garages, and it wasn’t constructed to bear heavy traffic.
County Administrator Kathy Mace said Wednesday that she will ask to be on the agenda of the next city council meeting to talk about the gate.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting:
Councilman Mike Lipscomb said he is going to work on a strategic plan for Kingwood. He plans to speak with all city departments. It would include, for example, when equipment will need to be replaced.
Robertson said attorney Virginia Hopkins is working on a contract with the Dailey estate to allow the city to go onto the estate’s property while demolishing the adjacent property of 146 S. Price St. Former Mayor Jim Lobb said he understood the estate is only part owner of the lot. Robertson said an LLC has part ownership.
approved the final reading of an ordinance allowing the Kingwood Water Works to acquire Public Service District No. 2 (PSD 2) and an ordinance changing the makeup of the water board to include former PSD 2 customers.