KINGWOOD — A week after Preston commissioners complained about poor communication and planning from the Division of Highways, representatives were at the commission meeting.
District 4 Engineer Darby Clayton and Preston Supervisor Blaine Bowmar said Monday they try to communicate and the DOH has done a lot in Preston.
Commission President Dave Price apologized referring to, “sketchy communications.”
“But it is so incredibly frustrating to people, and I guess I got frustrated just hearing about it and was really curious what the next move will be with the new year and everything,” Price told the men.
Clayton said the DOH puts out daily work plans, and the core plan is online.
The list of priority projects devised by each county last year at the governor’s order is also online.
“What part of communication’s not out there — that’s what I didn’t understand,” Clayton said. “All that stuff’s there.”
But, “Where is it?” Commissioner Don Smith asked. “Say it. … Us telling people to go online, okay that’s great, but have you been to some of the State of West Virginia websites?”
User friendly it isn’t, Smith said. “They need to get up to speed.” Clayton said the Secondary Roads Maintenance Initiative is at https://transportation.wv.gov/Pages/default.aspx
Clayton said he tries to attend commission meetings at least quarterly. He provided a list of paving projects for Preston. There are no dates on the projects, and Clayton said some are complete. He said the slide on W.Va. 72 that narrows the road to one lane will go to contract this week. Paving of W.Va. 7 in Terra Alta will be this fall.
Bowmar referred to Brandonville Pike, one of the areas commissioners receive frequent complaints about. Three miles of the road will be milled 2 inches and paved with 2 inches of asphalt, he said. that’s from the Lutheran Church heading back to Terra Alta.
“I realize that road needs a lot more,” Clayton said.
Yes, it does, said Commissioner Samantha Stone.
“When they tell you this is the money you have, this is how far you can go, how do you pick?” Bowmar said.
“We kind of felt like there would be a change in the funding, something would happen to make it better than three miles or four miles is needed and not being able to do something,” Price said. “You just have to work with what it is, and we understand that, but it’s not good enough.”
People want a change and have seen some improvements but more is needed, he said.
“There’s been a ton of work done that wouldn’t have been done prior to everything,” Clayton said. “There’s been millions and millions of dollars put into Preston County with the initiative to get things to where we are right now.”
Of the 16 jobs in District 4 under the governor’s secondary road maintenance program, five are in Preston, Clayton said.
“Saying there’s not a lot being put toward this, I don’t think that’s a fair statement.”
But will it continue, Price asked?
Yes, Clayton said, “I just don’t know at what pace or how far.”
Stone praised the DOH for patching, tarring and chipping the road to Screech Owl Brewing. Bowmar said some people complained about tar on their cars. County Administrator Kathy Mace said, “there just seems to be a plethora of potholes on those bus routes. Are those being addressed in any way before school starts?” Is there a list of those?
Clayton said five crews were working Monday throughout Preston County, including three patching crews. There’s no more “throw and go” of asphalt into holes, he said.
Sometimes their actions don’t appear to make sense, like putting preservation pavement on roads that are starting to show cracks. It’s a long-term saving, he said.
Preston is nearly at its quota of 55 workers, Bowmar said. Eleven were hired here at a job fair held in Preston in April. And Bowmar can rent equipment needed and has been doing it, Clayton said.
“I’ve got high hopes for what the new budget’s going to be for the county and everything,” Clayton said. “The forecasts I’ve seen for what we’re going to be. But until that happens I can’t tell you.”
We expected you’d have that by now, Price said, adding, “I know that you guys dance to the music that comes from down in the Kanawha Valley, and that’s what you have to do. We just have a lot of problems here, and you know it.”
