MORGANTOWN — The recent fire and brimstone coming out of the Monongalia County Commission regarding the West Virginia Division of Highways was tempered somewhat this week, likely thanks to the unexpected presence of DOH District 4 officials, including Engineer Darby Clayton.
There were no agenda items pertaining to the DOH, nor were there any relevant post-meeting work sessions. In fact, Clayton only addressed the commission after being invited to do so near the end of the meeting.
During his remarks, Clayton responded to citizen comments from earlier in the session requesting an update on the I-79 Halleck Road overpass.
From underneath, you can see crumbling seams and supports.Metal I-beam braces were installed in spots to add support more than a year ago.
“As far as the Halleck bridge project, it is being developed for repairs. It does look scary, I agree, but it is safe. I assure you,” Clayton said, adding “It’s safe and we are monitoring it. It is going to come out shortly as a design build project. We have been working on it.”
The Dominion Post reached out to the DOH for additional information about the project, including the scope and timeline of work to come, but additional information was not available in time for this report.
Clayton went on to say that Monongalia County is actually in the midst of a pilot project through which work, particularly ditching, is being contracted out.
“Mon County is the first one in the state to do that,” Clayton said.
Commissioner Sean Sikora said Clayton has the kind of job for which silence is golden.
“When everything works, you don’t hear anything, but when it’s broken down, you certainly hear all of it,” Sikora said, explaining that the commission would like to keep an open dialogue with the district office.
“Absent that dialogue, some people will reach out to Charleston, and we know that’s not helpful because you’re just trying to get your work done,” Sikora said. “You don’t want to have to answer to Charleston.”
The commission, in fact, has reached out to Charleston on a number of occasions of late. The most recent correspondence — a certified letter to Governor Jim Justice including a packet of citizen complaints and photos — resulted in an invitation to sit with top DOH officials. That meeting has yet to be scheduled.
Commission President Tom Bloom has been the most critical of the DOH, and he sparred with Clayton briefly over what he views as a lack of clear information indicating what work has actually been completed.
Clayton said the DOH is a maintenance organization and maintenance is ongoing, meaning the difference between a project being complete or needing additional work can come down to a heavy rain in the case of ditching.
He went on to say that crews are only going to hit the spots where work is deemed necessary.
“That’s where we’re having a lot of confusion. What people think is if you hand something back, you completed something,” Bloom said. “Your definition of what needs to be done and what the person’s or the community’s is, is different, and that’s where we’re having the major communication breakdown.”
Clayton agreed.
“We have a lot of armchair quarterbacks,” Clayton said. “We’re hiring every day. We’re down 12 people. We’ll gladly take some good, expert advise and good help. That’s not a problem.”
In other county news, the commission:
- Opened a bid totaling $26,207.12 from CBE Animal Cages for new cages at the Monongalia County Canine Adoption Center.
The bid was referred to Dana Johnson for review. Johnson is the county’s dog warden supervisor. - Heard from County Clerk Carye Blaney, who read the names of the 26 county employees who are veterans. Blaney said the county intends to run an advertisement offering the county’s thanks in observance of Veterans Day.
