Commissioners are twice as busy now and everyone is working together

The Monongalia County Commission made quick work of a light agenda on Wednesday as it convened for its regular weekly meeting.

While business items were few, the commissioners did spend some time talking about the county’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 health crisis.

“I keep praising Dr. [Lee] Smith and his guidance; Jimmy Smith, our MECCA 911 director; the administrators at both hospitals; the board of education and what Ronny Lytle is doing trying help with the feeding programs … Everybody is still putting themselves out there to help where they can for us all to get through this,” Commissioner Sean Sikora said.

He went on to say that within 20 minutes of Smith raising the possibility of restricting liquor sales, all the relevant players were on the phone going over draft emergency orders.

“It was really cool watching that come together so quickly. I appreciate everybody making themselves available to do that,” Sikora said.

“That’s what our weeks are like, constant calls and conversations about what do we need to address next. I thought for a while that things were slow because we weren’t having in-person meetings, but they’re really not. Everything is twice as busy because we’re having so many more calls and conversations to keep in front of this epidemic.”

Commissioner Tom Bloom said he was also appreciative of the collaborative spirit in the face of COVID-19.

He pointed to the efforts of the Monongalia County Unsheltered Task Force, which recently reached an agreement with Motel 6 to provide 20 units for the area’s homeless during the ongoing health crisis.

“This is the only plan in the state and in the region,” Bloom said.

He went on to say that staff from Milan Puskar Health Right, Health Right’s Friendship House and the West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness will be working with these individuals daily.

“This is important. We’re not just putting them in there. Whether it’s prescriptions or mental health, we will be dealing with them daily,” Bloom said. “We have an actual process.”

Commission President Ed Hawkins said Monongalia County is fortunate to have the expertise and resources to weather this unprecedented situation.

“I want to thank everybody for working together,” Hawkins said. “We’ve got a remarkable community.”

TWEET @BConley_DP