Resident asks for roads to be paved, not patched
KINGWOOD — Roads and COVID-19 were the main topics of discussion at the Tuesday meeting of the Preston County Commission.
V.J. Davis, Preston Health Department director, said the county now has 115 confirmed, 22 probable, four deaths, 126 recovered and seven active COVID-19 cases as of Monday.
Davis said the health department is working with the Preston Board of Education to help schools start up as safely as possible.
At a previous commission meeting, Davis said under the state’s new color system for determining which counties can have school, Preston would have to average about seven new cases a day over a seven-day period to go into red, which would trigger the closure of schools.
From COVID-19, the discussion turned to county roads. Aurora resident Mike Hartsell told commissioners he counted 15 spots on Fox Road and the Aurora Pike where water is coming through the pavement.
He said he believes instead of patching the Aurora Pike and Fox Road, both roads need to be ditched and paved.
“The road in front of my house hasn’t been paved in 30 or more years,” he said.
Commission President Samantha Stone said she agreed.
“The Aurora Pike is horrendous and needs to be addressed,” she said.
Stone said when it comes to road repair, some of the problem has to do with funding.
“We know funding is part of the issue,” she said. “But rest assured, we’re pushing to have it done.”
Hartsell asked why Kingwood city employees were using state asphalt to pave city roads.
Commissioner Don Smith explained the roads the city is paving belong to the state.
“They (Kingwood and the Department of Highways) have an agreement,” he said. “The city can get state asphalt and pave the streets within the city limits that belong to the state. They (city workers) know if they wait on the state to do it, it won’t be done.”
In other business, County Administrator Kathy Mace said a small building on the McGrew property that has been vandalized numerous times needs to be removed.
Mace said there is no way to keep the building secure. She said she has contacted an inspector to make sure the building can be taken down safely.
Commissioners also approved the hiring of two employees for the Preston County Clerk’s Office — Jamie Stemple and Taylor Bowmar at a starting rate of $12 per hour, beginning Aug. 26.
Commissioners voted to give the United Way of Monongalia and Preston Counties permission to place a community thermometer on the courthouse lawn.
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