Latest news with #JasonStinespring
Dominion Post
25-04-2025
- Business
- Dominion Post
Westover Council talking fireworks as large retailer eyes store location
WESTOVER — According to city code, it remains perfectly legal for any sober individual who's at least 18 years old to enjoy consumer fireworks in the city of Westover – but only between 5 p.m.- 10 p.m. on July 4th, Labor Day and Memorial Day. The law is far less specific, however, when it comes to selling said fireworks. During its most recent regular meeting, Westover City Council approved on first reading an ordinance amending Article 545.10 of city code, pertaining to sale, possession and discharge of fireworks. The change was initiated by interest from a large fireworks wholesaler in the former Wells Home Furnishings building at the corner of Fairmont Road and Dents Run Boulevard. 'He has 90 stores. He has a couple in West Virginia, and he was looking to buy that building,' Westover Public Works Director Jason Stinespring explained earlier this month. According to attorney Tim Stranko, there is nothing in Westover's zoning code that would prohibit the establishment of a brick-and-mortar fireworks store. However, the way Article 545.10 is currently worded, the city will only provide a license to sell fireworks for undefined 'timeframes' around the patriotic holidays listed above. It was explained this section of code was originally written to regulate the temporary tent sales that pop up every summer, not permanent retail stores. The proposed ordinance change not only specifies that these parameters are specific to temporary structures, but spells out when those seasonal sellers can operate – from July 13 to July 6 for the July 4th holiday and three weeks preceding and three days following Memorial Day and Labor Day. When questioned by council, Stinespring explained the state fire marshal must sign off on both permanent retail locations and temporary sellers. Further, he said the state has specific regulations in place for brick-and-mortar stores that consider everything from the distance to neighboring buildings to the number and types of sprinklers that must be installed to the manner in which the merchandise is situated within the building. According to the Monongalia County Assessor's parcel viewer, the building in question is 11,680 square feet and sits on .91 acres. The property – land and building – was most recently appraised at just over $1.4 million.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Westover Council talking fireworks as large retailer eyes store location
Apr. 24—WESTOVER — According to city code, it remains perfectly legal for any sober individual who's at least 18 years old to enjoy consumer fireworks in the city of Westover — but only between 5 p.m.-10 p.m. on July 4th, Labor Day and Memorial Day. The law is far less specific, however, when it comes to selling said fireworks. During its most recent regular meeting, Westover City Council approved on first reading an ordinance amending Article 545.10 of city code, pertaining to sale, possession and discharge of fireworks. The change was initiated by interest from a large fireworks wholesaler in the former Wells Home Furnishings building at the corner of Fairmont Road and Dents Run Boulevard. "He has 90 stores. He has a couple in West Virginia, and he was looking to buy that building, " Westover Public Works Director Jason Stinespring explained earlier this month. According to attorney Tim Stranko, there is nothing in Westover's zoning code that would prohibit the establishment of a brick-and-mortar fireworks store. However, the way Article 545.10 is currently worded, the city will only provide a license to sell fireworks for undefined "timeframes " around the patriotic holidays listed above. It was explained this section of code was originally written to regulate the temporary tent sales that pop up every summer, not permanent retail stores. The proposed ordinance change not only specifies that these parameters are specific to temporary structures, but spells out when those seasonal sellers can operate — from July 13 to July 6 for the July 4th holiday and three weeks preceding and three days following Memorial Day and Labor Day. When questioned by council, Stinespring explained the state fire marshal must sign off on both permanent retail locations and temporary sellers. Further, he said the state has specific regulations in place for brick-and-mortar stores that consider everything from the distance to neighboring buildings to the number and types of sprinklers that must be installed to the manner in which the merchandise is situated within the building. According to the Monongalia County Assessor's parcel viewer, the building in question is 11, 680 square feet and sits on.91 acres. The property — land and building — was most recently appraised at just over $1.4 million.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Westover sidewalk delayed as state prepares US 19 corridor study
Mar. 20—WESTOVER — It's one of those good news, bad news situations. The bad news — A highly requested sidewalk project along Westover's Fairmont Road is being delayed at least a year. The good news — The delay is tied to a planning study that could lead to significant corridor improvements, sidewalks included, through the heart of the city. When the roughly $1.5 billion in federal RAISE Grant (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) awards were announced for 2024, the West Virginia Department of Transportation had three projects on the list. One in Charleston. One in Beckley. One in Westover. In Westover, the state is looking to spend the $1, 275, 000 grant to take a good, hard look at the U.S. 19 corridor that runs the length of the city as Fairmont Road and Holland Avenue. According to the information included with the U.S. Department of Transportation's 2024 RAISE awards, improvements are sorely needed. "The project will improve the safety of the US 19 corridor for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. The corridor currently poses a range of safety risks, which will be addressed with a combination of new sidewalks, repaired sidewalks, bike lanes and enhanced traffic management." The local Metropolitan Planning Organization agrees it's a priority. It listed the corridor as a Tier 1 project as part of the 2022 update to its Metropolitan Transportation Plan. At that time, the cost of the needed upgrades were estimated at $13.3 million. When Westover was informed of the pending study, the news came with a request from the state. "So, they're committed to making that better and the DOH came to us and asked us if we could postpone the sidewalk grants until they were done with this study, because they want to make sure all the work that gets done on this corridor, from front to back, fits with this study, basically, " Westover Public Works Director Jason Stinespring said. The sidewalk grants in question are a collection of funding sources pulled together by the city to construct a much-needed sidewalk along Fairmont Road, starting at Savannah Street and running toward Dents Run Boulevard. Two of those funding sources — a $400, 000 Surface Transportation Block Grant through the MPO and a $125, 000 Transportation Alternative Grant — are state sourced. Stinespring said those funds will be held for future use. That's not the case for a $400, 000 Community Development Block Grant, which the city will essentially lose. Westover's plan was to build as much sidewalk as the funds would cover, then pick it up again when more money became available. "[The state ] is doing this [study ] to eventually have all this work done, so they said there's going to be plenty of money to pull from to probably get a sidewalk the whole way down the road, to be honest with you, " Stinespring said, explaining any projects resulting from the study are likely at least two years away. "With the state putting that much effort into it with a million-dollar grant, our thinking at least is they're really wanting to do something nice with this, " he said. "It does stink with all the work we put into it, and we were excited for the sidewalk, but I think trying to look in the long-term, working with them on this is going to get us the best product in the corridor."
