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Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
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Effort to improve transportation in Bluefield moving ahead
bluefield – A town hall meeting set for June 12 will give the Bluefield community opportunities to share ideas and ask questions about a road project aimed at making travel smoother and safer from Bluefield State University's entrances to the city's northeast side. City Manager Cecil Marson said Friday the meeting will start at 1:30 p.m. June 12 on the Bluefield State University campus. It will be conducted in the Othello Harris-Jefferson Student Center. Information gleaned from the town hall will help determine how to spend a $1.2 million federal Reconnecting Communities grant. Reconnecting Communities is a program under the U.S. Department of Transportation. 'About two years ago we submitted an application for the Reconnecting Communities Grant,' Marson said. 'It's laser-focused on the northeast end of the city and what that does, it basically takes you from (Route) 52 where the Bluefield State University entryway is and takes you all the way through the northeast end past the Grant Street Bridge down past the Hotel Thelma.' The project's goal is to improve transportation and safety between the university and Hotel Thelma, which is an historic Green Book lodging where Black travelers stayed during the segregation era. 'The whole premise behind this project is to connect that part of the city to the downtown and also rework the road infrastructure and streetscape, really clean up a lot of the stuff that borders Norfolk Southern (railyard) along that main drag of Pulaski Street, Hardy Street all the way up to Rock Street and up to the campus,' Marson said. The city will work on the project in conjunction with the West Virginia Department of Highways. People attending the June 12 town hall will meet with highways officials and engineers working on the plan. Marson said the city wants as much community participation as possible. 'Because we're going to go in there, take all of the suggestions that have gotten us to this point, have some designs and schematics of what these roads could potentially look like and really, this plan grant is to get some of the engineering done and get everything prepped so this fall, we can submit for the implementation funding,' he said. 'And that's where we get the big money and hopefully, God willing, really get some of these projects down and revamp the northeast part of town and get the roads and infrastructure everybody deserves over there, and also help reinforce the college and give them a better entryway.' Darrin Martin, president of Bluefield State University, said the project would make travel to and from the campus safer. Both the Route 52 and Rock Street entrances are difficult to use and hazardous at times. 'Obviously, you think about the entrance way to campus on both sides,' Martin said. 'This is going to make it safer for us and improve the flow of traffic.' Students, faculty and visitors entering campus at Rock Street have to navigate a sharp turn. One goal would be make this curve 'softer,' Martin said. One part of the plan which includes a roundabout at the busy Route 52 entrance would make that entry point safer as well. 'It can get dicey,' he said. 'You can look and all of a sudden a car is on top of you. This should help and make that safer.' In September 2024, the City of Bluefield was awarded a $25,748,152 in federal grants through President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Safe Streets and Roads for All program. Marson said that the $1.2 million Reconnecting Communities grant is from a different federal program. 'Like the Safe Streets, all these grants kind of work this way,' Marson said. 'First, you apply for the grant because you have a project. The first portion is the planning, so you'll get a funding amount — that was $1.2 million for us — then you have to resubmit again for implementation. Implementation is where construction comes in and we're not there yet on this grant.' The project is big because it has been a long time since the city's northeast side has seen a major investment, Marson said. 'It's deserving. It needs it,' he said. 'We need to help the college, assist the residents, make it safer over there and clean up.' Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bluefield OKs tougher rules on animal abandonment
bluefield — Those who abandon animals in the city limits of Bluefield will now be subject to additional penalties. The Bluefield Board of Directors approved the second reading of an animal abandonment ordinance Tuesday. The amended ordinance specifically deals with the issue of those citizens who relocate to another residence in the city, but leave their cats and dogs behind. 'This just adds additional ammunition for our animal control officers to deal with people who are not properly caring for their animals, and are not actually living with the animals, but keeping the animals somewhere separate and far from where they live,' City Attorney David Kersey said. Bluefield has had a number of cases over the past two years of people moving from one residence to another and leaving their animals behind without proper food, water and care, according to City Manager Cecil Marson. 'We've had over probably the last year a couple of cases where folks actually own property, but they are not actually living in the property and they have their animals there,' Marson said. 'It's unacceptable, and the language in the original ordinance was somewhat vague on what the authorities and what legal rights we had to seize those animals. So this ordinance has been done in a manner to make sure we clear that up so our code enforcement and animal control teams and our police force can act if necessary if we see any type of mistreatment of animals.' The amended ordinance was approved by the board on a second reading Tuesday by a vote of 4-0 with board member Daniels Wells absent. According to the existing city code dealing with animal cruelty, no one living in the city limits is allowed to impound or confine any animal in any place, and fail to provide at the same time a sufficient quantity of food and water. In other business Tuesday, Marson talked about all of the Memorial Day activities that were held in Bluefield over the past weekend, including the opening of the Ridge Runner and the Memorial Day service that was conducted in the grassy area of the 400 block. Marson said all of the flags that were placed in the grassy area for Monday's ceremony were donated by Dreama Denver. He said Paul Dorsey and Felicia Holcomb helped to coordinate the Memorial Day program. While the weather didn't cooperate, Marson said the program 'turned out well.' Despite cooler temperatures outside and a steady rainfall during most of the long holiday weekend, the Ridge Runner was still able to start making its runs across Lotito Park on Saturday. Marson said about 290 people rode the miniature train over the weekend. But the train had to stop Sunday after a derailment occurred that involved one of its wheels leaving the track. Marson was asked after Tuesday's meeting to elaborate on the 'derailment' that occurred. 'So yes, Sunday afternoon, we had no train turned over or anything like that,' Marson said. 'It just got stuck in one spot. So we had to go out there this week and reshift the track and get it running.' The new splash pad at Lotito Park didn't meet its Memorial Day opening. Rick Showalter, director of parks and recreation for the city, said the splash pad is just about finished, but some work must still be completed, including the fencing. Weather also has impacted the ongoing work. 'We don't have an opening date,' Showalter said. 'We have hired staff, so all of that is going well. We will be training them when we get a little closer. We are very excited, and I think it will be a big hit with the kids.' 'Bottom line is with the weather, we have to get the dirt in and the fence in,' Marson added. 'We have to have the fence for the safety and monitoring. So that's what has been our biggest hold-up.' Board member Treyvon Simmons said the public is getting excited about the pending opening of the splash pad. Marson said final preparations also are underway for the start of the Cole Chevy Mountain Festival at city park. Trucks carrying carnival rides from the James H. Drew Carnival have started arriving at city park, and those rides will be assembled between now and Friday's opening. 'We should have a very nice Mountain Festival this year,' Marson said. 'And thanks to Cole Chevy for putting all of that together.' Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
GOP's 1,000-voter precinct plan would cost Arizona counties $53 million
Photo via Getty Images A Republican proposal to force voters to cast their ballots at neighborhood voting sites would cost Arizona counties more than $50 million the first year and more than $20 million every election year. And the plan to limit those voting precincts to just 1,000 voters means counties would have to find nearly 4,000 new voting locations. Jen Marson, executive director of the Arizona Association of Counties, has repeatedly told lawmakers that the proposal would put a financial burden on the counties and would be logistically impossible to implement. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Earlier this year, Rep. Alexander Kolodin, a Scottsdale Republican, told the Arizona Mirror that he didn't necessarily believe it when county representatives told him and other members of the House Elections Committee that some of their election reform plans would be too costly and difficult to carry out. Kolodin and other supporters of 1,000-voter precincts have claimed that it would cut down on long lines and sidestep printer problems that occurred during the 2022 election in Maricopa County. Kolodin also said that it would make voting more convenient for voters in his Scottsdale-based district, because precincts would be located close to home, within their neighborhoods. But legislative budget analysts have confirmed the accuracy of the numbers that spurred the Arizona Association of Counties to oppose House Concurrent Resolution 2002. 'I'm not worried when people say that they don't trust our numbers because I know that they're right,' Marson told the Arizona Mirror. 'I just don't have time to worry about people who choose not to believe the facts.' The Joint Legislative Budget Committee wrote in an April 11 fiscal note that information submitted by the Arizona Association of Counties showed that HCR2002 would cost the counties a total of around $53 million in its first election year and more than $21 million each election year after that. 'It's not a surprise to us at all,' Marson said of the fiscal impact outlined by the JLBC. 'We've been saying for years that a move in this direction is incredibly costly in terms of manpower and dollars.' The initial cost would include about $31.5 million for new equipment at each of the 3,957 additional voting locations the counties would be forced to open, an estimate that JLBC said 'appeared generally reasonable.' The estimate accounts for around $8,000 to purchase electronic poll books, which cost around $1,400 each, and devices for voters with disabilities to use, which cost about $3,700 apiece. If the resolution became law, each primary and general election after that would cost the counties around $10.8 million to rent out voting locations and pay seven workers to staff each site. Because there is a primary and general election, that means there would be an additional $21.6 million cost to the counties every election year. The budget analysts wrote that counties could potentially see some offsetting savings from the legislation's elimination of early voting locations and emergency voting centers, but those would likely be miniscule in comparison to the increases. 'I think it's a huge impact cost-wise, regardless of county,' Marson said. The resolution would ask voters to enact the precinct-only voting scheme in 2026, and is a mirror of House Bill 2017, which would directly make the change in state law. Both were introduced by Rep. Rachel Keshel, a Tucson Republican and member of the far-right Arizona Freedom Caucus. Both have already been approved along party lines in the House of Representatives and could be brought for a vote in the Senate at any time. But HB2017 would almost certainly meet its end with a veto from Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. HCR2002 is a workaround that would bypass Hobbs' desk to be sent to the ballot. Both of Keshel's proposals would ban the use of voting centers and require all in-person voters to cast their ballots at precincts capped at 1,000 registered voters apiece. Most counties use voting centers, which allow any registered voter to show up and cast a ballot at any polling site in the county. Under the precinct model, only voters assigned to a precinct can vote there, and if they vote at the wrong location, their ballot won't be counted. If they became law, the proposals would force a significant shift for the counties, since eight of them — including Maricopa and Pima, where 75% of voters live — use only vote centers. Four more use a hybrid system with both vote centers and precincts. Only three counties use precincts exclusively. Keshel's proposal would require Maricopa County alone to open more than 2,400 new voting locations and to hire more than 17,000 additional poll workers. In the 2024 general election, Maricopa County operated 246 Election Day vote centers and hired more than 4,000 workers. In 2016, the last time Maricopa County used only precinct-based polling places, it had 671 polling sites. 'We are confident we would not be able to find enough locations or people,' Marson said. 'We struggle to staff 245 vote centers, so a tenfold staffing increase seems undoable.' Both proposals are repeats that Keshel introduced last year but that failed in the Senate, where former Secretary of State Ken Bennett was the only Republican who voted against it. Keshel said during a Jan. 22 House Federalism, Military Affairs and Elections Committee meeting that she was hopeful her proposals would make it through the chamber this year, since Bennett was not reelected. Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap, a Republican and former state representative who supported last year's version of the 1,000-voter precinct cap, acknowledged during a January committee hearing that it would be a challenge to implement. Heap, who was a former member of the Freedom Caucus, said that a 1,500-voter cap might be more realistic in Maricopa County. Senate President Warren Petersen did not respond to questions about whether legislators in the chamber were supportive of bringing HCR2002 to the floor for a vote, following the confirmation of the increased cost to the counties from JLBC. Legislative Republicans and Democrats, along with the governor, are in a political battle over funding for the state's Division of Developmental Disabilities, which will run out April 30. The DDD needs $122 million in supplemental funding to get it through the end of the fiscal year on June 30, but both parties have been fighting since January about how to accomplish that. Some Republicans have said they are dedicated to cutting programs that parents of children with disabilities say are vital, while the nearly 60,000 people with disabilities and their families who rely on DDD face the potential loss of services in May. All of the House Republicans who are advocating for cuts to the DDD program that accounted for a large chunk of the funding gap voted in favor of Keshel's proposal before JLBC published its fiscal note. Neither of Keshel's proposals include funding for the added costs to the counties. Keshel didn't respond to a request for comment on the fiscal note. 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Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Yahoo
PROGRESS 2025: Work on Bluefield's over $25 million transportation project starting soon
bluefield — City officials are moving forward on a $25 million plan for making Bluefield's streets easier for pedestrians, bicycle riders and drivers to navigate. On Sept. 4, 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that the city of Bluefield had been awarded a $25,748,152 grant to make transportation easier for pedestrians, bicycle riders, wheelchair users and others relying on local roads and sidewalks. The grant was among $1 billion in grants awarded through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program. The project's goal is to convert four of Bluefield's key intersections to roundabouts, create pedestrian and bicycle accommodations through a strategic mountain gap, and make safety improvements that include implementing traffic-calming strategies and installing sidewalks, crosswalks, rectangular rapid-flashing beacons, and street lighting on selected corridors. The Making Residents, Students, and Visitors Safer in the Education and Recreation District program is designed to make safety improvements to a key gateway into historic Black communities and the entrance to Bluefield State University. Locations for Safe Street projects range from College Avenue, Stadium Drive, Cumberland Road, Princeton Avenue and other roads in the city along with the intersection connecting Cherry Street, Maryland Avenue and Stadium Drive. Steps in taking the Safe Street project forward are underway, said City Manager Cecil Marson. One step is necessary because the state has a new administration under Gov. Patrick Morrisey and a new Secretary of Transportation, Stephen Todd Rumbaugh, who is also commissioner of the West Virginias Department of Highways. Bluefield city officials recently met with Rumbaugh while work continues on the memorandum of understanding between the city and the state Department of Highways, he said. Selecting an engineer to oversee the project will be the next step. 'So everything's online and we're moving like crazy to get it started,' Marson said. The extensive project could take three to four years to complete. 'It's all (Route) 52, all of Stadium Drive, all of College Avenue,' Marson said. 'It's a big undertaking, but we're excited to get it rolling.' Marson said the project aims to improve transportation across the city. 'It's all safety and mobility in the city, so it's going to be things like bike lanes, it's going to be redoing the sidewalks,' he said. 'It will also entail some of the infrastructure underneath to make sure the storm lines and the sewer lines and all that are where they need to be and, of course, it will be street lighting and some landscaping and crosswalks. It's really to give folks good mobility and a facelift for the city and an improvement to the infrastructure.' In October 2024, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a leader on the Senate Appropriations Committee, visited Bluefield and spoke with local leaders about the project. Capito visited the Bluefield Economic Development Office during that earlier meeting to hear about the city's plans for the grant. Marson told the senator how the city started working two years ago to obtain the Safe Street for All grant. Thanks to this grant, three of the city's major arteries are 'going to get fixed,' he said. One roadway, Cherry Street, goes from Bluefield State University to its dorm and classroom facility at the former Bluefield Regional Medical Center. There are times when students use this street, which Marson described as dangerous and treacherous, as a walkway to and from the two campuses. 'That whole road is going to get widened with sidewalks, bike lanes and lighting, Americans with Disabilities Act access, so that's going to completely free up all those kids to move back and forth. When that was a hospital that wasn't necessary, but now that's completely changed,' Marson said in the earlier meeting. Capito was also told about plans for the Midway Overpass Grant that the city received just before Christmas in 2023. The $13,480,000 award for the city came through the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program. Capito later said that she appreciated the briefing, but added, 'you've to to pat yourselves on the back, too.' 'A lot of these are competitive grants and if you're not writing and showing the need and fleshing out the projects as good as you do, you're not going to get the money,' Capito said. The city had done the work necessary for a major grant application. There are times when applicants have big plans, but they do not have backup plans such as pre-engineering studies, traffic studies, population studies or economic studies, so they cannot justify a grant, Capito said. 'As I was worked to craft the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, I saw a generational opportunity to improve West Virginia's surface transportation infrastructure. U.S. Route 52 is a crucial thoroughfare for Bluefield and these improvements will increase road safety and continue expanding economic opportunities in and around the city. I was proud to advocate for this project and I'm thrilled to see work underway,' Capito said then. Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bluefield proposes sale of sanitary board to West Virginia American Water
bluefield — An ordinance authorizing the sale of Bluefield's wastewater collection and treatment system to West Virginia American Water company had its first reading Tuesday before the Bluefield Board of Directors. Mayor Ron Martin said during Tuesday's board meeting that West Virginia American Water had approached the city about purchasing its wastewater collection and treatment system. The board unanimously approved this first reading. 'West Virginia American Water approached the city of Bluefield and the Sanitary Board and made a proposal to talk about potentially selling it, and we've been in discussions for the last year and a half to get us to this point,' City Manager Cecil Marson said after the meeting. Marson said the city had a long way to go before any sale could be finalized. Before the board of directors can vote about accepting the proposal, there must be a public hearing, a second reading for the ordinance and approval from the Public Service Commission of West Virginia. 'We're still a long way before it's finally sold,' he said. 'It will probably be anywhere from eight to 12 months if we go that far, but there's still a long ways to go.' A public hearing about the West Virginia American Water sale is scheduled for Monday, April 7 at the Bluefield Arts Center in downtown Bluefield. The hearing will begin at 6 p.m. 'That's a good forum for all the folks to come and we encourage everyone to ask questions so they can fully understand why we're going down this path and what we've got set up to work on,' Marson said. Under the proposal, the city's current sewer rates will stay in place until Jan. 1, 2029. 'Well, I think it's the stable fees because the rates won't change for the next five years,' Marson said about the city's reasons for considering the water company's proposal. 'But really what the board's weighing is to keep up with our infrastructure. An example I would give you is the Midway Project that the Sanitary Board's done a phenomenal job with. That project's taken us eight years to get to the starting point right now. We have to bond, go through grants to get funding and right now with what West Virginia American Water's proposing we've got five major projects that are on our radar for them to get done in the next five years.' The Bluefield Sanitary Board has done 'phenomenal' work, but the city still has big infrastructure challenges which need to be addressed, Marson said. 'That actually factored into it, but I would say the sanitary board is a great organization that's done a really good job and I think it's strengthened our position really to have this discussion and do what we can for what's best for the citizens.' The Bluefield Sanitary Board is a joint board with representatives from both Bluefield, Va., and Bluefield, as well as an organization called the Bluefield Sanitary Board, Inc. that also involves representatives from Tazewell County, Va., Marson said. There have been discussions with these representatives as well as the water company. 'We've had numerous meetings,' Marson said. 'The shareholders are the city of Bluefield; but yes, we've had numerous discussions to get to this point.' 'It has to go through PSC first,' Marson said. 'Once that's been done, there will be a huge announcement that it's been sold.' Under the proposal, West Virginia American Water would finish the following capital projects which the Bluefield Board of Directors passed on July 9, 2024 at a project cost of $35 million with completion occurring no later than five years from the date of closing: • Midway Sewer Replacement Project • Nichols Road/Thompson Pump Station Project • Wintercreek Sewer Replacement Project conducted in tandem with the Town of Bluefield stormwater replacement project • Union Street Replacement Project conducted in tandem with the City of Bluefield stormwater replacement project • Completion of College Avenue Phase III Sewer Replacement Project connecting Phase I and Phase II capital line projects. The city would receive a payment through the agreement. 'And yes, if the deal does go through, it will be close to $19 million to $20 million for the city,' Marson said. Another part of the proposal calls for the water company to establish a regional wastewater operations center within Bluefield, city limits in a newly constructed or remodeled building with a new facade and at a location agreed upon by both parties. This new or remodeled building would need to be big enough for allow for 25 water company employees. Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
