Latest news with #MercerCountyDayReportCenter
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Commissioners commit $100K to renovate Mercer County Day Report Center
princeton — In the past, farmers would get together and help a neighbor erect a new barn, but a new take on this tradition is scheduled to take place today when the community gets together for a 'community shred.' The Mercer County Day Report Center's attic is filled with old and outdated records and documents that can't be thrown into the trash, so volunteers are getting together and shredding them. Day Report Center Director Michelle Stewart said clearing out the attic is a step toward renovating a building that could be some 100 years old. Located at 1422 E Main St. near the Mercer County Courthouse, the building stands near the site of Princeton's old hospital. 'As best we can understand, this building was here when the old hospital was present here on the corner,' Stewart said. 'It could be 100 years old. That's what I'm thinking, but I'm not 100% sure. Everyone has speculated this building was here at that time based on the fixtures. It has old galvanized pipes that have burst and damaged the walls. We've had two major flooding events.' The building looks modern, but the exterior does not match the interior. 'The engineer that came through the building said it's like a decorative shell around a very old building,' Stewart said. 'We need enhanced [Americans with Disabilities Act] accessibility, new bathrooms, updated security and advanced entry control to provide security for the growing business that we have.' The Center is an alternative sentencing program the courts can use for nonviolent individuals who need less institutional custody or jail. When including the people undergoing drug testing for other agencies, the Center works with around 300 people, Stewart said. 'We need to expand our treatment and supervision space to meet the needs of our large classes and improve our technology,' she said. 'We're a little behind.' The Mercer County Commission voted on May 27 to provide $100,000 for the renovation project. Stewart said the hope is to find matching grants from local foundations. County Commissioner Greg Puckett said members of the Mercer County Opportunity Workshop would help today with cleaning out and shredding the old files so renovations can get underway. 'The day report center is essential in managing our incarcerations,' he said. 'We really don't want to incarcerate people for a number of reasons.' Having the center helps Mercer County reduce its monthly bill from the state's regional jail system, Puckett said. People in the day report system can provide labor for clearing trash from roadsides and doing other tasks for the community. 'It's a win-win for everybody,' he said. The day report center's former facility, located on South Walker Street near the Mercer County Courthouse, once housed local offices for Appalachian Power. Puckett said some of its interior has been demolished to see if it can be used for other purposes. Creating offices for the county's dilapidated structures program, emergency services and litter control are among the possibilities. Stewart said after the old documents have been cleared out, the hope is to get ventilation into the attic, then start demolishing parts of the building and renovating it. The plan is to keep space for the day report center while the work is underway. 'I have been here 18 years in both day report centers, so I'm excited to see this happen,' she said. 'I've been waiting for this a long time.' Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Keep Mercer Clean campaign kicks off with first day of spring
princeton – Spring cleaning actually gets underway with the first day of spring as volunteers start collecting and bagging up trash left along the roadsides of Mercer County. The annual Love Where You Live – Keep Mercer Clean campaign is scheduled to start this afternoon when Mercer County Courthouse personnel will meet at Glenwood Park Road to collect litter. Now in its 11th year, the clean-up campaign is among the efforts to maintain and enhance Mercer County's image by creating good first impressions for visitors coming to local attractions such as the Hatfield-McCoy Trail, state parks including Pinnacle Rock, Pipestem and Camp Creek as well as historic locations such as the Town of Bramwell. An ongoing countywide demolition program also has been removing burned out and dilapidated structures. Efforts to clear away roadside litter got an early start last week when people with the Mercer County Day Report Center filled a small trailer with all the trash they picked up along Route 20 in the Lerona area, Puckett said. Members of the Bluewell Lions Club along with Mercer County Day Report people and Mercer County Litter Control cleaned up the Bluewell area around Route 52 from Grants to Lorton Lick Road. 'We're trying to make sure the highways are cleaned first,' County Commissioner Greg Puckett said Wednesday. 'We're doing Route 20, then Route 19, then Route 52 and Route 10. We typically run out of time for Athens and we wanted to make sure we focused on them first this year.' People and organizations wanting to participate in this year's Keep Mercer Clean campaign, which starts today and continues until April 30, can still sign up, Puckett said. The campaign has trash bags for cleanups, and loans equipment such as grabbers, safety vests and gloves, and then collects the trash bags once they are full. Volunteers can call Litter Control Officer Logan Cole at 304-800-0509 for information about signing up. The email address is keepmercerclean@ Besides cleaning up roadside trash, the Keep Mercer Clean campaign also offers opportunities for free garbage disposal. This will take place from 8 a.m. to noon on April 4 and April 12 at Lashmeet/Matoaka and Brushfork Schools. Free garbage disposal will also be available April 19 and April 26 at PikeView High School and Oakvale School from 8 a.m. to noon both days. The items being accepted will include accumulated solid waste, large appliances, air conditioners and household items. Gas and propane tanks, hazardous waste, paint and chemicals, tires, motor oil and free flowing liquids will not be accepted. Free tire disposal will be available April 4 and April 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days at the Mercer County Landfill. Tires must be off their rims. Cards with information about Keep Mercer Clean have been distributed to the county's students and other residents. Puckett said he wanted to thank Ron and Gail Satterfield with Dairy Queen in Mercer County for offering coupons for one free small cone on the campaign's promotions. 'They have always been great partners of ours and help get the card out to the kids,' he said. Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
