At the May 28 Tyler County Commission meeting, the commission made a motion to put out bids for the rewiring of courthouse cabling. The rewiring is to comply with standards set by the West Virginia Fire Marshal; it will include updates to existing courthouse phone systems and other communications systems.

Commissioner Charles “Pork” Smith stated that the Planning Commission is looking forward to progress on the “low-water bridge” at The Jug, for which the Department of Highways (DOH) presented a drawing of their proposed plans. He expressed that the construction, which should raise the existing concrete two feet and three inches, is beneficial to salvaging a historical area and could help to attract tourists.

“Hopefully they’ll find the funding and get that done,” he said.

Commission Vice President Eric Vincent attended the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Council Meeting in Sistersville on May 22. He reported that, despite a reduction of grant money, the council is in “good shape.”

“They talked about the highlights in Tyler County and how some of their prospects in the future will be beneficial to us,” he said.

He mentioned that a road in Tyler County has a different name when it crosses into Wetzel County. The road, known as Villers Road in Tyler, is named Gamble Run in Wetzel. The commission moved to draft a letter proposing that the portion of the road in Tyler also be named Gamble Run. The letter will be sent to the DOH.

Commission President John Stender recently attended the Board of Directors meeting for the County Commission Association of West Virginia. He said that a matter discussed was the risk of wrongful termination lawsuits being leveled toward county commissions. Therefore, it would be in commissioners’ best interest to have all departments working under them report first on possible terminations and heed their advice before taking such actions.

Sheriff “Bob” Kendle informed the commission that, because his department is having issues with certain vehicles, he will research the possibility of purchasing a new police vehicle at the beginning of the fiscal year.

The county received a check from the Public Service Commission in the amount of $89,748 to disburse to funds for 911 operations.

The commission approved Office of Emergency Management Director Tom Cooper to attend a parade in Charleston on June 22.

The parade, which will be commemorating the 150th birthday of West Virginia, is seeking participation from all 55 counties in the state. Cooper will be driving an OEM vehicle in the parade.

Following an inspection of equipment, the courthouse will be replacing six fire extinguishers: four 10-pound fire extinguishers for the courthouse and two for the sheriff’s office at a combined cost of $516.

In other news, the commission moved to pay Tyler County’s half of the rent for the next fiscal year of the Wetzel/Tyler Health Department; they granted Deputy Clerk Amy Glover permission to seek unclaimed funds from the State Treasurer’s Office; and they approved budget revisions for the Sheriff’s Office, the previous meeting’s minutes, the clerk’s fiduciary report, and the payment of bills.