The Tyler County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) met Thursday, July 2, at the Tyler County Senior Center in Middlebourne. Breakfast was served prior to the meeting at 9 a.m., courtesy of Momentive Technologies.

Jill Ash of the Tyler County Family Resource Network provided an update on the Sistersville Community Garden, reporting that the garden is now up and running and residents may stop and pick up vegetables at no charge. She said volunteers, particularly students looking to earn community service hours, are welcome to assist with maintaining the garden. Ash also announced that the Mountaineer Food Bank mobile food pantry will be at the Sistersville Baptist Church parking lot on July 30 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Tyler County Office of Emergency Management Director Tom Cooper reported that the county’s new WeatherStem weather station has been installed and is undergoing final adjustments before becoming fully operational. Once online, the WeatherStem mobile app will provide residents with live weather conditions, up-to-date forecasts and camera images from locations throughout Tyler County.

Cooper also noted that the Tyler County Senior Center continues to seek volunteer drivers. In addition, volunteers are needed to provide companionship and assistance to elderly and disabled residents and will be paid. Anyone interested in volunteering is encouraged to contact the Tyler County Office of Emergency Management or the Tyler County Senior Center.

Jason Suter provided an update on construction of the new hospital, reporting that crews are building forms and have begun pouring concrete for the facility. Suter also announced that Memorial Health System will host a golf outing on Sept. 18 at the Sistersville Country Club. Additional details about the event are expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Tom Cooper, LEPC Director, gave a presentation on the regional transportation project that is ongoing in five counties. Pleasants, Tyler, Doddridge, Wetzel and Marshall counties will all have service supplied by two vans and two drivers for each county. Expected delivery of the new vans is within the next few weeks.

The drivers will be hired from their area if it is possible and will be working a 40-hour shift at a starting pay rate of $12.31 per hour. The buses and drivers will be stationed in the towns where they will be working.

The regional transportation service will operate in-town Monday through Friday from approximately 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., providing rides to destinations within the community and a limited surrounding area. In addition to the daily in-town service, one day each week will be designated for each outlying area of Tyler County, allowing residents to travel into town for appointments, shopping and other needs before returning home. Another day each week will be dedicated to trips outside the county, with destinations including Parkersburg, Wheeling and Morgantown.

As service expands into new areas, officials said it will take approximately two to three weeks to hire and train drivers. Once operations begin, buses will travel their scheduled routes even when no passengers are booked in order to increase public awareness and familiarize residents with the new transportation service.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 AM. The next meeting of the LEPC will be held on August 6th in the cafeteria of the senior center in Middlebourne beginning with breakfast at 9:00 AM.