DEAL STRUCK-- Tyler County Commission signs a contract for Greg Jadwin of Air Evac. The deal will cover all life-flight costs for county residents flown from the county, neighboring counties, the counties of Wood and Ohio in West Virginia and the counties of Monroe and Washington in Ohio.

Following the Tyler County Commission meeting on Tuesday, the cost of Air Evac services will be eliminated for all county residents who receive life flight transportation from Tyler County or any surrounding county; additionally, flights from the West Virginia counties of Wood and Ohio, as well as the Ohio counties of Washington and Monroe, will be covered on that list.

Residents of Tyler County who already purchased the life-flight company’s national insurance coverage for $65 annually will receive a reduction to $35 the next time they renew their contract. Greg Jadwin of Air Evac reported that residents should receive notification when their insurance runs out.

“It’s important to understand the savings this deal brings to Tyler County citizens,” said Commission Vice President Eric Vincent.

According to him, citizens are paying a combined annual cost of approximately a quarter of a million dollars out of pocket.

The agreement with Air Evac costs $59,700 annually and will be made in two payments of $29,850, paid on Oct. 8 and March 8. The agreement with Air Evac is now in effect.

Commissioner Charles Smith stated that, although they currently have the funding to cover this medical helicopter plan, its renewal is subject to change on an annual basis.

To avoid potential conflicts of interest, all elected officials will not be covered under the policy and must purchase their own memberships with Air Evac.

Commission also renewed a medical helicopter plan that covers all county employees.

Mapping Director Paul Lemasters attended the meeting. He described an issue with recent 911 address changes on Mountain Drive along Route 74 in which the addresses were used twice, once in Tyler County and once in Ritchie County.

In order to resolve this problem, he proposed that Tyler County begin calling it North Mountain Drive. The commission approved this measure and will send the request for a name change to the Department of Highways.

Dominic Cerrone of Cerrone and Associates was present to update the commission on possibilities of building a courthouse annex. Because the last estimate for an annex was $2.7 million dollars in 2010, he said that they could anticipate at least a 15 percent increase in price since then.

Steve Rawlings of the West Virginia Risk Pool presented the commission with current standings and offered the group’s support with any future questions the county may have.

Under Commissioner Smith’s report, he presented the Local Emergency Planning Committee’s updated bylaws, which commission approved and signed into effect.

Under Commissioner Stender’s report: the date for the first commission meeting in December was changed from Dec. 10 to Dec. 11; the date of the annual courthouse Christmas party was set for Dec. 11; the commission accepted a $5,000 Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Grant; and the commission authorized a five-year lease agreement with the Tyler County Fair Association for use of the fairgrounds.

Under public comments, Resident Arnold Templeton returned to discuss the condition of Pleasants Ridge Road, along which he lives. According to him, trucks running on behalf of the company Triad Hunter have destroyed the road and done damage to his property. His concerns also include hazardous materials he may be exposed to, including dust from the road.

Commission authorized to send letters addressing the situation to the Department of Highways, Environmental Protection Agency and Triad Hunter.

Budget Revisions were made for the Office of Emergency Management, Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, and the Sheriff’s Office; all budget revisions are pending the auditor’s approval.

Commission also approved: the appointing of resident Brad Crawford to the W.Va. Route 2 & Interstate Authority; a proclamation to observe Tyler County Retired Board of Education Employees week from Oct. 14-18; gravel to be laid on the parking lot behind the office of Prosecuting Attorney Luke Furbee; the assessor’s exonerations; the clerk’s fiduciary report; and the paying of county bills.