PSD Meeting Planned

Commissioner Martin Saffer's ongoing conflict with the Pocahontas Public Service District got another airing.

Saffer's requests for PSD members to come to a county commission meeting and for answers to his written questions were rebuffed by PSD members, who said in a letter from their attorney, Tom Michael, they would only respond to requests from all three commissioners.

"I feel the commission needs to ask the PSD to step up to the plate," Saffer said. "Let's have some transparency. It seems to me they are doing everything they can to avoid a public forum.

"They are not an autonomous executive board."

But Griffith said the commission received a letter last week that says the PSD will have a "substantive" report after it receives $2.5 million from the West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council and can pay both Michael and Thrasher Engineering, designers of the Slaty Fork Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Further, she said, she didn't want the three men to miss a day's work to come to the commission meeting.

"These people have been beaten to death through an election, through a hearing and through the press," she said.

In the end, commissioners voted to attend the next PSD meeting July 31 at 7 p.m., requesting that the PSD move its meeting to a larger facility.

Commissioners will also discuss with PSD members a $25,000 Local Economic Development grant for the Slaty Fork project. According to the commission's administrative assistant, Sue Helton, the money was requested by State Senator Walt Helmick.