All three members of the Boone County Commission were busy last month approving grant applications, making personnel decisions and purchasing gear for numerous county agencies.

Late last month the commission reviewed five proposals from firms hoping to design the forthcoming courthouse annex project. Gore said the project will include construction of an extra section for the courthouse annex, which previously housed the Boone County Jail. It currently contains the law enforcement division of the Boone County Sheriff’s Department, Family Court and offices of the Boone County Commission. The extension will provide a shell building to allow the family court to add a larger courtroom and additional office space. Cost of the extension is believed to be $2 million. Barring any unseen problems, Gore believes the extension will break ground sometime this spring.

During the Dec.15th meeting, Commissioner Eddie Hendricks pushed through a motion to approve a law enforcement grant for the county. The grant will provide $20,000 to help purchase 22 laptop computers for Boone deputies. The computers will be installed in all BCSD law enforcement division vehicles and will give officers a tool to help make their jobs easier and somewhat faster. County Administrator Jim Gore said deputies can do their paperwork in the field, and to transmit it via a WiFi connection. "Many of the county buildings as well as most Boone schools have wireless internet connections," Gore told CVN. "The deputies can sit in the parking lots of these buildings, many of which are in rural communities, and do their required paperwork as well as to be able to do research and check WV Division of Motor Vehicle files if the need arises."

Gore said the total cost of the computers is just over $40,000 and the commission would provide the additional funds needed through Coal Severance Tax monies.

A Community Participation Grant for $10 thousand will be used to pave an area in close proximity to the proposed sports complex and amphitheater, which is on the drawing boards. The complex and amphitheater are slated to be constructed on the WaterWays property north of Madison on US 119. When completed, the paved lot will also serve a proposed soccer field for the park. "For many years, our commissioners have received numerous requests for a soccer field in the county," Gore told CVN. "It is both a popular sport for kids across the country and it’s a good healthy sport that will give kids a place to learn the game." He speculated that when the field is completed, many area schools will form soccer teams of their very own and utilize the facility.

Another Community Participation Grant application approved by commissioners will, if approved, help to provide signage for the Coal Heritage Museum. Cost of the signs is $10 thousand.

Commissioners Mickey Brown, Athol Halstead and Eddie Hendricks accepted the conditions of a grant agreement with the West Virginia Development Office for another project. The grant agreement being sought from the state will help purchase a water booster station, water lines and other related equipment for the Long Branch Road waterline extension. The 2009 Waste Coal Severance Grant agreement will provide $61,126.00 for the project and Gore said this is 90% of the cost. An additional 10% of the grant will be used for the construction of offices at the Boone Development Center . Long Branch Road is located South of Danville on U.S. 119, across from Bentley Road. Boone County Public Service District Director Fred Riggleman told commissions that work will soon begin on the Long Branch project. He said Wyatt Hanna is currently drawing up deeds for the project and they anticipate an early spring groundbreaking for the extension.

The commission also agreed to help the small town of Sylvester with a needed piece of public safety equipment. Town Mayor Manuel Arvon informed commissioners that Sylvester was in dire need of a new fire hydrant. On December 15th, the commissioners presented Arvon with a check for $4,100 to purchase and install the hydrant. He said it would better assist volunteer firefighters in case of a structure fire in that area. New hydrants are also some of the criteria which insurance agents look at in order to set lower cost homeowners insurance policies.

The officials gave their consent to a payment of $77,641.74 to Upton Construction for the Pond Fork Wastewater Project. Gore said the Pond Fork Project is rapidly nearing completion. "The crews are just finishing up some minor repairs and it should be ready in the near future," he said.

Commissioners also approved the following payments for county public works projects. These included$4,440.82 for the Pond Fork project.

Others included a payment of $137,374.52 to Chonjacki Construction, Inc. for the Prenter Road waterline extension. This is for work on phase one of the project. Other Prenter payments included $12,103.15 to Potesta & Associates for design services associated with providing much needed clean water to the residents of the small communities located on Route 5. Potesta was also paid $8,301.50 for engineering services on the Turtle Creek/Corridor G. waterline extension.

Payments were also made to the Chapman Technical Group for $6,750 for engineering services required to help begin the West Madison CSO and I&I removal project. Gore said this project will help manage ground water and storm sewers in the city. The commissioners gave their approval for the payment of $3,500 for the purchase of a fire hydrant to serve the resident of Laurel City, located on Route 17 on the Boone/Logan County line.

A grant from commissioners for $9,633.76 to Ferguson Waterworks was paid for the purchase of materials necessary to complete a river crossing at the Stollings Road water project.

The commissioners also heard a request from Danville Volunteer Fire Department Chief John Holstein regarding fire hydrants in a section of Danville. Holstein said the existing hydrants, located at Phipps Avenue, as well as on 3rd and 4th Street have very low water pressure and substandard flow. Holstein said West Virginia American Water Company gave the department an estimate of $21,300 to purchase four new hydrants and have them installed on the high pressure main water line. After his presentation the commission gave a grant to Danville officials to install the equipment. The motion to approve the grant was made by Commissioner Mickey Brown. Funds will come from Coal Severance Tax monies assessed from companies mining coal in Boone County.