Grant awarded for recycling building

WELLSBURG - A building used by the Brooke County Solid Waste Authority to store recyclable material will receive improvements through a state grant, and two county agencies are considering moving to make room for the county's magistrate and family courts.

The Brooke County Commission on Tuesday received confirmation from Glenn Kocher, the solid waste board's chairman, and Becky Harlan, its director, of the approval of a $15,874 grant from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection for a new electronic garage door and interior lighting for its storage building at 44 Hollow near Beech Bottom.

The building is a 2,600-square-foot former shop building of the Windsor Coal Co. that was donated to the county with its main building, which is being renovated as the countys new animal shelter. The building was donated by the former coal mine and its parent company, CONSOL Energy.

The building is being used to store metal, paper and plastics collected by the board until it has a sufficient amount to be transported to area recycling firms.

Becky Harlan, the board's executive director, said the grant was sought through the county commission because it owns the building. She said the board also has secured an $81,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection for a new truck, transportation costs and other expenses involved in the recycling program.

Neither grant required a local match.

Kocher said the board was among 43 groups competing for $1.5 million in grants from the WVDEP, which received more than $4 million in requests.

The board recently added plastics to recyclable materials that may be deposited at bins at the Wellsburg Rite Aid, Follansbee and Wellsburg middle schools and Hooverson Heights Primary School.

Only Nos. 1 or 2 plastic containers can be used. Such containers usually include milk jugs, laundry detergent and shampoo bottles and clear or green soft drink, sports drink or water bottles.

The board can't accept plastics labeled Nos. 3 through 7 or any Styrofoam and must pay to have them dumped at a local landfill when received.

Harlan said the board also is planning a collection of old televisions, computer equipment and other small electronic appliances in April using a $20,000 grant from the WVDEP and a tire collection at that time in cooperation with the state Division of Highways.

In other business, the commission learned officials with the Brooke County Health Department are in talks with Ohio Valley Medical Center about possibly subleasing part of the former Wellsburg Veterans of Foreign Wars headquarters on Eighth Street, which the hospital is leasing from two doctors.

Commission President Bernie Kazienko said the county's museum board also is exploring potential new sites for the museum, which is at the corner of Sixth and Charles streets. The commission advised both agencies could be relocated to allow the county's magistrate and family courts to be returned to the courthouse or moved to the museum.

The courts were moved to the third floor of the Progressive Bank building from the courthouse's first floor following the 2004 flood.

The commission invested about $13,000 received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the county's insurance provider for flood damages for renovations required to meet conditions set for the courts by the state Supreme Court. But it has learned the facilities don't meet regulations enforced by the state Fire Marshals Office, including two exits and a fire escape from both floors, which have been separated from the bank for security reasons.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)