[0:06] Good morning. It is September 9th,
[0:08] 10:00. All three county commissioners
[0:10] are here and we'll start with consent
[0:12] and approval with our county
[0:13] administrator. How you doing today?
[0:15] » Morning.
[0:16] » Good morning. Morning.
[0:20] » Have no exonerations to approve this
[0:22] morning. Minutes for September 2nd,
[0:26] 2026. Vouchers General County 327,87617
[0:32] Cool Severance 3000 911 77,21973
[0:37] Chestnut Ridge Park 791762
[0:40] Camp Muffley 214269
[0:44] Mason Dixon Park 291229
[0:47] Mon County Center 182981
[0:51] parks and wc 36,506818
[0:56] purchasing card voucher General County
[0:58] 5,17063,
[1:00] general school $21,260,
[1:02] Camp Muffley $56, Mesa Dixon Park 57448,
[1:07] Mon County Center 92335
[1:10] for a voucher total of 487,38875.
[1:15] Um, no budget revisions. The position
[1:17] vacancies for portion authorities are
[1:19] listed on the county's website and
[1:21] fidiciary orders for September 9th,
[1:23] 2026.
[1:25] Move to approve the consent agenda items
[1:27] as presented.
[1:28] » Second.
[1:29] » Move and second. All those in favor say
[1:31] I. I.
[1:31] » I.
[1:32] » Um, also in your fidiciary folder is the
[1:35] second notice for the administrative
[1:37] closure of estates that needs to be
[1:39] approved to go out.
[1:41] » Okay. I move to approve the notice as
[1:44] presented.
[1:45] » Second.
[1:46] » Prof. Move. Second. All those in favor
[1:47] say I. I. I.
[1:49] » That's all.
[1:53] » Okay.
[1:55] Are we are in the fidiciary orders that
[1:57] were
[1:59] » That was part of the consent and
[2:00] approval?
[2:00] » Okay, that would be consent.
[2:02] » Nothing additional.
[2:03] » Nothing additional then we don't have
[2:04] to. Okay. Okay. Introduction of new
[2:07] employees. Uh
[2:10] real estate deputy John Wyatt Andis.
[2:15] » Anybody here? There he is.
[2:18] » And we have
[2:19] » That would be me.
[2:20] » The infamous Mark.
[2:21] » The infamous Mark. Uh yeah, I'm here on
[2:24] behalf to seek approval for the hiring
[2:26] of Mr. John White Enis as a real estate
[2:30] per as a real estate deputy. Uh he'll be
[2:32] replacing of Chad Hirshman who will be
[2:34] eventually moving over to the appraisal
[2:36] side as a field deputy.
[2:38] » I move to approve the personnel as
[2:40] presented with a start date of 91626 as
[2:44] requested and an insurance eligibility
[2:45] date of 101.
[2:46] » 101. Thank you.
[2:47] » I'll be sending out the notices if you
[2:49] can help.
[2:50] » Okay.
[2:51] because it's a little different with um
[2:53] remodel. We have a little bit more time,
[2:54] but I'd still like to get it done by uh
[2:57] next Wednesday at the latest.
[2:58] » Sure.
[2:59] » Okay.
[3:00] » Second to hear that.
[3:01] » Second the propy move and second. All
[3:03] those in favor say I.
[3:04] » I. I.
[3:05] » All right. Great. Thank you.
[3:06] » Okay. We have two deputy sheriffs, Chase
[3:10] Hudson and Zachary Long. And we have
[3:13] someone from the sheriff's office.
[3:16] » Yeah.
[3:17] » Good morning. Good morning.
[3:19] » Good morning.
[3:21] » So, we have um for the approval for
[3:25] Chase Hudson as a deputy sheriff and
[3:28] Zach Long for position of deputy
[3:30] sheriff. Um their start date would be
[3:33] 9:16.
[3:34] Um they both come to us from West
[3:36] Morland County Sheriff's Office.
[3:38] » Great.
[3:39] » And they would be benefits
[3:41] eligible.
[3:42] » Great. I move to approve the positions
[3:45] uh effective as presented effective
[3:47] 91626
[3:49] with the health insurance eligibility
[3:51] date of 10126.
[3:53] » As I said to the assessor, I'll send out
[3:56] those notices if you can either make a
[3:58] selection or wave uh so that we can get
[4:00] that on the very next invoice. I'd
[4:02] appreciate
[4:04] » Yes
[4:04] » Second the motion.
[4:05] » Okay, proper move and second. All those
[4:07] in favor say I. I.
[4:08] » I. Welcome and be safe.
[4:10] » Welcome and be very safe. Thank you.
[4:13] » Thank you.
[4:13] » Thank you.
[4:14] » Okay.
[4:15] » Any other?
[4:16] » No.
[4:18] » Nope. No.
[4:21] » No. Okay. Okay. We will have comments
[4:24] from the public. You'll have three
[4:25] minutes. If you could please come to the
[4:27] podium, state your first, last name, and
[4:29] where you live, and we'd appreciate hear
[4:31] from you who would like to come down.
[4:34] Okay. Good morning.
[4:41] Good morning.
[4:43] Uh, sorry, I'm just pulling it up. All
[4:45] right. Hi, my name is Paige Rearing. I
[4:47] live on Spruce Street. Happy National
[4:49] Recovery Month. I would like to talk
[4:51] about how our opioid settlement funds,
[4:53] our public money, not taxpayer money, I
[4:55] corrected myself, is being used not for
[4:58] recovery services, but for unwarranted
[5:01] mass surveillance. After having reviewed
[5:03] the West Virginia First Foundation's
[5:05] memorandum of understanding for the
[5:07] opioid settlement funds, I'm curious
[5:10] what research and information you found
[5:12] that indicates that flock safety ALPRs
[5:15] fall in line with the approved purposes
[5:18] detailed in theou. Section A1 defines
[5:22] approved purposes as evidence-based
[5:24] strategies used for the purposes of
[5:27] addressing substance use disorders
[5:29] and/or addiction through the core
[5:31] abatement strategies.
[5:33] One of these, as the commission has
[5:35] previously indicated, is law
[5:37] enforcement. And it is defined in
[5:39] exhibit A, schedule A, section I1, as
[5:43] quote, funding for law enforcement
[5:45] officers to curtail the sale,
[5:47] distribution, promotion, or use of
[5:50] opioids and other drugs to reduce the
[5:53] overuppit
[5:55] and illicit opioids," unquote. I
[5:58] understand that you believe that these
[6:00] flock ALPRs fall into this category.
[6:03] However, I will draw your attention back
[6:05] to section A1, which emphasizes quote
[6:08] evidencebased
[6:10] strategies.
[6:12] Since the commission is committed to
[6:14] informing the public with all the
[6:15] correct information and all the
[6:17] research, I request an explanation of
[6:20] how you see Flock Safety's ALPR system
[6:23] as an evidence-based strategy for the
[6:26] aforementioned causes of specifically
[6:29] combating substance use disorder and
[6:32] addiction. As has been brought to your
[6:34] attention before, Flock Safety has no
[6:37] peer-reviewed evidence that its
[6:39] technology reduces any type of crime.
[6:42] Arguing that the single study cited and
[6:45] funded by Flock Safety is evidence is a
[6:48] bad faith argument. Correlation does not
[6:51] equal causation. Just because ice cream
[6:53] sales and crime both go up in the summer
[6:56] does not mean that ice cream causes
[6:58] crime. But I don't know if the CEO of
[7:01] Flock Safety would understand that.
[7:03] After all, the statistics Flock cites in
[7:05] its so-called study correlate directly
[7:08] with national trends of decreasing crime
[7:11] regardless of flock safety's presence in
[7:13] an area. So, how was committing $180,000
[7:18] towards this unproven strategy a good
[7:21] use of our public money? cancel the
[7:25] contract with Flock Safety and reinvest
[7:27] these vitally needed opioid settlement
[7:30] funds into proven evidence-based
[7:33] strategies that already work and
[7:35] directly target substance use disorder
[7:38] and addiction. That is the explicit
[7:41] purpose of these funds and using them to
[7:44] fund widespread surveillance that
[7:46] affects everyone without prejudice is an
[7:49] abuse of that public money despite what
[7:52] you might feel personally. Happy
[7:54] recovery month. Thank you for your time
[7:56] and if you really want to go purple
[7:58] instead of just virtue signaling, this
[8:00] is what you need to do. Thank you.
[8:03] » Thank you very much. Thank you.
[8:05] » Is there someone else who would like to
[8:06] speak?
[8:09] Good morning.
[8:10] » Good morning, Logan Wheatcraft, 77
[8:12] Hidden Brook Circle. Uh, the last time I
[8:14] was here, I shared some crime statistics
[8:16] with you, proving that crime is on the
[8:18] decline locally as well as nationally. I
[8:21] asked you why anyone thought with these
[8:23] statistics in mind that contributing to
[8:25] a surveillance state by funding flock
[8:27] cameras was necessary or any any type of
[8:30] good idea. As is your custom, you opted
[8:33] not to respond during your comment
[8:34] period. Um, if you'd like to make a
[8:35] motion to suspend your rules and have a
[8:37] discussion about it with me right now,
[8:38] feel free. Um, otherwise, I look forward
[8:41] to some answers during your reports. I
[8:42] may have to leave, but I'll be watching
[8:44] on YouTube. Um, no motion. Okay. Um, in
[8:48] that case, I have some more numbers to
[8:49] share with you today. And believe it or
[8:51] not, they don't all have to do with
[8:52] flock cameras. First number is three.
[8:56] That's the number of commissioners who
[8:57] rightly stood together against the moral
[8:59] transmission line.
[9:01] The same three commissioners who voted
[9:03] to bring Flock to this county. Flock's
[9:06] AI features depend on data center
[9:07] expansion. The very infrastructure
[9:10] driving project demands like Marl. How
[9:12] do you reconcile that contradiction? The
[9:14] next number is six. On July 1st, 2026,
[9:18] Sheriff Forbes stood right here at this
[9:20] podium and claimed the cameras had only
[9:22] been quote in service for a couple of
[9:25] weeks. Yet, the county's own flock
[9:27] transparency portal boasts so-called
[9:29] success stories from April and May. That
[9:32] is a discrepancy of up to 6 weeks.
[9:35] Either those April success stories are a
[9:37] complete fabrication or these cameras
[9:39] were operational weeks before the public
[9:41] was told. So much for transparency.
[9:44] Another number for you, nine or 9
[9:46] million specifically. That's the number
[9:48] of dollars the WV Medicine gave to this
[9:50] commission a few weeks ago with no
[9:52] specific use designated.
[9:54] That should take care of the jail bill
[9:55] and quite a lot of the bonds deficit.
[9:58] Um, here's another number. I think the
[10:00] last number for today, 58. That's how
[10:03] many days my simple inquiry looking for
[10:06] information about the Freedom of
[10:07] Information Act procedure process for
[10:10] county records that I sent to the
[10:12] official county email address info@
[10:14] monongcount.gov
[10:16] has gone unanswered. Two months, not for
[10:19] the data, but for a simple procedural
[10:21] question. As a citizen and taxpayer, I
[10:23] expect my county government to be more
[10:25] responsive. If I didn't respond to my
[10:27] clients in two months, for two months, I
[10:30] wouldn't have a job. While I remain
[10:32] fully committed to removing flock and
[10:34] other ALPRs from Bon County, this cost
[10:36] has exposed a more general severe lack
[10:38] of local government accountability. I'm
[10:40] appalled by this commission's apparent
[10:41] disdain for residents, unwillingness to
[10:44] address constituent concerns, and the
[10:45] mistaken belief that holding elected
[10:47] office grants license to ignore the
[10:49] people. Doubling down, even as other
[10:52] jurisdictions remove ALPRs due to broken
[10:54] public trust, proves exactly why that
[10:56] trust is lacking. If you're confident in
[10:59] your stance, put the issue on the
[11:01] November ballot and let the public
[11:02] decide. The voting public, Mr. Bloom,
[11:04] not just a group of people on Facebook.
[11:07] My bet is that voters prioritize freedom
[11:09] and privacy over government
[11:10] surveillance. Finally, voters can and
[11:13] should hold this commission accountable
[11:15] by voting down any and all future levies
[11:18] until APRs are removed. I'll also be
[11:20] lobbying state representatives to urge
[11:22] sponsorship of recall legislation
[11:24] ensuring constituents do not have to
[11:25] wait six years to demand accountability.
[11:28] Thank you.
[11:29] » Thank you very much.
[11:30] » Thank you.
[11:30] » Is there someone else who would like to
[11:32] speak?
[11:36] » Good morning.
[11:36] » Morning.
[11:37] » Morning.
[11:37] » I'm uh Jonathan Lynch. I uh live at 1224
[11:41] Jersey Avenue. Lived in Morgantown all
[11:43] my life. Um I'm not a fan of public
[11:46] speaking and I know I've only got three
[11:48] minutes. I'm going to try and keep it
[11:49] brief. Uh so, uh first of all, I've been
[11:52] following the discourse about the flock
[11:54] stuff online. Um I've noticed a lot of
[11:56] push back uh as far as, you know, the
[11:59] public outcry and stuff. And I just want
[12:02] to say it's okay to change your mind in
[12:04] light of new evidence. It doesn't make
[12:05] you weak. Um, so anyway, uh, as far as
[12:10] Flock specifically, um, they are lying
[12:13] to y'all as far as, um, you know, what
[12:16] they're telling you, what what they're
[12:17] selling this thing as. Uh, they are
[12:19] claiming that it is, you know, you
[12:22] control the data, you decide how it gets
[12:24] shared, you decide how long it gets
[12:26] retained. Um,
[12:28] and that is all technically true, but if
[12:32] you look at the language of their
[12:33] contract, they distinguish between
[12:35] what's your data and what's their data.
[12:37] And so the way these things work is
[12:39] they're just picture takers. Uh, they
[12:41] take the pictures and they send it up to
[12:43] Flock HQ where Flock HQ does a bunch of
[12:46] analysis on it. Uh, and then the output
[12:49] of that analysis is Flock's data, not
[12:52] your data. So sure the raw pictures are
[12:55] only retained for seven weeks or or 30
[12:58] days, seven days, whatever it is, but
[13:00] the analysis of it, which is where all
[13:02] the value um is flock data. They own it.
[13:05] They don't have to delete it. They can
[13:07] share it with whoever they want. Um and
[13:09] they uh uh they can even sell it to
[13:13] third parties uh if they decide that
[13:15] they can make a buck that way. Um
[13:18] so this is coming out uh recently in
[13:20] Wisconsin last month. a city went to
[13:22] cancel their flock contract and uh uh
[13:25] flock sales rep said to them we are uh
[13:28] well wait what can we do to retain you
[13:31] um you know here how about we sell you 5
[13:33] years of your traffic data and they said
[13:35] 5 years I thought you only retain 30
[13:37] days uh well they retain the raw
[13:39] pictures 30 days they retain the
[13:41] analysis forever okay um and they claim
[13:45] that these are just LPRs LPRs have been
[13:47] around forever all right um
[13:52] they are just picture takers is the
[13:53] truth. The LPR thing is a is a PR move
[13:56] by Flock to justify what they're doing
[13:58] and to try and like shoehorn it in
[14:00] against existing precedent. Um they are
[14:03] picture takers. The analysis, yes, it
[14:05] can pick out your license plate from the
[14:07] photos. It can also pick out your
[14:09] license, your likeness, uh details about
[14:11] your vehicle, the color, the make, the
[14:13] model, whether it has a roof rack, uh
[14:15] who you're traveling with, where you
[14:17] tend to travel. Um and they can collate
[14:22] all this data into a database that's
[14:24] then searchable by anyone whether you
[14:26] share whether you share it or not
[14:27] because again you only decide whether
[14:29] you're sharing your data. You don't
[14:31] decide whether you're sharing flocks
[14:33] data. They have control over that. So
[14:35] sure the raw pictures aren't getting
[14:37] shared with other departments or
[14:38] government agencies or whatever but um
[14:42] the actual data is there. Uh, so
[14:44] basically, um, I don't know. I guess
[14:46] just, uh, try and follow the the new
[14:50] information that's coming to light on
[14:51] all this stuff and it's okay to change
[14:52] your mind.
[14:53] » That's all I got.
[14:54] » Thank you very much. Yeah.
[14:56] » Is there someone else who would like to
[14:58] speak?
[15:00] » Sure. Come on down.
[15:05] I am Briana Jackson. My zip code is
[15:08] 26501.
[15:09] here for a third week inconveniently on
[15:12] my lunch break and I uh find it really
[15:16] irritating that I can't get a simple yes
[15:17] or no answer from you guys as to if
[15:19] something is being done to schedule a
[15:21] meeting at a more convenient time. Still
[15:24] can't give me that answer right now.
[15:26] Just yes or no.
[15:29] Just ignoring it. All right. Well, I
[15:32] also want to point out that while most
[15:34] of the things or all of the things being
[15:36] brought up about the flock cameras and
[15:37] how um inaccurate they are and how they
[15:39] can be misused are all very valid, but
[15:42] they shouldn't need to even be brought
[15:44] up because the flock cameras shouldn't
[15:46] even be a thing in the first place
[15:47] because they were purchased with money
[15:50] that was from the opioid sentiment,
[15:52] which is supposed to be used to prevent
[15:55] other opioid misuse and the same problem
[15:58] from happening again. So, some money
[16:00] should be going towards
[16:02] therapy, counseling, recovery, or better
[16:06] yet, education or something for future
[16:08] generations to prevent the same epidemic
[16:10] from happening again. Cuz the only thing
[16:12] I can see that Flock would do is
[16:15] incriminate, incarcerate people. And I
[16:18] don't know if you guys know any addicts,
[16:20] but simply incarcerating them does not
[16:23] solve the problem. It just gets them
[16:25] stuck in the revolving door of the
[16:27] criminal justice system and they
[16:30] sometimes end up worse than what they
[16:32] were before. So
[16:34] that's all.
[16:35] » Thank you.
[16:36] » Thank you very much.
[16:37] » Is there someone else who'd like to
[16:39] speak?
[16:43] » Good morning.
[16:44] » Morning.
[16:44] » Morning.
[16:45] » Uh Nicholas Turner, Morgantown, West
[16:47] Virginia.
[16:52] As the sun rose over Lake Michigan on
[16:54] May 5th in 1886, Chicagoans beheld one
[16:57] of the brightest memories mornings in
[16:59] memory. And early light of day,
[17:02] merchants, managers, brokers boarded
[17:04] horserawn state cars on the southside
[17:06] and headed north on Michigan Avenue
[17:08] towards the business district. Along the
[17:11] way, they encountered a few headed rich
[17:13] men like the great manufacturer George
[17:15] Mortimer Pullman being driven uptown in
[17:17] fancy carriages from their mansions in
[17:19] Prairie Avenue. Moring the commuter's
[17:21] eastward view of the Lake Michigan's
[17:23] Azer blue reaches. Black freight trains
[17:25] rolled along the shoreline laden with
[17:28] bailed cotton from Mississippi River
[17:29] Delta. Cut lumber from the piny roads of
[17:32] Texas and soft coal from the mines of
[17:34] southern Illinois. All crucial
[17:36] ingredients in the city's explosive
[17:38] industrial growth during the 1880s.
[17:40] Indeed, the businessmen who went to work
[17:42] in Chicago's financial district that
[17:44] spring day in 1886 were in the midst of
[17:47] a golden decade of profit when the net
[17:50] value of goods produced in the city's
[17:51] leading industries multiplied 27 times,
[17:54] 10 times faster than the average yearly
[17:56] wage. But that first Wednesday in May,
[17:59] when commuters grazed west over the
[18:01] wildest industrial landscape in the
[18:03] world, they saw something unusual. A
[18:05] clear sky above the prairie horizon.
[18:07] Gone was the cloud of thick smoke that
[18:09] always hung over the city. The only
[18:12] signals of industrial activity came from
[18:14] the tall chimneys of the huge McCormick
[18:16] Reaper Works 2 miles away where strike
[18:18] breakers guarded by Chicago police kept
[18:20] the factory in operation. Scores of the
[18:23] plants and shops remained shut down on
[18:25] the fifth day of a mammoth general
[18:26] strike for an 8-hour day that had begun
[18:28] on May 1st. As the blackcoated
[18:31] businessmen entered the downtown area,
[18:33] they could see knots of pickets around
[18:34] the soot blackened warehouses that
[18:36] stretched along State Street all the way
[18:39] up to Dearborn Station.
[18:41] Striking freight handlers in the stretch
[18:43] flow of the interstate commerce through
[18:44] Chicago's immense grid of iron rails. In
[18:47] solidarity, Switchmen had refused to
[18:48] switch trains and one central railard,
[18:51] crippling the mighty Chicago,
[18:53] Burlington, and Quincy railroad. The
[18:55] largest the city's largest freight
[18:57] handler. Trains still chugged into the
[19:00] city that day, but when the locomotives
[19:02] reached the depot, lay settle struck by
[19:04] the tracks with unloaded cargos. Looking
[19:07] back into the rising sun, the business
[19:09] would have seen hundreds of boats riding
[19:11] at anchor to the outer harbor. The
[19:13] captains of the side wheeled steamers
[19:15] had banked their boilers and sailors on
[19:17] lake Sooners had struck their sails
[19:19] under orders from the armed vessel
[19:21] owners. A vast quantity of wheat and cut
[19:23] lumber awaited shipment, and they were
[19:26] lucrative tons of iron ore and anthraite
[19:28] coal to be unloaded, but the spring
[19:30] shipping season had been ruined by the
[19:32] storm of strikes that had swept over the
[19:34] city. Vessel owners feared for the
[19:37] safety of their ships if they venture
[19:39] down the south branch of the Chicago
[19:41] River to unload.
[19:41] » Excuse me. Could you kind of We've given
[19:44] you two extra minutes. Could you kind of
[19:46] » Well, well, you know, I come here every
[19:48] Wednesday on my day off and you waste my
[19:49] time, so I'm going to continue to waste
[19:51] yours.
[19:51] » No, excuse me, but you do have the time.
[19:54] » Could you finish, please?
[19:55] » I'm on page four and tomorrow I'll be on
[19:57] page five.
[19:58] » Thank you very much.
[19:59] » Thank you.
[20:02] » Is there anyone else?
[20:05] Good morning.
[20:06] » Um, my name is Harrison York. I live in
[20:09] Montangelia County. Um, I intended to
[20:12] speak at the last commission meeting,
[20:13] but I was unable to due to work
[20:15] constraints.
[20:17] At the end of the commission meeting two
[20:19] weeks ago, Commissioner Arnette spent
[20:21] about 30 seconds describing how y'all
[20:24] have somehow regulated surveillance
[20:26] camera technology into not being
[20:28] surveillance camera technology. He then
[20:31] proceeded to spend several minutes
[20:32] fawning over Commissioner Bloom while
[20:34] using the bully pulpit afforded to him
[20:37] by his constituents to criticize and
[20:39] attack one of these very constituents
[20:41] for simply voicing her descent on an
[20:43] issue. Now, this act is both offensive
[20:47] and abhorentt on many levels. And it is
[20:50] so even if this defamatory claim weren't
[20:53] a blatant attempt to silence public
[20:55] disscent. Even if this weren't the third
[20:57] time this commission has publicly called
[20:59] out female constituents who have voiced
[21:01] their descent for flaw cameras. Even if
[21:04] he had spent more than 30 seconds
[21:06] responding to the 10 members of the
[21:08] public who are actually present for and
[21:10] voiced their concerns at this meeting
[21:13] instead of a woman who hasn't been to
[21:15] any of these meetings. she still
[21:17] wouldn't have deserved to have
[21:18] defamatory smears levied against her for
[21:20] simply disagreeing with a political
[21:23] choice made by this commission.
[21:25] Furthermore, the notion which this
[21:27] criticism is predicated on, the idea
[21:30] that it's somehow inappropriate or
[21:33] offensive to compare members of this
[21:35] commission to the Nazis makes no sense.
[21:39] How is that not a valid comparison? You
[21:42] are forcing members of this community to
[21:44] live with a technology that is actively
[21:47] being used to put people in
[21:49] concentration camps. A technology that
[21:52] is being used to punish women who cross
[21:55] state lines for abortion services. A
[21:57] technology that has already on countless
[22:00] occasions allowed its users to track and
[22:03] stalk innocent people who are not
[22:05] suspected of any crimes. You are
[22:07] fighting with all of your might to
[22:09] inflict mass drag net surveillance on
[22:12] this county. Now, is it inflammatory to
[22:15] call y'all Nazis? Absolutely. But I
[22:18] would argue that the implementation of a
[22:21] technology that the Nazis would have
[22:23] loved is actually more inflammatory. If
[22:26] the commission wishes to avoid these
[22:28] comparisons in the future, I'd advise
[22:30] they avoid advocating for any other
[22:33] technologies that would have allowed
[22:35] Hitler to supercharge the Holocaust. You
[22:38] could end all this public eyeire today
[22:41] if you're willing to respect the will of
[22:43] the people and cancel the flock
[22:45] contract. However, I know the will of
[22:48] the people holds no bearing on this
[22:50] body's decision-making process. So
[22:52] instead, I'll ask each of you fascist
[22:55] tyrants sitting on this commission to
[22:57] try to muster up even an ounce of human
[22:59] decency and resign in disgrace.
[23:03] » Thank you very much.
[23:04] » Thank you.
[23:06] » Is there anyone else who would like to
[23:07] speak?
[23:09] » Can't see.
[23:11] » I will. No one else.
[23:12] » Sure.
[23:13] » Done. Commissioners,
[23:14] » Thank you.
[23:14] » Good morning.
[23:15] » Uh Brentfield, 112 Mayfield Road. Uh you
[23:18] may know the field name, Fields Park
[23:20] Road. Fields Park up near the Botanic
[23:22] Garden. That's we're we're six
[23:23] generations in now in Montg County.
[23:26] » Uh is a short autobiography.
[23:29] Um
[23:30] » Fairmont State Criminal Justice
[23:32] Bachelors. Uh Mecca 911, San Juan County
[23:37] Communications Authority in New Mexico
[23:39] to build a 911 center. Um
[23:43] the Salem Police Department for seven
[23:45] years as a 911 operator. And I'm here to
[23:50] kind of humanize I I was watching I was
[23:54] watching a body cam video the other day
[23:57] and this gentleman was saying that these
[24:00] police officers had no jurisdiction
[24:02] because they were not voted in by the
[24:03] people. And so the the officer was very
[24:06] kind to explain that the people elected
[24:09] the mayor, the mayor selected the police
[24:11] chief, the police chief selected the
[24:13] officers.
[24:14] And what was inherent? What is inherent
[24:17] in all of the contracts that we have is
[24:19] trust. There has to be a degree of
[24:22] trust. And starting in 1992 at Mecca
[24:25] 911, when a cop would find a new license
[24:31] plate in his old girlfriend's driveway,
[24:33] he would call us and asks to run the
[24:35] plate. And it was up to us to say, "No,
[24:38] that's not an appropriate use of this
[24:40] technology." And so, yeah, now we have
[24:43] flock liprs. I am not a fan of flock
[24:46] laprs mainly because of the flock stuff.
[24:49] We are seeing evidence of misuse. I was
[24:53] actually speaking with the sheriff this
[24:54] morning. The sheriff and I started when
[24:57] there was a jail behind here. I was in
[24:59] the control room opening the doors and
[25:01] closing the doors when he was a
[25:02] correctional officer. Joe Bartolo, I
[25:04] think, hired us both. And uh
[25:08] and I know him. Uh, Commissioner Bloom
[25:12] and I have worked together at Pantry
[25:13] Plus. Uh, Commissioner Arnette, I went
[25:16] to school with his sister. I haven't
[25:18] seen you since your father's funeral,
[25:19] and I apologize, the gentleman. I loved
[25:22] it. Anyway, um, so on the ground, the
[25:26] first thing a 911 operator is taught is
[25:28] resources. Know your resources. Know how
[25:30] to access your resources.
[25:33] Flock ALPR is nothing more to us than
[25:36] the same license plate computer that has
[25:38] been there. Yes, there are databases.
[25:41] They do no good without the portals. The
[25:42] portals that connect them to the other
[25:44] networks. And what goes beyond the
[25:47] ground level is up to lawyers
[25:51] and it is up to the courts themselves to
[25:54] determine the usage and uh and I believe
[25:57] that will shake out. Uh what I do
[26:00] believe is missing largely in government
[26:03] today and not without a basis in fact is
[26:07] a lack of trust in our institutions and
[26:11] I'm from Montg County. You know like I
[26:14] said six generations deep and I worked
[26:17] with Todd Forbes. Todd Forbes trust me
[26:19] with his life and I would trust him with
[26:21] mine. I do not believe that man would
[26:24] ever do anything that would not help the
[26:27] people of Montgay County. Uh I also
[26:30] believe that if Commissioner Bloom, in
[26:31] fact, all three of the commissioners,
[26:33] and I appreciate your service because
[26:35] it's a service. You guys don't have to
[26:36] be here. Someone else could be beaten up
[26:38] on you. And as a matter of fact, the the
[26:40] young lady from CBS just to answer hers,
[26:43] this is just they're just listening to
[26:45] us. They're not going to do much action.
[26:48] They're just listening to us. So there
[26:51] is a whole other process to change the
[26:54] meetings. There's a whole big long
[26:56] backstory for that about an agrarian
[26:57] economy if you could. Yeah, please. Uh
[27:00] an agrarian economy and the time was set
[27:02] when farmers had to come in and so on.
[27:04] It's a long story as all stories in
[27:06] Montgomery County are.
[27:08] » So that's it. Uh as a 911 operator,
[27:11] nobody would use that flock stuff if it
[27:13] wasn't a good reason. And that's it.
[27:17] » Thank you for your time.
[27:18] » Thank you very much. Is there anyone
[27:20] else who wants to speak?
[27:23] Seeing none, we will close the uh
[27:27] comments from the public and we will
[27:28] move now to presentation from visit
[27:31] mountaineer country CVD.
[27:33] Good morning.
[27:39] » Good morning.
[27:40] » Good morning.
[27:40] » Thank you all for having us here today.
[27:42] Um, for those of you who don't know us,
[27:44] I'm Hannah Wat and Joe Vaseia is with me
[27:46] and we are with Visit Mountaineer
[27:48] Country Convention of Visitors Bureau.
[27:49] Visit Mounter Country is the destination
[27:51] marketing and management organization
[27:53] for Monangelia, Preston and Taylor
[27:55] counties as well as Beington and Barber
[27:56] County. And essentially what that means
[27:58] is we're tasked with strategically
[28:00] investing lodging tax dollars um, and
[28:02] being good stewards of those dollars to
[28:03] recruit and attract visitors to the area
[28:05] for them to spend their time and their
[28:06] dollars here. So, we like to get out at
[28:08] least two times a year, give a general
[28:09] update of what's coming up, what's been
[28:11] going on. Um Joe's going to give an
[28:13] update on the tourism advancement fund
[28:15] and we'll be happy to answer any
[28:16] questions, but I'll try to keep it
[28:17] quick. Um you should have received a
[28:20] couple weeks ago a letter and a survey
[28:22] from the CVB. If you didn't, let me
[28:24] know. We have extra copies with us. Um
[28:26] essentially, as you know, we're in a
[28:28] time of transition right now with our
[28:29] former CEO, Susan Riddle, after 10 years
[28:31] um moving on to a new opportunity. But
[28:34] the team at the CBB has really taken
[28:35] this time, this transition time to
[28:37] reconnect with our municipalities, with
[28:39] our county partners, with our tourism
[28:40] partners. Um, that's one of the reasons
[28:42] we sent out the survey. We want to
[28:43] really collect data that allows us to
[28:45] make sure we're connecting the dots
[28:47] appropriately, make sure we're filling
[28:48] the needs of the community appropri
[28:49] appropriately. Um, and you guys know how
[28:52] that works. So, please take the survey
[28:54] um when you get a moment. Um,
[28:56] additionally, we also have tourism
[28:58] tokens for all of you. And for lack of
[29:00] better terms, they're a token of our
[29:01] appreciation for your continued
[29:02] investment and support in the tourism
[29:04] industry and helping us to drive tourism
[29:06] to the area. Um, they're also a small
[29:08] reminder to keep with you to keep
[29:09] tourism top of mind and remember that
[29:11] Visit Matter Country is here as a
[29:13] resource. Whether you're, you know,
[29:14] working with a group, someone mentions a
[29:16] group, Tom, we've talked about this
[29:18] before. Um, just tap into us. We have
[29:20] hospitality services, we have sales
[29:22] services, you guys know all of this,
[29:24] marketing services, of course,
[29:25] development services. Um, so just keep
[29:27] these coins and Joe will pass them out.
[29:29] Um, and just think of us, keep tourism
[29:31] top of mind. And it's a challenge to go
[29:32] throughout your days um, through the
[29:34] eyes of a visitor. Um and so thank you
[29:36] for all that you do. Um some quick CBB
[29:39] updates and initiatives. We have a lot
[29:41] of things in the works, but just to keep
[29:42] it brief, we are undergoing a redesign
[29:44] of our visitors guide, which will be
[29:46] launched in the spring. Um also in the
[29:48] spring, we've picked a date for our um
[29:51] annual tourism summit. This will be our
[29:52] fifth annual tourism summit at the
[29:54] Ericson Alumni Center. Um and that will
[29:56] be on April 27th. So we hope that um one
[29:59] or a couple of you, I know not all of
[30:01] you, um will attend. And then also we
[30:04] have our Mountaineer Monster event
[30:05] coming up, our second annual Mountaineer
[30:07] Monster bike packing event. And of
[30:09] course that takes place at Chestnut
[30:10] Ridge Park and Campground. Um I think
[30:12] registration is up compared to to last
[30:15] year and last year still was uh better
[30:17] than we expected. So we should have
[30:18] close to what 100 probably
[30:21] » 120
[30:22] » Um bikers in the area all around our
[30:24] region. Great. Um, we're also preparing
[30:26] to launch a marketing miniigrant program
[30:28] to help with those smaller community
[30:30] events to um, they'll be specifically
[30:32] for social media marketing to help boost
[30:34] um, and attract visitors to their
[30:35] events. So, that's something that we
[30:36] have on the horizon. Um and then with
[30:38] the school year starting, we do have our
[30:40] leave no trace program gearing up again,
[30:42] which as a reminder, um Stella from our
[30:44] team goes around and she will educate
[30:46] all of area fifth grade students on um
[30:48] she'll introduce them to careers in
[30:49] tourism and educate them on leave no
[30:51] trace principles and how to be a ste a
[30:52] good steward in the outdoors. Um and
[30:55] with that, I'll turn it over to Joe to
[30:56] do a tourism advancement fund update.
[30:58] » Thank you, Tim.
[31:00] » Thank you.
[31:01] » Good morning, commissioners.
[31:02] » Hey Joe. Um, first just let me say
[31:06] thanks for thanks for the tourism
[31:08] advancement fund. I mean I I can't say
[31:10] enough good things about it. It brings
[31:13] all kinds of different groups to the
[31:15] area and uh with this fund it it it
[31:17] helps us um bring those groups and and
[31:20] and make them make them happy, you know.
[31:23] So over the last year and a half, um the
[31:25] Mon County Tours Fund has invested
[31:28] almost $248,000 in events that have
[31:32] generated almost 22,000
[31:35] um room nights.
[31:37] » You know, that's Yeah, that's big
[31:39] number. So, you know, conservatively at
[31:42] an average rate of $129 a night, you
[31:45] know, that's almost $2.8 million that
[31:47] the funds generated for for the county.
[31:50] Um that's just in the last year and a
[31:52] half and the fund's been going on for
[31:54] almost 5 years now. So, you know,
[31:56] extrapolate that out. It's it's amazing,
[31:59] you know, um that's an estimated, you
[32:01] know, just over the year year and a
[32:03] half, a 12 to1 return on on your
[32:05] investment. Um and this is just only
[32:08] hotel rooms. That doesn't include the
[32:11] gas, the the the food, the shopping,
[32:14] everything else that these people do
[32:15] while they're while they're here. So,
[32:17] um, thank you so much for for continuing
[32:21] to invest in the fund and, um, we're
[32:23] putting your dollars to good use. Um,
[32:26] any questions about the fund?
[32:28] » No, I'm glad to see that number going
[32:30] up. Last year was about 8 to1 and you're
[32:32] saying it's about 12 to1. So,
[32:34] » That's um, what it was intended for.
[32:37] » Yeah, I mean I think you know in the
[32:40] last year and a half it's been that was
[32:41] that's 22 events I was referring to. Um,
[32:45] you know, 24, two are still pending. Um,
[32:48] the fund has helped secure uh an uh
[32:50] mountaine conference swimming and diving
[32:53] for the next three years. Um, which, you
[32:55] know, brings 400 athletes and, you know,
[32:58] almost 12 to,500
[33:00] followers with them for a 5-day period.
[33:03] » Um, you know, it brought uh
[33:07] the Mountain East um track and field,
[33:11] » Right? Um and you know in 2027 um a
[33:15] Visla National Dog Show which you know
[33:18] has never really been on the East Coast.
[33:19] So um it's bringing a lot of large
[33:22] events uh USA diving which we just had.
[33:25] So um doing amazing things with that
[33:27] with those dollars. So thank you.
[33:29] » Great.
[33:30] » No thanks.
[33:31] » Thank you.
[33:31] » Well it's real easy. I mean we can give
[33:33] you the funds but it's up to you all to
[33:36] make it work. So again it's a nice
[33:39] working relationship. So, we appreciate
[33:40] that.
[33:41] » Yeah, definitely. Thank you so much.
[33:42] » And and for the public's knowledge,
[33:44] these aren't um these are funds that are
[33:47] generated by the hotel motel tax.
[33:50] » Yes.
[33:50] » Um so, these are additional uh it's our
[33:53] policy to to provide 50% of those funds
[33:56] to you directly to operate the CBB and
[33:59] then everything the additional funds are
[34:01] coming from that same fund. So, they're
[34:04] coming from people that come to our
[34:05] community from these events and and
[34:08] generate those tax dollars. So, those
[34:10] aren't those aren't property taxes that
[34:12] are being uh uh allocated. Those are
[34:15] taxes that are uh levied against people
[34:17] coming visiting in our county and then
[34:20] poured back into furthering some of
[34:22] those events.
[34:23] » Y
[34:23] » Great reinvestment great reinvestment of
[34:26] those tourism dollars.
[34:27] » Yeah.
[34:27] » And I should clarify the marketing mini
[34:29] grants for the events are CVB budget um
[34:32] item and not dollars from the Monagali
[34:34] County tours fund.
[34:37] » Great.
[34:37] » Thank you very much. Thank you for the
[34:39] update.
[34:44] » Thanks, buddy. Appreciate it.
[34:47] » Thank you.
[34:48] » Thank you for Oh, that's nice.
[34:50] » It's good to see you, buddy.
[34:52] » We'll talk soon.
[34:56] Okay.
[34:58] Okay. Number seven, grants. Do we have
[35:01] any grants today?
[35:04] » Good morning.
[35:05] » Good morning. Um so yesterday we
[35:08] received the grant contract for the
[35:09] community corrections grant. If you
[35:11] remember a few weeks ago we did um the
[35:14] resolution. Um so that award was for
[35:16] $198,95.
[35:19] So I had the grant contract agreement
[35:21] for you. Um standard conditions and
[35:23] asurances equal employment opportunity
[35:26] plan and disclosure of lobbying
[35:28] activities that you need to sign.
[35:30] » Okay. I move to uh approve the president
[35:32] signing those documents on behalf of the
[35:34] commission. Second properly moved and
[35:37] second. All those in favor say I.
[35:39] » I.
[35:39] » I.
[35:39] » Thank you.
[35:41] » Do we have any correspondence?
[35:44] » Do you?
[35:45] » No.
[35:46] » No sir.
[35:46] » A quiet bunch. Okay. No. Unfinished
[35:49] business. Going to new business.
[35:52] Consideration of a letter of support for
[35:53] the Milin Park Foundation's application
[35:55] to the 2026 abandoned mine land economic
[35:59] revitalization Amler program.
[36:04] Uh description is self
[36:08] self-explanatory. I move to approve the
[36:10] letter of support as provided.
[36:12] » Second prop move and second. All those
[36:14] in favor say I.
[36:15] » Consideration approve requisition number
[36:17] 45 for the series 2021B
[36:21] Harmony Grove phase 1 project fund.
[36:27] » Yes sir. is for 473,86425.
[36:38] » Um, Adrian Enterprises and Anderson
[36:41] Excavating.
[36:42] » Okay. I move to approve the uh
[36:45] requisition number 45 for the series
[36:47] 2021B, Harmony Grove phase 1 project
[36:51] fund as presented. Second motion.
[36:53] » Prophet move a second. All those in
[36:54] favor say I.
[36:56] » I. Do you have any more new business
[36:57] that have come up?
[36:58] » Neither. Okay. Reports from elected
[37:01] officials. Oh,
[37:02] » Please come on down.
[37:06] » Good morning.
[37:06] » Good morning.
[37:07] » Morning.
[37:08] » Patty Lewis County. Um I do have a
[37:11] little update on um our situation on
[37:14] EMTT Drive. We continue to work um with
[37:17] the D. The last meeting that we had with
[37:20] them, they encouraged us to uh explore
[37:25] a temporary
[37:27] um fix basically uh for that slide on on
[37:31] Emma Drive because the project that the
[37:34] D is going to be involved in is going to
[37:37] be um quite a large project um you know
[37:40] maybe two a two-year project. So last
[37:44] week our
[37:46] um engineering firm um and they called
[37:52] GSI uh they're geo technical
[37:55] stabilization international I think um
[37:58] is the company. They walk that hill
[38:00] again. There continues to be rocks um
[38:04] falling from that site. But there's a
[38:07] bench um they refer to it as a bench
[38:10] that has caught several u more rocks,
[38:14] some as large as like 4t by 4t. So
[38:17] they're not it's not small. But the big
[38:20] concern right now is there's a large
[38:22] rock that is broken loose uh that
[38:24] they're estimating is 20 ft long, 7 ft
[38:27] deep, and 6t thick. So gsi has suggested
[38:32] that they go up and scale um that area.
[38:36] They're going to try to break that rock
[38:39] » Um loose and remove it. And if they
[38:43] cannot do that, then they're going to
[38:45] try to pin it.
[38:47] After that is done, then we need to
[38:50] place some kind of barrier down along
[38:53] Emma Drive. So, we are working uh toward
[38:56] a temporary solution to get at least one
[38:58] lane of EMTT Drive open. And until they
[39:02] go um they should be uh going back up to
[39:06] to do that work within 3 weeks.
[39:09] » And so after that, then we'll look at
[39:12] the barrier, what we need to do. But
[39:14] » So if you opened up a temporary lane,
[39:16] that would be going down the hill,
[39:18] getting out of there, which makes most
[39:20] sense.
[39:21] » Yes. Obviously,
[39:22] » Or at least that's what we're looking at
[39:23] now. Yes.
[39:24] » The other question and I didn't want
[39:26] I've been asked to submit to DO, but I
[39:29] want I'm glad you're here. As you come
[39:31] down the three lanes of the University
[39:32] Town Center, you know how two go to the
[39:34] left, one go to the right, the
[39:36] suggestion has been made, what is the
[39:38] possibility of considering two lanes
[39:41] going to the right and the left. And I'd
[39:43] like to throw that out to you because I
[39:44] did not want to submit that without you
[39:47] all reviewing it. And in one of the meet
[39:49] of course we don't control those lights
[39:51] » Right.
[39:52] » Okay. So in one of the previous meetings
[39:56] that we had with uh DP and we we
[39:59] actually had a representative from
[40:01] Raleigh Moore's office there as well. Um
[40:05] DO is getting ready to start that work
[40:08] on the 155.
[40:11] It is my understanding that they would
[40:13] have to approve a traffic study before
[40:16] they change those lights. We wouldn't
[40:19] have a problem with restriping Town
[40:22] Center, but if it's going to affect
[40:23] those lights.
[40:24] » Okay. I did not realize that.
[40:25] » Yeah.
[40:26] » Okay. That
[40:27] » I don't know that DO would do that, but
[40:30] if we can get some sort of remedy in the
[40:33] next six weeks, okay,
[40:34] » To at least open that one lane, I mean,
[40:36] that'll be helpful.
[40:38] » Okay.
[40:39] » Thank you. Thank you, mayor. Thank you,
[40:41] mayor.
[40:42] » Do anyone else elected officials?
[40:48] » Two times twice. I know. Make it all in
[40:50] one shot. Um, just as a reminder to our
[40:54] taxpayers, coming up October 1st is for
[40:57] our personal property assessment returns
[40:59] for our timeline to be turned in. So, I
[41:00] want to remind them about that. And if
[41:02] they haven't received anything for
[41:03] whatever reason, please contact the
[41:06] office. those ladies up front will help
[41:07] them tremendously to kind of get that
[41:09] process going for them. But just wanted
[41:11] to get that out there to everyone. As a
[41:13] reminder, October 1st is just right
[41:14] around the corner.
[41:15] » Great. I can attest to that. I called
[41:18] your deputy last week and um he helped
[41:21] me with with mine. So
[41:24] » Yeah, we're starting to get a lot more.
[41:26] Yeah, starting to get a lot more calls
[41:27] now, but just wanted to throw that out
[41:28] to the folks as a reminder.
[41:30] » Okay.
[41:31] » Okay.
[41:31] » Thank you. Thanks, Mark.
[41:33] » Thank you. Okay,
[41:35] Sean, County Commission.
[41:37] » Uh, since our last meeting, uh, last
[41:39] Wednesday, I had a call regarding the
[41:41] East End development agreement. Um, and
[41:44] then on Thursday, we had another call.
[41:46] Um, so we're we're we're
[41:49] um there's progress. Uh, we're getting
[41:52] close. Um, but, uh, hopefully we'll know
[41:55] some we'll we'll know a lot more um
[41:59] later towards the end of the month. Um
[42:03] uh on Thursday I attended an event
[42:06] Commissioner Bloom also attended uh the
[42:09] it was an economic development project.
[42:11] Uh they had a open house at the alumni
[42:14] center to discuss this uh opportunity in
[42:18] our uh to bring a um a manufacturing
[42:23] facility to the um industrial park that
[42:28] would um uh
[42:31] it fills a niche to in the carbon market
[42:34] in this country and there a lot more uh
[42:38] to talk about in the future but it's uh
[42:40] I think Commissioner Bloom would would
[42:42] share would also agree that it's a
[42:44] pretty um pretty um
[42:49] interesting project that uh checks all
[42:52] the boxes financial economic uh or
[42:55] financial uh environmental um and um it
[42:59] uses a lot of our abundant natural
[43:02] resource coal. Um Friday had a
[43:05] development or I'm sorry the health
[43:07] department building tag up uh Tuesday.
[43:10] Yesterday I had a weekly uh remodel tag
[43:13] up. Today's a regular meeting, no work
[43:16] sessions. Tomorrow I have red team and
[43:18] development authority and um possibly
[43:21] one other meeting uh later in the day.
[43:23] I'm still trying to confirm. Uh Friday
[43:26] we have staff reports. Uh I have map
[43:28] executive committee meeting and then I
[43:30] have a discussion with uh Harmony Grove
[43:33] developers in the state regarding an
[43:36] additional uh economic uh development
[43:39] project. So, um, all things full boore.
[43:43] Uh, Monday I have County Commissioner
[43:45] Association West Virginia fall board
[43:47] meeting in Braxton County. I'll just be
[43:49] driving down that morning for the
[43:51] meeting and then back. Um, and then
[43:54] Tuesday I have a month monthly breakfast
[43:56] in uh, Juma Bimonthly meeting and uh,
[43:59] another one of the regular uh, remodel
[44:02] uh, check-in meetings. Uh I think the
[44:05] most important thing this week is uh
[44:07] Friday's uh 25th
[44:10] um recognition of the September 11th,
[44:14] 2001 attacks. And I
[44:18] wanted to uh just read a post that I did
[44:20] in 2000 that I did in uh four years ago
[44:24] uh when I actually after I had visited
[44:27] the uh 911 memorial in um New York. uh
[44:32] and it was in regards to a a person I
[44:35] called a friend that lost his life in
[44:36] that attack. Uh I think it's uh
[44:39] important that in these toxic times that
[44:42] we kind of take a step back and think
[44:45] about um things like 9/11 and uh how
[44:51] we're all really on the same team. Uh we
[44:53] may have different ideas. uh we don't
[44:56] always do a good job of uh expressing
[44:58] those ideas to each other, but we we are
[45:00] all on the same team. So, I'm going to
[45:02] go ahead and read this post. As we mark
[45:04] the 25th anniversary of the September
[45:06] 11, 2001 attacks on our country, I hope
[45:09] we all take a moment to remember that
[45:10] nearly 3,000 lives that were lost that
[45:13] day, the loved ones they left behind,
[45:15] and the countless lives forever changed.
[45:18] A few years ago, while in New York, my
[45:20] family visited the 911 Memorial and
[45:22] Museum for the first time. As I walk
[45:24] through the memorial, I find myself
[45:26] telling Jackie and the girls about the
[45:27] former Mountaineer quarterback Chris
[45:29] Gray, who lost his life in the attack. I
[45:32] got to know Chris pretty well during
[45:33] this time in Morgantown, mainly through
[45:35] softball. He played in another league,
[45:37] but our paths never So, our paths never
[45:39] actually crossed on the field, but Chris
[45:41] played with a lot of my close friends,
[45:43] Jeff Barryman, Mark Weise, Glen McNe,
[45:45] Greg Hunter to name a few. Chris was
[45:48] always the life of the party, and I
[45:50] honestly can't remember him without a
[45:52] smile on his face. The last time I saw
[45:54] him, we were golfing together with Glen
[45:56] Glen McNe, that's Glen Mcmoo Jr. and my
[45:58] brother Kevin. Uh, what I remember most
[46:01] isn't the golf, it's the laughter.
[46:03] Somehow with Chris around, the golf
[46:04] became an afterthought. Chris was famous
[46:07] for being able to make fun of himself.
[46:09] Even with what might have been the
[46:11] biggest disappointment of his football
[46:13] career, the infamous fumble on the goal
[46:15] line against Virginia Tech his senior
[46:17] season became the subject of some of
[46:19] Chris's funniest stories. That was
[46:22] Chris. He had a way of dealing with
[46:24] adversity by making people around him
[46:26] laugh. On that beautiful sunny Tuesday
[46:28] morning of September 11, 2001, Chris
[46:31] went to work at one World Trade Center
[46:33] in the North Tower and just like that,
[46:36] he was gone. Seeing Chris's name
[46:38] inscribed on the North Pole at the 911
[46:41] memorial and seeing his photograph
[46:43] inside the museum was incredibly
[46:45] emotional. But as sad as that moment
[46:47] was, I found myself uh smiling as I
[46:50] remember the joy Chris brought to so
[46:52] many people. 25 years later, that may be
[46:55] one of the most fitting ways to remember
[46:57] him. Chris caught those Chris taught
[47:00] those who knew him something about
[47:02] facing adversity. Find a way to smile,
[47:05] find a way to laugh, and find a way to
[47:07] bring joy to the people around you.
[47:08] Somehow, even after all these years,
[47:11] remembering Chris still does exactly
[47:13] that. Today, we remember Chris. We
[47:15] remember all the 2,977
[47:18] innocent people who were killed on
[47:19] September 11th, 2001. We remember the
[47:22] first responders who ran toward danger
[47:24] and everyone else with while everyone
[47:26] else was running away. And remember the
[47:28] families who have carried that loss for
[47:29] 25 years. May God bless Chris Gray, his
[47:33] family, and every family forever changed
[47:35] by September 11.
[47:37] » Mountaire Nation will never forget you,
[47:38] Chris. And America will never forget
[47:41] September 11th, 2001.
[47:43] That's all I have. Thanks.
[47:46] Uh, a few things. I had a meeting last
[47:50] Friday with the public defenders office
[47:52] to go over their uh, suggestions and
[47:54] ideas on how to curb the uh, jail bill.
[47:56] It's pretty productive conversation with
[47:58] some with some good new ideas that uh, I
[48:00] hope to bring for forward to the uh, to
[48:04] the prosecutor and to the magistrates
[48:05] and maybe we can work on a few of those
[48:06] items. Um, had an MRTC board meeting
[48:09] that's the Mon River Trails Conservancy.
[48:11] Um they got the uh for the first time I
[48:14] think since co the uh water fountains
[48:17] back up and running which has been a
[48:19] large a constant request. Um appreciate
[48:22] the CBB coming in um the great things
[48:25] that are happening over there that's
[48:26] started uh really in earnest with this
[48:29] program when I was when I was brought on
[48:31] commission and uh appreciate enjoy
[48:33] seeing it grow and all the uh all the
[48:35] response we get. You can't go anywhere
[48:37] without seeing a a van or a bus of some
[48:39] team or some, you know, activity coming
[48:42] in town. Um, just a small representation
[48:44] of what's coming in every week. And last
[48:46] week had lunch with the assessor to go
[48:48] over some uh procedural possible
[48:50] procedural changes in his office and
[48:52] just kind of spitballing some ideas back
[48:54] and forth. I always appreciate the back
[48:55] and forth with that and the work that
[48:57] they do upstairs. That's all I've got.
[49:00] » Okay. Um, I continue to talk and
[49:03] communicate with the top 12 populace
[49:05] counties and we will be reconvening on
[49:08] 9:23
[49:10] at 2:00 to continue that meeting. Um, I
[49:13] would also hope that the public would
[49:14] look carefully at the EMS levy levy to
[49:18] make an educated decision on this
[49:20] important issue. And finally, as Sean
[49:23] mentioned, there is a program at the
[49:26] Morgantown Armory this Friday, Never
[49:28] Forget, honoring the local first
[49:31] responders and veterans. Um, Friday, uh,
[49:34] September 11th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00
[49:37] p.m. featuring over 85 organizations,
[49:40] and I hope the public will show up at
[49:42] the Morgantown Army for that. With that,
[49:44] do I have a motion to adjurnn? So move.
[49:46] Second.
[49:49] » Thank you.