Wood County Commission, Vienna Mayor Randy Rapp discuss condition of street
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PARKERSBURG -- Officials discussed what could be done to address a road the Wood County Commission and the City of Vienna have received complaints about.
Vienna Mayor Randy Rapp appeared before the Wood County Commission Thursday morning to discuss the condition of the road along 40th Street just outside the city limits of Vienna.
Commission President Blair Couch said he had received a letter from someone who lived in that area who was upset about the condition of the road. The commission sent a letter to the state Department of Highways asking it to look into the road concerns and contacted Rapp because the area is adjacent to the City of Vienna.
The county does not maintain roads, but when it receives such a request the commission tries to contact the affected parties to see if something can be done to address the concern.
Rapp said he was aware of the road as work has been done on it in the past so the city's fire trucks can access that area, even though the section of road falls outside the city of Vienna. At the time there were potholes that were 18 inches deep and vehicles were scraping their undersides. The roadway is causing problems for people in the area, officials said.
"Because of our fire protection the condition of that road was very bad for the condition of our fire trucks," Rapp said. "A couple of years ago we worked to make it better. This is more than just a road issue and who owns it, it is a drainage issue."
The highway department or the Wood County Planning Commission should conduct studies on the drainage in that area, Rapp said.
"Until someone addresses the drainage side of this it will never be a permanent fix," he said.
Water runoff is the concern. The city had put a water retention system in years ago that helped with some runoff.
Rapp said the city does not have the funds to repair the drainage problem.
Commissioners said if residents asked to be annexed into the city, the city might have more options to be able to fix it.
It is not a matter of building up the roadway to be passable.
"Doing that just shifts the water into people's driveways and into their yards," Rapp said. "It is not a fix. Someone has to determine how to change that water flow so we aren't flooding homes."
Couch said the commission usually sends a letter to the state highway department to see if anything can be done to correct the problem.
In other business:
* The Wood County Commission unanimously agreed it will be filing a copyright lawsuit against Complete System Support Inc. (CSSI).
The county had previously retained the services of the firm of Pullin, Fowler, Flanagan, Brown and Poe of Charleston to review copyright issues stemming from questions on whether the county might have a copyright over software being sold by a private company.
There was a question whether CSSI, a local company once owned by former Wood County Clerk Jamie Six and sold to Kofile Inc., a Texas company, had the copyright to the software to begin with as key components of it were developed when the original programmer was allegedly an employee of Wood County and may have developed the software while on county time.
Couch referred questions about the lawsuit to attorney Evan Olds with the law firm. Olds could not be reached Thursday for comment.
* The commission also convened Thursday as the Board of Review and Equalization to review property assessments.
Taxpayers may go before the board 10 a.m.-noon Feb. 4, 7, 14 and 21. If needed people can schedule afternoon appointments from 1-3 p.m. with the board concluding at 3 p.m. Feb. 21.
Hearings will also be available 5-7 p.m. Feb. 11, Monday, by appointment only.
People appearing before the board need to bring evidence that shows the valuation the assessor's office has is incorrect, Couch said. That can include photos, an appraisal from a certified appraiser, and a homeowner's insurance policy that has a different value. Commissioners can also make on-site visits.
Appointments for hearings must be made through the county administrator's office at 304 424-1976.