Parkersburg to consider $3.3M for activity/recreation center

On Finance agenda before Tuesday’s City Council meeting

PARKERSBURG -- Mayor Tom Joyce is proposing using the remainder of Parkersburg's American Rescue Plan Act funds for a new activity and recreation center, the location of which has yet to be determined.

That allocation, along with $90,000 to fund three schools' participation in the West Virginia GameChanger program, is one of multiple budget revisions to be discussed by Parkersburg City Council's Finance Committee at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The full council will meet two days earlier, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday followed by an Urban Renewal Authority session in which the priorities and objectives of that body will be discussed.

Joyce and multiple council members have expressed support for building the $13 million activity and recreation center on the site of the nearly 100-year-old pavilion in City Park. But some residents have said the project would be too disruptive to the park and should be done somewhere it will promote more economic development.

"This appropriation does not mean 100% that this facility's going to be built in City Park," Joyce said.

Properties owned by the city and the Urban Renewal Authority are also being evaluated, along with other sites that might be available for acquisition, he said. Allocating the money will provide funding for more in-depth evaluation, Joyce said.

The city has $3,320,204 in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act that has not been allocated. That, along with $21,292 not needed for the purchase of a sanitation truck that came in under budget, would be put toward the activity center if the resolution is approved by the Finance Committee Tuesday and by the full council next month.

The money can be used for the project under a provision allowing cities to claim up to $10 million as lost revenue without calculating the actual amount. The city has already allocated $3,784,227 to the Southwood Park pool project and $1,750,000 to the renovation of Bennett Stump Field in City Park in that manner.

There will not be an opportunity for members of the public to speak on the resolution during the committee meeting. Finance Committee Chairman Zach Stanley noted people can address that and other topics during the public forum at regular council meetings.

If approved, the resolution would push funding for the activity and recreation center to more than $4 million, with $554,000 previously allocated and another $150,000 not needed for the purchase of street sweepers after bids came in below budget.

The resolution would also allocate $90,000 from the projected fund balance from the fiscal year that ended June 30 to local funding for three schools to participate in the GameChanger program aimed at preventing opioid and substance abuse. The money would cover the $30,000 apiece needed for each school to participate.

Wood County Schools Superintendent Christie Willis said Jefferson Elementary Center, Van Devender Middle School and Parkersburg High School were selected for the GameChanger program after recently being included in the state's Communities in Schools initiative.

"We're trying to prevent dropouts. We're trying to promote healthy lifestyles," she said.

Joyce said he considers this part of an effort to "raise the next generation to be better prepared for a productive and drug-free future.

"Students who work with and are connected to prevention solutions are 90% more likely to make healthy choices," Joyce said.

Tuesday’s regular council agenda includes a resolution confirming the city will reimburse the Parkersburg Utility Board for expenses it incurs toward a project to install filtration technology to remove C8 and related chemicals from its water. A principal-forgiveness loan from the state will fund the $15 million project. Bonds will be issued in the city's name to provide the funding, but some expenses may be incurred by the utility before that money is available.

The agenda also includes the final reading of an ordinance authorizing the online auction of a former city landfill on Roth Road off U.S. 50 and a resolution reappointing longtime member Greg Herrick to the PUB.

After Tuesday’s council meeting, City Planner Connor LaVelle will make a presentation to the Urban Renewal Authority, made up of all nine members of council, on the state laws governing such authorities and ask members to consider its priorities and objectives. It's important for the authority to continue addressing blighted properties, he said, but that should also be done with an eye toward the future use of that land and how it works with the city's comprehensive plan.

"Let's think two or three steps ahead," LaVelle said.

The plan, crafted with input from the public, includes areas of focus for future development.

LaVelle is also suggesting the creation of a joint committee consisting of members of the URA, Municipal Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals to ensure continuity between the efforts of those entities.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.