Barb Bargeloh and Diana Mielecki of the Wood County Community Educational Outreach Service (CEOS) appeared before the Wood County Commission on Thursday to have a proclamation approved recognizing May 19-25 as Community Educational Outreach Service (CEOS) Week. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

PARKERSBURG — Wood County will recognize May 19-25 as Community Educational Outreach Service (CEOS) Week.

The Wood County Commission on Thursday unanimously passed a proclamation recognizing the week and all that local CEOS organizations do in the area.

“The West Virginia Community Educational Outreach Service (CEOS) and Wood County CEOS are volunteers with a mission to broaden service in our community, continue lifelong education to strengthen individuals and families, and provide an outreach for leadership,” the proclamation stated. “In partnership with West Virginia University Extension Service, the CEOS pledges that its purpose of Education will assist us in meeting the needs of a changing and diverse society.”

Wood County CEOS President Barb Bargeloh said there are four clubs currently in Wood County and a total of 33 members. They support some of the local food pantries, such as Old Man Rivers and House to Home, and more, Bargeloh said.

Their county project is helping donate supplies to the Women’s Care Center, said Gwen Crum of the WVU Extension Office.

“They make Boo-Boo bears which are donated to ERs, North Star Advocacy Center, MedExpress, and Quick Care so the children have comfort items when visiting those places,” she said. “They also make bibs and lap blankets for adults in nursing homes.”

The group provided around 10,000 hours of volunteer service in 2023, Crum said.

Commissioners voiced their appreciation to the group for what they do in the community and their support for the proclamation.

“We are proud to be a part of this,” Commission President Blair Couch said.

In other business:

* The commission unanimously approved a bid for $$45,621.96 from IDATP of Parkersburg to install lights and equipment on six sheriff department vehicles.

* The commission approved $25,000 to make up for expiring federal funding Transportation Security Administration (TSA) that paid part of the overtime expenses for deputies who work security at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport. MOV Regional Airport Manager Ben Auville said May 1 was the last day of the federal portion which the commission also paid a portion of.

“It depends on how many hours you are out there when the airline is on the ground,” Auville said.

Commissioner Jimmy Colombo asked if it was just the local airport losing funding from the TSA or if it was nationwide.

Auville said it was airports across the country losing funding.

* There was a clerical error from 1973 regarding a piece of land adjacent to the airport that was supposed to be transferred from the commission to the airport authority that was not actually done. There have been issues of ownership come up in regards to timbering work done. The commission approved the transfer to the authority so all of the paperwork matches.

“The airport has been operating that land under the authority of the county commission,” Auville said. “Now it is just making all the property look the same (in its paperwork) so there is no confusion.”

* Auville highlighted the upcoming Kids STEM Day event starting noon June 1 at the airport. There are still plenty of tickets available for the event.

“There will be around 30 minutes of airshow and a lot of child focused activities,” Auville said of efforts to reach students from K-12.

Representatives of Marshall University, Fairmont State and Ohio University, schools with aviation programs, will be there to show what careers in aviation might look like. Some of the schools will bring planes for people to look at and be able to enter.

“The whole thing is to get aviation accessible to the kids and see what it is,” Auville said.

* Mark Schwendeman and Bethany Place of Schwendeman Insurance talked to the commission about county employees’ insurance coverage. The commission is looking at the possibility of changing employees’ deductible from $6,000 to $7,000 with employees’ health reimbursement accounts making up some of the difference and to charge spouses of employees who want coverage through the county a $40 a month surcharge. Currently there is no surcharge.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com