Parkersburg City Council approves Old Man Rivers funding

PARKERSBURG - Members of City Council approved a reallocation of $10,000 in soon-to-expire federal funds to the Old Man Rivers Mission over the course of two meetings Tuesday.

But an amendment to provide the mission's food distribution programs with additional money was rejected.

The original resolution was referred to the full council by a 4-0 vote of the Finance Committee an hour before the regular council session. Development Director Ryan Barber said the money had been allocated to Wood County Recreation from funds the city received as a result of the federal C.A.R.E.S. Act passed in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although it is part of the Community Development Block Grant budget, the rules governing this funding are even more restrictive, Barber said. The money had to be used to prevent, prepare for or respond to the coronavirus, he said. It was allocated to Wood County Recreation for scholarships for children to participate in activities that took place outdoors,where the virus was less likely to spread than in closed quarters.

"It's much harder for us to have a tie-back to that provision in 2025," Barber said.

But the funding will revert to the federal government if it hasn't been used by June 2026. Barber said the recreation program had awarded 89 $40 scholarships but had been allocated more money than they could use.

The budgeted amount is $15,847.49, and the recreation program has utilized $3,560 so far, Barber said. The resolution moves $10,000 to the Old Man Rivers Weekend Feeding Program, and the remaining funds will still be used by Wood County Recreation for winter sports scholarships.

Most of the people served by the weekend feeding program are seniors, who are more susceptible to respiratory illness and receive the meals at home, said Barber, linking it back to the COVID provisions.

During the council meeting, Old Man Rivers Executive Director Seth Franklin said the money would provide an additional 30,000 meals.

In the public forum, Parkersburg resident Brian Hayden acknowledged he's often critical of council but said he agreed with the resolution.

"I want to congratulate something that's been a positive," he said.

Hayden added that council recently allocated $50,000 to "a vanity project for the city," an apparent reference to council's vote last month to allocate that amount from a contingency fund to purchase a gateway sign. He challenged council to match that figure for Old Man Rivers.

Councilman Chris Rexroad made a motion to send $20,000 of the money for the sign to Old Man Rivers and put the rest back in contingency.

"I think it's better used feeding the needy people in our city," he said.

Mayor Tom Joyce said he isn't opposed to hungry people getting food but spoke against the change.

"You guys sure can pepper the gumbo, so I'll be the bad guy," he said.

Joyce noted CDBG money can't be used for expenses like the gateway signs, to match others the city has installed over the last eight years. He suggested council allocate additional funds to Old Man Rivers when the next CDBG budget is considered in early 2026.

Rexroad's motion was rejected on a 3-5 vote, with Councilwoman Wendy Tuck and Councilman Zak Huffman joining him in voting for it. Council President Mike Reynolds was absent.

The original motion to reallocate the $10,000 from Wood County Recreation to Old Man Rivers passed 8-0.

After the meeting, Councilwoman Sharon Kuhl said she was surprised by Rexroad's proposal and would support giving additional funds to Old Man Rivers in the future.

"They're a tremendous asset to south side," she said.

Council unanimously approved a resolution setting next month's meetings for Dec. 9 and 16. The original resolution was for Dec. 9 and 30, but a motion to change it passed 7-1, with Councilman Dave McCrady opposed. Kuhl said some council members would not be in town on the 30th.

Rather than adjourn, council voted to resolve into the Committee of the Whole and recess until 6:30 p.m. Monday. The committee, consisting of all nine council members, will meet in council chambers to discuss a residential rental unit inspection and registration ordinance allowed by state law and approved in August by the city's Municipal Planning Commission.

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