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PARKERSBURG -- Wood County is tentatively entering into a reimbursement grant to help a Washington Bottom property owner to remove a house that got knocked off its foundation four years ago.
Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Council Project Coordinator Karen Lasure and homeowner Scott Jenkins appeared before the Wood County Commission on Thursday to get the commission's approval to enter the agreement.
In April 2020 a landslide pushed the house, located at 293 Oak Acres Circle near Washington Bottom, owned by Jenkins and his wife Elaine Jenkins, off its foundation. The structure was deemed uninhabitable by emergency responders and code enforcement officials.
Last year, the project was divided into two phases, the purchase and removal of the house and a hill stabilization project and retaining wall.
Lasure said the money which totals over $200,000, a combination of state and federal money, is in place. This money includes engineering work for the stabilization and to buy and tear down the home.
Around $140,000 from the award is to purchase the home and property, Lasure said. She said it will be a reimbursement grant where the county will pay out the money for the house first and once everything is finalized, the award will be reimbursed to the county.
"We want the county to move forward on the purchase of the house/property," Lasure said.
Commissioners want Wood County Prosecutor Pat Lefebure to review the paperwork.
Commissioner Jimmy Colombo said basically they were exchanging money "from the left hand to the right hand and the right hand will put it back in the left hand" to which Lasure agreed with that assessment.
Commissioners agreed with that setup, but wanted to be sure everything lined up in the paperwork.
"I don't think we have a problem awarding it as long as we have the assurance that we will be reimbursed," Commission President Blair Couch said.
Couch said they would then set it up on a future agenda to be able to award the amount.
Jenkins reiterated the trouble he has had over the past four years with the house getting knocked off its foundation, having issues with their insurance company not covering the damage or providing any help in getting resettled. He talked about how friends and others stepped up to help in their time of need.
Lasure said money was also available for the second phase of the project, the hill stabilization, but she did not have that figure with her Thursday.
In other business:
* Wood County Clerk Joe Gonzales said 241 people voted on Wednesday, May 1, during the first day of early voting. That is compared to 264 on the first day of early voting in May 2022, the last primary election.
"We have been steady (Thursday morning)," he said of the turnout.
* The commission approved the appointment of Parkersburg Police Chief Matthew Board, Parkersburg Fire Chief Jason Matthews, Dwane Weekley of St. Joseph Ambulance Service and Tom Blondin (public representative) to the E-911 Advisory Board.
Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com