City of Parkersburg Development Projects Administrator Chris Rynd discusses the Parkersburg-Wood County HOME Consortium Annual Action Plan with Wood County Commission Thursday morning. (Photo by Gretchen Dowler)

PARKERSBURG — Ahead of the holiday weekend, the Wood County Commission held a relaxed meeting Thursday morning to discuss local housing programs as well as area cooling stations.

City of Parkersburg Development Projects Administrator Chris Rynd discussed the Parkersburg-Wood County HOME Consortium Annual Action Plan, which provides various housing programs for income-eligible households and is financed through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). According to the consortium’s website, it contains the cities of Parkersburg, Vienna and Williamstown as well as the whole of Wood County. Programs within the partnership include:

* Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Program

* Down Payment Assistance Program

* Rental Rehab Program

Wood County Commissioners, from left, Jim Hamric, Jimmy Colombo and Blair Couch, talk with City of Parkersburg Development Projects Administrator Chris Rynd about the Parkersburg-Wood County HOME Consortium Annual Action Plan at Thursday morning’s meeting. (Photo by Gretchen Dowler)

* Emergency Repair Program – City of Parkersburg only

* Minor Home Repair Program – City of Parkersburg only

* Real Estate Assisted Demolition Program – City of Parkersburg only

“Our assistance program is currently helping 18 people, and we also help 44 households across five initiatives,” Rynd said. “They participate up to half, and then we help with the rest through community resources.”

Rynd presented a resolution of support for commissioners to sign as well as a budget for the HOME Consortium.

United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley Executive Director Stacy DeCicco, left, discusses updates and data regarding local cooling shelters with the Wood County Commission as Wood County Resiliency Director Sydney Weber looks on at Thursday morning’s meeting. (Photo by Gretchen Dowler)

“We work with Habitat for Humanity, and we have about $400,000 in their account, $86,000 of that just went to the Plum Street home they just built,” said Rynd. “We’re hoping to build two homes through the City of Parkersburg alongside them (Habitat). But everything is still in the planning process.

“We’re working on the affordable housing structure, such as Patriot Center Apartments, where we had 36 affordable units, and then we’re working with Joy Lofts, where we’ll have 25 units, but that’s still to be decided. Housing is a big push for our program as well as strengthening neighborhoods.”

United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley Executive Director Stacy DeCicco talked to the commission regarding local cooling centers and data from the days with extreme heat.

“There are several opportunities across the area where you can access these cooling stations. The usage at these stations has been much lower than anticipated,” said DeCicco. “It takes a lot more than just A/C for these stations; we have people who are trained in CPR who can check people at risk from heat exhaustion, and we have Scot Heckert with Yellow Taxi providing transportation for people who need a ride to the centers.

Commission President Blair Couch clarified the Wood County Resiliency Center is meant to be available for emergencies similar to the 2012 derecho, where the county would rely on organizations such as the American Red Cross for their services. Couch also said there are many options, such as the lobby at WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center, which are equipped to handle multiple situations and are always open.

Wood County 911 Director Dale McEwuen, second from right, talks about 911 calls related to the recent extreme heat, at Thursday’s Wood County Commission meeting. (Photo by Gretchen Dowler)

DeCicco said during this heat event there is not an excessive need at the cooling stations, with centers seeing approximately 5-10 people at each, some seeing fewer. Wood County 911 Director Dale McEwuen also mentioned there haven’t been many calls regarding the extreme heat.

“It’s easy to provide A/C and water, but the next step is important. Being better equipped is more important than the numbers. Our stations are not reaching capacity, but they are meeting the needs of the people who need them,” said DeCicco. “We’re combing for places that want to be cooling centers, and we want to communicate resources to them. We understand that not every situation of people needing these centers is the same, but we can meet those needs individually and work to break down barriers to help people.”

Couch surprised DeCicco with a check for $10,000 for the United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley 211 Program.

“You know where to send people,” said Commissioner Jimmy Colombo about the program. “And you know how to help them.”

“The 211 system always needs dollars to keep it moving, and the money will help to validate resources,” said DeCicco. “It takes manpower, and it takes software to push out good data. This is a great surprise, and it will keep the wheels turning on 211. This is a good partnership we have with the county, and we have a strong organization. We’re always evolving, and sometimes there are bumps in the road, but we do it with intentionality.”

DeCicco said the United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley Facebook page is getting an update, as well as the website www.uwamov.com/extremeheat, with the latest news regarding the local cooling stations.

Wood County Resiliency Director Sydney Weber told commissioners the free performance of “1776” presented by the Actors Guild of Parkersburg in partnership with Downtown PKB and America 250 will be moved inside to the Center on Market due to extreme heat today.

“The performance will still be taking place at 8 p.m., but it will be at the Center (on Market) due to the weather,” said Weber. “The volunteers have been working very hard on this special event, and we’re very excited about it.”

Couch mentioned, in addition to the special performance of “1776,” Gov. Patrick Morrisey placed a sign to commemorate the 250th birthday of the nation at Mountwood Park.

And, County Administrator Marty Seufer said another event taking place for the celebration.

“The county will be participating in the bell ringing across the nation,” said Seufer. “We’ll ring the courthouse bell at noon on July 4 in the statewide celebration.”

The next Wood County Commission meeting will be 9:30 a.m. Monday at 1 Court Square, Suite 203, Parkersburg.

Gretchen Dowler can be reached at gdowler@newsandsentinel.com