By Chelsea Blair
Tuesday’s meeting of the Greenbrier County Commission began with Arts and Recreation transfers in the amount of $22,278.43. Transferred to Greenbrier County 4-H was $2,400 for 2023-2024 Energy Express programming supplies, $5,000 for Leader’s camp supplies for 2023-2024 and $3,780 for the clay shooting program for four pallets of clay. A reimbursement of $120 will be transferred to the Town of Alderson for music events, $9,325.17 to the Town of Rainelle for turf supplies and goal cart items purchased for the 2023-2024 year, $418.51 to Quinwood Community Library for the 2023-2024 Summer Kids Club program, and $1,234.75 to the Meadow River Trail project for engineering and consulting services for 2024-2025.
The first item on the agenda was the resolution for the retirement of Greenbrier County K-9 Officer, Layla, presented by Bart Baker. Due to Layla’s age she will retire from active duty and ownership will be transferred from the Greenbrier County Commission to Lieutenant Steve Hudnall. Baker stated that Hudnall has been Layla’s sole handler during her service to Greenbrier County, and she’s a member of the Hudnall family. Hudnall agreed to assume full responsibility for Layla’s feedings, housing, and medical care for the remainder of her life at his expense.
Hudnall said that in Layla’s career, she has tracked and caught an armed kidnapping suspect out of South Carolina in 2019, tracked an armed robbery suspect from GoMart in White Sulphur Springs a few years ago, and assisted in an assault and battery case in Lewisburg. These just being a few of many cases that Layla assisted on over her seven-year tenure with the Sheriff’s Department, she’s also assisted in numerous narcotic busts and recovered stolen firearms during traffic stops.
“It is a bittersweet day. She deserves her retirement and I’ve found that being a K-9 means a few things; one – she is never clean, and two – as silly as some people may think, you always have somebody there,’ said Hudnall, “All the nights in the future are going to be a little different, going out without Layla right over my shoulder.” He thanked the Commission for the opportunity to take her home to her forever family.
Tincher thanked Layla for her service as well as Lieutenant Hudnall for his. “She has made an impact within our community, and we thank her for her service.”
The next item of business on the agenda was the resolution to commit county funds for employers’ contribution to the Deputy Sheriff’s retirement system associated with earning generated from contractual pay for services provided by Greenbrier County Schools for the 2024-2025 school year. Greenbrier County Sheriff Bruce Sloan has agreed to provide extraordinary police and security services to the Greenbrier County Schools. The sheriff’s department will provide deputies and associated transportation to service in the aforementioned capacity to the schools. The schools included are Frankford, Smoot, Crichton, and Rupert Elementary schools. Greenbrier County Schools pay approximately $100,000 for these services.
The Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Deputies participate in the Deputy Sheriff’s Retirement System administered through the WV Consolidated Public Retirement Board and as the employer of the Sheriff’s Deputies, the County Commission is responsible for paying the employers matching contributions to the deputy’s retirement account in the amount of 17 percent. It has been approved that $17,000 shall come from the accounts of the Greenbrier County Commission to cover the required contributions. The resolution was approved unanimously.
Next, the commission considered an award bid opened at a special meeting held earlier in the month for demolition of structures approved by the WVDEP Dilapidated Program. Greenbrier County Building Inspector and Code Official Steven Simmons provided a comparison sheet for the two bids received.
“I recommend to the commission that we accept the lowest bidder for the DEP guidance which would be L.D. Hannah,” he said. “Their contractor documents are all in order and they have all the proper insurances and licenses. Also, they will be partnering with an approved contractor for asbestos abatement.”
The bid submitted was as follows; $5 per square foot of asbestos abatement, $48 asbestos abatement per linear foot, $3.64 per square foot for demolition of residential and commercial structures, and $2.75 per square foot of removal of debris and trash. Fifty properties have been approved for the program and five have been removed. Simmons stated that the funds must be used within a year, and this will assist with expediting the process. The process has also been approved by the DEP for it to be voted on by the commission where it was approved unanimously.
Consideration of approval of a resolution and grant submission for the WV Homeland Security Grant Program for triage equipment and supplies for the Greenbrier Valley Airport Aircraft Rescue and firefighting training was also under consideration. Director of Homeland Security and 911, Don Havens, stated a mass casualty disaster drill was conducted last September as a requirement for their readiness to the FAA. As a result of that exercise, Havens said it was determined that the staff lacked the proper equipment and training to effectively triage patients, causing a lot of confusion. A grant has been submitted by Havens to Homeland Security to buy triage tarps, tags, and other labeling that allows the ARF department to be properly equipped to work with EMS agencies that would come to the airport should a disaster of this magnitude occur. He also came up with a list of items that he is confident will fulfill their needs and has secured an instructor willing to train them for free in the use of the equipment and how to properly triage patients. The total cost of supplies needed is $968.94 and needs to be spent by the end of August. Commissioner Nicholas Dailey asked Havens if there was a plan to continue training to where he answered training is to be completed annually, and the request was approved by the Commission.
Commissioners also considered a request for payment of annual trustee fees for fiscal year 2023-2024 from the White Sulphur Springs Tax Increment Financing (TIF) fund. United Bank provided an invoice for the service years for the trustee fee in conjunction with the tax increment finance. Each bill is in the amount of $2,500 for a total draw of $7,500. The proper draw request process and a request for payment for this will be submitted because this is an expense that should come out of the TIF fund.
The last item on the agenda was consideration to approve the reappointment of a member of the Greenbrier County Planning Commission Board, effective July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2027. Dan Edwards, a current member of the board, requests to continue his service and be reappointed for the upcoming term. The reappointment was approved unanimously.
Before the meeting was adjourned, Tincher announced that the next County Commission meeting will occur on Thursday, Aug. 15 at 10 a.m.
