Published: July 18, 2008 02:04 am            

Pleasant Valley flooding ‘complicated’

Mayor says solution ‘involves a lot of different\ agencies, and it’s going to take a lot of effort’

PLEASANT VALLEY — The ongoing flooding issue in the city was discussed by council members during their meeting Wednesday night.

Flooding occurs in various sections of the town on a frequent basis, causing damage to property and occasionally resulting in the closing of Pleasant Valley Road, said Mayor Jack Bish.

According to Bish, city officials met with representatives from the Department of Transportation on Tuesday to discuss ways to alleviate the situation.

Bish pointed out that the development around Pleasant Valley is causing more and more runoff after rain storms. That runoff is flowing into a stream in the valley, which has only one outlet into the Tygart River.

“There’s only one culvert under I-79,” Bish said.

The culvert cannot handle all of the water pouring down through the valley, he added. Bish pointed out that DOT employees will soon be examining the culvert to see if there are any obstructions hampering the flow of water and causing the flooding.

“And the DOT knows that we need another culvert under I-79,” Bish said.

Bish pointed out that the DOT employees will not only be inspecting the culvert, which sits behind the United Parcel Service’s building in Pleasant Valley, but will also work on cleaning debris from the stream.

“This is going to be a long-range project,” Bish said. “I really believe that it will take four or five years to complete.”

According to Bish, the National Soil Conservation Agency conducted a survey on the topic in 1999. The survey listed three possible solutions to the dilemma. Bish said the price tag for the solutions range from $600,000 to $1.25 million.

He added that he and council members are working on obtaining grant money to help fund the project. However, he also pointed out that some of the funds will have to come from the city’s coffers.

“This is really a complicated issue,” he pointed out. “It involves a lot of different agencies, and it’s going to take a lot of effort.”

The council members also discussed funding requests for various agencies. Representatives from the Johnnie Johnson Blues and Jazz Society were on hand asking for $7,000 to help pay for the festival, which took place last weekend at Palatine Park.

Bill Stalnaker, founder and president of the Johnnie Johnson Blues and Jazz Society, was on hand to discuss the funding request with the council. Stalnaker said the festival served to bring tourism to the area, which in turn helped to fill area hotels and seats in local restaurants.

The council members voted to give Stalnaker and the society $5,000. The vote was four to two, with George Boyles and Gary Boyles voting in the negative. George Boyles had stated that he was in favor of helping to fund the festival, but that he was uncomfortable with the amount requested. He said leaned more toward a lower amount, mentioning between $1,250 and $1,850.

The council members also voted to present the Kingmont Improvement Association with $3,000. The money had already been placed in the city’s budget. Council members also voted to provide a little over $1,700 to the Pleasant Valley Elementary School. The funds are to be used to help fund the completion of a pavilion project at the school.

The council members also voted to move $5,728 from the hotel/motel tax fund to the park fund. The money will be used to help with upkeep of the park facility behind the Pleasant Valley town hall.

The council will again meet at the town hall on August 20 at 7 p.m. All meetings are open to the public.

E-mail Paul Fallon at pfallon@timeswv.com.

        

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