City Council Meeting 2/9/15

Huntington’s sewer problems are closer to being solved after the city council Monday passed ordinances giving the Mayor Steve Williams permission to move forward with improvements at the wastewater treatment plant.

The council heard a second reading of an ordinance regarding a $6.5 million bond issue to make necessary repairs at Huntington’s treatment plant in Westmoreland. This specific ordinance will have one more reading at city council where the vote for passage will be taken.

The council approved two ordinances allowing the mayor to accept contracts on behalf of the Huntington Sanitary board to replace failing parts on the plant’s incoming and outgoing lines. The projects are estimated to cost more than $1 million each and are likely to take 270 days to complete. Mayor Williams said he hopes the bonds will be issued by April. The projects are not anticipated to raise prices for the Huntington community.

City councilwoman Joyce Clark, whose district is Westmoreland where the wastewater treatment plant is, said she has been hearing responses of relief and eagerness from her constituents, “It’s about time they’re doing something.”

Monday’s city council meeting also saw the announcement by Huntington Police Chief Joe Ciccarelli of Police Officer of the Year for 2014. Lieutenant John Williams was given the honor for his 25 years of expertise and leadership as an officer and investigator.

“Huntington took me in with open arms…and its been a pleasure to serve this community,” Williams said. 

The council unanimously approved a resolution honoring the YMCA’s Kids In Motion program, which began in Huntington in November of 2013. The program is designed to fight obesity, especially childhood obesity, by making exercise fun and providing nutrition information and tips for parents. The program is sponsored by Cabell Huntington Hospital and St. Mary’s Medical Center. Jamie Berry, director of Kids In Motion, said the program’s success is rooted in its effect on children in the Huntington community.

What’s exciting about our program isn’t the numbers or the weight loss, it’s about the kids that keep coming back,” Berry said. “They’re learning, they’re growing, and they’re seeing exercise in a whole new light.”

The council approved three resolutions and one other ordinance at Monday’s meeting. The ordinance allows the city to enter into a 3-year contract with a new administrator for its self-insured worker’s compensation program, saving the city $3,600.

One of the resolutions gave the Huntington Police Department permission to purchase a new utility vehicle, a purchase that will be reimbursed by the Governor’s Highway Safety Program.

The other resolutions permitted use of fiscal year 2014 project funds for the Cabell-Wayne Huntington-Wayne Home Investment Trust, providing money for the Huntington area Habitat for Humanity and homebuyer assistance program, and a revision of the general fund budget.

The next regular meeting of city council is scheduled for Feb. 23. Mayor Williams’ State of the City address to the council is set for Feb. 17 at 3 p.m.