HUNTINGTON Ƶ After years of waiting for a new station, Huntington City Council will finalize the start of construction on the planned Westmoreland Fire Station at 3200 Piedmont Road.
The council will consider a resolution during its regular meeting Monday to authorize the city to enter into a contract with Neighborgall Construction of Huntington for the construction of the new Westmoreland Fire Station. The contract bid cost total is $4,061,000. The city received six bids altogether, with Neighborgall Construction coming in lowest.
The new fire station will replace the current station in Westmoreland on Camden Road, which was built in 1926. The fire station is the oldest active station in Huntington. The Westmoreland Fire Committee, made up of Westmoreland residents, has advocated for the new station for more than 20 years. A congressional Housing and Urban Development Economic Development Initiative grant of $4.165 million for the project was secured by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., in the federal budget for Fiscal Year 2024.
The council also will vote on an ordinance to rezone 96 3rd Ave. W., soon to be known as the Huntington Homelessness Services Hub, or The Hub, and surrounding properties from I-2 Heavy Industrial District to I-1 Light Industrial District. The request came from the City of Huntington, owner of four of the seven parcels, which plans to redevelop The Hub in partnership with Valley Health.
A shelter/mission is not permitted in the current zoning district. The operation of a shelter/mission is conditionally permitted in an I-1 Light Industrial/Commercial District. The city will need to pursue a conditional use permit through the Board of Zoning Appeals if the zoning map is amended.
The other parcels included in the proposed rezoning are 100 3rd Ave. W. (Parcel 7-16-7), 105 2nd Ave. W. (Parcel 7-16-10), 98 3rd Ave. W. (Parcel 7-16-15) and the three unaddressed parcels to the north (Parcel 7-16-11, Parcel 7-16-116, and Parcel 7-16-116.1). The council will hear the first reading of an ordinance that would authorize Mayor Patrick Farrell to execute a franchise agreement with Mountaineer Gas Company. During the last Administration and Finance Committee meeting, City Attorney Scott Damron said state law permits municipalities to enter into agreements with utilities under which the utility will pay an annual fee for the use of the cityƵs right-of-way. If a utility and municipality do not have a franchise agreement, the utility is required to obtain permits each time there is an excavation or an intrusion onto the right of way of the city, which includes the streets, the sidewalks or any city property.
ƵFranchise agreement compensates the city for the use of the right-of-way and for the inspections that must take place while the utility is relieved of much of the repetitive permitting process,Ƶ Damron said.
Mountaineer Gas will pay the city $60,000 per year for the five-year agreement, Damron said. The last agreement the city had with Mountaineer Gas was in the early 2000s and it paid $30,000 per year at that time. The only other existing franchise the city had is with Comcast, he said, but the city will try to obtain franchises with other utilities.
The council will also hear the first reading of an ordinance that will allow the city to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Greater Huntington Parks and Recreation District for the maintenance of the Whitaker Boulevard Bridge, the Madison Avenue Bridge and the Harvey Road Bridge. The MOU allows the city to undertake the management and maintenance of the bridges, which include cleaning, painting and repairs as necessary after the West Virginia Division of Highways (ƵDOH) has completed renovation or replacement of the bridges, according to agenda documents.
The council will also hear the first reading of an ordinance that would modify and re-enact Article 773 and Article 935 of the codified ordinances of the city as revised to include alternate methods of service. Ƶsistant City Attorney Ericka Hernandez said during last monthƵs administration and finance committee that the ordinance will add flexibility to the service of lien notices for delinquent, municipal refuse and stormwater fees.
The current ordinance lists only certified mailing as the method of service, Hernandez said. The change will add Ƶall other methods that are provided within state codeƵ so they can be used in case certified mail fails, she said.
The council will also vote on an ordinance to rezone from I-1 light industrial and commercial district and I-2 heavy industrial district 2400/2401 5th Ave. and all parcels south of 5th Avenue and north of the CSX right-of-way between 24th Street and 25th Street; all parcels bound to the east by 24th Street, to the west by the C&O Railway north-south right-of-way, to the north by 3rd Avenue and to the south by 5th Avenue; and the northeast parcel at the intersection of 24th Street and 5th Avenue to C-2 Highway Commercial.
The council will also consider a resolution for budget revision number 1 of the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 coal severance fund budget. In revenues, the assigned fund balance has been increased by $16,202 as a result of projected FY25 year ending revenue, according to agenda documents. Expenses would also increase the amount appropriated to culture and recreation by $16,202 as a result of favorable change in assigned fund balance, the document states.
The Huntington City Council will meet at City Hall in the council chambers at 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 14.
