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To the editor:
I now live near Huachuca City, Ariz. but I remain deeply concerned about the welfare of New Cumberland, West Virginia the town I was privileged to be mayor of for four years.
This little town was described by the "Business Development of the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia” as the gateway to development of the Northern Panhandle. All important traffic moves through this town. It moves over a roadway that has been in peril for many, many years.
Beginning at the north end of town, WV Rt. 2 travels south straight through town to the single traffic light where it takes a 90-degree turn onto Station Hill then it becomes Ridge Avenue. This road, known as Ridge Avenue, is a narrow two-lane road that travels between homes on one side and a steep hillside on the other. The hillside has been, for years, eroding causing the berm to weaken. It has weakened to the point that within the last five years a great chasm opened up opposite the Catholic church with dirt and debris falling in on the hillside. If not for an early morning walker, who notified WVDOT of the problem, a catastrophe was inevitable.
Back to the 90 degree turn at Madison and North Chester Street. According to WVDOT traffic count, over 7,000 vehicles travel the road through New Cumberland DAILY! Many of these vehicles are semis loaded with combustible material. The turn at the traffic light has caused northbound semis to go onto the sidewalk damaging the steps of a building, flower containers and utility poles. The southbound traffic has infringed onto private property and onto the sidewalk. That sidewalk along Station Hill has the road on one side and a steep eroding hillside on the other. In fact, some years ago when Sen. Manchin was governor pleas to WVDOT for shoring up went unheeded until Gov. Manchin was asked to come and inspect it (thank you then Sen. Bowman). Gov. Manchin saw the danger to all especially school buses and ordered the hill shored up.
Also on this road is a turn off onto Chelsea Hill leading down the hillside onto the flat ground toward the Ohio River. This road has almost yearly been plagued with slippages of dirt and rock. It is also used by school buses and one photo shows a school bus traveling over the pavement with a hug hole under it. Again WVDOT came and quickly shored it up.
All of this danger to life and property can be avoided by the governor's promised funds in his Road to Prosperity offer that identifies it for remediation.
Yes, the plan takes the road through a flood area. The floods have lasted for a day at the most and the road now in place is so well built that it has never suffered from flooding. Yes, there are people who live near it that don't want it. But, do they want to suffer when (and it will happen) a gasoline loaded semi falls over the hill into their property?
I am writing this because it recently came to my attention that a decision has been made by WVDOT to ignore the straight-through-town remedy and continue the same route. I am advised that June 8, 2020 our representatives were told that this is so.
As proof they say this is what the citizens who attended the public meetings vote for. Did you go? Is this what you want? WVDOT cannot prevent the continued hillside erosion.
During my time in office I witnessed the power of continued communication with your legislatures. I also witnessed the power of the Brook - Hancock - Jefferson Planning Commission. Wellsburg and Beech Bottom succeeded in getting a bridge built between them and Ohio. A bridge that I fail to see can benefit West Virginia but will surely benefit Ohio with West Virginia footing the bill because the river is ours. Wellsburg and Beech Bottom mayors, city managers and Brook commissioners were relentless in speaking for the bridge at the BHJ Planning Commission and in Charleston. Hancock County Commission and New Cumberland are members of the BHJ. Are they speaking for the re-alignment? Marvin Six is an influential member of BDC as is Bill D'Alesio. Surely they are in favor of the realignment for safe business travel and property valuation. And how about Mike Paprocki, president of BHJ. Do these people see the benefit of the realignment?
I do not know if New Cumberland City Council sends a representative to the BHJ meetings but I do know it is a a member. At one time Randy Swartzmiller, Jeff Davis, Sen. Ihlenfeld and Rep. Pat McGeehan were in favor. Surely the commission office and the city hall staff will help you with contact information.
Lesson learned: the squeaky wheel gets the oil! Call them, write them over and over. They hear over and over from others if you want them to help you be the one who talks to them.
I am still doing it and I don't live there anymore.
Linda McNeil,
Huachuca City, Arizona