There are some good things that may be on the horizon for Logan County, but, like the stubborn mule that refuses to move at plowing time, progress is slow in being announced. And, admittedly there are times when I want to just toss off my magistrate court ethically-tied boxing gloves and reclassify myself as simply an investigative reporter.
The fact remains that I love to write about all of the “good” aspects of my native county and the accomplishments of those folks who have provided a good name for it. But when it comes to the historical politics of it all, no wonder folks had to leave to gain recognition. Logan’s political climate has, unfortunately, almost always been one of dishonor and deceit.
Anyway, since this writing is taking place last week, I have to say that following cataract surgery in Charleston and a follow-up after that, I haven’t had much time to concentrate on one subject for writing. Therefore, I thought I might toss some thoughts out there that at least some readers might find of interest. Let’s just call it “bits and pieces.”
First off, it is good to see that the City of Logan has chosen to purchase the vacant lot where the former so-called Fox Apartments used to stand at 417 Stratton Street. Long before it first burned in December 2011, the place had become nothing more than a “slumlord” apartment complex with multiple unrepaired problems reported by residents, most of whom faced eviction almost monthly, some for reporting the dangerous conditions that supposedly existed there.
After another fire in 2019 finally took out the abandoned structure, it was sold for unpaid taxes. And just like the former Appalachian Power building on Main Street that the Logan County Commission leased for several years before spending a million dollars for another building to relocate the prosecutor’s offices and other county government, it was bought for taxes by another out-of-state person and has changed hands a few times since.
The city paid $20,000 for the Stratton Street property, although the owner had originally offered it to other potential buyers for something like $60,000. So, regardless of what the powers that be choose to do with the rather nice piece of property, it would appear to be a worthwhile purchase.
Considering that the recently announced Logan city estimated budget for the town is $5,013,500 for the upcoming July 1 fiscal year that runs until July 2024, and that $273,524 is projected for what was listed as fairs/festivals, I guess $20,000 to turn an eyesore into something nice is just a mere drop in the bucket, considering also that — according to the legal announcement in The Logan Banner — the city clerk operational budget will need $550,083. Can’t help but wonder who determines these figures.
Another amount that certainly raised eyebrows when the budget numbers appeared is that the attorney for the city is paid $70,083. Most other municipalities in the county pay their attorneys around $12,000 a year. Of course, those towns’ legal representation consists of attorneys from within Logan County, too. Not that it should make a difference.
Considering all of the above is public knowledge that may be overshadowed by public ignorance and, like budgets and expenditures of the past, is subject to the state auditor’s review, the town of Logan, despite long-needed repairs at Water Street in front of the Wendy’s location, seems to be in good financial shape.
Speaking of auditors, J.B. McCluskey, current state auditor, is now seeking the office of governor of West Virginia. The City of Logan had a more or less “meet and greet” for him at City Hall about two weeks ago. I’m told that because few knew about it, not too many attended. And, when the auditor asked if there was anyone representing the county there, Jimmy Porter was pointed out. Porter, a firefighting official recently critical of monies allegedly embezzled by volunteer fire department personnel, quickly made it clear he was not there representing the county.
While on the subject of the auditor, whose campaign sticker is visible on the parking building in Logan owned by the Logan city clerk and her husband, it seems to me that people should not be so critical of Roscoe “Rocky” Adkins for not releasing the records of the Logan County Economic Authority.
I mean, since the auditor has sent letters for at least three years to the Logan County Commission requesting such financial records, maybe it is the commissioners themselves who should be targeted. Mr. Adkins’s salary is paid by the county commission, which is, of course, his employer. Perhaps the word “malfeasance” applies more broadly than some people realize.
Nevertheless, I have no dog in this fight, but I’m smart enough to know the more this thing drags on the more a federal microscope is likely to be applied, or is it re-applied?
On another matter some might be interested in, the countywide cleanup last October and November came at a cost to the county and yet officials are still begging for people to quit littering and illegally dumping in Logan County,
The commission paid Waste Management $63,257 and another $329,593 to a trucking company and for security to “guard” the trash 24 hours a day. I suppose the purpose for that is to make sure unauthorized people do not illegally dump, or that improper or hazardous items are not deposited there.
Any way it goes, I hear the spot utilized at Ellis Addition near Mt. Gay may not be used for a county trash dump again because of a complaint filed with the Environmental Protection Agency that caused the county to pay for new dirt to be dumped there and grass to be planted. Ironically, the word is that the person who filed the complaint, mainly because of the smell, is also a beneficiary to the Island Creek flood control program in which a ton of money was used to help alleviate flood problems in the Mt. Gay- Ellis Addition area.
Still on another subject of money, records show that $39,238 was spent for an archaeological study near the Hatfield Cemetery at Sarah Ann. The study, I’m told, included the use of sonar to make sure there were no unmarked graves that could create a problem in the proposed future development of a trail to the historic cemetery.
Few people know it, but there is a small cemetery very near the Hatfield Cemetery and the study also involved it, although it has nothing to do with the Hatfield Cemetery.
I mention this because on July 7, 2020, the Logan County Commission awarded the Logan County Housing Authority $100,000 after a written request that included funding for an archeological study for the land where the veterans building is currently being constructed on Hudgins Street. I wonder what part of that was for the study.
I can understand a study being done for just about anywhere in the town of Logan because, after all, nearly all of the downtown area was built over an Indian graveyard. However, the property where the Veterans home is going to be was likely never a burial ground, as it was a hillside before being leveled for whatever purposes back in the late 1880s.
Whether a study was ever done there, I do not know. But, if there was, I can’t help but wonder what it cost. I mean, the cemetery work was just over $39,000, and it was uphill.
If I may suggest, just as a concerned citizen who truly only cares about the betterment of Logan County, would it not be purposeful to ask for invoices before doling out all the monies that the government does? I simply mean that there has to be some accountability, or at least that is what I thought audits were for.
Perhaps if this was done previously, maybe there would not be the issues currently plaguing the situation with volunteer fire departments and the release of records by the Logan County Development Authority.
Oh, well, if a tree fell in the forest …
Dwight Williamson serves as magistrate in Logan County. He writes a weekly column for HD Media.
