|Photo by Emma Delk| Moundsville council members during Tuesday night's meeting. From left, Vice Mayor David Wood, council member Randy Chamberlain and council member Judy Hunt.

The Moundsville Economic Vitality Committee is considering creating an inventory of in-use and vacant buildings on Jefferson Avenue for residents looking to start a business there.

Moundsville Council Member Brianna Hickman updated the council members on the committee’s plans to create the building inventory during Tuesday’s meeting. She said she and the other committee members, Marshall County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Scott Reager and CEO of the Regional Economic Development Partnership Josh Jefferson, had a “widely productive” second meeting regarding creating the building inventory.

Jefferson Avenue is within the city’s ON TRAC district, a designation determined by the West Virginia Economic Development Office. In addition to providing information on buildings along the street, Hickman said the committee was also investigating providing housing information for residential areas for people looking to live on or near Jefferson Avenue.

“We’re really working on how to build out that inventory and then also seeking to expand the committee so we can make sure that we’re continuing the work,” Hickman said. “It was a really good meeting and I’m really excited to see a lot of energy being put on Jefferson Avenue to hopefully expand it. The committee is centered on vitality, so we need to bring that to the community to continue to see good things happen.”

Mayor Sara Wood-Shaw said it would be nice to understand what’s for sale and available to rent on Jefferson Avenue. She noted that it would also be helpful for residents to know who to contact for the information, as there is “no document that exists right now” that has all the information for prospective buyers and renters.

Hickman agreed, adding that she hopes the inventory would make it “a little easier” for residents to get their foot in the door when opening a business in the city.

City Manager Rick Healy supported the idea, adding that it can be difficult to answer when residents call the city and ask if they have any properties available.

“We don’t know what’s available, people would have to go to realtor.com,” Healy said. “This is extremely helpful. Starting the inventory with Jefferson Avenue, which is in the ON TRAC district, is a big plus.”

Council member Ginger DeWitt said she saw two businesses were for sale on Jefferson Avenue today on Facebook.

“Maybe things will start moving [for Jefferson Avenue],” DeWitt said.

Wood-Shaw also gave an update on the last Opioid Subcommittee meeting during her report. The subcommittee was created to distribute opioid settlement money in the city. Subcommittee members recently met with representatives from Marshall County and the City of McMechen to discuss how the cities may use their funding.

“We discussed what each city may be interested in doing with their opioid funds,” Wood-Shaw said. “The county shared some information with us from some proposals they’ve received, so the city manager and I will be meeting and bringing back some information for the council to discuss and see if they feel like that’s a good way to move forward.”

Council members also received a document detailing Comcast price adjustments for residents during the meeting. In response to a question from Vice Mayor David Wood, City Attorney Thomas White said there was “zero” the city could do to change what Comcast charges residents.

“I always like for council members to have this information because if you hear from a resident about the prices, you know what’s happening and that they [the price increases] are fairly substantial this time,” Healy said.

Healy noted that the package for limited basic cable increased by $4.50 per month and that the company’s discounts were decreasing, including the auto-pay discount, which was reduced from $5 to $2.

“They’re raising some prices, but they’re also lessening their discounts, which is substantial in some areas,” Healy said. “It will be a bit of a shock for people this month or in January when they get that bill after those price changes have been effective.”