JIM COCHRAN

This past year there were numerous undertakings in different areas of Marshall County, and you can expect more beginning in January.

Some of those projects involved the Marshall County Commission, the City of Moundsville, the Marshall County Health Department, the City of Cameron, Grand Vue Park and the Marshall County Board of Education

The Marshall County Courthouse is currently undergoing upgrades from top to bottom of the building’s interior along with the exterior’s front.

Moundsville’s City Building has already seen some change as the east side of building has been removed. A new municipal building will replace the current building once a much larger structure is built.

The current health department building, along with the former Moundsville Journal building, both will be razed, and replaced by a new structure to house the Health Department.

In Cameron, the City Council has been able to obtain funding from several state agencies with work already started for one project, with bids for two others to be awarded soon while another project in the planning stage.

The Cameron projects are:

A $1.5 million sewer project which includes several areas of the city and new equipment for the wastewater treatment. The work on the sewer undertaking was completed this past fall.

City Council this Wednesday will award a bid on a water line extension project for which the city received $800,000. The work will take place on Green Valley Road, and will provide water for 18 homes. This Infrastructure Job Development Council (IJDC) grant being a fully funded grant which received four bids.

The City of Cameron received a $100,000 grant from the Governor’s Office for a House Demolition project. The bid for this undertaking is expected to be awarded in January.

The city of Cameron also received a $100,000 sidewalk grant, a 80-20 match, from the State Transportation Office. The work will consist of extension of the sidewalk at the depot, and replacement of the sidewalk on Bridge Street and parts of Main Street.

At Grand Vue Park a new Grand Vue Aquatic Center is being built which will provide additional space for swimmers of all ages.

The Board of Education members are hoping to award a contract to construct a Natatorium north of John Marshall High. Funding for this structure was in a levy approved by voters five years ago.

The MCBOE also has a number of projects which have either started or are slated for work sometime next year. These projects are at Sand Hill Elementary, Washington Lands Elementary, Central Elementary, Cameron High, Cameron Elementary, Glen Dale Elementary, John Marshall High School and the Transportation Garage.

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Authors Gary Rider and Roseanna Dakan Keller have announced the topic of their next work on Marshall County Businesses.

It will be titled, “Memories of Fostoria Glass”

The authors wish to interview anyone who worked at Fostoria or who had a family member employed there. Also, if anyone has photographs of the plant, workers of the plant, or the plant in operation, they would like permission to use them in this book.

The goal of the book is to preserve the history of individuals who made the facility a leading producer of glass in the United States.

Rider said, “the book is not an attempt to show the types of glassware, but more of the people who labored in the facility.”

The authors can be contacted the following ways: Rider at 304-845-3161 or at the Moundsville Public Library, or Keller at 304-845-4199.

They will be releasing their most recent book “Memories of the Benwood Mill” in late January or early February of 2023.

Volume 13 of the “Patriots and Heroes” series will be released around Memorial Day 2023. If anyone has a veteran who they wish to recognize in this newest edition, please contact the authors.

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It’s not very often that a Christmas Eve service has been canceled, but this past Sunday it happened at the First Christian Church in Moundsville.

It wasn’t due to road conditions restricting travel, instead it was a heating problem coupled with extreme cold temperatures. While other local churches welcomed those from the Christian Church to their services last week, parishioners and visitors are welcomed to wear Christmas colors this Sunday to celebrate the Christmas season at the Christian Church.

Rev. Wesley Howsare, in an email to church members, states that Christmas is actually based on the 12 days between Christmas and Epiphany, sometimes called, Three King’s Day. The Christmas decorations remain displayed until January 6th.

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There will be an American Red Cross Blood Drive this Thursday at the former West Virginia Penitentiary, from 12:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.

Walk-ins will be accepted.

As to the entrance, it will be through the 8th Street gate.

The blood drive is being sponsored by the Moundsville Lions Club and the Moundsville Economic Development Council.

As 2022 comes to a close, I’d like to thank the staff at the Moundsville library for their technology assistance and hospitably over the past few months. Also, I’d like to thank all the organizations and individuals, of which there are too many to list, that share updates with me about the events in Marshall County so that I can include them in this column.

Happy New Year.