Nestor helps Pocahontas Senior Centers with legislative funding
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MARLINTON -- A big part of what Pocahontas County Senior Citizens Inc. does is feed seniors, not only in Marlinton, but in Green Bank and other areas of the county as well.
So when a compressor that generates cooling capability in the Marlinton Senior Center's refrigeration system went down, PCSC director John Simmons knew he couldn't waste any time in finding a solution.
"We have to maintain the temperature in the walk-in, so when something goes wrong with it ,we don't have a choice but to fix it or replace it right away," Simmons told The Inter-Mountain. "We got our standard repairman here in the county to come in and take a look at the thing and he determined it was shot. He had to order a new one after I gave him the OK, and I told him we would come up with the money somewhere."
Brainstorming about ways to find funds to fix the compressor, Simmons recalled a previous conversation he had with Delegate Ty Nestor, R-District 66. Nestor had told Simmons to reach out to him any time he had an emergency and needed help.
"Ty had called me last year and told me that if we ran into any emergency type problems over here to let him know," Simmons said. "I called him and told him we lost our compressor. He told me to get an estimate on it and he would forward it to Charleston. Lo and behold, the governor signed a $7,950 check and Ty got it over to us."
Nestor obtained the money through state Legislature and Local Economic Development Assistance (LEDA) funds.
"Making seniors a priority, I think is expected of somebody in my spot," Nestor told The Inter-Mountain. "We have 33,000 meals that are being delivered from the two facilities in Pocahontas County, and I felt that it was a prerogative that I should meet.
"That refrigeration system is the lifeline for those meals in Pocahontas County, so that's why I chose to use some of that money for that."
Because of budgeting issues, Simmons said he doesn't know what he would have done without Nestor's assistance.
"We are tickled to death for the help, because budgets are very, very tight on meals and that type of thing," Simmons said. "The funding that we are paid for these programs has not kept up with inflation and the higher food costs."
Pocahontas County Senior Citizens Inc. operates two senior centers, one in Marlinton and another in Green Bank. The Meals On Wheels program delivers food to 70 people throughout the county five days a week. The centers also provide affordable lunches throughout the week for seniors in the county.
"We have a lot that goes into Meals on Wheels as far as the gasoline goes," Simmons said. "It was going to be very difficult to come up with $7,950 in our budget to repair the compressor. So we are very appreciative of Ty. He did a good job as our representative and we appreciate it."
For more information on Pocahontas County Senior Citizens Inc., call 304-799-6364 or visit the organization's Facebook page.