Trending
ELKINS -- The City of Elkins' Treasurer's Department, Code Enforcement office and Municipal Court have found temporary homes to operate out of while City Hall remains closed for the foreseeable future.
As Elkins City Hall remains closed for continued work after a sewage backup incident on Aug. 31 that flooded the building's basement, first floor and the Elkins City Police Department, several of City Hall's public-facing departments will take up residence in temporary locations until further notice.
"We have the critical components of the city ready to go back to work next week, barring some major catastrophe," Elkins City Operations Manager Michael Kesecker said during the City Council special meeting on Wednesday.
Treasurer's Department and Code Enforcement personnel will be moving to a brand-new, rented office space at the West Virginia Wood Technology Center on 10 11th Street sometime next week. It is unclear at this time as to when they will officially be open for in-person operations.
"I do want to publicly thank the Randolph County Development Authority for being so accommodating and willing to work with us," Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco said during the Sept. 11 meeting. "The city understands what we're dealing with, and I really appreciate them being patient and understanding."
During Wednesday's meeting, council passed a resolution to approve the terms of the rental agreement with the RCDA.
The Elkins Municipal Court will be operating out of the Phil Gainer Community Center, located at 142 Robert E Lee Avenue. According to a press release from City Hall, the court will be open Sept. 16 through Sept. 19, and then again on Sept. 23 through Sept. 25, from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The court will not interfere with after-school programming at the Phil Gainer Community Center. City officials ask that any questions or issues regarding the Municipal Court should be directed through email to rharper@cityofelkinswv.com.
Utility bills and in-city fire fees are due Sept. 18. Any utility payments, court payment plans and issue citations can be made by mail, using the drop-off box or by paying online. The City Hall drop-off box is located in the parking lot behind City Hall located at 401 Davis Avenue. It is asked that when dropping off a payment, make sure to include the correct information, as missing information may delay the processing of the payment.
Plans are also in the works to get the Elkins Police Department, the City Clerk's office and Mayor's office moved to a temporary space for in-person operations.
During Wednesday's council meeting, it was proposed that the Police Department would operate out of temporary office trailers adjacent to City Hall. Elkins Police Chief Travis Bennett told council that he had found a company, Triumph Modular in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, that not only had what the city is looking for, but was ready to get the trailers to Elkins as soon as possible. Bennett said officials wanted to have the trailers set up and have the police department fully operational inside them before the Mountain State Forest Festival.
The plan is to rent one 12-by-64 trailer and two 10-by-44 trailers for operations. Bennett suggested that after the Forest Festival, the Clerk's and Mayor's offices could be moved into the two smaller trailers.
The council passed another resolution during the meeting, this time authorizing a contract with Triumph Modular for the office trailers. Triumph Modular is set to be on-site on Monday, Sept. 16.