(Photo by Gwen Sauer) Elisha Sebold will discuss Parkersburg’s first stigma reduction proposal at Tuesday night’s Parkersburg City Council meeting.
PARKERSBURG — The Parkersburg City Council confirmed that a new 47,000-square-foot recreation center will be built on the City Park Pavilion property by a companion resolution at Tuesday night’s regular meeting.
The resolution, added to an ordinance approved in August, would direct the City Building Commission to provide up to $15 million to fund construction and equipment for the planned recreation center and replacement facility for Fire Station No. 3. Authorizes the government to issue revenue bonds in the amount of US dollars. A fee is paid and the payment is applied to repay the revenue bond.
A companion resolution identified the assets to be transferred to the commission: the pavilion site and land in the 700 block of Bryant Street that the city recently purchased from nearby Seventh Street United Methodist Church for a fire department.
The resolution passed 8-1, with Councilman J.R. Carpenter dissenting and Councilman Chris Rexrode participating by phone.
Before the vote, Carpenter said there was no difference between the new resolution and the one passed by the ordinance board, except that the bonds to be issued were not specified in the ordinance.
(Photo by Gwen Sauer) Parkersburg resident Dan Stevens will discuss the “glass half-full” mentality for a new recreation center slated to be built in a city park during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
Bond Law Counsel John Stumpf noted the differences between the by-law and the original ordinance.
“The ordinance stipulates that before actually moving forward with the bond issue, it must go back to the city council and ask for a supplementary resolution,” he said. “The main reason for that is that the ordinance itself authorizes no more than $15 million.”
Stamp said the ordinance was enacted before the city received bids for the project, and the actual amount needed was expected to be less than $15 million. But instead, he said, the full amount would be needed.
“(I) didn’t know how much we were going to get paid in the bond issue, so I said once we had a positive bid in hand, we would come back here with a side resolution,” Stamp said. Property restrictions are attached so the specific location of the facility is noted.
During the public forum portion, several people agreed that the recreation center’s location within Parkersburg City Park would be an asset to the community.
(Photo by Art Smith) People walk in front of the pavilion at Parkersburg City Park on Tuesday. The pavilion will soon be demolished to make way for a 47,000 square foot recreation center.
“There’s been a lot of planning and revision, and the entire project has been…funded in a financially sound manner,” Parkersburg resident Dan Stevens said. I’m excited about this project, and as a citizen, taxpayer, and landowner who loves this city, now is the time to move forward. ”
At the park Wednesday, Vincent resident Kim Pepper said goodbye to the pavilion.
“I grew up in Florida, and I would sometimes visit my grandparents who lived here,” Pepper said. Do fun activities and stay out of trouble. ”
With the passing of this resolution, the nearly 100-year-old facility will be demolished. Mayor Tom Joyce said stored items will be removed from the building and Jimmy Harper Construction employees will be at the facility Tuesday and Wednesday preparing for demolition, although a specific date has not been announced. It is expected to begin soon, he said.
Also at the public forum, two Parkersburg Primary Stigma Reduction stakeholders spoke to raise awareness of harm reduction resources in the Mid-Ohio Valley. First Stigma Reduction of Parkersburg is a nonprofit organization that aims to “cleanse the community,” said Elisha Siebold.
“Our mission is to provide non-judgmental support and harm reduction services, education and resources to those struggling with addiction and promote long-term recovery within our community,” she said.
Within the first month of the group’s creation, Sebold said, events called “Save-A-Life Days” were held and test trips of Narcan and fentanyl were distributed to the community. Additionally, we provided 90 meals along with Narcan kits to families in need. First Stigma Reduction of Parkersburg also works with recovery facilities and treatment centers to build support networks for people in recovery, and has referred two people to treatment services for substance use problems. I was able to. Siebold and Sarah Smith said they attended the meeting to emphasize the need to receive funding and support from the city to continue their mission of supporting the community. More information about Parkersburg’s First Stigma Reduction is available by email at parkersburgstigmareduction@gmail.com or on Facebook.
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