BY SHAY SEAGO, Staff Writer
New Martinsville City Council carried a motion Monday night for a request from the New Martinsville Police Department to allow Rick and Friend Estep to apply for a National Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Grant. The grant will help establish a task force based in New Martinsville that will be for the entire state of West Virginia. Money from the grant will not only pay for the Internet operations, but also salaries, equipment, etc. The Wetzel County Sheriff’s Department, prosecuting attorney, and the Paden City Police Department will be involved with the NMPD for this task force. The program will be manned by Rick and Friend Estep. Grant money must be spent within 18 months, and at the end of the 18 months an evaluation of what the task force completed will be conducted so the program will be able to continue and more money will be brought in after the 18-month period. At this time, there are 45 states in the country that have this task force.
In another matter, city council opened bids Monday night in reference to the FEMA buyout project asbestos removal and demolition.
The three bids that were opened were Jim Klug Excavating for $75,026, Littman Excavating Excavating, Inc. for a total of $99,899 and Howell Construction and Excavating, Inc. for $89,000. These bids will be taken to FEMA for review and a decision will be made at the next council meeting.
City Councilman Steve Pallisco gave an update on the Riverfront Development Committee’s progress. He said the Chamber of Commerce has made a commitment to work with the committee. He also said that Thursday night’s tourism meeting brought forth a lot of great ideas and concerns. He said the committee is pursuing foundation grants and will continue to do so.