Vol. VI No.6
April 10, 1990
From the Greenbrier
Valley of West Virginia
.g Home Permit
:ed In Pocahontas
Lght
$2 million nursing
moved closer to
with the re-activa-
of need for the
option secured on
on U. S. 219 north
is being followed
aocahontas Memorial
Marlinton, which could
admissions a year from
home, according to ad-
Howard Ellis. That
JId help compensate for
Over 80 admissions a
benmar State Hospital,
June 30.
rtificate of need for the
filed with the West
Care Cost Review
put on hold three
feel the time is right
Charleston health
Bill Crouch said. Mr
a group of three
developers who are
oct.
in locating the facil-
is to keep the resi-
Denmar Hospital in the
to their families," Mr
"We anticipate a staff
and we intend to em-
said the proposed
the east side of U. S.
distance north of
all legal requirements
a timely fashion, the
to begin construction
Very pleased with the
assistance, and en-
We're already received
and Marlinton in getting
the proposal moving along. Poca-
hontas Memorial Hospital has been
helpful, too. We intend to contract
with them for a number of medical
services we will need."
In the meantime, plans for a new
Pocahontas Memorial Hospital are
still going "full blast," according to
administrator Howard Ellis. A $4.2
million 27-bed facility is planned for
a 40-acre site adjacent to Marlinton
Middle School in Beard Heights, one
mile south of Marlinton on U. S. 219.
Compensation for the lost reve-
nue expected from Denmar's closing
must be shown in a feasibility study
currently being developed for the
hospital, Mr Ellis explained.
Marketing and planning consult-
ant John Moore of Saint Louis has
begun work to determine what addi-
tional services the hospital can offer
to increase operating funds. Mr
Moore works with Campbell Facili-
ties Group, which is doing the archi-
tectural and engineering work for
the new facility.
"Through r eeting with various
people throughout the community,
Mr Moore hopes to get a good
handle on what we need to be offer-
ing here," Mr Ellis said. It looks at
this time as if we will begin to offer
ambulatory surgery sometime soon.
A surgeon we have contacted has
expressed interest in providing that
service for us. We will also probably
develop some services in physical
therapy, and we are investigating
other areas of need, too.
In spite of the anticipated 20 per
cent loss of admissions resulting
from the Denmar closing, the hospi-
tal can continue to rely on admission
from Marlinton's Pocahontas Con-
See "Hillsboro", pg. 2-A
of Commissioners:
Persons attended the
of the Ronceverte
many re-
an local radio an-
commissioners
~urate.
on WKCJ in-
citizens" to at-
:ing at the Ronceverte
reference to a six-
icipal increase to be
state, which will be
in June." A representa-
did not reveal the
le person or persons
information for the
meeting Virgil
he Ronceverte Mer-
ation suggested a six-
increase
Pal fees" to provide
for city services. A fi-
nance committee was appointed to
look into generating more revenue
for the town, but no report has yet
been received from the group.
At a special meeting March 19,
the Board of Commissioners voted
to increase the municipal fee by $3
per month for both residential and
business customers. The measure
passed on second reading at the
April 3 meeting.
A group opposed to the increase
is circulating a petition against it.
According to City Recorder Susan
White, a petition signed by 30 per-
cent of the city's qualified voters
must be filed no later than 15 days
after April 10 for the matter to be
decided by voters during the June
10 municipal elections.
Amy Morrison, a member of the
group opposing the fee increase,
said 235 persons have already
See "Ronceverte", pg. 2-A
rier West
,S
;~i¸¸
An operation which recycles paint
and lacquer solvents is being pro-
posed for Rainelle's former Bowman
Bulk Plant by two Virginia Tech
graduates.
Chemical engineers Brecc Avel-
lar of Blacksburg, Virginia, and Erick
Greanleaf of Covington, Virginia,
contacted the Rainelle Town Coun-
cil in March concerning their pro-
posal. The two plan to meet with the
Council in May or June to discuss
their proposal in more detail.
The plant would serve industries
which use paint and lacquer thin-
ners, removing impurities from the
used liquids and transporting it back
to the industries. "There are already
firms doing this all over the country,
but I don't know of any in West Vir-
ginia at this time," Mr Avellar said in
a recent telephone interview. "A lot
of them serve large industries--we
hope to focus on smaller ones. As
our revenue increases we would
branch out to larger ones."
The now-closed Bowman Bulk
Plant, on Route 20 approximately
one-half mile south of town, oper-
ated from 1943 to 1980 as a dis-
tributor of Gulf Oil Products. The
owner gave it to the city in 1989. Mr
Avellar said he and his partner
would either purchase or lease the
Notice!
No More On
Tuesdays:
To Serve You Better
Mountain Messenger
Will Now Be
Published
Every Thursday
Starting April 19
Watch Us Grow!
Rowan Home
M had att, Lewisburg
~i~.., ~ . ................ plant from the city.
,~ ':~.~, .: ' "Our major hurdle at this time is
..... ~ .................the requirement we obtain a hazard-
~ ous waste permit," Mr Avellar said,
......... ............ This involves geological studies a
Legislation granting the authority
to the Department of Health and
Human Resources to close, sell or
lease certain health care facilities
passed and signed by the governor
has brought concerns from citizens,
businesses and community leaders
of Monroe County about the fate of
Andrew S. Rowan Memorial Home
acco"t'ding to Delegate Mary P.
Compton (D-Monroe).
"1 would like to review what is
happening in relation to Andrew S.
Rowan Memorial Home," Mrs
Compton said. "The governor signed
HB 4344, referred to as the Facilities
Management bill, March 13. I op-
posed that measure based on my
concern for the residents and em-
ployees as well as the great histori-
cal significance of the building."
Mrs Compton said there have
been many rumors afloat regarding
the fate of the home. "In an effort to
share the facts with those con-
cerned, t would like to point out
some developments related to the
sale or lease of Andrew S. Rowan."
"The Monroe County Commis-
sion has expressed an interest in
See "Rowan", pg. 2-A
~j!ii~ii~,¸ ~ ;~
0
at Greenbrler West High School got a $1,00
Rupert Woman's Club. President Evelyn Hinkle (left)
check to Kaye Burkholder (center), chairman of the
Shafer, treasurer of the Woman's Club stands by,
in the bank.
Omen's Club held a turkey dinner April 1 at the Corn-
wish to thank all their friends who attended
Rainelle, Lewisburg and surrounding areas.
town evacuation plan, and a lot of
other details we just can't afford--
and things we feel are inappropriate
for our type of operation. We would
be handling less volume of flam-
mable materials than the average
busy gas station. We plan to handle
ethanol, methanol, and other paint
solvents. We'll certainly will be tak-
ing all required safety measures--
and actually go beyond those."
Mr Avellar and Mr Greanleaf.
whose business organization is
known as Highland Processing
Company, will petition the Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA) for
an exemption from the hazardous
waste permit requirement. They will
also address the concerns of air and
water pollution control boards. "We
would have virtually no air emis-
sions, and, as far as water is con-
cerned, we would dispose only what
is used for cooling, in addition to the
normal sewage released from any
business."
The recycling procedure starts,
according to Mr Avetlar, as workers
bring in the used solvents from
painting, furniture work, and metal
work. They are shipped by trucks in
drums or tankers and put directly
into a container where they are
boiled. That procedure separates
the solvent from thesludge; the sol-
vent is driven into a condenser and
recovered as a clean, clear liquid.
The sludge, made up mainly of
metal shavings and paint, is taken in
drums to a hazardous waste dis-
posal plant and burned there.
The company plans to market its
services to West Virginia and south-
we3tern Virginia. After getting all le-
gal permits necessary to begin work,
the plant could be operational within
ten months, Mr Avellar said. From
ten to fifteen persons would be em-
ployed the first year, he said, with
more to be added as the business
grows.
When asked why he chose
Rainelle as a potential site for his
proposed recycling operation, Mr
Avettar said, "1 like the area a lot and
have visited there quite a few times.
In talking with the Economic Devel-
opment Authority in FebrUary we
became aware of the site in
See "Ralnelle", Pg. 2-A
Inside Today
About Herbs ...................... 6A
Agriculture ........................ 6A
Briefly ................................ 2A
Church Bulletin ............ 4&5B
Classified .......................... 7D
For the Record ...... , ........... 3A
From the Mayor's Desk .... 5A
Garden Patch .................... 3C
Hand in Hand ............... ,..,.7B
Home Accent ............. ..,,.7B
.Inside Late Night Radio ...8D
Obituaries ........ ; ................. 7A
Opinion ...................... , ....... 4A
Roberta ....................... : ...... 6 B
Saints ................................. 1 B
Sports ................................ 1 D
i , ii ,i
Ronceverte About 1910
Hitch Up Old Dobbin--Let's Head To Town
Do you know these ladles? They stopped on Monroe Avenue, near P. Heiskell Smith's home and store, in
Ronceverte. From the look of their clothing end their transportation, the picture appears to have been
taken sometime during the first decade of this century.
Mrs Paul Yates of Ronceverte loaned us this picture. If you know who the ladles are, please write the
Mountain Messenger, 122 North Court Street, Lewisbur .
