By Greg Jordan
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
PRINCETON, W.Va.— Fire engines and firefighting equipment, sewer infrastructure, public park improvements, new voting machines and new quarters for the sheriff’s department are among the ways Mercer County has used and continues to use over $11 million in American Rescue Plan money.
In 2021, Mercer County was awarded $11.4 million from the federal COVID-19 Stimulus Package, also known as the American Rescue Plan. Since that time, the Mercer County Commission has awarded American Rescue Plan grants for projects ranging from new equipment for volunteer fire departments to expanding the quarters of the Children’s Home Society near Princeton.
The county commission had two American Rescue Plan check presentations on its July meeting agenda Tuesday, but representatives of both recipients did not attend. The checks will be mailed to them.
The Bluefield Sanitary Board was awarded a $20,000 American Rescue Plan grant to replace a failing pump station and the Development Authority of Mercer County was awarded $65,000 to pay for an engineering study on bringing water service to the Camp Creek area.
“Those were the last ones we’re going to address that way,” Commission President Bill Archer said. “We still have to acquire the building next door for the sheriff’s department.”
In March, the county commission approved a $1.75 million American Rescue Plan grant for buying the Mercer County Professional Building. Located across from the Mercer County Courthouse, the plan is to convert it into new quarters for the sheriff’s department.
The Mercer County Sheriff’s Department is currently located in the courthouse’s basement. Chief Deputy A.P. Christian told the commission when the grant was approved that the department’s current quarters did not have enough rooms for meetings or space for expansion. The new building offers enough space for offices and a holding cell to keep inmates secure until they appear in court for their scheduled hearings. The building has a parking lot, too, so sheriff’s cruisers will not have to park next to the courthouse.
Archer said the remaining American Rescue Plan funds will be used for purchasing the professional building and renovating it for the sheriff’s department. The commission has stopped taking grant applications.
The rescue plan funding has been spread to entities across the county, he said.
“The fire departments received much-needed equipment. We provided additional grants to the sewer program over in Bluefield and, more recently, to a similar upgrade of a sewer line in Princeton,” Archer said. “Just several really worthwhile initiatives and, of course, being able to make improvements at Glenwood Park that will pay dividends in the future.”
Improvements at Glenwood Recreation Park that were paid for with American Rescue Plan money include a new amphitheater, new pickleball courts and resurfacing a basketball court and tennis court. The funding helped the county purchase 162 new voting machines which were used during the May Primary Election.
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