HUNTINGTON ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” The Cabell County Commission on Thursday allocated $10,000 from a pharmaceutical settlement toward the countyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s planned two-week celebration of AmericaÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s 250th anniversary next year.
The commission approved $10,000 to go toward the countyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s set of events in 2026. The event planning is being led by Commission President Liza Caldwell.
The county received $50,000 from the lawsuit the West Virginia Attorney GeneralÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Office filed against the maker of the cholesterol drug Lipitor. The funds will be transferred to the account the commission has with Foundation for the Tri-State Community, strictly for the purpose of the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œAmerica 250ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ celebration.
Caldwell said she has been working on the celebration for several years. The county is now entering into contracts for promotion of the event, she said.
The celebration will include concerts at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center when it reopens, and different events with Barboursville, Wayne County and the City of Milton. The county will also have a quilt show event that will bridge the 100th anniversary of Black History. The quilt show will highlight the countyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s changes through the years through migration, development and transportation.
The funds from the county will primarily be for promotion of the celebration and of Cabell County. Impact ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ will produce promotional videos.
The settlement is from an antitrust lawsuit against Pfizer Inc. (and related companies) and Ranbaxy Inc. (and related companies). The lawsuit alleged the two companies conspired to delay the introduction onto the market of a cheaper generic version of Lipitor for 20 months. LipitorÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s original patent expired on March 24, 2010.
Community Opportunity Plan
The commission also approved submitting an application to the international city/county management association on behalf of the United Way of the River Cities for the Economic Mobility and Opportunity Technical Support Program through the International City/County Managers Association.
The United Way of the River Cities presented to the commission an outline last month of its Community Opportunity Plan, a grassroots effort to create task forces on three different areas of economic mobility United Way believes are the biggest barriers to the workforce ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” training, affordable child care and reliable transportation ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” said Margaret Mary Layne, owner of Layne Consulting.
Those groups are drawing members from all counties of the United WayÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s footprint for the purpose of taking that input and formulating it into fundable projects, Layne said. There are approximately 140 people signed up for three different taskforces.
The grant would help the organization further the work. The grant needed to be applied for by a governmental entity.
In other business
The commission also opened bids for generators for two Cabell County senior centers. The commission received one bid from McDaniel Electric Co. of Huntington for $164,500 for generators and installation at the CCCSO administrative building and the Bob Bailey Senior Wellness Center.
Tim Hazelett, chief officer of the Cabell-Huntington Health Department, gave a quarterly update for the Cabell County Unsafe Building and Enforcement Agency, of which he is chair. The agency has had 77 reviews to date. Hazelett said Monday marked the agencyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s two-year anniversary.
The commission approved to reappoint all members of the unsafe building enforcement agency, such as Cabell County Chief Deputy Chuck Zerkle; Andrew Fraizer, fire chief of Barboursville Volunteer Fire Department; Hazelett; Mike Ramsey, code enforcement officer of Milton; Mark Buchanan, executive director of the Cabell County Solid Waste Authority; Adam Weible of Prime Engineering; Chad Nelson Cabell County Commission Permit and Planning; and Jimmy Johnston, Cabell County litter control officer.
The commission approved demolition of parcels at 4 Woodrum Lane, West Pea Ridge and 102 Cyrus Creek Road, Barboursville to K&J demolition of $28,500.
The demolition will include asbestos abatement and is an effort to remediate the properties through the countyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s unsafe building enforcement agency.
The commission also reappointed Samuel J. Cutler to the Pea Ridge Public Service District.
