HUNTINGTON ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” The Huntington City Council will vote Monday on money for pickleball courts at McClelland Park, and possibly Harris Riverfront Park and two Huntington nonprofits.
The funds come from the cityÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s revenue replacement portion of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The allocation will contribute $149,285.58 to upgrade the two tennis courts at McClelland Park and add pickleball court linings to fit the tennis court, said Cory Dennison, ARPA project manager for the City of Huntington. The pickleball upgrades are expected to cost anywhere from $75,000 to $100,000.
The remaining funds will go to a consulting firm that will look at options to increase recreational activities at Harris Riverfront Park. In May 2023, the council approved a resolution to authorize the mayor to enter a contract with Stantec Consulting Services for a feasibility study for Harris Riverfront Park and the Adams Landing area.
Stantec has worked with the City of Huntington since June 2023, and council members heard StantecÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Riverfront ParkÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s master plan in June 2024. The plan includes a covered amphitheater and water-related recreation opportunities.
The U.S. Department of Treasury made changes to the guidelines regarding the revenue replacement portion of ARPA that was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021. All revenue replacement funds must be spent or encumbered by Dec. 31, 2024.
With the additional funds, the city will also consider allocating $200,000 to the Huntington Cabell Wayne Animal Control Shelter for its spay and neuter facility and operating costs. The funds will also be considered to expend $500,000 toward the construction of Huntington City MissionÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s low barrier shelter. Dennison said the shelter will allow for the mission to serve the same number of people it is currently serving but to improve the bathroom, safety and other parts of those buildings.
The council will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23, at the Marshall Health Network Arena in Room 4-5. Street parking and spots in the parking garage will be available.
Other business
The council will hear the first reading of an ordinance that will amend article 1315 of the planning and zoning code to better define accessory data center, data center and micro data center, adding data center/micro data center standards and amend article 1320 permitted uses to add data center and micro data center to the permitted uses chart.
According to a staff report for the ordinance, the changes are to help assist Huntington expand broadband in the city.
The current code does not have specific language for data centers, the report states. The closest equivalent use that the zoning ordinance has is ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œcommunications network facility, headend, or hub,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ which the report said is too broad.
The council will hear the first reading of an ordinance that authorizes a memorandum of understating between the Department of Veterans Affairs on behalf of the Huntington ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Department to provide support to the Hershel ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWoodyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Williams VA Medical Center.
The council will also consider resolutions to furnish labor and materials for roof replacement at the Fairfield East Community Center, authorize a contract to furnish exercise equipment for the new municipal garage and public works complex and enter into a contract to pave the 1800 block of Bungalow Alley.
{div class=ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥OutlineElement Ltr SCXW224966560 BCX8ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥}{p class=ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥Paragraph SCXW224966560 BCX8ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ lang=ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥EN-USÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ xml:lang=ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥EN-USÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥}The council will hear the first reading of five ordinances approving the bond purchase agreement relating to Huntington Sanitary BoardÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s W.Va. 10 collection system project/sanitary extension project, 3rd and 5th avenues project, 4th Street pump station project, 13th Street pump station project and the wastewater treatment plant upgrade/ expansion project.{/div}
The five ordinances were all moved to full council with a favorable recommendation during the Sept. 9 administration and finance meeting where Executive Director Brian Bracey said they will go through city council as well as a public hearing and a supplemental resolution.
The W.Va. 10 extension project and the 3rd and 5th avenue project are out to bid until the first week of October and will begin construction in 2025, Bracey said. The pump station projects and wastewater treatment project is expected to go out to bid in 2025 and construction will begin in late 2025, he said.
The council will hear the second reading of an ordinance to allow a memorandum of understanding to set the terms and understanding between the Huntington ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ DepartmentÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Turn Around Grant program and the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation to allow for the exchange of information for purposes related to re-entering society.
The council will hear the second reading of an ordinance to authorize the mayor to accept the terms of a forgivable loan with the West Virginia Housing Development Fund in the amount of $120,000. The loan will be used for Project Shine, the cityÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s housing rehab program designed to provide assistance in keeping qualifying homes in good repair and compliance with city housing codes. Applications are expected to come out in February or March, if passed.
The council will hear the third reading of an ordinance to allow the Huntington Sanitary Board to take out a bond anticipation note not to exceed $5 million for acquisition of properties relating to its wastewater treatment plant rehabilitation and improvement project and 4th Street and 13th Street pump station projects, as well as the board office.
The ordinance is required to have three readings, a public hearing and a supplemental resolution that will come back before council before the utility takes the bond anticipation note out.
