Held from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Bank of Glen Jean at 23 County Route 25/9 directly across the road from Park Headquarters in the Glen Jean area of Fayette County, the meeting will discuss the project to remove excess structures. It will address deferred maintenance needs, as well as allowing community members to give comments during the event on provided cards.

Information about the project will be displayed at the meeting, and park staff will be available to answer questions and listen to comments from the public. At this time the project is in the early proposal stage, and suggestions and comments are appreciated as the planning process moves forward.

A chance to give comments and learn more can be found on the NPS planning website until January 15, 2024 for anyone who cannot go to the public meeting.

Ciliberti, Jr. said that he is a good fit for this position since he has served the citizens of Fayette County for over three years as Prosecuting Attorney and wants to continue to extend his services and accomplishments to the community.

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According to a statement from the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, deputies responded to a motor vehicle crash on WV Rt 612, after being alerted by the driver's phone of the apparent crash after midnight.

When deputies arrived, they found the driver unharmed and some damaged DOH property. Deputies also found the driver to have a revoked license, and discovered that he was on federal parole for narcotics distribution.

A deeper investigation led to a K9 search of the vehicle, where they found a bag of marijuana and two bags of suspected fentanyl.

Leon Smith Jr., 43 year-old of Beckley, was charged with the felony offense of Possession with Intent to Distribute Narcotics, and misdemeanor offenses of driving revoked DUI, failure to maintain control and no proof of insurance.

Smith was transported to Southern Regional Jail pending further court proceedings.

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Unfortunately, time has a way of wearing things down, and many of the houses are in need of repair. Most are owned by the National Park Service, who are hosting a public meeting regarding the fate of these houses in January.

Chad McCune, Thurmond resident and town recorder and treasurer, says they want to keep the town strong and proud. "Just, you know, we kind of work to try to keep things together to try to keep the town going. We're the smallest incorporated town in West Virginia. We're proud to have that charter, we're down to four residents, but we wanna try to hang onto the charter and not lose that because that's kind of special. When we tell people we're from Thurmond, people from around the state usually can recognize that. They know where Thurmond is or they've heard of it."

Of the 35 structures to be discussed at the meeting, 12 are within Thurmond city limits, 2 are adjacent to the town, and four sit at the Dun Glen Day Use area across the river.

McCune says there are still options available to save the town. "We want to preserve the town and these structures, and to not basically, you know, look at demolishing them; to create another option to where they could concession out these buildings to...to folks that are interested in rehabing'em and using those as a place to come to and to be part of town. To help grow town and...and make it... to kind of breathe some life back into town a little more."

My time in Thurmond was eye-opening. An entire town reduced to just four people, four people who are so selflessly and painstakingly preserving the buildings they can and hoping that the others can be saved as well.

The public meeting will be held Thursday, January 11^th at the Bank of Glen Jean in Glen Jean across from the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve Headquarters. The meeting begins at 3:30 in the afternoon.

On December 6, 2023, 37-year-old Willie Copley plead guilty and was sentenced to two to ten years in prison for the felony crime of malicious assault.

Copley must serve a minimum of two years in prison consecutively to his current sentence that he is currently serving from Wayne County for first degree murder and robbery, before being eligible for parole.

On December 12, 2023, 43-year-old Benjamin Marcum plead guilty and was sentenced to two to ten years in prison for the felony crime of malicious assault.

Before becoming eligible for parole, Marcum will need to spend a minimum of two more years in prison that will be served consecutively to the sentence he is currently serving from Wayne County for robbery.

Copley and Marcum attacked a fellow inmate on November 10, 2020 when they were in prison at the Mount Olive Correctional Complex in Mount Olive, Fayette County, where they proceeded to beat and kick the other inmate in the head. The victim was treated for multiple broken facial bones, after being life-flighted to the Charleston Area Medical Center.

33-year-old Robert T. Williams, of Belva, was sentenced to up to ten years in prison for the felony offense of grand larceny.

A call of a person breaking and entering was reported at the Comac gas station/convenience store located in Fayetteville, West Virginia on May 21, 2023. The Fayette County Sheriff's Office Detective Bureau investigated the incident and discovered that Williams broke the glass on the front door and entered the store, where he then stole three cases of lottery tickets which were valued at more than $5,000.

Once law enforcement arrived on scene, they were told that Williams had fled the scene after loosing his car keys in the store. Williams was then arrested after he was seen walking along U.S. Route 19. Williams was ordered to pay restitution to the victim for the broken door, and the stolen lottery tickets were recovered.

According to Sheriff Mike Fridley, on the evening of December 21, 2023 deputies responded to a burglary. When deputies arrived to the scene, they were told that a home, three separate garages, and three gun safes within the home had been broken into.

Thousands of dollars in property was allegedly stolen from the home, including a 1981 red Corvette.

The Fayette County Sheriff's Department urges anyone sees the vehicle or who has any information to immediately contact them at 304-574-3590. You can also contact Crime Stoppers of West Virginia at 304-255-STOP.

This incident remains under investigation.

45-year-old James K. Chapman, of Mt. Carbon, was sentenced on November 13, 2023 to a ten year determinate sentence for the felony offense of conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine.

Chapman plead guilty on September 1, 2023 and will need to serve two and a half years in prison before becoming eligible for parole. Chapman's sentence was ordered to run consecutive to his prison sentence from a different case in Fayette County.

An Oak Hill Police Officer held a traffic stop of a car on November 21, 2022 on Route 19 during a routine patrol where the car reportedly smelled of marijuana. After the driver allowed a search of the car, the officer found suspected methamphetamine and heroin inside the car. Laboratory testing revealed that 104 grams of methamphetamine and 3.5 grams of fentanyl were seized by the officers.

The Oak Hill Police Department investigated the crime, and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Amy McLaughlin prosecuted the case.

With the grant funding, the Fayette County Commission will be able to inspect and evaluate the property owner's land at no cost, and see if the old structure qualifies for demolition.

Anyone that owns land with a deteriorating building or other structure and are interested in the grant, can print, fill in, and send the consent form to Angela Gerald, Zoning Officer, at angela.gerald@fayettecountywv.gov. Questions regarding the program can be sent to her at 304-574-4320.

However, submitting the form does not promise that the chosen structure on the property will be destroyed. The form can be found below.

The public is invited by the National Park Service (NPS) and the proposal is a part of a bigger project in the park that is funded by the Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund and will focus on restoring historic structures, address deferred maintenance needs, educe unnecessary operational costs and maintenance burdens, and invest in park infrastructure.

The meeting will be at Bank of Glen Jean at 23 County Route 25/9 in Mt Hope from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 11, 2024, and information will be given relating to the proposal to demolish 35 excess and deteriorating structures. Of the 35, 21 are considered historic and are listed or eligible to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

For anyone who cannot attend the public meeting, additional information and materials can be found on the National Park Service planning website until January 15, 2024.

Removing dangerous structures, proper disposal of associated building debris, and restoring the sites to where they are in the proper conditions with the surrounding areas are all a part of the NPS proposal. Influences relating to the removal of these buildings from the park will be evaluated through the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act compliance processes.

The NPS acquired many of the buildings and structures through land acquisition within established park boundaries. A lot of them were not planned to be reused by the National Park Service and are currently dilapidated, overgrown, and abandoned safety hazards that are at risk of trespassing, vandalism, and are difficult to maintain. Getting rid of the unneeded structures would allow maintenance needs to be taken care of, and would also get rid of yearly maintenance and law enforcement costs, which would then give staff members time to focus their attention and financial resources on maintaining other resources and facilities so that they can be enjoyed by park visitors.

Structures that are being considered for demolition include:

The National Park Service hopes to complete the cultural and environmental review process for the project midway through 2024, with the aim to execute the demolitions as early as fall 2024.

The Great American Outdoors Act is part of a focused effort to address the major backlog in maintenance in national parks. The fund is supported by energy development revenue and provides up to $1.3 billion per year for five years to the National Park Service so that significant enhancements in national parks to ensure their preservation, opportunities are provided for recreation, education, and enjoyment for current and future visitors can be made.