The newly elected Keyser City Council has a full plate of July meetings, including a July 21 session with the Mineral County Commissioners.
First on the menu, though, are rats, specifically the rodent problem at a vacant, fire-damaged building on South Mineral Street. At 4 p.m. today, the mayor, chief of police, city attorney and building inspector are scheduled to meet with the owner of the property believed to be the source of a rat infestation. The meeting, to be held at City Hall, is open to the public.
Keyser City Administrator Deborah Pamepinto said the property owner, Paula Piehl, has been notified by certified mail of the hearing. She expects either the owner or her attorney to be present to discuss how to proceed with cleanup of the building. Pamepinto said she did not know how the city will proceed if the owner fails to show.
“We’ve never done this before, at least as long as I’ve been here,” said the city administrator, who has worked at City Hall six years. “We’ve never had to go this far (with such a case).”
The council members have also been invited to attend a pre-bid meeting 10 a.m. Friday at City Hall, when the city will solicit bids for a cleanup project on Oak Street.
The new city council members, James Endler, Ed Miller, William “Sonny” Rhodes and Dave Sowers, actually began their round of meetings Monday night, when Mayor Glen “Bunk” Shumaker briefed them on a variety of issues facing city government, including the status of the water treatment plant near the swimming pool. Dating to the 1930s, the plant is in need of renovation, but the mayor said securing state funding remains the major hurdle.
“They say ‘We’ll do what we can for you’,” he said. “You know how that goes.”
Shumaker noted that the issue of water quality remains critical. Should the West Virginia Department of  Environmental Protection discover problems with water treatment or sewage treatment, the fines can reach to the “umpteen thousands,” the mayor said.
Commenting on a recent proposal by the Keyser Rescue Squad to become an agency of city government, with squad members made city employees, Shumaker said the city cannot afford to take on that financial obligation. He noted that the fire department would likely be next in line, seeking the same thing.
“We won’t see it, but we will have to have a paid fire department someday,” Shumaker said, noting a decline in the ranks of volunteer firefighters.
The July 21 meeting with the Mineral County Commissioners will be held at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall. Shumaker described the meeting as a “get-to-know-you” session where the commissioners can meet the four new council members and discuss city/county issues. That meeting is also open to the public.
The Council will meet in regular session on July 14 and July 28, with both meetings to begin at 4 p.m.