CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — The Harrison County Commission is entertaining the idea of continuing a program that helps remove neglected properties that are past the point of repair.
“Throughout Harrison County we have a lot of dilapidated, uninhabited houses that probably need to be demolished,” Ron Watson, commission president said. “Part of the issue is people don’t have the money. They may be from out of state or what have you. We thought that we would intact the loan program again.”
The Demolition Loan Program works by offering financial assistance to those who own the properties in question and who meet certain criteria, such as being located within the county but not a municipality.
Watson explained that the program takes a different approach than the demolition programs in the bigger cities within the county.
“We’re not proactive, we’re actually reactive,” he said. “We’re not going out and looking for these places, they come to us, and they usually come to us by neighborhood complaints.”
The program has been a success in the past and Watson anticipates it will continue to be if they initiate it, which brings up his only concern.
“We’ve probably got more places and more people that would apply for these loans than we will have money.”
County Administrator Willie Parker told the commission that in this situation, they would either end the program for the fiscal year after the allotted money was used up or the commission could allocate further funds toward the project.
A unanimous vote Thursday approved the draft of the ordinance on first reading, but before the second and then final readings, the commission wanted to schedule a public hearing on the matter.
“I would think it would be within the next couple of weeks,” Watson said. “It’s something we’ll move on.”
The public hearing will be set at a later date.