Putnam in review

The following Putnam County-related news and feature items wereamong those published in recent editions of The Charleston Gazette,Charleston Daily Mail, Saturday Gazette-Mail and Sunday Gazette-Mail:

Furnace explodes, but Scott Depot man escapes injury

A Putnam County homeowner was in the crawlspace of his housetrying to fix his furnace when it exploded last week.

Jim Hanna, of Poplar Fork Road in Scott Depot, made it out withno injuries.

He was in the 3-foot crawlspace when the furnace ignited hispropane heating system and started a small fire.

Hanna said he was bleeding the propane lines and installing a newvalve to fix a home heating problem. "They thought I was trapped,"Hanna said. "The gas line exploded and I took off running."

Hanna managed to put the fire out with a garden hose by the timefirefighters from Teays Valley and Hurricane volunteer firedepartments arrived on scene. There were no reported injuries.

The fire did not spread from the crawlspace to the rest of theresidence, but Hanna said they do not yet know the extent of thedamage.

The family has been told not to enter their home until it can beinspected.

The fire caused traffic to back up near the 400 block of PoplarFork Road around 5 p.m. (Charleston Daily Mail)

Commissioners to pursue more water project funding

In their ongoing effort to extend water service to rural areaswith contaminated water or little or no supply, Putnam Countycommissioners asked engineers to submit a proposal for gatheringdata needed to apply for federal funds.

Construction costs for the next phase of a project near thenorthern county boundary will require an estimated $1.7 million, JimNagy of Terradon Corp. told commissioners on Dec. 9.

He suggested the county apply for federal money, including about$500,000 through the Small Cities Block Grant, a programadministered by the state, and a $1 million Housing and UrbanDevelopment loan. The supplier, West Virginia-American Water Co.,would provide about $200,000.

The proposed project would extend lines from the end of the Jim/Bee Ridge project expected to go to construction in early 2009, toabout 53 Manila Ridge customers.

"It's important to show the need for the project," Nagy said.

That involves testing water samples from homes with wells,establishing income levels and securing signatures on useragreements. West Virginia does not require residents to connect tonew water lines.

The data can be collected by his firm visiting homes, he said. Ora community meeting could be scheduled, at which both agreementswould be available, and sample bottles provided to be filled andleft for pickup at a designated time.

"That's a quick way to get a lot of things done, Nagy said. "Ithink this is doable."

Applications for the federal funds will be required in March andApril, earlier than in the past, he said.

Commissioners Steve Andes and Joe Haynes, with Gary Tillisabsent, made no decision on the mix of funds or method of seekingthe data.

Instead they asked Nagy to prepare a proposal with Terradonhourly charges by Dec. 16, if possible.

Commissioners also asked for information on the possibility ofextending the data collection to the proposed Jim Ridge Phase IIwater extension project, tentatively planned after Manila Ridgework.

Also last week, county administrator Brian Donat said the countybuilding commission, on Dec. 10, secured $4.4 million in bonds at anaverage of 5.2 percent interest.

The bonds, to be repaid at the end of 20 years, will fundconstruction of a two-building complex for county garage, 911,ambulances and other services. Work has started at the site towardthe rear of Courthouse Hill. (Charleston Daily Mail)

State OKs Putnam school projects

A cash infusion from the state will help Putnam County eliminatesome of its portable classrooms.

Students across Putnam, Fayette and Boone counties will benefitfrom more than $1.7 million pledged on Dec. 8 for additions andrenovations to schools in each county.

In all, the state School Building Authority awarded $10.4 millionfor projects in 16 counties. SBA members are allowed to spend up to$1 million on each major improvement project, which are for buildingrenovations and additions.

Putnam County will use nearly $595,000 in state funds to addclassroom space that would replace four portable classrooms atHurricane Town Elementary.

"The growth spurts the Eastern Panhandle is having now, we hadback in the early [1990s]," said Putnam Superintendent ChuckHatfield.

That growth led to a slew of portable, or modular buildings,which lie separate from the main school building. (The CharlestonGazette)

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