Your Towns: Belle's police investigation; budget updates for Chesapeake, Dunbar

Belle

• Belle police chief Robert Glenn has been placed on administrative leave. He was hired in January 2017 when Darrick Cox, the former chief, was terminated after also being put under federal investigation. Neither Mayor David Fletcher nor the FBI's Pittsburgh's field office disclosed anything about the case. "Our [police] coverage for the time being is all on night shift," Fletcher said. "The daytime is being handled by the Kanawha County Sheriff's [Office] and the West Virginia State Police."
• Blake Wheeler, who has created many murals throughout West Virginia, just finished one in Belle. The 11-by-50-foot painting was created on poly tab — a non-woven fabric that is painted in the studio and then permanently installed with a gel medium. The painting depicts landmarks from the area, including the DuPont chemical plant, the Old Stone House and the Veterans' Memorial.
  

Cedar Grove

• The town hosts bingo every Friday night at the Community Center. The doors open at 3:30 p.m., and games start at 6 p.m. Concessions will be available.
• The town Easter Egg Hunt will be held at noon on April 12 at Cedar Grove Park on East Ward Street.
• A summer bash will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 21 at the Kanawha Central Little League fields, 604 Alexander St.

Chesapeake

• The town unveiled its proposed FY 2026 budget at a March 27 town council meeting. Residents expressed concern during a public comment period that Mayor Melissa Hill was trying to pass a levy forcing residents to pay monthly fees for police protection. At the meeting, Hill reviewed the budget line by line. Including grants, the town's projected budget revenue is $1 million for FY 2026, which Hill said would be the largest in the town's history.
• Residents attended recent public meetings to voice their concerns about having no local law enforcement and no response from Kanawha County Sheriff's Office. Hill provided an example levy to the town on March 24 demonstrating the potential costs the town would incur to recoup for expanded police coverage. Hill said 911 calls do not receive service necessarily in the order they are received. Responses may be handled in an order of importance, which could be why residents perceive slower response times. The budget includes $140,000 to start the process of hiring and training officers, including one prospective officer currently projected to graduate from the police academy and start this summer.
• Hill said she has also recently worked with two entities to enhance security in town. The Kanawha Board of Education has stationed a security officer to be shared between Chesapeake Elementary and two other UKV elementary schools. "The kids already know [the officer] and what he does. They are very comfortable already," Hill said. The mayor also spoke with the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office to secure part-time deputy contracts to cover the town on Fridays and Saturdays for about $4,000 per month.

Dunbar

• Mayor Scott Elliott reported at least 575 people attended the city's annual Critter Dinner on March 8. He said visitors brought over 500 cans of food and raised $2,500 for the food pantry.
  
• City officials also cut the ribbon on March 19 on the renovated Dunbar baseball field. The field was built about 65 years ago, but Elliott said it hasn't been used much in the past decade. The city spent $30,000 to renovate it for the Dunbar Junior High School baseball team. Most of this funding came from a donation from the Dunbar Athletic Boosters. 
• The City of Dunbar is teaming up with the ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Area Alliance to find a new tenant for 9 Fletcher Square. Joann Fabrics is closing its store at that location.
  
• The council voted to accept bids to fix a mold problem at Dunbar Fire Station #2, 2022 Roxalana Road.
• At the March 17 city council meeting, Police Chief John Garten reported 18 arrests and 61 citations written since March 3.
• At that same meeting, Fire Chief Jason Burger said he was frustrated by what he called a lack of support from council. He said he was not consulted about his fire department's needs for the upcoming budget and claimed council members laughed at his request to hire three more firefighters during the March 17 finance meeting. "I hear we don't have the money, and then I hear we're supposed to carry over $600,000 [in the budget]. We have the money," Burger said. "When you have to bury someone in a line of duty death, come talk to me about money. This is infuriating." Doug Fleshman, the finance chair, said the fire chief did not make a formal request, only a verbal one, which is why the request was not part of the FY 2026 budget.

Nitro

• Nitro City Planner Kim Reed said the pickleball enclosure at Nitro Athletic Complex now has a complete steel frame. Park Avenue has reopened, and the canopy is currently being installed over the structure. "Once the crew wraps up — expected by Saturday — electrical work will begin, followed by final touches like fencing and court resurfacing," Reed said in a written statement. "We’re still on track for a May 1 grand opening, just in time for tournament season!"
• To support ongoing recreational growth, the city has submitted an application under the Tourism Development Act, which was passed in 2004, aiming to reinvest tourism-generated revenue into long-term park and facility improvements. Reed indicated the program was created to promote new and expanding tourism projects that help grow local economies and create jobs. If approved, it would allow the city to recover up to 25–35% of the project’s investment through sales tax credits over a 10-year period. 
  
• The Walker Street stormwater project infrastructure improvements are underway. The newly created Nitro Stormwater Utility Board will guide this project and future infrastructure improvements and funding.
• According to Reed, the Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan's demolition phase is nearly complete, with only three structures remaining to be torn down. This initiative is funded by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. Rodney Loftis & Son Contractors will finish work in Nitro by the end of April.
  
• The Nitro Land Reuse Authority, whose mission is to make non-revenue generating, non-tax producing property useful, has four commercial lots for sale along First Avenue.
  

Pratt

• At its March 20 meeting, the Kanawha County Board of Education voted to give the town of Pratt the property where the former Pratt Elementary School gymnasium once stood. The gym, which was built in the 1930s, was torn down last fall. On March 3, Pratt Mayor Andy Williams reported to the board that Pratt wants to be included in a part of the trail system that the ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Area Alliance is developing throughout the Upper Kanawha Valley. Williams said the land could also be used to create tennis courts and a staging area for festivals and gatherings. "The eastern end of the Kanawha Valley has very little going on," he said. "This piece of property would give us a big jump ahead ... We are a town with a lot of pride, but we just don’t have much money." Kanawha County Board Member Tracy White said, "I think that we have seen this type of thing in other areas like Clendenin and Nitro. I think if we can help our communities and enrich our kids’ bodies, then it absolutely bleeds into their education, and I’m all for that."
  

St. Albans

• Mayor Scott James went on a three-day trip to Washington, D.C. as president of the West Virginia Municipal League. He met with all of West Virginia's U.S. senators, except for Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., to talk about issues that are important for cities. He said there's still a couple of bills to watch, including Senate Bill 50, which would require municipalities to hold their elections on the same days as the national elections. While St. Albans has done this since 2020 (and saved thousands of dollars because of it), James said he understands reservations from naysayers. "One, does the legislature need to be dictating to municipalities when they can have their elections? Two, there's going to be districting problems because they won't match up," James said.  
  
• 63 Main Events is open for business and located at 63 Olde Main Plaza. This event center can be rented for parties, business events and other occasions.
  
• The 11th Annual Walk on the Wild Side Nature Walk will be held on April 12 at St. Albans City Park Nature Trail, 931 Observatory Drive. There will be guided nature hikes, interactive displays and hands-on activities and live demonstrations showcasing pioneer skills like wild food gathering, natural remedies, salt making, timbering and maple syrup production.
  
• There will be two Easter egg hunts this year, both held at City Park. The flashlight Easter egg hunt for teens will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. on April 18. Bring your own flashlight. April 19 is the regular Easter egg hunt. 

• "Sister Act: The Musical" is coming to the Alban Arts Center, 65 Olde Main Plaza, on April 4 from 8 to 10 p.m. This musical comedy is based on the 1992 film. When discussing the upcoming classic movie series at the Alban, which will show "City Lights" and "Citizen Kane," James recalled his childhood attending movies at the theater, saying, "On Saturdays when I was a kid, mom would give us a dollar ... We'd get us a popcorn and coke and have a quarter left over."
  

South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä

• South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Mayor Frank Mullens said the new Park Place shopping center will be home to Chipotle — a nationally franchised Mexican restaurant — and Skechers, which sells footwear and athletic apparel. These businesses will join ²Ñ±ð²Ô²¹°ù»å’s, Kroger, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A and Mission BBQ at the shopping center, which is expected to contain more than 20 stores when it's complete. Mullens said he hopes to see Park Place operating stores early next year.

• The South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Farmers Market is under construction with a planned opening on May 10. Mullens said the goal of this market is to operate daily until 7 p.m. so folks can come after work. "We're also going to allow smaller vendors, like crafters, to really shine," Mullens said. "There will be something for everybody." After its initial start and any bumps in the road are smoothed out, he said he hopes the farmers market will also be home to live music and events for the community. There will also be river access on the river side of the market.  
• The annual Easter egg hunt will take place at 1 p.m. April 19 at Joplin Park, 2034 Rosemont Ave. 

• The Easter Bunny is coming to South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä neighborhoods, beginning at 5 p.m., from April 14-16. Details about the neighborhoods he'll visit can be found at bit.ly/WVEaster25.