Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Growth topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident warns county growth is straining local hospitals, urges slowdown
Summary
A Martinsburg-area resident told the Berkeley County Commission overcrowding at WVU East and local hospitals has led to extended ER waits and strained schools and roads, and urged the commission to slow residential development.
John A. Kidwell, a Martinsburg resident, told the Berkeley County Commission during the public comment period that local hospitals were overwhelmed and that rapid residential development is stretching county services.
Kidwell said his mother‑in‑law waited two days in an emergency room before receiving a room and described hospital staff treating patients in waiting areas. “They're overwhelmed because we're building too much,” he said. Kidwell also described stressed school systems and road capacity in parts of the county and urged commissioners to “slow it down a little bit” on approving new developments.
Commission members responded in the meeting by clarifying the limits of county authority over some issues Kidwell raised. A commissioner noted that the county “has no authority over WVU East,” and that some matters, including state road control and certain healthcare investments, fall under state agencies or private entities. The commissioner also said a $260 million investment in WVU East had been announced that week but would take two to three years to complete.
Kidwell raised water‑supply concerns specific to Ridge Road and said promised infrastructure work had not yet produced a water tower at that site; a commissioner replied the county recently accepted a bid for a new tower on Ridge Road that staff expect will resolve pressure problems in the area.
Kidwell identified his home address on the record and said he planned to return to future meetings to follow up. The comments occurred during the meeting's public‑comment segment and did not result in an immediate formal action by the commission.
Ending: Commissioners directed some questions to state representatives and county staff about the jurisdictional limits related to roads, water and hospital investments, and staff indicated infrastructure bids were in process for at least one local water tower.
