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Harrison County meeting spotlights Game Changer funding request as commissioners record mixed votes
Summary
A Game Changer representative requested $30,000 to expand a K–12 drug-prevention program in Harrison County; commissioners recorded at least one "aye" and one "no" on a motion to fund the program, and the agenda included routine approvals, grant applications for body armor and school prevention officers, and an administrator report.
A representative of the Game Changer prevention program asked the Harrison County Commission on Monday for $30,000 to expand the program to two additional schools, saying the county began as a pilot in three schools and now serves 12. "There is not another program that is a K-twelve prevention program that meets the needs of the kids where they are," the representative said, and cited a drop in vaping at Lincoln High School as an example of impact.
The commission then took a motion to fund the request. Unidentified Commissioner 1 moved to approve the $30,000; the exchange recorded at least one "Aye" (Unidentified Commissioner 1) and one "No" (Unidentified Commissioner 2) during the vote. The transcript does not show a formal roll call of every member or a spoken "motion carried" immediately after that vote, though the meeting proceeded to the next agenda item. Later in the meeting Unidentified Commissioner 1 apologized to Game Changers and said the commission had "voted to give you $30,000, and they are reneging on that" and that the commission had previously refused to fund the program twice, a remark that conflicts with the earlier motion and the meeting record.
Commissioners handled several routine business items the same day. They approved an alley-closure request from property owner Scott Hornash after staff confirmed the closure would not affect adjacent lots or utilities. The commission approved amended minutes, vendor lists, ARPA requisitions, and multiple project-fund items.
On grant applications, staff (identified in the meeting as Laura) said the county would apply for a Department of Homeland Security grant to purchase Level 4 ballistic plates for deputies; the plates are intended to stop rifle rounds up to a .30-.06 and the grant requires no local match. Commissioners also voted to apply for the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) to help fund prevention resource officers in Harrison County high and middle schools; staff said the JAG award can be up to $100,000 with up to a 25% local match and that the board of education typically contributes to those positions.
Other approvals included a travel request for Emily Frabella from Harrison County Community Corrections to attend training at West Virginia Northern Community College and acceptance of a Best Friends life-saving initiative grant to support Harrison County Animal Control's placement and retention efforts; staff clarified the grant does not remove the county's authority to euthanize animals when necessary.
In her administrator's report, Laura told commissioners that the Department of Environmental Protection had removed more than 90 tires from the West Fork River along the rail trail and crews planned to continue cleanup efforts.
The meeting ended with an apology from Unidentified Commissioner 1 to Game Changers and a motion to adjourn. The transcript records the funding discussion, recorded votes, and the later contradictory statement from the commissioner about whether the program will receive funding; the commission did not provide an unambiguous, documented final tally of the Game Changer motion in the transcript excerpts provided.
