(Photo by Brett Dunlap) A group of around 20 citizens appeared before the Wood County Commission on Thursday to voice their displeasure and concerns relating to the new Wood County Resiliency Center, saying it was a waste of money to build and it wasn’t being used for the purposes they said elected officials claimed it was built for.

PARKERSBURG — With claims of it being a “White Elephant” and a waste of public money a group of residents voiced their objections Thursday with the new Wood County Resiliency Center.

A group of around 20 citizens appeared before the Wood County Commission on Thursday to voice their displeasure and concerns relating to the new the center, saying it was a waste of money to build and it wasn’t being used for the purposes they said elected officials claimed it was built for.

The building, which will cost over $13 million, was funded through American Recovery Plan Act funds. It addresses issues the county had during the pandemic and will be able to handle other concerns. The building was built on the site of the former Wood County Jail.

People pointed to quotes from Commission President Blair Couch in the media over the last few years saying the facility could be used as a warming station or a temporary shelter in times of need. People brought up the cold single-digit temperatures last week and how those were a danger to the people out in the cold. It could have also been used as a centralized location for warming efforts.

“It was never designed to be an overnight shelter,” Couch said, adding the county did not have the staff available to be able to run it as such a shelter and would need the assistance of an agency/group equipped to manage those kinds of operations. He did say they could have opened up the meeting room in the Judge Black Annex as a warming station, where the county could better control access within, allowing access to restrooms, but being able to prevent access to the rest of the building.

Officials said other organizations who opened their facilities never reached full capacity in order to warrant the county opening up an additional site. The Wood County 911 Center donated cots to one facility and tried to help that way.

Couch said the Resiliency Center was like a “Swiss Army knife” in that it could handle a number of different functions. In addition to holding large-scale events and meetings, it could also be used to hold socially distant court proceedings if another pandemic event would occur. The building also has drive-thru lanes for emergency food and vaccine distribution. The building will also house the county maintenance garage.

Commissioner Jimmy Colombo said there were probably people 125 years ago who said the Wood County Courthouse was a waste of money and it wasn’t needed.

“None of us will be here in 125 years, but I hope (the Resiliency Center) is,” he said. “I hope everyone here has a great chance to use that building because it is very functional, adaptive and we are a model for several counties who came in who would like to do the same thing.”

He also pointed that Wood County has the third lowest tax rate in the state.

Roger Conley, who is a former state legislator who ran unsuccessfully against Couch last year for his commission seat, said he felt the center was taking jobs and business away from established businesses who do events and gatherings in the area.

Colombo said they have talked with those businesses and the center would be utilized for large groups those other event venues couldn’t handle.

Conley said many feel the Resiliency Center was a waste of taxpayer money.

“There are many people across the county who are concerned about the use of the Resiliency Center or the lack of use,” he said. “This is not just a `White Elephant,’ but the biggest `White Elephant’ I have ever seen in my lifetime for a building we do not need.”

He felt that money could have been utilized in other ways, like addressing the need for more local ambulance service and other things that could benefit the residents of the county.

Conley submitted a Freedom of Information Act request regarding the Resiliency Center to the commission.

In it he is requesting a detailed copy of the total budgeted cost for the Resiliency Center; copies of all applications and supporting documents to obtain funding for the Resiliency Center; information about who is responsible for determining if the Resiliency Center will be used for any of the uses stated on the applications; who is responsible for the daily operations and decides who uses the center; a copy of the Wood County Emergency Operations Plan and the sections that specifically reference utilizing the Resiliency Center and under what emergency circumstances; a detailed copy of the annual budget, including income projections and all operating expenses for the current and next two fiscal years for the Resiliency Center as well as the number of employees at the center and their pay; the number of employees currently employed, and their respective salaries and job descriptions; a copy of the budget for all emergency supplies (such as cots, blankets, pillows, food, water, cleaning supplies, and other emergency items) and a detailed copy of acquired emergency supplies for the Resiliency Center; and a list of the all events, meetings, training sessions, and other gatherings that have been held and/or are scheduled to be held since the center was completed, including the individual and firm organizing and/or booking the event.

“There are a lot of questions in here and a lot more to come,” Conley said. “I am sure me, everyone in this room and a whole lot of people across this county are looking forward to seeing the response to those next week.

“That is all we are asking, for (the commission) to respond to our questions.”

The FOIA was given to Wood County Prosecutor Pat Lefebure to review.

Conley said the county had five days to respond to him on it and he would make any responses public.

One man spoke up that he was surprised how this issue has brought people together from both the “extreme left” and the “conservative Christian right.”

“The issue is the disgust at the `White Elephant’ of our tax dollars sitting over there,” he said to commissioners. “Thank you for bringing people together.”

Couch invited those assembled to come to the open house event next Tuesday to walk through the center and see what is there and how it will be used. A grand opening and ribbon cutting at the center is scheduled for 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday where people will be able to take self-guided tours and see what is at the facility.

Commissioner Robert Tebay was absent from Thursday’s meeting.