FAYETTEVILLE — The Fayette County Commission Friday praised those who helped with the recovery effort after violent storms knocked out power and water services to residents for over a week. Commission President Matthew Wender says the event is also a good chance to step back and examine the county’s preparedness for future emergencies.

“We have all been through a very difficult two weeks,” says Wender. “There are a lot of people we need to thank.”

The list was a long one and included the sheriff’s office, the Board of Education, the assessor’s office, the National Guard, the Office of Emergency Services, Fayetteville Church of God, the Lewis Center, the many other churches that offered relief, the Red Cross, elected officeholders, utility workers and all the ordinary citizens who stepped up to help their neighbors and community.

“As I look around the room, there are so many people who gave their time and put forth efforts to do what we were all trying to do, which is restore and make Fayette County safe for our people who live here,” said Commissioner Denise Scalph, representing the New Haven District.

“It was an all-out effort on everyone’s part,” says Commissioner John Lopez of the Valley District. “The Board of Education was a lifesaver for us and everyone in the Valley appreciates it.”

“There were some shortcomings in our planning and preparations,” Wender admitted. “But I think our effort overshadows that, and through hard work and having all hands on deck, we overcame the shortcomings.”

Wender says follow-up meetings are in order to discuss how to be better prepared in the future.

“I truly think that if you look across the globe — the droughts, tornadoes, frequency of hurricanes, warm spells. I think we would all be less than honest with ourselves if we didn’t acknowledge that we’re going to see these extreme weather events with greater frequency ... and I believe we need to be better prepared.”

The commission and meeting attendees informally discussed issues like a lack of generators for public service districts, and a lack of sufficient generators to power air conditioning in hospitals and nursing homes.

Under whose jurisdiction those issues fall was less than clear — is it a licensing matter? A planning and zoning issue? A responsibility of the state Office of Emergency Services?

In the weeks and months ahead, the commission and county officials hope to find some answers.

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Gary Hough, transportation supervisor for the Fayette County Board of Education, introduced the county’s new superintendent, Keith Butcher, to the commission. He praised Butcher for immediately getting to work after taking the reins at his new office.

“I’d like to pledge — whether our students are going into the work force or higher education — to do the best we can to build a quality education for them,” Butcher told the commission.

“Where we can be a cooperative partner in that, the education of our people is certainly a top priority for all of us,” said Wender. “As you have ideas, we are certainly receptive to hearing those thoughts.”

Tyler Bragg, GIS specialist for the Fayette County Assessor’s Office, presented the commission with a grant proposal that would revamp the county’s website and develop a building permit and zoning application tool for citizens to submit permit applications and zoning change requests online.

He asked for and received the commission’s support in the form of matching funds for the grant, which is through the West Virginia Broadband Mapping Project. The commission’s contribution will fall between $1,250 and $7,000 and will be finalized once the grant application is complete.

Bragg says benefits of the project include convenience for citizens and a reduction in unnecessary foot traffic through the Assessor’s Office.

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Angela Gerald of the county’s Beautification Committee provided an update to the county commission on progress with the dilapidated housing program.

A complaint will be filed against the owner of a property on Scarbro Road that has been identified by the program for demolition.

Several more owners will be served shortly, setting in motion a process that could result in the county tearing down the blighted structures and placing liens on the properties for those costs.

Two property owners recently began demolition of their structures on their own.

— E-mail: cmoore@register-herald.com