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THE NEXT MEETING

The Weirton Finance Committeeis next scheduled to meet at 10:30 a.m. March 4 in Room 206 at the City Building, 200 Municipal Plaza.

WEIRTON - Weirton leaders want to make Three Springs Drive, home to much of the city's retail business, more pedestrian-friendly.

Finance Committee members Fred Marsh, George Ash and George Kondik on Thursday voted to recommend using $138,600 in federal Transportation Enhancement Grant money to build sidewalks and improve lighting along that thoroughfare.

According to City Manager Gary DuFour, the funds are left over from a similar project completed on Penco Road last year which included sidewalks, lighting and a new drainage system. Pending approval by the full City Council, Weirton will enter into an agreement with the West Virginia Division of Highways to expand the project area to include Three Springs Drive.

DuFour said the project would aim to tie businesses at the south end of the road - including hotels like the Holiday Inn, which also includes Undo's Italian Restaurant, the Baymont Hotel and Suites and Fairfield Inn Hotel and Suites; Dee Jay's Restaurant and the future site of Super Wal-Mart - to retail outlets to the north. Putting in sidewalks, he said, would allow visitors to the city greater access to those locations on foot.

The two ends of Three Springs Drive are separated by a U.S. 22 interchange, and the high volume of traffic there could make it hazardous for pedestrians to travel without the benefit of a sidewalk.

Marsh said he believes the available funds will allow for a sidewalk from the hotel area to Three Springs Drive's intersection with Potomac Avenue - which is close to the site of the current Wal-Mart building that will be vacated when the new Super Wal-Mart building is complete.

"There is question about whether we'll have money for the lighting or not," he added.

The finance committee also approved a resolution to enter into a contract to pay Trident/Argonaut Insurance Company $428,485 for property and liability insurance for the year. That figure, DuFour said, is up 7 percent from last year, but it will have minimal impact on the city's general fund because Weirton's library, water, sanitary and park boards each reimburse the city for its share of the insurance premiums.

The committee also voted to accept $139,920 in federal grant money for the Weirton Fire Department, the bulk of which will be used to install automatic sprinkler systems at three of the city's fire stations. Marsh questioned Fire Chief Dave Lashhorn on whether the money should be used toward equipment replacement rather than a sprinkler system, but said, "I'm relying on your judgement for this."

Lashhorn said only one of the department's trucks is more than 10 years old, and future grants similar to this one likely would be used toward replacing equipment. He added he hopes installing the sprinklers will save the city "5, maybe 10 percent" on the fire insurance it pays for those fire stations.