Governor Justice revamps RISE WV and puts General James Hoyer in charge

Major General James Hoyer, center, of the West Virginia National Guard, talks about issues with West Virginia’s long-term flood relief effort during Monday’s press conference addressing management and performance of the RISE West Virginia program. Gov. Jim Justice, left, puts Hoyer in charge of the program moving forward. Senior adviser Bray Cary, at right, joined Justice and Hoyer, along with Jenny Gannaway of West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, Habibi Mamone of the charitable Neighbors Loving Neighbors, Jimmy Gianato of WV Homeland Security and Chief of Staff Mike Hall Monday at the news conference. (West Virginia Press Association Photo/Dalton Walker)

By: Kennie Bass | Posted: June 4, 2018 | Source: WCHSTV

We were the first to tell you about problems with the RISE WV flood recovery program and we have been sharing the stories of people still dealing with the aftermath of the 2016 flood who are in need of help. Some are still living in flood-damaged homes. Others who were hit by the high water have been turned down for assistance.

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice conducted a news conference Monday, surrounded by the new team he has put in place to get the RISE West Virginia flood recovery moving.

Justice overhauled the relief effort in charge of nearly $150 million in federal money designed to fix single-family homes and rental units damaged or destroyed in the June 2016 flood.

Justice said a restructuring of the Commerce Department, including terminations, is underway.

Saying the state’s Commerce Department has dropped the ball, Governor Jim Justice said…

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Gov. Justice Announces ‘Realignment’ of Flood Recovery Program, Terminations at Commerce Coming

Gov. Jim Justice (center) and other officials discuss a “realignment” in management of a slow-moving flood recovery program known as RISE West Virginia.
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR / VIA TWITTER
By: Dave Mistich | Posted: June 4, 2018 | Source: WV Public Broadcasting

Gov. Justice has announced changes to the management of slow-moving flood recovery program designed to help those affected by the flood of June 2016. The announcement comes on the heels of reporting that shows poor management on the part of officials in the state development office, little money spent and few flood victims getting assistance.

Justice announced Monday he is placing Gen. James Hoyer of the West Virginia National Guard in charge of the RISE program and called for a “realignment” of the state commerce department. The governor declined to comment whether department Sec. Woody Thrasher would keep his job.

The RISE program was temporarily halted earlier this year after it was discovered a contract change order for $17 million had not been properly vetted. A subsequent investigation uncovered problems within the Commerce Department and the RISE program, which has $150 million to work with from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

During a news conference, Justice stated that…

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Divide over housing needs may shift flood relief money to infrastructure

Shauna Johnson/WVMetroNews.com
Jordan Creek Road in Kanawha County was just one of many areas devastated by floods.

By: Brad McElhinny | Posted: June 3, 2018 at 8:04 p.m. | Source: WV MetroNews

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Agencies handling West Virginia’s long-term flood recovery have been trying to figure out how much housing need still remains.

There are some indications that federal long-term disaster funds could be reallocated if the housing need isn’t as great as originally believed.

Almost two years out from the devastating 2016 flood, long-term recovery has moved to the spotlight because of growing complaints about the pace of applying millions of available federal dollars.

Gov. Jim Justice has set an 11:30 a.m. Monday press conference at the Capitol to discuss the RISE West Virginia program for long-term flood relief.

An action plan for long-term recovery from the 2016 floods estimated that housing repairs and replacement could exceed $300 million.

The action plan also estimated…

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Clendenin Homecoming Festival Quickly Approaching

Excitement is in the air as the 1st Annual Clendenin Homecoming Festival quickly approaches. June 22-24, 2018 the Town of Clendenin will welcome guests from near and far to witness the progress of a once flood ravaged town and to celebrate the rebirth of the community. The resilience and spirit of those who call Clendenin and the Elk River home is remarkable and unmistakable.

The Clendenin Homecoming Committee is a growing group of local citizens working tirelessly since last year to plan and coordinate the upcoming festival.  In addition to the carnival and parade, the festival will feature numerous activities like a kayak race, horseshoe tournament, fishing tournament, numerous concerts, fireworks, craft and food vendors, and so much more. See below for a complete list of the festival agenda. Craft/sales and food vendor applications are still being accepted, so it is not too late to register for a booth.

2018 Clendenin Homecoming Festival Pageant winners: (L-R) Teen Queen Lauren Gorma, Queen Charley Clayton, and Mrs. Queen Alicia Casto

The Clendening Homecoming Festival recently crowned its royalty at the recent Clendenin Homecoming Festival Pageant. Winners included Teen Queen Lauren Gorma, Queen Charley Clayton, and Mrs. Queen Alicia Casto.  The Children’s Pageant Royalty includes: Baby Mister-Zachary Brake II, Little Mister-Wyatt Russell, Baby Miss-McKenna Garnes, Tiny Miss-Sophia Casto, Little Miss-Grace Fletcher, and Junior Miss-Natalie Donohew.

Various businesses in Clendenin have re-opened their doors and new businesses have made Clendenin their home since the June 2016 Flood; however, to date, Clendenin does not have a hotel. Many who attend the festival will stay with family and friends in the area; however some may seek other accommodations. There are hotels in neighboring towns, including nearby Elkview, and local Bed and Breakfast’s in and around Clendenin. Country Road House & Berries is located in Clendenin and has a Bed & Breakfast, along with the best strawberries in the area. You can contact them for room availability at (304) 553-5761 or by visiting their website.

Airbnb and Home Away are also great places that you can search for places to stay during the festival. Both Airbnb and Home Away are online marketplaces which lets people rent out their properties or spare rooms to guests. If you live in Clendenin or the surrounding areas and you are interested in learning how you can earn extra money by renting your room(s) and/or property during the Festival, here are some great resources:

In preparation for the festival, the Town of Clendenin along with the Kanawha County Commission, Chuck Grishaber with the Kanawha County Planning Department, and 25045- A New Clendenin, are sponsoring an Elk River Cleanup in Clendenin on June 9. Volunteers are asked to meet at Smith’s Foodfair parking lot at 9AM. View more details HERE.

2018 CLENDENIN HOMECOMING FESTIVAL AGENDA

Friday, June 22

6:00 PM: Myers Amusements Carnival (Across from the Post Office)

7:00 PM: Audio Outlaws Concert (Main Street Stage)

Saturday, June 23

8:00 AM:  Horseshoe Tournament Registration (Railroad Track)

9:00 AM: Opening  Ceremony (The Gazebo)

9:00 AM: All craft and food vendors open (Main St. & Maywood Ave)

9:00 AM: Kayak Race (Begins at Queen Shoals Bridge River Access)

10:00 AM – 6:00 PM: The Hoppy Express – from Smith’s Lot to Main Street and Back

11:00 AM: Horseshoe Tournament (Railroad Track)

12:00 PM: Parade Lineup (Poca Valley Bank)

12:00 PM: Carnival Opens (Across from the Post Office)

2:00 PM: Duck Race (Old Bridge to New Bridge)

4:00 PM: Royalty Coronation (Main Street Stage)

6:00 PM – 7:30 PM: Joanna Young Concert (Main Street Stage)

6:30 PM: Adam Tucker Meet & Greet (Main Street Stage area)

7:30 PM: Adam Tucker Concert (Main Street Stage)

After Adam Tucker Concert: Fireworks by Zambelli’s (on hill behind Smith’s lot)

Sunday, June 24

6:30 AM: Fishing Tournament (details on Facebook Event: Elk River Fishing Tournament)

5:00 PM: Fishing Tournament Awards (Main Street Stage)

Sponsors for the Clendenin Homecoming Festival include First Bank of Charleston, Pulmonary Associates, Poca Valley Bank, Shafer Equipment, Charleston Blueprint, FYAO, Cabin Creek Health Systems, Cantrell’s Florist, Houff Transfer, Teays River Construction Company, The Yak House, Kanawha County Commission, O.V. Smith and Sons, Inc., Town of Clendenin, and The Clendenin Leader.

You can stay up-to-date with The Clendenin Homecoming Festival by visiting their Facebook page.

Flood damaged library reopens despite no answer from RISE West Virginia

By: Bob Aaron | Posted: May 30, 2018 | Source: WVAH

The flood damaged library in the Kanawha County town of Clendenin reopened Wednesday, despite no answer from RISE West Virginia.

The Eyewitness News iTeam uncovers yet another case involving lack of answers from RISE West Virginia, the flood recovery program under the state’s Commerce Department.

Nearly two years after the library in the Kanawha County town of Clendenin was destroyed in the 2016 flood, it is back open in a new location.

Kanawha County officials said representatives with the state-run RISE West Virginia flood relief recovery program talked about helping restore the old middle school where that library opened for business Wednesday, but county officials told Eyewitness News it was all talk and no action.

Tammy Parker is with the Clendenin library.

“When they went in after the flood, they found books and DVDs stuck in the ceiling tiles,” Parker said. “So, we lost everything.”

Nearly two years after the town and a wide area of West Virginia were impacted by killer floods, Clendenin saw its library reopen at a temporary location in the old middle school.

“Everybody in Clendenin and our surrounding area has computers in their home,” said Midge Forwood, a library supporter. “And the children, after school, the library is full. It means everything,” Forwood said.

The Kanawha County Commission provided much of the funds, approximately $50,000, and labor for dealing with the flood damage cleanup in Clendenin. The county library system is picking up the rent.

Officials said they tried to get RISE, the state Commerce Department-run program for flood recovery, to help with some of the damage in the old middle school, but they said it never got beyond the talking stage.

Volunteer groups in West Virginia say they have spent about $26 million in labor and donations helping people with flood recovery.

Over the same time period, RISE has spent about a million dollars. That leave’s about $150 million in RISE-controlled federal dollars unused.

“I just hope that the state get their act together,” Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said. “It’s past time. The people of this area deserve better than what they’ve gotten.”

State lawmakers are questioning the slowness of state response and trying to pinpoint exactly why it is taking so long to help flood victims.

The library is planning a ceremonial re-opening June 22, but it was back in business as of noon Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Gov. Jim Justice announced the RISE West Virginia program has resumed operations.

Decisions over WV flood relief contract spanned months

Parts of Route 4 fell into the Elk River during flooding. This is what the road looked like Saturday, June 25 just outside of Clendenin. Shauna Johnson/WVMetroNews.com

By: Brad McElhinny | Posted: May 30, 2018 at 6:52 p.m. | Source: WV MetroNews

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — On Nov. 2, 2016, just a few months after devastating floods hit West Virginia, then-Commerce Secretary Keith Burdette scrawled his name across a memo urging emergency action on an agreement to help manage millions in federal disaster relief dollars.

The memo was addressed to David Tincher, who was the state Purchasing director at the time.

West Virginia was anticipating approval of federal Community Development Block Grant funds for disaster relief.

Burdette recommended swift action — both for approval and in distributing the aid to West Virginians who had lost their homes, belongings and livelihoods.

Keith Burdette

“West Virginia has never received this amount of disaster recovery funding in the past,” Burdette wrote.

“Due to the extremely short deadline, a consultant needs to be commissioned immediately to assist the West Virginia Development Office in developing a strategy on how best to effectively utilize these funds in the designated areas, as well as to set up processes to track and expend the funds sufficiently in accordance with the federal regulations and requirements.”

Burdette warned that there would be complex regulations and requirements governing the funds. The first step would be to come up with a comprehensive action plan within sixty days.

“Without the ‘action plan’ and the necessary systems and processes in place, West Virginia will have to forfeit the CDBG-DR funding,” Burdette wrote.

Tincher indeed responded quickly, the same day at 6:56 p.m via an email from his iPad.

“Please be advised that your emergency purchase request is hereby approved,” he wrote.

View Keith Burdette email and memo

The memo and response kicked off a situation that rippled into the next, incoming administration.

When the current Department of Commerce tried to renew a contract with the consultant, Horne LLC, the agreement drew scrutiny from the Governor’s Office.

Questions by the Governor’s Office — and the state Purchasing division — caused the contract to be put on pause this spring, right as West Virginia finally got federal approval to start spending the federal disaster relief funds that Burdette had described with such urgency.

MORE: Local flood relief agencies exasperated over delays; Gov kick-starts RISE

The Governor’s Office has said its aim was to be careful about the contract while continuing to provide flood relief.

Reaction from lawmakers and citizens has been confusion and concern about why the contract was halted when so much flood relief remains.

West Virginia MetroNews sought and received communications between the Department of Commerce and the Purchasing division through a Freedom of Information Act request.

They show months of interaction, starting with a Commerce request last December to re-up the contract with Horne followed by questions from Purchasing that kicked up this spring, culminating with an official halt to the contract this April 4.

They show state officials in two different agencies — both in the executive branch under Gov. Jim Justice — trying to work through the sheer amount of money involved and the intent of the contract with Horne.

They show loose ends, followed by maddening delays.

It was a bureaucratic drama, with twists and turns at every push of the send button.

The buildup

West Virginia’s needs were vast.

Thunderstorms that concentrated over West Virginia created a historic rainfall on June 23, 2016. Some counties were hit with 10 inches of rain over 24 hours.

Twenty-three people were killed. There were 1,200 homes destroyed, and thousands were without power. The flood damaged businesses, roads and water and sewer systems.

Housing repairs and replacement were estimated to exceed $300 million. Damage to West Virginia’s public infrastructure was estimated to top $500 million.

About a year after the floods, June 1, 2017, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development approved the action plan to manage $104 million in Community Development Block Grant disaster recovery funds.

That was later augmented with an additional $45 million.

This was the first time West Virginia had received such a grant. Meanwhile, West Virginia was also managing the largest amount of FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds ever received.

Representatives from HUD, FEMA and the Justice administration gathered on Nov. 7, 2017, for a meeting of the minds.

“Due to the complexity of the situation, the meeting was convened to ensure that there was a holistic strategy for the use of these funds,” FEMA Region III officials wrote in their newsletter, Forward Recovery.

Participants raised concerns that the federal agencies had allocated more money toward housing recovery than was really needed.

The Department of Commerce agreed to work with HUD to figure out how to reallocate housing funds once the needs had been covered.

“Overall, the participants wanted to ensure that funding decisions and recovery efforts decrease specific risks over time and make communities more resilient,” FEMA wrote in the newsletter.

Contract renewal

By December, Commerce was taking steps to renew its one-year contract with Horne.

Horne sent a memo to the state Development office Dec. 6, 2017, expressing its agreement to extend its project management services.

The Development Office wanted to do that too.

On Dec. 7, 2017, Russell Tarry of the West Virginia Community and Development Office in Commerce wrote a memo to the Purchasing division.

“The West Virginia Development Office wishes to renew the Disaster Recovery and Project Management Agreement with Horne LLP, who has agreed to renew this agreement under the same terms and conditions set forth in the original agreement, including any subsequent amendments or Task Orders,” Tarry wrote.

“The renewal period will be valid from December 12, 2017, to December 11, 2018.”

Another official notification went out Dec. 13, 2017, from Sheila Hannah, the procurement officer for the state Development Office.

“We would like to renew this contract for one year. This contract is to benefit the residence of West Virginia flood victims of June 2016.”

Sheila Hannah and Melissa Pettrey Email

A week after her memo went out, Hannah followed up with Melissa Pettrey, the senior buyer in the Purchasing department who was the original recipient. “Melissa are we waiting on something?” she wrote at 11:02 a.m. Dec. 20, 2017.

There was a sign of trouble, but it didn’t seem major.

At 12:06 p.m., Pettrey responded “The memo from you should have your signature, but I will process this as is. However, going forward, please include your signature on all memos and/or letters.

“Also, remind our agencies not to wait until the last minute to submit change orders, especially renewals.”

At 2:53 p.m. Guy Nisbet, a supervisor in the Purchasing division, responded that the request had to be rejected because of what appeared to be a technical problem. “This is Change Order No. 01 not Change Order 02.”

He concluded with a simple instruction.

“Please review and submit.”

Slow pace tag is applied, contract inquiry begins

That was the last of the email communication between Commerce and Purchasing for a few months.

At the start of this year, members of the Justice administration got together to broadly assess progress, Brian Abraham, general counsel for the administration, recalled this past Friday on MetroNews’ “Talkline.”

“The issue came up: ‘Have you started any work yet?’ And the answer we got was ‘We just did.’”

A few key events transpired early this year.

West Virginia made its request to start using federal long-term relief money on Jan. 29.

HUD gave its OK on Feb. 20.

And shortly after that, West Virginia drew notice from the federal agency for the pace of drawing down the federal funds.

By the time a performance report was put out by HUD covering this past January through March, only $1,138,866.60 had actually been spent.

“It is not uncommon for large-scale disaster relief efforts to get off to a slow start,” said Brian Sullivan, a spokesman from HUD, in an interview earlier this month. “However, if it strikes us as being slow we’ll say so. And in this case we have.”

Abraham said the slow spender designation came out during a January meeting with the state Department of Commerce and representatives from Horne.

“They indicated to us it was not a huge deal,” Abraham said last week on MetroNews’ “Talkline.” “They were working through it and because now the projects were starting that would all work out.”

About that time, Abraham said, state officials started looking at the contracts having to do with the long-term recovery money.

“What raised some suspicions was that there was a $900,000 initial contract and then we saw during this presentation the new contract was for $17 million,” he said.

The contract was worth up to $17 million over its course, although Horne had been paid only about $700,000 over the past two fiscal years.

The situation gave the administration pause, Abraham said, because of the amount of money and what it saw as a lack of controls in place.

“That immediately raised some red flags, and we started looking into it,” he said.

The law firm for U.S. Attorney Mike Carey was paid more than $20,000 in April to look into the matter. And the eyes on the contract extended beyond that.

“I personally took five bankers boxes worth of records to the legislative auditor’s, who put three or four people on it. They pointed out things to us,” Abraham said.

“We had to arrange a meeting with Mike Stuart, the U.S. attorney. Mike Carey and I went down and provided that to him. We then had various meetings with members of the Legislature where we told them what we going on. Then we tried to organize a meeting with HUD leadership.”

Spring swirl

As the administration embarked on its examination, the messages between Commerce and Purchasing kicked up.

The first hint of trouble was 11:09 a.m. March 2.

Sheila Hannah, the procurement officer with the Development Office, zipped an email to Nisbet and Pettrey.

“Guy/Melissa, Have you had a chance to look over the task orders I brought over for you to look at yet? I have had several inquiries about them. Thanks.”

Yes, there were questions.

Nisbet responded at 1:40 p.m. that day that he had seven of them.

  1. What is Horne requesting and you the Agency agreeing to
  2. What justification is there to support any additional changes
  3. What has transpired since the award of the contract that moves the vendor to provide service/work outside what was captured during the award.
  4. Who ok’d the work and based on what criteria
  5. The responses to these items must be in detail and reference the part of the original contract that has changed while connecting to the documentation and clarification of the documents that you presented.
  6. This is a really quick review and provided responses most likely will develop additional questions depending upon the responses and clarity
  7. This was awarded as a fixed contract with renewals, therefore any additional funds spent will require an additional commodity line within Oasis so that encumbrance is possible.

Nisbet concluded, “Again this is a starting point of questions and will require further review once we are able to review the above responses.”

Within 20 minutes, the Nisbet email was circulating around the Development Office with everyone trying to figure out who should answer the questions.

The first take appeared to land with Russell Tarry of the West Virginia Community and Development Office. He wrote at 2:34 p.m. that day that he’d tried to provide his best immediate explanation.

“I provided the explanation below in red,” he wrote. “I think they will have more questions, so please let me know what other information I can provide. We may want to include Josh at some point as well.”

The Josh he referenced was Josh Jarrell, the general counsel for Commerce who had signed the contracts with Horne.

Jarrell wound up parting ways with Commerce. The Justice administration has said he was fired. Jarrell says he was nudged and left of his own accord.

“State procurement is a detailed and technical process,” Jarrell toldthe Charleston Gazette-Mail this month.

“If any errors were made, they were minor compared to community needs and occurred in haste to bring nearly $150 million in congressionally appropriated federal aid to West Virginia after a major flooding disaster that left many homeless and claimed many lives.”

Inquiry continues

Through March, the back-and-forth continued between Commerce and Purchasing.

At 10 a.m. March 7, Hannah of Commerce wondered where matters stood.

“I see I got left out of an email about Horne. Did they answer your questions, or do I need to do something? This place is a very unique place.”

Turns out she had been left off the email chain with the responses by Tarry from a week earlier.

One by one, Tarry had briefly answered Purchasing’s questions.

Once Hannah got the answers, she forwarded them on to Purchasing.

“Here is part of what they had done,” Hannah wrote. “I told them it was in-depth enough.”

By 12:29 p.m. Nisbet sent back a note indicating he didn’t find the answers sufficient.

“The responses are not in depth enough nor are they captured so that it is understood, this was just a road map to help you develop responses that can be evaluated,” he wrote. “I do not see the Change Order in wvOasis and I do not see the requested documentation.”

He passed back the original questions, Tarry’s responses and his own followup questions and comments in bold type.

Guy Nisbet and Melissa Pettrey Email Page 12

Guy Nisbet and Melissa Pettrey Email Page 13

That’s where matters stood until a couple of days later, March 9, when Administration Secretary John Myers sent an email to Purchasing Director Mike Sheets and James Meadows, general counsel for Purchasing.

“You should have received a calendar entry for Monday at 1:00 for a meeting with commerce,” Myers wrote.

“This is in reference to a $146 million contract with Horne Associates. I understand they have something to do with flood relief. I wanted to give you the opportunity to prepare as I know nothing about the contract or their concerns.”

Sheets forwarded the email, asking his assistant director Frank Whittaker about the status of the change order.

Whittaker provided the current status, along with some additional narration.

“Guy and Melissa went back to Sheila with questions concerning the intent of the change request. To date Sheila has not submitted anything through Oasis,” he wrote.

And in apparent reference to general counsel Meadows, he added, “Jimmy is looking at the file now. Jimmy is concerned that it looks like we are being unhelpful.”

From his Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, Sheets wrote back, simply, “Thanks.”

Finale

No action for the next couple of weeks.

Then, on March 19, Kimberly Miller of the Development Office sent an email to a list of recipients that included Pettrey and Sheets of Purchasing.

Miller wrote that the $900,000 contract for Horne “was never done correctly on our end.”

She wrote, “It should not have been capped at $900,000, which was just the first two task orders of many task orders. Is it absolutely necessary to have a letter from Horne when they are not asking for anything beyond what their original bid was?

“We know of additional task orders 3 through 8 at this point and there could be more, but those are within the scope of the original RFP and the original bid of 17% of the original federal award. Shouldn’t Horne’s signature on the task orders be sufficient? Again, they are not asking for anything outside of the scope or bid of the original response to the RFP.

“We understand that you need a letter from us and perhaps it should also explain that due to an error on our part this CCT was capped at $900,000 when it never should have been.”

More time passed.

At 11:31 a.m. March 27, Pettrey of Commerce tried to prompt a response. She wrote to Pettrey of Purchasing.

“Melissa, This was sent the 19th and we still do not have a response.”

Pettrey wrote back at 1:53 p.m.: “Sheila, See Director Sheets comment below.”

Sheets, director of Purchasing, had been looped in. Pettrey was passing on his brief assessment of the situation.

“The Horne contract is under review by the Governor’s Office,” Sheets had written at 1:50 p.m. “We have been asked not to take any action until their review is complete.”

That was a month and a week after Housing and Urban Development had sent its official letter of approval for the funds to be spent.

Melissa Pettrey Email Page 6

Another week passed, and on April 4 Sheets sent out a memo with the final ruling.

It answered the question about the change order that had first been floated in early December of 2017.

Over the four pages of his memo, Sheets spelled out the history of the contract, starting with the emergency approval that had been sought by Burdette in late 2016.

He also described concerns.

Work already completed cannot be added after the fact by a change order, he wrote. And the pricing and scope of the work for the third phase was not sufficiently defined to allow it to continue under the existing contract.

He concluded that West Virginia would be best served by competitive bidding to get the best pricing and value for the services that had better defined over the course of the back-and-forth between Commerce and Purchasing.

“For the reasons stated herein, the Purchasing Division will not approve the change order containing Task Orders 3 through 8 if it is submitted,” Sheets wrote. “The Purchasing Division will, however, work diligently with the WV Development Office to quickly obtain any needed services through proper procurement methods.”

Horne LLP – Contract Change Order by Sheila Hannah

Epilogue

The public became aware of the problems with long-term disaster relief on May 17 when WCHS-TV reported on complaints from flood victims who described red tape.

The first time the Justice administration publicly described its concerns with the contract was an interview with WSAZ-TV on May 22.

“There’s a new sheriff in town and people need to realize that Jim Justice will see to it that West Virginia is not going to be on the short end of the stick,” Governor Justice stated in that account..

“We found things that could save West Virginia millions in federal funding. Our flood victims are going to continue to be served. Those people that weren’t doing their jobs have been held accountable.”

In an interview with the West Virginia Press Association on May 23, general counsel Abraham alluded to the possibility that Horne’s services could be reinstituted.

And in a telephone interview with The State Journal today, Governor Justice said long-term flood relief is getting up and going.

Justice told the newspaper that the pause on the contract was lifted last Monday.

Governor Jim Justice

Governor Jim Justice

“If I had known, really, that the pause had delayed monies going to somebody, I’d have been all over that the very second I heard that, just because of how I feel,” Justice said.

And by this evening, the governor’s account tweeted that the lingering problems had been resolved.

He said six flood victims have now gotten the keys to brand new homes.

“Along the way I uncovered waste and abuse and stopped the state from losing $8 million that can be used to help our flood victims,” Justice stated.

“Moving forward my office will continue working closely with the Department of Commerce and every day we are monitoring this program to ensure we are serving the West Virginia families who were affected by this disaster and still need assistance.”​

Brad McElhinny is the statewide correspondent for MetroNews. Brad is a Parkersburg native who spent more than 20 years at the Charleston Daily Mail.Contact him at brad.mcelhinny@wvmetronews.com or on Twitter @BradMcElhinny.

Disaster recovery leader says RISE West Virginia is ‘stagnant’

Clendenin’s main street as it looked two days after the flood. Shauna Johnson/WVMetroNews.com

By: Brad McElhinny | Posted: May 29, 2018 | Source: WV MetroNews

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Jack Lipphardt, director of West Virginia United Methodist Disaster Recovery, is frustrated by the pace of long-term flood recovery.

In mid-May, Lipphardt wrote a letter to Sen. Joe Manchin’s office, asking for assistance.

Jack Lipphardt

“I write to seek your help in moving WV RISE from its stagnant dormancy to the promises made to The United Methodist Church, partner ecumenical and secular bodies, funding partners, volunteer work team partners and especially to survivors of the disaster,” Lipphardt wrote.

The letter was sent right before it became public that Gov. Jim Justice’s administration had paused a contract with a consultant tasked with managing federal flood relief dollars. The administration was concerned the contract, worth up to $17 million, hadn’t gotten appropriate oversight.

But Lipphardt, like other close observers of West Virginia’s flood relief effort, says the flow of federal relief spending was slow even before that.

“We were told the first homes would be under construction in August of 2017. Then September. Then October,” Lipphardt wrote to Manchin.

By Feb. 5 this year, Lipphardt wrote, concerned groups gathered at the Clay County Courthouse. Concerns were raised about delays and “requirements that make no sense given West Virginia’s sociology and geography.”

At that meeting, he said, a representative of the West Virginia Development Office assured everyone that 50 houses would soon be under construction.

Lipphardt concluded, “To date, not one house has been constructed. Not one house has had construction to begin. Two mobile homes have been placed but neither are set up nor yet habitable.”

Lipphardt letter to Senator Joe Manchin

Contacted this Tuesday, Lipphardt said his concerns haven’t abated.

“We’ve been frustrated with them for quite some time,” he said. “We were excited a year ago.”

RISE West Virginia, in an official action plan and elsewhere, said it would assist up to 1,200 moderate- and low-income homeowners.

West Virginia had almost $150 million to put toward long-term recovery. The money was in the form of Community Development Block Grants for disaster recovery through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

That money is also meant to help West Virginia’s business and infrastructure rebuild over the long haul.

The official kickoff for RISE was last Aug. 2. “The funds from the RISE program will help West Virginians get back on their feet and on the path to recovery,” Governor Justice stated in a news release announcing the start of the program.

But more time passed.

West Virginia made its request to start using the money this past Jan. 29. HUD gave its OK on Feb. 20.

“The delays just kept coming, people tangled up in red tape,” Lipphardt said.

“It’s a real frustration. The clients are upset and angry. People like us with the United Methodist Church and others are really bothered by this.”

West Virginia is listed as a “slow spender” in the most recent grant financial report Housing and Urban Development.

That designation means spending less than 10 percent of monthly pace required to fully use the grant by target closeout date.

Of the $149,875,000 West Virginia has available, the state still has $148,736,333 left on hand.

The perceived availability of millions in federal dollars has meant that nonprofits avoided spending money that could instead be used elsewhere, Lipphardt said.

“We’ve been told ‘Don’t spend your money on things that RISE can take care of,’ but the result is, people are stuck,” he said.

Many of those who have applied have gotten tripped up by federal regulations, he said.

RISE has a 166-page guide to policies and procedures.

“I don’t know where the brokenness is, but obviously something is broken,” Lipphardt said.

The Department of Commerce manages the RISE West Virginia disaster recovery program through the West Virginia Development Office and West Virginia Community Advancement and Development Office.

The Department of Commerce has not yet responded to emerging complaints that progress has been slow.

Lipphardt suggests a point person who reports directly to the governor might be more effective: “Somebody who would walk into the governor’s office with muddy boots and say ‘Here’s what we’ve got to do to make this happen.’”

Roger Hanshaw

Delegate Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, is one of the co-chairmen of a legislative committee meant to examine flood relief and prevention in West Virginia.

Hanshaw, too, has expressed frustrations about the pace of long-term relief.

“We’ve had duplication of services, we’ve had miscommunication, we’ve had breakdown of communication,” Hanshaw said today on MetroNews’ “Talkline.”

Hanshaw said West Virginia’s first response to the flood was good.

“But then there’s the second line of response, and that’s the response that goes on when the flood water goes down… and that’s where the real breakdown has been,” he said.

Flooding happens so often in West Virginia, the state has to get better at response, he said.

“Mistakes will happen. There will be breakdowns. That’s just the nature of a natural disaster,” he said. “Once the immediate urgency fades, we’ve got to get this stuff right. Paperwork glitches and administrative nightmares shouldn’t keep people from returning to normalcy.”

Brad McElhinny is the statewide correspondent for MetroNews. Brad is a Parkersburg native who spent more than 20 years at the Charleston Daily Mail. Contact him at brad.mcelhinny@wvmetronews.com or on Twitter @BradMcElhinny.

Jack Lipphardt: RISE WV must help flood survivors (Gazette)

By: Jack Lipphardt | Posted: May 28, 2018 | Source: WV Gazette-Mail

WVUMC Disaster Recovery Team in Clendenin

Disaster Recovery team members of the West Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church pause during work on Feb. 9 at a flood-affected home in Clendenin. Pictured from left are Construction Coordinator Buck Edwards, WVCUMC Director of Disaster Recovery the Rev. Jack Lipphardt, “A New Vision with Hope” Executive Director J.F. Lacaria, case managers Miranda Nabers and Grace Msisha and Construction Coordinator Chad Faris. Courtesy Photo

Thank you for your editorial Friday, May 25 regarding the failure of RISE West Virginia to keep its promises to survivors of the storms and flood disaster of June 23, 2016, as well as to the United Methodist Church of West Virginia and our ecumenical and secular partners.

I hope your essay helps in moving RISE West Virginia from its stagnant dormancy to the promises made. From increasing and more frustrating conversations with our disaster recovery partners, particularly those of us active with funding, volunteer work teams and disaster case management, I know the United Methodist Church is not alone having trusted what we were told by RISE West Virginia, West Virginia Development Office officials and the consulting firm of Horne LLC while disaster survivors have been told to wait — and wait.

We were thrilled to hear that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, through the Community Development Block Grant program, would provide $104 million for disaster recovery. As news unfolded, the amount increased to $150 million.

It was a mystery to me why this important grant was lodged in the Development Office in the state’s Commerce Department, where there is no organizational motivation to address disaster recovery and no one with any experience or expertise in disaster response. The Resiliency Board is composed of eight people, but do any of them have any knowledge or experience in disaster recovery? Have they met?

At a meeting held June 15, 2017, at the Sports Performance Center at The Greenbrier resort, people from the Development Office and the consulting firm excitedly described the RISE West Virginia program and provided training for disaster case managers, including our United Methodist disaster case managers. They provided iPads programmed to provide easy intake for client referrals to RISE. At the meeting, we were given details of the grant and how it would be used.

Those of us present that day were told that 1,000 homes would be built in the 12-county disaster zone (80 percent in the counties of Greenbrier, Clay, Nicholas and Kanawha) in less than a year.

We were also told that RISE expected to serve 600 to 800 households. That math doesn’t work very well, but I report to you what we were told to indicate the magnitude and efficiency of work that was promised: 1,000 houses to be built, preferably by local construction contractors, in less than a year.

Numerous other details were provided, including Social Vulnerability Index priorities, single-family home construction or rehab, mobile-home replacement, elevation remediation, temporary rental assistance and flood insurance.

We were told the first houses would be under construction in August 2017. Then came the delay to September. Then October. Christmas passed with no RISE activity.

On Feb. 5 of this year, after numerous concerns were raised about RISE’s delays and requirements that make no sense, given West Virginia’s sociology and geography, a meeting was held at the Clay County Courthouse to discuss this. I attended, along with ecumenical and other partners, because we were being embarrassed by RISE, being caught in the web of RISE’s delays.

We further wanted to let the citizens who attended know what we were doing to assist recovery apart from and in spite of RISE. Representatives from the offices of Sen. Manchin, Sen. Capito, Congressman Mooney and FEMA were present. A staff member of the Development Office assured everyone present that, during that month, February, 50 homes would be under construction. When pressed about that number, he said that 30-some for sure would be under construction.

To date, not one house has had construction begin. I understand that two mobile homes have been placed, but are neither set up nor yet habitable.

In Roane County, I can point to three RISE applicants who are held up for unexplainable reasons, all three elderly women, two in their 70s and one 85. Ecumenical and voluntary organizations have been told by RISE West Virginia not to spend donated dollars on projects that RISE could take. This is a fast-growing immorality, as we see it, keeping people from recovery while HUD and RISE fool around with this.

One of my case managers has a large family whose house was destroyed in Kanawha County. The Elk River undercut the land where their home sat. Their lot stretches up the hill from the precise site of the former home. RISE West Virginia has told them it will not build unless it is on the exact previous site, which is now consumed by the reformed river’s edge.

With generous gifts from three Charleston United Methodist churches to fund their new house, and with help from our friends with Mennonite Disaster Services who will provide the labor to build it, we will see to their recovery.

Our other case manager has a person in Nicholas County whose house was destroyed by the flood but which now has mine drainage washing the site. As with the case above, a new house could be built on his land farther up the hill from the house that was destroyed, but RISE has disqualified him because he does not want to live in a house that RISE would build on the mine-drainage-affected former house footprint.

As I write this, the United Methodist Church has begun construction to care for this survivor and get him into a home on suitable land that is his.

Our United Methodist case managers have other clients who have been disqualified by RISE’s crippling rules or are caught in the unconscionable and strangling delays. To reiterate, we are not alone with this problem that is affecting ecumenical and secular partners, especially our survivor families.

The West Virginia United Methodist Church, our ecumenical partners and other volunteer organizations have been active since day one, from early response to recovery, and continue to move forward to help survivors move from untenable, dangerous situations into residences that are safe, secure and sanitary. We hope for the day when RISE West Virginia executes its promises.

Jack Lipphardt, mayor of Wheeling from 1992 to 2000, was senior pastor of Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church. After the June 2016 floods, he has been director of West Virginia United Methodist Disaster Recovery.