By Charles Owens
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. 鈥� City officials in Bluefield are seeking federal funding for three projects, including a new facility that would serve as a combined home for emergency medical services as well as the city鈥檚 fire department and police department.
During Tuesday鈥檚 meeting of the Bluefield Board of Directors, City Manager Cecil Marson said the board submitted three projects for potential funding through a Congressionally Directed Spending award.
Those projects are the combined EMS facility for police, fire and rescue, the Union Street Sewer and Stormwater Project and a second stormwater project planned for the Midway area.
Marson said the city met the deadline to submit the Congressionally Directed Spending requests, which are more commonly known as federal earmarks. The city鈥檚 requests have been sent to U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R- W.Va. and U.S. Senator Jim Justice, R- W.Va. for funding consideration.
鈥淭his doesn鈥檛 guarantee that those will get funding, but those have been submitted to Senator Capito and Senator Justice鈥檚 office,鈥� Marson said.
The city announced the combined facility project back in July 2024 when a legal advertisement for architectural and engineering consulting firms to aid in designing and constructing a campus that would serve the Bluefield Rescue Squad, the Bluefield Police Department and the Bluefield Fire Department was published in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.
At the time, the city said the idea behind the campus is to relocate the city鈥檚 fire and police departments as well as emergency services to a more centralized location in the city so they can have quicker response times. A final location for the combined EMS campus has not yet been decided on.
Marson and other city officials at the time said both the fire department and police department had outgrown their existing quarters at Bluefield City Hall and were in need of more room. The Bluefield Rescue Squad, which is located next door to Mitchell Stadium off Stadium Drive, can also have problems sending ambulances on calls when events like the Beaver-Graham Game or the annual Holiday of Lights at city park create traffic backups.
The federal funds being sought for the combined EMS facility would cover various expenses associated with the construction of the new campus, including the purchase of land.
Despite the city鈥檚 funding request, there is no guarantee that Capito or Justice will recommend the combined EMS campus or the two stormwater projects for approval.
鈥淲e are applying for various grants,鈥� Marson said after Tuesday鈥檚 meeting. 鈥淭his is just one (funding) option.鈥�
漏 2025 the Bluefield Daily Telegraph (Bluefield, W.Va.).
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