Craig Howell MEMORANDA APPROVED – Hancock County commissioners, during their meeting Thursday, approved several agreements related to the distribution of the county’s allotment of opioid settlement funds.

NEW CUMBERLAND — Hancock County commissioners approved several more memorandums of understanding related to the distribution of the county’s appropriations of opioid settlement funds Thursday.

Commission President Eron Chek explained the memorandums outline aspects of how the awarded funds may be used, based on an agreement the county signed with the West Virginia First Foundation.

“They have all the details on the funding’s use,” Chek said.

Thursday, commissioners approved revised agreements with Mount Olive Baptist Church, the WVU Extension Office and Bless This Child Ministries, which Chek noted had “been amended slightly,” in comparison to the documents approved by commissioners May 14.

Bless This Child Ministries, part of the Brooke-Hancock Family Resource Network, previously had been awarded $19,300, with Mount Olive Baptist Church receiving $15,607 and the WVU Extension Office receiving $50,000.

In addition, memorandums were approved for New Cumberland Ambulance Service Inc., as well as the volunteer fire departments serving Lawrenceville, New Manchester, Chester, Newell, Oakland District and New Cumberland.

Commissioner Paul Cowey noted the agreement with New Manchester Volunteer Fire Department is related to the distribution made for all of the county’s volunteer fire departments, explaining NMVFD also had submitted its own independent request for funding.

“This is for the one we did with all of the fire departments,” Cowey said.

Commissioners had approved $180,000 through the Firefighters Association of Hancock County, to be divided equally among the county’s volunteer departments. The ambulance service is set to receive $330,000.

In a related matter, commissioners made a matter of record a letter from a county citizen requesting the opioid funds be transferred from the county’s special revenue fund to the general fund for the 2027 fiscal year budget. The citizen was not named by commissioners during the meeting, and no additional action was taken.

In other business, commissioners heard from Oak Glen High School teacher Tina Viakley and members of the school’s Future Business Leaders of America chapter about some of the club’s recent projects and plans to attend the FBLA National Leadership Conference in San Antonio from June 29 to July 2. The club is seeking donations to help fund the trip.