BUCKHANNON – The Upshur County Commission on Thursday voted to purchase an office building on 1st Street in Weston for the Lewis County Day Report Center, pending Lewis County Commission’s approval of the purchase.

Cheyenne Troxell, program director for Lewis-Upshur Community Corrections and Day Report Center, called into the Jan. 6 Upshur County Commission meeting to discuss purchasing the property at 230 East 1st Street and why it was necessary.

“We have been growing and our Lewis County office has really struggled with space over the past few years,” Troxell said. “As we keep expanding services, we need more space to grow and currently, I have three staff members in a 12-by-15 office. I have one staff member I had to move into a very tiny office that we were using for counseling, so now she has to share the space with the counselor if they come in – it’s not ideal.”

Troxell said the Upshur County office recently found a better office space at 85 West Main Street, the former Klie Law office building, so they were hoping to do the same for their Lewis County office.

“We have only on-street parking right now, so you’d have to walk from way down the street and as most people know, the parking is very scarce around the courthouse area,” Troxell said. “The new place actually has a garage underneath, which we will be able to park the county vehicle in, and it has an attached carport that will fit three vehicles stacked in front of each other and it actually has one spot on street, so it would be substantially better on the parking situation.”

Commissioner Terry Cutright said he would recommend approving the purchase if the Lewis County Commission approved as well. Troxell said the Community Corrections board has already approved the purchase contingent completion of building and pest inspections. The purchase price is $194,900 for the building, including furniture and appliances, according to documents in the Jan. 6, 2022, commission packet online.

The Lewis-Upshur Community Corrections program/Day Report Center provides a sentencing alternative that aims to hold nonviolent offenders accountable by supervising them within their communities. The ultimate goal is to reintegrate offenders into society.

In other Upshur County Commission news:

• Commissioners approved and signed the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Supplemental Grant #21-SVA-048 contract agreement, revised standard conditions and assurances, certifications, resolution, subgrantee schedule of payments and request for funds form for the grant award in the amount of $7,992.

• Commissioners approved and adopted the 2022 Standard Mileage Rates for business, medical and moving purposes.