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City of Hurricane Acts to Expand Eastward

Hurricane City Manager Andy Skidmore is shown displaying a map of the 127.66 acres which is subject of an annexation petition.

Council held the first reading of a petition to annex 127.66 acres into Hurricane city limits at it November 7 meeting. Most of the acreage (121.66 acres) is State Road or I-64. The six acres which is not is a portion of the roadways is owned by Martin’s Peterbuilt and is located on North Poplar Fork Road adjacent to the I-64 Exit 39 interchange.

The petition must be approved at a second hearing at a future council meeting and by the Putnam County Commission. The Commission is required by statute to approve annexation by petition requests involving single property owners. Martin’s Peterbuilt approached the City of Hurricane requesting the city to accept the six acres into city limits.

The roadways involved are the section of State Route 34 (Teays Valley Road east of Wendy’s and Route 34 to North Poplar Fork Road) and the section of I-64 from Cow Creek to Exit 39). The annexation of the roadways will result in additional calls by the Hurricane Police Department as it will be tasked with responding to vehicle accidents on the new stretches of 34 and I-64. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Department is currently the designated first responder to accidents on these roadways.

The six acres is listed on the tax books as inactive farm land. City Manager Andy Skidmore stated that Peterbuilt has requested the property to be zoned as B-2. Skidmore stated that adjacent property owners would not be notified because their property is not located within city limits.

In other business, Council approved supplemental pay of $500 and $250, respectively, for full-time and part-time city employees. Granting supplemental pay to city employees during the holiday season is a long-time City of Hurricane practice. The amounts are the same as those granted in 2021.

November 24 and 25 will be days off for employees as City offices will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.

The next Hurricane Council meeting will be December 5 at 6:30 p.m.

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