BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The potential addition of a day center in the City of Beckley has been a divisive topic of discussion since the idea was recently broached at a workshop meeting of the City of Beckley’s Common Council.
The concept of a day center in the city was presented by Amanda Hammons and former Beckley City Council member, Robert Dunlap, the latter of whom stated that funding and a location for the center had already been secured.
It was indicated during the session that the location in question was that of 345 Prince Street, a property owned by Dunlap himself and the former location of Vinyl Tracks. The shop, which specialized in sales of physical media such as vinyl records, cassette tapes, and CDs, was operational for roughly a year before closing down abruptly and without explanation in early June of this year.
Dunlap has since purportedly indicated that an unspecified Neville Street location has been designated as a potential location for the proposed center, according to Councilman At-Large, Cody Reedy.
Councilman Reedy himself questioned the purported benefits of the proposal during the session and has since expressed displeasure with regard to individuals in the community continually engaging in illegal and disruptive behavior, indicating that such individuals potentially threaten the well-being and sense of security for law-abiding residents within the city.
The city official pointed to multiple instances of city properties – including recreational areas for young children – having been vandalized and cluttered with harmful items such as syringes and weapons, remarking that the inclusion of a day center in the area could serve to exacerbate the ongoing issue of which many community members have increasingly expressed frustration and exasperation in recent months.
“We do not need a day center or any more resources for these people who do not care about our community. We need to come up with a way to reduce resources that is drawing these people in not something that will add to our flooded streets,” Reedy stated. “What Beckley needs is clean streets and for our citizens to feel and be safe wherever they are.”
Further, the representative declared that utilizing city funding to offer resources to individuals with no intention of earnestly seeking help or changing their behaviors could prove counterintuitive to efforts to grow and develop the City of Beckley.
“I’m fine helping out people that want and need the help but constantly giving and giving to these type of people does nothing but enable them. I’ve fought this at my own businesses and properties but at a middle and high school baseball field is where we need to draw the line and come up with a plan to cut resources and send these people packing.”
Community members have been encouraged to make their own voices heard in the “public comments” portion of the upcoming meeting of Common Council, which is set to take place at 6:30pm on Tuesday, September 10, 2024.
