Wood County invested a large portion of its federal COVID funds in a multi-purpose $13 million structure on the site of the former county jail. Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Wood County Resiliency Center was accompanied by complaints about how that money was utilized, according to Eyewitness News.
The building combines a convention center, a meeting room big enough to serve as two courtrooms, holding cells, a backup 911 center and smaller conference rooms. Some residents question why it wasn’t used a shelter during the recent bitter cold when a woman apparently froze to death in Parkersburg. County officials maintain they are proud of their multi-use building, which provides enough space to operate in emergencies, but insist smaller facilities work better as warming stations.