The St. Clairsville Recreation Department staff members may finally be coming down off their caffeinated buzz from last weekend.
What started Thursday with providing a place for residents (and beyond) to get out of the cold, grab a bite and heat up turned into a 24-hour weekend warming center and place of refuge for those struggling with the loss of power and heat thanks to the ice and snow storm that rolled through and left thousands without power, and options. As the severity, and longevity, of the power outages increased, the rec center shifted its focus.
Each town in the Ohio Valley offered up some location to assist its respective residents in need. In St. Clairsville, that located was the J.B. Martin Recreation Center located directly behind the high school and adjacent to Red Devil Stadium.
But it wasn’t just Director Eric Gay and Program Director Debbie Reed. It was city workers, the mayor, city leaders, community members, church members, and even local businesses coming together to provide for their most in-need residents when their need was dire. Cumberland Trail Fire? St. Clairsville PD? They all stopped by and helped out too.
“We had a lot of middle-aged to elderly people, some on oxygen, and that’s what we’re here for,” Reed said. “We’re here to help out any way we can. We had games to play, movies to watch, all kinds of good. Calvary Presbyterian brought soup over. The community really pulled together to help out and was ready to serve.
“The elderly that were here were thrilled to return home once the power came back on, but they admitted it was nice to know they had a place they could come to when needed.”
Food was brought in and donated as more than one local business, some locally owned, some chain, stepped to the plate. Blankets and cots were provided for those needed to stay overnight to have a comfy place to sleep and keep warm.
Reed noted that all told, around 30-40 people used the facility overnight as their homes or apartments remained without power, temperatures plummeting to dangerous levels.
On the Lookout
Reed noted some concerned relatives contacted Cumberland Trail to check on their loved ones staying in apartment buildings. They’d swing by and bring those family members to the facility.
But while there, they checked on and noticed other residents in need. They too were brought to the rec center.
“They would go check and see others there in need and they’d call us and we’d tell them to bring them over too,” Reed said. “We had people from Bellaire here. Anyone that needed a place to go, we had food, hot coffee, a place to stay and get warm.
“We came together as a community.”
Reed admitted while people knew there would be a storm, the severity of it, coupled with the multiple prolonged power outages caught everyone a bit off guard. Thankfully, they quickly put plan to action and opened up the rec center to those in need.
“It’s easier when you have a plan, but we were able to pull together on short notice, adapt, and do the best we could,” she said. “We are still talking about how to make it more known in the community that the rec center will be there in times of need.”
Reed is in her third year with the department. She has a background in patient care, which came in handy whilst she was mixing brief naps on a cot in her office with helping out those gathered for warmth, food, and companionship to wait out the storm, and the power outages.
She knew for many of the residents, they’d feel far more comfortable staying in their homes. But seeing as that wasn’t an option, the staff and volunteers from all walks did everything possible to make sure a comfortable environment was set up and that those needing to stay had everything they needed.
Those gathered even got into a partying mood briefly during the weekend as one woman celebrated her 90th birthday, with song, food, and fellowship inside the rec center. Was it ideal? No. But it will certainly be a memorable birthday for her, and one she thankfully didn’t spend freezing in the cold.
The give-back spirit of the Ohio Valley never fails to show itself during times of need, and the folks in St. Clairsville, and communities throughout the area display time and again that, when the need arises, they can be counted upon.
Even the linemen working through the code to repair the power issues were able to take a break, stop down to the rec center, warm up, and get a bite. They too, deserved a respite from the cold and shown appreciation for their hard work.
