To past the midway point of January, the offices at the Bridgeport Municipal Office will be closed. City Manager Randy Wetmore recently said due to a spike in COVID-19 cases within the city, Harrison County, and the state it was determined to be the prudent thing to do.

 

“The decision to do that wasn’t based on cases we’ve had within the organization (city staff), but within our area and state with cases going up fairly high,” said Wetmore. “This is a way to protect our people and to protect them we’re closing our front door.”

 

While the initial closure is expected to last until Jan. 17, that could change. Wetmore said every two weeks the city will reevaluate numbers both in-house and beyond and decide.

 

“Could the closure be extended? Yes, it could be extended,” said Wetmore. “When we opened up after shutting down last March, April and into May, we were fortunate there were so few cases. Now, our cases within our staff have tipped up just like everywhere else. Hopefully, it will be a shorter period of time, but we’ll monitor how things are going.”

 

While the front door is closed, business is not. Wetmore praised staff for their efforts during the building’s closure in 2020 and was confident things would continue to go as well as can be expected during the pandemic’s latest surge that has carried into 2021.

 

“We understand doing this is the best thing to do right now. We also understand it is important to take are of things such as water leaks, snow removal, helping people be able to pay their bills,” said Wetmore. “We’re still operating and handling things, we’re just doing it differently.”

 

Residents wanting to pay their water bill can do so by telephone with a credit/debit card, online, or by dropping payment in the box on the front porch. There are also drop boxes for payments at the Municipal Complex parking lot, in front of the library, or at the fire department.

 

Business licenses, building permits and B&O payments can also be done by phone with a credit/debit card, or by mailing a check.  Tax, business license, and building permit forms are available on the City’s web site, www.bridgeportwv.com. 

 

The direct link to payments can be found by clicking HERE.

 

To contact city departments beyond police and fire (listed below), call 304-842-8200. Individual phone numbers can be found on the city's Web site for various departments by clicking HERE.

 

While normal operation hours are in place for staff at that number, the city’s police and fire departments are available all day, every day. Wetmore said emergencies should be handled by a 9-1-1 call. Direct lines to those departments are 304-842-8260 for the police or 304-842-8252 for the fire department.

 

“Considering how the last time we were like so many other businesses in conducting business in a different way, I felt we did a very good job,” said Wetmore. “At the same time, we want it where people can interact personally in the same room. It’s a different feeling, and many people are more comfortable that way. We hope to get more people back in the building as soon as we believe it is safe.”

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows City Manager Randy Wetmore outside the Bridgeport Municipal Complex, while the bottom photo shows the sign just below him that those not knowing the building is closed will be greeted with.