During our visit to Nicholas County, we heard from many residents that their local schools needed to be rebuilt and that community centers and addiction treatment facilities were needed in the area.

As part of Mountain State Spotlight’s “Citizens Agenda” coverage of this year’s election, we asked the candidates for the 48th House District questions about these issues. Republican Thomas Clark, a former federal official and Webster County commissioner, is seeking his first House election victory after being appointed to the seat by Gov. Jim Justice earlier this year. He faces Democrat Devin Spinks, a social studies teacher at Summersville Middle School.

Find out which constituency you live here.

These interviews have been edited for clarity and length.

Question: Nicholas County residents have spoken about the need to build and rebuild important community facilities, especially for teens and young adults. Construction is currently underway to replace Nicholas County schools after they were damaged in the 2016 flood, and work is not expected to be completed for another year. What will you do to help rebuild Nicholas County schools?

Clark: It’s getting closer and closer every day.

The problem in Nicholas County was that there was a disagreement between the two communities about who should get what. And we forgot what should come first, which is our students. We need to continue to work together and make sure those students come first. We need to work with the state school building authority and make sure that funding keeps flowing until those schools are done. That’s what I’m doing, I’m pushing hard.

Spinks: First off, I’m a teacher at one of the affected schools and currently live in the pods (classroom trailers). It’s very rough there some days. I would strive to make sure all schools are equitable and that quality education is provided in every building. I know that’s possible with the construction of these new state-of-the-art facilities that we’re getting. It’s great to have complexes that will be ahead of so many other places in our state.

I’ve looked at the construction reports and we’re still looking at 2027. But I also think we could allocate additional funding to build these schools a little faster. I would love it if there was some kind of state law that if this ever happens to another community, they don’t have to wait as long as Nicholas County.

Question: A Summersville resident shared that some of the places he and his friends went to as teenagers are no longer there. What could you do to bring teen activities back to the county?

Clark: We support private businesses as best we can with taxpayer money. But I have already invested some of my local economic development funds into the new Richwood Community Center. They are building a new basketball arena that the high school will use for training, weight lifting and extracurricular activities for the kids. It is located in the old armory that is being rebuilt. We will try to put more money into that arena next year as well.

Spinks: For one, we have the ongoing opioid crisis. I always say idle thoughts lead to poor decisions. So without these programs, we can’t ensure our youth have the best opportunities. We need more young people to get involved. If these centers or activities are created – I would love to see a YMCA-like organization come to Summersville. We just created Summersville State Park.

But also in Richwood, which is more my area and my sphere of influence, we have some great economic development coming. It’s on the brink of collapse. WVU has gotten involved and assessed some buildings, we have the West Virginia (Community Development) Hub and Stacy Thomas and so many other great people in Richwood who are working tirelessly to get these projects going. As a delegate, I’m 100% behind them and I’m pushing for grants, whether it’s from the state or federal government, to get this going.

Question: Other county residents have talked about the need for more housing to replace old, dilapidated homes. What would you do to improve the housing situation in counties like Nicholas County?

Clark: I’ve already worked with Mayor (Gary) Johnson in Richwood. They’ve started the redevelopment program where they’re tearing down old, dilapidated buildings in Richwood. They’ve just started. I don’t know if they’ve already demolished buildings like they’ve done in Webster County, where I also work.

It’s a pretty difficult process. You can’t just walk in and trash someone’s house. There are a lot of logistics involved, but we’ve put together committees in both counties to work on it. I think we’re going to see a big difference next year.

Spinks: This is a continuation of the projects being considered in Richwood. It’s about creating more housing, market-level housing. I would also like to see a walkable community in Nicholas County. That would attract more young people. I’m 27, almost 28, and when I travel out of state, I can walk everywhere so well. That would be a huge benefit to Southern West Virginia.

Question: Some residents who are dealing with addiction issues or have experienced addiction themselves have talked about the lack of addiction treatment centers and residential homes in Nicholas County. What would you do to improve access to addiction recovery services in places like Nicholas County?

Clark: Again, the process is a movement. The (West Virginia) First Foundation was created across the state. We got some opioid money in both counties. I think we were able to put some money into law enforcement in both counties that was earmarked for that and ultimately to prevent drug abuse in the future.

We were hoping to maybe go to First Foundation – and we actually did. We even asked a couple of people to help us and create a treatment center that would serve the entire county locally – the eastern part of Nicholas County and all of Webster and a little bit of Greenbrier – and maybe locate that somewhere centrally in Nicholas County. There isn’t one right now, and that’s a serious problem for us.

We’re going to look at drug courts. Drug courts might help a little. And a work release center where we might be able to get these people out of, get them a job, give them some sense of well-being. But no, there’s nothing there. No drug treatment centers, no housing. There’s no work release or drug court. So we’re working on that. That’s what we’re doing right now.

Spinks: First of all, we need to put programs in our schools so that we don’t have another generation of addicts and we don’t perpetuate addiction. With these prevention programs in schools, we’ll also alleviate some of those “what are my teenagers doing?” questions.

There is so much that can be done. I want to get the ball rolling. I would like to see needle exchange programs to make sure people aren’t overdosing as often. People who participate in such programs are five times more likely to receive treatment.

So it’s about making these treatment options available, whether through involving private institutions or through financially supporting some of the people who develop these programs.

We have also received settlements from some opioid companies and we need to make sure that this money is spent wisely on recovery – that needs to be done. There are millions of dollars floating around in many communities in southern West Virginia.