Couple ordered from home

[Cerebral_Assassin]

Couple ordered from home

Pair fought against Kanawha taking land for Sissonville school

By Eric Eyre

Staff writer

Beldon and Clara Huston have until Sunday to get off the land they’ve called home for more than 30 years or they’ll be held in contempt of court.

On Monday afternoon, Kanawha Circuit Judge Irene Berger ordered the Hustons to vacate their house along W.Va. 21 to make way for a new $12.5 million Sissonville Middle School.

For months, the Hustons fought to keep their home and property. But the Kanawha County school board seized 48 acres of their land through eminent domain.

Monday’s ruling means they must leave or face fines and possible jail time.

“I think it’s terrible,” said Clara Huston, 74. “I don’t know how we’re going to live.”

The Hustons plan to have their home moved to another part of their property that the school board didn’t condemn. The home will sit on stilts until a new foundation gets built, and sewer, water and electric lines are put in.

“Why do you throw a 70-year-old couple out of their home?” asked the Hustons’ nephew Ron Davis. “It shows the school board isn’t thinking in the best interests of these people. They’re thinking about the bottom line.”

Charleston lawyer Nick Barth, who is representing the school board in the condemnation case, said the Hustons were supposed to vacate their land on July 15, but the school board gave them a 30-day extension.

“It’s causing problems getting the project to move forward,” Barth said. “Delays can be costly. The project has to get going. We’ve been very even-handed with the Hustons.”

The school board started condemnation proceedings against a 48-acre portion of the Hustons’ land in March. The Hustons are getting $305,000 for the land, but they’ve asked for $1 million — an amount an appraiser they hired has said the property is worth. The two sides continue to fight in court over the property’s value.

The Hustons also want additional time to clean out their house and move it to the new location on the former dairy farm. They said it will take at least two months before bulldozers and graders start to level land where their house sits.

Clara Huston plans to stay with relatives until her home is moved. Her husband said he’ll stay in the house — even if there’s no plumbing and electricity.

“They have 40 years of stuff piled up in that house,” Davis said.

After Monday’s court hearing, Clara Huston passed along a warning to others who might have their land seized by a government agency. “Seniors, beware,” she said. “This could happen to you.”

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[slum_goddess]

bah, depressing.