BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
KERMIT, W.Va. — The Town of Kermit will be receiving $5,000 as part of an antitrust lawsuit filed by West Virginia against two pharmaceutical companies. Mayor Charles Sparks announced the news at a Jan. 13 council meeting.
The mayor detailed the backstory: a $17 million settlement stemming from claims that Pfizer and Ranbaxy conspired to block a generic version of Lipitor, Pfizer’s blockbuster cholesterol med.
Sparks read aloud from a letter sent by the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office.
“This payment is the result of a lawsuit filed by our office against Pfizer and Ranbaxy based on allegations of delay of availability of generic Lipitor (atorvastatin) between March 24, 2010, and Nov. 30, 2011,” Sparks read. “This payment is to allow partial recovery of excess payments or reimbursements your city paid for Lipitor during that time frame.”
The lawsuit, filed in 2013 in Madison County, reached its conclusion in late 2024.
The council took no action.
In other money matters, the council conditionally approved a resolution for a $31,500 drawdown to pay Orders Construction, the firm handling the $2.6 million overhaul of the town’s water plant.
Councilman J.W. Endicott voiced the need for transparency, insisting on obtaining and attaching an itemized invoice to the resolution.
“Region 2 knows we need to make the drawdown, and I’m OK with that part,” Endicott said, referring to the regional planning council. “I will make a motion that we approve the drawdown under the condition that we get a breakdown of what it’s for and attach it to that document so we’ll know what the money was spent for.”
Fellow council members agreed with all voting in favor.
The council discussed a visibility issue at the intersection of Route 52 and the Truist Bank exit.
Councilman Endicott did not mince words. He called the spot “an accident waiting to happen” thanks to parked vehicles blocking drivers’ sightlines.
“Most cities have ‘no parking from here to the corner’ because of vision obstruction,” Endicott said. “If you’re making a left, you can’t see Route 52 north coming at you.”
Councilman Scott Smith joined in. He said the town’s power to enforce a no-parking zone would hinge on an existing ordinance—or drafting a new one.
“It’s our town,” Endicott stated. “Do we not have the authority to mark out an area?”
The council took no action but noted it would revisit the issue.
Smith suggested that the town purchase a closed-cab utility vehicle equipped with a snowplow and salt spreader for snow removal.
Mayor Sparks said he believed having local men do the work would be less expensive. He explained that during the recent snow storms, three locals cleaned the streets. One man submitted a $250 invoice.
Councilman Wilburn “Tomahawk” Preece praised the work.
“They did a good job,” Preece said.
The council agreed to look at pricing for the proposed equipment but took no formal action.