Family, Colleagues, Friends on Hand as Pigg Sworn in as New Fire Chief; Deegan Lake Dam Repair Okayed
By Jeff Toquinto on November 12, 2025
/Council%2011-10-25%20Pigg%20Family.jpg)
In front of a packed house filled with colleagues from his own department and beyond, many in their Class A uniforms, along with family and friends, Greg Pigg officially took over the reigns of the City of Bridgeport Fire Department.
Pigg took the oath of office from Mayor Robert G. Matheny near the start of a two-hour meeting Monday evening. It was followed by a standing ovation from those in attendance for the former deputy chief who has replaced the recently retired Chief Phil Hart.
“Want to thank the city for this opportunity,” said Pigg. “I’m really looking forward to the future. I think it’s definitely bright. The department is 
going in the right direction, and with all these guys we can do anything.”
going in the right direction, and with all these guys we can do anything.”
Pigg is no stranger to the department as he has served the Bridgeport community for 17 years, including the last two and a half years as the deputy chief. Despite not being 40, Pigg has a lengthy background in the profession even beyond his time with Bridgeport.
Pigg worked as a volunteer in the emergency squad in Salem, while also working a full-time job in Monongalia County with that county’s emergency squad prior to coming aboard Bridgeport many years ago. Pigg said he has always had a love for the profession.
The reason for Pigg’s love of heading to work daily rests with his father Martin “Junior” Pigg, who was one of many family members on hand in City Council chambers. Many may recognize his name from the education field where he wrapped things up by retiring as the principal at Robert C. Byrd High School. His father was volunteer firefighter for many years, including serving time in that capacity with Matheny.
While Pigg’s appointment provided a fix for the leadership at the fire department, Council gave unanimous approval to move forward with a temporary fix of Deegan Lake Dam. It unanimously approved a change order to an existing contract with Terracon Consultants, hired to find the issue causing water seepage and options to fix it. On Monday, Council okayed the first phase of remediation involving dam.
Council will be going with an option that will feature a temporary fix before considering, and looking at funding, for a seven-figure plus permanent fix. Interim City Manager Joe Shuttleworth said what will be done is fix the internal workings of the dam by doing bid documents and engineering, hire the contractor from the documents, and have the work inspected by Terracon as it is done.
The project will see the winning contractor install a flowable chemical grout into the pipes and other internal workings that will plug holes and gaps. Shuttleworth said it’s like a complicated version of using “fix-a-flat.”
As for the cost, the engineer’s estimate for the contractor that will be hired, along with engineering and inspection services, is estimated at $335,200.
The temporary fix could last years, but the goal is to do a permanent fix. A permanent fix, Shuttleworth has said, could be a $1 million dollar project, and would be eligible for FEMA funding. If, and when, it is done, it will require the lake to be drained and will close the Deegan Lake property for an entire summer. This fix, which is not expected to be permanent, will not impact Deegan Lake’s use. Shuttleworth has also emphasized there is no danger to the community with the dam.
/Council%2011-10-25%20Callahan.jpg)
Council approved another big-ticket item Monday. It was also a change order.
This project was a change order with FieldTurf for design and construction documents for the support building at the new $7.3 million multipurpose field at The Bridge Sports Complex. It was not for the building itself.
Shuttleworth said this is for the next component of the project. It is a support building that will house restrooms, concessions, and several other areas, most notably storage. He added that it could also include a press box and rooms for use by sports officials to change.
Droo Callahan, the general manager of The Bridge, briefed Council on the project. He pointed out doing the change order with FieldTurf will not only speed the project up but involves the outfit under their umbrella that knows the project intimately.
Shuttleworth said the building will not be anything near the size of the Citynet Center. However, he did say it will have a functional use like the building at the existing wagon wheel style baseball complex at The Bridge.
The design work is being done now to make sure the utility work is in line for what is being done now. To make sure that happens, approval was given for engineering work with a maximum cost of $250,000. That, he said, assumes the building would cost up to $3 million. Shuttleworth and Callahan both said they do not believe the building will be anywhere near that cost.
/Council%2011-10-25%20Cecil.jpg)
The biggest part of the meeting involved Carrie Cecil, an attorney with Frost Brown Todd LLP, talking about two ongoing lawsuits. Her presentation and question and answer session with Council lasted nearly an hour and 10 minutes.
Fost Brown Todd is one of three firms representing the city in two ongoing lawsuits. Both lawsuits relate to the Charles Pointe development and involve the City of Bridgeport: one is a federal lawsuit filed by developers Genesis Partners to validate a tax increment financing (TIF) extension, and the other is a state lawsuit filed by the city against a state agency regarding the same TIF extension, which would go 15 years beyond the original 30-year TIF program to 2050. The city is a defendant in the developers' lawsuit and is the plaintiff in its own case against the state, in the form of the West Virginia Economic Development Authority (WVEDA) and former Secretary Michael Graney.
Cecil, a public finance partner with the firm, provided inside regarding the TIF process that began in 2005. She compared it to other TIF districts around the state and had a give and take with questions from all members /Council%2011-10-25%20Ramsey.jpg)
of Council, as well as City Attorney Dean Ramsey.
of Council, as well as City Attorney Dean Ramsey.
No action was taken following the presentation.
Council addressed several other items as well. Among the items was accepting the recommendation of the Bridgeport Planning Commission to update the city’s comprehensive plan. The plan went into effect in 1996 and is updated about every five years. A comprehensive plan is used as a development guidance tool for the city.
Benchmark Planning out of Charlotte oversaw the update and was on hand for the public meeting in September. Most of the public comments came from officials with Genesis Partners, the developers of Charles Pointe.
The last official item of business involved Council unanimously approving a budget fund revision. The revision provided an additional $10,000 for use by the Harrison County Senior Citizens Center.
As for proclamations, there was one given for Christian Heritage Week. Although no one was on hand to accept it, Matheny read it to the audience.
Fire Lieutenant Jacob Thompson gave the invocation at the meeting.
Editor's Note: Top photo shows Chief Greg Pigg with his family and Mayor Robert Matheny. Second image shows Pigg taking the oath from Matheny, while interim City Manager Joe Shuttleworth is shown in the third photo. The fourth photo shows Bridge General Manager Droo Callahan explaining the next project at the facility. The fifth photo is of Carrie Cecil, an attorney with Frost Brown Todd LLP, who addressed Council for more than an hour Monday. Bottom photo is of long-time City Attorney Dean Ramsey.
.jpg)
