Jaynell Graham
Editor
All members of Marlinton Town Council were in attendance for a short meeting Monday night. The January meeting lasted more than four hours, while all items on Monday’s agenda were tended to in less than an hour.
The evening kicked off with some good news from Mayor Sam Felton, as he reported that the town’s Department of Environmental Protection Demo Grant application was approved in the amount of $217,000. Those monies will go a long way in demolishing at least 12 dilapidated structures within town limits.
Felton said he had attended a meeting in Franklin where he learned that a couple took advantage of the DARRE Program and rebuilt and repurposed the old theatre building there. The building had been empty for 25 years, and when the couple approached the bank for a loan, the bank said no, but DARRE said yes.
Felton also presented information on plans to upgrade street lighting to LED. He said some areas of the town would only need 50-watt lamps, whereas streets that have heavy tree growth, or areas where security cameras are installed, would require 90-watt lamps.
In addition to the change to LED, the lamps will have shields that will project the light toward the ground so as to not jeopardize the Dark Skies Initiative.
Councilmember Joe Smith noted that council had never voted to change the lighting, and he then made a motion to proceed with the upgrades. The motion was unanimously approved.
Councilmember and fire department liaison Tom Miller advised the council that the 1987 generator needs to be replaced. The generator is often out of service, and as the firehouse is the center of activity during disasters, a new generator is needed.
There are grants available from Homeland Security, but the town, not the fire department, will have to apply, as the generator is used to furnish power to the whole municipal building.
In other matters, council:
• reported that all fire hydrants were tested last year, and are good for four years. However, the town would like to get back to doing annual testing.
• will meet with representatives from Destination by Design Wednesday, February 14, from 10 a.m. to noon to discuss ideas and concepts for a Streetscapes plan for the town. The meeting will be posted, and the public is invited.
• accepted bids from Woodford Oil for heating oil and propane for the coming year.
In the Public Input portion of the meeting, Zed Weatherholt asked for clarification of the three-minute limit during public input. He wanted to know if the time limit also pertains to individuals who have asked to have items placed on the agenda.
The mayor said the three-minute rule only applies to individuals who sign-in and want to express an opinion about an issue on the agenda.
Marlinton resident Wolf Knight wrapped up the evening, expressing his appreciation to the town crew and volunteers who stepped up to help others during the recent snowstorm.
“A lot of people did a lot of good work,” he said.
Marlinton Town Council meets the first Monday of each month, holidays excluded, at 7 p.m. in the Municipal Auditorium.
