Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
At the Marlinton Town Council meeting Monday evening, council received news that country singer Zack Bryan would like to have an album release party in town later this month.
Old Mountain Tavern owner Danny Flores explained that Bryan, who has been to the tavern several times, has selected 23 bars around the country for album release parties, and the tavern is one of those.
“He’s been at my place more than once and fell in love with it, and he wanted to help the town, the community,” he said. “He wanted to pick a place that reminded him of Oklahoma – a small place where he grew up in Oklahoma.”
Flores has planned a block party for Saturday, June 29, and asked council for permission to block off the street for the party.
Flores said he would like to block off parts of Eighth Street and Third Avenue, next to the City National Bank from noon to 9 p.m.
“I’ve been in contact with the road [DOH] and as long as you guys accept it, they can approve that block off,” Flores said. “They just need to be able to have traffic control on that day.”
The block party will be held around the old French’s Diner lot.
Council approved to block sections of the two streets for the day of the event.
In other good news, council received a check from Marlinton Rotary Club to help purchase of 26 American flags and brackets. The flags will be installed on lamp posts on Main Street.
Rotary president Kenny Woods said getting the project funded was a group effort between Rotary members and town council members Roger Trusler and Joe Smith. The timing of the donation is also special as the Rotary club’s anniversary is this week.
“I want to mention, too, this was a good opportunity for us,” Woods said. “ I’ve kind of named Joe as our club historian. He put together the history of our club and eighty-five years ago two days from now, the club had its first charter dinner. I thought that was kind of a neat thing.”
The town is in the process of installing the flags.
Council also discussed an issue concerning an invoice that was sent to council for payment to replace a curb on Third Avenue.
Mayor Sam Felton explained that the curb in question was damaged three years ago when the town was replacing 700 feet of sewer line. The line was installed before the curb was built and, therefore, when the old line was replaced, the curb was damaged in the process.
Felton said town resident J.L. Clifton, who lives where the curb was damaged, asked the town to replace the curb.
Three years later, Clifton had the curb replaced himself.
“He took it upon himself – this long after the fact – to call a contractor without obtaining a permit or talking to the office, I might add, or asking about it,” Felton said. “He went ahead and took it upon himself to have the curb replaced and then sent the town a bill for $1,600. He’s replaced the curb on town property.”
As council discussed the issue, Smith made a motion to not pay the invoice.
“My problem with this is he didn’t communicate with the town at all,” Smith said.
Council voted and agreed to not pay the invoice.
In other action, council approved:
• Destination by Design’s Marlinton Streetscape Proposal to expand the scope to include a parking lot to the north on U.S. Rt. 219 and sidewalk improvement to the south along Fourth Avenue, and a bike loop through town.
• an American Flag for the Verizon Cell Tower.
• to purchase plaques for the Greenbrier River Anything That Floats Race. The town will be reimbursed after the event.
• Budget revisions and updates to the personnel policy.
Marlinton Town Council meets the first Monday of each month, excluding holidays, at 7 p.m., in the town municipal building auditorium. The public is welcome to attend in person or online through a Zoom link.
