Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
Marlinton Town Council honored the memory of late council member Roger Trusler at its Monday night meeting. Trusler passed away in August.
Mayor Sam Felton began the conversation by listing off the many areas Trusler was involved in in Pocahontas County and the contributions he made during his career and life here.
“Most of us don’t know how great a loss it is yet,” the mayor said.
Felton said he and councilmembers Olivia Dean and Scott Gibb were talking about Trusler in the office one day and discussed the possibility of naming the mini park on First Avenue the Roger L. Trusler Memorial Park.
The park has been through a bit of a facelift recently, with the demolition of the pavilion and fireplace.
“When we took the fireplace out, we found out that basically the pavilion was resting on the fireplace,” Felton said. “Yes, we could piece it together again, but we chose not to.”
Felton said that, while the pavilion could possibly be fixed, there was still a concern that a windstorm or heavy snow might topple it. Instead, the town chose to demolish the pavilion and start anew.
Felton read a Resolution to name the park after Trusler and added that, if approved, the town will establish a special savings account for donations toward upgrading the park.
Council voted and approved the resolution and to pursue grants to help rebuild the park. The account will also be opened for donations from the community.
With the loss of Trusler, council held interviews to find an individual to fill his unexpired term on council. Felton made the recommendation that council appoint Tina Barkley and council approved the recommendation.
In other business, council reviewed the cemetery software provided by Chronicle. Last fall, council contracted with Chronicle to map Mountain View Cemetery and create a website laying out the entirety of the cemetery.
Dean gave a demonstration of the website and showed how the plots can be searched to see which ones are available, as well as to see where family members are buried.
Council approved the following:
• third and final reading of the Ordinance Prohibiting the Use of Recreational Vehicles and Tents as Permanent Dwellings.
• second reading of the Ordinance Amending Business and Occupation Tax.
• second reading of Ordinance Implementing Sales and Use Tax.
• setting Wednesday, October 9, at 2:30 p.m. as the auction date for the Fourth Avenue property.
• to pay the remaining balance and purchase a sign for the cemetery from Chronicle.
• resolution to update fees for work on private property and special events by town staff. The rates will now be $25 an hour per man and prorated for a quarter hour. For equipment, it will be $60 an hour per piece of equipment.