By Matt de Simone
Fincastle Town Council met for its monthly meeting at the Fincastle Fire Department Training Room last Thursday. Council discussed various town matters including the current cost of town pump operations. Mayor Mary Bess Smith noted during the town financial report that it is there was a spike in sewage pump electrical fees in the months of December and January.
Smith said that the town previously talked with the Western Virginia Water Authority about trying to install solar panels to generate additional electricity. At the time, Smith said “the technology hadn’t caught up” with the town, but they will begin to look into that option once again.
Town Manager Melanie McFadyen recently explained in a recent email that the sewage plant operator will soon be “checking to make sure there isn’t some faulty equipment that is running excessively and should find out something soon.” The town’s Sustainability Committee has been discussing the use of solar panels as well as other environmentally sustainable projects, according to McFadyen.
Fruit trees have been planted at Big Spring Park. The town recently received wood for the benches located in the outdoor classroom. Additionally, the Appalachian Trail Builders will also build benches that will be located along the trail. “
“So, come a little bit warmer weather, there should be a lot more going on,” Councilman Ed Bordett added when discussing the trail’s winter preparations for spring. Council also discussed an upcoming volunteer clean-up day for anyone interested in helping out clearing branches and trash along the trail this spring. Signage for the park is currently in the design stage. Bordett said he is currently looking around at pricing for the signs.
Last week, Smith completed the last reimbursement request for the trail work. She explained that other than attorney’s fees on surveys and similar work, the town has been “blessed and surprised” in the amount of volunteer work on the trail. The town didn’t have “a lot” to file for reimbursement, according to Smith, who said she’s pulling out items and once the town accumulates enough money, she’ll submit that amount. Smith reiterated her appreciation for the group of people who donated their time to help out building the trail.
The town recently signed a contract with Hill Studios and a subcontract with the Alleghany Regional Planning Commission to help oversee the disbursement of the $50,000 CDBG planning grant for planning activities that will be transferred into an application for a community development block grant.
“We started this (grant) process over a year ago,” Smith explained. “Since we started it, we’ve had some changes to the landscape. Obviously, we’ve had personnel changes in town. The courthouse construction is nowhere near where we thought we would be (at this time)… We’re thinking that we really need to sit down with this planning group at the outset to kind of go back and think about what we need to do… and what we can do to try and help economic development in town.
“There will be community meetings and lots of opportunities for input. We want people to be involved. We want people to come to us with their visions of what you want the town to be. Hopefully, we’ll be able to start scheduling those meetings soon. More to come on that. It’s exciting. It’s overwhelming when you think about all the possibilities of what we could do. We need to get a good focus and get some good projects that we can complete.”
In anticipation of the upcoming “DAR 250” celebration, the town is planning on closing Main Street from Roanoke Street to Church Street from 2-5 p.m. on May 18. Smith said it’s a bit “tricky” but wanted to make council aware of the upcoming closure on that Saturday afternoon.
The town is asking for residents to notify them about any street lights that burn out. Please call the office (540-473-2200) to notify them so any future outages can be repaired.
McFadyen updated council on town operations. She recently met with the infrastructure committee about ongoing town issues and resident complaints. McFadyen also noted that the focus of the Sustainability Committee for this year is composting. A brochure will be distributed throughout the year to better educate the town on composting tips. The town also thanks the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office work crew for their help putting away the town’s Christmas décor and will continue assisting the town putting up banners and cleaning up the trash around town.
For more information about Fincastle Town Council and their upcoming meeting schedule, visit townoffincastle.org.
