City of Point Pleasant, WV

November 7, 2005

The minutes posted to these pages are the exact words contained in the official minutes on file in the City Clerks office. The format has been changed to make the information easier to read when presented in an Interned browser. Every effort is made to insure accuracy in transferring the information to these pages.  In all cases, the document on file at the City Building will be considered the official document.

The Common Council of the City of Point Pleasant, a Municipal Corporation in Mason County, West Virginia, met in Regular Session at City Hall, 400 Viand Street at 7:00 p.m. on Monday November 7, 2005.

     M. Leota Sang led Council in Prayer. The meeting was called to order by Mayor James H. Wilson who led Council in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Mayor asked for a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular Council meeting of October 10, 2005. Ronald R. Kapp moved to approve and M. Leota Sang added the second. The minutes were approved unanimously. The Mayor then asked for a motion to approve the Financial Statements of the General, Coal Severance, Water and Sewer Funds for the month of October 2005. William H. Wallace moved to approve the statements and Ronald R. Kapp added the second. The Financial Statements were unanimously approved.   The Mayor then asked for a motion to approve the Outstanding Obligations for the month of October 2005. Ronald R. Kapp made the motion and William H. Wallace added the second.  The motion was passed unanimously. City Attorney James Casey stated that Howard Yeager had been in contact with him concerning the counter-proposal the City had made in reference to properties Mr. Yeager owned in the City. Mr. Casey stated that Mr. Yeager would only donate those properties to the City if the City would agree to make each individual property a municipal park. Mr. Casey added that the Main Street property was suitable for a Municipal Park and that it was home to a distressed structure. After a long discussion, Kevin R. Nott moved to allow Mr. Casey to do a Quit-Claim Deed to acquire the Yeager property on Main Street. Ronald R. Kapp added the second and the motion was unanimously approved.

            The Mayor stated that he had received a report from the property survey that was done in Kingtown. The property was surveyed because of a boundary dispute. He asked the City Attorney to review the information and make a recommendation on any necessary at the next Council meeting.

            The City Attorney then discussed the proposed City Police Traffic School. The Attorney explained that for minor traffic violations, a person could attend the local traffic school and the payment would stay in the City. Also, if a person attended the school, there would be no points issued against his/her driver’s license.

            In closing, Mr. Casey said that he and the Mayor had been looking for an agreement between the Volunteer Fire Department and the City. He stated that he thought the entities had been operating without an agreement and that a formal agreement should be drawn up to clearly define the working relationship.

City Clerk Stanton D. Burdette explained that the State Auditor had approved the contract between the City and Bassett and Lowe for the 2004-2005 Audit in the amount of $5,550.00. Mr. Burdette added that the State Auditors fee would be approximately $444.00. In closing, Mr. Burdette stated that delinquent tax notices had been sent out and those failing to make a return would be called to Municipal Court. Next on the agenda was Mayor Wilson. Mayor Wilson reminded Council that it was time to decide if they wanted give the yearly Christmas Bonus to employees. The Mayor stated that it was in the budget to give full-time employees $550.00 and part-time employees $250.00. Kevin R. Nott moved to approve the bonus and Ronald R. Kapp added the second. The motion was unanimously approved. The Mayor then stated that a revised bid came in from the Alan Stone Co. for the construction of a picnic shelter at the Riverfront Park. The Mayor added that the Riverfront Park Committee would meet and decide upon project priorities in the near future.  The Mayor informed Council that Krodel Park Campground would be open for hunters during deer season. He asked that a $15.00 per night fee be approved for overnight camping with electricity only. William H. Wallace moved to adopt the fee and Kevin R. Nott added the second. The fee was approved unanimously. The Mayor informed Council that a new roof had been put on the Krodel Clubhouse with grant funding. He stated that there were going to be other improvements at the park. He added that the City would be purchasing a utility vehicle in the near future with $8,000.00 the City had received in grant funds. The Mayor then asked Council to pass a resolution to apply for $15,000.00 in grant money to build a cabin or make other improvements at Krodel Park. M. Leota Sang moved to adopt the Resolution and Kevin R. Nott added the second. The Resolution was approved.

          The Mayor the presented Council with a Resolution with  the intent to apply for a Transportation Enhancement Grant in Conjunction with the River Museum in the Amount of $165,000.00. the Mayor stated that the funds would be used to construct a 2,400 square foot addition to the museum. The grant would require a local match of 20 percent which would be funded by the Point Pleasant River Museum Foundation. Ronald R. Kapp made the motion to adopt the Resolution. William H. Wallace added the second and the Resolution was unanimously adopted. The Mayor then presented a Resolution allowing employees to participate in the “Peoples On-Line Direct-Deposit” program with their payroll checks. The Mayor explained that this was an added benefit for the employees that would cost the City very little money. He stated that it would cost approximately $104.00 per year for 20 employees. Robert C. Doeffinger made the motion to adopt the Resolution and Kevin R. Nott added the second. The resolution was unanimously approved. With regards to the old Point Pleasant Landfill that was located near the fairgrounds and operated by the City between 1974 & 1984, the Mayor explained that he had been involved in a conference call with the EPA and other Potentially Responsible Parties (PRP). The Mayor added that not much came out of the call. The Mayor reported that grant money applied for two years ago had been received. He stated that it was discussed at the time of the application that half of the funds would go to the Main Street Committee and half to the Mason County Tourism Committee. The total funding would be for $60,000.00 over two years. The Main Street Committee would receive 15,000.00 per year and the Tourism Committee would receive $7,500.00 per year for two years. Ronald R. Kapp made a motion to distribute the $15,000 and $7,500 respectively to the Main Street Committee and the Tourism Committee for the present year. Kevin R. Nott added the second and the motion was approved.  

   Next Mayor Wilson proposed raising the returned check fee to the State maximum. He added that the State maximum was   $25.00 at the present time. Ronald R. Kapp moved to adopt the maximum returned check fee as defined by State Policy. Kevin R. Nott added the second and the fee was unanimously approved. The Mayor then presented a Resolution allowing the City to apply for a Brownfield’s Grant for the old Malleable Iron and adjacent properties. Robert C. Doeffinger moved to approve the Resolution and J. Glenn Long added the second. the Resolution was unanimously adopted. Next Mayor Wilson presented a proclamation naming November 12-18 as Community Foundation Week. Kevin R. Nott moved to approve the Proclamation and William H. Wallace added the second. The Proclamation was unanimously approved. The Mayor then presented Council with a request from the Homeless Shelter for a donation to help with the costs of a new furnace which was estimated to cost $5,000.00. The Mayor explained that the City usually donated $500.00 per year to the shelter. William H. Wallace moved to donate $500.00 to the shelter for the new furnace and J. Glenn Long added the second. The donation was unanimously approved.  The Mayor stated that the gas company had sent a letter offering to make a one-time lease payment of $20.00 per square foot totaling $2,880.00 to erect a gas regulator station on a 12 square-foot parcel. It was suggested that the gas company have the property surveyed to see how the structure would be situated on the lot. In Council concerns, M. Leota Sang wanted to thank Denise Scarberry for her dedication and hard work to make the Halloween Block Party such a success. Ms. Sang stated that the event gets bigger and better every year. She reminded Council that the Christmas Holiday Parade would be on November 18, 2005 at 6:30 pm to coincide with the opening of the Krodel Park Fantasy Light Show. In closing, Ms. Sang stated that she thought an early warning system in the City for tornados or other impending emergencies might be worth looking into. Elaine G. Hunt asked if the City had done work at the Lutton Horse Park. The Mayor stated that the City had done some work there and had been reimbursed for the work. He added that the City had done some work there also as their contribution in preparing for and sponsoring the Circus. Ms. Hunt added that 27^th Street needed paved. She asked that a leaf pick-up schedule be published. In closing, Ms. Hunt asked what the status of the North Point Drainage Project was. Councilman Doeffinger stated that the Sewer committee would need to meet with the engineer to discuss the amount of money needed to do the project. He stated that it would be up to Council and the citizens if they wanted to raise rates to finance the project. William H. Wallace echoed the need for paving and pot-hole repair. He also asked that the Bellemeade area see an increased police presence. J. Glenn Long stated that Jack Fowler, Director of the Point Pleasant River Museum, was to be commended for the work and accomplishments that have been made at the Museum. There being no other business, J. Glenn Long moved to adjourn the meeting and Kevin R. Nott added the second. The meeting was adjourned at 8:22 P.M. by unanimous vote.