By Peggy Mackenzie
Ronceverte’s Tuesday night meeting opened with a Recognition of Service Award to Linda Lou Kelley, a long time resident whose services to Ronceverte involved her participation in a number of projects and activities. Kelley was past president of the Ronceverte Women’s Club; former member of OES; committee chairman of the Ronceverte Centennial and the first Ronceverte River Festival, where she won several first place awards in the chili cook-off. She was the organizer of the Ronceverte Fall Festival; was on the board of trustees of the Ronceverte Public Library; and was on the Ronceverte Municipal Building Commission. Awarded posthumously and presented to her husband Norman “Eugene” Kelley, Linda Kelley passed away on Sept. 1.
“She will be sorely missed,” Mayor David Smith stated.
In other business:
• “We are ready to start putting things in the ground,” stated Fred Hypes, vice president of engineering at Dunn Engineering in his update on the installation of the vertical loop reactor at the sewer plant site. He said the grounds have been cleared in preparation for the concrete pad for the reactor. Machinery and much activity will fill the site during the next 18 months anticipated to complete the project.”Big changes will be occurring as time goes on,” Hypes enthused.
• The council approved a new cemetery maintenance contract to McCoy’s Enterprises, the lowest bidder for the job, and also approved pay applications to two contractors, DCI Shires and L & L Contracting, that are handling Ronceverte’s Street Scape Project, phases three and four.
• Committee appointments were approved, listing Eugene Kelley to fill Linda Kelley’s vacant seat on the municipal building board, Gail White, Loretta Young, Paul Perry, and Rusty Byer to sit on the cemetery board, Brandon Barnes will take a seat on the parks and recreation board, and Spencer Arnold will occupy a seat on the board of zoning appeals.
• A special presentation of the recently held 1882 Heritage Days Depot Centennial, a project chaired by Kathy King, was shown by Americorps VISTA volunteer Caleb Zopp. Zopp gave a slide presentation showing the original depot building, built in 1891, as well as the current depot, constructed in 1915. Ronceverte, he said, was a main hub for the railway firm CSX for many years, but following the downgrade of passenger stops in the 1960s, upkeep was not maintained and the depot deteriorated. Vehicular travel to the area soon increased as the I-64 interstate highway was completed. Ronceverte now has a museum on Edgar Avenue, Zopp said, with a strong visual display of the depot and the town, complete with a handsome tabletop miniature installation of Ronceverte.
• City Administrator Reba Mohler announced that the next Board of Zoning Appeals meeting will be held Nov. 9 at 5:30 p.m. City Hall will be closed for Thanksgiving on Nov. 26 and 27. She also announced that the Christmas Parade is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m.
• Police Chief J. R. Byer listed 23 arrests were made in October, requiring 92 man-hours, 231 complaint calls came in at an average of eight per day, and 21 traffic citations were issued for the month.
• In discussing restoration and improvements in the town, the chief was thanked for his leadership in initiating the upgrade efforts of several buildings around Ronceverte. Stated City Recorder Crystal Byer, “It’s good to see rehab improvements coming to our town.”
