By Peggy Mackenzie
In an update on the progress of the waste water treatment plant’s construction project, Ronceverte Mayor David Smith reported at the Monday evening council meeting that while weather has delayed some of the prep work at the site, he said the project’s on site clerk of the works, Elvis Canterbury, has put other parts of the project into play while they wait for the ground to dry out. Smith said what has been done so far is “phenomenal!”
The Streetscapes Project, Phases 3 and 4, is still ongoing on Greenbrier Avenue, Frankford Hill and Cherry Street, with drains being installed before pouring the concrete for the sidewalks as they go. The sidewalks in front of the post office and on Frankford Hill are almost completed.
Doug Hylton reported on the Brownfields grant for the Lewisburg Wholesale/Bendix building, the highly visible three-story structure situated on the far side of the railroad tracks, acquired by the city of Ronceverte. He said the city hopes to use the $200,000 grant to clean up the building inside and out and put on a new roof to stabilize the structure as a way to make the problem building viable, with the eventual aim of finding a buyer for the building or to get a lease for it.
Hylton said, as “grant-writing season” approaches, more projects for Ronceverte will be addressed. He mentioned that once the downtown area is completed, Brick Hill will be on the list for improvements. The money is out there for projects, he said, but many of them require a match from the recipient, which is often difficult for municipalities to meet.
City Administrator Reba Mohler said the Toys for Tots distribution will be held at City Hall on Monday, Dec. 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. for those select recipients on the approved list. She said the city is still accepting donations for toys. The toys are bagged at the Rainelle Armory and delivered to municipalities around the county. It has been a very successful season for Greenbrier County’s “Toys for Tots” campaign, as has The Greenbrier’s “Dream Tree for Kids,” said Mohler.
The annual Christmas Stocking Giveaway, begun in Ronceverte back in 1938, will be held on Christmas Eve beginning at 2 p.m. at the Armory building. The event for the past several years has been sponsored by the Ronceverte Volunteer Fire Department, and this year they plan to give away up to 2,000 stockings for all comers.
Council members’ comments included the Police Officer of the Year Award to Sgt. Alkier II; a successful Ronceverte Christmas Parade, the demolition of the Greenbrier High School building, and a happy 94th birthday wish to former Ronceverte Mayor Virginia Blake.
