“The City of Lewisburg is fortunate to have citizens who actively volunteer their time and effort in our community…”

begins the proclamation for Volunteer of the Year 2018 for the City of Lewisburg at the city council meeting last Tuesday night. Each year the city recognizes an individual for their generous contribution to the community. These volunteers’ efforts are often not highly visible but are part of what lifts the quality of life for the rest of us.

As proclaimed at the 2019 Shanghai Parade, Sally Lane was chosen by city council as Volunteer of the Year – 2018. Lane’s volunteer service is extensive, and she has been committed to volunteering her time and energy to various programs for several years. She has served as a board member for the Greenbrier Chapter of Read Aloud WV, the Lewisburg Literary Festival, Greenbrier Valley Chorale, the United Way Greenbrier Valley and the Shepard Center.

She also serves as an Americorps member with United Way’s Campaign for Grade Level Reading, at Greenbrier Valley Theatre, with Gwen’s Meals, at the Lewisburg Food Locker, with the Red Cross, with the Greenbrier Valley Long Term Recovery Committee, and she has coordinated the United Way for Literacy Read Aloud program for the Lewisburg Holiday Festival and the Lewisburg Chocolate Festival.

Lane is committed to helping many young people in the area by tutoring and mentoring children at Eastern Greenbrier Middle School with Communities in Schools, distributed books to local food pantries for the Food for Thought program, and she has also served as a member of the Steering Committee for Project Learning Tree, an environmental education and workshop program in Greenbrier County. There is no doubt that the entire community is fortunate to have a citizen in their midst like Sally Lane. It was proclaimed at the meeting that Jan. 1, 2019 to be Sally Lane, Volunteer of the Year Day in Lewisburg.

In other business:

• Council member Beverly White read a proclamation to honor the week of Jan. 19-26 as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Week in continuing to make Dr. King’s dream of struggling for justice and equality a reality.
• On Tuesday, June 4, 2019, the city will hold its municipal election in which a new mayor will be elected. Those council members whose current terms have expired will also be on the ballot. Beatty announced that the first Tuesday in March is the deadline for nominating people to serve as Citizens Party and Peoples Party officials, and in preparation for the election, announce notices of their respective convention dates. Interested persons may call City Clerk Beatty for procedures at 304-645-3776, extension 121.
• Several appointments and reappointments were announced by Mayor John Manchester, beginning with City Clerk Shannon Beatty, who was reappointed for the sixth time to serve another three-year term on the MTA board of directors. On the planning commission, long-time member Jim Simpson is stepping down for health reasons. Manchester said Simpson has served the commission as a helpful and loyal member; his influence on the planning commission will be missed. The council voted to install local architect Tia Bouman to Simpson’s unfinished term. Sam Argabright was reappointed to another term on the Board of Zoning Appeals where he has proved to be a strong vocal member. And, lastly, Doug Hurst will fill Paul Grist’s unexpired term on the Building Commission. Grist has moved outside city limits, which makes him ineligible for public office.
• A city arts and humanities grant was approved for $900 to be awarded to the Shanghai Parade Committee on an ongoing basis. The mayor was approached by the committee requesting funding support to help the independent group maintain a consistent prize amount to the winning parade entries. Although the city already supports the Shanghai Parade in various ways, prize money funding had been dropping over the past few years, said Finance Committee chair and Council member Mark Etten.
• Public Works Director Roger Pence announced that a public auction of 21 units, mostly old vehicles will be held on Thursday, Jan. 24 at the public works facility on Feamster Road. Call City Hall for details.
• A Public Safety Committee meeting held last week gave notice that three members of the Lewisburg Police Department are in the running for the office of police chief. Interviews are being conducted and a new chief of police will be announced in early February, said committee chairman Joseph Lutz.

(Photo greenbriercountyhealthalliance.org)

Sally Lane, Volunteer of the Year 2018.