Alderson Town Council hears update on water treatment plant, appoints fire chief

By Adam Pack
The Alderson Town Council met for a short but eventful session on Thursday, July 13. Main items on the agenda included updates on the city’s ongoing plans to replace the water treatment plant, upcoming work on the city’s water lines, and the appointment of a fire chief.
Representatives from the Thrasher Group said the water plant project is “90% ready to go, we have some geotech drilling to do, the town obviously has to pick a color, and we have some administrative approvals and regulatory things to deal with, but we expect that we will get those cleared and we’re ready to go ahead.”
The plant, which will be on Johnson Street and two lots above the current plant, is still in need of a geotechnical survey at the site of the deep water well. This geotechnical survey is done by drilling holes in order to find out whether or not there are “caves, pits, weak spots, just anything you wouldn’t want to put a giant water well into.” Thrasher explained that it is rare to find voids and caves on projects like this, but that it is required by law and that it’s “better to be safe than sorry.” The water lines project is quite a bit further away, unfortunately, but Aldersonians may see “dirt flying” by some point next year, according to Thrasher.
The fire department also sent the official tallies of their vote for Fire Chief to the city, which Mayor Travis Copenhaver read. By a vote of six to four, the Alderson Fire Department reelected Frankie Jones to the position of Fire Chief.
Before adjournment, Mayor Copenhaver briefed the town on some issues which arose during the Fourth of July parade festivities. Citizens of Alderson who wish to host yard sales must obtain a yard sale permit, however, “those yard sale permits do not in any way authorize the vending of prepared food. That becomes a health department issue, as those are different permits completely.” Furthermore, there is no regulation or permit system in place for parking, so those individuals interested in selling parking spaces on their property may do so at their discretion.
The Alderson Town Council meets on the second Thursday of every month at 7:30 p.m. in the Alderson City Hall Building and will meet again on Aug. 10. The public is encouraged to attend. Interested parties should call ahead to confirm time and date of meeting at 304-445-2916, as times and dates of meetings are subject to change.