By Sarah Richardson
Following heavy rain in the region throughout the week, City Manager Misty Hill reported to Lewisburg City Council on Tuesday that the water plant upgrades are holding up nicely, with no boil water advisories or other issues that stemmed from near-daily downpours, something that could have been a major problem just last year for our municipal water system.
“Even though we aren’t fully online with our upgrade, it is holding its own with all the rain. The intake is able to shut down and reboot when the water gets too muddy and murky, and the extra filters have helped, we are doing great. Shout out to the Public Works and Water Department for keeping us going,” said Hill.
In other news, Councilmember John Little stated he was “disappointed” that only 34 people turned out to vote in the Municipal Election earlier this month. He said that many people voice opinions on social media, but then don’t come out and vote and don’t attend City meetings, “and that’s not useful for anybody.” He added, “If you want to participate in change, the best way to do that is on a small scale. It’s the most likely thing that you’re going to do, and when nobody is here [at council meetings] it can be kind of aggravating.”
He also addressed commentary on social media stating that any form of protesting should be banned from the Green Space downtown, and noted that nobody came to Council to share that opinion in person. “It is not only our right, it is our civic duty to protest the things that we think are wrong, peacefully. And whether I agree with what’s happening at the Green Space, or I do not, it is absolutely part of their rights to be able to do that.”
City Manager Misty Hill added, “These are peaceful protests, so whether it’s a special event, as long as they’re not impeding the sidewalk and continue to stay peaceful and not damage the Green Space, that is their first amendment rights.” Overall, she said, “We cannot impede on anyone’s first amendment right, whether we like it or whether we don’t like it, they have that ability.”
Little then moved to complaints received about the traffic in Lewisburg, which he explained, “Again, they complain that ‘the City won’t do anything about it,’ and I try my best to calmly describe how limited we are and what we can do, and what’s controlled by the Department of Highways. I advise those people to talk to their elected officials, as some of them do not live in the City of Lewisburg.” Little said he still wanted to mention it at this meeting, but they are limited in scope of what they can do.
Hill added that a visitor to Lewisburg voiced to her office last week, “I’m sure your citizens complain about waiting minutes when mine complain about waiting hours.”
Little said that “at the right time of day” it can take an hour to get from the hospital in Fairlea to north of the interstate, but it takes minutes at other times.
Next, Councilmember Arron Seams reported that it was the Public Safety Committee and Finance Committee’s recommendation to change the citations/tickets for the City for motor vehicle violations to include the following:
- Over time parking (parking beyond what time posted signage states): First offense in 24 hours, fine $15; second offense in 24 hours, $25; third offense in 24 hours, $75.
- Blocking a fire hydrant: Fine $100.
- Blocking traffic, blocking a driveway, blocking a loading zone, blocking a bus zone, blocking a safety zone, parking in the wrong direction, parked in a no-parking zone, parked near a corner, parked on a sidewalk, parked in an alley, or double-parked: Fine $25.
- Improper parking in a handicapped zone: First offense fine, $100; second offense, $300, third offense, $500.
- Improper parking in a fire zone: Fine $100.
The City voted unanimously to approve these updates to their citations. City of Lewisburg Police Officers will continue to be the enforcing agency for parking violations.
The Public Safety Committee also recommended new signage clarifying that no pets are allowed in the Green Space, and that violators can be fined up to $500. Council approved this recommendation.
City Manager Hill said that the City has been in discussions with fencing companies to prepare for a chain link fence installation at the new dog park. Councilmember Seams reported that the Finance Committee recommended accepting a bid for dog park equipment from Sparks At Play in an amount not to exceed $28,000.
In other news:
- Resolution 583, a Water Treatment Plan Improvement Project pay request, was approved as presented.
- Mayor White read a proclamation for National Garden Week, and voiced support for the initiative. June 1-7, 2025 was proclaimed to be National Garden Week in Lewisburg.
- The City renewed a Mutual Aid Agreement between the Lewisburg Fire Department and the Fairlea Fire Department and White Sulphur Springs Fire Department.
- Roughly $16,000 was approved for the Lewisburg Police Department for bulletproof vests.
City Manager Misty Hill announced at City Council on Tuesday that the Wayfinding Kiosk was about to be installed downtown. The next day, the kiosk was delivered and installed outside of City Hall. The design was reviewed by the Planning Commission, Historical Society, and other committees following several public Wayfinding meetings held as far back as 2022, with the final design being approved just last fall. The signage labels in a color-coded fashion places to eat, shop, and stay, as well as historical sites, public parking lots, restrooms, and other services and things to do. This will help highlight shops and other businesses located on streets other than Washington Street.
