By Peggy Mackenzie
At Monday’s Ronceverte City Council meeting, Dunn Engineering consultant Eric Hartman reported that, owing to the frequency of rain days this spring, there have been delays to the wastewater treatment plant project, ongoing on River Road. Hartman said the rebar and concrete walls are 13 percent completed. When the concrete work is allowed to proceed, he said, the workers can do up to 600 yards of concrete a day.
Hartman said flooding has not damaged the unfinished facility but materials had to be moved to higher ground. While somewhat vulnerable at the moment, with more concrete to pour, no flood water entered the enclosed basin where the vertical lift reactor (VLR) will be sited. The walls of the structure are three feet thick at the base, and once the concrete wall is completed, the VLR will be protected above the 100-year flood level and safe for operating conditions going forward.
In other Business:
• Police Chief J.R. Byer reported a busy month during April, citing 295 service calls and 22 arrests. He said officers conducted a survey of residences around the city and found 37 properties in violation of various misdemeanors, primarily for uncut grass, trash in yards and unkempt vacancy buildings.
• Fire Chief Casey Morgan’s report included a notice that the Ronceverte Volunteer Fire Department is offering free smoke detectors to local residents. Funded through the Red Cross, residents are asked to call 304-922-8565 to schedule an installation date.
• Mayor David Smith announced that tickets are on sale for the Rubber Ducky Race, a critical element in funding the upcoming Ronceverte River Festival, set for June 10-12. Call City Hall for information at 304-647-5455.
• City Administrator Reba Mohler said the streetscape phases III and IV were scheduled for completion by April, however, stormy weather intervened. The date to finish the job has been extended without an increase in costs.
• Mohler reminded the council that Election Day is next Tuesday, May 10, and that City Hall will serve as a precinct location for many Ronceverte residents.
