By Sarah Mansheim
In a unanimous vote, the White Sulphur Springs City Council decided to accept a $1,731,944 general fund budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year. The vote was taken at Monday’s regular city council meeting, and little discussion surrounded the vote. City financial secretary Linda Coleman noted that expenses and revenues are not expected to change significantly from this year.
Much of council’s discussion focused instead on the site of a Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) memorial which organizers hope to erect this spring. VVA spokesperson Bobby White addressed council about the projected site in Memorial Park on Main Street.
According to White, the pavilion in the park will have to be moved in order to accommodate the memorial, but, according to a survey conducted by surveyor Chuck Smith, there are some questions as to the actual boundaries of the park, and a corresponding right of way, which will affect exactly where the pavilion would be moved.
White said that he has been unable to locate a site map of the property in the Greenbrier County Courthouse, but an audience member spoke up and said that she may be able to locate a site map in her own paperwork. White said that he and Smith were able to identify the property’s “hard corners,” but they need to gather further information before applying for a building permit in order to proceed with the project.
Mayor Lloyd Haynes stated that he and council were reluctant to approve any parts of the VVA memorial project Monday night, citing council’s inability to “vote on a probability” regarding the property’s boundaries.
In other business:
• Councilman G.P. Parker commended city maintenance supervisor David Lovelace for a job well done in maintaining the town’s streets. Coleman noted that the city’s purchase of a skid-steer loader, which has an attached street sweeper, has been a real boon to the community. “We’ve had lots of compliments” at city hall, she said.
• The city granted the West Virginia Dandelion Festival committee’s request for $500, which will be used toward scholarships in the Miss WV Dandelion pageant. Dandelion Festival Committee member Kathy Glover told council that two pageants will be held this spring, one at Carnegie Hall for older contestants on April 16, and one for children on May 14, which will be held at the White Sulphur Springs Civic Center.
• Council approved the appointment of Mike Burns to the White Sulphur Springs Building Commission.