Greetings from Mayberry U.S.A.
 
Blackstone’s Town Council held their regular meeting at Town Hall Monday night.  The meeting lasted two and a half hours. I thought it was a very productive session, and there were some milestones set.
 
The most exciting aspect of the meeting was the number of visitors/ speakers who came to the podium to address Council. I share Mayor Coleburn's desire to have our citizens involved in the process. Having access to our State and Federal elected officials is difficult at best, but your Town officials are your neighbors.
 
I want to thank everyone for all of the wonderful comments about my new website and the encouragement about my performance as your Councilman. It means a great deal to me, and please don't think that your input is bothering me. When I can't commit the time, I will resign!
 
My thoughts on the meeting:
 
I wish I would have written down all of the names who addressed Council; it must have been seven or eight. That portion of the meeting went on well past 8pm, which is fine with me. I appreciate each and every one.
 
Mrs. Jannette Baranishyn with The Friends of Blackstone made a very emotional request of Council to save the Harris Memorial Armory. If you haven’t heard; her group has requested access to the Armory through a lease or donation, to restore this building, creating an asset to the community and eliminating blight.
 
I have supported this effort from the start, and will support the Friends in any way possible. Last Friday evening, Council's Building and Property Committee met and consequently recommended to Council to offer the “Friends” a lease for one dollar per year for a period of less than five years. Several reasonable conditions were specified that basically protect the Town should their efforts fail. I wouldn’t count on that….just look at the Mall on Main
Street! Council approved my motion unanimously…Good luck Friends!!!!!
 
Mrs. Craig of Tenth Street addressed Council concerning the Cougar/Mountain Lion she observed recently. Manager Palmore discussed with Council what he has done about this issue. Mr. Palmore has secured cameras used to photographic wildlife. He also stated that our Animal Control officer was covering the area and that
Chief Kuzmiak’s officers had stepped up their patrols in the area. Councilman Hill explained that he had made some phone calls and that the Fish and Game folks would be in touch with the Town Manager on Tuesday. I thanked Councilman Hill for his efforts on behalf of my wife and twin daughters. The location where Mrs. Craig observed this creature is about 200 yards from my backyard where my twins play everyday!
 
The Minutes from the June 16th and June 30th meetings were approved with one minor correction. That is remarkable considering there were 27 full typed pages of minutes. Mayor Coleburn recognized our Clerk; Mrs. Joanie Palmore, who recently completed her studies as a certified Master Clerk, an accomplishment in which Mrs. Palmore should be very proud of.
 
The Health and Ordinance Committee met prior to the regular meeting, and are continuing to tackle the issue of weeds and overgrown yards in Town. A delicate matter for sure, and I appreciate the efforts of the committee to
draft a fair and enforceable ordinance.
 
The Building and Grounds Committee also recommended that Council direct the Town Manager to sign a lease agreement with Bon-Secours for the new Medical Center, and that Council award the job to the low bidder; Kenbridge Construction, and that Council name the new building the James S. Harris Medical Building, in honor of our late Mayor Harris. The committee also recommended that portraits of Dr.'s Epes Harris, Stuart White, and James Harris be displayed inside the building in a prominent place, and if such appropriate portraits are not available, that the Town Manager research the cost and procurement of such portraits. The motion was approved unanimously.
 
The naming of the building has stirred quite a bit of discussion. There have been some to come forward who wanted Dr. Epes Harris to be included in the naming of the building. Good points, but ultimately, Council wished to name this building in honor of Mayor Harris, not Dr. Harris. Council has stressed that if this new building in the center of Town were to be a community center or new Town building of any kind, they would have named it the same. Naming this building is to honor Mayor Harris for his service to the Town and Virginia Municipal League, of which he once served as President. I offered discussion about putting the decision off until a solution that would suit everyone could be determined. My point was that this is a huge accomplishment and the naming/dedicating of this building should be a joyous event for EVERYONE!

The committee also recommended that Council swap 29 feet of property on the North side of the Downtown “ hole “ for 29’ of the southern side.  This was also approved in the same fashion . I inquired about a work session or public meeting when plans are complete on how the proposed green space will be used and funded. Manager Palmore agreed to such meeting.

I will post the entire Building and Grounds Committee's report under the Toolbox section very shortly, and as always if you have any questions please don't hesitate in contacting me.
 
My thanks to Mrs. Palmore for preparing these committee reports, and they were outstanding. Monday was a busy day around Town Hall!!
 
The next issue was the meals tax. Manager Palmore requested that Council delay the new tax until August to allow for sufficient time to notify the merchants affected. Council approved this request with little discussion.
 
A few months ago I suggested to Council that we employ a consent agenda which could handle some agenda items all at one time. Items such as parade permits, resolutions etc. My idea was to shorten the meeting. It appears to concern the Town Manager and it looks like in the short term that it would actually increase the Town staff's workload, and that is the last thing I want to do. So, I moved to table the issue indefinitely, and the motion passed.
 
As for on-going projects:

1.  The Bus Shop is nearly completed and Mrs. Beck has already moved her office to the new facility.
2.  Castles Trailer Park is proceeding on schedule.
3.  CDBG Grant - Manager Palmore reported that nearly 100 % of the business in the zone covered by the grant had signed up for facade improvements. Mr. Lafayette Dickens has done a wonderful job as Executive Director of Downtown Blackstone, Inc. which is also managing the Grant.  Manager Palmore explained to Council that there is indeed a deadline to the grant and he feels comfortable that Downtown's rebirth is going to be in full swing very shortly.

The Schwartz Tavern Authority recommended to Council that the Chamber of Commerce be asked to vacate the Tavern. The Chamber has had their office in the Tavern for years. The Tavern Authority expressed concerns about having modern office fixtures and equipment among the period artifacts. Apparently, Council agreed, and a motion was made to have the Tavern Authority to notify the Chamber's Board of Directors to vacate the Tavern in six months or less. The motion passed unanimously.
 
Minor, yet important business such as flood zone maps, relieving the Town Manager of collecting delinquent utility bills, personal property, and other accounts, and a resolution to the Virginia Retirement System were discussed
and passed.
 
Councilman Quicke had asked for a salary survey to be on the agenda. Councilman Quicke requested the item to be continued until next month. He had not received all the information yet, and would be more comfortable discussing it next month.  
 
The Moose Lodge has requested the use of the Town's motor grader to work over two ball fields on their property. These two fields will be available to Town residents. Manager Palmore intends to charge for fuel and labor. Council approved the very reasonable request.
 
At the end of the items on the agenda, I noticed the time was well past nine o’clock and everyone was tired. I had several questions, some submitted by citizens, and some from me. I offered Council Members a copy of the questions and offered to furnish the answers after Manager Palmore had a chance to meet with me. I did this because it was late. Manager Palmore had concerns about him meeting with me individually instead of the entire Council. I'm not sure what he meant, or why, but it doesn't matter, and there is no problem with me, I just want the questions answered and I want Council to know what concerns I as well as constituents have. I am going to submit the questions in writing and of course I will post the answeres in the issues tab on the website when I receive them.  
 
I did ask a few questions for which I wanted to be discussed in public and in front of my peers. I very much appreciate their wisdom and thoughts.
 
I asked Manager Palmore about the Town's accounts and if they were reconciled (balanced) He indicated not exactly, that it wasn't that simple, that some expenses and revenues were not always available. He assured me that next month he would have the accounts straight and he was trying to free up Mr. Chris Wells (our Director of Finance) to dedicate himself to these accounts. Mr. Palmore stated that Mr. Wells had to fill in because we are short handed in the office.

I also asked Mr. Palmore about the dead trees on Oak Street (that have been dead for several years). I reminded him that I had asked about them on several occasions, and he had promised to have them taken care of. Last  night I was told that his staff was too busy this time of year, and it would have to wait until November or December. I heard no comments from other Council members, so I let it go at that. I am concerned about the close proximity of these dead trees to the school yard and soccer fields.
 
I asked Mr. Palmore about the proposed Town wide survey. Again, I was informed of the heavy work load that the Town is currently experiencing. I stated that it was fine with me to drop it anyway. Mayor Coleburn agreed, and felt that there are a lot of people who just would say no to questions anyway.
 
Besides the checkbook and trees, I am very well satisfied with the meeting. If you have any comments or questions, please let me know!!