Trick-or-treating will be Saturday, Oct. 31, from 5 to 7 p.m. Please turn on your porch light if you wish to participate.
The Moorefield Town Council unanimously approved moving forward with the annual tradition at their meeting on Oct. 6. In Mayor Gary Stalnaker’s absence, council member Scott Fawley conducted the meeting.
Trick-or-treating hours are earlier than normal because it’s on a weekend night.
Residents are encouraged to maintain social distancing, and to wear protective masks instead of costume masks. CDC-approved ideas include one-way trick-or-treating, where one-per-family goodie bags are lined up outside a home or at the end of a driveway; if citizens choose to hand out candy, designate one person in the household to do so, preferably while wearing a protective mask.
Both those handing out candy and those receiving should use hand sanitizer or wash hands as often as possible, and keep activities and gatherings outdoors .
For additional guidance, please use the CDC’s website for Holiday COVID guidance
The Council also canceled Fall Clean-Up week in a 3-1 vote, with Terry Hardy dissenting.
Aware they had just voted to hold trick-or-treating despite COVID, and were canceling clean-up because of COVID, council member Carol Zuber clarified, “We’re responsible for our employees. Parents are responsible for their kids.”[private]
Citizens can coordinate bulk trash pick-ups through Envirco, which also has a schedule for larger items based on citizens’ regular trash pick-up days.
Moorefield Police Department
The Moorefield Police Department answered 252 calls for service in September. Officers made 12 felony arrests and 54 misdemeanor arrests, issued 89 traffic citations and 92 traffic warnings.
The MPD began enforcing school zones, recovered a stolen vehicle and stolen bicycles, and provided E.A.C.H.S. head start with 60 Halloween bags for students. They purchased 400 bags, which are available at the Department.
Chief Stephen Riggleman requested a $5,000 salary increase for ranks Patrol Officer through Chief; a $2,500 increase for Patrol Officer in Training; and a $2,500 increase for the full-time administrative assistant.
Riggleman compared eight area departments: the Hardy, Hampshire, Grant and Mineral Counties’ Sheriff’s Departments; the Department of Natural Resources; and Romney, Moorefield and Keyser police departments.
The Moorefield Police Department ranked the lowest at seventh. With the requested raises, the MPD will rank fourth.
Riggleman also asked the council to consider that all of the other organizations compared provide officers or deputies with take-home cruisers and department cellphones. He clarified he is not asking for those benefits at this time, but said those benefits plus the pay MPD officers receive, has cost Moorefield officers.
“We’ve hired 20 officers in the last 10 years,” Riggleman said, “and lost 11 of them for a 55 per cent turnover rate.”
Riggleman also said that, from March 2020 through the end of the year, the CARES Act has covered, and will cover, the department’s payroll.
“It’s hard to get people to even want to be a cop,” Riggleman added, noting the current political environment.
Riggleman requested the increase begin immediately.
The Council unanimously approved the raise.
Landmark Commission
Mike Crites, president of the Town’s Landmark Commission, updated the Council on the application to add the rest of the historic district to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Register is kept by the U.S. National Park Service.
Personnel changes at the W.Va. State Historic Preservation Office, contract expirations, and COVID-19-related shutdowns resulted in miscommunications over requirements and expectations.
Crites requested a tentative $4,800 to renew the commission’s contract with The Mills Group, which assists with the application process.
Inclusion in the National Register enables the owners of contributing structures to qualify for grants and renovation tax benefits. Inclusion puts “zero restrictions” on anyone, Crites said, and is one of the primary benefits of owning property in the historic district.
The Council agreed with Crites’ interest in moving forward with the application, but tabled approving the sum requested until The Mills Group provides a solid amount. Crites said waiting will not endanger the process.
Public Works
Park personnel began restoring infields, including grass and weed removal. Park Director Juwana Bridger said the task was more intensive this year as there was less play on the fields.
Personnel worked on the camera system, dragged the walking trail, power-washed playground equipment, and began winterizing the Park.
Bridger reported the Park’s 10-year-old Hustler mower “blew up,” resulting in a hole through the engine block. The dealer estimated it will cost at least $3,500 to fix. A new Hustler Super Z costs $9,700.
“It’s very user-friendly,” Bridger said. “It’s a tank.”
The Council approved the purchase.
Bridger also reported on recent vandalism. Someone pulled a sink out of a wall and apparently threw it, requiring a new sink and installation. As of the meeting and until the sink is repaired, no men’s bathrooms are open at the Park.
The bathrooms stay heated in the winter, and Council member Zuber noted they are one of the few places someone can go for warmth if they have nowhere else.
Because of the vandalism, however, and the cost to the Town, the bathrooms will be locked at night.
Water crews repaired leaks on Winchester Avenue and South Main Street, made skids on which to store old water meters, and mowed and weeded all three water tank sites.
Sewer personnel repaired and rehabilitated the manhole behind Vetter’s Carwash and the floodway pump station.
Street and Levee crews worked on getting the levee ready for an Army Corps of Engineers inspection due this month, finished a sidewalk project on South Elm Street, and cleared the concrete ditch from Maple Avenue to Capon Valley Bank.
Other
Donna Bodkins approached the Council about hanging banners in Town to honor local military veterans. The Council requested additional information, but was generally supportive.
The Council approved a request to subdivide a lot between Maple Avenue and Raines Street.
The Town’s lawyer, Jack Walters, will author an agreement between Moorefield and Hardy County for the dog catcher position. The Town will pay through the County.
The Hardy County Chamber of Commerce requested to decorate the northeast corner of the Main Street and Winchester Avenue intersection. The Council agreed, as long as they work in conjuction with the Lions Club, which usually hosts Christmas festivities on the same corner.
The Town hired Delmas See as Chief Water Operator.[/private]
The next meeting is Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall. The public is welcome to attend.