[0:00] Welcome to the
[0:01] regular Summersville
[0:02] City Council meeting on
[0:04] September 28th. The first
[0:08] item on the
[0:09] agenda is to consider
[0:10] the minutes of the regular
[0:11] council meeting, which
[0:13] was held on September 14.
[0:16] Motion to approve
[0:17] reading of wave
[0:18] referee.
[0:18] Second question.
[0:25] All in favor? Yes.
[0:26] Against?
[0:27] James is here,
[0:28] I said.
[0:29] The offer is accepted.
[0:32] Okay, now
[0:34] public comments first.
[0:35] Um, do we have anyone?
[0:37] We don't have any.
[0:38] Thank you. Another
[0:41] item on the
[0:42] agenda is a discussion of the
[0:44] Old Main Arts and Heritage Center.
[0:46] Benji Rapp,
[0:47] could you speak
[0:48] on this,
[0:49] please?
[0:50] Sir, I will allow Mr.
[0:51] Joe Strickland to
[0:51] come up and make a
[0:52] presentation for us.
[0:53] Sounds great. Thank you
[0:55] .
[0:55] Good evening,
[0:56] gentlemen. I'm Joe
[1:01] Strickland, and I work
[1:02] at the Nichols Old
[1:04] Maine Old Maine Foundation. And I
[1:07] would like to introduce the
[1:09] other people who are here
[1:10] representing us: this is
[1:12] Benji Rapp,
[1:12] the president; Nancy
[1:14] Thomas, Vice President;
[1:15] Terry Kaiser, our
[1:16] treasurer; and Tammy
[1:17] Odell, who does
[1:19] all the work. And, uh, you
[1:25] were wondering why I was
[1:26] chosen as the head
[1:27] spear catcher. Good.
[1:31] So, we'll do it.
[1:33] So, we'll try to be
[1:34] brief. The Nichols
[1:39] Old Maine Foundation would like to
[1:40] explore with you the
[1:41] future of this
[1:43] city-led Old Maine Foundation.
[1:48] This is an opportunity with a
[1:49] plan. We are Old
[1:52] Maine, which is an
[1:53] important part of
[1:55] Summersville's identity. And it's a
[1:57] resource that has already
[1:58] served our
[1:59] community for
[2:00] many years. We
[2:03] have a proven base of
[2:04] leaders and
[2:04] volunteers, and we have been
[2:05] programming and
[2:06] managing properties
[2:07] for decades.
[2:10] But our
[2:11] long-term
[2:11] need is
[2:13] that the average age of
[2:14] our group of people who
[2:15] volunteer
[2:16] is 75 years old.
[2:17] Therefore, we need
[2:18] some changes and a search for
[2:20] new blood. So all of
[2:21] you people who work
[2:23] in this world know
[2:24] what happens when
[2:25] the population ages.
[2:27] So, Old Main
[2:30] has been serving the city of
[2:31] Summersville and the
[2:32] county for over a
[2:33] century. The high
[2:35] school was built
[2:37] in 1913 and
[2:39] operated in
[2:40] Nicholas County at night as a
[2:42] high school until
[2:43] 1978. From 1978 to 1991, it
[2:46] was a junior high
[2:48] school, and some of its
[2:49] fragments
[2:50] were located in
[2:52] the building that is now the
[2:53] office of the Board of Education.
[2:56] Some classes
[2:57] were held in
[2:58] the basement of the old Main
[3:00] School, while others were held in other
[3:01] locations. So
[3:05] from about 1990-91 until
[3:06] today, uh, the thoughts of
[3:08] the former graduates
[3:09] came to the conclusion
[3:11] of purchasing the Old
[3:13] Main School, and the
[3:15] Nicholas Old Main Foundation has been
[3:16] running it ever since. Now
[3:21] the city will receive
[3:22] active, useful, and
[3:23] profitable real estate.
[3:28] Uh, we have a
[3:29] 250-seat auditorium with very
[3:30] good acoustics and a
[3:33] sound system installed, and
[3:34] we support
[3:35] performances and public
[3:36] programs. We have
[3:40] flexible space for
[3:41] events.
[3:42] We have two dining rooms, a
[3:43] large kitchen, and
[3:44] the rooms we
[3:45] moved into the
[3:46] former library are
[3:47] now
[3:48] used as
[3:49] rented
[3:51] reception rooms, which
[3:52] gives us more space
[3:53] to do so. We have
[3:54] four business
[3:55] units. The
[3:57] small business space for
[3:58] rent
[3:59] is downstairs and
[4:01] remains constantly
[4:02] occupied. We have a
[4:07] five-
[4:08] room museum on the
[4:09] third floor,
[4:10] as well as a nanoexotic
[4:12] animal
[4:12] donated by Terry
[4:14] Seeling, Tom
[4:15] Bales, and Wally
[4:16] Handshaw, which is worth approximately $300,000, according to the
[4:19] Nicholas Home Maine Foundation national information.
[4:22] Home Maine
[4:28] provides rental properties
[4:29] filled with
[4:31] historic charm and a
[4:32] warm and welcoming
[4:33] atmosphere. Whether for
[4:37] meetings, classes,
[4:38] exhibitions or
[4:39] special events,
[4:41] the building's rich history is there for
[4:42] any occasion. The fund
[4:46] offers a
[4:47] responsibly
[4:48] maintained and
[4:48] preserved asset,
[4:50] not a building in
[4:51] disrepair.
[4:57] The building's heating and cooling systems
[4:58] have been updated and
[4:59] continuously
[5:00] improved and
[5:01] given attention.
[5:04] Security alarm improvements
[5:07] are in the
[5:07] works and we
[5:09] are maintaining
[5:09] the grounds in fairly
[5:11] good condition. The roof
[5:15] and exterior
[5:16] trim are currently
[5:17] being replaced, and, uh,
[5:18] all the windows now have
[5:19] blinds to protect the
[5:21] assets from
[5:21] UV
[5:23] radiation. We
[5:28] will transfer the building,
[5:29] the land underneath it,
[5:29] and the fund
[5:31] along with the annuity to
[5:32] future
[5:32] management. City
[5:36] officials can make the
[5:38] Home Maine Arts and Heritage Center a
[5:39] reliable place for
[5:40] public gatherings.
[5:42] It is accessible to
[5:43] people with disabilities.
[5:45] It is fully
[5:45] equipped for people
[5:46] with disabilities, we
[5:47] enter on the first
[5:48] floor and then we
[5:49] have an elevator to go up
[5:51] to the upper floors.
[5:52] We have programs for
[5:53] all ages. We
[5:54] offer a
[5:55] youth center,
[5:56] programs for
[5:57] seniors and
[5:58] families. We also have
[5:59] art
[6:00] workshops and other
[6:01] exhibitions. This is a home for
[6:04] social life.
[6:05] We host
[6:06] community gatherings,
[6:07] alumni reunions
[6:09] , celebrations,
[6:09] receptions, and
[6:10] housing rentals. And we have a
[6:12] cultural building and a
[6:15] building. The
[6:17] Necklace Performing Arts Council and the
[6:18] History on
[6:20] the Hill program, local
[6:21] artists, and
[6:21] heritage programs
[6:22] exhibit and
[6:23] host
[6:24] performances there. The Old Main
[6:26] Arts and Heritage Center
[6:27] is promoting
[6:29] eight priorities
[6:30] for Summit Hill.
[6:32] Preservation of
[6:33] historical heritage.
[6:34] Protection of a national
[6:35] registered
[6:36] monument.
[6:38] Community access, support for
[6:39] active and
[6:40] accessible
[6:41] public
[6:41] space. Economic
[6:43] activity
[6:44] supported by our
[6:45] artists,
[6:46] rental properties,
[6:47] and neighboring
[6:48] businesses. With
[6:50] the growth of tourism,
[6:51] we can add
[6:52] culture to the experience of the
[6:53] northern gateway to the
[6:56] New
[6:57] River National Park and all two
[6:58] state parks
[6:59] locally.
[7:03] Great potential
[7:04] due to expanded
[7:05] access to
[7:06] municipal
[7:07] financing opportunities.
[7:09] Cultural
[7:09] identity, we
[7:10] can share the
[7:11] rich
[7:12] Appalachian stories that
[7:13] have shaped our
[7:14] culture and the history of
[7:15] our surrounding
[7:16] areas. Educational
[7:18] tool. It is a
[7:20] historic landmark
[7:22] for students,
[7:22] faculty, and
[7:24] community members who
[7:25] gather for
[7:25] meetings, classes,
[7:27] exhibits, and
[7:27] special events. And
[7:30] for long-term
[7:31] stability, we
[7:32] can prepare
[7:33] professional
[7:34] management with
[7:35] stable
[7:35] planning.
[7:38] The transfer will protect
[7:39] and strengthen the future.
[7:43] First, it will preserve
[7:44] and support a landmark
[7:46] that is already associated with
[7:47] generations of local
[7:48] families. Plan,
[7:51] leverage
[7:52] city expertise for
[7:53] maintenance schedule
[7:54] ,
[7:54] programming,
[7:55] partnerships, and
[7:56] long-term
[7:57] capital needs.
[7:59] Get in touch, we can
[8:00] explore the role of
[8:01] Old Main alongside
[8:02] other historic
[8:03] sites and possibly
[8:05] for the development of a
[8:05] historic district. And
[8:09] to support,
[8:10] to build a future with
[8:11] well-maintained
[8:12] properties,
[8:13] active rentals,
[8:14] annuities, and
[8:15] decades of
[8:16] community investment.
[8:21] So, I ask that
[8:22] Old Main
[8:23] continue to stand
[8:24] as a beacon on the hill,
[8:25] that city property
[8:26] begin a
[8:27] structured
[8:28] review of the transmission, and
[8:29] we will answer
[8:30] any questions or
[8:31] concerns and
[8:32] try to find
[8:33] answers. So
[8:36] thank you very much, David.
[8:39] This time we would like to
[8:40] provide each
[8:42] of you with a copy of
[8:42] the presentation.
[8:45] And I would also like to
[8:46] introduce Terry
[8:48] Kaiser, who
[8:48] will be in charge of
[8:49] finance
[8:50] .
[8:54] Good evening, Rado. I
[8:56] think I know
[8:56] most of you. I'm
[8:58] Terry Kaiser, and I've
[8:59] been the treasurer of the
[9:00] Old Maine Foundation for a little
[9:01] over a year. In your
[9:04] packages, the first
[9:05] part is a
[9:06] printed copy of
[9:07] Mr.
[9:08] Strickland's presentation. And then there's a
[9:14] sheet that shows the
[9:15] projects we've
[9:16] completed in the last
[9:17] year and a half thanks to
[9:19] donations and grants.
[9:25] We currently have two
[9:26] ongoing projects.
[9:29] One is the
[9:30] roofing fund, a contract
[9:32] we signed at
[9:33] the end of August with
[9:34] Platinum Roofing Group for
[9:36] $30,400 to repair
[9:37] the well. And we have the
[9:41] funds to cover it.
[9:44] And then our next
[9:45] biggest project
[9:47] is the windows, which you've
[9:48] heard from us about for many
[9:49] years. So,
[9:52] we currently have about
[9:54] $15,000 to repair the
[9:55] windows. And, uh,
[9:58] they're getting
[9:59] estimates now. And on the very
[10:04] back–the current
[10:05] budget. Our budget
[10:07] is calculated for the
[10:08] calendar year. And, uh
[10:10] , for those of you who were on the
[10:12] zoning committee, these
[10:13] numbers have been updated since
[10:14] you
[10:16] last saw them. So
[10:19] , we have a calendar
[10:20] year. Our budget this
[10:21] year is 35,000.
[10:23] Unless
[10:24] something
[10:24] unforeseen happens, we
[10:25] should be within
[10:27] that budget this
[10:28] year. Our budget
[10:30] committee meets in
[10:31] October, and our plan
[10:32] right now is to
[10:33] increase it by
[10:35] 4% to cover the cost of
[10:36] living. Uh, I'll say
[10:41] that we only have one
[10:42] checking
[10:43] account. So we have
[10:47] about 50,000 on it,
[10:49] but half of that is
[10:50] over half - that's 30,000
[10:51] , which we've again
[10:52] allocated through
[10:53] grants and donations to
[10:55] specific projects
[10:56] like advertising, or
[10:57] we're working on
[10:58] cameras, something like that.
[11:03] So, this is what you
[11:04] see on the last
[11:05] page, which is
[11:06] intended because
[11:07] it needed to be
[11:08] broken up a little bit there.
[11:17] So if anyone has
[11:18] any questions, or
[11:19] if you have any
[11:20] questions after
[11:21] you've had a
[11:22] chance to
[11:22] review this, I'd
[11:23] be happy to
[11:24] answer them. But I
[11:25] will say this: If
[11:26] the city of Summersville
[11:27] decides to take
[11:28] control of it, we are
[11:30] not going along with it. Everything
[11:31] has been paid for.
[11:32] Well, they made a deal.
[11:35] Thank you. I really don't
[11:40] think I
[11:41] need to stand up and
[11:42] say anything. I think
[11:43] everyone has already said it for
[11:44] us. Uh, thanks again
[11:47] for inviting us. I
[11:50] know some of you
[11:51] have listened to us several
[11:52] times and probably
[11:53] said, “We know
[11:54] your language. We
[11:55] know exactly what you mean.
[11:57] " Uh, we're very
[11:58] proud of Old Maine. Uh
[12:01] , we're doing it
[12:02] head on in Old Main. We are
[12:04] not doing this because
[12:05] we want him to
[12:06] fail. We
[12:07] want to do this because we
[12:08] want him to get
[12:10] better. Uh, whatever we
[12:13] do, I asked
[12:14] Gary to give you all
[12:15] some information.
[12:18] We have a few questions
[12:19] about the 501c, uh,
[12:20] keeping the
[12:21] original board of
[12:22] directors and what
[12:24] happens next. We
[12:26] would like to see this
[12:28] continue. Uh, we
[12:31] understand that Old
[12:33] Main is yours. We
[12:35] understand that it
[12:36] can be changed. But we
[12:38] believe that what we have
[12:40] created since 1991
[12:42] is good. And it can
[12:45] only get better. Uh
[12:47] , Terry is doing a
[12:48] great job. She
[12:50] keeps us in shape.
[12:52] The money we
[12:53] find, Nancy
[12:55] Thomas—our support. And
[12:58] we are constantly, and I'm
[12:59] sure you've all
[13:00] seen our
[13:01] requests for help
[13:02] coming from you and the
[13:04] City of Somerset. Uh,
[13:06] we get our
[13:08] grant
[13:08] funding through, uh
[13:10] , NCCF. We get
[13:11] it through, uh, the
[13:13] St.
[13:13] Patrick's Day parade. Uh, we were very
[13:15] lucky with our
[13:16] senators and our
[13:18] delegate that we were
[13:19] able to get
[13:20] almost $33,000 in
[13:22] 2026 to
[13:23] help with Old
[13:24] Maine. Uh, when we
[13:27] were talking about the roof, they
[13:29] don't replace it, they
[13:30] put a coating on it
[13:31] that will...
[13:32] We hope
[13:34] it will be in 20 years.
[13:36] So by then
[13:37] most of us will be
[13:39] gone. Raymond, you're
[13:40] sure to
[13:40] be here, but
[13:41] most of us will be
[13:42] gone by now. See you later, you'll
[13:43] be here. But the thing is,
[13:45] we also
[13:46] look at the windows. Uh
[13:49] , we've done some, uh
[13:51] , as Terry just mentioned
[13:52] , we're looking at
[13:54] , uh, the application to
[13:55] see, uh, what it is
[13:57] . And we will cover it
[13:59] financially. So, we are
[14:02] not approaching you
[14:03] as beggars in the
[14:04] sense that we
[14:05] need your
[14:06] help. We give
[14:09] you something profitable,
[14:10] something structural, and
[14:11] something that has a long
[14:12] history. So, if
[14:16] you have any other questions
[14:17] for any of us, for
[14:19] me, I'd be happy to
[14:20] try to
[14:21] answer.
[14:23] Do you receive any
[14:24] federal grants
[14:25] because it is a historic
[14:27] site?
[14:28] Uh, Nancy, we
[14:29] worked with the
[14:31] tourism department. We get a
[14:32] grant from them for our
[14:34] advertising, for everything. We
[14:36] also have a
[14:37] Congressional grant after
[14:38] waiting for
[14:40] $500,000 from senators. And because
[14:43] , uh, we have one
[14:44] senator who
[14:45] got sick and didn't
[14:46] show up, they
[14:47] think we'll
[14:48] find out whether we're
[14:49] approved or not until
[14:51] December.
[14:54] Good. And you mentioned
[14:55] annuities. So,
[14:57] what is your annuity?
[14:59] Terry, how many do you have
[15:00] ?
[15:00] A little over 100,000.
[15:02] Okay.
[15:03] And it is designed for
[15:05] 10 years, but we
[15:06] only lived for 1 year. Do
[15:07] you deduct
[15:08] interest from it every year, is
[15:10] that possible?
[15:11] No, they just
[15:11] go back to
[15:12] him. We took what
[15:14] was available, namely
[15:16] 14,000, for the roof.
[15:18] Good.
[15:19] So, we took the funds out,
[15:21] and as far as I know,
[15:22] this is the first time it's been
[15:23] taken out of this
[15:24] annuity.
[15:25] And that was without a penalty.
[15:27] We could have taken 14 off without
[15:28] penalty.
[15:29] Right. So now
[15:30] we're stuck. But it
[15:31] was for a good reason
[15:33] . And, as you say, if
[15:34] you don't have a roof over
[15:34] your building, you do
[15:35] n't have a building. You know
[15:36] , that's why we had to
[15:37] stop on the roof.
[15:38] And you haven't seen any
[15:39] problems under the roof
[15:40] since you're
[15:41] actually restoring it
[15:42] ? Well, then you are very
[15:44] lucky.
[15:44] Very good.
[15:47] In any case, your
[15:48] annuity is actually the
[15:49] interest rate on
[15:51] it?
[15:51] has a very good
[15:52] interest rate.
[15:53] Terry, could
[15:54] you come over and
[15:55] explain the annuity to them?
[15:56] Well, that's the really
[15:57] important part.
[15:58] I'll just say that the first
[15:59] year was $9.55. And
[16:05] then, I think,
[16:05] over the next
[16:06] three or four years,
[16:08] it will decrease to
[16:09] four or so
[16:10] . And, I think, in
[16:11] six years it will be possible to
[16:12] withdraw the funds.
[16:15] Good.
[16:16] But, as I said, this is a
[16:18] 10-year term. And we
[16:22] felt that it was
[16:23] really not worth
[16:24] spending our money
[16:25] on trifles.
[16:26] No, it's not worth it. But you
[16:27] want to be
[16:28] able to
[16:28] use them in
[16:29] the future for
[16:30] repairs.
[16:30] If something happens
[16:31] and we have to
[16:32] get them, we will pay the
[16:33] fine and still
[16:34] be able to get them.
[16:35] But now we just do
[16:36] n't want to pay the
[16:37] fine. And I think the fine
[16:38] for that was
[16:40] about $30,000 now.
[16:42] Or sometime around that
[16:43] time. So we
[16:44] just have to,
[16:45] you know, make do with what
[16:48] we have. We
[16:50] had an annuity for years. A little
[16:53] history: Nancy and I
[16:55] were secretaries or,
[16:57] well, vice presidents
[16:59] in 2018-2019. And at that
[17:02] time we had
[17:03] annuities. So there were
[17:06] a lot of repairs. I
[17:09] can't tell you
[17:10] how many thousands of
[17:11] dollars were
[17:11] invested in this building
[17:13] . Probably, I would say,
[17:14] a million, maybe
[17:16] more, has been invested since
[17:17] 1991 to
[17:18] keep it in
[17:19] good condition, and I
[17:20] think every one of you has
[17:22] been in this building.
[17:23] Each of you
[17:24] has attended our
[17:25] events, and we are
[17:25] going to
[17:26] continue.
[17:29] Will there be
[17:30] a warranty on the roof?
[17:31] Yes, sir. Platinum Roof
[17:33] does this. We have a
[17:36] warranty on it, and
[17:38] we also have a warranty
[17:39] on the work itself. Chris
[17:48] Kessler, is that his name?
[17:50] Chris Kessler does the
[17:51] work there. Are there any more
[17:57] questions?
[17:59] Scott, could
[18:00] you, uh, review the
[18:01] financial statements?
[18:03] I'd be glad to have said I meant it
[18:06] . I entrusted
[18:08] it to Scott.
[18:14] Uh, if there's anything you need to
[18:15] do, I'd like
[18:16] you to contact
[18:17] our treasurer and
[18:18] you can all
[18:19] exchange
[18:20] phone numbers, and that
[18:21] way she can
[18:22] get you anything you
[18:23] need.
[18:24] Of course.
[18:25] I'm just the mayor.
[18:27] Well, I just want to
[18:28] thank you. You
[18:29] guys did a
[18:30] great job up there
[18:31] and it's
[18:32] incredibly beautiful
[18:33] when you arrive, but
[18:34] it's very hard work,
[18:36] I know.
[18:36] Well, when you say
[18:37] hard work, can
[18:38] I tell you what's
[18:39] going on this
[18:40] weekend? I'm on
[18:41] vacation,
[18:41] enjoying it. These
[18:44] people are going to
[18:45] serve 91
[18:47] high school graduates
[18:48] this weekend. So,
[18:51] Banks, the game is
[18:52] coming up there.
[18:53] 1976 is their 50th anniversary.
[18:56] This is great.
[18:57] But you all do a
[18:58] great job.
[18:59] Absolutely.
[19:00] I have a question. Is the entire
[19:02] building intact, meaning is there
[19:03] any part of it
[19:04] that cannot
[19:05] be used? Is
[19:08] all of this...
[19:08] Oh, we use
[19:10] every inch.
[19:11] All of this is
[19:11] used.
[19:12] Uh, the balcony would be the
[19:14] only one.
[19:15] And this is actually a
[19:16] sound system area with
[19:17] lighting and everything
[19:19] else that's there that's
[19:20] useful. But I will tell
[19:22] you how happy we are. A bed
[19:24] appeared in the hallway
[19:25] , and I thought: "
[19:27] Where are we going
[19:28] to put this bed?" And I
[19:30] noticed something. It turned out to be
[19:31] someone's personal
[19:32] bed that they were
[19:33] taking out of there, but
[19:34] apparently we have it.
[19:36] We have Jim Paxton.
[19:37] If you haven't seen
[19:38] our museum yet, if you
[19:39] haven't seen our red
[19:40] exotic animals yet. And
[19:42] the guys from BJ were
[19:43] just amazed that
[19:45] night. They came over
[19:47] to look at the animals
[19:48] and the things, and they were
[19:49] just excited. Uh
[19:50] , just so you all know,
[19:52] about 15 of your
[19:53] NCHS football players were
[19:54] our servants the
[19:56] night we had the
[19:57] fall festival. And,
[19:59] um, they were just
[20:01] great.
[20:01] Any
[20:02] outbuildings that would
[20:03] go with them?
[20:04] No, sir. We are, um,
[20:06] autonomous, one
[20:07] building.
[20:07] Okay, I didn't know if
[20:08] you had any storage
[20:09] facilities.
[20:10] No, sir.
[20:11] I will say that Jim Price
[20:13] from Hydro used to come there.
[20:16] And he didn't know that
[20:17] the original, you know,
[20:18] these small, you know,
[20:20] peaks of electricity
[20:21] were produced here on
[20:22] Madlika. And he
[20:24] went up there,
[20:25] took a picture of it, and went
[20:26] crazy. 1902,
[20:28] he said.
[20:29] It was Campbell.
[20:32] They really...They
[20:34] had...You remember
[20:35] someone who
[20:36] studied there, or Wayne,
[20:37] you taught there...
[20:38] If you think about it, there was
[20:41] one light bulb coming out of that building. So it did
[20:42] n't need a
[20:43] lot of
[20:44] electricity. You did
[20:45] n't have, um,
[20:46] computers. You didn't
[20:48] have a
[20:48] lighting system. It was,
[20:50] um, we were all looking for and
[20:51] clinging to those
[20:51] typewriters.
[20:53] Well, he was so
[20:54] taken with it that he
[20:55] took a picture of it. He
[20:56] said, "I had to
[20:57] research this." He
[20:58] said, "The first
[20:59] electricity in West
[21:00] Virginia was in
[21:02] 1900." He said, "
[21:03] Sure, we can
[21:04] postpone it for a couple of
[21:05] years and become number
[21:06] one." But no, he was
[21:07] really interested in
[21:08] it and he found
[21:10] Campbell's book and I gave it to
[21:11] him and he really
[21:12] liked the story
[21:13] because it mentioned a lot
[21:14] about it...
[21:16] We have a lot of history in
[21:17] this building, especially
[21:18] in the technology
[21:19] room if you
[21:20] go in there and it's a
[21:21] wood room where
[21:22] you know
[21:23] electronics and all
[21:24] that, just to
[21:25] look at the
[21:25] telephone systems
[21:26] through the saws and the things
[21:28] that you
[21:28] used to
[21:29] work the wood.
[21:31] This is great. Well
[21:33] , thank you. Is there
[21:34] anything in the museum? I
[21:36] mean, you're on
[21:37] television and you
[21:39] have a newspaper here, so
[21:40] if there's any need,
[21:41] this would be a good time
[21:42] to bring it up
[21:43] .
[21:44] Sorry.
[21:45] Any needs, like in a
[21:46] museum? Are you always
[21:47] looking for new things or
[21:49] ...
[21:49] Uh, actually we'll
[21:50] take things. We
[21:53] have to be very
[21:54] careful, as I
[21:55] said, our space is
[21:57] very limited, but I
[21:58] would talk to Tammy
[21:59] or Gina if there's
[22:00] anything that you
[22:01] think would be good to
[22:02] put in this museum
[22:04] , because we'll find a place
[22:05] , as long as it's not a
[22:07] room-sized item. Uh, to
[22:12] do this with a newspaper,
[22:14] we appreciate the Nicholas Chronicle.
[22:18] They always
[22:19] help us
[22:20] create things,
[22:21] giving us
[22:21] publicity and
[22:22] recognition for what we
[22:23] do. And, guys, you
[22:26] all get
[22:27] magnets. That's all I
[22:28] can say. If there's
[22:30] nothing else
[22:31] , I'll ask...
[22:32] Well, I only have one question
[22:33] , and I'll
[22:34] let you. Your photo
[22:35] is hanging on the wall,
[22:36] class. How far back is your
[22:38] oldest
[22:39] photo there?
[22:40] Tammy, we're
[22:40] going back to 19,
[22:42] what year?
[22:43] 1923?
[22:45] Is this 1943?
[22:47] No, it has to be after
[22:49] Bertrand's mother,
[22:51] 1941, and she's there.
[22:54] 20 with something...
[22:55] Wow.
[22:57] And this went all the way back to the 78th
[22:59] grade.
[23:01] During the Depression, they
[23:02] didn't take
[23:03] class photos through film.
[23:06] They had no money.
[23:08] But one woman
[23:09] drew a class and...She had a
[23:10] friend who
[23:11] came to the
[23:12] alumni reunion. So we
[23:15] got photos of almost
[23:16] everyone who might still be
[23:17] alive. But, and then we
[23:20] ... It was 1940... that
[23:22] Barbara did this... I
[23:24] ...
[23:24] What was it?
[23:25] About 40 something. This was
[23:27] once, you know, the
[23:28] First World War.
[23:30] Yes.
[23:30] There was the First World
[23:31] War.
[23:32] And if you start in
[23:33] the basement, it's, uh, the early
[23:34] years, and it
[23:35] extends all the way to the
[23:36] first floor, up the
[23:37] stairs, and to the
[23:38] third floor. So it would be
[23:40] really nice, uh,
[23:42] for you all to just
[23:43] take it. And if I
[23:44] invite you
[23:44] up, if you
[23:45] want to take the
[23:47] whole
[23:48] group tour, we'd be
[23:49] happy to take you up, and,
[23:50] uh, you can
[23:50] come and have a
[23:52] cup of coffee afterwards
[23:52] .
[23:53] Yes.
[23:53] I think it would be a
[23:54] good meeting for the
[23:55] council to go up
[23:56] there and walk through
[23:57] this.
[23:57] You let us know, uh
[23:58] , when you'd like to
[23:59] do it, and, uh, we'll
[24:01] organize it.
[24:01] Thank you.
[24:03] for coming.
[24:04] Thank you all.
[24:05] Yes, that would be great.
[24:11] Speaking of Jim
[24:13] Price, next, uh
[24:14] , on the agenda is an
[24:15] update on the status report on the
[24:18] Summersville Hydroelectric Project. You have
[24:20] it in your
[24:21] public domain.
[24:25] Jim couldn't be here.
[24:27] He comes quite
[24:28] often, about two or
[24:29] three times a year. So
[24:30] it's quite common for him
[24:31] . Uh, so he
[24:33] sent this report
[24:34] last week for
[24:35] your review.
[24:37] Uh, a status report on the
[24:40] Summersville Hydroelectric Project. So,
[24:41] if you
[24:42] read it, it's already
[24:43] clear. The first
[24:44] part of it was
[24:45] a report on the
[24:46] lake level and its flow
[24:47] over the past
[24:48] year. It was really
[24:52] interesting because there
[24:53] was a drought in the north,
[24:54] and it was the first time I had even
[24:55] talked to Mayor
[24:56] Schaefer about it. He
[24:59] said it was the first time he could
[25:01] remember that they
[25:02] actually raised the
[25:03] water level, actually
[25:04] kept it 40
[25:05] feet higher than what the
[25:06] winter level was, and we were
[25:07] able to generate
[25:09] electricity all
[25:10] winter. So, that was
[25:12] one of the things, and that
[25:13] was a study that
[25:15] he had worked with
[25:16] before, to see
[25:17] if the court would leave it
[25:18] at this level of
[25:19] past years, and they
[25:20] said it was for
[25:21] flood control,
[25:23] not for
[25:23] hydroelectric power.
[25:24] So, hopefully
[25:26] we can still get it
[25:29] back up and
[25:30] running and see
[25:31] if we can
[25:32] get it up and running
[25:33] so the lake
[25:34] can maintain that
[25:35] level in the winter. So
[25:36] we'll see what
[25:37] happens. So, the
[25:38] second paragraph just
[25:39] mentioned why it
[25:41] was at that level, and
[25:42] because of the drought that
[25:43] our area had
[25:44] in 2014. So, he
[25:47] went down and
[25:47] joined the
[25:48] bill. Now the city
[25:50] has a joint account
[25:51] with Noah. And that's, uh,
[25:56] $1,046,404. And then he
[26:00] came down and explained
[26:01] a little further that there
[26:03] was interest on it,
[26:04] so it came out to, uh,
[26:06] $1,059,037. Uh, and we have
[26:10] 51%, so the city owns
[26:14] $540,280 in this joint account.
[26:17] He also explained here
[26:19] , in the
[26:21] revenue accounting, that, uh
[26:23] , from June to August
[26:26] 2026 or 2026, it
[26:28] was $163,048. And of
[26:30] course we got
[26:32] 51%, and he explained it
[26:33] down there. So, it
[26:36] came to $83,155 for
[26:38] this period. So, he
[26:44] suggests the actions below.
[26:49] We are currently in
[26:50] talks with GRVP, uh, with a
[26:52] new P with a new
[26:55] power purchase agreement, which,
[26:56] uh, if everything works out
[26:58] well, and I think it
[26:59] will. Uh, we're in
[27:04] talks with
[27:05] some
[27:06] energy
[27:07] companies, GRPP, and
[27:08] hopefully before the
[27:10] contract expires, we'll
[27:12] sign a new one. So
[27:14] , it's in his resume, you
[27:15] see it there, it's the
[27:16] suggested actions.
[27:19] So, he made
[27:22] direct points below.
[27:24] Of course, these are
[27:26] renewable
[27:27] energy certificates. We
[27:28] will also be working on that
[27:29] to
[27:29] see if
[27:31] we can get some of that
[27:32] this time under the
[27:33] new agreement. So,
[27:35] if you have any
[27:36] questions, we're here to
[27:37] answer them
[27:38] to the best of our ability.
[27:43] Mayor, is it possible to
[27:44] access an
[27:45] independent
[27:46] contract?
[27:48] Look at this.
[27:50] We can.
[27:50] Yes.
[27:51] we can provide
[27:52] you with an independent
[27:53] contract.
[27:54] And also that
[27:55] energy agreement.
[27:57] Energy deal?
[27:58] Yes.
[27:59] We don't really have a
[28:00] new one coming out.
[28:01] I just want to take a
[28:02] look at her tonight
[28:02] .
[28:03] Okay, we have it. As
[28:05] I said, we are currently
[28:06] negotiating
[28:06] about it.
[28:07] I think he wants the
[28:08] original.
[28:09] Yes.
[28:09] Oh, it's already in effect.
[28:11] Okay, I understand. Do
[28:12] you have a signature from the archives
[28:13] regarding this?
[28:14] You must have it.
[28:15] Okay, we'll get
[28:16] it for you, Jack.
[28:17] I would like to have a
[28:18] copy of it.
[28:19] No problem. Okay,
[28:25] no questions asked. Next up
[28:30] is approval for
[28:30] the disposal of
[28:33] Summersville Waterworks vehicles.
[28:34] Literally, they should
[28:36] be disposed of.
[28:38] So, we need
[28:39] a motion for
[28:40] approval.
[28:41] Proposal for
[28:42] approval.
[28:42] Second.
[28:43] All "yes". Yes. Yes.
[28:45] Opposite - the same sign.
[28:47] The offer is accepted.
[28:49] Now they won't be
[28:50] resold. They are
[28:51] scrap metal, aren't they
[28:52] ?
[28:53] That's right.
[28:57] Even a simple
[28:58] "too much"
[28:59] solution won't work, so what are you going
[29:00] to do about it?
[29:01] We take it to the
[29:02] scrap metal collection point
[29:03] .
[29:03] For scrap metal,
[29:05] perhaps?
[29:05] Yes, okay.
[29:06] How many, one?
[29:07] Why two? We have
[29:09] two of them.
[29:13] Next is
[29:14] the registrar's report.
[29:15] Thank you, mayor. Uh, I just
[29:17] want to say one thing. The
[29:18] next
[29:20] planning and
[29:21] zoning meeting
[29:21] will be held on October 5th
[29:23] at 6:00 PM here in the
[29:24] meeting room.
[29:26] Good. Mayor's report. Uh,
[29:30] just remember
[29:31] tomorrow, if you're in
[29:32] town, come and
[29:33] help
[29:34] celebrate the Nicholas
[29:35] County Graduation Parade
[29:36] . They
[29:38] will start here, at
[29:39] the foot of the old
[29:40] highway, at 6:00 PM and
[29:41] will pass through this
[29:42] part of the city. And
[29:44] the city of Summersville
[29:46] will honor them at the
[29:47] pavilion with hot
[29:48] dogs, ahem,
[29:49] fries, and some
[29:50] drinks. So we
[29:52] would like you to
[29:53] come. Also, on October 9 and
[29:56] 10, there will be a
[29:57] ride on the "
[29:59] Mother of the Golden Star" bridge
[30:00] . And he'll be, um,
[30:02] actually, the ride
[30:03] will be coming from the
[30:04] Charleston area. We
[30:06] will be here, near
[30:08] the pavilion, on the 9th. We
[30:09] will entertain them here and
[30:10] honor mothers. And on
[30:13] Saturday at 10:00 a.m.
[30:15] they will set off and
[30:16] pass by the armory. This is a motorcycle
[30:19] . Probably, what would you
[30:20] say? About 150-200
[30:22] motorcyclists?
[30:23] Well, we currently have
[30:25] about 131 registered for the
[30:26] Friday trip.
[30:27] Good. On
[30:28] Saturday it could be up to 200
[30:30] , maybe 300. I don't know.
[30:32] But let's honor
[30:33] these mothers with a
[30:34] Gold Star on this
[30:35] trip across the bridge.
[30:37] When you see the
[30:39] motorcycles and moms driving by,
[30:40] let's show them
[30:41] how much we
[30:42] appreciate them. Let's
[30:43] raise a little
[30:44] flag, wave it at
[30:46] them, and tell them we
[30:47] love them too. And
[30:50] don't forget that the Bigfoot Festival
[30:51] will be held from October 9 to 11
[30:53] . And
[30:56] it will be held at the
[30:59] Nicholas County Veterans Memorial Park. Council report?
[31:07] I don't know if any of
[31:09] you have been to a
[31:10] Bigfoot festival before,
[31:11] but, from my participation in the
[31:13] group that will be here
[31:14] , I understand
[31:15] that there are
[31:17] about 15,000 people at these events.
[31:23] For 3 days, so, uh
[31:25] , it could be something
[31:26] impressive. I don't know. I'm
[31:30] not sure.
[31:31] Yes, I heard about 25,000.
[31:34] Really?
[31:36] So what?
[31:37] Maybe interesting. This is
[31:38] no small thing. I don't know
[31:40] .
[31:40] You can't
[31:41] move here from
[31:42] Braxton County.
[31:44] Maybe the number of
[31:45] people would be
[31:46] normal.
[31:48] Yes, I was there, and there were
[31:49] quite a few people there.
[31:51] Yes. Yes, we
[31:51] settled down. The
[31:53] Western
[31:54] University Medical University
[31:55] is being established there,
[31:55] so
[31:56] now, and I will ask
[31:56] our boss, are
[31:58] we ready for that?
[31:59] We are working on it.
[32:00] Good.
[32:01] I just need to
[32:02] figure out where we're going to
[32:03] put them all.
[32:06] Also, Mayor, I just
[32:08] heard late tonight that
[32:09] local veterans
[32:10] have set a time for a
[32:13] Veterans Day parade and ceremony.
[32:15] They will take place,
[32:16] I think, on the 11th. Is it
[32:17] Veterans Day?
[32:19] It seems so. They'll
[32:22] have a ceremony,
[32:23] um, in the park, and they'll
[32:24] also have a
[32:25] parade that same day, that same
[32:27] evening. The parade will be
[32:30] in the evening. I just
[32:32] gave the boss all
[32:33] the information, so I'm
[32:34] sure he'll
[32:36] pass it on to us, but it
[32:37] seems like this...Huh?
[32:38] November 11.
[32:42] Yes, November 11.
[32:43] Is it Tuesday, Tuesday,
[32:44] or Wednesday when this
[32:44] falls?
[32:45] Yes, it's Wednesday.
[32:46] morning.
[32:47] Starts at 5:00 PM or 5:30 PM?
[32:49] Yes.
[32:50] Sounds great. Thank you
[32:51] .
[32:52] Book a date.
[32:53] Okay, next on the
[32:54] agenda is
[32:56] adjournment. Request
[32:57] to postpone
[32:58] the meeting. Second. Everyone
[33:00] "in favor"? Yes. Against? The
[33:04] same. Yes, same
[33:06] time and place. Good.
[33:08] Postponed.