Hillsboro Council Names Walker As Mayor

Hillsboro, WV – The town of Hillsboro has a new mayor. Mayor Richard Workman submitted his resignation to council shortly after the passing of his wife in February. After accepting Workman’s resignation during town council’s regular meeting Tuesday evening, councilwoman Janice Goode nominated recorder and acting mayor Ann Marie Walker to fill the office. Councilman John Hill seconded, the motion was approved by the rest of council.

Walker will continue as the town’s acting recorder until a council selects someone to fill the now vacant seat. The new mayor said those interested in the position of recorder for the town of Hillsboro should submit letters of interest to the town office ahead of April’s town council meeting.

Fire hydrants in the town will now have an annual maintenance plan beginning this summer, says Walker. The town’s 14 hydrants will be cleaned, lubricated, and tested for flow on a regular schedule. Walker says the hydrants will also be mapped and numbered. She’s also working with the Denmar correctional center to see about having them repainted.

An application for a sidewalk improvement grant is due to Charleston by March 19th, says Walker, but the town still lacks enough income surveys for the application to be competitive. Surveys were sent to the town’s water and sewer customers, but only 30 have been returned so far short of the 58 needed to meet the 50-percent response rate necessary for the grant. If this year’s application is unsuccessful, Walker says the town can try again in 2011, using data from the 2010 Census, rather than the surveys.

Council authorized treasurer Sandy Gladwell to have the water and sewer financial reports professionally prepared for the coming year. Gladwell says the reports, which are filed with the West Virginia Public Service Commission, have become increasingly complicated over the years, and that the PSC is starting to scrutinize the reports much more closely. By having the reports prepared by a professional, Gladwell said the town would then have a template for submitting subsequent reports that would satisfy the PSC’s tougher standards. Initial estimates put the cost around $500 for each report, says Gladwell.

Council also reviewed energy efficiency grant information for municipalities from the Region 4 Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council. Maximum grant awards would be about $33,000 and cover the cost of improving energy efficiency or employing alternative sources of energy. While council entertained the possibility of using solar panels to supply electricity to the town’s sewage system, no action was taken, due to the uncertainty surrounding the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s complaint against the town over its phosphorus discharge levels.

In other matters, council approved the purchase of a metal detector to make it easier to find water meters in deep snow, after the experience of this winter. And council made plans to attend a dedication of the welcome signs that will take place at the north sign, near the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace on June 26th at 3:30 during the Little Levels Heritage Fair.

Hillsboro Town Council’s next regular meeting will be on April 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Hillsboro Library.