Monterey Council approves rezoning request
Monterey, Va. – At its meeting January 3, Mayor Warner reported to the Town Council on the joint meeting held in December with the Highland County Planning Commission. At that meeting a proposal to rezone part of Carver Meadow was considered. This rezoning is to accommodate the Highland Medical Center’s request to build a helicopter landing pad there. The Medical Center has requested an area 80 feet by 80 feet for the helipad and surrounding safety buffer. The rezoning was approved and Council requested that Town Attorney Melissa Dowd draw up a lease agreement between the town and the medical center for the helipad property.
In other business, the new Monterey Town Charter is now in Richmond in the hands of the Virginia General Assembly for their approval.
Mayor Warner reported to the Council that the town still does not have the environmental report on the waste water treatment plant. Brad Craig of the engineering firm Mattern and Craig told Mayor Warner that he expects the environmental report to be finished soon and it will then be sent on to the Department of Environmental Quality.
The Town is having problems with the hand held data recorder used to read water meters. Information on customer meters is not being read correctly causing problems with the bills. Bath County officials have been contacted to see what system they use for reading their water meters.
Councilman Jay Garber asked that the Council approve a request to place a 12 by 12 foot tent next to the Mill Gap Ruritan Club’s donut trailer during Maple Festival for the Highland Old Time Music festival staff to set up a display to advertise this year’s festival. The request was approved.
Councilman Garber also noted that the Town’s Manual of Procedure requires the Council to release its agenda to the public three days before each meeting. That has not been done in recent years.
During the public comment period, Linda Holman requested that the Town review the recent water bills since there were problems recording the meter data. The Mayor said that she would look into the matter. Ms. Holman also pointed out that the street sign at West Mill Alley and Main Street is missing. Mayor Warner pointed out that the street signs are maintained by the County. Councilman Jay Garber noted that he thought the Sheriff might have been holding the sign as evidence of vandalism, but he would look into getting it released and put back up.
The next meeting of the Monterey Town Council will be Thursday, February 7, at 7:30 PM in the Highland Public Library.