The Sutton Town Council conducted their most recent meeting on July 28. Absent from the meeting were three council members, Steve Facemire, Beth Atkins, and Jon Crum.
Recorder Laurel Petolicchio asked Mayor JD Hoover if Facemire or Atkins had said anything about the quotes for a chair lift or elevator for the community building. Mayor Hoover stated he had not heard anything from either of them concerning those quotes.
Two community members, Joe Gates and Janet Six, requested the opportunity to participate on one of the standing committees. Under the town ordinances, it is at the discretion of the mayor whether or not to approve local individuals for committees. He informed them he would like the time to confer with the full council before making that decision.
The standing committees consist of Finance-Recorder Laurel Petolicchio, chair, Beth Atkins and Jon Crum; Roads, Streets, Sewers, and Street Drains-Steve Facemire, chair, Robyn Dolan, and Catherine Hoover; Public Safety and Health-Robyn Dolan, chair, Steve Facemire, Catherine Hoover; Police and Fire Protection and Municipal Court-Jon Crum, chair, Recorder Laurel Petolicchio, and Beth Atkins; Garbage and Recycling-Catherine Hoover, chair, Robyn Dolan, and Steve Facemire; and City Property and Community Building-Beth Atkins, chair, Recorder Laurel Petolicchio, and Jon Crum. The council approved these committee appointments on a motion by Recorder Petolicchio with a second by Robyn Dolan.
Recorder Petolicchio requested the rental of the community for the second Saturday in December for the WV Bigfoot Museum and Mountain Laurel Country Store Annual Yeti/Christmas Expo. Those council members present stated the use would be acceptable.
Police Chief Shane Boggs provided council members with an update. He has hired Jonathan Sergeon as a town officer. Officer Sergeon is already a certified officer through the state. He is also a certified fire fighter and has driven for EMS in Nicholas County. Since July 14, the police department has issued a total of 21 citations with only four being from residents of Braxton County. Most of the citations were from Webster and Boone Counties. Four of the citations issued were for possession of controlled substance and they have impounded two vehicles. He discussed speaking with council the possibility of hiring another officer in executive session.
Chief Boggs presented the council with a proposal for SWAT I and MACTAC (Multi-Assault, Counter Terrorism Action Capabilities) training to take place in the town of Sutton. The training would be open to officers from around the state and nationwide. He currently has officers from Florida, Georgia, and the Choctaw nation in Oklahoma interested in participating. The training will take place August 22-26 and he has already secured a vacant building as well as some locals to participate in the training. The SWAT training will also take place in collaboration with the Braxton County School System and the Braxton County Office of Emergency Services. At the end of the training, the department will have a fully developed active shooter plan for Sutton Elementary School. The town will have two free spots for officers with being the host town for the training. On a motion by Recorder Laurel Petolicchio with a second by Robyn Dolan, the council approved his request to move forward with the training.
Robyn Dolan mentioned she had spoken with the gas company concerning the natural gas odor near the Y intersection. They informed her they were aware of the issue and would be correcting the leak.
Council members discussed meeting with the paving company the following week to review the quote for paving of the alley next to Sutton Elementary. Council will make a decision concerning the paving at the next meeting in order to try to get the alley paving down before school starts.
Recorder Petolicchio brought up the issue with HVAC on the second floor of the town building freezing up and requested bringing in someone to inspect the system.
Municipal Clerk Robin Smith briefly updated the council on the grant process for the corrections to the storm drain issues. The $150,000 grant through Region VII has been approved, and the matching grant is moving forward to cover the costs the town would have to pay.
The minutes of the July 14 regular meeting and the July 21 special meeting were approved as corrected on a motion by Robyn Dolan and a second by Catherine Hoover. Also approved was the payment of bills on a motion by Catherine Hoover with a second by Robyn Dolan.
Council tabled the discussion on the ordinance updates on a motion by Laurel Petolicchio and a second by Catherine Hoover until other members could be present.
Council went into executive session at 6:54 pm to discuss possible hiring of another officer and reconvened at 7:16 pm with no decisions made.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:16 pm. The next regular meeting will be August 11 at 6:00 pm.
