Sutton Town Council Meets

The Sutton Town Council met on Thursday, September 14 for a regular meeting. Absent were Council members Jon Crum and Steve Facemire.
Mayor JD Hoover opened the meeting reading a proclamation from the WV Association of Retired School Employees to recognize September 24-30 as Braxton County Retired School Employees Week.
Recorder Robyn Dolan updated the council that the WVDOH were aware of the streets they were responsible for and would be working on those. She stated the repair work for Curtin Avenue and Curtin Town Road had been delayed because of the weather and the contractors trying to catch up on other jobs.
She noted she was contacting the owners of the house going out of town where the tree that has fallen to get the limbs cleared and off of the lines.
Beth Atkins thanked Chief Harry Teare for working the school zone and having the lights on to alert drivers.
Municipal Judge Rodney Jamison discussed changes he would like to see for the town. First, he would like to see add a 30-foot distance and not allowing individuals yelling or screaming at law enforcement when they are actively engaged on the job. He would also like to address issues with animal cruelty and make sure the tickets are correctly wrote for proper adjudication. Finally, he asked to include a $150 failure to appear fee on tickets after ninety days. This fee would also go to the DMV and cause a suspended license until fines are paid. Municipal Judge Jamison noted no recording is allowed in court.
Mayor Hoover requested a meeting with Chief Teare and Municipal Judge Jamison to address the issue of individuals not appearing in court.
Beth Atkins stated that an individual had contacted her about setting up recycling for another day so it is not out the same time as trash. Catherine Hoover stated they just need to separate it and just leave it as.
Beth Atkins noted the new windows have been installed on the first floor. Mayor Hoover noted work was being completed on the new police officer’s office.
Michael Gioulis updated the council on the possible development of the old Braxton Motor Building. The developer specializes in affordable housing and historic preservation tax credits. He would like to convert it to residential use of 14-16 apartments for seniors. Mayor Hoover voiced a concern over losing the commercial space on the first floor. Gioulis agreed and stated the plans are preliminary. He would discuss with the developer those concerns.
He discussed the previous development plans completed 15-20 years ago. He stated they were working on getting the plans updated to include the building as a possible residential property to help with the process. He requested the council approve the amendment once he had it completed. He also discussed the work on the old Mountain Cap building for the same purposes.
Beth Atkins presented the council with options for snowflakes lights. She proposed purchasing an initial ten at the cost of $552 per unit. After the first of the year, the costs will drop by 33%. At that point, maybe council could ask individuals and businesses if they would like to purchase one for the town for the upcoming years. The council approved the purchase of the ten four-foot snowflakes on a motion by Recorder Dolan.
Council set October 28 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm for Trick or Treating.
Under regular business, the council approved the minutes from the August 24 meeting on motion by Catherine Hoover. Also approved on a motion by Recorder Dolan was the payment of bills.
Council went into executive session at 6:41 to review job applications. They reconvened at 7:21 pm. On a motion by Catherine Hoover, council approved to hire Michelle Sears for the street crew.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:23 pm.