Claim your handprints from Star City park
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STAR CITY - A 21-year-old playground in Star City is getting a facelift and the town is looking for area adults who may have lent their handprints to the original design.
Standing in the heart of Edith Barill Riverfront Park, Tug Boat Depot was built in 2005 through the help of Morgantown North Rotary and other community groups and volunteers. It was constructed under then-Star City Mayor Allen Sharp.
During the initial build, town children were asked to leave their handprints in cement poured around the playground. Town Mayor Sharon Doyle said at Tuesday's council meeting that it was hoped the cement with those handprints could be saved and replaced at the playground during ongoing renovations.
She said as the cement was removed, it became clear putting it and the handprints back was not going to be possible.
"Due to the age and deteriorating conditions of the prints, they are too fragile to try and place securely without causing damage," Doyle said.
Anyone who left a handprint with the original project can call the town business office to arrange to pick it up. Call 304-599-3550.
Doyle said a few people have already come to Town Hall to claim their prints.
Sidewalk update
Bobby Doyle, Star City's building code official, said the town's sidewalk project is moving forward with bids going out this week. He said he expected the legal advertisement to be published by Thursday.
Thrasher Engineering is handling the project and will collect the bids, determine the best option and let Doyle know. Doyle asked council for permission to then contact the business with the winning bid so the work could begin immediately.
Doyle said the company would have 120 days to complete the sidewalks and would be penalized $1,000 per day if they go over, so it's important for the work to begin as soon as possible.
The town will hold a pre-bid meeting at 10 a.m. Sept. 30 with the opening of bids schedule for 2 p.m. Oct. 15.
Doyle previously said the work will cover about 1,000 square yards of sidewalks from the area near St. Mary Roman Catholic Church to Boyers Avenue. Lakecrest Construction will handle the ADA ramps through a contract with the West Virginia Department of Transportation.
Police Department update
Police Chief Glen Staley told town council at Tuesday's regular meeting that his department is down two officers because of one relocating and another moving on to another agency. He also asked for permission to purchase four shotguns that he had discussed at a previous meeting.
Staley said he has one applicant that he is impressed with but that person will need to attend the West Virginia State Police Academy in Dunbar to be certified. The next class is not until early January. The chief said he would begin looking at the candidate's background and also planned to introduce him to the mayor for her opinion.
He said he also has a second possibility as well as a few individuals who are officers in other municipalities who may be interested in part-time work in Star City.
"We are down on people but we are making due," Staley said. "We're still covering all shifts; it's just getting a little tighter and days off are getting harder."
Council approved Staley's request to purchase four shotguns so that each police vehicle will have one. Staley previously explained that a rifle is now in each police vehicle but he'd also like his officers to have the shotguns for when they are necessary. He said that rifles are used for shooting targets farther away while shotguns are better used as crime deterrents as well as for closer targets.
"Nothing is better for deterring someone from causing trouble than the racking of a 12-gauge," Staley said previously. "That can settle down a lot of issues. Racking a shotgun gets attention."
He said by trading in some weapons, the town could buy four shotguns and the optics for $2,920 and that money would come from his department's forfeiture account.
The next Star City Town Council meeting will be 6 p.m. Oct. 6 at Town Hall, 370 Broadway Ave.