Mount Vernon News

MARTINSBURG — The Martinsburg Village Council, meeting Monday evening, heard from Mayor J.R. St. Clair that a flaw was found in the Knox County Emergency Management Agency house numbering system.

Recently he heard on his scanner that a young boy had been injured on Mechanic Street, but he did not recognize the address and the house number is not on the current map. The map was created after the EMA updated and changed Martinsburg house numbers. St. Clair said he drove to the fire department and notified the paramedics, who realized they did not know where to find the boy. St. Clair called council member Virginia Davis, who has relatives on Mechanic Street; fortunately, she knew where the boy lived.

Upon St. Clair’s further investigation, it was found the EMA emergency call system still uses the old address for that property. Council will notify the EMA, and St. Clair sid he hopes that interim maps with the correction will be printed and given to the fire departments.

The 7-year-old boy was not transported, but his family took him to the hospital later.

St. Clair made an announcement that his doctor warned about his health and the possibility of a stroke if he did not get help with some of his responsibilities as mayor. St. Clair, who is also employed full-time, asked council members for assistance in taking over some of his duties.

All members agreed to assist as requested.

Council reviewed and approved a preliminary tax budget and authorized Fiscal Officer Dedra Kidwell to send it to the Knox County auditor for review. Kidwell said all expenses on the proposed budget were increased by 3 percent to cover rising costs.

St. Clair reported that paving the lot behind the community center in order to build a skateboard park, will cost $8,000. St. Clair said he received calls from several parents saying that if the skateboard park is built behind the community center, they would not allow their children to use the park because it is concealed from view and therefore a danger to children and a lure to sex offenders.

Council members, voicing their surprise and disappointment, said no other village land is available. They agreed that if children would not be allowed to use the park there is no point in building it. However, they agreed to explore options.

Flyers promoting the National Day of the American Cowboy Parade on July 26 at 2 p.m. in Martinsburg will be ready today for distribution, and St. Clair said the fire department will lead the parade. Vendors, food vendors and demonstrations will be set up at the community center that day.

The parade committee will meet on July 25 at 7 p.m. and the Parks and Recreation Department will next meet on Aug. 7 at 8 p.m., both in the town hall.

St. Clair said a village resident expressed interest in participating in the new Community Block Watch, and that he notified Sheriff’s Deputy Kenneth Arrant that the organization is ready for a meeting with him.

Village Solicitor John Ryerson and St. Clair met with county engineer Jim Henry recently on the matter of deteriorated pavement in Chestnut Alley, behind the town hall and the Marathon station. St. Clair said Henry explained the alley has no drainage, so water pools there, freezes and thaws, and the pavement breaks up. He recommended tearing up the pavement, installing a drain, graveling the alley and letting it settle for a year, then paving it. Henry said the alley could also be left unpaved, but then dust would be a problem.

St. Clair noted the village corporation limit sign and the “no jake braking” sign on St. Louisville Road are missing. He asked Kidwell to look for a traffic sign catalog so council can estimate the cost of replacing the signs.

Council member Stacy Swanson expressed concern with the discussion at the June meeting about using a portion of dead-end East Street as a “play street.” It was first designated as such in the 1940s. Swanson asked council not to encourage play in the street; others concurred, and St. Clair said consideration will be given to repealing that ordinance at the August meeting.

St. Clair said the village’s mower is probably in its last days; the village has been using St. Clair’s mower instead. Council considered using village funds to purchase either a good used or a new mower, and there was discussion about which would be better. St. Clair said the village does not have the funds to purchase a new riding mower, and suggested the village could take out a bank loan to pay for it. Davis said the problem obviously can’t be postponed in mid-summer. St. Clair offered to research options, and council voted to authorize him to spend up to $500 if he finds a good used mower for sale.

There was discussion about rotted wet leaves in a ditch that a homeowner said were missed during last year’s month-long leaf pickup. St. Clair said he, his wife and their son spent part of the Fourth of July weekend bagging the leaves and disposing of them, after the homeowner said he did not have a place for disposal. The leaves were blocking the flow of water through the ditch. Council members noted their suspicion that the leaves were not raked to the ditch until after leaf pickup was over, as they would have been nearly impossible not to notice.

St. Clair proposed an ordinance to make homeowners responsible for their leaves, and the village will provide free leaf pickup in the fall. If homeowners do not have leaves raked to the street or curb on time, they can be fined for violation as well as costs incurred to dispose of the leaves. Council will consider this ordinance further at the August meeting.