September 8, 2020
MINUTES OF THE BROOKNEAL TOWN COUNCIL
7:00 PM – The regular meeting of the Brookneal Town Council
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the municipal government of the Town of Brookneal met at the Brookneal Community Building, 261 Main Street, so that social distancing could be practiced properly, with the following members present:
James Nowlin, Mayor
Richard Adams, Vice Mayor
Mark Wilkes, Barbara Laprade, Joseph David and Cynthia Johnson, Council Members
Russell Thurston, Town Manager
Bobbie Waller, Clerk/Treasurer
Mike Crews, Public Works Director
Absent: Phyllis Campbell, Council Member and Richard Baldwin, Chief of Police
INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING WILLIAMS LUMBER COMPANY
Upon motion by Mark Wilkes, seconded by Joseph David, and unanimously carried the Council voted to adopt the following resolution for Williams Lumber Company. A roll call vote was taken as follows:
Ms. Laprade Aye Ms. Johnson Aye
Mr. Adams Aye Mr. David Aye
Mr. Wilkes Aye Mayor Nowlin Aye
The resolution was presented to Joe Lunsford from Williams Lumber Company.
RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING WILLIAMS LUMBER COMPANY
WHEREAS, Williams Lumber Company has faithfully served the Brookneal community for 115 years beginning back in 1905; and
WHEREAS, this great country, this great county and this great community have been built by the likes of hard-working, risk-taking entrepreneurs such as the Williams and Lunsford family; and
WHEREAS, the Williams and Lunsford family have provided their services with professionalism, honesty, integrity, high quality products; and
WHEREAS, the Williams and Lunsford family not only operate a successful business but are also a vital part of our community lending their support to many great causes; and
WHEREAS, the Williams and Lunsford family have established many longstanding relationships and friendships within the Brookneal community and beyond; and
WHEREAS, Williams Lumber continues to overcome market and economic challenges, they solve problems and find ways to succeed where many have failed; and
WHEREAS, Brookneal has greatly benefited from Williams Lumber Company for more than a century, it could easily be said that much of Brookneal was built with their lumber and building materials; and
WHEREAS, Williams Lumber Company has seen many wars come and go, the Great Depression, weather conditions and challenges of every description, yet through it all, and by the hard work of its founders, and multiple generations of the same family, they continue to adapt, to grow, and to overcome;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BROOKNEAL TOWN COUNCIL that it shall be hereby acknowledged and affirmed with the Highest Honor that Williams Lumber Company is a shining example of what can be accomplished with commitment, dedication, teamwork and perseverance, and that this day of recognition is well deserved and well earned; job well done and best wishes for another 115 years!
Adopted the ___day of ___________, 2020.
______________________________________
Mr. James Nowlin, Mayor
Town of Brookneal
Attested:
Mrs. Bobbie Waller, Clerk
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Upon motion by Joseph David, seconded by Cynthia Johnson, and unanimously carried, Council approved the agenda for the September 8, 2020, regular meeting of the Brookneal Town Council.
MINUTES
Upon motion by Richard Adams seconded by Joseph David, and unanimously carried, Council approved the minutes for the July 14 and August 11, 2020, Town Council meetings and the minutes for the August 6, 2020 Physical Development Committee meeting.
TREASURER’S REPORT
Mayor Nowlin asked that the August 2020 and September 2020 treasurer’s report be filed for audit.
PRESENTATION AND APPROVAL OF INVOICES
Be it resolved that motion was made by Mark Wilkes, seconded by Joseph David, and unanimously carried, authorizing the payment of the invoices for the period of July 15, 2020 to August 11, 2020 in the amount of $11,876.10 and payment of the invoices for the period of August 12, 2020 to September 8, 2020 in the amount of $27,171.25.
REQUEST FOR USE OF THE COMMUNITY BUILDING BY THE ODD FELLOWS LODGE
Mr. Rick Bowe, of the Brookneal Odd Fellows Lodge, appeared before Council to request the use of the community building dining room once per month for their monthly meetings.
Upon motion by Richard Adams, seconded by Joseph David, and unanimously carried, the Council voted to allow the Odd Fellows organization to use the community building once per month for their monthly meetings at no charge.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Rev. Jerry Stanfield appeared before Council to discuss a proposal he had received from Anderson Lawn Care Service for the landscaping project at the community building. He said the cost of this proposal is a little over $5,000. He said that if Council approves this, he would raise the money himself to have this done. Vice Mayor Adams suggested a meeting in the next couple of days to discuss this, and he suggested obtaining 3 quotes on this proposed project. He also said that since the pastor is going to be taking responsibility for the payment of this will he need to put the agreement for services in his name as opposed to the town’s name as it reads now. He also noted that even though he knows Anderson Lawn Care is fully insured, if someone was to go on this property during the process of the work being done, he wants to be sure that the Town is covered.
Councilperson Mark Wilkes suggested having the physical development committee meet to discuss all this before the next Council meeting at 6 p.m. on October 13, 2020. Ms. Waller also reminded the group that there was a bid presented in the early spring from Jerry Epps Landscaping. Councilperson Laprade expressed her concerns over the matter that if a citizen or group is going to provide funding for a project, where does the line cross in terms of there being a requirement to obtain 3 bids. Councilperson David said there shouldn’t be any bids. Ms. Laprade said she believes all Pastor Stanfield is looking for is if the Council is in agreement for him to do this project for the town, not an approval of bids. She believes you can’t tell someone how to spend the money they donate.
The group decided they would meet on October 13, 2020 at 6 p.m. to discuss this issue further.
Ms. Debbie Bowe, of Charlotte Street, commended the Town for their efforts to help handicapped individuals such as herself.
POLICE REPORT
In the absence of Chief Baldwin, his police report was passed out to the Council members for their review.
PUBLIC WORKS REPORT
Public Works Director Mike Crews said that he was assured by VDOT that the milling and paving of Lynchburg Avenue would be done around October 1, 2020. He said that he would be meeting with a representative in Lynchburg this Thursday concerning the cost of the trash receptacles he had talked about at the last meeting. He said in talking about this to other people, he decided to suggest having just one size trash receptable for each household in the Town.
FALL CLEANUP OCTOBER 19-30, 2020
Fall cleanup for this year will be held October 19-30, 2020. Mr. Crews said the town usually collects paint cans, brush, appliances, furniture and miscellaneous items during these 2 weeks.
TOWN MANAGER REPORT
Town Manager Russell Thurston said that he had received a written response from the owner at 214 Old Main Street to his certified letter concerning the condition of the property, and they are actively working on the property making the necessary repairs. He said he told them he would like to see some real progress by the end of November 2020.
Mr. Thurston spoke briefly about the incident that happened in Town on September 1, 2020. He said that it was a sad situation in which 3 young girls were involved, but are now in a safe place. He said Mr. Hamann is in a place where hopefully he can get some help. He asked everyone to keep the family in your thoughts and prayers.
Ms. Waller told the Council that real estate tax bills will be mailed at the end of September. Mr. Thurston said he wrote a letter to Michael Monroe concerning his presentation to Council in the early spring. He told Mr. Monroe in the letter that his proposal to expand his recycling and sorting facility was suitable for that location because the zoning for that already exists.
He said he is still working on the hotel/motel feasibility study. He said the firm is presently working on a marketing pitchbook, and it will hopefully be completed in the next 3-4 weeks. He thanked Council for being very supportive of this project.
He said that Town Hall did get an exterior facelift over the last few weeks. He also talked about Comcast’s project to provide an upgrade to their systems in town. He said they are upgrading their cable system from analog to digital, and they are going to feed this and high-speed internet off of lines that Mid-Atlantic broadband installed on the 501 bypass.
REQUEST TO CHANGE COMMITTEES FROM COUNCILPERSON JOHNSON
Ms. Waller told the Council that Councilperson Johnson had requested to change committees. Due to her job, Ms. Johnson is not readily available during the winter months to work on the
budget with the finance and planning committee. She will be switched to the physical development committee and Councilperson Campbell will move to the finance and planning committee until her term is up which is December 2020.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
Physical Development Committee chairperson Mark Wilkes said his committee would meet October 13, 2020 at 6 p.m., and at Ms. Waller’s suggestion would also discuss the trash receptacles that Mr. Crews mentioned since he will have more information after his meeting in Lynchburg this week.
ITEMS FROM TOWN COUNCIL
Councilperson Johnson asked if there was going to be a Christmas parade. Mr. Thurston and Ms. Waller said they were not sure if the Chamber was going to do anything, but they were kicking around ideas in the office as to what could be done. Ms. Waller pointed out that Covid-19 may present restrictions on having a parade as well as schools not being in session. She also said with many schools not being in session, there may not be bands to participate as well.
Ms. Johnson asked if VDOT had contacted the Town about the Main Street/Cook Avenue issues. Mr. Thurston said he had not heard anything else from them, but they had assigned a traffic engineer to the project the last time he talked to Mr. Robert Brown at VDOT. He said he would try to get Mr. Brown to come to a Council meeting once they announce their findings.
Mr. David suggested Council members think before the October meeting about naming the Brookneal Community Building after someone.
ADJOURNMENT
Upon motion by Barbara Laprade, seconded by Mark Wilkes, and unanimously carried, Mayor Nowlin announced that the September 8, 2020, Council meeting was adjourned.
Bobbie A. Waller: Clerk/Treasurer
James Nowlin: Mayor
