The Rainelle Town Council held its regular mid-month meeting on Monday, Mar. 14. Facing a brimming meeting agenda, the council quickly set to work. Topics up for discussion included community projects, the Meadow River Rail Trail, and the unusual topic of storm drain cheese.
Several community projects filled a portion of the night’s agenda. The pump in the well house located at Fourteenth and Pennsylvania began to fail. As a result, a professional replaced the pump, and the well is back in working order.
Other town projects include replacing the cameras at the water plant and repairs to the pool house. Mountaineer State Computers have provided a quote for updated cameras. The water plant currently has security cameras; however, they do not work correctly. The council unanimously approved Mountaineer State Computers’ provided quote.
Perhaps the most unusual topic of discussion was storm drain cheese. According to the council, the cheese factory, which sat unused for some years, is again in operation. Due to a mishap when attempting to hook into the sewer system, cheese was released into the storm drains.
The Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Natural Resources quickly assessed the strange situation. Eventually, the issue fell into the hands of representatives of the town, sewer plant and cheese factory.
Since the initial investigation, the cheese has successfully been cleared from several drains. Two homes experienced an influx of cheese in their basements through the drain system. Those homes are undergoing cleaning.
The remaining drain on Ninth Street is quite deep and poses a problem to clean out. One council member made a suggestion citing the fact that the pipes and drain in question are no longer in use. He recommended capping off both ends, effectively sealing in the remaining cheese.
According to the council, the DEP will check back in on the project and provide guidance if necessary. A vote did not take place on the matter.
Matt Ford spoke to the council regarding the Meadow River Rail Trail. The trail, which once held active train tracks, was abandoned by CSXT in 2008, and the Greenbrier and Fayette County commissions purchased it the following year. After six years of planning, construction began in 2014 to turn it into a usable trail.
The trail received extensive damage during the 2016 flood. FEMA Federal Recreation Trails Program issued funding for repairs and additional trail construction. These items encompassed Phase I of the project.
According to Ford’s presentation, Phase II focuses on replacing the Russellville Bridge. This bridge is one of only two bridges that connect the Greenbrier and Fayette portions of the trail. The construction of the original bridge reached completion in 2015.
Phase III, according to Ford’s presentation, involves trail construction. CSXT removed the rails and ties in this area in 2019. In 2020, the WVDEP Abandoned Mine Lands Pilot Program awarded a grant to Greenbrier County totaling approximately $1.8 million. El Robinson Engineering will work on the design process in 2022.
The Rainelle Town Council will meet again on Monday, Mar. 28, at 7 p.m. All meetings are streamed to the town’s Facebook page.
