The Lewisburg City Council considered damages to fire department equipment, a 1 percent sales tax, the new public works building, and more during the Tuesday, April 19, meeting.
A member of the Lewisburg Fire Department noticing a hole in an important piece of equipment lead to Fire Chief Joe Thomas asking to replace nearly the entire set.
“We had a hole in one of our air bottles, which is something I’ve never heard of,” said Thomas. “We started pulling the bottles, checking, and … we found 24 bottles that had corrosion inside. They are the airtight bottles we use during underwater search and rescue. Nobody’s ever heard of this problem. We have those 24 bottles are out of service now. They’ve been pulled off our trucks. [To replace them] here’s probably going to be an expenditure somewhere between.”
Thomas said the bottles were purchased around 2013 and were expected to be in service until 2027 or 2028. About half of the bottles purchased at that time were affected.
“We haven’t had to pull anything that’s really detrimental to us being operational,” Thomas noted. “One’s leaking through the side of the bottle. It’s got an aluminum liner on the inside, that’s what [something] ate through. Then it’s a carbon fiber wrap that protects the bottle. It’s fairly thick, but the carbon fiber doesn’t actually stop it from leaking.”
Thomas told council he estimates the cost to replace the entire equipment set between $225,000 to $275,000.
“I think this could also be a public service announcement as well for other fire departments to check their packs, especially if it’s that same year,” said Lewisburg Mayor Beverly White.
In other business:
– Lewisburg’s application for Home Rule status was passed on second reading and public hearing with no public comment but a question from a reporter. If allowed Home Rule status, the city would be able to enact a 1 percent sales tax. In a previous meeting, city manager Missy Hill said that should that tax have been in place in fiscal year 2020-2021, $1,891,309.97 in revenue would have been collected.
– White celebrated an award given to the city from the Central Greenbrier Little League. She said, “we received this on opening day [from] the Little League. I threw the first pitch. It says, ‘Lewisburg, in recognition of your unwavering dedication and exceptional support of the youth in our communities,’ signed the Greenbrier Little League.”
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| White and the plaque from Central Greenbrier Little League. |
– Several ordinances on bonds for the new Lewisburg Public Works building had second readings approved by council, with third reading and public hearings expected before passage.
– Bids for the new public works building were not approved, as the low bidder had hand-modified their bid, invalidating the document. Due to the large difference between the two bids, both were rejected. The city will rebid the project in the upcoming weeks.
– A resolution supporting the Ukrainian people was approved by council. Lewisburg Recorder Shannon Beatty read the resolution aloud, saying “on February 24, 2022, Russian forces launched an unprovoked, full-scale invasion of a peaceful independent country in Ukraine. Many nations, including the United States and its European allies, have condemned, in the strongest language, this horrifying attack, an outright war of aggression on Ukraine and its citizens. [It is an] attempt to overthrow the democracy and occupying Ukraine, and sanctions have been levied against Russia and its government in response to this attack, with calls for an immediate ceasefire withdrawal. Yet Russia’s invasion continues.” Council member Arron Seams “emphatically” moved to support the resolution in conjunction with the West Virginia Municipal League and Ronceverte City Council.
– A proclamation celebrating Arbor Day was approved, with White highlighting a recent trip she’d taken to an area school. “I will tell you I really enjoyed going to the Greenbrier Community School with the fifth graders. We planted a tree and then we [went inside for a reading] of ‘The Giving Tree.’ It was a great day to see [the former Bolling School] so alive.”
– National Osteopathic Medicine Week was also celebrated with a proclamation reading, “currently in the state of West Virginia, more than 1,300 licensed osteopathic physicians are dedicated to improving the health of their communities through education and awareness-based efforts as well as by delivering quality health services. [The] citizens of Lewisburg West Virginia recognize the need for osteopathic physicians, who are committed to bringing attention to improving the health of all Americans, regardless of age, income level, race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, including pregnancy, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, veteran or military status, disability, genetic information, or other category that is protected under federal state or local anti discrimination laws.”
– A lease was approved for the building on Courtney Drive, commonly known as the “pink library,” between the city and the Greenbrier Historical Society.
– The Greenbrier East High School Project Graduation event was given $4,000 for food through the city’s video lottery revenue grant program.
– A single-item audit was approved by the city, showing no findings.
