The regularly scheduled town council meeting held in the town council chambers in Alderson had a full agenda for its May 12 meeting. Following the opening blessing, Pledge of Allegiance and approval of the minutes from the previous meeting, Alderson Mayor Travis Copenhaver asked for a moment to proceed with a couple of things not included in the meeting agenda.
The council had no objection as the mayor took time to recognize two Anderson citizens with proclamations of gratitude for their service, selfless acts of giving and contributions to the town of Alderson.
“There are some people with a passion for stuff, and without those people, people who actually care and try to make sure we preserve history, sometimes it’s lost or forgotten,” he said.
Stacy Eskins was recognized for her commitment to preserving the history of the town, in particular she spearheaded the campaign to install a new town clock to working order. She researched companies that could do the work, got quotes for the clock project installation and presented her proposal to Alderson Main Street, the nonprofit funding local events such as the Strawberry Festival. She raised $19,000 through local fundraisers and had the clock installed in February 2022, less than a year after fundraising began.
She’s also used her background in marketing and advertising to reorganize the town website to make Alderson a more appealing destination. She also helped generate interest in the town on a national level. Using interviews with citizens, photographs and video highlights of the town, Eskins created a entered the HGTV Hometown Takeover contest.
Eskins is also the primary content manager for Pride Town, a local private social media site where fans of Alderson post nostalgic photos, share memories, events and old photographs.
Eskins said, “Alderson’s heyday could be today If someone wants to invest in it.” She certainly has and the mayor recognized her with the “Alsersonean,” a plaque recognizing her outstanding contributions to the town.
The second proclamation was presented posthumously to Christine Atwell. She was recognized for her outstanding contributions to the beautification of the city. Atwell, an avid gardener, took it upon herself to plant flowers all around town.
“She was instrumental in beautifying the town. Her interest in the beatification of Alderson blossomed, and a group Gardening for Alderson grew out of her passion,” Copenhaver said as he presented Atwell’s Aldersonean proclamation to her husband. William Atwell Jr.
The next item on the agenda was the water plant project. Copenhaver announced that the city did receive the notice to proceed with the project. Council then took up items related to water line project and an ordinance setting forth new rates, fees and charges for services to water customers. A vote on a proposed increase that would raise the minimum to $5 per month also passed.
Randy Watson, project manager for the water line project then addressed the council. Watson has worked closely with the city to procure the $8.3 million grant needed to get the water treatment plant project started.
“This is my first meeting here other than when I interviewed for the job. I was told that I got the job but I can’t retire until the job is over. And my goal was to design you the best plant you can have.”
His plans include demolishing the existing tanks and designing a new water plant that blends in and doesn’t look like an industrial site in a residential area. Watson addressed concerns about low water pressure at Westgate Estates.
“There are flat spots through there where there’s not much elevation that makes a difference. At some point, we’ve got to replace the second tank that’s out of service. Once that tank is replaced, customers should notice an increase in their water pressure when the project is completed.”
Council also addressed using American Rescue Plan funds as matching funds for grants. After considerable research, it was determined that ARP funds could not be used in such a way and would be utilized for the next phase of the bridge improvements.
Copenhaver said, “We’ve confirmed with Margaret and we cannot use those funds for a match for any of the stuff she’s working on or anything that we thought we could.” With that, a motion was passed to transfer the remaining $38,771 into the general fund.
After no further discussion, the meeting was adjourned.
