Clifton Forge Town Council Presents “Hometown Hero” Awards
M. Ray Allen
CLIFTON FORGE—The Town Council of Clifton Forge led by Mayor Pam Marshall honored local businesses by awarding “Hometown Hero” certificates to business owners or their representatives during a 22-minute ceremony.
Fifty-five were gathered in the room to attend the meeting to view or receive the certificates being distributed with the message, “The Town of Clifton Forge, VA recognizes the courage and strength you have shown during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2021.”
Mayor Marshall said, “I thank all of you for coming here tonight, and we just want to show our appreciation for your courage and strength for making it through the pandemic.”
Each certificate with the message printed over the picture of the Clifton Forge Town Hall is dated at the bottom and documented with the following names and offices held, “Pamela Marshall, Mayor; Jeff Irvine, Vice Mayor; Robert Umstead, Councilman; Ronald Goings, Councilman; and Carl Wolfe Jr., Councilman.”
Before the awards ceremony, the Rev. Timothy Preston, pastor of First Baptist Church of Clifton Forge that was organized in 1895 and rebuilt in 1921, presented the invocation, and the 55 in attendance remained standing for the Pledge of Allegiance led by Mayor Marshall.
J. Lee Higginbotham Jr., CEO of LewisGale Hospital-Alleghany, made a presentation concerning COVID-19 and the Delta variant along with the difficulty of providing specialists on a steady basis due to the low population density of the Alleghany Highlands. He stated that his goal is to have the hospital treat as many patients in the community as possible.
Then he posed a question to himself, “But how are we going to accomplish that?”
He explained that currently, the hospital’s policy is to prohibit children from visiting, and patients are permitted to have only one visitor per day.
His intent is to hire another general surgeon by next year and have a new cardiologist on board by the end of 2021, and he reported that Jackson River Internist facility has been refurbished. Also, a new nurse practitioner is on board.
Higginbotham reported that the hospital has increased its radiology capabilities so that patients no longer have to travel to Salem for treatments as they once did, and he revealed that he has been able to have a specialist from Salem to come to the hospital 10 days per month, a service that will also save patients time and travel expenses.
He remarked, “We have direct access in Salem to transfer our trauma patients now.”
Councilman Umstead asked, “What is your visiting rules at the hospital?”
Higginbotham answered that no kind of card is required, just a mask and the requirement to adhere to the testing protocol that is in place to determine if the visitor has a fever or other Covid-19 symptoms that would prohibit the visitor from entering the hospital.
After his presentation about the improvements being made at the hospital, council members thanked him for his presentation, and Mayor Marshall invited him to return to address the council every three months to keep council posted on progress at the hospital and steps being taken to cope with the pandemic.
Martha Edwards, chairman of the Clifton Forge LOVE Sculpture Committee, gave a thorough and enthusiastic presentation, and she shared the committee’s recommendation that the Town of Clifton Forge be responsible for the maintenance of the sign after the all-metal sign is designed, fabricated, and erected.
Teresa Stanton, tourism relations manager for Virginia Tourism Corporation for the past 11 years, addressed council and expounded upon the benefits and positive economic impact that LOVE Signs have brought to communities across the state. She noted that the Virginia Tourism Corporation often features the LOVE Sign at Humpback Bridge because of its unique features, such as having a two-trunked tree to form the letter “V.”
In touting the LOVE Sign, Staton offered, “If you have your LOVE Sign downtown, people will visit, take photographs and post them on social media.”
She concluded, “Clifton Forge is lucky to have a Virginia Travel Center just 25 miles away, and that is a real asset.”
Discussion by council members followed, and Councilman Umstead expressed his concern about voting to have the town assume the cost of maintenance until the “loose ends” of the project are tied up. Currently, he noted that no specific place has been selected to erect the LOVE Sign.
The committee recommended the Masonic Amphitheatre area where visitors would be able to enjoy and utilize a scenic view for photographs to be taken, a place spacious enough to accommodate parking where signage could direct visitors to Hazel Run Trail, the Underground and Smith Creek Trail.
The committee has concluded that the sites that were examined on Main Street and Ridgeway Street present parking problems that locating the LOVE sign near the bridge at the Masonic Amphitheatre will solve. Also, directional signs there could direct visitors to the Clifton Forge Public Library, Clifton Forge School of the Arts, The Historic Masonic Theatre, Amtrak, Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center, C&O Railroad Heritage and Museum, C&O Society, shops, and restaurants.
Town Manager Unroe noted that the cost of fabricating and erecting the sign would not cost the Town of Clifton Forge any funds because those expenses would be covered via grant funds, and he shared with the council that the maintenance for the LOVE Sign would be minimal in that repainting of the metal would only be needed an estimated every five to ten years. He also noted that The Historic Masonic Theatre does not want to be responsible for the maintenance of the LOVE Sign, and he noted that further discussion would be needed with HMT to work out details concerning the project.
He also pointed out that all previous potential sites that have been considered for the LOVE Sign have been deemed unsuitable.
During the meeting, the council voted 5-0 to approve the written Clifton Forge Armory Report, and after a lengthy discussion about the pros and cons of where to locate the Dog Park, council voted 3-1 to locate it at what is commonly known as “The Jungle.”
Councilman Goings cast the “no” vote because of his concern that the area is not big enough and that he favors locating the Dog Park at Matthews Park. Councilman Wolfe had dismissed himself from the meeting prior to the vote due to a family commitment that he announced as he excused himself from the meeting.
The discussion prior to the vote revealed that a previous vote had been taken by council before Town Manager Unroe was hired, and the previous vote had designated “The Jungle” as the site for the Dog Park.
Mayor Marshall noted that while she favored Matthew’s Park, she would honor the previous vote and vote “yes.” Town Manager Unroe had informed council that currently the project that has been ongoing for the past three years currently has $3,800 in the bank out of the estimated $10,000 needed to add fencing, design the area and landscape it properly.
Concerning work being done at Mountain View Cemetery, Town Manager Unroe noted that crepe myrtle has been planted on the cemetery to beautify the area where 480 graves sites have been landscaped and ready to sale at $600 for residents of Clifton Forge and $700 per gravesite for those living outside of town.
The stone house on the cemetery that was constructed by the WPA in 1934 was the subject of the next discussion, and Stewart Goodwin of Sandston, Va. handed out a booklet titled “The Stone House Presentation Mountain View Cemetery, Clifton Forge, Virginia.”
She called for the council to launch a restoration project for the building and noted that she is a native of Clifton Forge but due to railroad employment, her family moved to Newport News.
The informative booklet contains colored photos of the inside of the structure along with the measurements. Also, information about potential governmental grants is included along with her plea for restoration of the stone house along with her opposition to have it razed.
After her presentation, Mayor Marshall expressed her thanks to all who made presentations and attended. Councilman Goings marveled at the number of businesses that are operating in the town, and he concluded by saying, “I’d like for Clifton Forge to come up with a way to attract new businesses to come here and encourage businesses here to stay.
Before calling for a vote to adjourn the meeting, Mayor Marshall observed, “Police retention is a problem we need to solve; we have lost 19 officers since 2019.”
The meeting was adjourned, and the council moved to continue via closed session.