Council considers helping finance low-cost spay & neuter clinic; extends downtown weekend closings to end of year; and plans to re-start Creekside tree cutting Nov. 17

Following a 45-minute Special Meeting Closed Session discussion of two topics – the year-plus, thus-far unsuccessful search for a permanent replacement for Interim Town Manager Matt Tederick and the yet-to-be-finalized United Bank financing arrangement enabling the Town to take over the $8.4 million debt service on its new police station (no announcement on either) – the Front Royal Town Council opened a Monday evening, November 16th work session with a request from Humane Society of Warren County Executive Director Meghan Bowers to aid in set-up financing of a planned low-cost spay and neuter clinic here.

Bowers explained start-up costs totaling $125,000 of an estimated total first-year budget of nearly $425,000. The Humane Society’s Julia Wagner Animal Shelter will contribute $50,000 to the start-up costs and responding to a question from the interim town manager, Bowers said the county government will also be approached about start-up cost help. “I wouldn’t be a good executive director if I didn’t ask for money from everyone,” Bowers commented drawing some laughter.

Humane Society of Warren County Executive Director Meghan Bowers makes her case for municipal contributions to a permanent low-cost spay and neuter clinic here. Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini – Royal Examiner Video by Mark Williams

Asked about long-term contribution needs, Bowers said it was anticipated once established, the ‘spay and neuter’ clinic will become self-supporting. It is low-cost, not free, she noted. And it is expected that pet owners from surrounding jurisdictions without such a service will also travel here to utilize the clinic, helping prop up revenues. She said it was anticipated the local clinic would serve jurisdictions as far away as Martinsburg.

Bowers also pointed to a beneficial community impact in reducing the number of stray and feral animals that Animal Control and the Wagner Shelter must deal with.

Council took the request under consideration. The plan is to have the shelter open in the summer of 2021 as part of the Fiscal Year-2021/22 budget. Mayor Tewalt observed that the schedule improved the Town’s ability to help since there were no contingency funds set aside in the current budget for such outside projects.

Speaking of budgets, Town Finance Director B. J. Wilson took council through a monthly review of revenue, enterprise and contingency funds as impacted by the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic restrictions on how departments and local businesses may operate. Things remained positive despite uncertainties like a possible statewide ban on delinquent utility cutoffs during the pandemic, Wilson told council.

Town Finance Director B. J. Wilson gives council a monthly update on Town revenues, expenditures and pandemic impact variables – the report was positive with continued good sales tax numbers despite the pandemic.

Tederick pointed to a positive trend in sales tax revenue despite the pandemic. Wilson’s numbers indicated year-to-date sales tax receipts trending almost $51,000 above anticipated numbers at $412,288.43.

And speaking of sales tax revenues, a council consensus was reached to extend the Downtown Business District East Main Street weekend street closings through the end of the calendar year, which would make Christmas weekend from Friday, December 25 through Sunday, December 27 the final walking mall weekend of the year.

C&C Frozen Treats principal William Huck had brought the request to extend the walking mall weekends as the original early November shut down target passed. With early fall or spring-like temperatures in the 60s and occasionally 70s still with us in sometime weekend spurts and a positive sales tax revenue report, council’s attitude was why not? In fact, council discussion indicated a growing consensus to make the downtown business district weekend walking mall a permanent fixture in the local business landscape.

And speaking of landscapes, during Town Public Works Director Robbie Boyer’s PowerPoint review of “Infrastructure Improvements” reaching the topic of “Happy Creek Streambank Channel Restoration” the interim town manager observed that the cutting of trees along that bank would re-start the following day after discussions with several involved agency representatives. Tederick also indicated that some tree replanting would occur as part of the project above the bank on the level ground “shelf”, just not on the sloping bank where the rip-rap rock replacement is planned to replace removed vegetation.

Above, Public Works Director Robbie Boyer points to a PowerPoint update on completed paving projects. Below, page on the status of the controversial Happy Creek bank restoration work. With the move from vegetation to rip-rap rocks, some might have expected to see that project on the ‘unfinished paving projects’ page.

The project scope was described as a 1300-linear foot section between E. Prospect Street and South Street. That distance and the total impacted area would require some additional permitting to the comparable Eighth Street project, Tederick observed.

The perceived clear-cutting of Happy Creek’s bank along this portion of the Shenandoah Greenway Trail has become a matter of some citizen concern, most prominently from a coalition of groups going by the title “Save Happy Creek Coalition”. That coalition, including The Tree Stewards, Urban Forestry Advisory Commission, Beautification of Front Royal Committee, Shenandoah Valley Alliance, Appalachian Trail Community network and Izaak Walton League met Monday afternoon to plan an updated expression of concern of the path the Town has taken in its “restoration” and stormwater management project.

Discussion indicated a council consensus in support of the work. Several comments pointed to the clearing of undergrowth, particularly along the bank’s west side adjacent to the Greenway Trail, as removing a hiding place for potential criminal elements including drug users or predators, they believe populate the area.

Stay tuned as the Town’s plotted strategy and local environmental group concerns continue to clash.

See these discussions and other agenda business in this Royal Examiner video: