City Council

October 26, 2015 Martinsville City Council toured the Westside area on October 26, 2015 beginning at 5:00pm. Those present for the tour were Council Member Teague, Council Member Stroud, Mayor Turner, Vice Mayor Bowles. Council Member Hodge was absent from the tour. Staff present included City Manager Leon Towarnicki, Property Maintenance Inspector Andy Powers, Assistant City Manager Wayne Knox and Officer Coretha Gravely. Mickie Powell of the Martinsville Bulletin was also present for the tour. The Westside Neighborhood Meeting was held at the former Housing Office, 605 Fourth Street, Martinsville, VA at 7:30 PM, with Mayor Danny Turner presiding and Council Members present including: Vice Mayor Jennifer Bowles, Council Member Teague, Council Member Stroud, and Council Member Hodge. Staff present: City Manager Leon Towarnicki, Clerk of Council Karen Roberts, Assistant City Manager Wayne Knox, Officer Coretha Gravely, Inspector Andy Powers and City Attorney Eric Monday. Mayor Turner called the meeting to order and Naomi Hodge-Muse gave the invocation. Andy Powers summarized the neighborhood tour and provided an update on the property maintenance report. Mayor Turner said they looked at a dead tree at a residence’s home and would be asking the Sheriff’s Department to see if they had interest in getting the wood for their firewood program, saving the property owner approximately $2,500. Vice Mayor Bowles said they visited West End Park where the basketball court has been repaved and the goals had new nets. City Manager Towarnicki said one thing he noticed during the tour was that there are now several “buildable” lots available. He also mentioned concerns that were mentioned at the previous April meeting: 1. A resident had expressed concern about traffic cutting across the center line at the intersection of Yorkshire onto Pine Hall Road, Towarnicki said a double yellow line & bar had been installed at that intersection to prevent this from continuing; 2. Residents voiced concerns in April about the condition of the pavement on Cardinal Lane, this area has been paved; 3. Towarnicki stated that West End Park on Cardinal Lane had been paved & basketball nets had been installed. Towarnicki asked for residents opinions on the tennis courts February 13, 2012 on Swanson Street stating that he would like to hear their suggestions of what could be done with that location. Council Member Stroud said he had never seen Westside & some other areas in the City look as good as they currently do and thanked Property Maintenance and Public Works for working closely with Council on issues. Officer Gravely invited the community to a Health Fair event hosted by the Police Department at Fuller Memorial Church in November. She stated that the fair would include representatives from Social Services, the Unemployment Office, the Health Department, and others. She stated that there are people in the community who need information on what assistance is available and this Health Fair could provide that. Chauncey Adams, Executive Director and Faye Holland, Chairman of the Board for FAHI offered a presentation on the Housing office proposal. Ms. Holland said that the Hispanic community and the Boys & Girls Club are new organizations that plan to partner with FAHI. Cynthia Ingram, 163 Yorkshire Rd stated that she considered this location a unique spot for FAHI, stating that the building mirrored other African American museums and that the community could embrace and feel good about the added location. Comments from City residents: None were made There being no further business at 8:00pm, Council Member Hodge made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Council Member Stroud seconded the motion, all council members voted in favor. ___________________________________ _______________________________ Karen Roberts Danny Turner Clerk of Council Mayor