1)      August Community Enhancement Award winner is Holtzman for Milnes Market for all the new signs, pumps and improvements at the store on Fourth Street.

2)      Received thank you note for the Town participating in the Summer Youth Work Program.  This was a grant funded program that paid area youth to work throughout the community.      

3)      Received a thank you letter from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for the Town’s volunteers who cleaned up along the Shenandoah River bank.  Councilman Keith Sampson was responsible for organizing this clean up.  He worked with volunteers to remove trash and debris from along the river bank in Town.  A total of 7,500 volunteers worked throughout 245 different sites and cleared away 109 tons of debris and trash from river banks throughout the state.     

4)      Agreed the Town cannot afford the old Casey Jones building on Virginia Avenue at this time, but suggested the owners consider saving the sign on the building if possible.  The building official has stated the state code will require the basement area to be filled in and leveled if the building is demolished by the owners.    

5)      Authorized up to $1,600 to replace fixtures and globes for a light on First Street. 

6)      Approved low bid in the amount of $2,600 from Ran-Mar for paving needed to repave areas where water leaks were repaired to meet VDOT regulations.

7)      Adopted a Resolution to Support Technology Based Business in Town.  (This resolution will be forwarded to legislators along with Town information.)

8)      Received a press release from Valley Health/Page Memorial Hospital that PMH has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in Computerized Tomography (CT), Nuclear Medicine, Magnetic Renaissance Imaging (MRI) and Mammography as the result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology (ACR).  More information is available by calling 540-743-9439 or at their website www.valleyhealthlink.com/Page  

9)      Received a recommendation from the Town Planning Commission for the Council to adopt the Virginia Property Maintenance Code as soon as possible.  Council is awaiting word from Board of Supervisors as there is the possibility the County may adopt the maintenance code to cover the entire County.

10)  Received a recommendation from the Town Planning Commission for the Town’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).  The Planning Commission partially prioritized the CIP and suggested the Council consider removing some items from the plan.  No action was taken on the CIP at this time. 

11)  Tabled action on a water and sewer tap for James Shifflett at 1025 Ramona Avenue until more testing can be conducted for appropriate water pressure for the homes in this area.

12)   Heard North American Phillips is having their surveyors and engineers prepare utility easements for the new water line to serve Shenandoah River Road.  These will be forwarded to Town Attorney Blatt for review prior to them being recorded.  The company also paid Racey Engineering to review the plans on behalf of the Town.  VDOT regulations will still have to be met, but they have not received comments from them yet.

13)  Agreed to contact Shenandoah Hardware to inquire if they plan to do the firewood for the needy program and if they would be interested in taking down a dead tree at the Baptist Church parsonage to use in this program.  The tree is on private property and not something the Town normally does. 

14)  Noted the Town’s policy now is to only install pole lights at intersections and therefore they cannot put an additional light on Seventh Street. 

15)  Will request VDOT install a stop sign at the intersection of Central Avenue and North Second Street. 

16)  Work Orders:  Water leak at the Shenandoah Baptist Church – may have to install a whole new line; tape over hole in meter lid or install a new meter at 105 Williams Avenue;

17)  Will request the property owner mow Rest Haven Cemetery on a regular basis. 

18)  Authorized issuing a Community Enhancement Award for several properties in Town.  These awards will be presented at future Council meetings.

19)  Parks and Recreation News:  P&R Director is working daily on several programs including girls basketball and kindergarten basketball programs.  Boys basketball will take place at a later date.  Also, they will request the railroad reconsider their denial of use of their tunnel for a walking path to eventually connect Big Gem Park and the River Park. 

20)   Agreed to review area where one homeowner claims access is authorized by an alleyway, while another asserts there is no alley in this area or on her deed. 

21)  Prior to comments from the public, Town representatives reiterated the Town does not have the authority to allow the Shenandoah Volunteer Rescue Squad to run calls, as they are in a franchise agreement with Page County.  Therefore, all decision making in this issue has to be done by the Page County Board of Supervisors. 

22)  Heard from Terri May who reported she has spoken to several local and state representatives regarding the issues of the Shenandoah Volunteer Rescue Squad and Page County.  She wants the state conduct an investigation into the matter to determine if any conflicts of interest are involved in the County’s decisions to shut down the rescue squad.  She noted the State of Virginia reinstated the Shenandoah Volunteer Rescue Squad license to operate and commended the squad on its training, equipment, and cleanliness, but Page County representatives will not allow them to run calls.  She noted any internal problems could be taken care of by their membership.  She also expressed concern she felt the Town or our citizens have not been informed throughout the County’s process to shut down the volunteer rescue squad and feels the Shenandoah community is concerned and in jeopardy when one (1) single unit is covering the entire area and relying upon nearby volunteer squads to provide additional service if needed.

23)  Heard from Sharon White who stated she too has contacted state offices about the issue and felt the Shenandoah Volunteer Rescue Squad has operated for 40 years and they should be allowed to continue operations. She noted the membership could take care of any internal problems.