Your Towns: Summer heat brings outdoor rec activities across the valley

Belle

• Look for new signage for towns in the upper Kanawha County to enhance the region's image as the "gateway" to the New River Gorge. According to Mayor David Fletcher, there will be 3-by-5-foot signs along the road that say "Belle XX miles to the New River Gorge" so people know how far away they are from the gorge at any point on U.S. 60.
• There will be no fireworks for the Fourth of July in Belle this year. Instead, the mayor says his focus is on Belle's town festival in August, where patrons will be treated to a car show and live music from noon to night.
  
• The town is looking to hire police officers. Currently, there are three officers with the Belle Police Department, and daytime calls have been handled by the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office and West Virginia State Police. Fletcher hopes to hire at least two more full-time officers.
  
• Fletcher expects the overhead bridge crossing U.S. 60 finished in the next couple of months to alleviate traffic on Richard Avenue. "Two trucks or two cars get up against each other, and it's tight as can be," Fletcher said. "I'm looking forward to getting that opened up."
  
• The town has commissioned an additional mural from Blake Wheeler, who has completed a number of area public murals as well as one already on display in Belle. This mural will be located near the Chemours plant, at the underpass, and will feature multiple town structures, including the firehouse, grade school, bank and funeral home.

Cedar Grove

• Bingo is ongoing every Friday at the Cedar Grove Community Center, 322 Williams St. Doors open at 3:30 p.m., and games start at 6 p.m. Since there will be cash payouts, only those 18+ may play.
  

Chesapeake

• The town's police recruit did not make it through the state police academy and has taken on an administrative position with the city. Town officials still hope to fill a position with the local police department. "I don't want to recruit someone else's officers because we're short," Mayor Melissa Hill said. She said she is willing to take on part-timers to let them decide if the town is a good fit. She is also looking to recruit from universities. Council members are also trying to recruit retired officers.Ìý
  

Clendenin

• The Walgreens, at 8699 Elk River Road N., has closed. The Clendenin Pharmacy, also known as Ore's, which has been a Clendenin staple since the 1970s, is still open for business at 10 Main St.

• Save A Lot, currently located at 9857 Elk River Road S., will be relocating to the old Smith's Food Fair building at 106 Beech St., which has been empty since the 2016 floods. “This is something that’s been on my bucket list since the day of the flood because we have not had it,â€� Mayor Kay Summers said. “We miss it so much, and I think it will affect the businesses, and I think it will affect more people moving into town.â€� Summers says the new Save A Lot could be open as early as mid-July.
• The town will host a blood drive from 1-6 p.m. on June 9, at the Community Center, 4 First St.
• Election Day in Clendenin is June 10. To take part in this nonpartisan general municipal election, voters can take advantage of early voting at Town Hall, 103 First St.,Ìýon May 31 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., June 2-6 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., and June 7 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. On June 10, regular election hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Clendenin Summer Fest is set for June 21. Festivities will take place all day on Main Street. Organizers say this festival is a joint Fourth of July party and celebration of the town's recovery efforts from the 2016 flood. Music, games, craft and food vendors and businesses in town will be open. There will also be music at Harper Stage, at the end of Main Street, starting at 1 p.m. Look for fireworks at 9 p.m.
• Main Street Movie Night will be held at 7:30 p.m. on June 28 at Harper Stage. Free snacks and games for kids will be provided.

Dunbar

• Saturday Night Slam, a wrestling show, will take place at 7 p.m. at the Dunbar Rec Center, 2602 Fairlawn Ave. Tickets start at $15. This family-friendly event features the MEGA PRO debuts of the So IcY Boyz, Chase Emery, Grant Kristal and Christopher Prince.
  
• Mayor Scott Elliott encourages families to come out to Anderson Lake, 1101 Dutch Hollow Road, on June 7-8 to enjoy the state's annual free fishing weekend. The lake is stocked with trout, largemouth bass, channel catfish and bluegill.
  
• At the May 22 city council meeting, Councilman Doug Fleshman said the city's streets are being damaged by work from local utilities. The mayor said he believes the utilities will fix the damaged streetsÌýas soon as they are able. "A lot of people think [utilities] should be able to dig it out and fix it that day and repave it that day, and it just doesn't work that way. You have to leave the dirt and the rock for a while and let it mash back down before you put concrete on it."
  
• A new community playground is now open at the Shawnee Sports Complex, located near the shelters at the park's entrance.

• The Dunbar Civil Service Commission met on May 19. The commission inquired to Dunbar's leadership why no disciplinary action had been taken — despite the commission having handed over their investigative materials regarding DPD Officers Zachary Winters and Adam Mason to the city indicating wrongdoing — and a new police chief and deputy chief had been hired, with the latter appointed to investigate the personnel in question internally. However, Dunbar leadership maintains these are personnel issues and that they cannot release that information to the commission while civil cases against the city are being litigated.
  

Marmet

• The nonpartisan general municipal election will be held on June 10, with early voting taking place at town hall, 9403 MacCorkle Ave. SE, starting on June 8. On Election Day, registered voters will head to the community center, 8515 MacCorkle Ave. Both Mayor David Fontalbert and challenger Francis Armentrout are running for mayor.
• There has not been much progress on finishing Bill Wells Park due to rainy weather, according to Fontalbert. He said AEP will set up electrical access as soon as it is able.
  
• Senior lunches are currently taking place Fridays at noon at the former elementary school building, 408 94th St.Ìý
• Every other Saturday, patrons can come to the community center for live music and dancing. Shows start at 7 p.m.
  
• A new community garden has sprouted behind the old elementary school. The town designated the spot and purchased supplies, and anyone may participate. Since the food bank is also there, Fontalbert noted those crops may end up at the food bank to help residents who need food, though no formal plan is currently in place. "It should be real nice, I think," he said.

Nitro

• Construction on the Nitro Athletic Complex’s new indoor pickleball facility is complete and the city celebrated with a grand opening on Friday.
• Infrastructure improvements are also moving forward across the city. The Walker Street Stormwater Project is set to break ground this spring, marking a major milestone in Nitro’s ongoing investment in flood mitigation and neighborhood resilience. According to City Planner Kim Reed, the city recently established the Nitro Stormwater Utility Board, which will oversee long-term strategies and funding opportunities for stormwater management. Reed did not have a specific date this would begin.
• The REAP-funded demolition phase is also nearing completion. Only one property remains on the original list, and thanks to cost-sharing partnerships with local property owners, three additional structures have been added combining that effort with remaining grant funds. Loftis Demolition is expected to complete all work by the end of June, bringing this removal effort to a close.
  
• Renovations are now complete at the Nitro Municipal Court and City Council Chambers following flood damage earlier this year. The facility is now open to the public, and regular council meetings and Municipal Court proceedings have resumed. Work continues at the Nitro Police Department facility, which was also affected by flooding. "Contractors are making steady progress, and the City anticipates completion soon," Reed said.
• Reed also noted Nitro Land Reuse Authority currently has four commercial lots available for sale along First Avenue, offering opportunities for new business investment. The largest of these properties, which has nearly an acre of downtown frontage, is already under contract and expected to close in June. With demand growing, commercial investors may call 304-306-4201 for more information.

Pratt

• Mayor Andy Williams reported that the town has applied for another grant to develop the former Pratt Elementary School property, which could become home to a 5,000-square-foot community building, a kayak launch, pickleball courts and volleyball courts. They also applied for a mini-grant to clean up the property. "The property is in great condition, we're just trying to make it more manageable," Williams said. "There are some trees we want to get cut out, and we want to make it more accessible to mow it." Williams declined to share the requested grant amounts.
  

South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä

• The Jefferson Road northbound bridge is open. This $46.8 million project began in April 2019 to widen Jefferson Road to five lanes between U.S. 119 (Corridor G) and U.S. 60 in South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.

• The South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Farmers Market has been a success, according to Mayor Frank Mullens. He said the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive since its higher-than-anticipated opening day turnout. "We're absolutely pleased with it," he said, noting that the late closing times can accommodate those who need to get off work and go to the market. He said to keep checking in, as more seasonal vendors are coming. Plus, there will be a new meat provider there —ÌýKeen's Quality Meats from Sissonville.

• The city will host the Western SSAC girls state softball tournament and an all-star north-south basketball game the weekend of June 14. Mullens said he looks forward to people from all over the state coming together to celebrate these young athletes.

St. Albans

• As the president of the West Virginia Municipal League, Mayor Scott James welcomed 40 mayors from throughout the state to St. Albans recently.
• Movies on Olde Main has started, with dates on May 31, July 26, and Aug. 2. James said music will start at 6:30 p.m., and WQBE will begin an outdoor showings of various movies around 8:30 p.m. The free event ends after the movie does. There will be food trucks. Plus, local businesses like Shuckers and Taps will also offer food. According to James, the goal is to provide an alternative Saturday night entertainment option for the community.
• Yak Fest returns June 13-14, featuring the Tour de Coal kayaking event. Bands include Hair Supply, Groove Brothers Band, ZZ Top Notch, Fleetwoods Heart, Analog Boy, Chris Sutton & Soul Mountain, and Gritty Johnson & The Moldy Grubbs. James said of the event, "It's turned into a 12-mile party."
• According to Mark Totten, a member of the C&O Historical Society, a new steel constructed C&O caboose is being donated at no cost to the city. It will be placed at the train depot, 400 Fourth Ave. sometime in the next week, if all goes as planned. The caboose, which was built around 1980, will be open for tours, especially as part of regularly scheduled depot days, hosted by the C&O Historical Society from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month.
• The Autism Services Center is opening in St. Albans on the corner of MacCorkle Avenue and B Street in the former Casdorph and Curry building.