Thursday, May 12, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Mountaineer Food Bank, sponsored by Oakland Church of God and City of Smithers, for Fayette County residents only, at the Oakland Church of God
Saturday, May 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Twisted Axle, LORMC-sponsored bike and car show, Gateway Center parking lot, 2 Greyhound Lane, Smithers. All proceeds are used to help in local communities. Contact LORMC members for more information.
Saturday and Sunday, May 21-22: Watercolor Art Class, for those of you already registered, just a reminder. The class will be held in the Wellness Place at old City Hall, 518 Michigan Ave. The class is already full.
Thursday, May 26, 6 p.m.: Meet the City of Smithers candidates for mayor, recorder, and city Council, in the Gateway Center gymnasium.
Thursday, May 26: Memorial Day observance. Smithers City Hall offices will be closed, but police and street crews will be working.
Construction Projects
The three, grant-funded construction projects (curb cuts, sidewalks, and stormwater) got started in March with the storm water separation project in the east end (Longacre end) of town, roughly from the upriver crossing to Longacre Bottom. You may have seen the equipment and materials stored by the AMPECO company on the city’s Oakland Property. They are the first company to begin.
When the city has start dates for the other two projects, those will be announced in the newsletter.
Rental Assistance
Need rental assistance? Landlords and tenants can apply to the West Virginia Housing Development Fund. There is valuable information at these websites:
The Smithers Wellness Place, located at 518 Michigan Ave. (old City Hall Activity Room), is a big hit, and the new spin bikes have arrived and are ready for your workout.
Spin and Chair Yoga instructors are happy to have so many of you exercising and socializing. Many thanks to Maryrose Scott and Jerome Hairston for their community spirit by volunteering their time to teach these classes.
You need to call City Hall to reserve a bike for specific dates for Jerome’s class (304-442-5282) or contact Maryrose Scott on Facebook to reserve for her classes.
If you’ve reserved one, it will be held for 10 minutes. If you don’t show, then the bike will go to the next person on the wait list. (And there’ll be a surprise spin instructor coming your way this month — stay tuned!)
Wellness Place Schedule:
Spin Classes, Mondays and Wednesdays, 6 to 7:15 p.m., with a $3 fee with instructor Maryrose Scott.
Chair Yoga Classes, Tuesdays, 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., free Chair Yoga classes with instructor Jerome Hairston.
Walking Group, Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m., A free walking group that starts a two-mile Urban Trail walk at the Smithers Gateway Center parking lot.
Spin Class, Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m., a free Spin Class with instructor Jerome Hairston.
Spin Class, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.: A spin class ($3 fee) is offered with instructor Maryrose Scott. (Instructors do not carry change, so please bring exact change only.)
Cold, bottled water is available at each class for $1.
Smithers Bridge RepairsThe Smithers Bridge crew recently told us the work on our at-grade bridge on U.S. 60 will continue into May. The original completion date was November 2021, but additional work and weather have impacted the end date.
Work on the Vickers Bridge will take about two-plus more years. Please observe the lights/signs on U.S. 60/bridges to keep all safe. The traffic patterns change frequently as the work and safety dictate, so stay alert and careful.
Smithers City Election
Public service is a vital way to make sure your city leadership is working for you. It’s also a privilege and an important responsibility to work toward solving city problems and helping to work toward the type of little city you want to live, work, and play in.
Your elected officials have a responsibility to attend meetings, to read and understand all levels of information related to finances, budgets, grants, laws, zoning, and ordinances, and they have a responsibility to offer concrete ideas and solutions — just showing up to complain doesn’t make the city better.
This is not just a title; this is real work. We are pleased to see that there are new people considering service to our little city. This year’s election is for mayor, city recorder, and five city council members. Terms are for four years, July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2026.
Come out and meet the candidates at 6 p.m. on May 26, in the Gateway Center gym.
Election Day is June 14, and the polling place is inside the gym at the Smithers Gateway Center.
While you are in the Gateway Center for business or events, be sure to notice the Smithers mural painted by traveling muralist Cheyenne Renee (see her FB page, also).
Smithers was selected as the city in West Virginia for her 50 Murals in 50 States tour. Our mural will be traveling, also, so you may sometimes see it in Gateway, or at the Magic Carpet, or in the Wellness Place, or ... who knows? Watch for it!
Neighborhood Upkeep
Spring is here and summer is approaching and everyone’s grass is growing! Please keep your grass cut, your sidewalks swept, and pick up litter around your homes and businesses — show your pride in our little city.
Get outside to exercise and socialize and help make this a clean, safe, attractive, and healthy little community.
