January 11, 2022
MINUTES OF THE BROOKNEAL TOWN COUNCIL
7:00 PM – The regular meeting of the Brookneal Town Council
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the municipal government of the Town of Brookneal met at the Brookneal Community Building, 261 Main Street, so that social distancing could be practiced properly, with the following members present:
Richard Adams, Mayor
Barbara Laprade, Mark Wilkes, Joseph David, Cynthia Johnson, and Scott Fisher (by telephone due to COVID), Council Members
Russell Thurston, Town Manager
Bobbie Waller, Clerk/Treasurer
Richard Baldwin, Chief of Police
Mike Crews, Public Works Director
IN MEMORY OF MAYOR JAMES “CHAMP” NOWLIN WHO PASSED AWAY 12/20/21
Vice Mayor Richard Adams called for a moment of silent prayer and reflection on Mayor James “Champ” Nowlin’s life and achievements here in the Town of Brookneal.
Vice Mayor Richard Adams noted that according to the Town Charter subsequent to Mr. Nowlin’s passing, he resumes the role of Mayor of the Town of Brookneal and he will serve in that capacity until the election comes up in November 2022.
INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Upon motion by Joseph David, seconded by Mark Wilkes, and unanimously carried, Council approved the agenda for the January 11, 2022, regular meeting of the Brookneal Town Council with the following addition: 1) Appointment of Vice Mayor.
MINUTES
Upon motion by Joseph David, seconded by Mark Wilkes, and unanimously carried, Council approved the minutes for the October 12, 2021 and November 9, 2021 Town Council meetings.
TREASURER’S REPORT
Mayor Adams asked that the November and December 2021 and January 2022 treasurer’s reports be filed for audit.
PRESENTATION AND APPROVAL OF INVOICES
Be it resolved that motion was made by Mark Wilkes, seconded by Cynthia Johnson and unanimously carried, authorizing the payment of the invoices for the period of October 13, 2021 to January 11, 2022 in the amount of $46,427.16.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Dr. Scott Miller, Brookneal representative on the Campbell County School Board, appeared before Council to discuss current events going on in the school system. He said that last night he was elected as chairman for the school board this year. He said the schools are doing as well as can be expected during these trying times. He said that he is very impressed with how well the schools have risen to the challenges of this pandemic with virtual and in person learning. He said the new Rustburg Middle School is coming along nicely, on schedule and on budget. He said the state of Campbell County Schools is good, and he thinks they are a model for other school districts in the area.
POLICE REPORT
Police Chief Richard Baldwin, presented the police reports for November and December 2021. In December, he said of the 147 calls for service, 139 were answered by the Brookneal Police Department and 8 by the Campbell County Sheriff’s office. In November, he said of the 141 calls for service 120 were answered by the Brookneal Police Department and 21 by the Campbell County Sheriff’s office.
PUBLIC WORKS REPORT
Public Works Director Mike Crews started off his report with a tribute to our late Mayor Nowlin by playing his phone ring tone “Bad to the Bone” which he said was always going off in the middle of our Council meetings when he was Mayor and prior to that Vice Mayor.
He said the first plowable snow for this area was last Monday, January 3, 2022. He said another one is expected this weekend. He said a lot of repairs have been done to the pump stations. He said new pumps have been put in at Claytor Road, Booker Road and Mattox Street pump stations. He said the 2 hp pumps are $2,500 each, and a 5 hp pump is $5,000 each. He said he has spent about $30,000 on the 3 pump stations since October 2021. He also told the Council that Larry Broggins has filed his paperwork to retire soon.
TOWN MANAGER REPORT
Town Manager Russell Thurston said that the budget for this year is looking good so far. He said that he is working on replacing the Town of Brookneal sign in front of the Golden Skillet that was damaged by a vehicle. He said the real estate market in Brookneal has never been as hot as it is right now; most houses that go on the market are under contract in less than 30 days. He said there are also 2 potential projects of new construction in the Town. He said that Gary Christie is retiring from the Region 2000 in the spring, and he will be attending the March meeting to update the Council on the region. He said signs are up at the Town dumpsters to help combat people from going through the dumpsters. He said that there have been problems with people going in the dumpsters looking for prescription drugs and identity theft information. He said the signs will help the police department to enforce the rules regarding dumpster diving. Public Works Director Mike Crews said there was also a problem with someone stealing gas at the tank near the dumpster. He asked that if you see something suspicious, please let Town staff know. Mr. Thurston said that American Plastics on Cook Avenue have expanded their business and workforce with new high-tech equipment and computer programming. He said that for years, he has talked about Brookneal becoming a Hub zone. He said that it is in the works now, and there is good feedback with contacts at the Small Business Administration that it will be approved at the federal level soon.
SETTING THE MEETING DATES FOR 2022 AND APPROVAL OF TOWN HOLIDAYS FOR 2022
Upon motion by Barbara Laprade, seconded by Joseph David, and unanimously carried, the Council approved the meeting dates for 2022 and the town holidays for 2022.
REQUEST FOR TRANSFERS OF APPROPRIATION FOR NOVEMBER 2021 AND JANUARY 2022
Upon motion by Joseph David, seconded by Cynthia Johnson, and unanimously carried, the Council approved the following transfers of appropriation that was originally presented in November 2021 and the current request for January 2022.
APPROVAL FOR A RESOLUTION FOR THE LATE MAYOR JAMES “CHAMP” NOWLIN
Upon motion by Mark Wilkes, seconded by Barbara Laprade, and unanimously carried, the Council voted to approve a resolution to be completed by Mr. Thurston for the late Mayor James “Champ” Nowlin and presented to his family at an upcoming meeting.
MOTION TO APPOINT A VICE-MAYOR
Mayor Richard Adams nominated Mark Wilkes as the new Vice Mayor. There were no other nominations. In a motion made by Joseph David, seconded by Cynthia Johnson, and unanimously carried, the Council voted to appoint Councilperson Mark Wilkes as Vice-Mayor for this calendar year. A roll call vote was taken as follows:
Mr. David Aye Ms. Johnson Aye
Ms. Laprade Aye Mr. Fisher Aye
Mr. Wilkes Aye
Councilperson David asked if Mr. Adams’ position needed to be filled. Mayor Adams said that it does, but he felt like everyone needed to think on that a little bit and look at candidates for it; he said it didn’t need to be filled tonight. Mr. David and Ms. Johnson suggested finding someone as soon as possible; Mayor Adams concurred with this. Mr. Thurston recommended that at the March meeting, the Council reach a consensus on who they will appoint to fill this vacancy; he said that as a sense of urgency. He said if the Council does not come up with an individual then the Campbell County Circuit Court judge may appoint somebody. Councilperson Johnson said that Conner Francis has already expressed interest in being on Town Council. She said upon Mayor Adams’s request she would talk to Mr. Francis and see if he is still interested. Mayor Adams asked that everyone be thinking of anyone else they thought may be interested.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
There were no committee recommendations.
ITEMS FROM TOWN COUNCIL
Councilperson David said that he was approached by someone who was looking for a building to purchase in town to start a business, but no one he has talked to is interested in selling their property for a reasonable price. He didn’t know if there was anything the Council could do to help with this or not. Discussion about buildings available ensued; asbestos issues are involved in some buildings which can be very costly as well as extensive work that needs to be done to some. Mr. David asked that maybe Council members could talk to property owners to convince them to open up some of these properties to new prospective businesses and sell their buildings.
ADJOURNMENT
Upon motion by Mark Wilkes, seconded by Joseph David, and unanimously carried, Mayor Adams announced that the January 11, 2022 Council meeting was adjourned.
Bobbie A. Waller: Clerk/Treasurer
Richard Adams: Mayor
