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  Trails are economic development. Trails and outdoor recreation boost tourism, drawing visitors who spend money on lodging, food, equipment, and other services. These supporting goods and services support local businesses and create jobs. Additionally, trails are proven to enhance property values.   Beyond the economic benefits, trails promote physical health and mental well-being. Walking it off really works. Try it sometime. Trails foster a sense of community by providing spaces for social interaction and engagement with nature. Overall, the development and maintenance of trails and outdoor recreational areas represent a sustainable investment in public health, economic growth, and community vitality.   The [...]

FOR YOUR INFORMATION – The Town of Marlinton phone system has been in and out of service at random periods, this summer. When service of out-going calls was restored, there often remained an inability to accept incoming calls. While trying to address the issue of failure to receive in-coming calls, we discovered voicemails have been lost in the system and remain unretrievable. It is a wonder to me that we have not had more complaints.   Regardless, the current town phone system is more than a decade old, and the issues have been consistent enough these last months, that a replacement [...]

Benedum & Mellon, Pres Gee from WVU, and the federal reserve reps, plus EPA dollars and 3 MFT’s,   Outdoor recreation ranks among the nation’s largest economic sectors. In 2022, the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that outdoor recreation generated an impressive $563.7 billion in economic output nationally, accounting for 2.2% of the total gross GDP that year. In 2023, according to the Outdoor Industry Association, “the outdoor recreation participant base grew 4.1%  to a record 175.8 million participants: 57.3% of all Americans aged six and older.”  West Virginia has long been a favorite destination for those seeking to experience [...]

Public work meets with its share of opposition. But community support does happen. For two years, local contractors have either been unequipped or too busy to assist the Town with electrical diagnostic assistance. As a rule, out of county contractors do not want to travel 300 miles round-trips and spend days without some expectation of recovering costs. Unable or unequipped to evaluate, it makes the bidding process cumbersome. When unable to produce a cost estimate on a project, funding to do repairs or replacement is extremely difficult. I am talking about Main Street lighting.  I hope some have noticed, as [...]

Sunday mornings worship service recognized the beginning of the Advent season. A time of preparation for celebrating the birth of Christ as we anticipate HIS Return. December 3rd was the first of the four Sabbath days, before Christmas Day. The first Advent Sunday is focused on HOPE. When asked why the Town charges for sewer services, when a house is empty, I HOPE the following provides an understanding of the why. At one point in time, The Town knew of numerous cases of residents in homes with all utilities turned off, using rain-water and river water to lush commodes. In [...]

2023 October activity Report. Much of this weeks Mayors Corner comes from the October Mayors Report to Town Council and is a collage of various meetings and topics. There is too much work going on to be specific about any one thing. Lots of effort is going into the Home Rule application before it can be presented to the public. Requests for water service seems routine. Some services take time. During October, I toured the Town with a mural artist. Attended County Commission meetings and GO402 Public Training. Met with Conservation Agency for a Team inspection at Smith Lake and [...]

Attitude or Perspective. Perspective or Attitude. It is all about both perspective and attitude. Two men looked through prison bars. One saw mud, the other Stars. Perspective depends on understanding the specifics of the matter. Attitude depends on how one or more set about addressing to the specifics of the matter. Some may just want to belly-ache without concern for either. The ad in last weeks Pocahontas Times suggested a new ordinance will set a monthly fee, because “Marlinton Town Council wants more money.” The ad itself suggests a lack of understanding wrapped in a poor attitude about the little [...]

As many of you know, the town has constructed a fence around the materials yard, at the 4th Avenue Shop. Some have wondered why, after all this time, would the town fence out our own citizens? Let me be very plain. The intent was not to fence out residents or make it harder for residents to dispose of trash. But, we did have to take measures to keep certain individuals off the premises during non-working hours. We had at least four reasons for doing so. Nightly dumpster divers would be reason number one. The mess left around the dumpsters was [...]

Although we should have several good weeks left in summer, it is easy to see the changes that lead into another season. Autumn is fast approaching. Again, I remember Richard Barlow saying every year, “he brought fall home with him from the state fair.” So, get ready, the Fall Fireworks are about to begin. You don’t have to go to New England to experience the fall foliage. Make plans for a trip around the county. Be sure to include the scenic highway on your drive. At any of the scenic highway overlooks, it is easy to imagine Almost Heaven. With [...]