By Carol Vaughn — Parksley officials discussed dogs and cats, among other topics, during the June 13 Town Council meeting.
The council voted to move forward with efforts to fund a dog park through a grant.
Parksley area resident Nicole Donaway asked for approval to apply for funding through the PetSafe Bark for Your Park contest, in which four localities will be awarded $25,000 each to create a dog park.
The winners will be determined by an online vote, she said.
Parksley’s dog park, if it happens, will be located in one corner of the existing town park.
Donaway volunteered her time to head up the project.
“I think this would be a big draw for the town,” she said.
The council voted to donate $500 to Northern Accomack Community Cats, a nonprofit that offers trap-neuter-release services for feral, or community, cats.
Councilwoman Jan Welch said the organization has neutered or spayed 57 cats in Parksley, with 65 remaining on its registry waiting to be neutered or spayed.
“So we have a problem,” she said, noting the town of Onley recently made a donation to the organization.
Library Lights Request Tabled
The council tabled a request from the Eastern Shore Public Library to add streetlights at the rear of the library building under construction in town.
Mayor Frank Russell said he sent a letter to library officials about the request saying that Parksley is “behind the library 100%.”
Still, he said, the issue is that there already is lighting there included in the building blueprints.
“When it gets done, we will of course look at the light” and address the issue if more is needed for security, said Councilman Henry Nicholson.
Town Office and Museum Renovations
Nicholson said renovation work is starting on the museum portion of the building that also houses the town offices and the DMV Select office.
He hopes to see work completed within 30 days.
Police Vehicle Purchase
The council approved spending up to $50,000 to purchase and equip a specially designed Ford pickup truck for the police department.
The current police vehicle, a 2012 model, has more than 200,000 miles on it.
Councilman Ricky Taylor proposed using money from the town’s federal American Rescue Plan Act allotment for the purchase.
He said Cape Charles police and the Virginia Marine Police use the same model vehicle and said the truck after its use by police potentially could be turned over to the public works department to use.
Sewage System
The council voted to spend $17,475 of the town’s ARPA allotment to clean and coat tanks in the town’s sewage system.
Trash Ordinance
The council voted to hold a public hearing Monday, July 11, at 6:30 p.m., about a revised trash ordinance.
Parking Problems
The council agreed to review the existing parking ordinance after residents brought up problems with people parking multiple vehicles in their front yards.
Downtown Revitalization
A final walk through of the state grant-funded downtown revitalization project, with exception of the facade improvement portion, is scheduled for July 1, according to Councilman Dan Matthews.
It is likely enough grant money will be left over from the facade project to purchase and install a bandshell at the stage area, he said.
New Business Coming to Parksley
Russell introduced Kelly and G. W. Hart, the new owners of the restaurant now known as the Club Car Cafe. Their new restaurant will be called Off the Rails and is set top open in August.
“We are tickled to have you in town,” Russell said.
