By Stephen Smoot
At last week’s Local Emergency Planning Committee meeting, Frank Wehrle, Town of Franklin administrator, provided updates on key initiatives for the municipality.
He first shared that “the water project is winding down, finally.” The Town of Franklin engaged Thrasher to oversee needed upgrades and maintenance of the local water system. This included repairing a major leak and replacing a water pipe river crossing, among many other needs.
“We’re hoping to have it completed by the end of the month,” shared Wehrle.
Until then, the town has issued a conserve water advisory. As crews work to complete the jobs, the system will operate at less than full capacity from time to time. This means that excessive consumption could overburden the system and incur problems.
Conserving takes pressure off both the system and the workers trying to get the work done as quickly as possible.
Eddie Caplinger, who serves at Pendleton Manor as well as with the Franklin Volunteer Fire Department, shared that he had noticed an increase in water pressure recently. Wehrle explained that efforts to keep the system functional during periods of lower capacity mean that “you’re going to see oddball things like that.”
He added that the town would continue to monitor pressure during and after the completion of work on the water system. “If it doesn’t go back down, it’s something that we need to check,” Wehrle said.
Wehrle then informed the committee that the town sewer project remained in the planning stage.
He then shared the ongoing town project to relocate and/ or remove power poles that produce potentially dangerous obstacles to traffic near the traffic light. “We’re working on developing the project initiated a few years ago,” he stated. The plan currently envisions removing one pole and relocating three others.
Wehrle stated that the town is in discussions with utilities that use the poles to “get them on board.” Ad- ditionally, the town will have to secure rights-of-way from three property owners to place the poles in safer areas.
At the close of the meeting, he shared concerns about bills making their way through the West Virginia Legislature. One concerns the licensing of home-based businesses. The other would require municipalities to hold their elections at the same times as federal, state, and county balloting. Wehrle explained that “I have concerns about implementation.”
Cities have had the option to synchronize their elections with others, but have seen logistical issues in implementing the details of them.
