Council approves battery storage facility and Calfee grants; New Parks and Trails Mgr. gives outdoor project update

William Paine/Patriot Publishing

Pulaski Fire Chief Jeff Conner came to Tuesday evening’s town council meeting to announce that three of his firefighters had recently gained their Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Certification. According to Conner, the testing for EMT certification is both rigorous and time consuming. From left: Firefighter Mike Kesling, Senior Firefighter Ben Saunders, Firefighter Peyton Hollins and Chief Jeff Conner.

By WILLIAM PAINE

Patriot Publishing

After a brief public hearing Tuesday that featured no speakers, the Pulaski Town Council voted to authorize Town Manager Todd Day to execute a contract allowing Peak Creek Energy Storage to build its battery storage facility on Monte Vista Drive Extension.

The Planning Commission and Town Council had earlier voted to allow Peak Creek Energy to operate under a Special Zoning Permit and this last vote clears the way to begin the project, though no immediate building plans have been announced.

Council also passed a resolution appropriating $1.7 million in pass-through funds to the Calfee Community and Cultural Center (CCCC). The funds come in the form of a $1 million grant from the National Parks Service and a $700,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission. This money will be used to renovate the CCCC building and grounds. The Town administration will handle the paperwork, but is under no financial obligation regarding these grant monies.

The town council unanimously voted to approve a supplemental funding request for $3,000 for the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley. These funds will be used to help finance the Rhythm by the Rails 2025 event, which will occur Saturday, August 9, at Jackson Park.

After the vote, FAC Vice President William Paine made a point of thanking council members for their support and invited everyone to attend the town’s biggest festival of the year.

In response to this, Councilman Joel Burchett Sr. said, “Too often we focus on negative things. I think it’s great that the Fine Arts Center is here. They’ve been a mainstay here for many years. It’s brought a lot of people in, and I appreciate you being here. Thank you.”

Pulaski Fire Chief Jeff Conner informed council about a $3,000 grant from the C.E. Richardson Foundation, which allowed for the purchase of two vehicle fire blankets.

“If you’ve never seen an electric vehicle fire, they’re intense,” said Chief Conner. “They burn forever. So, these fire blankets are supposed to just spread out over the top of the vehicle and pretty much suffocate the fire using less water.”

Conner also announced that three members of his department, Ben Saunders, Mike Kesling and Peyton Hollins, recently earned their EMT certification.

Pulaski’s Outdoor Facilities Manager Nate Repass gave council an update starting with the Splash Pad, which opened Friday, June 7.

“When a kid hits the button on the bollard, the whole thing runs for about 53 seconds and then it shuts off,” Repass explained. “Based on usage numbers, the Splash Pad has seen almost 4000 cycles in the past 12 days … or about four hours and 45 minutes per day. It’s currently set on a 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. schedule. So, it’s been a very popular amenity.”

A year ago, the town received a grant from the Virginia Outdoor Foundation to preserve 165 acres of town-owned property on Draper Mountain and improve the existing trail system. According to Repass, survey work is currently being done at the site and a professional trail consultant is scheduled to come and suggest ways of improving the trail system.

Additionally, Boy Scout Caleb Young has agreed to replace some wooden features on the trails for his Eagle Scout project. Young plans to replace a wooden teeter totter and repair some damaged creek crossings. Funds from the Virginia Outdoor Foundation grant will pay for the materials and Young will supply the labor.

On July 1, a new fee schedule will go into effect for renting the Pulaski Train Depot. Repass plans to use some of those funds to replace chairs there that are 15 years old and “starting to break down.”

Councilman Burchett asked Repass if he could repaint the red caboose at the depot because it now looks like a pink caboose.

Repass said the caboose was “on our radar,” and that he would be working with ACCE college students to provide the labor for painting and other renovations to the caboose.

Repass reminded council that a car show is scheduled to take place every third Saturday this summer at Jackson Park, starting with this coming Saturday, June 21. Additionally, it’s the Town of Pulaski’s turn to host the Independence Day parade, which will take place at 3 p.m. on July 4.  Parade line up starts at 2 p.m.

Repass finished by saying that he had ordered a DJI 3 mini drone which will be used to promote the town’s parks, monitor the Draper Mountain Trail system and potentially showcase some of the Town’s buildings.

After praising Repass’ work ethic, Day announced that as of Tuesday, June 17, Repass had been promoted to assume the role of the Town of Pulaski’s Parks and Trails Manager.

Day also announced that ten town vehicles, including an old fire truck, were recently auctioned off for a total gain of $30,000.

At meeting’s end, during the Council Comment portion of the meeting, Council member Steve Erickson said, “There have been different events mentioned about Jackson Park and I want to apologize to the folks that put on the Pulaski Pride event. Not one of us spoke anything about that … but you know, events like that need to be mentioned as well and I just want to apologize to those people for not putting their event out there. It seemed like the park had a lot of folks in it.”