Town of Pulaski approves new ordinances on public safety; council awaits traffic study

By MIKE WILLIAMS

The Patriot

Town officials are seeing more incidences of people sleeping in their vehicles, and leaving appliances out with their doors still attached and posing a safety issue.

Tuesday night, town council approved two new code ordinances that make both practices illegal.

Section 50-4 makes it illegal and a Class 4 misdemeanor for “any person to use a motor vehicle for sleeping quarters in lieu of hotel, motel, tourist cabin, boarding housing, rooming house or other similar accommodations within the town.”

Section 50-76 addresses the removal of appliance doors when not in operation, stating: “Appliances and other similar equipment not in operation shall not be discarded, abandoned, or stored on premises without removal of the doors. The prohibition and punishment in this section is in addition to any other prohibitions, penalties and punishments within town ordinances. A violation of this section shall be unlawful and a Class 4 misdemeanor.”

Town Manager Darlene Burcham told members of Pulaski Town Council that both situations pose public safety issues.

In other news from Tuesday’s meeting of council, Councilman Tyler Clontz asked when the town would be receiving the results of its recent traffic study.

Burcham said the study findings should be received just any day.

She said the study was sought for several purposes.

One, she said, is to help town officials determine whether or not they should modify speed limits throughout the town.

“I’m particularly concerned that we have 55 mph traffic coming into town on Route 99,” Burcham said. “People are coming into town at 55 mph and all of sudden the speed changes to 35.  We need to mitigate that. We need to be slowing to 45 then to 35,” she said, noting that would be similar to speeds on Route 11 coming into town.

Burcham added that in August, the new mountain bike park will be installed along Route 99 where the community gardens used to be, and that development called for lower speeds as well.

She said the traffic study will help council in its consideration of two-way traffic on Main Street and Third Street.

And it will also provide information on traffic counts as it relates to speed limits in the town and whether or not some traffic lights in town can be removed.

Burcham and council have discussed in the past the possibility that some traffic lights could be removed in exchange for four-way stops.

Council is expected to act at its next meeting July 19 to change the name of the portion of Lafayette Street off East Main Street to honor former Sheriff Frank Conner.

Councilman Jamie Radcliffe first brought up the possibility at council’s June 7 meeting as a way to honor the former sheriff who passed away just over a year ago.

The portion of Lafayette in question runs past the sheriff’s office to the town’s brush site.

Following a stint in the Army, Conner went to work for the Department of Corrections before becoming sheriff from 1978 until his retirement from the office in 1991. After retiring he became the first Cougar Assistant Security Officer for Pulaski County High School. He also served on the Board of Supervisors for the Massie District for 16 years.  While he was a supervisor he served on several committees and boards including the New River Resource Authority, New River Valley Regional Jail Authority, Peppers Ferry Regional Wastewater Treatment Authority, the Pulaski County Public Service Authority and others.

Council welcomed the town’s two newest graduates of the Cardinal Criminal Justice Academy, Logan Taylor and Hunter Jones.

Taylor is a Dublin native, a graduate of Pulaski County High School and a Marine. Jones graduated from Carroll County High School and Wytheville Community College.

The two are the last academy graduates for the town from Cardinal, with the next graduate to come from New River Criminal Justice Training Academy.

Burchett commended town employees who were pressed into service last Friday by storm damage recovery.

She said employees cleared roads of debris and the fire department worked 16 calls in 20 minutes to clear roadways.

She added that, as it always seems to occur on holiday weekends, town crews had to work two major water line breaks last weekend.

“You have an outstanding staff.  A very, very dedicated and committed staff,” Burcham told council.

Burcham reported to council that last week, during a meeting of the town’s planning commission, someone came into the Municipal Building and did some damage inside.

She said from now on, someone from the town will man the building’s front door during meetings.

Council presented Pulaski County Public School representatives with a resolution honoring school system personnel for their work during “unprecedented times.”

Attending to receive the resolution were School Board Chairwoman Dr. Paige Cash, second grade teacher Lezley Wilson, Director of Special Education Sarah Polcha, Pulaski County High School Principal Jennifer Bolling and Dublin Elementary School Principal Dr. Elizabeth Webb.