Harpers Ferry Community Newsletter

Harpers Ferry
Community Newsletter
June 2016
Volume 13 Issue 2
15th Annual Don Redman Jazz Heritage Awards & Concert
Where: Mather Training Center Lawn, Camp Hill, Harpers Ferry
When: Saturday, June 25, 2016, 5 pm
Commemorate internationally influential musician Don
Redman, 1920 graduate of Storer College, with
performances by the 2016 Jazz Heritage Award honorees
Albert “Tootie” Heath and Charles McPherson. The
evening includes the awards ceremony, the Don Redman
Next Generation Jazz Camp Scholars, and the Howard
Burns Quartet with special guests.
Prepare a picnic and bring your family and friends!
Inside this issue:
Calendar Events, Garden Walk
Library News
It’s that time again…..
2
3
Source Water Protection Plan
4
Blast From the Past., Water Dept.
info
5
Town’s Inn and upcoming TV
show
6
Harper Cemetery News
7
Bolivar Nature Park camping
8
Harpers Ferry-Bolivar Foundation News
9
Potomac St. Project Groundbreaking
10
B&O Taxes and Business License Applications are due
If you conduct business in Harpers Ferry and you have not yet
applied for your fiscal year 2017 business license - it is still not too
late. Please fill out the Business License form and return it to the
Town Hall. If you conduct business in Harpers Ferry you must
have a valid business license. The Town’s Ordinance Compliance
Officer will verify that each business is properly licensed.
Third quarter B&O taxes of fiscal year 2016 were due by April 30,
2016. If you have earned income within the town of Harpers Ferry,
please fill out the B&O form and return to the Town Hall. If your
business did not earn any income, please return form marked
$0.00.If you have any questions regarding either form, please don’t
hesitate to give us a call at 304-535-2206.
The Town’s official website has useful information including
important notices, ordinances, meeting minutes, official
applications, and events calendar. Visit us at
www.harpersferrywv.us
2
Harpers Ferry Garden Tour and Tea - Saturday June 4
On Saturday, June 4 the Harpers Ferry Woman's Club will
sponsor a self-guided walking tour and tea in an easily strolled
nine-block area of Harpers Ferry. Fourteen residents are
opening their gardens and will be present to answer questions
on gardening. Included in the tour are overlook vistas of the
Potomac River and the Shenandoah River. Terraced yards,
lily ponds and fish ponds, cactus garden, blue bottle fountain,
manicured lawns of historic homes, and varying species of
flowers, shrubs and trees will be shown. A light tea will also
be served during the tour hours of 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Tickets can be purchased on the morning of the tour at the Woman’s Club clubhouse at 856
Washington Street, called "the pink house," for $10.00. Advance tickets can be purchased on
Tuesday, May 31 or Friday, June 3 at the clubhouse after 1:00 pm. Parking is available near the
clubhouse in the NPS parking lot at the Curtis Memorial Church on Fillmore Street in the center of the
walking tour area. The tour will occur rain or sunshine. Questions may be directed to
[email protected] or phone 304.535.6922.
Town Calendar
All meetings at Town Hall, unless noted otherwise.
Wednesday, June 1
Municipal Court, 7-9 pm
Saturday, June 4
Harpers Ferry Woman’s Club Garden Tour
Saturday, June 4
Town Council public hearing (1313.04) at 9:30 am
Monday, June 6
Town Council public hearing (1313.04) at 7 pm
Wednesday, June 8
Parks & Recreation Commission meeting, 6-8pm
Thursday, June 9
Monday, June 13
Town Council Special Meeting for study and consideration of public
comments on 1313.04, 7 pm
Harpers Ferry Town Council, 7-9pm
Wednesday, June 15
Water Commission meeting, 7-9pm
Thursday, June 16
HF Merchant Association meeting, 6-8pm
Monday, June 20
Trail & Town Alliance meeting, 5-7pm
Monday, June 20
Historic Landmarks Commission meeting, 7-9pm
Tuesday, June 21
Planning Commission meeting, 7-9pm
Wednesday, June 22 Harpers Ferry Foundation Board meeting, 5:30 pm
Thursday, June 30
Tree Committee, 7 pm
3
Bolivar - Harpers Ferry Public Library Summer Reading
Program Begins on Monday, June 6, 2016
Stop by the Library and sign up to participate in the Summer Reading
Program. This is an ongoing sign up for the months of June and July, 2016.
Get Ready, Set, Read! Pick up your instructions, check out books/media,
then return those items and earn a chance to win great prizes! Our Summer
Reading Programs are for all ages and reading levels. Please stop by or call
the Library to participate in the many free events we are featuring for all
ages. Space is limited so please check out our Summer Reading Events
Calendar and start signing up Monday, June 6, 2016. Our Summer Reading
Programs are free to the community and we look forward to serving you.
Library Events in June:
Join us Saturday, June 25, 2016 @ 10:30 am for Chair Yoga.
This is the first Summer Reading Program event in our Interactive Health and Wellness Series.
Yes, you can do yoga from a chair! The gentle, precise movements of yoga increase strength and
flexibility. Optional supported standing poses address balance. Learn to integrate breath and movement
for stability and gracefulness. Practice mindfulness for relaxation. Suitable for all adults. Please dress in
loose fitting clothes and prepare to breath. This is a free program offered to the community. Sign up at
the library will begin June 6, 2016.
Join us Thursday, June 30, 2016 @ 6:00 pm for A Chinese Way to Balance: Herbs and
Acupuncture.
This is the second Summer Reading Program event in our Interactive Health and Wellness Series. Erika
Weshinskey, Licensed Acupuncturist of Harpers Ferry will be talking about the practice of Chinese
medicine. We will briefly cover the theory of Chinese Medicine and how we use herbs, acupuncture,
and other modalities to restore balance and heal disease in the body. We will have samples of herbs to
look at and maybe even taste. We will also demonstrate acupuncture if we have any volunteers. The
Acupuncture & Herbology Center is located on 1298 W. Washington St., in Harpers Ferry, WV. Please
call the library at 304-535-2301 to reserve your seat.
Children’s Programs in June
Ages 3-6:
Friday, June 24th @ 11am: Dinosaurs, Fossils, and Rocks Program presented by
Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum.
Ages 5-12:
Tuesday, June 21st @11am: Sand Art Story Time w/ Ms. Lisa
Tuesday, June 28th @ 2pm: Science Experiment Day Participants will be making
slime, lava lamps, soap snowballs, and elephant toothpaste.
4
Source Water Protection Plan Updated
The Harpers Ferry Water Works has completed an update of its Source
Water Protection Plan in consultation with Advanced Land and Water, Inc.
The final plan will be submitted to the State on July 1. All water utilities in
the State were required by law to develop a plan. The intent of this
document is to describe what Harpers Ferry Water Works has done, is
currently doing, and plans to do to protect its source of drinking water. It is
very important to have a protection plan in place to ensure that the source
of our drinking water, the Elks Run, remains safe from contamination
upstream from our plant. The Elks Run flows through farms, towns
(Shenandoah Junction), housing developments, woods, and Burr Industrial
Park, and travels alongside railroad tracks.
We identified three primary areas of concern. Railroads present a potential
threat to surface water bodies due to the possibility of train derailments and
spills. While spills aren’t frequent, they are difficult to remediate and many
products transported are not addressed by conventional water treatment practices. Agricultural activities are
another concern. Fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and sediment have the potential to enter surface water
bodies via stormwater runoff. The third concern is residential growth and runoff. Many homes in our
watershed are served by wells and septic systems. The status of these older systems is unknown and they are
more likely to be prone to failure, which introduces raw sewage into the groundwater. Expansion of
impervious surfaces such as asphalt and concrete increases stormwater runoff, erosion, and loss of riparian
buffers.
The Harpers Ferry Water Works provides safe, reliable drinking water that is in compliance with state and
federal standards. The water plant monitors the water daily. Should the Elks Run become affected by a
contaminant occurrence, the utility can close the Elks Run intake and make use of its secondary intake on the
Potomac River.
The draft plan can be viewed at
http://nebula.wsimg.com/67f73370b2b8dd05871cbc7670fec2b7?
AccessKeyId=25FE845C37CDCE575BAD&disposition=0&alloworigin=1
A hard copy will be available for viewing at the Town Hall, the Bolivar Community Center, and the Bolivar /
Harpers Ferry Library by July 1.
Communicating with the Mayor or Council
Mayor
Greg Vaughn
[email protected]
Recorder Kevin Carden
[email protected]
Council
Betsy Bainbridge
[email protected]
Members Jerry Hutton
[email protected]
Hardy Johnson
[email protected]
Charlotte Thompson [email protected]
Helen “Hap” Becker [email protected]
Water Dept. Phone: 304-535-2206 ext. 3 [email protected]
Town Website Click here
Newsletter Information:
Editor / Layout: Laurel Drake
[email protected]
Next deadline:
Monday, June 27, 2015
5
Blast from the Past
Odds and ends from 125 years of Council minutes
curated by Dan Riss
9 jan 1923 "It was moved [etc]…that one fourth of the water charges made against those consumming
water through mains belonging to the Town of Harpers Ferry shall be paid into the treasury of the
town, the remaining three fourth belonging to Storer College. It was moved…that those who use water
be notified to install meters at once."
10 dec 1929 typed letter from T C Townsend, State Tax Commissioner: "To the Municipal Council:
Your attention is respectfully directed to Chapter 47 of the Code of west Virginia, as amended by
Chapter 62 of the Acts of the Legislature of 1929, providing for municipal elections to be held on the
first Tuesday in June. The election of officers in 1930 should be held in June instead of January.
Under the new law the present municipal officials will hold office until July 1, 1930."
23 oct 1947 "Motion [etc]…that Philip A Hunter, manager of Potomac Light & Power Co., be asked if
his company could give the Town permission to use the abandoned mill race on the Shenandoah River,
as a dumping place. Carried unanimousely."
1 mar 1951 "Letter was read from the Masonic Lodge No 25 of Harpers Ferry and Bolivar requesting
a building permit for a two story bldg metal roof made of concrete and conder blocks in lot next to
Luthern Church." carried
How to pay your water and sewer bill:
Monday- Friday 8-12: The window at the Police Office at Town Hall will be open.
Other times:
Call 304-535-2206 Ext. 3 to make an appointment to see the Water Clerk.
7 days a week:
Leave payment with stubs in the slotted box on the Police Dept. door or the
Town Hall door at the east end of the Town Hall.
Mail your payment:
HF Water Works, PO Box 217, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
Did you know?
If you move to Harpers Ferry or Bolivar and want to start water service, you must apply for new water
service and new sewer service, and pay a deposit for each.
When you get ready to move out, you must fill out a Termination Form, giving the effective date, so that
the Water Dept. can read your meter, shut it off and send you a final bill.
The New Water Service, New Sewer Service and Termination Forms are downloadable on the town
website under the Water Dept. tab. They are also available at Town Office.
6
The Town’s Inn will be featured in the 7 June (Part 1) and 14 June (Part 2) episodes of Chef Ramsay’s
FOX Television Network Hotel Hell series. A viewing party is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the White
Horse Tavern of the Clarion Hotel on Route 340.
The Town’s Inn: A Personal Story of Real Estate and Reality TV ( Hotel Hell ) in Almost Heaven
West Virginia - by Jason and Karan Townsend
ABOUT THE TOWN’S INN AND TOWNSEND FAMILY:
My wife Ana and I were impressed with Harpers Ferry 10 years ago when we decided to buy 179 High
Street in the Lower Town of Harpers Ferry and rent it out to my mom so that she could establish an Inn.
My mom, Karan, by training, trade, and talent, has been an academic all her life working in many
teaching and language consulting roles in the USA, the Middle East, and Europe, since 1970. She was
ready to “retire” in 2007 so we purchased the Heritage House so that she could establish an inn. Later
the Mountain House was acquired.
The Inn consists of two buildings that we call the Heritage House and (next-door) the Mountain House .
The Heritage House consists of Bistro 1840 and 3 guest rooms. The Mountain House consists of a cafe,
hostel, and 2 other guest rooms.
THE RAMSAY RAMPAGE:
We were surprised and excited to receive a call from Gordon Ramsay’s crew in September 2015
inquiring if we might be interested in perhaps participating in the 2016 Season of Ramsey’s reality
television show, Hotel Hell. After a few Skype interviews with producers from California and a couple
of site visits in October, we received the dubious compliment of being selected to be part of the show.
Thus began the Ramsay Rampage. The production crew “took over” the town of Harpers Ferry for over
a week in early November 2015. Cables, cameras,
lights, trucks, a lot of people, and a lot of commotion
abounded around our buildings and throughout the few
small blocks that make up the Lower Town. After we
participated in several days of interviews and filming
with the crew, Chef Ramsay himself arrived with flair,
pomp, and circumstance. In a 24-hour period, his crew
redecorated 2 of our 6 guest rooms and changed the
décor of the Dining Room and Shoppe. He developed a
new menu and gave some good advice on menu,
management, staff concerns, and general design/décor,
including the front and back patios of the Inn.
We don’t know what the two episodes of Hotel Hell will say, portray, or be like because we aren’t
allowed to see them until they air to the public. It’s reality TV — but we know that there will be
hyperbole and intrigue that most likely will not capture the total and absolute reality of the Inn. Our
experience with reality television has been edifying on many levels. As property owners, business
owners, and a family, we were given a great opportunity to recognize our strengths and weaknesses/
failures and successes.
Guided tours of the Inn are being provided by Donna Callar from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. on the second
and third weekends of June ( 11 and 12 June and 18 and 19 June ) and other times by appointment.
Donna is a local resident who resided in the Heritage house with her husband Donald Callar when the
property was a private residence. The Heritage House was the residence of local resident Lynn
Vaughn’s great-grandfather William Oliver Towns and his family .
7
American Revolution Veteran’s Grave Discovered in Harper
Cemetery
An amazing thing happened at Harper Cemetery recently.
The newly trained trio of Lynn Vaughn, Greg Vaughn
and Hardy Johnson were spending their second session of
resetting fallen gravestones in Harper Cemetery. Greg
noticed a rock protrusion along a line of stones and the
team decided to explore it a little further. Several
moments later they unearthed the partial headstone of
William Broadus, a Major serving in the American
Revolutionary War who died in Harpers Ferry,
"Virginia". Had they not explored this area, Major
Broadus's burial location would have been a continuing
mystery.
Hardy contacted the local DAR and learned Major
Broadus’s grave site had been the subject of many years
of searching and had been given up as lost. The Major’s
wife and daughters are buried in the cemetery
surrounding Zion Episcopal Church in Charles Town.
Cemetery Sign Greets Visitors
Thanks to the hard work of Gary MacDonald, the Harper Cemetery has a newly painted entrance sign.
The entrance arch has been in place for over one hundred
years and is a very historic part of the cemetery which
contains grave sites of many residents of Harpers Ferry,
including Robert Harper for whom Harpers Ferry is named.
Through the efforts of many gracious donors, funds were
raised to have the lettering highlighted and the intricate iron
arch restored. The arch now prominently displays the name
for all visitors to identify this important part of Harpers
Ferry's history. Civil war soldiers, past town mayors, Storer
College faculty, many town residents and past business
leaders have found their final resting place in this beautiful,
serene setting overlooking one of the best vistas of the town.
From the cemetery three states can be seen, two rivers and a
full range of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Every year an
Easter Sunrise service is held here where the rising of the
sun spellbinds visitors while flocks of native birds ring in
the day. The cemetery is one of the stops for tourists
visiting the town and a direct path to the famous Jefferson's
Rock. The cemetery is maintained by a Board of Trustees
for the Harper Cemetery.
8
Special Use Camping at Bolivar Nature Park
Trail and Town Alliance of Harpers Ferry and Bolivar is
offering a new service for long-distance hikers and
bicyclists while they visit our towns. Primitive camping is
now available in Bolivar Nature Park. This service is
provided with the cooperation of Jefferson County Parks
and Recreation, which manages the Park, and through a
trial special use permit from the town of Bolivar.
For years hikers and bicyclists, especially those on a
limited budget, have arrived in town during peak season to
find no affordable room, bed, or camping available. Some
would just continue on to the next available trail
camping—miles away. Others would “stealth camp”
illegally in Harpers Ferry NHP or other wooded areas around the towns.
The Trail and Town campground currently has seven campsites, with a total of ten planned. It is only open
to long-distance hikers and bikers arriving in town on foot or two wheels. The campground is only open
between 6 pm and 9 am, meaning those staying a second night must pack up and stash their bags at
Appalachian Trail Conservancy or elsewhere. In keeping with Jefferson County Park rules, no alcohol,
illegal drugs, or campfires are allowed. Campers must register in advance at ATC during open hours or by
calling in the evening, and they are asked for a voluntary $3 contribution to help defray expenses. Trail and
Town volunteer monitors check in both evenings and mornings to assure that peace is maintained in the
neighborhood and that all campers are registered.
We encourage merchants, NPS staff, and residents of Harpers Ferry to share news of our campground to
hikers and bicyclists who might need it. Anyone arriving in town by automobile is not eligible, and
camping is available for them a short drive away at KOA, River Riders’ riverside campground, Harpers
Ferry Hostel (Sandy Hook) or Brunswick Family Campground. Although you may know where Bolivar
Nature Park is, do not send campers there without registering at ATC or, after hours, with Chris Craig (304
-535-2886).
Bolivar Nature Park is a lovely, wooded county-owned preserve near the Catholic cemetery in lower
Bolivar. A nature trail was developed there years ago and was recently restored by local Boy Scouts.
Jefferson County Parks and Recreation Commission has seen the park as an underused resource for years
and has been supportive of this use to fulfill a needed service in the area.
The Trail and Town Alliance supports outdoor and sustainable tourism in our towns. It represents our
towns in the Canal Town Partnership and organizes programs and services appropriate for our towns’
official designation as an Appalachian Trail Community. It is a standing committee of the Harpers FerryBolivar Historic Town Foundation. For more information about the campground or to get involved in any
Trail and Town activities, contact Chris Craig at 304-535-2886 or [email protected].
9
Harpers Ferry- Bolivar Historic Town Foundation News
Immediately following last summer’s fire, our Foundation
was asked by Harpers Ferry Town Council to establish and
administer a fund to provide assistance to the merchant
community devastated by the fire. The Executive
Committee of the Foundation Board established a team
representative of the communities involved, including
Debbie McGee, Laura Blake, John Unger, and Su Schmidt,
Foundation Treasurer. Ed Wheeless (Foundation
Secretary] provided support and helped facilitate the
efforts . Discussions with those immediately impacted by
the fire, funding requests, collection and distribution plans,
and all the many details needing attention for success were quickly handled, and the process continues
today. With the help of many friends of the Foundation, individuals from all across the country,
unaffected merchants, organizations , businesses, a “ go fund me” site, a cash contribution from the
Harpers Ferry-Bolivar Historic Town Foundation and many other sources, we have received over
$57,000.00 . Most has been distributed to applicants for assistance, while a small portion has been
reserved to cover emerging needs as the renovation of properties and the costs of start up for lost
businesses proceed. Contributions are still needed and checks can be mailed to PO BOX 1427 Harpers
Ferry WV 25425.
10
Potomac Street Project Groundbreaking, June 3rd
A Harpers Ferry beautification and Lower Town invigoration project
is to begin construction this week after eight years of planning and
countless hours of fundraising, preparation and design. The
groundbreaking ceremony will take place Friday, June 3, at 3 pm on
the grounds of the train station.
In April 2008 Harpers Ferry Mayor James Addy and three members
of the Harpers Ferry Historic Town Foundation met with Senator
Robert Byrd's staff in Washington, DC, and proposed a project to
enhance the Potomac Street corridor in Lower Town. Such a project,
it was suggested, could address five P's: Power lines (bury them);
Parking (improve access and aesthetics); Pedestrians (a "third space"
and more space); Preservation and conservation; and "Phuture
Phases" such as creating walkways, parks, a pavilion, murals, and
music venues.
Senator Byrd was able to include, in the next U.S. Department of
Transportation omnibus bill, $1.33 million toward the Potomac Street Project.
Eight years later the anticipated cost has doubled and Harpers Ferry has doubled down to find the
needed funds. Donations from generous individuals, in-kind contributions, and support from the
Jefferson County Commission, the State of West Virginia, the National Park Service, utility companies,
Region 9, and the WV Department of Highways have made up the difference. Many volunteers
provided their time and expertise to reach the construction stage.
Mayor Greg Vaughn and other officials will formally hold the groundbreaking and express their
gratitude to all who share in a successful project which will indeed get rid of the power lines, improve
the flow of traffic, increase sidewalk space and seating areas, preserve the ambiance of a historic street,
and prepare for future improvements.