KINGWOOD — The owner of the Herring Building has paid Kingwood for the awning it erected to protect people from falling stones.
And the building’s only tenant, Preston Home Medical, has moved to the former Bowyer’s Furniture building, at 202 W. Main St. Last meeting, council voted to close off the entire sidewalk in front of the Herring Building April 1, if the owner did not address stone falling from the top.
Council has been working with owners Lee Hairston and Brian Duncan of B&L LLC since October 2017, Mayor Jean Guillot said. Council has set multiple deadlines for repairs or submitting a plan for repairs, all of which have gone unmet.
In January, city workers erected an awning over the entrance to the building and blocked off the sidewalks around it because of stone the mayor said is falling onto the sidewalk and street. Kingwood billed the company for the work.
The company has told Kingwood it is having difficulty finding someone to do the work.
Tuesday City Clerk Mary Howell said Hairston told her a company is going to place netting around the top of the historic building to catch falling stones.
The company bought the building at the corner of W.Va. 7 and Price at auction for $34,000 in 2016.
Also at the meeting:
the mayor said that the Kingwood Volunteer Fire Department’s Ladies Auxiliary wants to make a $2,000 donation to city police. Chief Charlie Haney is to come up with a list of items to buy.
council voted to send a letter to the McGrew Society, rejecting its request not to have to subscribe to city garbage because it seldom has trash and, when it does, takes it away.
council voted to renew Atlantic Broadband’s franchise agreement and to seek an agreement with Prodigi. Kingwood gets 3 percent of gross revenues in town, which last year was $22,000.
Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Stiles said he is readying the city pool for summer. The addition most requested by swimmers was a diving board, he said. The pool can accommodate a 1-meter board, Stiles said.
Tom Westbrook was appointed to the Planning Commission.
